Renting before buying-building
 

I posted yesterday about building in Village of Mautltrie Creek and was pleasantly surprised by the number and quality of the responses. I am now leaning towards renting in TV before buying or building. My wife and I love the Villages and it finally gave us inspiration to downsize and move to Florida. Still have a few years before retiring. High speed Internet is a MUST for my job.

Any tips or insights on renting, targeting August.

Thanks in advance

We wanted a resale, no time to wait for new build and rented for a month. Hindsight two months might have given us more info on size of house we bought.

Went from 3200 sq ft 4 bed/4 bath to 2000 sq ft 3 bed/3 bath and probably should have purchased a 4 bedroom.

You have to options for rent long term 6 months or longer.. of the long term you can rent furnished or unfurnished. As long term renter you will be responsible for electric, gas, wifi and cable or streaming, in an unfurnished, and resident ID$50. This is the least rent
Long term furnished utilities an be included, ID $50. This however locks you into same house and same neighborhood.


What I would suggest is find furnished house in August for a month in one area in farthest South village

September One Month near Brownwood

October one Month near LSL

November one month in Spanish Springs.

Then find what area you like best and start to narrow different villages for however many months you choose.

Yep you move a lot but it’s just personal stuff, and you will find an area you like. Also pick different houses designer, verandas, CYVs and so on.

In early years we had short term rentals, after few years switching to all long term rentals, all of tenants ended up as great friends

Great idea
 

Thank you, this is a great idea. Hope you don't mind asking a couple more questions. Sounds like there will be a lot of rentals available in the off-months? This would include access to the amenities as well? Is that what you meant by "ID"? One concern would be stretching this into "snowbird season". I would guess rentals are harder to find and more expensive. Thanks again.

Similar situation
 

Thank you for the response.

We are in a similar situation. In Michigan we have another 1500 sq/ft downstairs and a 3 car garage, and shed. Thinking we will just keep 2 beds and items that would have direct use in our new place. The furniture in our family size home does not seem practical in a 2000 sq/ft Villages home (with little storage).

Looking at storing what we want to bring in POD(s) and having it shipped down when we are ready. Getting rid of 30 years of accumulation will be hard, probably sad, scary and freeing once it is done.

IMHO, rent for at least a month several times. We zeroed in on the area we are in after renting for 10 years while I was working. You can see the different areas before you decide. (Without a bunch of opinions from other people)

What's your time frame?

When would you like to move here permanently?

geez, there are only two decisions to make:

1) What style / model / floorplan house do you want to buy, highly proportional to the amount of money you have / want to spend?
There are plenty of sketches / virtual walk throughs, etc which get you started. . .

2) Based upon the house size and style, do you want to buy new or pre-owned?

After that, the decisions are more or less pretty easy. . BUT you have to know what you want, your must haves must be very clear, our friends took 5 years looking for a pre-owned which had all their must haves. . they did very well. . and ended up not at all where they started out looking in the villages.

pre-owned are areas are more / fully developed, older houses, requires more research and leg work over a bigger, wider area,

new areas are less developed, more concentrated in size and location, and there will be many more options between now and whenever. Different kind of work, more about finishing, furnishing, and functionality to your wants. . .

just figure out the above and the searching will be infinitely easier. . .

which is why i posted this way because your initial post leads me to believe that you haven't finalized your wants and requirements down first.

remember, the advice about neighborhoods is fair, more extroverted, where as finding the house you want to live in, is more introverted, but where you will spend more of your time than not as you age. .

good luck, for us, it was an impulse buy, on day 4 of a vacation to a place we had never heard of nor seen before. . so you don't have to overthink it and just as long as you can make a decision you are comfortable with

If you intend to stay here for an extended period of time, Long Term renting is the way to go. If you are just going to pop in for a month at a time here and there, then shorter term rentals are obviously the better choice. If the latter, as someone already suggested, you have the luxury of renting in different areas to get a feel for what each area has to offer. One thing I can almost guarantee you is that no matter where the rental is located, the owner is going to spout location, location, location as one of its best attributes. Just about everyone I have met in The Villages thinks that they live in the best part of The Villages.

