Issues with owning a home in TV if the owner is a snowbird.
 

I am currently considering purchasing a home in TV but I would only live there during the winter and spend summers in my current home. While it is fairly easy to calculate the cost of purchasing a home I would like to hear some input on the cost of maintaining the home during the 6-8 months that I am not there.

Thank you for your thoughts.

Definitely want a Home Watch service.................comes in the house every week, walks the outside every week, runs water, checks refrig/freezer.

Home Watch services should have a checklist for you to compare offerings.

Cost will be the same in or out of home, with the exception of indoor water use, and the ability to keep temp higher saving on cooling. Everything else trash, amenities stay the same.

Many here started as a sort of bird, flake, or landlord.

There are a number of discussion on the "Landlords of the Vilages" Facebook group.

Basically, the overall cost of carrying a house is about $35,000 per year. This was done by Dick Betts, a local realtor who has his own web site with lots of info. So, dived that by 12 and you have an average needed rent just to break even. Most people post their houses on RFAV or VH4R web sites and know well that you can only get a good payback during peak season (maybe Dec-Mar)...So, you'll have to do the math.

Agree with other comments that even with remote security, cameras, etc you will want an entrusted home watch service to flush toilets, check for critters, make sure the landscaper is doing their job, etc. About $100-$200 per month....

Monthly guesstimates based on when I'm not there...

Amenity fee with water during dry season (including trash, etc) $350
Internet $65
Some home watch service. $65. I've not found one that is over $100. I used "Affordable Home Watch". $65/month.
Lawn mowing: $65
Weed spraying, fertilizer: $85
Gas if you have natural gas appliances: $20-50
Electric: $35-60

Just the added home watch cost
 

You’re paying the same for the yard, the bugs, the pool, basic maintenance year round anyway.
The only real added cost is home watch. Everything else is negligible. We just shut down home watch while either of us are there and start back up when it’s empty. Thought about renting but the hassle of what to do with our truck/golf cart/ important stuff…etc and the hassle of renters in general was more than we cared about dealing with. Do it! It’s a fun place to vacation. Hopefully we’ll be able to live there more often but for now it’s great!

I will be selling my home in the Villages sometime in December. I am selling it completely furnished, with a golf cart. If you are interested, please send me a note. Thank you

You will want 365 internet to access smart home devices. These include a water monitor (for leaks) perhaps cameras, whole house energy monitor, thermostat, and a wifi lock. The lock can confirm that homewatch actually visits your home. The energy monitor (sense.com) can confirm the fridge is working.

I have an average sized designer home in TV, on an average sized lot. I do not have a pool. There is about $10,000 bond left to pay and no mortgage. My annual costs are about $14,000 a year for upkeep of the home including landscape service and Empty nest looking after it when I am not there. I do look around for reasonable property insurance every year.

Looking for recommendations for weed spraying, landscaper, and home watch.

Even at the high end, your number added to $8880 annually. That is a far cry from Dr.Hitch's post of $35,000 !!!

Methinks he's adding in Mortgage costs and Taxes...

An average house in lake denham is going to run us about 22k a year. This include taxes, homeowners insurance, auto insurance golf cart insurance, amenities, all utilities, Internet service, bond, yard maintenance, landscaping maintenance, pool maintenance, home watch for 6 - 8 months a year.

No mortgage, golf cart maintenance, auto maintenance, home improvement or upkeep, daily living expenses (food, clothes etc) costs included.

I’m updating my electric cost in summer to about $110. Just got my bill and the heat is definitely costing me more for AC in summer. It’s set at 78 degrees before air conditioning.

I used Randal at affordable home watch. They were pretty good. I just switched to Hannah exteriors for mowing. I canceled Son Life after I found out they were charging me for weeding my beds but not doing it. I use Fertigator for fertilizer and insect control and now weed spraying also and no issues so far.

Are you thinking of a pool home? That might have different numbers for electricity & maintenance than some others have mentioned.