How do I dispose of packing materials?
 

We will be furnishing a home in TV in the next two weeks and am wondering how to dispose of the big cardboard appliance boxes and all the other packing materials/boxes that will be generated from household goods? Is there a recycling center where I can dispose of these items? What would you recommend...Thanks.

All great advice. We bought a pre-owned home so our neighbors were a wealth of information on who to use and who not to use. Happy to share our plumber - Mike Scott Plumbing (fabulous customer service). We use the Villages Health Care System for our primary care doctors and have been impressed with the level of care. We left all our furniture up north. We bought a good mattress and then started haunting the consignment shops for the rest of our furniture. We bought both our golf carts through the Villages Golf Cart Store - great customer service again. And, I have always found great advice right here on TOTV. When in doubt - ask here and you will get a great variety of opinions and advice...

We just put all our boxes out with the trash! They were kind enough to pick them all up. Some we broke down, but most we just put inside of each other with all the wrapping paper also inside.

Who are you using for lawncare?

Great advice from Gracie Girl regarding lawn care to see who your neighbors use. A few years ago, we met a gentleman who was doing lawns, he was fair and kept our place up while we were gone. He ended up selling his business to KDR Lawn Mowing & Landscape Maintenance (352 205 6237) We are quite pleased with the work that he does and he, also, seems to be quite fair.

Has anyone tried a sign on their front door that says, "No Solicitors"?

Don't ever prepay for any services rendered and always get references.

Do I need my own inspector for a new home?
 

Question... I am closing on a model in January. Do I need to bring my own independent inspector with me? People have noted that I have no representation... Price is right. Loan is right...and with the home warranty .. does anyone ever hire an independent? Inspection is morning of closing.

Grateful for any response..:wave:

Call Frank at 352-250-7818 or e-mail him at Frank@dangeloinspections.com

I personally haven't heard of many here who have had outside inspectors for new homes before closing. I don't feel the need. We bought two new homes here and felt the warranty covered anything that came up and not much did. We had a private inspector near the end of the first year when warranty was going to end on most items and frankly, I don't know if I would do it again. It mostly was pages and pages of so many truly tiny things that I had to look hard to see.

They always claim they have been trying to contact you...but no record of your phone number when you ask what number they were calling. SCAMS...the public water supply seems to be good.

Agree except I don't think there are any exceptions to this rule! I always check on TOTV before hiring a contractor. There's a lot of good information from fellow posters on who was great and why and who do stay away from!

I had a home inspector when I closed.
i used House Masters
352-243-4553 . The reason I had an inspection was because I was out of town and I intended to rip the place apart ( new floors, new countertops, new appliances, new backsplash) shortly after I settled. I did not want finger pointing between vendor and the builder so
i felt it was a good idea to have a documented baseline at settlement. If you plan major renovations as I did I think an inspector is a good idea.

I agree with Graciegirl
 

As it pertains to NEW homes, and having personal knowledge of particular industries in the area, somehow some of them are getting the 'closing schedule.' Therefore, they know when your closing date is and what time it is. They are familiar with how long the new home orientation lasts and how soon after that the official closing takes place. Then they wait down the street and watch you return to your new home excited and ready to start enjoying The Villages' lifestyle. It's not ironic you get the door knockers shortly after you start unloading your vehicle.

Also, they drive the neighborhoods waiting to pounce as you're in your yard. Keep in mind, because The Villages builds so many homes per year, these guys/gals have lots of practice in their sales pitch.

What I would recommend doing is driving areas which have RECENTLY been completed and finding landscaping, driveway decoration, etc. that you like and YOU knocking the door. Trust me, Villagers (for the most part) will welcome you in so they can show off what they have. Then ask them who they used and what kind of experience they had. This is a good way to identify which companies are reliable and dependable.

I hope this helps.

Having just purchased a home in the Villages I appreciate the advice. People were stopping by the house every day trying to sell a product or service. Neighbors are the best to use when you need something done. Thanks to all who helped us in the 2 weeks we were in our new house.

I had gotten calls before 8am in the morning! Those water people really ticked me off.

I wonder why, when the common areas are sprayed, a little sign is not put up? I have a dog and do not want her walking soon after spraying. There were two trucks. One sprayed the trees and right behind the grass was heavily sprayed. They are in and out quickly. But why does my yard need a sign but not the common areas?

