[JSR22]

Originally Posted by me4vt

Sorry but, living in the Villages isn’t the only place in the area! There are many homes and areas that put the “Villages” to shame!! Having the Mark of, “The Village People” doesn’t put you above any…….

Most homes in TV are much nicer than the homes in Spruce Creek South, and the amenity difference is huge.

[sswitenki]

Originally Posted by Sweatman

Set up temporary mail forwarding on USPS web site from old address to your Villages relative. When you have your new home address suspend temporary forwarding and set up permanent mail forwarding to the new address, also on USPS web site. Cost: $1.15. Welcome to the Villsges!

I would check with the post office on how long it takes for a temporary mail forwarding to take effect. Last year when we requested this service they told us it would take 1 month to go into effect. It is not instantaneous as it had been previously. I used to use this frequently when we would be gone a week or two at a time. No longer a feasible option

[sallyg]

Storing your belongings might be more of a challenge than putting a roof over your head. My suggestion would be to rent first and take your time buying. There is SO much new construction it is hard to keep up. After being here for a couple of months you may find a different model house, a better deal or a different location that you prefer. Sometimes the "new" but previously owned homes are a better deal since the first owner may have taken care of numerous improvements or upgrades, such as lighting, water filtration, gutters, sun shades, higher end appliances, landscaping etc. Best of luck.

[Bay Kid]

If you rent for a few months you might find other areas in The Villages more appealing.

[Bateman]

Originally Posted by NatureBoy

Our current house is under contract, and if everything goes smoothly, we'll be homeless in about a month. My wife and I are planning to buy new construction in TV, but the houses we want aren't available yet. We _think_ we're looking at a month or two gap before they'll be complete and released for sale. We have relatives we can stay with for a little while, so housing isn't an immediate concern.

Any advice or pointers to resources for dealing with a couple month gap of not having a permanent address? We're thinking of getting a P.O. box in/near TV, but is there more we should do?

If you are interested in renting my home in The Village of Summerhill for one or two months, you may contact me at bgilbert874@aol.com

[Bateman]

Not sure if my first reply went through, but if you are interested in renting my home in The Village of Summerhill for one or two months, you may contact me at bgilbert874@aol.com

[NatureBoy]

Originally Posted by me4vt

Sorry but, living in the Villages isn’t the only place in the area! There are many homes and areas that put the “Villages” to shame!!

Care to list any? We haven't bought yet, so maybe we could be convinced to buy somewhere else.

[NatureBoy]

Originally Posted by GizmoWhiskers

Yep a Villages realtor who is well connected is key. I worked with two. One sat on my request while the other bounced and I got my house. That was just before the "gold rush" though so its even harder to get one now. Seek out some names of those who roll up their sleeves.

We have a Villages sales agent we're working with. I can't say how much of a hustler he is. I hadn't thought of getting two Villages agents - do you let them know about each other so they work harder for the commission?

[NatureBoy]

Originally Posted by oneclickplus

1) storage unit

Moving company is storing our stuff.

They will store it "here" locally, and then move it down to FL when we are ready.
Makes my life simpler by having it under control of one company the whole time, and not having to unpack & pack it.

[NatureBoy]

Originally Posted by sallyg

Storing your belongings might be more of a challenge than putting a roof over your head.

Moving company is storing them.

My suggestion would be to rent first and take your time buying. There is SO much new construction it is hard to keep up. After being here for a couple of months you may find a different model house, a better deal or a different location that you prefer.

We've been planning this move for several years. We've been tracking all the different house models, and areas. We have family who have lived in TV for a few years, and we've visited them several times. (They actually moved there after getting tired of hearing us talk about it, and they are having a great time.)

Yes. New construction is ongoing, and there will always be a "better" area every few months. One could wait forever for the "perfect" place.

Sometimes the "new" but previously owned homes are a better deal since the first owner may have taken care of numerous improvements or upgrades, such as lighting, water filtration, gutters, sun shades, higher end appliances, landscaping etc. Best of luck.

Our experience so far is that the pre-owned homes are significantly more expensive than the new construction. And we want a Veranda which there are hardly any pre-owned ones available - and the few we've seen are very expensive.

[LianneMigiano]

Originally Posted by GizmoWhiskers

Yep a Villages realtor who is well connected is key. That was just before the "gold rush" though so its even harder to get one now.

Just heard on the stock market channel that the stock market downturn is expected to last all year long! That surely will end the "gold rush". The buyers' wages haven't even kept pace with the "gold rush" prices. That, alone, will dry up the number of buyers.

[TrapX]

Originally Posted by NatureBoy

Moving company is storing our stuff. They will store it "here" locally, and then move it down to FL when we are ready.
Makes my life simpler by having it under control of one company the whole time, and not having to unpack & pack it.

They will unload it all, and shove it into storage. Likely using storage crates.
Be sure everything (not in a box) is wrapped in padding when it goes into the truck. Mattress and box springs and clothing is also in plastic stretch wrap and sealed from bugs. Containers with removable lids must be tightly secured so they cannot pop off - they will be stored sideways or inverted (any liquids might leak when upside down).

Have a detailed inventory of everything, every box, every loose thing, every rug, everything. Put your own inventory number on everything. Take a picture of everything going into their truck. On delivery, take pictures of everything coming off the truck.

When they ask you to sign "delivery is complete"... DO NOT... You are releasing them from damage claims. If you find a problem, they will say "you signed that everything was ok"; now you say it's not ok. Were you lying then, or are you lying now. Claim denied.
Write on their document a note about the truck was unloaded but you have not had the opportunity to inspect the items, or verify all items are present.

Consider PODS. You have full control over their contents. Research how to pack. You can hire people to load and unload them.

[DaleDivine]

Originally Posted by NatureBoy

Care to list any? We haven't bought yet, so maybe we could be convinced to buy somewhere else.

Me4VT can't list any because there are NONE... Nothing compares to TV...

[Papa_lecki]

Originally Posted by NatureBoy

We have a Villages sales agent we're working with. I can't say how much of a hustler he is. I hadn't thought of getting two Villages agents - do you let them know about each other so they work harder for the commission?

You also need an MLS realtor, VLS agents can not show pre owned MLS listings. You are limiting your inventory by not having both.

[Papa_lecki]

Originally Posted by NatureBoy

Our experience so far is that the pre-owned homes are significantly more expensive than the new construction. And we want a Veranda which there are hardly any pre-owned ones available - and the few we've seen are very expensive.

One reason pre-owned are more expensive is because previous owner did upgrades. You need to compare apples to apples.