First things for a newbie to do
 

We will be moving into The Villages around October 1. We already have our resident cards and gate passes and have taken care of house stuff (homeowners insurance, lawn and pool service etc.). What do you recommend doing the first week or so after we arrive to get “paperwork” done (like auto insurance, car registrations, register to vote etc.) so that we can become Florida residents and avoid Michigan income taxes. Any other tips (other than taking golf lessons).

First thing to do is to go to the Sumter County (or whatever county you are in) office to register to vote, transfer your driver's license, and license your car. You can do all that in Sumter County at the office at Powell Road and 466A, the building with the copper dome. One stop shop.

For 2023 you will need to file a part-year return for Michigan. Then you are done with them.

For auto insurance, first check with whoever has your house insurance. Bundling can save you money. Don't forget to add your golf cart to the policy. Don't put the golf cart on your house insurance, that only covers theft. You need liability, just like the car insurance.

Research the local churches. Within 10-15 minutes there are all denominations with some fine people. As you make friends there you may begin to learn about some of the over 2,000 clubs in TV as well as church groups. In perpective, we recently had guests for a few days. I took them to Spanish Springs town square to see the entertainment attendance. They were amazed at how busy it was on a Tuesday night. THEN, I took them to Lake Sumpter Landing and Brownwood where both town squares were just as busy. Sometimes, it's hard to explain just how big and how much there is to do in TV with most of it available via golf car depending upon where your home is located. TV is about 20 miles north to south and 5-7 miles east to west. Do what you want the first week, month and year. What you find 3 months in might mean more to you than the first week. Be open minded and enjoy TV.

The response above covers pretty much everything. You might want to look into Michigan tax rules to make sure you have done everything there to officially leave the state.

If you will be a full time resident (sounds like it) then be sure to file for the Homestead Exemption before the March deadline.

Not as important but still worthwhile:
- sign up for the resident academy to learn how your local government works
- sign up for district announcements on districtgov.org (CDD meetings, pool closings, job openings)
- sign up for County Alerts (usually weather alerts). Sumter County has these and I assume Lake and Marion do too

Not that this is an official list or anything, but here’s what I did my first week or so (if purchasing a new home) -

1) Schedule free irrigation tutorial
2) Schedule free AC controls tutorial
3) Within first seven days, write down and submit any imperfections/issues with the home and give to the warranty dept.

Items I jumped on quickly thereafter:
1) Gutters
2) Purchase Washer/Dryer
3) NOVA Water filters


What I wished I had done prior to moving in for convenience sake (stuff I managed after I had already moved in):
1) Epoxy of garage
2) Staining of driveway
3) Replacing the rolled vinyl and carpet with luxury vinyl planking (I have a patio villa so this may not apply to you).

In my opinion, everything else can wait.

And most important - get out right away and meet and socialize with your neighbors! ������

No one told you to read the deed restrictions. I would suggest you do so. for example: the type of landscaping your district permits, what improvements are allowed, pet/leash rules, minors in your home, and of course, no lawn ornaments. Don't even think about placing a lawn ornament in your yard!

Put up a sign "NO SOLICITORS!"

Unless you live in certain older areas of The Villages (the Historic side, and possibly DelMar?). You can have lawn ornaments here.

Talk to a tax lawyer about income payments you will receive after you move. Laws regarding state of residence may be ambiguous. For example, if you get a lump sum bonus from your employer the month after you move that gets reported by your employer to the state of Michigan could be subject to contention, especially if Michigan state income taxes are deducted.

Some good advice here with a couple of tweaks.

The vast majority of us have survived quite well without a whole house water filter. I would delay any of the work you "wish you done prior to move in" till after move in. That is because 1) you don't have a good feel for if you actually want it till you move in and 2) you should be on site to ensure the work is to your satisfaction.

Good call - yes, it was best that I was around to “supervise” the flooring project and the epoxy and staining - i just felt like my home was in “upheaval” the week of floor replacement, and then not being able to drive on epoxy and then then stain for several days was inconvenient- but I guess all necessary “evils” - as I am very happy with finished products.

Meet your neighbors, go take a swim and enjoy golf! Take a deep breath and enjoy.

Get a subscription to the Daily Sun. Not for the news but for all the activities, restaurants, etc. One thing I did was every Friday I would look at the garage sales in TV. I would pick an area using a TV map and one week take my golf cart and the next week take my car to the various garage sales. This helped me learn the different areas and how to get around. We would stop for lunch and check out the various restaurants and rec centers. And you can chat up the homeowners for information about the area.

To validated your move you had the correct items for the first week. However you will need an insurance policy for your car with your Florida address.