[Badger 2006]

Originally Posted by Badger 2006

Check out ****.com and specify The Villages for the location. There are rentals available for shorter periods. You can specify your dates and when viewing the properties , and see the rental availability for each property. Here you are also renting mostly from the property owners so the fees usually are more reasonable without a 3rd party involved.

V acation R entail B y O wner

[Papa_lecki]

Don’t worry about scheduling too much stuff - just get a taste of things, and enjoy.

[Stu from NYC]

If you decide this is the place for you would strongly suggest renting somewhere for a month or two to see where you might want to hang your hat.

[mtdjed]

Originally Posted by Pamela1130

I have been looking extensively into the Villages for quite a while now and really want to visit and feel it is a great place for retirees. My DH has agreed to do a lifestyle visit. Because I really want to buy a winter home there, I want to make our lifestyle visit interesting and fun so I can get him onboard. All I have read about LS visits is people driving around in a golf cart trying to figure out the lay of the land and visiting the different areas and rec centers, etc. I am wondering if I can set up things beforehand or even when we get there. We don't golf but my husband goes to the gym 6 days a week so would like to visit a state of the art gym. He loves music, so I am sure the nightly concerts would be great. He especially likes doo wop music if that makes a difference. I would be interested in trying out pickle ball. We have never played but are in good shape but I don't know how you go about it. Do you make reservations? I heard that it is very competitive but are there just pickup games for beginners? He's not a swimmer but I love water aerobics. Bocce sounds fun too. Bike riding sounds great also. I know there are many clubs but with only a one week visit, probably not doable or practical. We are coming in early December if that makes a difference in the activities. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read and answer my post and I am looking forward to visiting the Villages and ultimately buying a home there.

I am wondering if perhaps two lifestyle visits might be an option. One to decide whether TV is a place you can have fun and a second to decide where and what it should be. There are many rec centers where you can try Bocci, Pickleball etc. Visits to local gym can be arranged, bicycles can be ridden, and things such as music at the square can be enjoyed and be made fun.

But at some point, you would/should concentrate/work on what, where, and economics of such a move. We had two lifestyle visits. The first was to see what TV was all about and look at home style options. The second was to zero in on making it happen. I wouldn't describe either visit as strictly vacation fun. Rather, best described by me as fact finding and decision making.

[hosegooseman]

All the activities you mentioned can be arrange with your Rep. Pretty much every activity, sport, club, etc have entry level groups, if it applies.

There a few gyms at some rec centers and a couple that are external facilities, meaning outside business within the Villages.

I suggest you get Villages GPS app. It’s not the same as the Villages App. It cost a one time fee of around $7 but the golf cart navigation is better in my opinion.

The best way too see and explore is with the use of a golf cart and you will have one included. Because it’ll be December and the carts are “open” bring something in case it’s too cold for you.

Have fun !!!

[BlueStarAirlines]

Originally Posted by ElDiabloJoe

That way you can map out how far it is from your Lifestyle visit location (which I assume will be the CYV cabanas near Brownwood Paddock Square and the Brownwood Hotel & Spa).

The lifestyle visits are now at the CYV right across the Water Lily bridge.

[bowlingal]

you are planning a visit at the start of high season. It will be crowded, just be aware. Go to Village Community Development Districts for all information Villages related. You can rent during the off season for a month or couple of weeks, during high season people want to rent for 3 months and it is VERY expensive. A week is not nearly enough to see everything here.

[richs631]

Honestly you don’t have to set anything up. The place sells its self. Golf was the furthest thing from my mind now I golf 3 times a week. You will be sold after driving around and admire the beauty

[Kingsport]

We bought in The Villages sight unseen. We had never been here. We love it. I recommend you use YouTube to learn. Search for these YouTubers.

1. The Villages with Skip Smith. He is a long time villager. Some of his newer stuff is odd, but his older stuff is very useful (look in the pre-pandemic/early pandemic timeframe). He will also communicate with you.

2. The Villages Florida Newcomers. We found them very helpful. They take you through moving here to living her.

3. To Retirement and Beyond. New Villagers who get into how they got here and why.

There are no bad neighborhoods.

I recommend Mary Cook for The Villages Real Estate and Ira Miller for MLS.

Feel free to PM me.

[BlueStarAirlines]

We wound up doing two lifestyle visits just because TV was so big with so many options. Most other 55+ communities could easily be done in a stay, but TV is unique because of its size.

