[TomW]

We are just about to come out the other end of the process on our home in Duval. We close this week. From our experience in selling our house up North, I would advise hiring a stager and pricing it carefully according to current market conditions. Scott H. advised getting rid of all stuff possible and I agree wholeheartedly. That step is more important than you can possibly imagine if you haven't moved recently. There is absolutely no substitute for doing your homework regarding purchasing a home here. Get your financing in order before you decide on a purchase. Work with both an MLS (Lyle Gant is great) realtor and a Villages sales rep. Get to know the market here intimately. Make several trips and/or rent for a while. It is a nice hobby in the cold months up North. Be aware there are expenses here that you never heard of back home. They have critters here you aren't familiar with either. Everything needs treated or fertilized or trimmed... and often. Closing costs are much higher here than what I was used to. Last, have a substantial pot of money readily available to deal with unexpected expenses. Good luck! All in all we are very excited and can't wait to move in.