[Vinny]

I started posting on this forum many months ago as I struggled to sell my house in a bad housing and mortgage market. Finally after 7 months we closed on our NJ home and headed to TV. I had bought my new home in TV over the internet so we only had pictures to see what we were moving into.

We ended up with an Anna Maria CYV on an oversized corner lot that has lots of room for a bird cage and/or pool. We had to wait an agonizing two weeks after arriving in Florida before we could move in because I had built in a two week cushion to allow for any problems with my closing in NJ,which almost did occur. OK, first impressions:

- the house was much nicer, larger and well built than we expected. All name brand appliciances. Big kitchen and living room in our model.

- as my wife said, after 8 homes this is the first one that we moved into that she did not have to clean first. It was spotless when we moved in.

- Builder was extremely responsive when asked to fix some very small things. Today we had 8 contractors show up to each repair something. When I say repair, I mean some pretty small stuff.

- Everyone we have met so far is friendly.

- Post office was accommodating about giving us a lower mail box due to my wife's height and condition.

- despite not previously finding a reason to buy a golf cart; we bought one. I still do not know why but everyone else moving onto our block did, and we did not want to be considered freaks.

- bought a Star electric cart with extended range primarily due to the adjustable bucket seats he came with. My wife tried about 4 other brands and could not comfortably sit and reach the pedals. The Star easily adjusts her seat so she can sit back and drive comfortably. I work full time so the cart will only be used occassionally.

- Today we drove our cart for the first time after first getting proper insurance for about $136 a year. My impression is that it is pleasant to ride the cart paths, avoid the roundabouts, and find close by parking. However, right now with many lots having lots of parking spaces my car with air conditioning and premium sound system is our first choice. I see no ajor benefit in using a cart right now other than the fun factor. We do not golf and only eat out once in a while. The ride with my car is much smoother and comfortable and a tank of gas lasts many weeks so we will continue to use the car primarily until parking becomes a problem in winter. We are aware that this will change as we reduce our work hours each year.

- the use of straw for landscaping is a cost cutting method I do not like at all. Today we replaced it with many tons of stone.

- We have to wait a week to get approval to install a plain white screen door. I am for architectualy reviews but for a generic screen door it is overkill.

- For all of you CYV buyers, be aware that some lawn maintenance people do not have mowers small enough to fit through the back yard gates. Make sure that you tell them about this first to save needless visits.

- We miss not having knobs on our kitchen cabinets.

- We need to put on sunglasses when we turn on the 6 or 8 high hat lights in the Kitchen. Dimmer switches should be standard.

- Love the master bedroom shower. Floors are not slippery and hand bars and sitting area are welcome features.

- Southern Lifestyles at Sumter Landing has some great furniture and if it is in stock they will deliver and set it up for you the day before you move in. the best part is that they have the exact floor plans for all Village home styles and can play around with furniture placement with you. Great service from Martin there.

- We installed gutters after the first rain storm. Not too noisey but it left a black ring around the house on our patio. We went out to eat and came back to find gutters on the whole house for under $400.

- We drove from Belleview to TV every day for two weeks before we moved in and in three weeks we are now using shortcuts and learning how to get from here to there quicker or easier. It was daunting at first.

- the roundabouts were stressful at first but I found chanting "Please don't kill me" as I drove through them worked for me.

- Found a mobile vet and groomer for our Yorkies. Much easier than bringing them one by one.

- Been here 1 1/2 weeks and still no desire to golf.

- Snowbirds make great neighbors, especially when they take good care of their homes. We love our snow bird and only neighbor.

- The garages are like saunas. If you can, get a house with the washer/drawer in an air conditioned room.

- Two car garages with a golf cart addtion with door are the best if you can swing it.

- Drinking your morning coffee on the lanai with your dog curled up besides you is one of life's little pleasures.

- Love all the electrical outlets every few feet.

- Am still puzzled as why I have two sliding glass doors to my lanai right next to each other. Kills a whole wall in the living room .

- We find Sumter Landing more appealing than Spanish Springs.

- Being treated as a senior citizen is new to us but we like the discounts.

- Was happy to learn that dodging bullets in Vietnam ended up getting me a 10% discount at Lowes.

- Still feel strange living with people our own age after many years of being surrounded by young families. Everyone drives like old men and forgets things like Ido.

- Comcast was a pain to deal with.

- Dogs love it!

- We are very pleased with our decission to move to TV even though I am not retired although my wife is.

- working with Citizen's bank for our mortgage and banking greatly simplified things. Great people work there who bend over backwards for you.

- I change shirts 2-3 times a day and shower as much. Accepted the humidity and learned to live with it. Much better than snow and cold weather.

- Lost 5 pounds.

That is about it after 9 days in TV. Hope this helps others.


