snow bird vs. FT resident?

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  #31  
Old 03-29-2019, 02:57 PM
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Barefoot Barefoot is offline
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Originally Posted by Bay Kid View Post
If it wasn't for sitting on my quiet Chesapeake Bay beach with my feet in the water, boating on the bay, fishing, crabbing, family all around, golf, friends, etc. I would live here year round.
Bay Kid,

We love living in The Villages in the winter - it's wonderful.
However Canadians are not permitted to stay longer in the US longer than 182 days in a calendar year (US rule).
And I've heard the summers are very hot in The Villages.
For those reasons, we are content with our lake cabin in Canada.
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  #32  
Old 03-31-2019, 08:34 AM
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Bay Kid,

We love living in The Villages in the winter - it's wonderful.
However Canadians are not permitted to stay longer in the US longer than 182 days in a calendar year (US rule).
And I've heard the summers are very hot in The Villages.
For those reasons, we are content with our lake cabin in Canada.
I really love TVs but by this time of year I am really starting to miss home.... Had family for the past week, now I really miss home. Almost warm enough to return. Needless to say as soon as I go home I will miss TVs.
Old man problems!
  #33  
Old 03-31-2019, 09:51 AM
thetruth thetruth is offline
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Originally Posted by OhioBuckeye View Post
We rented for only 2 yrs. before we bought. We looked just like all of the people in the sales office, excited, bubbly. What most people don't know is they don't watch for the right areas to buy in, they're all just so over whelmed with everything here. You will learn the pro's & con's here just like any other place. Don't take me wrong it is a Disneyland for retirees. The Villages realtors are pushing Fenny, they're under cutting the older side of the Villages to sell the 50,000 new homes that are going to be built there & the people that have the preowned are getting stuck with there home because they want a little more for them. Just remember to ask TV realtors about, Higher property taxes, Bonds & Aminities. Probably won't be any entertainment for about 4 or 5 more yrs. unless you drive your car to at least Brownwood, no grocery stores close. Nice place to live but snowbirds making TV their permanent home will learn all the pro's & con's real quick. I know someone will disagree with me, but not everybody lives the same lifestyle, have more or less money, different interest. Enjoy your new Disneyland!
For many. including me, the options can be overwhelming. Not just in the villages but in the world. No longer tied to a job so no one else, or yourself if self employed is saying on monday, you must xxxxxxxx.

Every place has reasons to live there otherwise, it would not exist. There are ghost towns, dead or dying towns where you could build your own Disneyland-Villages. Actually, there is no shortage of Village wannabees that have failed.

As to the sales people pushing Fenney. Truth is sales people like to play with new toys. Some people might prefer the historic section.

Choice, new found freedom is can be a lot to handle.
  #34  
Old 05-13-2019, 02:41 AM
OlifOlif OlifOlif is offline
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Until Taylor moved back, I wanted to stay there. But since Taylor is too tender, I would make it a go!

That's for me!!!
  #35  
Old 05-13-2019, 06:09 AM
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TNLAKEPANDA TNLAKEPANDA is offline
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Currently we are 6 months in each location. We are going to change that to more time in Florida probably 9 & 3 for a few more years.
One thing is that FL cost double everything compared to our other home which is twice the size and on a beautiful lake.
  #36  
Old 05-13-2019, 07:02 AM
davem4616 davem4616 is offline
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We started out as 'snow bunnies' back in 1995 when we bought a house on a canal in Ft Lauderdale. We'd drive down from Boston and open the house Columbus Day weekend, leave the car and fly back and forth a few times, close it in mid May and have the car shipped north. It was our 'escape house'... (it was so nice to only fly with carry on luggage)...it was truly like going on vacation (albeit when the airline stewardess call you by name you know you're flying too much). We duplicated EVERYTHING in the kitchens to make it easy. The shoulder seasons were the best for us and over time we wanted to be in FL more often at that time of year. In the summer my wife worried about the place in FL especially during hurricane season (did we close it up well enough). In 2008 we became more like 'snowbirds' as we both had careers that allowed us to work virtually, It became really easy to open/close the FL house, but it seemed to become more challenging to prepare the northern house for the fall/winter and to reopen the pool in the spring, get the gardens prepared etc. The kids were all grown/married/parents, so our pool was no longer 'the place' that it had been, nor was there much help with yard projects. Once the last of our parents passed away in 2015 we decided to simplify our lives and sell the two houses that we had up north and become FT Floridians (the back and forth travel had gotten to us). We extensively remodeled/expanded the house in FT Lauderdale and began living the good life. Not having a 'second or third home' to maintain/worry about made seeing the rest of the world a lot easier. By 2017 the traffic congestion in Ft Lauderdale had gotten to us. We looked up and down the coast and finally visited a cousin who lived in TV. Before leaving that weekend we had put money down on a house. Dealing with the summer FL heat is just mirror reverse from dealing with the winter cold in the north. We can escape the summer heat whenever we choose to. We no longer wake up that first morning after repositioning to 'the other house' and pause to remember which cabinet the coffee mugs are in, or get confused about what is the freezer in this house vs. the other house. BTW, Airbnb makes it easier to escape for a reasonable amount and the tax law changes now would have eliminated itemizing our multiple real estate deductions. Having one house works a lot better for us now that we're retired. Being this close to Disney increases the chances that family will travel to see us too!
  #37  
Old 05-13-2019, 07:19 AM
nanker nanker is offline
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It is a struggle to make a decision. We are from NH where everything is now blooming and we have beautiful lakes and mountains. Currently 6 1/2 months in TV and we love every minute.
We are thinking of going down in mid June till mid July so see if we can handle the heat. When you live there do you stay in the house most of the time from May to October?
Also the snowbirds are sometimes dismissed. I tried last winter to find golf games and it is hard to break in.

