May I pick your Brains...New Owner!

[roxelle44]

I am closing on a house and hope to get information from this forum rather than my agents. Here we go...I will be renting the place most of the year so should I get a golf cart and is there insurance that would cover my guests? Or would I really need a car? Are there private property managers other than what the Villages offers? What would you recommend for Utility companies,,,elec, gas, internet? Lawn service (small lawn), trash pick-up? I handn't thought about any of these decisions until now and I have to set them up in a week or so. Thanks!:)

[retiredguy123]

I would not get a golf cart for use by tenants. Too much liability.
Yes, there are other property managers, but no matter who you hire, you will probably not make much, if any, money by allowing your house to be totally managed by a management company.
I think the only choice you will have for utilities will be for cable tv and internet service. If you provide cable and internet to tenants, you need to shop around for the best deal.
And, again, don't expect to make money on a property that you don't manage yourself. The successful landlords in The Villages do their own management.

[John_W]

I am closing on a house and hope to get information from this forum rather than my agents. Here we go...I will be renting the place most of the year so should I get a golf cart and is there insurance that would cover my guests? Or would I really need a car? Are there private property managers other than what the Villages offers? What would you recommend for Utility companies,,,elec, gas, internet? Lawn service (small lawn), trash pick-up? I handn't thought about any of these decisions until now and I have to set them up in a week or so. Thanks!:)

If it's like it was in 2011 when I purchased a new CYV, about 3 to 4 weeks before closing you'll receive a packet with all the companies listed and their contact number. For electric you'll have just the choice for your area. For example I live between 466 and 466A and SECO is our electric company. They are a co-op and we never lost power during Hurricane Irma, they're a great company and my bill on an all electric home is about $85 a month. Gas is only available in areas that were built before 2007, and I believe that company is TECO.

Telephone, TV, internet are about the only companies you can have a choice, and even that depends on where you live. Comcast, Century Link, Directv and Dish are available just about everywhere in TV, however you'll have Spectrum available south of 466A, it used to be called Brighthouse. If you want something simple for a tenant, I would go with Comcast.

As far as not owning a car, would you shop at Kohl's? They are not golf cart accessible. Neither is Orlando, Ocala, Tampa, etc. Plus, depending on if your home is centrally located or not, a golf cart trip for me to say, Lopez Country Club and golf course is a 50 minute cart ride each way, and I'm north of 466A. Remember TV, not counting Fenney and the newer areas, is about 35 square miles. Even if you can get there by cart, sometimes you'll wish you had an air conditioned car to get you there when it's above 90 degrees for about 5 months of the year.

Thrash pickup and water for drinking and irrigation and your amenity fee is all provided by TV and will come on one bill. Lawn service you'll have many choices. One of the best features of this website is the ability to search. When I moved here I had a legal pad filled with names of painters, handymen, landscapers, and etc and I got them all by searching this site, the button is at the top.

[roxelle44]

Thanks, good info to get started

[thelegges]

When we finally bought in 2010, we did not keep a car here, until 2015. Went to online enterprise rented a car far in advance for trip, usually about 3 or 4 days to go out of bubble. Rented a golf cart for rest. Never had a problem with having to store when we left. It’s not a big deal.

Renting go to thevillagers4rent, do it yourself. You will have many to pick from for high season, after that not so much, (companies will tell u they can rent every month, usually not true)
Better option, rent unfurnished for a year. We did that for years. No wear and tear on furniture, they pay utilities, you pay aminity fee, water and lawn.
When we came down, we just rented a home on the same sight.

[rjm1cc]

This site might be of interest VH4R Home Rentals in The Villages (http://www.villagershomes4rent.com/)

[roxelle44]

Yes! Thanks!

[roxelle44]

Thank you!

