What percentage buy during 1st visit to TV?

[Junebugs]

I was telling my husband that I thought I had read a high percentage of people buy a home during their first visit to TV. Does anyone know the statistics?

[kfierle]

I'm not sure but I almost purchased on my first visit. I put the brakes on at the last minute because something didn't feel right. Keep in mind that I was only there a day and a half on my first visit. I did, however, purchase on my second visit when I was there a entire 3 days!! Before closing I kept asking myself if this was a good decision. I know now that it was one of the best decisions I have made. I am still working in New York State so I only get to use my place sporadically. I am actually going to be in TV the beginning of August and can't wait!! :MOJE_whot: :pepper2:

[jblum8156]

I visited relatives in TV for 3 days in April. During that time I made up my mind that TV is where I wanted to live. I came back at the end of August, selected a house on the second day with the realtor, bought and closed in 2 weeks. Best decision I ever made.

[Kelsie52]

I was telling my husband that I thought I had read a high percentage of people buy a home during their first visit to TV. Does anyone know the statistics?

Cant tell you how many buy on the first visit but I was told by our salesman that the 3rd visit is the most popular .....and thats what happened to us --we were not ready on the first because the timing was not right --- The second we looked more intently and by the third it was done----we bought in early June --hoping to be there by Oct....:MOJE_whot:

Good luck:wave:

[Skip2MySue]

I was telling my husband that I thought I had read a high percentage of people buy a home during their first visit to TV. Does anyone know the statistics?

As far as we go it's 100% because we came down for 4 days in April and it was a done deal. Closing on new build in Pennecamp July 7th:D
Skip & Sue

[villages07]

We did the Gilligan's 3-hour tour in Feb 06, decided to come back and rent the month of July to test the summer weather and then signed a contract to buy a new house by July 7th. So, technically, it was the 2nd visit.

[rblammon]

Wow . My wife and I are planning are first vist in October. We Are staying a whole month in a 3 bedroom with pool in Palo Alto. Sounds like we are hooked before we even come down.

[Russ_Boston]

Hooked after the 1st visit but didn't commit until my 4th trip (last month).

I did one LSV and 3 private rentals.

[pooh]

Visited one day in October 2005, looked at the community with Villages salesperson. Drove back to Sarasota to continue visit with our son and his family. Drove back up about a week later and told our agent to start looking for a new house with certain specs. He found it for us about 4 months later. We were on the west coast and our deal was transacted at 6:30 in the AM... :) Closed in April and moved to Florida in Oct 2006

[logdog]

We decided to buy after our first visit but wanted to sell our other home first. If the housing market had been better, we might have chanced it. Glad we didn't because it took 15 months to sell. Once we sold, we got a rental in TV and bought our house within 3 days. Golf cart took another 2 days.

[Soon2B]

I was telling my husband that I thought I had read a high percentage of people buy a home during their first visit to TV.

Where do you think you read that....seems unlikely to me. When I posted recently that we signed for a place someone responded assuming that we had visited only once. By the time I got back to the thread people had gone off onto a tangent into neverland. So, didn't bother to inject reality into their flights of fancy.

We first heard about TV eight years ago from friends, and over time others who moved there gave their praises. Two years ago we rented there for a few days -- had to sell a house before doing anything. Last month we came back for a week and decided to buy.

My last title at IBM was Senior Business Analyst and, as my wife points out, the operative part was ANAL --- I do look at some details. I don't think I'm alone in that respect.

[CaptainMorgan]

We had 3 Lifestyle visits and many more private visits over the last 6 years. We just closed in March and look forward to spending some time in our dream home a few days at a time until we retire.

I was "sold" on TV on my first visit, but my wife was not. To be fair we have had other "life issues" that took priority. We have both grown comfortable with our decision.

Retirement is still 2 or 3 years away but we decided to take advantage of the current real estate market, ultra low interest rates and tax credit.

It is a big decision for most people. I don't regret waiting, but don't have any doubt that it was the right decision for us.

Ed

[salpal]

We had a six day Life Style visit. By the third day, we were ready to buy. We looked at several homes, came home and bought two days after arriving home. We just moved here now full time after renting the place out last winter. We have been living here for 11 days and are already in love and know we made the best decision ever.