Nanker: confused:
  #38  
Old 05-13-2019, 07:34 AM
davem4616 davem4616 is offline
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during the summer months you don't do any outside yard work...but it's just mirror reverse from the cold up north where you go from heated house, to (hopefully) heated car, to heated store/etc. We go from A/C'ed house to A/C car (A/C seats help) to A/C venue...there are a lot of evenings where dancing on the squares is enjoyable, as there is a nice breeze...the pools are fine in the mornings and late afternoons if you don't like extreme heat.
  #39  
Old 05-13-2019, 08:09 AM
OhioBuckeye OhioBuckeye is offline
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Originally Posted by Cookie Princess View Post
Has anyone started out as a snow bird and then changed to be come a full-time villages resident? What made you change your mind?
Well we didn't exactly become Snow Birds but we did rent for a couple of months for a couple of yrs. then we decided to buy because all of the excitement & things to do there. We lived there for 7 yrs. People were so nice, but you do run into a few people that must hate the world but overall a great place to live. But since we're getting older we didn't want our grandkids & great grandkids to grow away from us so we moved to where one of our kids lived then we only have to go one way to see the other. It was a tough decision!
  #40  
Old 05-13-2019, 08:18 AM
ChicagoNative ChicagoNative is offline
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We’ve been in this area only since January of 2018, but have been snowbirding for 10 years. I’ve loved having two places; visiting family, friends, getting my city fix, and then coming here to relax for the winter. That said, we’re going back to Chicago later this week, and will be putting our small 3-flat up for sale. We love our hometown, and as nice as it is to have a home of our own there, we just can’t help but worry about furnaces, sump pumps, tenants paying on time, and the state of Illinois and city of Chicago taxes and fees. The time has come for a new chapter.

Everyone’s different, and some may not mind the summer heat, but if you’re thinking of making the move to living here permanently, I’d advise staying through a summer. It’s a whole different level of hot.....like hell’s waiting room! Good luck. 🍀
  #41  
Old 05-13-2019, 08:38 AM
ChicagoNative ChicagoNative is offline
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We’ve lived in this area for only 14 months, but have been snowbirding for almost a decade. We’ve loved having an escape back north for the summer where we could see family, friends, and get our “city fix” before returning to Florida for the winter.

That said, we’re returning to Chicago later this week and will be putting our small 3-flat up for sale. As others have mentioned, one can’t help but worry about furnaces, sump pumps, taxes, routine maintenance, and in our case, whether the tenants will pay on time and take care of the place. For us, it’s time for a new chapter. We will likely still “bird” again, but will do a short-term rental.

If you’re thinking of making a permanent move here, perhaps you could consider coming down for the summer......it’s a whole other level of hot. You don’t have to shovel the heat, but it is every bit as uncomfortable as a cold northern winter. Your mileage may vary. Good luck.

Last edited by ChicagoNative; 05-13-2019 at 08:56 AM.
  #42  
Old 05-13-2019, 09:38 AM
WalkerLoop WalkerLoop is offline
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We were snowbirds for three years (Corning, NY). Although the Summer heat is lower up there, the humidity is near 100% due to the area being a river valley and also the Finger Lakes. With all the amenities at The Villages, we can be active here all year long - play softball, golf, pickle ball, yoga, cards, games, MaJong, etc. Just stay hydrated and there are A/C units all over the place. We use our golf carts for just about everything. Sold our house for the asking price almost immediately. Ultimately, it's the life style that caused us to move here full time. Don't regret it at all.
  #43  
Old 05-13-2019, 10:13 AM
JoMar JoMar is offline
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We all have our own reasons for doing what we do.....and that's part of what makes this place great. We found that once the kids and grand kids found out they couldn't guilt us into not moving they decided coming here was the best option for them.....in fact, our biggest fear is that they will move here....lol. We travel around the US during July and August staying with friends (some snowbirds from here) or dispersed family and found that has opened up new experiences and opportunities...what a great country we have.
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  #44  
Old 05-13-2019, 10:16 AM
harby harby is offline
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No reason of keeping two homes (IL & TV) and will save more than 50% of $$$$$ for property taxes, utilities, mortgages (paid in full), landscaping care, tv cable, 'headaches to worry', etc. We really miss IL s fall foliage, all seasons, home designs, and trees, and our son, but don t miss traffic and politics! We love here as it s easy to shop, drive with much less traffic, take a tour somewhere, and mention many more to list.
  #45  
Old 05-14-2019, 07:20 PM
DavidLoVullo DavidLoVullo is offline
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I am snowbird but own a village house
Dave
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