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[l2ridehd]

Great post with lots of good insight. Welcome to TV, enjoy your new lifestyle. Can't wait until I can be there full time as well.

[graciegirl]

Oh Vinny!

I was holding my breath for you. When you first posted you weren't sure you would like it here and you bought your home unseen. This is good news indeed that it has worked out well for your family. Glad to hear your pups like it too.

Your post shows such a nice, funny, and adaptable person. I know that you all will soon be completely settled in and making tons of new friends.

Your summary of your first few weeks is a great lot of very useful information for about to be residents. There are some imperfections, but nothing in life is perfect.

We G's wish you every good thing and can't wait until you experience the not so hot seasons. Hope to meet you both at Crispers when we return.

Kindest wishes,
Gracie et al.

[petenj]

transplant. My wife and I closed on our home in Buttonwood on May18th. Life here is good. In between unpacking boxes and shopping, we try to enjoy some of the amenities at TV.
It is nice to put in a hard morning of work at the house and go to enjoy the pool ( that someone else takes care of), and meet the neighbors.
Welcome to TV.

[pooh]

What a great post Vinny! I'm going to start chanting "Don't kill me" when I'm in the roundabouts... That statement made me almost spit my full mouth of cereal on to my computer screen....I'm still laughing.

You're adjusting well to your new lifestyle. There's so much to do when you move into a new home, but for some reason, it seems to be fun when one moves to The Villages.

Fret not, dealing with Comcast will get better....ask me. They practically lived here for a while.

Enjoy each day and welcome home!

[Aceskaters]

Love your post. I've been here 1 1/2 years and your observations are right on. About the two sliding glass doors...the Anna Maria model has evolved over the years - the kitchen and what is now the dining room used to be separated from the rest of the house by walls, thus making what is now your kitchen and dining room an enclosed eat-in kitchen with a sliding glass door. This made for an awkward floor plan that had areas for 3 sets of tables and chairs (kitchen, dining room, and porch) all within a few feet of each other (I don't know about you, but I can only sit in one place at a time). A few years ago the floorplan was changed to open the kitchen and turn the eat-in area into the dining room. This opened up more living space in the living room area. The sliding doors were left in their original places. The island is approximately where one of the walls used to be. I love this new floorplan and the light it lets in. There you go...ask a question and you get a pageant!

[redwitch]

Glad to hear you're settling in and enjoying your life here. The way I describe driving a roundabout to those not used to it is to imagine that it is really a regular intersection with a large log in the middle that you have to maneuver around (and so does every other car) -- seems to work for them and even gets them to truly slow down before entering one. However, I may add the "please don't kill me" mantra to my lessons.

Was just taking a renter out this morning for a tour of the historic side and she had commented to her son that the last time she was here (March 2009), there were more golf carts on the road. Her son kindly explained that cars have A/C, thus, the golf carts stay home during the summer. Personally, I've pretty much quit driving my car and go everywhere in my cart -- it's just more fun and, quite honestly, I feel safer on the golf cart paths than sharing the street with some of the seniors.

So, welcome, be sure and buy a frog for your house since you'll be here until you croak. Hope you make it to Crispers so we can get a chance to meet you.

[Shirleevee]

WELCOME Vinny & Wife!!

[wendyquat]

We are renting a CYV in de la vista for the month of June and trying to decide if TV is for us. I think I'm ready but my husband does not take that well to change. He is a cowboy and has horses in NC that keep him busy but we are getting weary of caring for a cedar home and 5 acres of land and really need to consider downsizing. Just wish it weren't 800 miles away from our friends and family. I suspect we would have several coming to visit should be decide to take the plunge! I think we've decided to go back to the depressed area in eastern NC where we live and try to sell the property and go from there. I suspect that may take some time as nothing is selling there right now and I don't see the need to "give it away". As far as the heat, we just get out and go til lunch time, come in and take a nap and be ready to go again in late afternoon. It gets just as hot in NC!
Thanks for sharing your first impressions. Every little bit helps when you are "on the fence" like we are.

[Pturner]

Hi Vinny,

Thanks for the entertaining post.

Your roundabout chant is a keeper!

Your comment about the pleasure of drinking your morning coffee on the lanai with your dog curled beside you is so true. My Shih Tzu has come to expect it. He will try to corral me out to the lanai if I delay this morning ritual. It's funny too, because we are just part timers there. But when we get to TV, he expects his morning lap time on the lanai! He loves TV as much as we do.

I also chuckled about your "when in Rome" explanation for buying a golf cart. Don't worry, in the moderate-weather months especially, you'll learn to love it.

All best wishes in your new home and life in Lower Paradise.

[uujudy]

You LOST 5 pounds? Tell us more!

[ssmith]

Got some good laughs from your post. You are a funny and honest man. Keep us updated as to how you are adjusting.