Once I discovered TOTV, I felt remarkably more informed. Generally speaking, the folks HERE watch out for one another and if Gracie says it; bet the house on it for honesty and integrity. The water people are despicable as are the folks checking the air conditioning units. They will tell you "Oh. You have MOLD near the unit... I cleaned it, though. And so goes the $3K 'fix' of that problem that never existed in the first place. DON'T FALL FOR THOSE WHO PREY ON THE POPULATION.
We are Villagers... hear us roar. Lean back and smile upon exhale.

We are brand new to the villages, 3 weeks, have pushed to get so many things done. I think one of the most important tips is, take a breath, slow down, it will happen. I am so anxious to get everything perfect and to make our house feel like home, I just have to stop a moment and realize, we are here for good. Time is on our side! I really appreciate all the advice. Hoping there are newcomers in Pinellas wanting to be friends and get something social started so we can all meet one another.

We have now been Villagers for 2 weeks! the 2 most important lessens we've learned so far, don't bring too much stuff and get a Garmin, or some other kind of GPS. We have found it to be invaluable as we try to find different rec centers and the town squares. I'm sure, after time, it will get easier to get where you're going, but for right now, all I have to do is hit the "Go Home" button and follow the directions.

I truly understand. We bought here seven years ago and it took me then many months to find my way around all of the area and the different navigation for the golf cart. I am pretty good with directionality. Now we have a lot more area. It is a daunting task initially.

I will talk to you, just don't know how to do it. Jack

i wish this was available when we moved in. a lot of good info, most of the mistakes we made are listed, very helpful, if we keep it that way.

Buying a Home Advice Sought
 

We hope to be buying a home in the next few months so here are some questions:
Why are homes less expensive in northern part? Would you suggest buying south of 466? Opinions on buying new versus preowned are solicited. Any difference in pricing on The Villages listed homes vs. those listed by an MLS realtor? Any advice you would like to give is appreciated.

I would suggest getting an unlisted phone # if you are getting phone service.

Old or new; MLS, VL, South or North of 466A
 

Those are some great questions you ask! I'm not sure about the price difference except many south of 466A have options of larger garages and some have more "open concept" home designs, so that might be one of the reasons driving the higher cost. Also an older home will begin to have some upkeep needs that keep the cost down since you will probably have to do some fixing up of the place.

Living south or north really depends on the types of activities you are interested in and where their hub is located. Archery and woodworking are up north and the south ball fields are more in the north, so if you are running up there every day, consider living north. I've been told that the southern neighborhoods are newer, so people are all working at developing new friendships and getting acquainted. You tend to find people reaching out a bit more than in the established neighborhoods.

My experience is the MLS / VL are two different competing entities-- (emphasis on competing). They will steer you different homes found in their listing program. They say they can show you the other companies homes, but they will definitely try to keep you in their own system. Note that the VL will have first notice of new homes to hit the market and have the inside scoop on that type of home. So if you are thinking of going south of 466A, I'd stick with a VL realtor. We used Brian.Arango@thevillages.com and found him to be professional, not pushy, and very knowledgeable.

Good luck!:welcome:

If you search home buying you will find many threads but in a nutshell from my research and notes from those threads.
First Age -
North of 466 along Buena Vista was built from the late 90's though 2000 aprox. Over in De la Vista and Tierra Del Sol its 1993 through 99
Just south is Palmers etc is around 2004-06 and they get newer as you go south and when you cross 466A they are all built recently (last year or so and all new construction). So the furnace and air etc will have less life on them in the older homes but may have been replaced so check and add or subtract from price accordingly.
Access to listings-
New homes are not negotiable. Preowned are. In order to see all homes you need to use both an MLS real estate agent and a villages agent. Search on this site for recommendations for Villages agents as they now employ over 200 sales people I was told and a lot of them don't know much. (by the way I was told some have real estate licences and some don't but none work with the MLS) Most current listings south of 466 are with the villages but not all I would check both.
Pre owned v New -
Pre owned may have upgrades and the bond is paid down or off. Add the amount of the bond to the purchase price so you are comparing apples to apples.
Location- Is totally a personal choice. Be close to what you love, favorite rec center or golf course. If golf course lot is important I would say look at the older ones as the villages has gone nuts with the premium on the golf course lots in my opinion.

had that call
 

Had that welcome wagon call, then mid conversation, they said they were from GE then they had a gift card to outback or home depot then came there true identity. Funny thing is they tried to lie about other companies and then when I actually went to the welcome wagon site, this company was not even a member. So my view is if someone has to say bad things about other companies and lie about who they really are just to get into your house, then do they really have my best interest at heart to begin with??? BTW the company wound up finally telling me there real name..... is was TAS something I think the welcome wagon needs to do something about these companies using there good company name to deceive the public.

