[Laker14]

I will be renting this year for my third rental year. If you have the patience for it, and can find rentals you like, you can learn a lot.

What I've learned that has suited me: First place was wonderful except it backed up to Canal St...I found the noise from Canal St. annoying. I was glad I didn't own the place. Incidentally, it wasn't cars or trucks that bothered me the most, it was the steady onslaught of gas carts.
Also rented a villa. The unit was fine, but I found I did not enjoy living in a street of villas. Nothing wrong with it, just not my cup of tea.
Also rented in a "regular" neighborhood and found this much more to my liking. Also learned a lot about what I like in a house design, and what I don't.

I am leaning towards a purchase this winter. Mind still not totally made up on that, and Dear Wife and I are not on the same page yet, but what we've learned from renting has been well worth the time and effort, should we decide to purchase.

Also, while we like TV a lot, and should we make the move it will be to TV vs. some other warm weather locale, renting without making the commitment has allowed us to experience what TV is all about. It's not perfect. There are aspects of it we find somewhat disappointing. But hey, that's life, right? On balance, we like it a lot. I think our satisfaction will be increased by having had that information BEFORE we made the jump, rather than after.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by Laker14

I will be renting this year for my third rental year. If you have the patience for it, and can find rentals you like, you can learn a lot.

What I've learned that has suited me: First place was wonderful except it backed up to Canal St...I found the noise from Canal St. annoying. I was glad I didn't own the place. Incidentally, it wasn't cars or trucks that bothered me the most, it was the steady onslaught of gas carts.
Also rented a villa. The unit was fine, but I found I did not enjoy living in a street of villas. Nothing wrong with it, just not my cup of tea.
Also rented in a "regular" neighborhood and found this much more to my liking. Also learned a lot about what I like in a house design, and what I don't.

I am leaning towards a purchase this winter. Mind still not totally made up on that, and Dear Wife and I are not on the same page yet, but what we've learned from renting has been well worth the time and effort, should we decide to purchase.

Also, while we like TV a lot, and should we make the move it will be to TV vs. some other warm weather locale, renting without making the commitment has allowed us to experience what TV is all about. It's not perfect. There are aspects of it we find somewhat disappointing. But hey, that's life, right? On balance, we like it a lot. I think our satisfaction will be increased by having had that information BEFORE we made the jump, rather than after.

We saw some very nice houses though that backed up onto a very busy street.

Salesrep tried to talk us into it by saying that when inside would hardly hear any noise.

Of course when outside would hear it all.

Thankfully our rental time allowed us to see all kinds of locations.

[Gulfcoast]

Thanks everyone. This is all very good information to have. I think that we'll plan on renting before we buy but we'll need to figure out the best way for us to do that. I appreciate all of your insights!

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by Gulfcoast

Thanks everyone. This is all very good information to have. I think that we'll plan on renting before we buy but we'll need to figure out the best way for us to do that. I appreciate all of your insights!

We did it via Village Sales and did get too see a lot of choices.

Worked out well but no idea how much if anything it might have added to our rental cost.

[Kasper1658]

Originally Posted by Gulfcoast

I often hear people recommend renting in TV before buying. I'm curious to know who followed that advice (or wish that they did) and what they learned from renting first. Did renting change your mind about where you bought or what style home you wanted?

Yes,we did and it payed off.#1 we bought bigger a lot of people said they bought their too small and were moving to something larger. #2 after renting we had a better idea were we wanted to live ,closer to town, how big of a garage, one golf cart or two, better idea of what style house.

[Colby]

We rented for two months with no intention to live here, had never visited and had friends here we wanted to spend time with. 3 weeks later we bought a lot in Fenney, sold our house and moved here permanently. 2 years in and zero regrets and just grateful the “newer” area south of 44 had started as the beauty and nature here suit us to a tee.

[gradnjw]

Originally Posted by Gulfcoast

I often hear people recommend renting in TV before buying. I'm curious to know who followed that advice (or wish that they did) and what they learned from renting first. Did renting change your mind about where you bought or what style home you wanted?

