[lightworker888]

We were renters for one month and had no intention of buying, but the CYV that we rented was for sale and a real turnkey situation. We decided that the rent that we could get for the winter months paid for our expenses and we were able to get renters before we left TV.

We have now been in TV twice and are looking forward to getting back in October and staying til December, the longest trip so far. Our neighbourhood is very friendly and social so we have found it easy to feel at home. I linedance and clog and the groups that I dance with are very welcoming even though I have only been there for a month at a time. We plan to go down again for April and May and we have had a neighbour watch our place and start our golf cart regularly.

We figure that this arrangement gives us some place that we can escape to for some R&R before and after our Canadian winter, and we don't have to keep trying to find a place to rent. As another poster mentioned, the CYV is a good choice for part timers as it is really easy to care for and we have pets so the set up works well for us.

TV has so much to offer that you will have a great time as an owner or a renter. We really feel fortunate that we found such a great place and had the opportunity to set up our life where we get the best of both our worlds.

All the best,
LW888

[dog friendly]

where in central Ohio do you live, I may have an idea.....

[ijusluvit]

Originally Posted by JimJoe

Thank you for your ideas.. they are very helpful. Here is my question.
I have stayed with relatives several times in both a CYV and an Amarillo ranch. One is north and one is south. I was not there long enough to make friends with neighbors but I did meet them. Do you think it is necessary to live in a home in TV for more than a week at a time to get a feel for what area of TV and what kind of home you would prefer, and most importantly, not change and look for a new home shortly after buying in TV. I think the CYO is the way to go for snowbirds or pet owners, and for people who want to use their back yards and patios. Does anyone disagree?
Thanks. JJ

As I read your question about making friends I asked myself why anyone would relate positively to me, (warts and all), if I only saw them for a few weeks a year. The answer is that I belong. I'm a full-fledged owner-neighbor with the same stake in the place as my neighbors. As a renter I could go out of my way to invite folks to be friends, have lots of fun, but I think it's natural for owner-neighbors to see the "Temporary" sign on my forehead. Owners share lots more than golf and drinks.

Because life is different here, I think you have to live here for a few months to decide what you want in a house. I knew I wanted to look out on a golf course instead of into a neighbor's lanai, but I never realized how much I'd value the privacy of a courtyard villa, the larger yard and garage on a corner lot, and the close proximity to shopping and recreation. We lucked out and are living happily ever after.

As far as the neighbors are concerned, unless you are a hermit, I believe you will make lots of wonderful friends wherever you live in TV. It isn't like your neighborhood back home where everyone was so preoccupied with life details and often didn't take the time to even meet their neighbors. TVers are just itching to socialize. This is one of the big reasons why life is different there. Instead of extra work or bedroom space, TVers seem to want more PARTY space!

[NJblue]

I'm not so sure about home prices in TV being flat. The houses on our street are one to two years old. There have already been four houses that have been re-sold. In 3 of the 4, the resale price was greater than the original purchase price. In one case it was quite substantially more.

[mgm4444]

Originally Posted by lightworker888

I linedance and clog and the groups that I dance with are very welcoming even though I have only been there for a month at a time.

What is "clog"?

[bkcunningham1]

Originally Posted by mgm4444

What is "clog"?

I think they are really great. But they aren't really clogging. You have to go back to where I grew up to see real cloggers. PS Clog means time in Gaelic. The step is done to the downbeat in time to the music.


[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw8wEYXPV4s[/ame]

[l2ridehd]

If you have even the slightest doubt, rent until you're sure. You can always change your mind and buy, but once you buy hard to go back to a renter.

[getdul981]

Originally Posted by mgm4444

What is "clog"?

I certainly can't do it, but my impression of clogging is it's like a Hillbilly Irish River Dance.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by Bill-n-Brillo

Here's the dilemma we're trying to resolve in our minds: Buy a home (new or resale) in TV or rent. This is initially anticipated to be for staying in TV for a 3-4 month timeframe during the winter months.

We're also the types that would lose sleep owning and maintaining a home "long distance".

