[Yorio]

After we bought a place in TV in February and stayed for 3 weeks in April, this is the first time we are spending a Winter here. We came early part of November so we stayed a month now. During this time there are lots of things we had to do which you'll face also as you start your life in TV. Or, planning to buy. Let me jot down my thoughts as it comes to mind.

1. We saw where we are currently living back in early 2010. There were
Practically nothing there. Now, a year later, you can only see houses.
I would recommend going south of 466A where Sanibel is being built.
If you are looking for a great land to purchase, you maybe too late.
Find out from your sales rep when the next section will open up.

2. Although we bought a place now and very happy with the decision, we
are still looking at homes at open houses just in case we want to move
up. Village people frequently do this. Some may want to further down
Size from Designer to Villas since they don't want to take care of the
yards. Also, my attitude for the Villas have changed after visiting
Hacienda Hills Villas. They are definitely designer levels and as
Expensive as Designers.

3. When we came this go around, we didn't even have TV(television). We
Bought two at Best Buy but in hind sight we should have waited until
Black Friday. They went down in prices considerably.

4. Because of my wife we had to get Dishnet and we used a local guy
Who apparently is in business for the last 10 years. I was dubious
Initially as they asked for my social security number. We rarely get
Asked up North. I did give and it worked out for me. I don't know
Why but in the basic bundle, PBS is not included which ticks me off.

5. Given that we have Dishnet, we can't do bundle so we ended up with
Comcast for Internet and land phone. We originally thought of just
Using both of our cell phones only but AT & T reception was so bad,
We had to get land phone. it's a shame.

That's about it for now. If I remember other thoughts, I'll write again. If you can learn from our experience, we've improved TOTV.

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Originally Posted by Yorio

........

3. When we came this go around, we didn't even have TV(television). We
Bought two at Best Buy but in hind sight we should have waited until
Black Friday. They went down in prices considerably.

4. Because of my wife we had to get Dishnet and we used a local guy
Who apparently is in business for the last 10 years. I was dubious
Initially as they asked for my social security number. We rarely get
Asked up North. I did give and it worked out for me. I don't know
Why but in the basic bundle, PBS is not included which ticks me off.

......

Good feedback for the newer folks, Yorio!

Some add-ons to a couple of your points:

#3 Such is the nature of electronics today. "I'll just wait a while for prices to come down" will cause a person to wait forever to buy as prices continually drop as technology advances. EVERYBODY who's bought anything at all that's high-tech has experienced this. Purportedly, new models for many electronics (televisions, computers, cameras, etc.) come out early in the year each year so if you're willing to get a current year model rather than what's brand new, that's a great time to get a deal - stores are trying to clear the shelves for the arrival of the latest-and-greatest stuff.

#4 A lot of companies will request a new customer's social security number as they will run a credit check on them, just to get a warm, fuzzy feeling that the person's going to pay their bills in a timely fashion.

Bill

[coralway]

1. We saw where we are currently living back in early 2010. There were
Practically nothing there. Now, a year later, you can only see houses.
I would recommend going south of 466A where Sanibel is being built.
If you are looking for a great land to purchase, you maybe too late.
Find out from your sales rep when the next section will open up.

2. Although we bought a place now and very happy with the decision, we
are still looking at homes at open houses just in case we want to move
up. Village people frequently do this. Some may want to further down
Size from Designer to Villas since they don't want to take care of the
yards. Also, my attitude for the Villas have changed after visiting
Hacienda Hills Villas. They are definitely designer levels and as
Expensive as Designers.



Very helpful - thank you !!

[Yorio]

Bill. All good points. I just remembered point 6.

