snow bird vs. FT resident?

[Cookie Princess]

Has anyone started out as a snow bird and then changed to be come a full-time villages resident? What made you change your mind?

[billethkid]

Has anyone started out as a snow bird and then changed to be come a full-time villages resident? What made you change your mind?

Going back North!!!!!!!

[Topspinmo]

Going back North!!!!!!!

And maybe high taxes after retirement?

[CFrance]

We started out as snowbirds from Michigan. I worried about the condo the whole winter long--did the heat stay on, did the pipes burst, is the roof leaking (this last one happened). One time two days before we left to come south, the furnace quit working. The day the new owner was coming for a walkthrough, the water heater gave out. I got tired of it, and as beautiful as Lake Michigan is in the summer, the summer is very short. The year we left for good (2013), moving day was July 4, and it had yet to reach 70 degrees in our part of town down by the lake, and it had been raining for two weeks.

However, the summer heat down here got to me. So now we're snowbirds again, splitting 7 & 5 months.

[alwann]

Snowbirded for 5 years. Came during summer and found it's a completely different, uncrowded place. Sold our place at the beach up north, which was crowded in the summer and just as hot as here.

[jebartle]

NC friends said, "Florida has bugs and heat", lest they forget, NC has bugs and heat!!!!, no brainer, oh, btw, kids live in Winter Park!!!!!!

[missypie]

NC friends said, "Florida has bugs and heat", lest they forget, NC has bugs and heat!!!!, no brainer, oh, btw, kids live in Winter Park!!!!!!

Totally agree. We are from Charlotte, NC and the heat and humidity is brutal. Now if you have a place in the mountains, that's a different story.

Love living here full time. We can go wherever we want for a change without the responsibility of a second home. Different strokes....

[Madelaine Amee]

We were snowbirds for two years with a home here and one in Northern NH. What a pain. Constantly worried about whether someone had broken in during the winter, worried about burst pipes, worried about anything we could worry about. Put the house on the market, sold it to the first looker for full price and came here. We have NEVER regretted it. Yes, it is too hot for me in the summer, but my husband has real problems with the cold, plus we take off and stay with the kids for a week or so during the fall, because their summer is almost as hot as ours and they do it with no AC.

Oh, I forgot the NH Bugs .............. big as jet liners, both mosquitoes and black flies and horse flies, you name it they got it!

[valuemkt]

We've done things in a somewhat backwards fashion, being owners for two plus years and experiencing the three non-peak seasons. Being 20 year residents of Atlanta, and a refugee from the frigid and snowy tundra of Upstate NY, the weather during the silly season is a no brainer - we'll trade the crowds for the temperate climate. Spending a month in the heat of summer answered a lingering question - was the heat really unbearable ? Conclusion - with 20 summers in Hotlanta, The Villages was very doable. So, we'll make the permanent move shortly - the temperature delta these past three months is very appealing.

[asianthree]

We still have our up north home, come and go (we definitely leave the Florida summers behind) as we please. Sometimes one stays north longer, not sure we will ever be FT, I enjoy the change of seasons. We have a full time live in when we leave northern home, so no worries on what’s not working

[rjn5656]

Decided what it would cost me to be a snowbird with a place up north, and the cost wasn't worth it. I rent via airbnb whenever i feel i need to go north. No headaches.

[Bay Kid]

If it wasn't for sitting on my quiet Chesapeake Bay beach with my feet in the water, boating on the bay, fishing, crabbing, family all around, golf, friends, etc. I would live here year round.

[rjm1cc]

Working from home (FL) most of the time and in the office (North) about once a month. Retired and left the North.

[ricthemic]

Has anyone started out as a snow bird and then changed to be come a full-time villages resident? What made you change your mind?
You can still be a Florida resident, live there at least six months then go back to your other house (down size maybe) and keep all your health care providers

[Bay Kid]

You can still be a Florida resident, live there at least six months then go back to your other house (down size maybe) and keep all your health care providers

Do you need to stay 6 months every year after the 1st year?

[karostay]

I wasn't about to give Maine 6% of my hard earned retirement...
I stay here 6 1/2 months and spend 5 1/2 months on a lake in Maine

[villagerjack]

The question for us WE ...can we take the summer heat away from the grandkids? We answered NO even though the financial considerations can be very compelling.

[patriciamees]

I lived here 4 years and then became a resident legally. I am still a snowbird on a 6 month: 6 month rotation. Thinking of spending more time here. It is harder and harder to sign up for clssses up north when I can only complete half of the term. The more friends I make here the more I want to be in contact with them. Only reason I still go back are a property and heirloom furniture , a son and my travel companion goes back. I am sure I will phase out the hometown over the next few years. It will not be easy.