[LittleDog]

We were visiting friends here without any thought of buying. However after seeing TV we decided to buy right away. This was in 2005 (a good year to sell your house). We had only two requirements (by wife). We wanted to be near water and we wanted a closed kitchen. We were shown a house 2 houses from a retention basin. The price was right so we bought. We knew very little about how TV was laid out but as luck would have it our house is about 2 minutes from Cane Garden and we're surrounded by golf courses within easy distance. We had been in our home in NJ for 30 years and hadn't considered moving.

What was interesting was that when we got down here we realized that we were in a rut back home and being here was an invigorating experience (and still is)

John

[Pturner]

We did not buy on our first visit, but we knew. Funny thing is, we didn't expect to love it. We had seen the commercials and thought they were hokey. But hubby had a friend who moved here and loved it. Then he started meeting other people via his work who had moved here and loved it. A few years ago, he had a conference in Orlando and we decided to drive up from the confererence to TV for a visit. Just a couple of days, but that's all it took. Oh yes, we knew!

We were going to wait 'til he retired, then move to TV full time. However, after the housing market crashed, we decided to go ahead and buy if we found a great deal. We did. We rent it out during snowbird season and get there as often as we can the rest of the year.

[Katgirl]

Rolled into town late on a Saturday night last September(sight unseen). Bought the house on Sunday after an exhausting search all day and having selected house after house only to find it was already sold. Found our dream home in Hemingway and had to wait an excruciating 15 hours to find that we got the contract on it. Haven't regretted a thing except that it will be 10 more months till we are finally here full time! I think most people know a good thing when they see it.

[getdul981]

We have been visiting Disney World for around 30 years. We had seen The Villages listed when they did the weather reports, but never really knew anything about it. This past February we visited the Orlando area with the intention of looking for a place to move to. That was pretty much a wasted trip. A friend of ours, that lives in Orlando, mentioned The Villages although she had never been there herself. We returned to Orlando the last week of April and went with our friend to visit TV. We only did the trolley tour on that Tuesday. My wife and I returned on Sunday and met with a Realtor and went through several houses. We told him some of our wants and don't wants and told him we would be back on Thursday, May 6, to look some more. That was when we found the spot on which we plan to build our house. We are in the process of selling our house here in VA now and as soon as it's sold, we're heading to TV and will hopefully be renting a house of some type until our house is built. I don't know if this counts as our first visit or our third visit. You decide. We've never actually spent the night there yet. Sometimes you just gotta take a chance.

[K9-Lovers]

We bought on our first visit. Our lifestyle visit was 4 days and we bought a home before we left.

After having looked at houses the entire visit, we decided to return home and buy later. But, on our last afternoon, someone posted a For Sale By Owner sign in the yard of our dream home and we just happened by an hour later. It was meant to be, because our house sold in 1 week! And, the fella that bought our house also bought our boat and any furniture we did not want to take with us.

We've been here 2 months and LOVE IT!!!

[N'awlins Lady]

:beer3:
I can't wait to write our story!

Trudy

[Pturner]

We bought on our first visit. Our lifestyle visit was 4 days and we bought a home before we left.

After having looked at houses the entire visit, we decided to return home and buy later. But, on our last afternoon, someone posted a For Sale By Owner sign in the yard of our dream home and we just happened by an hour later. It was meant to be, because our house sold in 1 week! And, the fella that bought our house also bought our boat and any furniture we did not want to take with us.

We've been here 2 months and LOVE IT!!!

Wow, that is so cool! That gives me goosebumps.

[lightworker888]

We had heard about TV from a friend about 5 years earlier, but only this past year (Oct. 2009) were we able to take time to come down and see it. We found a CYV rental on thevillages4rent and discovered that it was for sale when we got here. It was a turnkey situation with all the furnishings that suited us and we loved the neighbourhood so it was a great way to make sure that we would have a place to come to for our holidays. And we didn't have to do anything except move in! And our two Shih Tzus love it too.

We rent it out during the high season which covers our yearly costs and we come down in the spring and fall from Canada. We love it and feel like we really have been blessed to find such a great place with such great people. It probably isn't for everyone, but it sure is the cat's meow for us.

