[francesco]

[b][/We would like to know how may of you rented before you bought? Is there year-round rentals in TV? And do you think this is a good thing to do?
Frank & Linda

[billethkid]

Frank/Linda:

If you work with The Villages rental group you will find opportunities to rent from the smallest to the largest homes available.
If your life style and schedule allow, renting for a year to get to know the area and so called "lay of the land" is a good idea. Your opinion of TV won't change but I assure you will make a better decision of where you would want to be permanently.

There are so many different venues, themes, ambiances to allow time to consider.

I know today what I would have done differently if I had the time to look and live for a year first. Get opinions but also go see for your self, especially when some one says you don't want to go there or here.

Good luck.

BTK

[cabo35]

We retired 5 years ago and planned on wintering in Florida for 3 months a year. Classic snowbird philosophy. Buying another home was not in our plans. Year one we rented in the keys, year two Naples and Jupiter. Each year we visited friends in the Villages and decided to rent for 4 months in the Villages during year three.

At the end of 2 months, we bought a new home near Lake Sumter Landing and love it here so much we changed residency spending 7 months in the Villages and 5 months reuniting with family and friends at our shore house on the Jersey coast during the summer. Our two years plus of ownership in The Villages has confirmed we made the right decision.

We love the lifestyle we have created and have had a blast here in the Villages for past two years as homeowners. I recommend renting first because it really gives you insights you can't get on short visits. If you decide to purchase, you will have a distinct advantage selecting your home because you will have a handle on locations that best fit your interests, convenience and needs. Billethkid has it right.

Good luck.

[francesco]

Great advice!!!As you can see I grow up at the Jersey shore. Were did live?
Frank

[nhsnowbird]

We've rented the past two winters and each house was in a different part of TV ... purely by accident but as it turned out, we have a much better idea of where we want to live when we finally make the great move. I would recommend renting if you are able to ... get familiar with the villages, traffic patterns, etc. I think the people in TV are wonderful, no matter what village.

[villages07]

Frank,

You can certainly find a year round rental....the only caution I would suggest is to see if you can insert an escape clause in your rental contract. What if you find your perfect home 2 months into your year long rental? You wouldn't want to be obligated for another 10 months rent and would be chagrined to lose the perfect house. Just a thought.

[graciegirl]

I have just heard five more priceless suggestions this morning. I think this Forum is the cats pajamas!

[cabo35]

Francesco, we have had a place in Brielle Landing for many years. Right across the bridge from Pt. Pleasant. We still spend our summer's there. We're adjacent to the Brielle Yacht Club between the Sand Bar and the Shipwreck Grill. We still love the Jersey shore in the summer, Red's Lobster Pot, The Wharfside Patio, The Sand Bar, the boardwalk and the beach. A really good friend owns The Offshore Restaurant in P.P. We golf at Colts Neck G.C. and the Monmouth County courses especially Hominy Hill. We also have a sportfisherman in the BYC (cabo35). Uh-oh, I hear the topic police coming. PM me if anything clicks.