6. We have a rented golf cart until we get a new cart. If you rent a golf
Cart, don't expect it to go fast. I had mine to the pedal but all other
Carts are passing me. Re golf carts, we bought a gas instead of
Electric. TOTV had a battle of gas vs electric sometime back but no
Conclusions. I just took my friends advice. He said all carts on the
Lawn without drivers are those who's battery ran out. Take your
Pick. We were thinking of getting a 2011 model when 2012 came out for
obvious reasons. Well when 2012 came out all 2011 were all sold out.
They were sold out in July we were told!!! Now, as I understand it,
For old models, you can't choose the color. You get what you see. So,
If you are picky about the color, you need to get a new one.

[Happinow]

Originally Posted by Yorio

After we bought a place in TV in February and stayed for 3 weeks in April, this is the first time we are spending a Winter here. We came early part of November so we stayed a month now. During this time there are lots of things we had to do which you'll face also as you start your life in TV. Or, planning to buy. Let me jot down my thoughts as it comes to mind.

1. We saw where we are currently living back in early 2010. There were
Practically nothing there. Now, a year later, you can only see houses.
I would recommend going south of 466A where Sanibel is being built.
If you are looking for a great land to purchase, you maybe too late.
Find out from your sales rep when the next section will open up.

2. Although we bought a place now and very happy with the decision, we
are still looking at homes at open houses just in case we want to move
up. Village people frequently do this. Some may want to further down
Size from Designer to Villas since they don't want to take care of the
yards. Also, my attitude for the Villas have changed after visiting
Hacienda Hills Villas. They are definitely designer levels and as
Expensive as Designers.

3. When we came this go around, we didn't even have TV(television). We
Bought two at Best Buy but in hind sight we should have waited until
Black Friday. They went down in prices considerably.

4. Because of my wife we had to get Dishnet and we used a local guy
Who apparently is in business for the last 10 years. I was dubious
Initially as they asked for my social security number. We rarely get
Asked up North. I did give and it worked out for me. I don't know
Why but in the basic bundle, PBS is not included which ticks me off.

5. Given that we have Dishnet, we can't do bundle so we ended up with
Comcast for Internet and land phone. We originally thought of just
Using both of our cell phones only but AT & T reception was so bad,
We had to get land phone. it's a shame.

That's about it for now. If I remember other thoughts, I'll write again. If you can learn from our experience, we've improved TOTV.

Very helpful...please keep you thoughts coming!

[mbikowski]

Excellent points thanks for the help

[SgtJohn]

Great Advice. Thanks

[ijusluvit]

Originally Posted by Yorio

Bill. All good points. I just remembered point 6.

6. We have a rented golf cart until we get a new cart. If you rent a golf
Cart, don't expect it to go fast. I had mine to the pedal but all other
Carts are passing me. Re golf carts, we bought a gas instead of
Electric. TOTV had a battle of gas vs electric sometime back but no
Conclusions. I just took my friends advice. He said all carts on the
Lawn without drivers are those who's battery ran out. Take your
Pick. We were thinking of getting a 2011 model when 2012 came out for
obvious reasons. Well when 2012 came out all 2011 were all sold out.
They were sold out in July we were told!!! Now, as I understand it,
For old models, you can't choose the color. You get what you see. So,
If you are picky about the color, you need to get a new one.

Not all folks know you can buy a completely rebuilt cart and get exactly the options you want, including color, for thousands less than a new cart. A number of companies near TV sell reconditioned carts. They are usually two or three years old. I bought mine, a four-seater, gas Club Car at Masters on 441. I selected all the options over the phone. When I went to see the finished cart I was amazed to see that everything on it looked completely new. The engine and drive train were not disassembled, but thoroughly cleaned. I was impressed with how clean the fluids were. Five years later, I've done nothing but routine maintenance costing $50-70 per year, and folks have said the cart still looks new.

[writerslife]

Thanks so much for your insights. I can only imagine what our street looks like today (we bought a waterfront lot in Sanibel in September the moment they came available) and have not back to TV since.

I'd love to know how you chose your home model? Our lot is large enough for an IVY with a three-car garage, but wondering if you think we'd be over-building?? Seems difficult to determine the right price point to keep a home at that will meet our needs but not be too large.

