Should We Buy or Should We Rent in THE VILLAGES FLORIDA – Part 1
[Music] should we rent or should we buy in The Villages we’re going to answer that question coming up next So to give you a little background about us, by 2019 we were already downsized and lived in a three-bedroom apartment. David retired during Covid, I was working part time and we
Had no grandchildren at the time but that since has changed. We’d already downsized out of our house and rent was going up in the apartment we were renting and we had a time where we could decide do we want, to stay where we currently were at or we were going to
Move to a different apartment or really we could have moved anywhere in the country to experience something new. Now interest rates were low so we thought maybe now is the time to buy and we had no house to sell. Winters were really cold in Ohio, good time to think
About moving so we decided to try living in Florida and we called it the Florida Experiment. [Music] So why did we choose The Villages so we started watching some YouTubers that lived in The Villages and it made us familiar with the surroundings and the things to do and kind of
Gave us a comfort level that it would be an area you’d want to live in as opposed to just vacation in and we did see that all the town squares had music which we love to dance 365 days in
The year so that was one draw we also have ebikes and I thought you know for our first experience living in Florida it had a nice central location so we could be to the be to the East Coast or the
West Coast beaches in an hour and a half. We were near the Springs the other things around Disney we thought there’d be plenty of things to do outside of The Villages as well. We’re also close to the
Cruise ports, we like to go on a cruise now and then. We decided to do the lifestyle visit. During the lifestyle visit we came just a short period of time but before Thanksgiving we were here for
About 4 days. It really wasn’t long enough but we got a chance to see the development at the time Richmond was the area where new homes were being built. We got a chance to look at those
And the nice thing too about the lifestyle visit is they provide you with a golf cart you get two bikes so you can go out on your own. The sales people the sales consultant wasn’t pressuring us
To buy anything right away and you know it gives you a chance to really experience The Villages. At the time Richmond had about 30 homes left they were basically sold out. They were going to have
Some Villas up for sale as well so there was a an opportunity to buy. Doubt started to creep in our minds and we were like “will we really like it here” yeah I was concerned about it
Getting really hot in July and August so I just wanted to experience that to see what that would be like and also we’re going to be a long ways away from our friends our children. I had never
Lived outside of Ohio for any long period of time so that’s something to think about. The homes were really close together in Richmond and I I just wasn’t sure if that would be for me but the
Low interest rate was there but the high prices on the homes were also up. The houses that have small lots and no basement it just was something for us to think about in retirement you probably don’t
Want a lot of maintenance type issues and taking care of big yards, we weren’t used to [Music] [Applause] [Music] that. There’s also the bond to consider which brought the cost up and we just couldn’t decide. I wanted to be in between the sixes and try to look at some pre-owned homes
And David kind of liked Richmond we didn’t have enough time, we needed more time to decide. So where is between the sixes between the 466a and 466 okay so if you didn’t know more of a central location than down in the southern area where the new home construction primarily was right.
So we basically just didn’t drink the koolaid not yet. From there we thought the perfect situation would be rent for 6 months. Rent a furnished house with a golf cart provided come down and spend some
Time, get familiar with it, don’t move a bunch of stuff down here yet, just put it in storage up in Ohio and come down and experience The Villages. Make sure that this is a good move but we thought
Let’s just do this 6 months, just six months. But the problem was this wasn’t easy to find now you know time of year we were looking was like right around December and the most active time here for
People is obviously when it’s cold up North so people jump on those rentals ahead of time or they come back year after year for December January February March, or some group of those months. There wasn’t a lot available and what was available were only like 2 months but it was 4,000
– 5,000 for a home. It was really high and there were no golf carts included so there was no time left and we went back to Columbus and re-thought this. We did decided, we can’t find anything for
6 months let’s just go all in and we will rent for a year. Once we made the decision to rent it kind of made it more flexible to find a way for that to happen. It was getting near the end of our lease
In Ohio so we had to make a [Music] decision so we began our search and basically what we found were a lot of homes were between $1,500 and 2300 for a year lease. There were three sources that
We used first was corporate owned homes and it was hard to communicate with them and they had really long complicated leases. Not very tenant friendly leases is what our experience was so and you try to negotiate them and you know you’re just hitting brick walls where they didn’t want to make any
Changes. They had a lot of fees and penalties and they even wanted to charge for power washing after your lease ended. The second is individual owners and they were kind of hard to get a hold of,
We played a lot of phone tag and they’re not Realtors so their leases were not Florida State statute friendly. They were very restrictive too because it seemed like they were more like VRBO leases. No parties because we were going to have a lot of parties. we’re going to have a lot of
[Music] parties. They didn’t even want you to have anybody staying over at your house. No visitors no visitors which that was you know all the leases are different but that was some of the things we started running into we were looking for a lease so we went to property management companies. This