[bilcon]

No brainer for us. Too many worries owning 2 places. All our friends up north are either dead or moved. Taxes ridiculous, traffic unbearable, and humidity awful. Been here full time 10 years. Love it. Only my opinion. Maybe if I had a place in the mountains or on a lake, with lots of friends and family near, I would feel differently. Strictly an individual decision.

[OhioBuckeye]

Has anyone started out as a snow bird and then changed to be come a full-time villages resident? What made you change your mind?
We rented for only 2 yrs. before we bought. We looked just like all of the people in the sales office, excited, bubbly. What most people don't know is they don't watch for the right areas to buy in, they're all just so over whelmed with everything here. You will learn the pro's & con's here just like any other place. Don't take me wrong it is a Disneyland for retirees. The Villages realtors are pushing Fenny, they're under cutting the older side of the Villages to sell the 50,000 new homes that are going to be built there & the people that have the preowned are getting stuck with there home because they want a little more for them. Just remember to ask TV realtors about, Higher property taxes, Bonds & Aminities. Probably won't be any entertainment for about 4 or 5 more yrs. unless you drive your car to at least Brownwood, no grocery stores close. Nice place to live but snowbirds making TV their permanent home will learn all the pro's & con's real quick. I know someone will disagree with me, but not everybody lives the same lifestyle, have more or less money, different interest. Enjoy your new Disneyland!

[D.Lawrence]

Has anyone started out as a snow bird and then changed to be come a full-time villages resident? What made you change your mind?
The expense and Hassel of keeping two homes, very time consuming as well. Getting older and wanted more free time in one location.

[B-flat]

We still have our up north home, come and go (we definitely leave the Florida summers behind) as we please. Sometimes one stays north longer, not sure we will ever be FT, I enjoy the change of seasons. We have a full time live in when we leave northern home, so no worries on what’s not working

Similar situation here, we have a live in up north during the winter months, that gives peace of mind to us here during our stay. Once our situation changes with our live in there’s a 99% change we’ll sell up north and move here permanently. Still have an extended family up north and I can see us possibly renting a home near the ocean for a month or two during the summer.

[NotGolfer]

We started out as snowbirds but the frozen tundra kept our attention ALL that 1st winter---always checking on things with who was watching the house etc. It seemed very cumbersome to worry about whether the snow was shoveled on time, if the furnace was working etc. We flew home end of April to find the car we'd left wouldn't start. Probably should have had someone start that and drive it around the block a few times while we were gone. Also the power must have gone out and re-started at some point. Found that the fridge (which we thought we'd emptied was not) and some chicken had thawed and the smell was horrible. Had to clean and reclean that thing to get rid of the odor (bleach and don't remember what else). We had already decided we'd be making our permanent residency here as the cost of living was cheaper (taxes etc) and we didn't want the burden of two places any longer. PLUS we felt you don't truly connect being seasonal and "LIFE" goes on in both places while one is gone, so you feel somewhat discombobulated trying to "re-group" again. Just our experience. Oh...and our kids were scattered (not in the same area) plus the "littles" weren't little any longer and off in different directions. LIFE does change!!!

[OhioBuckeye]

If it wasn't for sitting on my quiet Chesapeake Bay beach with my feet in the water, boating on the bay, fishing, crabbing, family all around, golf, friends, etc. I would live here year round.

You made a great analysis Bay Kid! Don't take me wrong, it is a nice place to live. But not everything here is cracked up to be what they said. I play golf, golf is free on the Executive courses but if you want to play the Championship course you have to join or pay 45 to $55. dollars to play them. In the summer you can play them for $7. if you can stand to play in the heat or be lucky enough to get a tee time before 10:00am. I bet I've had at least 5 people tell me that live on the old side (orange blossom) that when they moved here 15 or 20 yrs. ago you lived like a millionaire, now you've got to be a millionaire to live here. (inflation) That's a little overboard but you can buy anything that you buy in TV less outside the bubble. Everybody has thier:popcorn: opinion of TV, because everybody doesn't live like the next person. Oh, by the way we're moving to Texas in April. I will miss the people here & the lifestyle but we have our reasons too!

[aletarw]

Got tired of looking for something only to remember that it's in the other house :-)

[equaintance]

After many long years of being a snowbird it got to be too much to keep up two homes and the traffic going back and forth was terrible together with the fact that we got older and wanted to settle down. Did appreciate the time I got to spend the summers up north in the cool weather. Snowbirds who own homes in The Villages have to bear all the expenses that full timers do and should not be looked down upon.

[Velvet]

...

