Well, been here for a while and I think that the answer to new sod is WATER.

You are allowed to water more in establishing new lawns and new shrubs without penalty.

We have had two new homes the last just turned three years, and two decent lawns, but others have underwatered and their lawns showed the lack of it.

It is also the responsibility of the homeowner to fertilize and to debug. The sod. It is layed on a mostly sandy base and needs to be fed and cared for.

This is probably easy to remember, If someone approaches you to sell or make an offer,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, be careful it is very likely to be a scam.
Why else would they approach you if they did not want something from you?
Also, on most everything,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, get a price in writing and do not back down on a written guarantee relating to service!

Beware tire choice at colony!!!
 

My grandson who lives in Tampa visited this week-end and we discovered that he had a leak in one of his tire. I have had 4 leaks repaired in my own tires in the 8 years I have been living in TV and have not paid for a single one. The repairs have been thru Sams, Tire Kingdom, an auto dealer and Walmart. I assumed there would be no charge from Tire Choice at Colony especially since he ordered an oil change as well. I assumed wrong! When we went to pick-up the car they charged him $30 plus tax! His total bill was $71.18! BEWARE of this company and warn your friends and neighbors as well!!!

.

REMEMBER THIS....Florida State Law.

When you use your Windshield WIPERS....
............................You MUST turn on your HEADLIGHTS.

OR..think this way
..When it is RAINING...You Must TURN ON HEADLIGHTS.
...when you are stopped or driving on a Public Road.

Can Not believe how many people who do not know this Law.
Most dangerous when the vehicle blends in with color of roadway.

In My Humble Opinion.....
ALL Grey Vehicles should ALWAYS run with lights on Rain or no rain.

Too many "borderline legally-blind" people are driving around The Villages.
Just saw MR MAGOO with his Coke Bottle Glasses pull out in Front of a BIG truck on CR-466.
BIG AZZ white truck and the truck had his headlights on.

Get a golf cart as soon as possible and drive around going nowhere. Get lost a few times and find your way home.

Just to add...I am getting so many calls to " Clean my air ducts and do maintenance checks on my furnace and AC ". I now simply reply "When I need this work done, I will contact who I want. As for you, bothering me and making me run in from my lanai, I am placing you on my DO NOT CALL LIST! Fight back! We pay for these phones so WE can use them!

We went to closing on November 18th and the "Welcome Wagon" showed on the very next day as well as lawn maintenance people. They appear to be waiting just like vultures! On the other hand, I researched blinds on TOTV and decided to use 48 Hr. Blinds! They were wonderful. They worked with me before closing and had everything arranged so that we had blinds up the day after closing. Their crew was very professional and prompt. We have a Gardenia and they completed the whole house in 17 minutes! The price was very reasonable. We are very pleased with their services.

We bought on our first visit and are very happy. Prices went up significantly after our purchase.

I'm the opposite. I get a Vonage, MagicJack type service for my home phone. I keep the ringer turned off. I'll then configure it to email any voice-mails and then listen to the voice-mails on my smartphone or computer. This is the number I give out to contractors or whenever you have to leave a phone number when filling out forms, applications, etc.

My cell to just the friends and family.

Kinda the same when it comes to my door. If I hear the door bell I wont answer unless I'm expecting someone.

Roommates needed!
 

"If anyone finds this, I love you Remember that song? That's what this feels like...New furniture is only one thing that is needed... I want to move here so I am looking for roommates to share expenses. Is there a place to post to look for roommates?

We are newbies and I will say to not believe everything even on TOTV! I hired a 'well-known landscaping company' who stated to be very 'stellar' and was not a professional job at all. I have a couple of dead plants that I am replacing today, the stated they would trim and they did not, they were suppose to trim a couple of branches off the roof ~ they trimmed ONE branch on the opposite side of the tree...they left a lot of roots exposed from the plants they pulled out ~ just be very careful and get everything in writing before they start and before you give them any money.
After 3 months, we still haven't had any door knockers and hoping it stays that way! :-)
I think the most important thing to do is your HOMEWORK!!! Don't trust the ads on any websites. I'm staring at one to my left as I'm typing that was a major fiasco. All is good and the most important thing is that I absolutely love the Villages!

After moving in, I put up a NO SOLICTING note on the front door and everyone selling things left me alone

Don't pay up front to any service people unless you know them or are referred by someone you know.

Roommates?!?
 

Gracie, You seem to be "a gal about town"!
I am moving to TV in April and need 1 possibly 2 roommates.
How does one go about finding possible roommates?

how do you not give your cell number non-family like medical, insurance, tax guy, financial, bank, pizza order, etc and so forth? This TV wannabe is Very interested to learn your secret.

Not only that, no matter where we have lived or visited, the sound quality on the land line far exceeds that of our cells.

Our land line is a Magic Jac. I much prefer it, and we don't get any scam or solicitation calls on it, as opposed to on our cells, where we do get a few despite being on the do-not-call list. Very few people have that number, and I actually give out my cell for the people you mentioned.

I now have a burner phone to use while in TV.

Hello and welcome!

