Moving from Out of State, logistics
 

Situation:
Closing in 2 weeks.
Flying down from the northeastern.
Taking possession closing day.
NOT actually moving in for a couple more months.
No hired moving van.
Buying air mattress so we don't sleep on the floor.
No rental car, though we'll have a golf cart (rented), hopefully one purchased, within the first day there.

Staying only a week total.

I'll have no table, no chairs, no furniture, nothing but an air mattress and sheets and blanket for it.

How does utility transfer happen? I mean, the electric company will likely need to know that we do, in fact, now own the property before they can switch it to our name. Is it instantaneous? Is a phone call made during the closing meeting?

How do I get a table and chairs delivered to my new house during the few days I'm there to receive them, and not have to sit there 24/7 so I don't miss the delivery truck? And what happens if they have a hiccup and can't deliver until I've already gone back north?

How am I going to get to the shuttle from wherever I am? If we buy a golf cart while we're there, I can't just leave it in Sumter Landing for a month. But if I leave it at my new home, how will I get to the airport shuttle?

I'm having panic attacks over the logistics of this. It's all happening so fast, but it's also happening so slow (we don't actually move until our house up north is sold, and it doesn't even go on the market til June).

Again - we won't be hiring a moving company to move stuff. We'll be bringing it down in our pickup with a couple of different trips. The final trip - we'll stay, and that'll be that. We are flying down ONLY for the week to close on the sale, and staying a few days to hopefully buy a golf cart, a table and chairs for the dining area.

Utilities will transfer on day of closing. You just need to call them with your info and the closing date. Presumably, the sellers will do the same. If you've used a sales agent or realtor for this purchase, they can point you in the right direction.

There are a couple of different airport shuttle options. If you take the Villages Transportation Shuttle that drops off and picks up in LSL and Brownwood, they will arrange a taxi if you tell them you need one when you make the reservation. There is also the Villages Airport Shuttle (different company) that will pick you up and drop you off from your home. There are many different private companies/drivers that will pick up and drop off at your home.

My suggestion for a dining room table would be to find one that's preowned, either on here under "classifieds" or from a consignment store like Bargains and Treasures. You can purchase it and then pay someone to move it that day. New furniture is rarely delivered right away, I believe. I bought all the furniture for my home here from yard sales, consignment shops and TOTV classifieds. It's easy!

Feel free to PM me. If your new home is anywhere near us, we're happy to help with some of your issues while you are here.

Good luck!

We were in a similar situation and purchased all of our furniture from City Furniture. They have all the measurements for all Villages homes so they can help you pick out stuff that will fit. Our salesperson picked up the key from our realtor and was there to let the delivery people in when they arrived.

Rent a car at the airport
 

You could save yourself so much time, money and worry if you just rented a car when you arrive at the airport for a week.

-No need to rent a golf cart
-Or worry about your newly purchased one sitting in the garage for two months. Buy one when you return in June
-Can drive to Walmart to pick up a folding table and 4 chairs (and the hundred other things you'll need but can't get in a golf cart.) For example, you'll need pillows. Bringing them with you?

-No need for shuttles or buying things in a panic. You'll save money that way...
-No worries about parking.

Just the cost of the car rental for a week.
Try Priceline

It's The Villages. Relax time, not stress!

You can drive your cart to Brownwood and go to Babettes Furniture. The have a lot of stuff in stock and will deliver quickly but there are only certain delivery days for different parts of the Villages. They give you a 3 hour delivery window. They have delivered in the windowboth times we purchased from them.

As far as a Golf Cart is concerned there are a number of options besides The Villages Golf Carts. Villages Discount Golf Car (352-633-8480) sells Re-Manufactured Yahama carts from 2013 to 2018, I purchased a 2015 Re-Man last year. You basically get everything new except for the basic stripped down body & engine. Save 1000’s over brand new. Worth checking out. Also buy a GAS cart for the distances you will want to travel within the expanding community.

Me thinks this is the way to go as well.

Another option. Rent a van or pickup at the airport. Visit the resale shops to pick up essentials. Save the new furniture shopping for when you have time to look around. Lots of used carts on TOV. Do not be in a hurry for anything. Good luck.

Very good advice. Particularly the Bargains and Treasures which is on 466 near 301. They only take furniture in good condition and we certainly used them and bought from them furnishing our first home here. They always have lots of nice tables and chairs. Maybe your agent could drive you there. They deliver.

I agree totally with the above. You really should have a car to efficiently run around to get things done, in my opinion. But renting a golf cart is an option. I would not want to pressure myself with trying to buy one in that first week.