Google the words Villages for Rent. There are several sites that offer furnished homes for rent and provide their availability. When you rent, you pay for an ID card that will allow you to use the amenities. Some homes include a golf cart and bikes. Price? Cheaper in the off months, expensive in the winter months.

Last year we stayed a month in a resort in Kissimmee, this year we are back for 3 months. Took a ride up to the Villages, did the trolley tour and my wife and we immediately agreed this is where we are spending next winter, full time. We have been wanting to downsize for years, after our children graduated college and established in their careers. We use to have a cabin, so not interested in being responsible for 2 properties.

I plan on retiring in 5 years and want to be ready to pick up my clubs and enjoy day 1. Also, want to have a good relationship with my neighbors and feel settled in. My wife is on the same page. Once we are established here, can figure how we go North in summer months.


Given that, we are putting our house up for sale June 1 and moving down here as early as August, more likely September. I want to hedge against a potential real estate mistake by either renting before we buy, or build a house that will appreciate in 2 years (why consider Maultrie creek).

Thank you for sharing your experience, very helpful. My wife and I have been wanting to downsize for a few years since our last child got established. We have always loved Florida and the last 2 years we have been “snow birding” in Kissimmee.

On our way home back last year we said to each other “next year we are finding a place to live in Florida and putting the house up for sale”. Even told the neighbors, family, my golf partner. Not sure they believed me because I had no answers when they asked a basic question like “where?”. I like to believe that is how God works in my life, happens from time to time. Never regretted these type of decisions. I am very slow to move in most endeavors, with the exception of these inklings.

I told my wife I wanted to check out the villages a few weeks ago and she laughed. Her aunt told her told her it’s full of swingers. My wife begrudgingly agreed and we took the trolley ride, and spent the remainder of the day exploring the town centers and a couple neighborhoods. I am glad I ignored these crazy rumors and we formed our own opinions. We left that day convinced this is the place. Watched a ton of YT videos since. We toured Maultrie Creek last week with a realtor and looked at the models they have out there. We found a couple homes that my wife “loved”.

Now it’s time to make it real and I want to temper my enthusiasm by hedging against a potential real estate mistake by renting (before we buy) or finding an appreciating new build. Talked to realtor and our house is going up for sale soon after we return to Michigan. We are coming down next fall one way or another ha ha

For high speed internet, you will have to inquire for each rental you are considering, just make it one of the standard inquiries for all landlords. You can find high speed internet in all parts of the Villages, but probably not all houses. The newer areas might have Centric fiber or Quantum fiber. Quantum is rolling out to the older Villages currently, so some Villages have it now, & some might have it when you are ready to rent.

We have had several couples rent our house with the sole purpose of finding their TV retirement house. Most have taken 3-4 months to find their house, and some have rented while their house is being built. One couple we talked with up here in MA at the golf club, said, "packing the house into pods, moving to a rental in TV and will purchase the house within 3 months, based upon what my wife wants."

just remember, appreciation will occur naturally over a long period of time, however, the current rate of appreciation has slowed tremendously, and if you are going to live in the house as a retirement location, appreciation should be of no concern, because a house to live in is shelter costs, and produces no product nor service to be considered an investment to which to appreciate.

pm is on its way.

The one benefit to renting which we didn't get, is to get the feel for a type of floor plan you are interested in, to see if you really like it, along with floor material, tile versus LVP, etc. each has their costs and benefits like any other decision. Otherwise, the way i look at house buying in TV, where the floor plans are very similar and have different variations depending upon the series / size:

all houses have the basic stuff, bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, dining, living and lanais
what unique attractive unique stuff / location does each house have, which will add to the fun of living in retirement ?

lanai size configuration, sliders, etc.
central vacuum
internet cabling and outlets versus whole house wifi. (We custom built ours so there are two internet outlets in every room, and 4 gang outlets were the TVS and computers would go, as well as overhead ceiling WIFI access point.
garage sizing and additions
outdoor gas outlets to eliminate propane tanks for grilling
deadend streets versus through streets. .
finally who is next to your back yard, close fenced, etc.
east /west north south/ facing advantages and disadvantages

summer and winter are very different with sun and heat locations


good luck

We are also from Michigan rented CYV thinking we would like the walls..that was an no.
Then bought a 2/2 PV 1.5 garage vaca/rental, for investment until we spent more time.
Then a 3/2 cottage investment property 2 garage. Which we were sure would work from our 5/3.5 house with huge basement in MI.

