Did you purchase a home in TV with no intention to purchase when you first visited?

[coffeebean]

The more folks I speak to, the more I'm realizing that others fell into the same mindset hubby and I did when we first came down for our LSV. Hubby had wanted to "snowbird" for several years as the winters in NJ can be miserable. At the time of our LSV, we had no intention of purchasing a home in TV. We were just looking and wanted to get a feel for the area. We were familiar with TV website and many floor plans for the homes. Just looking, mind you.

Well, as everyone has said before me, you've got to see this place to experience the beauty and sheer amazement TV offers. With absolutely no intention to purchase, we purchased a 2/2 Patio Villa in Duval, unfurnished. We spent our first season here furnishing a completely empty house and made a wonderful home for the time we spend here in TV.

Just wondering, how many of you plunked down the cash or got our your check book when you first visited TV, having no intention of purchasing a house?

[Serenoa]

Had current finances allowed, we would not have hesitated. But until we win the lottery or strike oil in the backyard we can't afford to own two homes.

[Rickg]

We had no intention of buying since wwe cant retire for three more years. But after talking to people we bought on the fourth day of our "vacation". Funny how many people must do that.

[getdul981]

The more folks I speak to, the more I'm realizing that others fell into the same mindset hubby and I did when we first came down for our LSV. Hubby had wanted to "snowbird" for several years as the winters in NJ can be miserable. At the time of our LSV, we had no intention of purchasing a home in TV. We were just looking and wanted to get a feel for the area. We were familiar with TV website and many floor plans for the homes. Just looking, mind you.

Well, as everyone has said before me, you've got to see this place to experience the beauty and sheer amazement TV offers. With absolutely no intention to purchase, we purchased a 2/2 Patio Villa in Duval, unfurnished. We spent our first season here furnishing a completely empty house and made a wonderful home for the time we spend here in TV.

Just wondering, how many of you plunked down the cash or got our your check book when you first visited TV, having no intention of purchasing a house?

We did.

[jojo]

Buying on first visit is all the more amazing given the lack of pressure from The Villages realtors.

[Bizdoc]

We came down in late Nov 2012 to visit a friend who lives here plus (after a few days) head on down to visit The Mouse. We had been looking at Continuing Care Retirement Communities (due to DW's health issues) and visited Freedom Pointe. After our tour of FP, I asked DW what she thought and her response was "let's look at some houses". We did and fell in love with a Seabreeze in Fernandina. Didn't decide to buy until about 5 days later while at WDW - drove back up the next evening and signed the papers.

The big selling point for us was (a) lots of smiling, happy, active seniors and (b) lots of resources if health issues get worse. (and for the curious, most of the health issues resolved in the past 2 months!)

We came back over Christmas/ New Years for closing, furniture shopping, and deliveries. Now we are here for good. Place does grow on you fast!

David

[rubicon]

Visited in 2004 and then again in 2006 and both times I liked TV but had the same reservations about life and economics. I still do. I do not regret deciding to be fulltime and I do not miss the higher taxs and snow but i do miss living in a real city like Minneapolis and all that it had to offer.

[Barefoot]

Careful! If you visit the Sales Office, take a trolley ride, or attend any Open Houses, they painlessly insert a "buy microchip" in the back of your neck. You don't even know it's happening. It leaves you helpless to resist the charm of The Villages.

[asianthree]

Third time was a charm

[bluedog103]

Not us. I had serious questions about the TV micro lots. Still do. We have an oversize lot, oversize for TV that is but it's still small. It's a great lifestyle here and we love it while were in TV but we're part timers. I know in April I'll have some room to stretch out. Some day I know we'll have to make a decision about were to spend the rest of our days and it'll be a tough choice. I came here to escape the NY winters and don't look forward to experiencing them again but on the other hand, it's really beautiful there the other three seasons. Not something I'm going to worry about for awhile. Right now I'm looking forward to the 80 degree days predicted for later this week.

[pooh]

We did!

[Lbmb24101]

We bought on our 1st trip but we semi had intention to buy, because, we knew no other place had the businesses golf cart accessible. THAT was THE main reason we bought. But we did not like any of the new models ( too small) so we bought a beautifully and smartly decorated pre owned designer, and yes, in our first visit!

[NotGolfer]

Yup, pretty much!!

[graciegirl]

Yes. It was the most impulsive thing we have done in fifty years of marriage. Had four bad days of buyers remorse and the rest has been joyful beyond any of our expectations.

We lost our hearts to this place and it hasn't disappointed in five years.

We loved that house for four years and built a new one last year.

[keithwand]

Our timeline.
Jan. 2012- Our first visit to TV to visit friends that were renting for the 2nd year in a row. We lived 1 hour away (Winter Park/ Orlando and in those 8 years never visited TV or wanted to. We came with a pretty negative attitude of what we thought we would see here.
Within 1 hour of arriving in TV we were WOWED!!!
Spent the next 2 nights here with our friends.
Feb. 2012- Did the LSV for 2 or 3 nights and purchased our lot in MacClenny at Fernandina.
March 2012- Came back for 3 nights to pick out model and options.
June 2012- Moved in. Our friends were a little worried that we acted so fast and in fact we had never even seen all of the stores on HWY 441 before moving here.
We just figured everything was already here.
We have never met so many people or done so much in our lives.
Glad our friends came here and like it so much that we finally visited TV.