Here is my two cents worth. Buy. If it's financially feasible.

You said you'd worry about owning a home "long distance". To me it would be more of a worry to try to find a decent rental each year during "high" season. I wouldn't want to live in a different Village each year. I love returning to the same neighbourhood.

We're seasonal residents, six months a year, and will never live in The Bubble full time. We don't worry about our Villages home when we're not there, not a bit. We have a great homewatch company and great neighbours.

We considered renting, but that just wouldn't have worked for us.

We want to have a "sense of community".
We want to know who our neighbours will be, year after year.
We want to feel that sense of "coming home" when we arrive in our driveway and hug our neighbours for the first time.
We want to have a comfortable king-size bed, and we want to be the only ones who sleep in it.
We want to be able to leave clothes in our closet.
We want to paint our walls the colours that we like, and buy comfortable furniture.
We want to be able to have our golf cart waiting in our garage, so we can jump in it immediately after we arrive and go to the pool.
We want to be in a specific area, perfect for us, a few minutes to shopping, the library, restaurants, a dog park. And we want to return there every fall.
We want to back on a golf course.
We want to back on a little water so there are lots of sand hill cranes, but not too much water because we don't want gators around.
We want to have a split-plan house so our guests are on one side of the house and the master bedroom is on the other side.
I could go on and on, but even I'm bored with this list.

There is an emotional component to owning a home, and to me, it's priceless. When I'm in Canada during the summer, I think about my Villages home and I smile. I have a picture of it on my desktop, so I see it every morning when I log on.

Maybe you're not picky and persnickedy, but I want to love the places where I live. I'm a worrier, but I don't worry one bit about owning more than one home!

[Bill-n-Brillo]

For 'dog friendly': We're in Granville, about 30 mi. east of Columbus.

Bill

[mgm4444]

Wow - thanks, BK --- how can you not LOVE this place????!!!

[Pturner]

Originally Posted by mgm4444

Wow - thanks, BK --- how can you not LOVE this place????!!!

Good point mgm. If there's a way to not love this place, I haven't figured it out yet.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Bill-n-Brillo

For 'dog friendly': We're in Granville, about 30 mi. east of Columbus.

Bill

Ah yes. Near "Nerk".

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Barefoot

Here is my two cents worth. Buy. If it's financially feasible.

You said you'd worry about owning a home "long distance". To me it would be more of a worry to try to find a decent rental each year during "high" season. I wouldn't want to live in a different Village each year. I love returning to the same neighbourhood.

We're seasonal residents, six months a year, and will never live in The Bubble full time. We don't worry about our Villages home when we're not there, not a bit. We have a great homewatch company and great neighbours.

We considered renting, but that just wouldn't have worked for us.

We want to have a "sense of community".
We want to know who our neighbours will be, year after year.
We want to feel that sense of "coming home" when we arrive in our driveway and hug our neighbours for the first time.
We want to have a comfortable king-size bed, and we want to be the only ones who sleep in it.
We want to be able to leave clothes in our closet.
We want to paint our walls the colours that we like, and buy comfortable furniture.
We want to be able to have our golf cart waiting in our garage, so we can jump in it immediately after we arrive and go to the pool.
We want to be in a specific area, perfect for us, a few minutes to shopping, the library, restaurants, a dog park. And we want to return there every fall.
We want to back on a golf course.
We want to back on a little water so there are lots of sand hill cranes, but not too much water because we don't want gators around.
We want to have a split-plan house so our guests are on one side of the house and the master bedroom is on the other side.
I could go on and on, but even I'm bored with this list.

There is an emotional component to owning a home, and to me, it's priceless. When I'm in Canada during the summer, I think about my Villages home and I smile. I have a picture of it on my desktop, so I see it every morning when I log on.

Maybe you're not picky and persnickedy, but I want to love the places where I live. I'm a worrier, but I don't worry one bit about owning more than one home!

What she said!

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Yup, you're right graciegirl - close to Nerk Ahia! Just a bit north and east of Outville..........................................

Bill