Nope I retired and next step was a 3/2 2car+golf cart garage (key word garage) We did ok, but still had MI home.
Soon realized with what we wanted to bring from MI we needed larger footprint. Packed the POD (best move ever)storage in Ocala. Built a 4/3 800sf garage ( key word bigger garage is your storage) So it’s why I suggested try different kinds of houses.

We still maintain our MI home that our Grands live in since Oakland U is a short commute for them.

You can PM me if you have questions. We first stepped foot in TV in 2007 so far still works.

Coop....figure out how you are going to get your mail, if you keep moving to a different area each month for several months

Stay north of 466a. Plenty of shopping, med services, gas stations, banks, and especially golf courses and recreation activities.

After traving the state looking for "the place" we landed in the village of Fenney for a month stay .It turned out to be the deciding factor in our choice of areas. 3 weeks in we happened on a resale in McClure and made the decision. We were not planning on buying for another 12 to 15 months but we saw homes that we likeded being bought the day they went on the market. Now working toward making TV a permanent home.Good luck with your search.

Check out Rent From A Villager for rentals. Long and short term availability!

Have fun exploring and finding the best location for you! :gc:

Renting before buying really boils down to how much homework one has done prior to moving here. If one has done little research or maybe just one lifestyle visit, then I would recommend two rental periods - one maybe in the Lake Sumter area, and then another south of 44. Both areas are great - but it will come down to personal preferences as to what area appeals more to you.

Prior to moving here, a day didn’t go by in the five years prior I wasn’t online researching real estate, reading the Daily Sun and other online news sources, and watching every single video on you tube about The Villages. By the time I started visiting The Villages, I felt I knew so much already, and had a great understanding of the geography and lay of the land prior to my first visit. I was able to narrow-down where I wanted to live rather quickly, and now one year later, am very happy with the decision I made.

Get a PO Box at one of the mail stores.

USPS has a service (Premium Forwarding Service), which you pay for. They will collect a weeks worth of mail and forward one package to you. You pic the start and end date.
Works great.

Sent you a private message. But there are many sites on Facebook where you can find rentals. The suggestion of moving every month or two in order to decide your area that you want to live in is a very good one. Good luck.

Renting before buying is an excellent idea. If you like the newer areas rent there. Every area has pros and cons, and similar amenities. We bought our first house in Orange Blossom, then moved to Marsh Bend. We loved the mature trees, larger lots and loads of convenient shopping in the north, but the trails, the pools, less traffic and a new house in the south ( vs a 30 year old house) were great things too. You will find out what is important for you. Be sure and get a rental with a golf cart. Buzzing around on your cart is a delightful benefit of living in TV.

Rent for AT LEAST 6 months and August is a good time to see how HOT Florida really is in the summer. It is simple......... people have a wide variety in their tolerance of HEAT.

Location, Location, Location
 

I am told the average, thats the average Villager buys and sells 2 1/2 times.

Why is that???? Once here they realize they have the wrong location. Or they are buying and selling for financial purposes, i.e. making money$

So due your due diligence on location first..........is it close to what you want to do or go, golf, shopping, pools, away from highway noise............

Then, what features does it already have that you won't have to invest more because the new home doesn't

Renting for a year will allow you to scope out the areas to see what you like and understand the locations..........BUT......you may find the area and then a house you want goes for sale......

If that happens, jump to get it.........maybe rent for 6 months........thats enough time to figure it out.............then you won't have to buy and sell 2 1/2 times unless you are an investor....