[Ann Marie Acacio]

We bought here in TV in 2016, with the intention of selling our NE PA home, which we loved, so we became snowbirds for the past 2 yrs. Paying double taxes, insurances, etc. became counter-productive and, last October we sold our PA home...in one week for full price...and now this is our only home. We have not looked back and don't miss PA! We will go back to visit in early Fall, and I know I will be eager to get back to our Village home and lifestyle! Glad we made this decision!!

[jedalton]

I did for 8 years. But I knew from the start I wanted to retire here. Just had to wait for the right time.

[steve@traverse-point.com]

Tax savings

[Barefoot]

If it wasn't for sitting on my quiet Chesapeake Bay beach with my feet in the water, boating on the bay, fishing, crabbing, family all around, golf, friends, etc. I would live here year round.

Bay Kid, :mademyday:

We love living in The Villages in the winter - it's wonderful.
However Canadians are not permitted to stay longer in the US longer than 182 days in a calendar year (US rule).
And I've heard the summers are very hot in The Villages.
For those reasons, we are content with our lake cabin in Canada.

[Bay Kid]

Bay Kid, :mademyday:

We love living in The Villages in the winter - it's wonderful.
However Canadians are not permitted to stay longer in the US longer than 182 days in a calendar year (US rule).
And I've heard the summers are very hot in The Villages.
For those reasons, we are content with our lake cabin in Canada.

I really love TVs but by this time of year I am really starting to miss home.... Had family for the past week, now I really miss home. Almost warm enough to return. Needless to say as soon as I go home I will miss TVs.
Old man problems!

[thetruth]

We rented for only 2 yrs. before we bought. We looked just like all of the people in the sales office, excited, bubbly. What most people don't know is they don't watch for the right areas to buy in, they're all just so over whelmed with everything here. You will learn the pro's & con's here just like any other place. Don't take me wrong it is a Disneyland for retirees. The Villages realtors are pushing Fenny, they're under cutting the older side of the Villages to sell the 50,000 new homes that are going to be built there & the people that have the preowned are getting stuck with there home because they want a little more for them. Just remember to ask TV realtors about, Higher property taxes, Bonds & Aminities. Probably won't be any entertainment for about 4 or 5 more yrs. unless you drive your car to at least Brownwood, no grocery stores close. Nice place to live but snowbirds making TV their permanent home will learn all the pro's & con's real quick. I know someone will disagree with me, but not everybody lives the same lifestyle, have more or less money, different interest. Enjoy your new Disneyland!

For many. including me, the options can be overwhelming. Not just in the villages but in the world. No longer tied to a job so no one else, or yourself if self employed is saying on monday, you must xxxxxxxx.

Every place has reasons to live there otherwise, it would not exist. There are ghost towns, dead or dying towns where you could build your own Disneyland-Villages. Actually, there is no shortage of Village wannabees that have failed.

As to the sales people pushing Fenney. Truth is sales people like to play with new toys. Some people might prefer the historic section.

Choice, new found freedom is can be a lot to handle.

[OlifOlif]

Until Taylor moved back, I wanted to stay there. But since Taylor is too tender, I would make it a go!

That's for me!!!

[TNLAKEPANDA]

Currently we are 6 months in each location. We are going to change that to more time in Florida probably 9 & 3 for a few more years.
One thing is that FL cost double everything compared to our other home which is twice the size and on a beautiful lake.

[davem4616]

We started out as 'snow bunnies' back in 1995 when we bought a house on a canal in Ft Lauderdale. We'd drive down from Boston and open the house Columbus Day weekend, leave the car and fly back and forth a few times, close it in mid May and have the car shipped north. It was our 'escape house'... (it was so nice to only fly with carry on luggage)...it was truly like going on vacation (albeit when the airline stewardess call you by name you know you're flying too much). We duplicated EVERYTHING in the kitchens to make it easy. The shoulder seasons were the best for us and over time we wanted to be in FL more often at that time of year. In the summer my wife worried about the place in FL especially during hurricane season (did we close it up well enough). In 2008 we became more like 'snowbirds' as we both had careers that allowed us to work virtually, It became really easy to open/close the FL house, but it seemed to become more challenging to prepare the northern house for the fall/winter and to reopen the pool in the spring, get the gardens prepared etc. The kids were all grown/married/parents, so our pool was no longer 'the place' that it had been, nor was there much help with yard projects. Once the last of our parents passed away in 2015 we decided to simplify our lives and sell the two houses that we had up north and become FT Floridians (the back and forth travel had gotten to us). We extensively remodeled/expanded the house in FT Lauderdale and began living the good life. Not having a 'second or third home' to maintain/worry about made seeing the rest of the world a lot easier. By 2017 the traffic congestion in Ft Lauderdale had gotten to us. We looked up and down the coast and finally visited a cousin who lived in TV. Before leaving that weekend we had put money down on a house. Dealing with the summer FL heat is just mirror reverse from dealing with the winter cold in the north. We can escape the summer heat whenever we choose to. We no longer wake up that first morning after repositioning to 'the other house' and pause to remember which cabinet the coffee mugs are in, or get confused about what is the freezer in this house vs. the other house. BTW, Airbnb makes it easier to escape for a reasonable amount and the tax law changes now would have eliminated itemizing our multiple real estate deductions. Having one house works a lot better for us now that we're retired. Being this close to Disney increases the chances that family will travel to see us too!