We rented two winters before buying. First we rented a courtyard villa for a couple reasons. It was less expensive to rent, and we wanted to see what that size would feel like to live in. The following year we rented a lovely home.
We learned that a villa is a little small, especially the garage and curved driveway. Also, the closeness to other villas was sometimes an issue. One neighbor let their dog out in the enclosed yard, where it proceeded to bark nonstop until taken back in. For the second rental, we learned that we liked the size better and the roomier garage (plus golf cart garage), and that we did not prefer that floor plan.
Both rentals were in the same village, so we became very familiar with being south of 466A and north of 44. Renting definitely helped us narrow search to a specific area and to the size of the home we wanted. And we are very happy with our choice!
Good luck with your decision-making! Hope to see in TV someday!

[wsachs]

Rented here for three years. First, one month, then two months and then three. Decided after that it was probably cheaper in the long run to buy as I was going to go for 6th months next. And since my rentals were in Pennecamp, Amelia and Woodbury I had a good idea of the good things about each location and was able to pick the area I bought in, Lynnhave (by the Charter School) that was located near amenities, stores, Dr's offices, restaurants, etc.

[Mike Hostnik]

Originally Posted by Gulfcoast

I often hear people recommend renting in TV before buying. I'm curious to know who followed that advice (or wish that they did) and what they learned from renting first. Did renting change your mind about where you bought or what style home you wanted?

We bought during a Lifestyle Preview stay. We moved many times in our life so we were experienced in knowing how to find the floor plan we wanted. Most people do not have this Much experience. We got the floor plan but got very lucky that we love the area because we only had limited understanding of the differences throughout The Villages.

Since moving here we bought two rental properties. In two years we have had five different renters book a stay and take there time to look for there future home. Based on their feedback, my recommendation would be to rent first.

There is no bad area in the Villages. However, there are better areas based on your interest and activity. The Villages are pushing the new properties in the south. They lack a Town Square and for some a golf cart ride to a Town Square and the entertainment is a must.

Golf is available everywhere but the course options do vary between the north, central and south.

My successful renters spent time picking their preferred area first then looked for the floor plan in that area. One took two years before the home they wanted hit the market. I also believe they saved money in the long run as they were not motivated buyers. They negotiated lower prices on homes they bought. Best wishes if you are looking to buy.

[Miss B GA]

I highly recommend renting first. My plan was to rent for eight months but within three months I ended up purchasing a house. I went everywhere during that first month (open houses, classes, club meetings). I had a preconceived notion of where I wanted to live but that quickly changed. A few things I learned while renting: a courtyard villa is too small, a gas-powered golf cart is a must, a new home was preferable over a previously owned one, and I wanted to be south of 466A. Three years later, I couldn't be happier. Everything is a personal choice so it's best to explore your options before committing. Good luck!

[JudyLife]

We rented 4 separate times since 2016, got to know the areas & TV in general, what was on offer, looked at some houses each time & bought in 2018. Would deff rent first, particularly wanted to know if we could cope with the summer heat/humidity.

[CarrieOn]

Awesome unbiased post
thanks for your time..
I’ll be a resident 9/28/20 and am to the moon & back..
I started off visiting a friend for New Years..day 2, I was working with her realtor..amazing patient man..
Came for 1 life style..
Bought the house I’m moving into 9/28 on my 5 th visit..I had 50 New homes saved To view,but quickly narrowed them down when I saw the backyards in person..
I’m sure renting here may be the way to go for many..but we knew immediately where we wanted to live..
I actually purchased a home 2/14 and was to close on it 3/20 right when Covid hit and everything shut down..I freaked out because of the pandemic as everyone was..and cancelled my closing..lost a huge wad.. (still trying to swallow that)
BUT THRILLED we didn’t buy that house!! It was way tooooo small and would have moved in 2 years anyways!!
See Y’All Soon!!

[joe & kathy]

This is a good way to see and try all thats available to you. We did it and it helped us make up our minds.

[sallyg]

Renting first is an excellent idea. The Villages is so huge you may find you prefer one area over another based on golf courses, rec centers, or proximity to shopping, medical etc. each area has its advantages and disadvantages.

[rlcooper70]

Rented for four years .... great experience ... got the lay of the land and was able to make a better decision about where to buy and live. Is the reason Villagers typically move twice that they didn't rent before buying?