[zcaveman]

Things to think about when moving to the Villages

Part 1

Last Updated 7/28/2008

I have broken this post into two pieces as the original exceeded the 20000 character limit

Update: This is my occasional post of my things to think about when moving to the Villages. It is mostly for the new TOTV subscribers that might have missed the original post.

After I first posted this list, I received input from many TOTV members. I have added their input to my original list. My thanks to them for their input. After reading some of the posts in other areas, I sensed some confusion so I have added info about amenity fees, bonds and property taxes. If you saved or printed the list, I would suggest that you do the same for the revised list. I have also dated the additions so you can decide if you want to save the new copy. New input or rebuttal is appreciated.

Since I have moved here I have compiled a list of things to keep in mind when moving to the Villages. I hope these help and I am sure that others that have moved can add and/or rebut my entries. Most of these are strictly my thoughts and experiences and can be considered, rejected, or talked over with others that moved to the Villages. Please check with the sales reps, neighbors, insurance reps, financial advisors, etc before making any decisions based on these items.

These are just to help you when you move. They are in no special order and have been helpful to friends that have moved to the Villages. I do not personally endorse any companies that I mention in this documentation. How is that for taking the fifth!

1. Telephone/Cable Service. Find out who your telephone carrier is in The Villages so that you can order your telephone prior to actually moving down. That way you can set up an appointment with them to have the telephone installed when you get here. We did not order until we were here and it took about a week to get the telephone installed. I was not a cell phone user at that time so it was difficult. Do the same with the cable service.

2. Electric and Gas. When you move to Florida, they are going to want a deposit. You can call your local gas and electric companies and get a form that says that you were a good payer for the past year. You can get a form from your new companies (TECO/SECO) and attach that form and send it in and get your deposit back right away. Apparently I got the waiver forms from the electric and gas company early as I have notations that I sent in the forms in June.

3. Papers. Be sure to bring your birth certificates and other ID with you. You will need them to get Florida driver's licenses. You should also bring your car titles. If you are still buying your car, bring the name and address of the car loan place and the account number. You will have to have proof of Florida car insurance before you can change titles and get tags. I stayed with my original company but they had to write me a new policy and cancel the New Jersey one. Of course you will also need home insurance on the new home and you cannot drop the old home until it is sold. I am sure you know that. This year we went with the Villages Insurance on Main Street. It was cheaper for both the home and auto than Liberty Mutual. They also cover the golf cart under the home insurance policy.

4. State Taxes. If you move from a state with state income taxes, you will have to file a resident and non-resident return for the year you earned income in both states. You will need to keep track on what your income was in your home state and out of your home state and what interest you earned on accounts both in and out of your home state. Of course, you should contact your home state and get the proper tax information so you do everything properly. TurboTax handles both resident and non-resident returns.

5. Bank. When we were down here to sign the contract for our new home, we also started a checking and savings account so that we could start funneling money to this account and get checks with our names and new address. This is important as some places will not take starter checks. We also started with a high number -300- so that it looked like we had been here awhile. For some reason the vendors like the higher check numbers. When we got here we had already changed the direct deposit for any accounts I had in my home state to the account down here. We transferred all of our savings to our checking account in our home state and then wrote a check down here to move the money to our Florida bank. This was a lot cheaper than a wire transfer. We closed the account in our home state after we were sure there were no more outstanding checks. We used the telephone system to check on the account up there. Don't forget to change all of the EFT accounts that you already have set up with your financial institutions. Don't forget to empty and cancel your safety deposit boxes.

6. Health Insurance. You should check to find out if you will be covered by your current carrier in this area in Florida and what you have to do to inform them of the change. If you are a HMO or Managed Care health Insurance participant, call and get a list of physicians, hospitals, etc in the Villages area for your coverage. When I moved here, Aetna had a different list of physicians I could use than what I saw on their website.

7. Change of Address. Don't forget to go to the post office and get the change of address kit. You will also have to figure out how to change all of your subscriptions when you move.

8. EMAIL. As long as you stay with your current ISP you should have no problem with EMAIL and those places where they use your Email address for a sign-on. I had to switch ISPs and it was really a pain. If you do have to change your ISP, don't cancel your old ISP before you switch any Internet accounts that use your email as the USERID as they won't swap you if you try to change it with your new ID.

9. Current Services. Make arrangements with your cable, telephone, heating oil, etc companies to cut off these services the day you leave the home state. Don't worry about the electric, as the new owner will get it switched to their name when they close.

10. Money. Be prepared to have your checkbook ready. You will be hit with the lawn mowing services, insect and pest control services, water softener, landscaping, awnings, lanai vinyl windows, not to mentioned food, kitchen stuff, cleaning and lawn stuff, ladders, etc.

