[cgalloway6]

We planned to come down to watch one of the last shuttle missions and saw the ads for the Villages on the Golf channel. The LSV seemed like a good chance to play some golf, have a reasonable rate for accommodations and see the launch. Bought the tickets for the close up(causeway) viewing of the launch, planned the trip, got the LSV reservations and were set for a nice vacation.
Shuttle was postponed a month so sold the tickets on e-bay and still came down with no intention of buying anything. Couldn't believe how pretty is was, how clean, how friendly the folks were and how low key the sales process was. We ended up putting down a deposit on a model in Tamarind Grove and closed 3 months later. I still work so it was going to be a vacation home and a rental when we weren't there. Rented it for the winter months and our next visit in 2012 we decided if it was going to be our retirement home, we wanted something a little larger with a bigger garage and better view. Put the house on the market, had a contract done in 3 days, closed in 3 weeks. Built a new home in Fernandina on a golf course, closed this December and still rent it when we aren't there.
We could have waited until I retired but we knew what we wanted and figured the choices would get a little more limited as the build out got closer, the prices keep going up and we are okay renting it, just hope not to any meth labs.