[Marlo]

I definately agree with taking the tour bus. Each time we came down I scoffed @ doing the bus but finally I did it and I should have done it earlier if only to find out the different Villages and having the tour guide tell you different tidbits. That being said the really helpful thing is going to the open houses. To go to the different villages, seeing the houses and how they sit and are laid out is very helpful. Take alot of pictures ALOT of pictures so you remember what you like and don't like. We had come down to TV for apprx 5 years before we decided on which house we wanted, whether we wanted to build or buy used and where more importantly we wanted to live. One of the deciding factors was not wanting to look into our neighbors lanai so we built on a great lot where we have privacy. You need to go to open houses so you can see the privacy of houses, the no privacy of other houses, golf front or water view.............you only see that by going into the house and not by pictures. Hope this helps and good luck in your search. PS: When you go to the open houses ask questions and talk to the other people that are there looking. They could already own a home and are looking for a new one for a specific reason that might help you in your decision. We live in Collier and we're not far from Brownwood or Colony Plaza.......it's a great location!