11. Floor Plan. After you put in the down payment, you will get a copy of the floor plan. This plan is to scale and can be used to see where the furniture will fit, etc.

12. Wills. You might want to check with a lawyer once you settle in to verify that your wills are valid in the state of Florida. I think that the check is free.

13. Contractors. You will be told this several times but before you hire some one to do any work for you, you might want to check with the Villages to verify that they are a reputable company or ask your neighbors to see who they used for a particular service.

14. Florida Financial Information Dinners. After you move in, you will start getting requests to come to a meeting (includes lunch or dinner) to hear spiels about taxes, wills, trusts, Florida Intangible taxes, etc. It is well worth it to attend at least one - maybe two. It is free and there is no obligation. I did actually go and see one for a free financial check up. They tried to sell me some annuities but I said I was not interested and they did not seem to care. They did give me some insights on my retirement investments and well-being and pointed out a lack of sufficient Federal withholding from my job separation checks. Be careful – I read an article in a newspaper recently that some of these are high pressure sales pitches. Do not sign anything or give any money to these organizations until you check out everything!!

15. Citizen First Bank. I have my banking accounts with The Citizens First Bank. They have online access and their debit card is free at all of the ATMs in the Villages. They also have safety deposit boxes. The ATM machines are conveniently located at all of the mail stops.

16. Florida Homestead Exemption. If this is your primary home, you will get a $50,000 homestead exemption when you reside in your new home as of January 1st of that year. Be sure to file for your homestead exemption if you are a permanent resident. (updated 7/28/08)

17. Amenity Fees. Amenities fees are used to pay for the upkeep of recreational facilities. Check with your sales person to find out what the current starting fee is. The Deed Restrictions document outlines the Amenity process and the rate. Basically, the fees go up annually based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Please check your Deed Restrictions to see what your terms are. If you purchase a pre-owned home, there are differences. The start of your amenity fees is the date of the contract for purchase of the lot. I am not sure but I think the contract signing date of the original house is used for pre-owned homes. Not positive on that. (updated 7/28/08)

18. Bonds. The purpose of the bond is to recover the costs of the infrastructure (sewer, water, streets, electric, cable, etc.) in your section. The bond is calculated based on the cost of the infrastructure for that section divided by the number of houses in the section. The annual amount of the bond payoff will be part of your property tax bill. I am pretty sure that the bond is a 30 year bond at 7% interest. It is like a 30 year mortgage. The bonds are fairly high south of 466. The bond goes down very little each year as most of the payment goes to interest. Be very sure to cover the bond, bond payment, length of the bond interest rate and payoff options with your sales rep or realtor. If you are buying a pre-owned property, be sure to find out how much is left on the bond. (added 9/15/07)

19. Property Taxes. Property taxes in Florida are not much different than anywhere else that I know of. You are taxed based on the assessed value of your house (less the Homestead Exemption if this is your primary residence). You also pay for schools, water management, and other services including fire services, waste management, etc. You will receive the property tax bill in September and you will get a 4% discount if you pay in November, 3% in December, 2% in January and 1% in February. You will be delinquent if not paid by April 1st. (added 9/15/07)

20. Medical Records. Before you leave for The Villages, ask your medical/dental providers for your files. If they won't give you the original files, ask them to give you a photocopy of all documents. Same goes for x-rays, if you have need for continuing care with these medical issues. These files could save you the time/costs of having some tests repeated when you find your new medical team(s). (added 9/15/07)

Remember that these are strictly my thoughts and should only be considered or rejected in light of what you want or need and can do on your own. Check with the sales reps, neighbors, insurance reps, financial advisors, etc before making any decisions based on these items.

I hope some of this helps or at least gives you something to think about.

[JohnN]

zcaveman, this is one of the best lists around and I thank you (again) for it.

I also thought The Villages Newcomers Guide issued by the Daily Sun ($5 if you stop and buy one there) was a worthwhile thing to get.

[zcaveman]

Thanks. Once you move here you will get the Newcomer's Guide in the Daily Sun. I have all of mine so far.

As you saw there is a part two of this post. See if you like this link better. It puts all of the items in one list.

http://users.thevillages.net/wproven...llagenotes.htm

[Hyacinth Bucket]

zcaveman, we are down to only six more things to do on your list.

The list has been so helpful to us, more so than you will ever know.

Thanks,

HB

[hedoman]

Now THIS is a great tool for us as we'll be making the move in a few months

[seashorecaroline]

Fantastic!!!! Thank you so very much!!!!