Our first stay was just understanding the scale of TV, the differences between the three main sections (North, Center, and current South), the differences in housing and how the models have changed over the years (ie the Bridgewater model from a few years ago and the current are very different from a kitchen perspective), never had a golf cart before so could you really get around with that? We visited various clubs at different recreation centers, went to different pools, ate at places all over TV, and just focused on things "inside the bubble".

Our second visit we did some of the same things, but focused more on the housing and neighborhoods we liked and decided on general location. We also went outside the bubble and looked at what surrounds the TV boundaries, the stores we liked to shop at and how far away they were and evaluated healthcare. Toured lots of homes, model homes, and looked at the (then) new developments. We also timed our visits between high and low season to gauge if the crowds were too much as well if the summer heat was a deal breaker.

We followed all the Youtube posters (there are 12-14 different channels now). We also took into folks realtor and sales agent recommendations, but quickly realized that they were opinions and wound up doing our own research. We read the sales agents bio's on the website and contacted a few just to see how we would mesh. Did the same for MLS. Be open to opinions and advice, but do your own research!

My advice is to be open on both the type of house you think you want and the general location you think you are interested in. We found our assumptions that we arrived with for our first visit were completely wrong.

[ElDiabloJoe]

Originally Posted by BlueStarAirlines

The lifestyle visits are now at the CYV right across the Water Lily bridge.

That begets two questions:

1. Are those CYVs going up for sale now?
2. What is there to do (yet) near the Water Lily Bridge that will attract new buyers?

At least the current/previous CYVs were very close to Brownwood Paddock Sq.

[Nana2Teddy]

Originally Posted by BlueStarAirlines

The lifestyle visits are now at the CYV right across the Water Lily bridge.

We were placed in Alden Bungalows in June for our LSV. I requested to be close to Brownwood, so that’s what we got. I would highly recommend letting them know you’re only interested in pre-owned homes above 44, and that you don’t want to stay down south. Have a great time!

[lawgolfer]

Originally Posted by Pamela1130

I have been looking extensively into the Villages for quite a while now and really want to visit and feel it is a great place for retirees. My DH has agreed to do a lifestyle visit. Because I really want to buy a winter home there, I want to make our lifestyle visit interesting and fun so I can get him onboard. All I have read about LS visits is people driving around in a golf cart trying to figure out the lay of the land and visiting the different areas and rec centers, etc. I am wondering if I can set up things beforehand or even when we get there. We don't golf but my husband goes to the gym 6 days a week so would like to visit a state of the art gym. He loves music, so I am sure the nightly concerts would be great. He especially likes doo wop music if that makes a difference. I would be interested in trying out pickle ball. We have never played but are in good shape but I don't know how you go about it. Do you make reservations? I heard that it is very competitive but are there just pickup games for beginners? He's not a swimmer but I love water aerobics. Bocce sounds fun too. Bike riding sounds great also. I know there are many clubs but with only a one week visit, probably not doable or practical. We are coming in early December if that makes a difference in the activities. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read and answer my post and I am looking forward to visiting the Villages and ultimately buying a home there.

Welcome to The Villages. Enjoy your visit. I offer three items of advice.

1. Plan a second Lifestyle Visit. Use the first one to see all the attractions. If you like what you see, use the second visit to look for houses or villas. There are so many things to see and do here, don't waste your first visit looking at houses

2. Check with the local newspaper, The Villages Daily Sun, to see if you can order a one month subscription to be mailed to you. Start it a month before your visit and you can then lay out the events and attractions you want to see.

3. Rely on the representative assigned to you. If there is one thing that is certain about The Villages, it is that Lifestyle visitors are treated like royalty. The rep will get you darn near anything you ask for, whether it be tee times, show tickets, passes for the gyms etc.

Don't worry about the rep giving you a "hard sell" akin to what happens when you visit a "timeshare" resort. There are no sales presentations you must attend. To the contrary, unless you ask your rep for help or advice, you will not see or hear from him/her during your visit.

[Suerapzen]

Your sales rep will take you around to see different villages and Rec centers as much or as little as you like. No pressure.

[Shamp]

Use your lifestyle visit to determine what area you'd like to buy in. Then rent a house in that area for a few weeks or a month to really get a good feel for the community. You can post your requirements on this facebook page. Any landlord with an opening can then reach out to you.
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