Is where we found privately owned homes, but they were professionally managed, and they were willing to send us sample leases, willing to negotiate certain terms so after about 6 weeks we found it! [Music] So here’s our tips for finding a place to rent in the village especially if you’re thinking
6 months instead of a year first of all don’t start looking in December. For something that, your rental would start in February per se it’s just a lot harder there’s fewer choices and there’s fewer price categories for you to choose a house from. So if you can,
If you’re thinking about moving in January or February, maybe you want to be looking at the beginning of the summer before that January or February. Now if you’re here in The Villages one of the best places to find a rental is if you go to the pools,
The neighborhood pool. Most of the people live in that neighborhood, you strike up a conversation, we heard about rental after rental but we had already moved here so that’s one source. Also if you’re driving around neighborhoods when you’re here you’d be looking for small signs that are
On the garage doors and in the windows there aren’t big yard signs in the yard, those are prohibited. At least for rentals or for houses for sale. If you’re not here in The Villages you’re looking online like we did, first start with emailing some of the people that actually
Have short-term leases available and ask them if they’ll go long-term. They might be willing to at a certain time of year if they haven’t rent it out they might be willing to change and start a one-year lease with someone. A lot of these people ask for credit checks which will cost
You money. Just be aware of that one thing we found is if you could get somebody to send you their standard lease not filled out or anything but just so you can review the lease just to see
If it’s something you can live with and maybe ask to see if they’re open to changes. If they tell you they’re not going to make any changes and they send you a very landlord sided lease that may
Not be the place you want to continue to pursue. Go to the auditor site and check out the street and the house number that they gave you. You can see the aerial views, you can get dimensions and
Know how large the rooms are. Ask them if the photo is current on the listing when you see it on some of these websites and we’ll give you a list of those we have some resources at the end of
This video. One thing too is some people think if you see a golf cart in the photo that means it’s included and I would say probably a lot of the times that is true but I wouldn’t assume that
Because we’ve noticed people don’t update their pictures For example you might see a house that’s full of furniture and there isn’t any furniture included or there might be a golf cart sitting in the driveway and for whatever reason they’ve decided not to rent out or include a golf cart
In a house rental. So ask lots of questions don’t assume anything and always confirm everything in writing. We hope this video has helped you if you’re planning on renting or buying in The Villages. Look for our next video where we’ll talk about the pros and cons
Of renting and give you some negotiating tips. Click the thumbs up button to let us know you like this video. Leave a comment or question below and share this video with a friend if you haven’t subscribed to our Channel click our logo
Right here watch this video next thanks for watching catch you on the flip [Music] side
Rent or Buy in The Villages Florida. This video is Part 1 of a 3-part series about renting full-time in Florida. We talk about how we made our decision to move to The Villages Florida. A resource sheet is below to give you online websites to find a long-term rental in THE VILLAGES FLORIDA.
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Resources for finding rentals:
www.trulia.com
www.zillow.com/homes/for_rent
www.homes.com
www.rentfromavillager.com
www.nationalhomerentals.com
www.villagershomes4rent.com
Florida County Property Appraiser websites:
Lake County
www.lakecopropappr.com
Marion County
www.marionpropertyappraisers.com
Sumter County
www.sumterpa.com
CDD website for The Villages
www.districtgov.org
About:
David and Kristy reveal how they made their decision on buying or renting in The Villages Florida in Part 1 of a 3-part series on renting in Florida.
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42 Comments
Hey guys, I just came across one of your YouTube videos about where your looking at renting or buying in the villages and then I saw another video where you guys were looking at something by Del Webb. We are a little bit familiar Del Webb because we have some friends in Wilmington North Carolina that live in a 55 in order community built by Dell Webb so my question is did you buy in the villages or did you buy from Dell Webb?
Thanks so much for the information!
Sumter area was the first one I visited. Between the 6's feel claustrophobic to me. Ended up looking at homes in Dabney
Thank you!
lol. Well I was way off. I probably need to pay more attention to the video when I’m watching it instead of doing house chores lol anyway, we two are looking somewhere down in the Florida area to retire to. We currently live in North Carolina so we’re not really too far away I’m retired military and my wife will be retiring from the state of North Carolina and just a few short 22 months. Yes we are counting the months. Hopefully soon we will be counting the weeks then the days and then the Hours, we are so excited for what God has for us in our next chapter of life and truth be known we are using YouTube to help us decide what may work for us. We are also watching other YouTube channels that are down in the Florida area mostly in the villages. We have friends that live in a Dell Webb community in Wilmington North Carolina, and they absolutely love it. Their house is extremelybeautiful so we are a little bit familiar with the builder. We are trying to get off the couch and start living more so we thought the villages would be the right choice for us. I will be keeping up with you guys. Best of luck to you keep those videos coming and may God bless you.
Thank you, that's very helpful information! It makes sense to rent if you're not sure whether you're going to end up moving there. It's a lot easier to not renew a lease than to try to sell a house after a year.