[nanker]

It is a struggle to make a decision. We are from NH where everything is now blooming and we have beautiful lakes and mountains. Currently 6 1/2 months in TV and we love every minute.
We are thinking of going down in mid June till mid July so see if we can handle the heat. When you live there do you stay in the house most of the time from May to October?
Also the snowbirds are sometimes dismissed. I tried last winter to find golf games and it is hard to break in.

Nanker: confused::confused:

[davem4616]

during the summer months you don't do any outside yard work...but it's just mirror reverse from the cold up north where you go from heated house, to (hopefully) heated car, to heated store/etc. We go from A/C'ed house to A/C car (A/C seats help) to A/C venue...there are a lot of evenings where dancing on the squares is enjoyable, as there is a nice breeze...the pools are fine in the mornings and late afternoons if you don't like extreme heat.

[OhioBuckeye]

Has anyone started out as a snow bird and then changed to be come a full-time villages resident? What made you change your mind?

Well we didn't exactly become Snow Birds but we did rent for a couple of months for a couple of yrs. then we decided to buy because all of the excitement & things to do there. We lived there for 7 yrs. People were so nice, but you do run into a few people that must hate the world but overall a great place to live. But since we're getting older we didn't want our grandkids & great grandkids to grow away from us so we moved to where one of our kids lived then we only have to go one way to see the other. It was a tough decision!

[ChicagoNative]

We’ve been in this area only since January of 2018, but have been snowbirding for 10 years. I’ve loved having two places; visiting family, friends, getting my city fix, and then coming here to relax for the winter. That said, we’re going back to Chicago later this week, and will be putting our small 3-flat up for sale. We love our hometown, and as nice as it is to have a home of our own there, we just can’t help but worry about furnaces, sump pumps, tenants paying on time, and the state of Illinois and city of Chicago taxes and fees. The time has come for a new chapter.

Everyone’s different, and some may not mind the summer heat, but if you’re thinking of making the move to living here permanently, I’d advise staying through a summer. It’s a whole different level of hot.....like hell’s waiting room! Good luck. 🍀

[ChicagoNative]

We’ve lived in this area for only 14 months, but have been snowbirding for almost a decade. We’ve loved having an escape back north for the summer where we could see family, friends, and get our “city fix” before returning to Florida for the winter.

That said, we’re returning to Chicago later this week and will be putting our small 3-flat up for sale. As others have mentioned, one can’t help but worry about furnaces, sump pumps, taxes, routine maintenance, and in our case, whether the tenants will pay on time and take care of the place. For us, it’s time for a new chapter. We will likely still “bird” again, but will do a short-term rental.

If you’re thinking of making a permanent move here, perhaps you could consider coming down for the summer......it’s a whole other level of hot. You don’t have to shovel the heat, but it is every bit as uncomfortable as a cold northern winter. Your mileage may vary. Good luck.

[WalkerLoop]

We were snowbirds for three years (Corning, NY). Although the Summer heat is lower up there, the humidity is near 100% due to the area being a river valley and also the Finger Lakes. With all the amenities at The Villages, we can be active here all year long - play softball, golf, pickle ball, yoga, cards, games, MaJong, etc. Just stay hydrated and there are A/C units all over the place. We use our golf carts for just about everything. Sold our house for the asking price almost immediately. Ultimately, it's the life style that caused us to move here full time. Don't regret it at all.

[JoMar]

We all have our own reasons for doing what we do.....and that's part of what makes this place great. We found that once the kids and grand kids found out they couldn't guilt us into not moving they decided coming here was the best option for them.....in fact, our biggest fear is that they will move here....lol. We travel around the US during July and August staying with friends (some snowbirds from here) or dispersed family and found that has opened up new experiences and opportunities...what a great country we have.

[harby]

No reason of keeping two homes (IL & TV) and will save more than 50% of $$$$$ for property taxes, utilities, mortgages (paid in full), landscaping care, tv cable, 'headaches to worry', etc. We really miss IL s fall foliage, all seasons, home designs, and trees, and our son, but don t miss traffic and politics! We love here as it s easy to shop, drive with much less traffic, take a tour somewhere, and mention many more to list.

[DavidLoVullo]

I am snowbird but own a village house
Dave