[graciegirl]

We just bought a new home in Hadley and we will have to be snowbirds and visitors for awhile because my husband (aka Sweetie) is in the process of retiring (again).

I am like a kid with a new toy, and hate to think of sharing it right now; all those pristine walls and expanses of virgin carpet. However, it would be a wise way to make some bucks while it is just sitting there, to rent it out.

We rented someones home when we came down on our Villages tour and we were so careful with it and treated it like our own.

Do you new friends have good experiences or horror stories to share on renting your lovely homes?

[villages07]

Gracie,

I can't answer your question directly, but, I hope you do realize that outside of Jan-Feb-Mar, it is very difficult to rent your house. If you intend to be here those months, then your rental opportunities will be very limited.

[graciegirl]

Good. I am kind of relieved. I really didn't want to share. But it still is a good question, don't you think?

[Lil Dancer]

We rented ours for awhle, and didn't encounter any problems. I put throw rugs down to protect the prime traffic areas on the carpet. If you price very competitively you have a chance at renting in the off months. But its really expensive to put an ad in the Daily Sun - I think it runs around $100 for a 10 day ad. If you add up the extra money for air conditioning, water useage, keeping your cable on etc., it hardly pays to rent it in the summer. You might be successful though in Oct. - Dec., or April and May. There are a lot of Engish people who come over during those months and are looking for an inexpensive rental.

[another Linda]

Gracie -- Our experience is limited to this year, but so far our renters have been pretty good. I expect some breakage of dishes and glassware (probably less than if i were there!) and wear and tear on carpets and furnishings, but so far we've had a good experience. Renting certainly helps with some of the expenses. Good luck!

[handieman]

Our experience with renting a patio villa has been very favorable.I have an iron clad lease and fortunately have never had to exercise any portion of it at any time. If you think for a moment that the class of over 55 yr olds coming down for a month is not your average renter. Give them all the info thats expected of them before hand and they know what to expect in return :bigthumbsup:

Handie :joke:

[Irish Rover]

Graciegirl - we have been renters for seven years. We have rented from three different people and enjoyed each experience. We normally stay for two months - Jan/Feb. The last place we rented had a very comprehensive list of do's and don'ts in a three ring binder. Everything was spelled out as to when garbage pickup was and when to put it out, how to use the Direct TV controls, the high speed internet (wireless) process, golf cart charging and battery maintenance. We were also told what we were expected to do as far as clean up before checking out. Too much information is never enough. We are one of 10 or 11 families from my neighborhood who do TV every year and I can't recall anyone having a problem. Good luck and be specific about you expect from you renters. :bigthumbsup:
Irish

[nhsnowbird]

Graciegirl, we are also renters and I think that most renters will treat your home with the respect and care they give their own homes. I'm not ready to leave my "family", so renting is our only option. Renting also gives you the opportunity to live in different parts of TV. We've had great experiences renting and so have friends of ours. If you do decide to rent, I'd love to talk to you about February 09. Good luck, no matter what.

[pwdasher]

Hi Graciegirl,
We bought our home last Ocober, and we are no where close to retiring, so we are renting out our home to help pay for it too.
I was like you, didn't want to share, afraid people wouldn't take care of our "stuff" and brand new carpet, LOL..And knowing I wouldn't be able to see it between renters, really had me paranoid! But..we had 4 different renters Jan thru April of 2008 and not a single problem, Each renter left the home as clean as when they arrived, and some even left little gifts to show thier appreciation. People are really happy to be here, ( guess I should say there, I am in Georgia!) anyway, they took really good care of our home.
Also we rented it out using TheVillages4rent.com web site. The day we put our home on the site, we had 5 calls, and had it rented for 3 months before the week was out. I think it cost around $70 for a year. Good luck!

[SteveFromNY]

Gracie, mine has been in the rental program since we purchased in mid-2005. So it was rented in 2006, 2007 and 2008 for about 120 days per year (or a total of 360 days - 1 year).
We have not had any problems to speak of. A lamp was knocked over, and we had to replace a set of sheets. We visit the house regularly and there seems to be no wear and tear attributable to the renters.
We rented thru TV Property Management. I know they keep a higher commission that regular property management companies, but they do rent for the season (Jan, Feb & Mar) and then get another 30 or so days per year of daily or weekly rentals for folks down on the preview program. At the end of the month they make deposits and send nice monthly and annual reports for your taxes.