[Grannygail]

We are sold on TV and will be moving spring of 2012. Our plan is to rent for a few months to take some time to chose the village we would like to reside.
My concern is renting a house online and not seeing it first. We have been to TV twice, and were a little surprised at the condition of some of the yards and the houses needing cleaning/painting that we passed by that were for rent. I know there are restrictions, but these places are probably flying right under the limits and getting by.

Do most people have friends to check the places out before you rent them, or do you just 'hope for the best'?

We found TV online just looking around last summer when we really decided 2012 was going be our start of our 3rd Chapter. We have been down twice, once staying in hotel for a weekend (we couldn't wait just to see the place) then we came down Thkgiving Week and did LifeStyle Visist and now we are like 'kids in a candy store".

Gail & Dennis
McDonough, GA

[Ohiogirl]

I rented my villa out for 4 years before we retired and moved down in November. Many landlords keep their rentals up nicely, but some do not. I had detailed pictures but not always of the current year on the website(s) I used.

Why don't you ask the landlord for an address and tell them you would like to have someone drive by and take pics? If you don't have any friends who live here, I bet you could get someone on TOTV who lives nearby to at least take an outside photo (and maybe also of the backyard and lanai) and email it to you via private message. Just post the Village you are considering with the request and ask for a pm of anyone willing to do this for you, then pm the address to them.

As an owner I would not have been offended unless I had something to hide. You will get more for your money than renting thru The Villages (and can only rent a maximum of 28 days thru them, I believe). You should be able to find a rental with a golf cart.

[Grannygail]

Great idea. I probably would nevet ask that of someone else, but TOTV folks are 'above and beyond' and I would hope to return the favor once we become residents!

Thanks for the idea.

[Cathy H]

Only rent a place that had a gallery of photos on line for you to view to help you decide, has a full cleaning done before you arrive and ask for references from previous renters. Rentals through realtors are the best quality and least risk.

[wendyquat]

Another idea for you. If you will download Google Earth you can put the address in and "look" over the neighborhood. Might not give you an idea of cleanliness but gives you a good "look" as to location and "lay of the land".

Just an idea! We plan to do the same thing if we ever sell our house in NC.
Good luck!

[l2ridehd]

I have two rentals and I would be glad to walk anyone interested through while connected to skype to show them the up to the minute condition. Ask any home your considering if they will do that. That way you can see it exactly how it is before you sign up.

[Larry Wilson]

Grannygail,
Smart lady. There are good and bad landlords. On the historic side ( across 441) you need to be careful.
Friends rented a courtyard in Chatham (north of 466 ) last winter and it was a dump. Because it had no yard you could see from the street, my driving by I had no idea. I feel guilty I let them sign a contract on my giving the OK.
Just this Christmas, my brother and sister in-law had a lifestyle visit through the Villages in Creekside. They had a courtyard that was built new and beautiful but was full of ants. One call and The Villages moved them and had pest control there. Those are very well kept courtyards(excellent landlord) but ants are opportunists.
I will even do a drive by for you. Also, there are some excellent landlords that post on TOTV.

[gardenia]

I rented a designer home for 2 months this Fall, found it on the rental site advertised on this forum and recommended by folks who post here. Had reservations, as the photos and price were unbelievable, and it exceeded my expectations so much so that I extended my lease for another month while my home was under construction.....couldn't say enough about the owner, decor, location, conditions of the house....all just fabulous. A relative who lives in TV did a "drive by" to confirm the address and exterior photo. Feel free to PM me if you would like more info.

[jdsl1998]

We have rented our home in The Villages for Feb and March this coming year using only TOTV. We had the opportunity to meet and greet with our Feb. renters today as all of us are in The Villages right now. They seem great. They also seemed pleased with our home. We tried to treat this as a win-win prospect. We supply a wonderful experience and home and they treat our home with respect. I think we more than succeeded. All of us are happy.

[Pturner]

Originally Posted by Larry Wilson

Grannygail,
Smart lady. There are good and bad landlords. On the historic side ( across 441) you need to be careful.
Friends rented a courtyard in Chatham (north of 466 ) last winter and it was a dump. Because it had no yard you could see from the street, my driving by I had no idea. I feel guilty I let them sign a contract on my giving the OK.
Just this Christmas, my brother and sister in-law had a lifestyle visit through the Villages in Creekside. They had a courtyard that was built new and beautiful but was full of ants. One call and The Villages moved them and had pest control there. Those are very well kept courtyards(excellent landlord) but ants are opportunists.
I will even do a drive by for you. Also, there are some excellent landlords that post on TOTV.

Larry,
We own a lovely, well-maintained home on the north side. We offer it for rent, as we are still snowflakes for a couple of years. I'm surprised that you would disparage all of us because of one bad landlord. That doesn't make any sense, and it is hurtful.

Pturner

[Larry Wilson]

Who said all? Many of my best friends live in the historic side in beautiful homes. However, you can't swept under the rug that the Villages started here with trailers. The big problem are people who only use them to rent. That said, there are many nice rentals everywhere.

[ijusluvit]

If you rent from a reputable company, like J.D. Management, there will be no chance that you will get a substandard property. Their property management is downright fussy.

www.thevillagesforrentbyowner.com

[redwitch]

I would say that the majority of rentals are average in maintenance. Your best chance to get an exceptional home is to rent one from someone who feels this is their home rather than just a rental -- they're renting until they can be here permanently. There are some homeowners like lv2rdhd who truly take care of their homes. Even their rental properties are above and beyond what you would expect from a rental property -- they're better maintained than many homes in which frogs live.

BTW -- I travel all over TV, so I'd be happy to take any pix you might want of a home. Just shout out.

[Larry Wilson]

ijusluvit,
So true! My friends who have bad experiences are trying to find something fast and rent from an individual.

[Larry Wilson]

Another good point, Redwitch! Renting out your home is different than just an investment.