Attic.

We did not move our furniture to TV.
It was not worth the cost. We did bring a couple family pieces in a uhaul. We had extra shelves put up high in the master closet for ornaments, albums etc. Built in closet and shelving in garage and space in the attic. Extra cabinets in laundry. I would look at houses with some of this storage if possible!

You could do like so many do, make your garage a storage room and park in the driveway. :icon_wink:

Come down with nothing but the cloths on your back and any personal items like photos, etc. We spent $9k moving and less than a year later, we had gotten rid of 90% of what we brought, including furniture. The cost of transporting all that "stuff", far exceeded the cost of replacement, not to mention the hassle of packing and unpacking. If you do need to bring items, rent a small shipping container from a shipping company and take the same attitude as the post office. "If it fits, it ships". Otherwise....it goes.

Hi.. there are plenty of storage places throughout the
villages... or you can put the lights in your attic.

Those Closets
 

My tip is to make use of high ceilings, if your home is like a majority - but not all - homes in The Villages. You will have a closet in your spare bedroom(s). Also a master closet. The Villages did not bother to install "high up" shelves, but they are simple to install - you can match the cheap shelving of the type The Villages provided for less that $20 per shelf, plus labor if you pay someone to attach the shelves. These "high shelves" can go in all your closets. Of course, you can put shelves in your garage for anything that can take the heat. Finally, the guest bath is a great place for shelves and/or cabinets placed high up. Plus those inexpensive "3 Shelf Over the Toilet" things are useful - you can put paper products (toilet tissue, Kleenex) and air freshener on them without anything looking messy and then other things can fit under your sink.

Your house probably has an attic - but of course it is very hot and probably has no "pull down" ladder such that you can access it without great difficulty.

The kitchen will be one of your greatest challenges because there is not enough kitchen space in most homes. There is generally a wall without any installed cabinets - you can buy a stand-alone cabinet. If your kitchen leads right to your garage you can store things like foil or spare dishes, pots and pans on a shelf or in a cabinet in the garage beside your kitchen door.

If desperate, I've seen people install walls in rooms that are bigger than they need to be. They place the wall about six feet back from the main wall, with a door in it. Then they have a 6 foot by 12 foot (or so) storage space which is air-conditioned and which can be filled with all manner of stuff.

We had an auction before moving. Helped with the moving expense. And even now, after 9 years, still find things no longer needed. We were lucky to find our last house with extra closets so now enough room for those Christmas decorations and other holiday decorations.

Start anew. Look for a turnkey home. I did, and I do not regret it.

Went from 2400 sf to 1900. Gave away a LOT of furniture in VA before the move - a honey colored din room table & 6 chairs, matching china hutch & buffet; a dark blue sofa, love seat & matching chair. We brought down 2 beautiful dark red oriental wool carpets but they never fit into our FL home so they are wrapped up for future donation (that was heart breaking for me) Brown furniture & dark colors look too northern/colonial in FL environment.

You're starting a new life here, make your new life match this location. It's a reset for your brain.

All the used furniture stores here are filled to the brim with the brown furniture that people paid to get moved to FL. Lighter colors look more FL- like.

Welcome & good luck. You'll love it here. Folks are great, weather terrific (mostly), and lifestyle very relaxing.

Yeah. Sell everything and buy new. You'll save a lot of $$$ and headaches.

-BobbyS

Having moved constantly in my lifetime, I have learned a lot. Spent four months living in an RV van waiting on a house to be built and quickly learned how little you really need. I just sold my house with all the furniture in it here in TV, not turn key. I did not realize how expensive it was to buy furniture, as in 10 years since I moved here, the prices have skyrocketed and the quality has gone down. I am just now close to $30K in receipts since November when I moved. I agree with everyone, if you don’t need it or have not used it, do not pay to move it. But, if you have nice current furniture that will fit a Florida lifestyle, you may want to see what the cost is to move it. I just talked to my sales lady and she said she writes tickets for an average of $25-45K to furnish a house with no accessories. An example, my living room... $1800 for entertainment center, $1650 for couch, $2500 for two recliners, $700 for two end tables, coffee table, $450 accent chair and $1000 for a TV. I also purchased a solid surface cabinet for a bar $900. None of this furniture is high end. Flexsteel, Aspenhome, Best Chairs, Etc. Have a garage sale, go through every cabinet & drawer.... weed out. Collectibles sell real well on Ebay. The rest of the things, donate, as there are so many in need right now. Hope this helps. Safe travels

We sold or donated all but a bed and dining room set, Saved hale the dishes and glasses. When we got her bought new living room furniture that are better suited to Florida. Had the children and family pick through Christmas decorations for their memories. Anything that I was not attached to I donated. Brought bins with ornaments, They are in garage on shelves. Measure the walls, look an Amazon check lowes and home dopot. They are great for storing. Ditching most winter clothes. After a month here we found donation centers for the stuff we brought and realized did not need,

We moved from a farm.We told the kids to take anything they wanted then had an auction. If you can afford $50 a month, don't bring a mower or lawn equipment. Small yard means very little lawn maintenance. You'll find northern furniture looks out of place in Florida. Small, bright, light. Buy new if you can afford it. "Liberation" is the word. When you are free of 50 years of accumulation, you will be amazed at how free you feel.

YES! Downsizing is essential. My biggest regret is that we bothered to bring our furniture with. It was apparent that the styles are different here. Unless you formally entertain you can leave behind the heavy furniture and china cabinet. No need for formal dishes or serving pieces... Clothing is also different here, I have up north clothes and FL clothes. Depending on your house size, you probably won't need the whole house Christmas decorating scheme. I am down to one large box.

Be careful storing items in the space above the garage, it gets incredibly hot.

This is my experience, enjoy yours, and WELCOME!!!!

Sell everything it doesn’t pay to move it. Buy new things that’ll fit in your house. There is some storage above the garage to put Christmas decorations.