[rhood]

I am closing on a house and hope to get information from this forum rather than my agents. Here we go...I will be renting the place most of the year so should I get a golf cart and is there insurance that would cover my guests? Or would I really need a car? Are there private property managers other than what the Villages offers? What would you recommend for Utility companies,,,elec, gas, internet? Lawn service (small lawn), trash pick-up? I handn't thought about any of these decisions until now and I have to set them up in a week or so. Thanks!:)

You should use some discretion relying on any information you get from this forum.

[Bogie Shooter]

When we finally bought in 2010, we did not keep a car here, until 2015. Went to online enterprise rented a car far in advance for trip, usually about 3 or 4 days to go out of bubble. Rented a golf cart for rest. Never had a problem with having to store when we left. It’s not a big deal.

Renting go to thevillagers4rent, do it yourself. You will have many to pick from for high season, after that not so much, (companies will tell u they can rent every month, usually not true)
Better option, rent unfurnished for a year. We did that for years. No wear and tear on furniture, they pay utilities, you pay aminity fee, water and lawn.
When we came down, we just rented a home on the same sight.

Isn’t the OP buying a house and then renting it out? Huh?

[Fraugoofy]

I am closing on a house and hope to get information from this forum rather than my agents. Here we go...I will be renting the place most of the year so should I get a golf cart and is there insurance that would cover my guests? Or would I really need a car? Are there private property managers other than what the Villages offers? What would you recommend for Utility companies,,,elec, gas, internet? Lawn service (small lawn), trash pick-up? I handn't thought about any of these decisions until now and I have to set them up in a week or so. Thanks!:)I help teach people how to manage their own properties so you can keep your own hard earned money. If you are somewhat computer literate and can text, I can help you.
Text me at Rae 920-265-8425

Sent from my SM-N920R4 using Tapatalk

[thelegges]

Isn’t the OP buying a house and then renting it out? Huh?

Yes but if you are working and only can spend maybe 2 or 3 weeks a year, you are financially ahead by renting your home unfurnished full time, then your drive by visit can be done elsewhere. Plus you save the 10,000 plus on furnishings.

[champion6]

OP, in what village is your house? Some answers depend on your location.

[Kahuna32162]

Best advise is, never pre pay a service contract and stay far away from Service Smart.

[roxelle44]

Caroline

[valuemkt]

You have, or will shortly be, making an investment of several hundred thousand dollars. Your questions don;t revolve around whether its a wise investment for you, so let's set that aside. Now you have a piece of property that you will only use for a small portion of time every year. And I'll assume the rest of the time you will be living no where near the Villages. First thing I would do is protect it.. Insurance .. have you considered extended sinkhole and flood insurance ? You'll see a myriad of opinions. Next.. a "caretaker" for your home while it is vacant. In the Villages, most people (myself included) hire a HomeWatch service. Generally a Village resident that has set up their own business. When vacant, they visit your home every week, run the faucets, dishwasher, flush the toilets and make sure there are no burst pipes etc .. In my case, they also greet my tenants and act as a Village point of contact in case anything goes wrong while they are there. They also do the checkout review and clean the place to ready for the next tenant. The golf cart also gets a lot of differing opinions. My vote is NOT to provide one to renters. Next you need to get smart on what landscaping and pest control means here. You could drive yourself crazy by hiring different people for grass cutting, weed pulling, fertilizing, pest control, termites, shrub maintenance etc.. This blog will also give you the variety of opinions on that.. There are some very big companies.. some enterprising young locals that have their own business, and of course some shysters. Whatever you do, dont prepay for anything. I chose a smaller family owned business to do all of the above, and I pay a fixed rate monthly. Opinions on internet and TV service vary .. Do your own research. Finally, picking tenants.. If you would not give the keys to your car to anyone, why would you give the keys to your $ X00,000 house to anyone, I advertise on VH4R and a few other sites.. and screen people of interest myself. I would never let a property management company do it. Buying a second home is challenging.. Renting it adds another layer of complexity. Even if you;re already committed, don;t rush into the rental until you;ve really thought things through. Hope this helped a bit

[roxelle44]

Yes, very helpful...