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Originally Posted by Yucatan2

I realize this is subjective and everyone's experiences will be different.....
We rented a place in The Villages for the month of September and of course really liked the whole concept. We have a house in rural southwest Virginia, which we put on the market mid October. So far have only had two couples look at it. Not a lot of draw here except the proximity to the Blue Ridge Parkway, and it is a wonderful place for a summer home. Very small town, safe and quiet.

We looked at dozens of properties while on our visit, around my husband's work schedule (he works entirely on the internet, so we can be anywhere!) Found a few we wouldn't mind making an offer on. Got prequalified and of course our credit rating is high and debt to income ratio very good, so we could "afford" a much bigger loan than we are even interested in.

BUT, for us, it will be MORE expensive to live in TV. Particularly in insurance for both home and vehicles, and property tax. We can swing buying a place before selling this one but it would be less comfortable.

I am interested in hearing of your experiences....did you buy in TV before selling your current home? Did you regret doing so? Was being in The Villages worth the agony of waiting for your home to sell?

And another option....if we bought something in January, would we be able to rent it out for Feb. March with no problem? That could make the decision easier as well.

Thanks you for your advice...I've already learned so much from reading these forums! Cindi

Yucatan: What seized me in your post was that your expenses will be higher in TV than where you live. One of the few reasons we moved here was because the costs were less than in Minneapolis. The one consoliation we had is that the Minnesota /Minneapolis taxes were put to productive use so that there was a direct link between taxes paid and quality of life. I do not personally have that same opinion living here. However I am certain that some will disagree.

From a financial standpoint there is so much uncertain with the economy owing to the continual battle in Washington over taxes homeowner deductions etc that have a direct affect on families. For that reason alone it may be worth it for you to rent. In addition you will get a better understanding of the financial implications of moving here and if this is what you really want.

I can tell you that if I initially rented here by the third month I would have been looking elsewhere not because of The Villages but because of my lifestyle which is not conducive with the tempo or politics of TV. Keep in mind many people love it here .

I won't move because I can't make a profit on my investment and even if I break even I will still incur additional cost to move elsewhere. Since being on a fixed income and no longer able to replenish my financial reserve I have learned to adapt.

So do yourself a favor and see if this place fits you as it does so many others it beats having buyers remorse