[Katgirl]

Rolled into town late on a Saturday night last September(sight unseen). Bought the house on Sunday after an exhausting search all day and having selected house after house only to find it was already sold. Found our dream home in Hemingway and had to wait an excruciating 15 hours to find that we got the contract on it. Haven't regretted a thing except that it will be 10 more months till we are finally here full time! I think most people know a good thing when they see it.

[getdul981]

We have been visiting Disney World for around 30 years. We had seen The Villages listed when they did the weather reports, but never really knew anything about it. This past February we visited the Orlando area with the intention of looking for a place to move to. That was pretty much a wasted trip. A friend of ours, that lives in Orlando, mentioned The Villages although she had never been there herself. We returned to Orlando the last week of April and went with our friend to visit TV. We only did the trolley tour on that Tuesday. My wife and I returned on Sunday and met with a Realtor and went through several houses. We told him some of our wants and don't wants and told him we would be back on Thursday, May 6, to look some more. That was when we found the spot on which we plan to build our house. We are in the process of selling our house here in VA now and as soon as it's sold, we're heading to TV and will hopefully be renting a house of some type until our house is built. I don't know if this counts as our first visit or our third visit. You decide. We've never actually spent the night there yet. Sometimes you just gotta take a chance.

[K9-Lovers]

We bought on our first visit. Our lifestyle visit was 4 days and we bought a home before we left.

After having looked at houses the entire visit, we decided to return home and buy later. But, on our last afternoon, someone posted a For Sale By Owner sign in the yard of our dream home and we just happened by an hour later. It was meant to be, because our house sold in 1 week! And, the fella that bought our house also bought our boat and any furniture we did not want to take with us.

We've been here 2 months and LOVE IT!!!

[N'awlins Lady]

I can't wait to write our story!

Trudy

[Pturner]

Originally Posted by K9-Lovers

We bought on our first visit. Our lifestyle visit was 4 days and we bought a home before we left.

After having looked at houses the entire visit, we decided to return home and buy later. But, on our last afternoon, someone posted a For Sale By Owner sign in the yard of our dream home and we just happened by an hour later. It was meant to be, because our house sold in 1 week! And, the fella that bought our house also bought our boat and any furniture we did not want to take with us.

We've been here 2 months and LOVE IT!!!

Wow, that is so cool! That gives me goosebumps.

[lightworker888]

We had heard about TV from a friend about 5 years earlier, but only this past year (Oct. 2009) were we able to take time to come down and see it. We found a CYV rental on thevillages4rent and discovered that it was for sale when we got here. It was a turnkey situation with all the furnishings that suited us and we loved the neighbourhood so it was a great way to make sure that we would have a place to come to for our holidays. And we didn't have to do anything except move in! And our two Shih Tzus love it too.

We rent it out during the high season which covers our yearly costs and we come down in the spring and fall from Canada. We love it and feel like we really have been blessed to find such a great place with such great people. It probably isn't for everyone, but it sure is the cat's meow for us.

[GomerPyle]

We had heard of TV from a dear friend who would go to the Bay Hill Golf Event during March of each year. My friend Jim sat next to a TV owner and he told Jim all about where he just moved too. So Jim returns from his vacation timeshare in Kissimmee and tells me about TV. I check out the website, send for the marketing material and it took 3 years before we got on the LifeStyle Program for 6 days, that was August 2005. We told our agent that we were just 'kicking tires' and taking a much needed vacation. By the third day we got our first look at homes, then we did it on our own with a golf cart. Then we went home on day 6. About 6 weeks past, our agent called and said she had a home open up for sale, would we be interested. She sent all the particular by fax to my work, showed my wife at lunch break, and gave a credit card deposit on a house that 'was site unseen'. About 6 weeks later we had the closing, but we were not present. We arrived a month later to move in. So, technically, we only went to TV once and bought. Now does that count?
Anyway that was 4 and a half yrs ago, we love it, and we did sell our house up NorthEast some 11 months later that we had lived in for 35 years. The move was very refreshing and we go exploring all the time both 'on campuis' and off site. Florida is a big state to explore. regards, GomerPyle

[Junebugs]

It has been so much fun reading all of your stories and how you came to move to TV. We are coming up there in August for a 4 day Lifestyle visit.
Plan to leave the checkbook home -- but we are just a 4 hour drive so we can always go up for a weekend when we get ready to buy.

[jmitchell]

Originally Posted by Junebugs

I was telling my husband that I thought I had read a high percentage of people buy a home during their first visit to TV. Does anyone know the statistics?

Don't know the stats, but if you consider putting a lot on hold, we bought on our first visit and we had not even planned on visiting -- just sort of happened upon it in our travels. We will begin building this fall so that the house will be done in time for my husband, Mike's, 60th B-Day! You all are invited! December 4, 2010 and I believe our address will be 1757 Pennecamp Dr.

