[Boomer]

Hi Vinny,

It sounds to me like you are not ready to make a decision. Buying in TV is mostly about buying "The Lifestyle" so if that is not something that you are convinced is for you, at this point, maybe the timing is not quite right for buying.

You might want to consider renting in TV for a few months. At this time of year, rents are heading into their lowest range. But this time of year will also be far less crowded than winter and so you will not get to see how you really feel about the crowds that arrive when it gets cold up north.

Another thing that some people do first is to buy a manufactured home in what is known as the historic side, known as such because it is the original part of TV. There is no bond in Lake County (as I understand it) and the cost of buying in is quite a bit less than other areas. Manufactured homes are located in Orange Blossom Gardens, Country Club Hills, and Silver Lake. The "feel" of the historic side seems more relaxed than other areas. There are no fences there though, but I think that one of the villages there has a dog park on site.

The historic side can work out well I think for some. Sometimes people buy there for second homes. Sometimes people buy there just to get access to the amenities which are the same for everybody throughout TV. And sometimes people buy on the historic side to live there all year round because they just plain like it there for lots of reasons.

Re. the cost of buying on the historic side -- I have heard it said that if someone is considering renting for a relatively long period of time or for just the winter months for a few years in a row, it can actually be cheaper to buy something on the historic side than it is to rent for an extended period. That's because even if it is sold later at a lesser price than when you bought it, you have saved a lot of money in rent and had access to your own place for all that time at the least investment possible to buy in TV. Of course, you have to crunch your individual numbers in every case. What works for one does not work for another.

Anyway, my take on your post is that you are not ready to make the decision about TV. But I know that no matter how much you love the relatives you are moving in with, such situations can get to be kind of "crowded" sometimes after a while. I have a friend who always says, "Buckingham Palace is not big enough for two women."

But don't rush your decision. You might want to think about not boxing yourself in right away with something that you are not sure is for you. Consider other options. Don't look at just an either/or choice. Look at something in the middle, like renting or buying in relatively inexpensively and trying the place out for a while. It just might take the pressure off.

You can just put the money from your house sale in a safe investment, like a really short-term CD or a money market, FDIC insured, so it will be there if you find you want to make a commitment to buying a CYV. (Yes, I know that CD interest rates stink right now. They may be creeping up a little, not much though, but the cost of sleep is worth a lot, especially for money that might be needed in the short term.)

Money spent on rent could just be an outstanding return on investment because renting would give you the chance to see if TV is for you. Do not be rushed into buying if you have doubts. (My theory on the urgency of the real estate market is that there is none. I really do not see that the real estate market will ever again truly sky-rocket anywhere, anytime soon. But that's just my theory. -- Of course, I am the only one who has to take my own theories to the bank. Nobody else should.)

Well, you asked the time and I think I just built you a clock. -- Actually though, people ask me questions like this in my real life, too. I always say that I am not trying to tell them what to do, but I will tell them what I might do under their circumstances. And I also try to help them play out, in their heads, every possible option they have. (And I think that's what I just did here.) Stop. Breathe. Take your time. Think it through. Consider all your options.

I wish you the best.

Boomer