When we bought I specifically asked he agent to show me what was newer (S of 466) compared to pre owed (N of 466). The differences were for the most part immediate.

In our case, Location to Lake Sumter Landing was a big thing, plus the houses had more modern upgrades such as Roman Showers, choice of appliances, hard surface/granite counter tops etc. Houses were simply newer and more modern. Choice selection of lots whether it be golf course cul-de sac or whatever seemer more prevelant in the south. The developer started to really plan out The Villages South of 466 with 2 -4 lane roads going North and South. Golf cart paths on main roads were separated from cars and even on feeder roads they were wider than up north NO way did we want to be driving our golf cart every day on Morse Blvd North of 466 so that area was out regardless of price. For us at least, South of 466 was just more central to everything....still holds true today!

We think that buyers get way more "bang for their buck" when buying pre-owned, especially if the lower bonds are taken into consideration. There are many pre-owned homes with considerable expensive upgrades: birdcages, pools, summer kitchens, sun tunnels, landscaping, etc.

We wanted a lot backing on a pond. The new homes seems to have huge premiums associated with these lots. We also wanted to be located centrally, just south of CR 466, rather than far north, or far south. I like renovating and redecorating, so resale was perfect for us.

For emotional reasons, many people want to buy a brand-new home. Money is not the most important factor. Many purchasers feel that it will be the last home they ever own. They want it to be pristine and special. I can understand that; it's an important consideration. They don't want the hassle of renovating or redecorating - and prefer to move into an "unspoiled" home.

In general the further south you go, the younger the population. Although lots of younger retirees also buy resales. So each village ends up having a mix of newbies and oldies.

Whatever decision you make, you'll probably end up thinking your village is the best village. We all do. The Villages is a happy place.

Golf Cart Parking
 

The rules for parking your golf cart at the squares on the street in the lined spots is the same if you had a car. Do Not Park past the line if a car is in that spot. I have seen it so many times, and wonder how that car owner was able to get out of their spot, but even more so-wondering how the cart driver could be so inconsiderate. Wish some of the areas were designated for cars only. There has been a lot of discussion about having carts licensed, and here is another reason why.

Spot on!!! :bigbow: :bigbow: :bigbow:

To all:

I would like you to cosider parking your golf carts at the later half of the parking spot, and taking only half of it.

I've been in parking lots where golf carts are pulled all the way in a space and cars are thinking the space is empty. If a driver tries to whip it in there, surprise, surprise!!!!

BOY Howdy!!! Were talking about carts!!!!

I have had a bad experience with a lady named "Judy" who comes to your home to provide exercise supervision, that's what her "company" does... What a rip -off! She talks about her clients from one to the next and has her phone during your session. Very unpleasant experience. She's very expensive and offers no refunds for her unused time as well as other really odd rules... BUYER BEWARE! Go to the gym at the rec center of MVP, this person is not reputable in my book.

thank you for the tip about the welcome wagon - brand new here and it just happened to me!

There can be a false sense of urgency and patience in buying anything is the key. We had removed a tree (OK'd by VCDD) as a sense of urgency and lived to regret it. We planted another tree...that's a different story... Take your time with your decisions and purchases and always remember, it's your money and nobody watches your money as you do. We advise that when you go out and purchase something, do not get side tracked as 'tunnel vision' is a good thing in those cases.

Before buying a golf cart (new) be sure you have the warranty you are being told you have. Yamaha says they build golf carts to go 15 miles per hour. The companies that sell Yamaha (Carts and Clubs in Ocala) and The Villages golf carts are authorized dealers. They buy the carts from Yamaha and then modify them with high speed gears and larger tires to go 20 MPH. Yamaha says this voids their warranty and they will not cover certain parts if they fail such as the clutch and belts. You will not be notified of this by the dealer when buying the cart. You are led to believe the cart that you see on the floor comes directly from Yamaha with all the options already on the cart and it is made to go 20 MPH. That is not the case. It has been modified and in most cases with after market parts.

WOW...I MUST BE BLESSED...MOVED HERE LAST JUNE...NEVER HAD A DOOR SALESPERSON HERE AT ALL...... lucky hu???? love the villages and the people....

I live in Tulsa and would like to live in TV 6 mths out of the year. Have my Real Estate Licenses and would like to help people sale their home here, meet them in TV help same people find a home there. Anyone else doing this?