[GomerPyle]

We had heard of TV from a dear friend who would go to the Bay Hill Golf Event during March of each year. My friend Jim sat next to a TV owner and he told Jim all about where he just moved too. So Jim returns from his vacation timeshare in Kissimmee and tells me about TV. I check out the website, send for the marketing material and it took 3 years before we got on the LifeStyle Program for 6 days, that was August 2005. We told our agent that we were just 'kicking tires' and taking a much needed vacation. By the third day we got our first look at homes, then we did it on our own with a golf cart. Then we went home on day 6. About 6 weeks past, our agent called and said she had a home open up for sale, would we be interested. She sent all the particular by fax to my work, showed my wife at lunch break, and gave a credit card deposit on a house that 'was site unseen'. About 6 weeks later we had the closing, but we were not present. We arrived a month later to move in. So, technically, we only went to TV once and bought. Now does that count?
Anyway that was 4 and a half yrs ago, we love it, and we did sell our house up NorthEast some 11 months later that we had lived in for 35 years. The move was very refreshing and we go exploring all the time both 'on campuis' and off site. Florida is a big state to explore. regards, GomerPyle

[Junebugs]

It has been so much fun reading all of your stories and how you came to move to TV. We are coming up there in August for a 4 day Lifestyle visit. :a040:
Plan to leave the checkbook home -- but we are just a 4 hour drive so we can always go up for a weekend when we get ready to buy.

[jmitchell]

I was telling my husband that I thought I had read a high percentage of people buy a home during their first visit to TV. Does anyone know the statistics?
Don't know the stats, but if you consider putting a lot on hold, we bought on our first visit and we had not even planned on visiting -- just sort of happened upon it in our travels. We will begin building this fall so that the house will be done in time for my husband, Mike's, 60th B-Day! You all are invited! December 4, 2010 and I believe our address will be 1757 Pennecamp Dr.

[bloomer]

We originally heard about TV from our son's college roommate's parents. They purchased a home in TV while the boys were still in school. We didn't think about it much at the time. A few yrs later when we were beginning to consider our retirement options, a fellow teacher mentioned that she had just bought a home in TV. We decided to take a trip south, visiting a number of communities with TV being the last stop. And it sure was!!!! It took us three lifestyle previews before we finally purchased, but it had more to do with hubby and I disagreeing on type of home (villa vs. designer). He won out. We purchased a CYV. I couldn't be happier and so is he. He will retire in a few months. Earlier than planned. I retired last year. We're now looking forward to half year in TV with the hopes of living there permanently.

[brostholder]

My wife and I looked for homes around Orlando and in the Mt. Dora area. Then we visited TV and bought the same day. We could have purchased more house for less money in some other areas, but the lifestyle of TV hooked us. I told my wife that if they let me move in with a tent and sleeping bag I would have done it. So far we are loving it.
Barry
Long Island,NY/Evansville,IN/Boca Raton,FL/TV!!!

[colleenj]

Heard about TV on through television ads. Got the video and then found TOTV board. Booked a lifestyle preview and yes, bought a house on that visit. Have been coming to my house a few days every month for 2 years- am moving in permanently this weekend!

[Pturner]

Heard about TV on through television ads. Got the video and then found TOTV board. Booked a lifestyle preview and yes, bought a house on that visit. Have been coming to my house a few days every month for 2 years- am moving in permanently this weekend!

Congrat's Colleen. I'm excited for you!

[teach232]

My husband retired 6 years before I did. He would take a yearly vacation around Orlando to golf with buddies of his. On one visit the boys, on a down day, checked out The Villages. He came home armed with the video and information. I can still hear that song echoing in my head. I did not want to hear anything about Florida. No way, no how was I going to live in Florida! In early December of 2008, after I had retired, hubby wanted to go to Florida for a week. I am not a golfer and was not looking forward to sitting around in a motel/hotel waiting for his return. So, I said that seeing he was so all fired up about The Villages, let's go there. We were lucky enough to find a designer home to rent in Largo which came with a golf cart. The price was an unbelievable $500 for the week! I was totally blown over. Not only with the house and cart but with the whole place! We decided again to go away in February and I was the one who suggested going back to TV. Again we were lucky to find a lovely designer home this time in Piedmont to rent for TWO weeks. My sister and brother-in-law joined us. They, like us, love to look at houses so we did a lot of that. I told my sister to keep her mouth shut, cause I knew it would take very little for my husband to want to buy. She just couldn't contain herself. She was blown away too. AT home during March and April I found myself web surfing the available houses. Little did I know my husband was doing that too. The prices were looking good and I felt our money was better invested in real estate rather than the stock market. We decided to buy. We combined our efforts and made a list of the houses we liked. We were sure that we wanted a pre-owned home, that was turn-key and in the northern section of TV. In May, we came for a 6 day Lifestyle visit. We arrived on a Friday and by Sunday, we signed a contract for a brand new house, unfurnished and in the southern part (Hemingway) of TV. Go figure! Our neighborhood is the best! We have such wonderful neighbors and couldn't be happier with our choice. We will remain snowbirds for the time being because I will not live in Florida year round....I will not live in Florida year round.....I will not live in ....I will.....