We went to Walmart and bought an air mattress, 2 tv tables and 2 folding chairs. For 1 week only it will do. And, they come in handy in the future after you have your real furniture -- or you can resell here on TOTV.
I wouldn't try to buy any furniture at this point -- too much pressure. Why settle for something you don't love? And the consignment shops are hit and miss and don't necessarily deliver on the same day.

You can eat out or get take out food using plastic utensils, go out for morning coffee, etc. plenty of inexpensive chain restaurants. Sufficient for 1 week.

Good luck and congratulations on your new home.

Renting from the airport won't be an option. There are two of us coming on different flights, and I would be the one returning the car. Rental agencies don't like that too much, if both aren't present to sign for it when they take it out. Like I said - logistics. It's a hot mess!

Hubby's bringing a suitcase (checked in, not carry on) filled with the essentials - a roll of TP, dish towel, a few plates and forks, a frying pan, etc. Our FIRST purchase will be a coffee maker. We can get that at Belk's. Air mattress I just found out is available at Target, and if I'm reading the map right, you can take a golf cart there. Plus they carry Coleman, which is a brand we're at least familiar with and can trust. Would make for a comfy guest bed at some point, and our home has two walk-in closets so there's enough place to store it til it's needed again.

The table requires a car. There's no way around it. So we think we'll be renting a car at Enterprise at Sumter Landing for one day, so we can get that dining table and chairs, probably at Walmart. And any other things we're not bringing down with us on subsequent trips (which we'll be driving, not flying). I didn't even realize there was a car rental IN the Villages, so this is a HUGE game changer. Yes it costs more than renting at the airport. But we will only need a -car- for one day. He's flying back 3 days after he gets there. I'll be there for the week.

Between Belk's and Target, I should be able to get other essentials such as new bathroom towels and soap dish, a small area rug.

We were going to buy a gorgeous futon set this trip (instead of a sofa) and have it delivered but sadly the futon we want comes in different deliveries - the frame, then the mattress, then the understorage drawers, and they can't schedule them. So we couldn't even schedule someone to receive them for us in advance. We'd only know within a day or two, which day it's expected to show up. So we'll have to wait on that for another trip. That's why we're getting the air mattress.

Thanks SO much everyone for your contributions to this thread, we've taken bits and pieces of various ideas and offers of advice to heart and thankfully hubby is more open-minded to the rental than he was, now that we know we can actually rent an SUV or pickup for just one day, right here in the Villages, and he doesn't have to deal with the drama of airport car rentals.

Also regarding the agent thing - I hate burdening our agent. He's been an absolute angel during this process, picked me up from the shuttle and drove me to the hotel, had his fiance pick me up at the hotel and bring me back to the shuttle when it was time to go, bent over backward to help us. And he's not even the listing agent. He's "just" the awesome gentleman who was our "host" during our Lifestyle Visit last September and we were so wowed by his patience and ability to answer all our weird questions, that we couldn't even consider using anyone else for our purchase.

Definitely get a card table and 4 folding chairs from Walmart. It will come in very handy after you move here if you host a driveway party, mah jong, cards or game nights and it's not and expensive purchase. Renting a car is a great idea. It will save you the cost of a taxi to and from shuttle, shuttle price which I think is $40 ea x 2 ways to and from airport and the cost of golf cart rental. Combine all those and renting the car for a week is a better idea and you'll have the flexibility of shopping around for furniture and trying the different makes of golf carts. We moved here from Mass. and rented space in an ABF trailer. You have 3 days to load, 3 days to unload. You rent space by the foot and lock off your section of a trailer that is coming south anyway. You pick your delivery date and time. We closed on our house at 9:30 and at 1pm trailer was delivered into our driveway right outside our garage door. Good luck and stop stressing. We've had good luck with rentalcars.com.

Do yourself a solid and take it slow, live like campers for a week and buy your stuff when you come back and have time to do it right. You are in this for the long run, so avoid the temptation of trying to get everything done right away. Whatever you do, do not buy anything from City Furniture, they will try to trick you with gimmicks, sell your overpriced cheap furniture that will break, and then deliver your furniture hours after the scheduled delivery time. The Villages has many old residents and as a result there is constant turnover of properties and their contents. Really nice used furniture is always available, either through estate sales or lightly used furniture stores. We have some of the best furniture that we have ever owned that we bought for a fraction of the price if new. The only cheap furniture in our home is the stuff we regretfully bought from City Furniture on a whim as we closed on our home. Big mistake! As far as the golf cart, renting is not a bad option for a week. Buying one right away is not a bad option if you want a new one and you know which make you want and have made the decision on gas or electric. If you are still deciding or are looking for a used cart, wait and get one when you are here and have a chance to explore all your options. Hasty and quick decisions can often come back to haunt you with regrets. Good luck, what and exciting time for you : )

He is right. Please take his advice.