After that its features,

Renting 1 month at a time
 

I was a lessor in the Villages for several years. We bought a villa in McClure for investment purposes and rented it out while we were in Michigan only using it ourselves sporadically. Renting month to month in the off season will not be hard to do. In my experience plenty of units are available. Once January hits its another story. Many want a 3 month block and won't split the months up and you need to secure those months about a year in advance. I feel that if you were interested in buying and wish to do so before January than I would suggest that after renting for 2 months you should start looking. If you wait until Nov 30th to make a decision on where you want to be you will never get in on time. And trying to find a short term rental for January at that late date would be difficult. I suggest renting in Richmond which is considered "south" close to everything south south but also only less than 10 minute golf cart drive to Brownwood. And then pick a village close to LSL that will also give you a feel for the Spanish Springs area.

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If golf is a big factor in your decision to come to TV, I'd suggest you consider a few things.

Right now, golf is much more accessible if you live north of 44, and frankly, between 466 and 466A. I am in Poinciana, equidistant by golf cart, between Lopez (most northerly championship course) and Southern Oaks (most southerly). They are both around 40 minutes. OK, but I don't want to travel farther. All of the others are far closer than that, with Cane, Palmer, Mallory all within 12 minutes.

I have golfing friends in Bradford and when we play Lopez, Hacienda, Glenview or Tierra, they come by car. Not a big deal for them, but I love the convenience of jumping in my cart. You should evaluate this yourself.

Also, there are a lot more executive courses north of 44 than south. Much more accessible.

An even bigger question to answer is will you like the golfing experience in TV. I do, but a few things to consider: The executive courses during the busy season are packed. There is a system for getting tee times, but you will have to be flexible to get them. Works for me, but some people are very dissatisfied with the way it works.
Executive courses during the busy season get beat up badly, and conditions, especially the greens can be pretty bad. Usually are. Again, I'm OK with it, but there are many who aren't.

During the busy season even the championship courses are not in great condition. They vary from course to course, but in general, if you are expecting private country club conditions, you will be disappointed. More like average to below average municipal course conditions. But, you won't be paying a $50K initiation fee, and 12K a year in membership dues, so you get what you pay for. Some folks complain because they don't get that. They want to pay $70 bucks a round for high-season Florida golf, and expect it to look like a toney private club.

If golf is a big deal, and your expectations are high, you should check these things out.

Your sales agent may be eager to have you believe that if you build new you will be protected against changing your mind by the appreciation of the property. Historically, there are times this has been true. It's not always the case however.

Good luck.

The best place to find low cost summer monthly rentals is Villagershomes4rent.com. I have 2, one is rented that month and I am staying in the other so I am out of luck. All the places for rent will be nice, so I would look at prices. In August, you should be $1800 or below, same for September. There are several landlords who have an inflated view of what their place is worth. Make sure the listing is all in pricing except for IDs and cleaning fee. Some will want you to pay other things also, so avoid them. You want a villages ID wich will be $50, but the Landlord has to request it. I like the idea of renting in different areas each month. I think you will find that Aug, Sept, October are great months in TV - the heat is not as bad as some people say - get inside or to the pool at about 10 AM, the rain comes at 2, and it is in the low 80s in the evening - lovely. NO CROWDS and easy to get a tee time.
Ed

What Ed forgot to mention is that Aug, Sep and Oct are peak hurricane months, so you will get a real feel for the occasional unwanted mother nature's impetuous child. . and then you can relate to the difference between indoor winter months in the polar expresses and summer months in the south during the caribbean expresses. . .

Still being a W2 employee, would would be a workaholic during July, Aug and Sep, and then playing hooky somewhat starting in October. .

Some landlords don’t give out mailbox key, to tenants. They do however have a list of where mail can be forwarded to businesses and their fee.

I get it our preowned home got mail for 13 different people who was never on the deed. So guessing it was prior tenants. At first it was funny then the amount of junk mail in their names became very annoying.