Rental Advice

[blaZen]

Before purchase would like to rent for a month or two. Rental advice would be most welcome.

[Best Mom]

Location is everything. Great idea to rent for at least a month and check the different villages out. Many pre- owned homes for sale at great prices. You don't necessary have to rent where you want to buy. Just check every place out. You need at least a month to do this...we are big. Watch traffic patterns as some places are on very busy intersections or near trains. Talk to everyone.
I picked a place close to many pools ( I go to the pool everyday) and shopping. Some people love the older side with large yards, mature landscraping and very reasonable prices. Many of the homes have never been lived in- so they are like new. We have open houses everyday so look, look, look. I just had 3 friends buy and they all picked different locations for very different reasons.

[jeffy]

go to thevillages4rent.com and look at the rentals in there (mine happens to be designer #631 ;) There are several hundred homes in the villages on that website. If you go that route you actually get to pick your home and neighborhood. If you go thru the villages property management you dont know where you will stay.

jeffy

[Best Mom]

Jeffy- Good tip.

I got a pm asking if it is warm enough to go to the pools everyday? Good question - No! Nice here now but it can get cold.

Water is kept at 82 degrees in pools. I wear my scuba skins on cold days to keep me warm getting in and out.

[Boomer]

In October of 2007, we rented for a month through The Villages. The home was nice and the transaction was handled efficiently. The only thing that aggravated me was that TV would not tell us what village we would be in until we arrived to pick up the keys.

I think I know the reasons for their wanting to maintain control of that information. Picking and choosing by renters would be a never ending big pain, not only for management, but for the property owners, too. I would assume that TV would try to stick to a fair rotation of rentals they take under management. It seemed to be a pretty streamlined operation. The only disadvantage was not being able to decide on which village. But it was really no big deal for the first time visit.

And like I said, the property was nice and we had everything we needed, including immediate contact if a problem would have come up.

I assume that TV still handles their rentals in that way. If they are now letting renters request locations, someone on here may know that and share the information.

But for our next visit, which I hope is sometime soon, I prefer to use a private rental as my first choice. The main reason is that now we have the lay of the land in TV and we know where we would like to be. That is different for everybody. All areas are lovely there. But with a private rental we will be better able to zero in on what we want.

You will find that no matter where you end up, you can visit any pool and any rec center and lots of other places where you will meet wonderful, friendly people who will be willing to help you and answer questions.

Good luck.

Boomer

[blaZen]

Want to thank everyone for the excellent advice. Went to thevillages4rent.com and found about a zillion houses for rent. How does one choose?
Picked up a nice TV map from the Spanish Springs sales office on our first visit, still no help. Looks like we will rent during the summer, May or June.

[redwitch]

I can't tell you how to pick, just how I would pick:

I wouldn't worry much about location. You'll figure out where you want to live just by being in TV and driving around. I'd pick by what I wanted. For me, a golf cart would be #1 on the list. A hot tub would be nice. Someone who is available if something goes wrong (a good caretaker or an owner who lives in TV, in other words). Of course, price would be a factor and I would probably try to rent something similar to what I think I wanted to buy so that I had a better idea of whether this is really something I wanted.

I know that for me I could not live in a courtyard villa -- the streets just give me claustrophobia. However, I have friends who love the CVs. I love the patio villas because the lanais are in the front and I can greet my neighbors as they walk their dogs, etc. I like the historic section a lot. The old growth is wonderful and, as much as I detest some of the bad taste in the yards, I like the variety and the fact they are allowed to put whatever they want in the yards.

So, pick your rental by your needs and desires and, of course, availability. Hope you find exactly what you want.

[rekop]

I would pick the rental amenities, as mentioned above, and for ease of travel, I'd pick a rental in a central location such as Mallory, Caroline, etc. That way you could travel to the other Villages easily to check them out, and you'd be near a town square as well. If you're thinking of summer renting, you should be able to get great deals no matter where you rent as its the low season. If you find someone renting at a low price, use that as a bargaining chip if you find a location you like better and you want to get the price down. Its almost impossible for landlords to get renters in the summer, so you can strike a deal pretty easily. Good luck.

[ricthemic]

Hello from Cape Cod,
We are looking for a rental for Feb and or March. First time at TV.
There seem to be some rentals still available now perhaps due to the economy. Are Mallory and Caroline close to Sumter or Spanish squares? Are there a lot of the patio villas you mentioned? I have a lot of questions but it would take up this whole thread. One more please, is there an online map of TV that shows each Village in relationship to the other Villages not necessarily with each road. Perhaps indicating the squares, main roads and golf courses.
Thank you
Ricthemic

[KayakerNC]

**snip** One more please, is there an online map of TV that shows each Village in relationship to the other Villages not necessarily with each road. Perhaps indicating the squares, main roads and golf courses. Thank you Ricthemic

This may fill the bill.
http://virginiatrace.com/images/rec_centers040508.htm

LOTS of maps at the Virginia Trace webpage.
http://www.virginiatrace.com/

[uujudy]

I can't tell you how to pick, just how I would pick:

. . . For me, a golf cart would be #1 on the list.

And don't forget high speed internet. I can't tell you how much time we spent at Crisper's so we could use their WiFi when we rented.
Once you're in TV, and if you don't have internet, you can't check the new listings at thevillages.com every night.

