[sueandskip]

What,s your hurry....

[NotGolfer]

Yes!

[Yankee Quilter]

Funny, I asked,basically the same questions a couple of months ago! In the one year we have wanted to buy,prices in TV have gone up a bit more that 10% on the home we want to build,lots have gone up and the monthly stipen an additional $10. There is alot o f talk about more specs than designs, and we started to question ifwewouldne priced out of what we want! We decided we will buy, our design appointment next week, continue to list our current home,but if it doesn't sell by the time time we are ready to move,rent it for a year or so. We are in an over 55 in the Atlanta area, and there are many inquiries about rental.
As advised, do what will allow sleep! I am more conservative than DH but life is short and having friends, fun and a healthy lifestyle, wine included, is what we owe ourselves!
Good with your decision! Believe me if you do it, you will not be alone!

[leenie24]

After visiting my sister and her husband here in TV for 4 years, it occurred to me during my visit in March of 2011, that indeed this was the life for me. In July 2011, I bought a home. I have never made that quick a decision - ever.
I knew that the earliest I could retire was March 2012, so I rented out the house for 6 months. That proved to be effortless. I listed the house on Thevillages4rent.com and had it rented within 1 month. I then set about closing my business and in March I put my home on the market and it closed this May. I was very fortunate because NYC real estate was selling. I moved permanently on May 19th and I am living the dream. It was such a smooth process. I hope the same for you. As others have said, it is such an individual experience. I know for myself, because the rental market here in TV was so strong, I never had one moment of financial stress. Good luck!

[KEVIN & JOSIE]

We found out when we had two homes for a short while that your homeowners insurance may not cover a "vacant" house, if the home is not being lived in. Please check before you have two homes, as this can also add stress to the situation.

[buzzy]

We bought a place here impulsively, while visiting friends. We had been living in a waterfront condo in southeast FL. Our first plan was to rent the new home seasonally until the values had recovered at the condo, then sell it and move. After 1 1/2 years of part-time use, we wanted to move here permanently. So now we are living here full-time and renting out the condo seasonally until the values recover. I never expected to get a 30 year mortgage at age 67 but, hopefully, that won't be forever.

[TF Hutch]

LSV visit September, sold New England house November. Plan to rent in several different locations at the Villages for one year.

[Cedwards38]

Either way is fine. Just make sure you have a plan. How will you afford it? How will you take care of it? How long will the situation last? What sources will you use for paying the bills? Just have a firm plan in mind to cover what you want to do, before you do it.

[rjm1cc]

From what you said I think I would rent in TV. Probably in the off months and return home in the winter (keep costs down and minimize maint. problems with your home). When your home sells continue renting as you look for a resale or build a home.

[Yucatan2]

Thank you all again for your insight. Lots of very helpful ideas here. There is no hurry actually, as we plan to buy a re-sale. I have noticed many of the VLS listings sell fast, but the MLS listings ( of which we are interested in a few) seem to take longer. It is a shame that where we currently live is so inexpensive that it makes just about anywhere else in the country more expensive. What interests us about The Villages is the huge number of clubs and activities that make it seem like a really great place to retire.
We will be there in a couple days to see more homes with our MLS realtor! Then, on to Miami for our Celebrity cruise from Dec. 8-15, can't wait!

[Bill-n-Brillo]

You'll probably want to connect with a Villages sales rep as well. There's also a web site for FSBOs that's worth looking at as well: For Sale By Owner Homes in The Villages

So with the above and your MLS agent, you'll have the whole resale market covered!

Enjoy -

Bill

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Bill-n-Brillo

You'll probably want to connect with a Villages sales rep as well. There's also a web site for FSBOs that's worth looking at as well: For Sale By Owner Homes in The Villages

So with the above and your MLS agent, you'll have the whole resale market covered!

Enjoy -

Bill

Don't be afraid of contacting the sales office and getting a Villages sales rep to answer your questions. They aren't pushy. They don't have to be.

AND they show NEW and resale. Ours did equally. Some say that isn't so...but Jim McLaughlin showed us both. We ended up buying new both times. Remember to add about 20 thousand dollars for a designer series home for the bond if you are buying new. The cottages are less for the bond. The Villa's, I don't know but in there somewhere.

[Yucatan2]

Originally Posted by Bill-n-Brillo

You'll probably want to connect with a Villages sales rep as well. There's also a web site for FSBOs that's worth looking at as well: For Sale By Owner Homes in The Villages

So with the above and your MLS agent, you'll have the whole resale market covered!

Enjoy -

Bill

Thanks for that link, Bill. I hadn't seen it before, although we used the villages4rent website to look for a place in September. I would look at the VLS Open House listings and jump in the car to go visit the ones I was interested in. Unbelievable how many open houses there are every day!

[Yucatan2]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

Don't be afraid of contacting the sales office and getting a Villages sales rep to answer your questions. They aren't pushy. They don't have to be.

AND they show NEW and resale. Ours did equally. Some say that isn't so...but Jim McLaughlin showed us both. We ended up buying new both times. Remember to add about 20 thousand dollars for a designer series home for the bond if you are buying new. The cottages are less for the bond. The Villa's, I don't know but in there somewhere.

Hi Gracie, yes, the Villages reps are great. We worked with several during September. I had a list of VLS re-sales I'd wanted to see at the time, and other times we connected up with a rep we'd met at an open house. We are not interested in a new build, and there are so many re-sales that it is hard to choose between them!

[Ron1Z]

We will be buying in June because it is a buyers market 3-4%. We plan on retiring in 4 years so if we rent TV home out thats even better. We have always have had at least one rental property but not 900 miles away. My mother always told me "if you see somthing that you want and can afford it buy it and don,t wait". Good Luck with your decission.