[capecodkev]

We visit in April for the first time and I am planning on buying at that time eventhough I know we will not be there very often over the next five years or so. Its just a good time to buy there with rates so low and prices on the rise.

[lightworker888]

We intended to rent as we are Canadians. We thought we would rent in April and November each year. We had seen the video and found a CYV to rent on villages4rent and came down in November '09.

We knew that the place we rented was for sale. In fact we said we would let anyone through if there were any interested buyers. After 2 days, without having any idea about how big TV really was, and having not gone up to 441 or down to 466A we called the owner and said we were interested in purchasing.

Now we are not impulsive people and it usually takes much researching and googling to decide on what kind of bread to eat! So this decision caught us by surprise but we just knew it was something that would give us a place to come to and a new lease on how retirement could look.

We are still thrilled with our villa and our neighbours, and we don't think we could have found a better location anywhere. even after we have travelled through TV and seen other villages. And isn't that the way it is for most of us here? Every village is the Best!

There are always pros and cons for any place, but at the moment I can't think of any cons for TV for us. From this cold winter up north we are just itching to get back! Any cons would be so small in comparison to the cold that it would be obscured. March can't come soon enough for this villager.

LW888

[cgalloway6]

We planned to come down to watch one of the last shuttle missions and saw the ads for the Villages on the Golf channel. The LSV seemed like a good chance to play some golf, have a reasonable rate for accommodations and see the launch. Bought the tickets for the close up(causeway) viewing of the launch, planned the trip, got the LSV reservations and were set for a nice vacation.
Shuttle was postponed a month so sold the tickets on e-bay and still came down with no intention of buying anything. Couldn't believe how pretty is was, how clean, how friendly the folks were and how low key the sales process was. We ended up putting down a deposit on a model in Tamarind Grove and closed 3 months later. I still work so it was going to be a vacation home and a rental when we weren't there. Rented it for the winter months and our next visit in 2012 we decided if it was going to be our retirement home, we wanted something a little larger with a bigger garage and better view. Put the house on the market, had a contract done in 3 days, closed in 3 weeks. Built a new home in Fernandina on a golf course, closed this December and still rent it when we aren't there.
We could have waited until I retired but we knew what we wanted and figured the choices would get a little more limited as the build out got closer, the prices keep going up and we are okay renting it, just hope not to any meth labs.

[2BNTV]

I first came to TV to visit friends back in 2006. I was blown away that such a place existed. No amount of words can describe how it makes one feel to be in TV I had no intention of buying nor did I know of TOTV. I have conflicting feelings. One one hand, I wish I knew of TOTV, and brought my checkbook so I would be in TV already as of 2006. On the other hand due to various reasons, I now feel better equiped to move to TV because of TOTV.

I can easily see why people buy on their first visit and never regret the decision for one minute.

TV is the bomb.

[Down Sized]

The more folks I speak to, the more I'm realizing that others fell into the same mindset hubby and I did when we first came down for our LSV. Hubby had wanted to "snowbird" for several years as the winters in NJ can be miserable. At the time of our LSV, we had no intention of purchasing a home in TV. We were just looking and wanted to get a feel for the area. We were familiar with TV website and many floor plans for the homes. Just looking, mind you.

Well, as everyone has said before me, you've got to see this place to experience the beauty and sheer amazement TV offers. With absolutely no intention to purchase, we purchased a 2/2 Patio Villa in Duval, unfurnished. We spent our first season here furnishing a completely empty house and made a wonderful home for the time we spend here in TV.

Just wondering, how many of you plunked down the cash or got our your check book when you first visited TV, having no intention of purchasing a house?

Just shows you IMPULSE BUYING is everywhere. Timeshares made a fortune on this very concept for years.

[anarick]

We planned a vaca in Orlando in 2011 and while there to visit a couple of retirement communities. The wife did all the research and fell in love with TV on the internet. I was skeptical as I found some of the homes in other communities to be better built. We visited the other communities first and left TV for last. When we entered TV for the first time we both said WOW. My skepticism left me the moment I saw all that TV has to offer. The friendly people zipping in golfcarts, dancing in the squares, playing golf, pickleball or swimming amazed us. We were awed by the many restaurants, rec centers, stores, etc. We did the trolley and met with the sales rep on the first day of our visit. Purchased a lot on the second day. We have our design team meeting in May 2013 and home should be built by August if the Good Lord permits.
So if that qualifies as impulsive so be it.
We're in and we're happy.
Can't wait to move in.

[Barkay]

We did. Came for an impromptu visit in 2010 (on recommendation of a friend who visited one afternoon), loved what we saw and we fortunate to be looking at property with the BEST agent in The Villages (Sharon Crenshaw) on THE very Friday that they were putting the St Charles designer model homes up for sale. We got our first choice in a furnished designer Gardenia w/ beautiful pool and summer kitchen! We rented it Jan-April to some great folks for first two years and are now full time residents, lovin The Villages lifestyle.

Not us. I had serious questions about the TV micro lots. Still do. We have an oversize lot, oversize for TV that is but it's still small. It's a great lifestyle here and we love it while were in TV but we're part timers. I know in April I'll have some room to stretch out. Some day I know we'll have to make a decision about were to spend the rest of our days and it'll be a tough choice. I came here to escape the NY winters and don't look forward to experiencing them again but on the other hand, it's really beautiful there the other three seasons. Not something I'm going to worry about for awhile. Right now I'm looking forward to the 80 degree days predicted for later this week.