We visit in April for the first time and I am planning on buying at that time eventhough I know we will not be there very often over the next five years or so. Its just a good time to buy there with rates so low and prices on the rise.

We intended to rent as we are Canadians. We thought we would rent in April and November each year. We had seen the video and found a CYV to rent on villages4rent and came down in November '09.

We knew that the place we rented was for sale. In fact we said we would let anyone through if there were any interested buyers. After 2 days, without having any idea about how big TV really was, and having not gone up to 441 or down to 466A we called the owner and said we were interested in purchasing.

Now we are not impulsive people and it usually takes much researching and googling to decide on what kind of bread to eat! So this decision caught us by surprise but we just knew it was something that would give us a place to come to and a new lease on how retirement could look.

We are still thrilled with our villa and our neighbours, and we don't think we could have found a better location anywhere. even after we have travelled through TV and seen other villages. And isn't that the way it is for most of us here? Every village is the Best!

There are always pros and cons for any place, but at the moment I can't think of any cons for TV for us. From this cold winter up north we are just itching to get back! Any cons would be so small in comparison to the cold that it would be obscured. March can't come soon enough for this villager.

LW888

Not intended
 

We planned to come down to watch one of the last shuttle missions and saw the ads for the Villages on the Golf channel. The LSV seemed like a good chance to play some golf, have a reasonable rate for accommodations and see the launch. Bought the tickets for the close up(causeway) viewing of the launch, planned the trip, got the LSV reservations and were set for a nice vacation.
Shuttle was postponed a month so sold the tickets on e-bay and still came down with no intention of buying anything. Couldn't believe how pretty is was, how clean, how friendly the folks were and how low key the sales process was. We ended up putting down a deposit on a model in Tamarind Grove and closed 3 months later. I still work so it was going to be a vacation home and a rental when we weren't there. Rented it for the winter months and our next visit in 2012 we decided if it was going to be our retirement home, we wanted something a little larger with a bigger garage and better view. Put the house on the market, had a contract done in 3 days, closed in 3 weeks. Built a new home in Fernandina on a golf course, closed this December and still rent it when we aren't there.
We could have waited until I retired but we knew what we wanted and figured the choices would get a little more limited as the build out got closer, the prices keep going up and we are okay renting it, just hope not to any meth labs.

I first came to TV to visit friends back in 2006. I was blown away that such a place existed. No amount of words can describe how it makes one feel to be in TV I had no intention of buying nor did I know of TOTV. I have conflicting feelings. One one hand, I wish I knew of TOTV, and brought my checkbook so I would be in TV already as of 2006. On the other hand due to various reasons, I now feel better equiped to move to TV because of TOTV.

I can easily see why people buy on their first visit and never regret the decision for one minute.

TV is the bomb.

Just shows you IMPULSE BUYING is everywhere. Timeshares made a fortune on this very concept for years.

We planned a vaca in Orlando in 2011 and while there to visit a couple of retirement communities. The wife did all the research and fell in love with TV on the internet. I was skeptical as I found some of the homes in other communities to be better built. We visited the other communities first and left TV for last. When we entered TV for the first time we both said WOW. My skepticism left me the moment I saw all that TV has to offer. The friendly people zipping in golfcarts, dancing in the squares, playing golf, pickleball or swimming amazed us. We were awed by the many restaurants, rec centers, stores, etc. We did the trolley and met with the sales rep on the first day of our visit. Purchased a lot on the second day. We have our design team meeting in May 2013 and home should be built by August if the Good Lord permits.
So if that qualifies as impulsive so be it.
We're in and we're happy.
Can't wait to move in.

We did. Came for an impromptu visit in 2010 (on recommendation of a friend who visited one afternoon), loved what we saw and we fortunate to be looking at property with the BEST agent in The Villages (Sharon Crenshaw) on THE very Friday that they were putting the St Charles designer model homes up for sale. We got our first choice in a furnished designer Gardenia w/ beautiful pool and summer kitchen! We rented it Jan-April to some great folks for first two years and are now full time residents, lovin The Villages lifestyle.