Any advice?

Many thanks in advance.

[Happinow]

Writers, We are trying to figure out the same thing. What will be not too small, not too big, yet suit our needs? We are leaning towards the Gardenia (haven't put it in writing yet) because the space seems about right for our lifestyle. We don't have grandchildren yet, but I expect some day we will, so we needed rooms big enough for one guest room as well as an office. We'll have a pool and plan on stretching the lanai, garage and the guest room and bathroom to accommodate our needs. We want enough room for guests but also don't want to clean a massive house when we are 80! So we have to find something that will work in the middle. We still may change our minds when we come down in March to design the home but we'll see. We could go for the Nanchez but it seemed like more space than we needed, however, I did like it. I think in the long run you have to consider your lifestyle, if you'll have friends and family visiting often and just how much upkeep you want to do. In the end, which ever you pick will be perfect for you! Good luck with your decision and have fun!

[aljetmet]

Generally budget constraints dictate what you can afford to build at the onset. It would seem to me that if you can buy a big house, pool and all the expansions you should also include in your budget having a third party to take care of the bigger house when you you get older or you can no longer do it yourself. Unfortunately as we get older we slow down and just can't do what we once could. Let's not even think that our health can change and dictate what we can or can notdo. For some of us this will be come a reality even though we may live in Paradise.

[Yorio]

Writerlife. Yes, the first decision is how much you want to spend. Since you have a waterfront lot, you would want to build a home matching your land. You say you can build a three car garage. Have you thought about two car garage and a golf cart garage? As you use more golf carts, you would be better off opening the small golf cart garage than the big car garage every time. We have a golf cart garage. Next is how big of a kitchen do you want? Many people do not want huge kitchen. I could be wrong but more people eat out unless you love cooking and needs a big kitchen. Most homes are three bedrooms but some of the guestrooms are small even in Gardenia. By extending 2" could make a huge difference. Some people make lanai into Florida room to extend their living room and might have a bird cage as well. One thing I would definitely recommend is a walk in shower. Good luck.

[Yorio]

I agree with the posting about getting used carts. You will have lots of choices to make. Before I bought my cart, I consulted with our fellow TOTVer, Tom Hannon as I liked what he had in his cart. He recommended several things which I have now. Definitely recommend turn signal buzzer. I see so many carts with signals on with no intention of turning. They just forgot. Even if you have turn signal lights in front, Florida sun keeps shining and can't see red lights clearly. I also have extra 5" convex mirror, front overhead shelf, sand bottle, auxiliary power source, speedometer with gas gauge. These are all add ons unfortunately but Tom added them and I added too.

[Happinow]

Originally Posted by aljetmet

Generally budget constraints dictate what you can afford to build at the onset. It would seem to me that if you can buy a big house, pool and all the expansions you should also include in your budget having a third party to take care of the bigger house when you you get older or you can no longer do it yourself. Unfortunately as we get older we slow down and just can't do what we once could. Let's not even think that our health can change and dictate what we can or can notdo. For some of us this will be come a reality even though we may live in Paradise.

We plan on having someone take care of our yard because we do have a large lot. The bedrooms, especially the guest rooms, are kind of small so we will stretch to make them bigger, stretch lanai and garage as well. Budget does dictate what you can build and for some they have to consider maybe caring for the yard themselves. If I had to do that I would have built a CYV. We are lucky enough to be able to afford someone to clean the inside and do the yard work as well. I just don't need something super large. What would I do with all that space? I have to furnish it all.... It will be fun to put it all together!

[writerslife]

I've been monitoring the sale of pre-owned homes that are marketed by both TV Sales team as well as independent realtors (per Zillow.com). Prices seem to be trending downward a bit -- not much -- in asking price vs selling price.

The question is -- better to have a big house in a designer neighborhood or a more modest home in the Premiere nieghborhood? Prices are comparable. Thoughts anyone?