[Sweetgirl]

Hello from Cape Cod,
One more please, is there an online map of TV that shows each Village in relationship to the other Villages not necessarily with each road. Perhaps indicating the squares, main roads and golf courses.
Thank you
Ricthemic

Hello Ricthemic,

Here is exactly what your looking for, Internet Map of The Villages. http://www.lylesellsfla.com/The_Villages_FL_listings/featured.shtml It's a Realty site with other Village's information. Click on Village Info, Villages-Map along left hand side. Maps Pages 6 & 7.

[graciegirl]

In October of 2007, we rented for a month through The Villages. The home was nice and the transaction was handled efficiently. The only thing that aggravated me was that TV would not tell us what village we would be in until we arrived to pick up the keys.

I think I know the reasons for their wanting to maintain control of that information. Picking and choosing by renters would be a never ending big pain, not only for management, but for the property owners, too. I would assume that TV would try to stick to a fair rotation of rentals they take under management. It seemed to be a pretty streamlined operation. The only disadvantage was not being able to decide on which village. But it was really no big deal for the first time visit.

And like I said, the property was nice and we had everything we needed, including immediate contact if a problem would have come up.

I assume that TV still handles their rentals in that way. If they are now letting renters request locations, someone on here may know that and share the information.

But for our next visit, which I hope is sometime soon, I prefer to use a private rental as my first choice. The main reason is that now we have the lay of the land in TV and we know where we would like to be. That is different for everybody. All areas are lovely there. But with a private rental we will be better able to zero in on what we want.

You will find that no matter where you end up, you can visit any pool and any rec center and lots of other places where you will meet wonderful, friendly people who will be willing to help you and answer questions.

Good luck.

Boomer

Boomer! Karen and John have bought a home and will be moving out of the home they were renting RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM US. I HATE to see them go, but the pain would be eased somewhat if you rented there. I think they are vacating this rental home in February. It is on Havana Trail and the owners are too young yet to retire. I know they rented it empty, I think it is available furnished too. You could contact Karen directly and ask her.

[Karen83]

Grace.......the ink has hardly dried on our purchase contract and you are already replacing us!! :shrug:

Seriously though, we rented through The Villages and have been quite happy. Boomer, you can PM me if you have any questions. We are moving the 2nd week of Feb. and are contracted with this rental through March. We can't sublet, but if you are interested I can let them know!

Also, we are very glad that we rented instead of puchasing a home we weren't really sure about. You get such a better feel for what type of home you really want and where you want it after living here a couple of months. One thing for sure, this place is wonderful and we love it more every day!

Karen

[Best Mom]

I have had more pms on using the pools in cooler weather and what scuba skins are?

Dive stores, sports stores or Scuba.com carry these. They last a long long time and also give you sun protection.

The water volleyball teams play year around and often wear wetsuits. Any more questions, just pm me.

[blaZen]

Again, thanks to all for fantastic advice and several private messages. Now we have to decide if/when wife and I can take time off. Although I'm retired, she isn't. May have to do this alone and have her visit. Current plans are to keep our home here in beautiful Natchez and purchase a CV in TV.....Thanks again, all of you have been most helpful.

[pili]

Speaking of rentals. Does anyone know if it easy to rent a Villa for a week at Christmas time? We had relatives this Christmas and our Designer was not large enough to accommodate everyone. They will have to rent next year. I know a Villa will be nicer than staying at a hotel. Thank you and Happy New Year.

Pili

[Freeda]

We found our rental through a classified ad in the Villages Daily Sun newspaper; it was a private rental directly with the owner. Worked out fine. The classifieds are online at a link for the Sun that you can find, I think, at www.thevillages.net - or the newspaper may have its own website.

I would definitely recommend renting for a while before buying, to get to know the different areas, and a feel for what type of home you want.

[nancy thereader]

I see here that many people advise renting for awhile before buying. Are there homes that are furnished? Are any available for just a month as I think that would give me enough time to look around and decide where I would like to live.
Thanks for any help !

[villages07]

Nancy...yes, there are many furnished rentals available by the month. In the peak months of Jan-Feb-Mar, you'll be hard pressed to find one and they are very expensive. Availability increases and costs go way down during the other months of the year.

I agree that a month of serious looking should be sufficient to help you decide. We rented for the month of July 2006 and bought by July 7th.

For anyone considering a longer term rental (more than 6 months), see if you can insert some type of bailout clause....what if you find the perfect house in the 2nd month.....will you still be responsible for the rental for the remaining 4 months or 10 months of the lease?

[jeffy]

Nancy...yes, there are many furnished rentals available by the month. In the peak months of Jan-Feb-Mar, you'll be hard pressed to find one and they are very expensive. Availability increases and costs go way down during the other months of the year.

I agree that a month of serious looking should be sufficient to help you decide. We rented for the month of July 2006 and bought by July 7th.

For anyone considering a longer term rental (more than 6 months), see if you can insert some type of bailout clause....what if you find the perfect house in the 2nd month.....will you still be responsible for the rental for the remaining 4 months or 10 months of the lease?
.................................................. .................................................. ...

I have had this happen to our rental prop in both of the last two summers. The renters came down to see what the summers were like and ended up buying well before the lease was over. We will actively look for new renters for them and in both cases were able to find renters to replace them so they could go ahead and move with loosing very little.

jeffy

[Lianne from CT]

After having visited last OCT, I sent for The Villages Street Map ($5) which I obtained from Banner Mercantile store down there (352-753-4676. It's perfect for determining where you are in relationship to what you want to be near. When we visited our GPS system was totally inaccurate and totally confused (because so many places are newer than our GPS - so were unknown to its internal system). The map would have been perfect during our visit.