[Pturner]

My husband retired 6 years before I did. He would take a yearly vacation around Orlando to golf with buddies of his. On one visit the boys, on a down day, checked out The Villages. He came home armed with the video and information. I can still hear that song echoing in my head. I did not want to hear anything about Florida. No way, no how was I going to live in Florida! In early December of 2008, after I had retired, hubby wanted to go to Florida for a week. I am not a golfer and was not looking forward to sitting around in a motel/hotel waiting for his return. So, I said that seeing he was so all fired up about The Villages, let's go there. We were lucky enough to find a designer home to rent in Largo which came with a golf cart. The price was an unbelievable $500 for the week! I was totally blown over. Not only with the house and cart but with the whole place! We decided again to go away in February and I was the one who suggested going back to TV. Again we were lucky to find a lovely designer home this time in Piedmont to rent for TWO weeks. My sister and brother-in-law joined us. They, like us, love to look at houses so we did a lot of that. I told my sister to keep her mouth shut, cause I knew it would take very little for my husband to want to buy. She just couldn't contain herself. She was blown away too. AT home during March and April I found myself web surfing the available houses. Little did I know my husband was doing that too. The prices were looking good and I felt our money was better invested in real estate rather than the stock market. We decided to buy. We combined our efforts and made a list of the houses we liked. We were sure that we wanted a pre-owned home, that was turn-key and in the northern section of TV. In May, we came for a 6 day Lifestyle visit. We arrived on a Friday and by Sunday, we signed a contract for a brand new house, unfurnished and in the southern part (Hemingway) of TV. Go figure! Our neighborhood is the best! We have such wonderful neighbors and couldn't be happier with our choice. We will remain snowbirds for the time being because I will not live in Florida year round....I will not live in Florida year round.....I will not live in ....I will.....

:wave: Teach,
See ya next summer. :laugh:

[Tweety Bird]

I came down here and met my sister and a friend to "check the place out". We went to Orlando for a night and wanted to go to Disneyworld. When we got up I did not want to go to Disneyworld. I decided to visit the Disney Bubble one more time and after Bobby Gulatti and Rene' Webster showed us lots and models, I said "I'll take it". I thought I was picking out a steak in the butcher counter. The property was perfect and I could visualize my At Ease cottage on the lot. Called my husband and said "you've GOT to trust me with this". He gave me the ok and it was a done deal. Signed papers while having a couple of two for one drinks from the Sumter Square and had full trust with the entire transaction. It was the easiest purchase I had ever made. Flew back home and papers were mailed with entire ease and simplicity. They really have their act togther here. I had no fear. My husband has some health issues, and he is now getting healthier and healthier with the availability of the pool and walking opportunities that the winter and ice didn't give him. He couldn't drive and now he's in a golf cart driving to his heart's content.

[Russ_Boston]

My husband has some health issues, and he is now getting healthier and healthier with the availability of the pool and walking opportunities that the winter and ice didn't give him. He couldn't drive and now he's in a golf cart driving to his heart's content.

Great story Tweety - thanks for sharing.

[dominick]

It has to be the most impulsive thing I've ever done. We came down on the 5 night Lifestyle program visit in 05/2006. We had looked around for a retirement place in NC, etc, and realized that TV was for us as soon as we arrived. There was absolutely no pressure of any kind-- meeting with our sales rep was completely optional. We bought while we were here and the house wasn't even completely constructed. Closed by mail a few months later, rented the place out for the winter of 06-07 and moved down full time in 06/07. No Regrets!!!!!!

[Walt.]

Due to last-minute problem I couldn't make the life-style visit so my wife came alone. When she returned home she said I really need to check it out. So we booked another LSV right away and headed up a few days later. At the end of the second day I told me wife "I'm just not feeling it..." Somehow during the third day I started to realize we belonged here. We got exactly the CYV we wanted and signed the paperwork just in time to catch the airport shuttle bus on day five. We couldn't be happier.