[bloomer]

We originally heard about TV from our son's college roommate's parents. They purchased a home in TV while the boys were still in school. We didn't think about it much at the time. A few yrs later when we were beginning to consider our retirement options, a fellow teacher mentioned that she had just bought a home in TV. We decided to take a trip south, visiting a number of communities with TV being the last stop. And it sure was!!!! It took us three lifestyle previews before we finally purchased, but it had more to do with hubby and I disagreeing on type of home (villa vs. designer). He won out. We purchased a CYV. I couldn't be happier and so is he. He will retire in a few months. Earlier than planned. I retired last year. We're now looking forward to half year in TV with the hopes of living there permanently.

[brostholder]

My wife and I looked for homes around Orlando and in the Mt. Dora area. Then we visited TV and bought the same day. We could have purchased more house for less money in some other areas, but the lifestyle of TV hooked us. I told my wife that if they let me move in with a tent and sleeping bag I would have done it. So far we are loving it.
Barry
Long Island,NY/Evansville,IN/Boca Raton,FL/TV!!!

[colleenj]

Heard about TV on through television ads. Got the video and then found TOTV board. Booked a lifestyle preview and yes, bought a house on that visit. Have been coming to my house a few days every month for 2 years- am moving in permanently this weekend!

[Pturner]

Originally Posted by colleenj

Heard about TV on through television ads. Got the video and then found TOTV board. Booked a lifestyle preview and yes, bought a house on that visit. Have been coming to my house a few days every month for 2 years- am moving in permanently this weekend!

Congrat's Colleen. I'm excited for you!

[teach232]

My husband retired 6 years before I did. He would take a yearly vacation around Orlando to golf with buddies of his. On one visit the boys, on a down day, checked out The Villages. He came home armed with the video and information. I can still hear that song echoing in my head. I did not want to hear anything about Florida. No way, no how was I going to live in Florida! In early December of 2008, after I had retired, hubby wanted to go to Florida for a week. I am not a golfer and was not looking forward to sitting around in a motel/hotel waiting for his return. So, I said that seeing he was so all fired up about The Villages, let's go there. We were lucky enough to find a designer home to rent in Largo which came with a golf cart. The price was an unbelievable $500 for the week! I was totally blown over. Not only with the house and cart but with the whole place! We decided again to go away in February and I was the one who suggested going back to TV. Again we were lucky to find a lovely designer home this time in Piedmont to rent for TWO weeks. My sister and brother-in-law joined us. They, like us, love to look at houses so we did a lot of that. I told my sister to keep her mouth shut, cause I knew it would take very little for my husband to want to buy. She just couldn't contain herself. She was blown away too. AT home during March and April I found myself web surfing the available houses. Little did I know my husband was doing that too. The prices were looking good and I felt our money was better invested in real estate rather than the stock market. We decided to buy. We combined our efforts and made a list of the houses we liked. We were sure that we wanted a pre-owned home, that was turn-key and in the northern section of TV. In May, we came for a 6 day Lifestyle visit. We arrived on a Friday and by Sunday, we signed a contract for a brand new house, unfurnished and in the southern part (Hemingway) of TV. Go figure! Our neighborhood is the best! We have such wonderful neighbors and couldn't be happier with our choice. We will remain snowbirds for the time being because I will not live in Florida year round....I will not live in Florida year round.....I will not live in ....I will.....

[Pturner]

Originally Posted by teach232

My husband retired 6 years before I did. He would take a yearly vacation around Orlando to golf with buddies of his. On one visit the boys, on a down day, checked out The Villages. He came home armed with the video and information. I can still hear that song echoing in my head. I did not want to hear anything about Florida. No way, no how was I going to live in Florida! In early December of 2008, after I had retired, hubby wanted to go to Florida for a week. I am not a golfer and was not looking forward to sitting around in a motel/hotel waiting for his return. So, I said that seeing he was so all fired up about The Villages, let's go there. We were lucky enough to find a designer home to rent in Largo which came with a golf cart. The price was an unbelievable $500 for the week! I was totally blown over. Not only with the house and cart but with the whole place! We decided again to go away in February and I was the one who suggested going back to TV. Again we were lucky to find a lovely designer home this time in Piedmont to rent for TWO weeks. My sister and brother-in-law joined us. They, like us, love to look at houses so we did a lot of that. I told my sister to keep her mouth shut, cause I knew it would take very little for my husband to want to buy. She just couldn't contain herself. She was blown away too. AT home during March and April I found myself web surfing the available houses. Little did I know my husband was doing that too. The prices were looking good and I felt our money was better invested in real estate rather than the stock market. We decided to buy. We combined our efforts and made a list of the houses we liked. We were sure that we wanted a pre-owned home, that was turn-key and in the northern section of TV. In May, we came for a 6 day Lifestyle visit. We arrived on a Friday and by Sunday, we signed a contract for a brand new house, unfurnished and in the southern part (Hemingway) of TV. Go figure! Our neighborhood is the best! We have such wonderful neighbors and couldn't be happier with our choice. We will remain snowbirds for the time being because I will not live in Florida year round....I will not live in Florida year round.....I will not live in ....I will.....

Teach,
See ya next summer.