I'd like you to know that this is not Shangri-La. There are people here who break traffic laws. Gasp! They drink and drive. They run red lights and may not understand or care about learning how to navigate the roundabouts. Some may not pick up after their dogs. They don't shower before using the pools. It's possible you could be given the finger, or jostled in a grocery store aisle. Passers-by can make unkind comments about the decorations on your lanai. Some of us are entitled, smug, rude, stingy, or close-minded. Your neighbors may not wish to socialize with you.

Therefore? The Villages is just like every other town in the world, with citizens of varying temperaments and outlooks. A lot of residents believe there is a much smaller percentage of meanies inside the bubble, but I haven't personally conducted the research.

Human nature exists in The Villages and you should by all means adjust your expectations accordingly. I only mention this because it seems as though a handful of arrivals continue to be dismayed/surprised/shocked/hurt/appalled about it.

We are new and getting many door knockers. Any used KCCI for general contracting?

where are the consignment shops for furniture located ?

water testing and purgatory
 

We had a water filtration man come in (with promise of a $25. dinner card that never received if he could test the quality of our water ) who used bible quotes to try to :ohdear:sell the system. After saying we couldn't afford the original quote for system, he just happened to have the same system for half the price, since the box was opened for a trade show. We again declined, saying we weren't financially ready. He proceeded to tell us that we were wrecking our health by drinking unpure water and that according to the bible, we would suffer damnation and purgatory for doing so. We politely told him we would just have to take our chances. He left really ticked off.

I presume you have not seen any fire and brimstone yet either?

Don't use anyone who comes knocking on your door. And if you think you might like to try a company, call Seniors vs Crime to check the company out.

So True
 

Thanks for this thread! We are taking our time making choices, but have had many people pounding on our door. There is a woman who essentially poses as a welcome wagon pushing a free dinner at one of the country clubs, who works for Pegasus Water Systems. The one who wins for being the most aggressive has been Service Smart, beginning the day I was waiting for the moving truck. They came 6 times in 8 days. I called Community Standards and complained, without much satisfaction. I was told there isn't much they can do about it, since the roads are public. I guess I have to get a "No Solicitation" sign for my front door.

check with Seniors vs Crime ,Lake,Sumter,or Marion county,give them a name /company of the vendor your thinking about hiring and they'll tell you if there's any complaints on them,Sumter office is open 3 days a week 10-2.

I don't have a cell phone. :eek:
I ask people to communicate with me via email, which I check several times a day.

I have never had a land line. What is it?

Greetings all, we came to TV in January to rent for 3 months and to possibly buy a retirement home here if we found the right one. To make a long story short, we did! We're closing in a couple of weeks but will be heading back north for the Summer in early April. So, we've got only a short time to arrange for the property to be taken care of. Minimally it seems to me we need someone to mow the lawn. Reading TOTV I see folks talking about a lot of other services (such as home watch, pest control, irrigation maintenance and on and on). Worse, it sees there's no one company that can do it all. What do I really need to arrange for before leaving and what can wait until we return in October and can you recommend specific providers? We're going to be located in Winifred. Many thanks for your help.
--
bc

rlcronin: Greetings all, we came to TV in January to rent for 3 months and to possibly buy a retirement home here if we found the right one. To make a long story short, we did! We're closing in a couple of weeks but will be heading back north for the Summer in early April. So, we've got only a short time to arrange for the property to be taken care of. Minimally it seems to me we need someone to mow the lawn. Reading TOTV I see folks talking about a lot of other services (such as home watch, pest control, irrigation maintenance and on and on). Worse, it sees there's no one company that can do it all. What do I really need to arrange for before leaving and what can wait until we return in October and can you recommend specific providers? We're going to be located in Winifred. Many thanks for your help.
--
bc


bc: Check your pvt msgs. Sent you some info.

We are moving to TV in September from Maryland and have decided to sell EVERYTHING. Had a moving man come to give us an estimate to move and store the furniture and came to the conclusion that it wasn't worth it. Have friends who just moved there 2 years ago and they wish they had done the same thing. Said there are lots of good consignment stores there to purchase what you need. Have also decided to rent a furnished house for a year before deciding to buy. Just seems like the best thing for us.

Pest Control vs Termite Service
 

Hi, I am brand new, closing on a house on Thursday. Won't see what services the seller has in place until then.

I'm getting the idea that pest control and termite control are 2 different things. Is that right? If so, does one company do both or do you need to hire 2 different entities? Thanks! Paula

This post started 2 years ago, but I guess nothing has changed.

:welcome: When I was new to TOTV, I didn't know about the Search Button so I like to tell newbies about it.
You can do a search on any subject, and you will find tons of previous threads on the topic.
It's a great asset - I still use it all the time when I need to remember info on a particular subject.

I do not recommend Babette's Furniture in Leesburg.

In the same boat
 

We also came in January, closed on a new home on 3/19 & find ourselves at a loss to sort through what services we need to put in place before we leave. Would appreciate any advice! Thank you! Paula and John

Why not?

I like Babette's.

What about your sales rep?

Don't over landscape. A small $5.00 palm can turn out gorgeous with patience

Paula & John: Welcome to TV!! Went thru some of the same stuff you're trying to figure out a few months ago. Got LOTS of good info about services, options and companies to use by searching here on TOTV as others have advised. I've also sent you a PM (Pvt Msg) with some details, so check your Inbox. Good luck!! We're headed down for a week on Tues. and can't wait!! Ciao!