Richmond is nice you should have bought and sounds like you will.
Great video. I’m starting a 7-mos rental in May and found the Rent From A Villager site to be one of the best; plus they vetted their owners. I dealt mostly with their property manager and was able to negotiate lease terms. Looking forward to exploring the different areas before buying.
Looking forward to part 2
New subscriber here. Excellent information to those who want to rent long-term in The Villages before buying. I plan on retiring in April, 2025, and The Villages is at the top of my list for a post retirement home. I have visited & rented short term in The Villages several times since my friend moved there in 2012. I have a good idea what area of The Villages I want to live in, but don't want to be rushed in a home purchase. Maybe I should rent first for 6 to 12 months & take my time home shopping? I also have a small dog, so I would need a pet friendly rental. What village are you renting in & do you like that area?
I think you are wise to visit different 55+ communities to see what is out there. The Villages is not for everyone. Also, renting through the summer months is wise if you are thinking of living in Florida year round. I have visited The Villages several times in the summer for this reason. My longest summer visit was 2 weeks in July 2021. Tip for summer…keep an umbrella in your car & golf cart. One minute the sun is out. 10 minutes later rain is pouring down. Luckily the summer rainstorms are usually over in about 30 minutes or less. But the rain can come down hard. 🌨🌩 And watch for lightning in the summer. Central Florida has some fierce lightning in the summer.
Yikes…I just did a brief search on long term…6 months or more pet friendly rentals. $2,900 per month for a 2 bedroom patio villa!😮
I live in Ohio where did you live in Ohio?
Well scripted, well produced, and very informative. Thank you.
Great information we are planning moving to Florida in late summer or fall I really like your information about renting before buying it makes sense because this will be a big move for us great video
Is that where all the Russian sympathizer MAGA cult lives? They sold their country to pray to a Yankee carnival barker who bent the knee to Putin. For shame for shame.
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Great info!!!!
Excellent video! I'm looking forward to Part 2 since we're doing a lifestyle visit this May.
Wow, I love you are from Ohio, and are sharing the cool aid with us!
Well, I am looking at the months of December, January, February, March, for rentals in Florida! I have looked at RV's, Looked at Apartments, Looked at pet friendly! And the costs are well above my pension! Even RV Parks are becoming above my pension!
Nicely done!
Nice video, great info.
I rented a house for 1 month in December 2023… I found the weather rather chilly . All the swimming pools are outside pools albeit heated to 82 degrees…still felt it was too cold ( high 50s) to take water aerobics..I would rent again but in a “shoulder” month. Oh, and the next door neighbors were party folks (drunk and were loud) who had several outside parties during my visit.
Most definitely rent. Florida will be underwater in 10 years, according to the 'EXPERTS'.
Would appear the realtors haven't been briefed on this.
So are you happy there? 😊
Well done!! This video was both interesting and informative. You did an excellent job of laying things out and offering suggestions. I'm not even close to making these decisions yet but this is very helpful and I'll save the video for future reference. Thanks
Check out Part 2 of this series https://youtu.be/fGb0TyqQk1o?si=mhl2Sl9KJDF0XbJf
Good video. You two are an adorable couple.
Whenever you change cities its a good idea to rent to learn the lay of the land. Much easier to change direction when you don't own something.
The center of the state better for staying away from Hurricanes. but you need a good,fast road to the beach in summer.
I love it choreography😂
Very informative. One item, how trust worthy are the rental posts. I guess I could go with one of the established Property Management Companies. My problem, is I have 3 small dogs. Used more as an Alarm then anything else. Anyway thanks
Good video. Thanks.
Family and friens in Florida consider The Villages a joke and way overpriced. Seniro citizens gone wild…smh
I'm from Ohio, too. I moved to Arizona and love it. It's hot, but dry in the summer. I got used to the heat quickly and it's not all that bad. I've been here for decades and wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Close to mountains, the ocean in California, Vegas, etc, but I love the solitude visiting the desert. We all have our wants and needs. One thing about Arizona is so much of the state is undeveloped, like 85% of it. Hike and camp all year round.
Always rent first, regardless of where your considering a move. We retired 5 years ago and our plan was to downsize and move to SW Florida. Hadn't decided on an exact city or neighborhood so we rented first. As it turns out we both decided after several months that Florida wasn't all that we thought it was gonna be for way too many reasons to list. It would be easier to list the positives. Warm winter climate, that's it. So we winter for five months in cape coral. Kept the house and rent it to military families for 1 to 2 years. We summer in Upstate NY or Maine. The rent generated from our house pays for the winter and summer rentals. It's a win win without all the nightmares of home ownership in Florida. Always rent first.
Why would anyone reside in the villages it's crammed full of trump crazies and wack a doodles
Hi Dave & Kristy I enjoyed ur presentation😀
I heard people are fleeing from Florida because of home pricing, high hoa and high property insurance
What would you ask to change in a lease?
Excellent video, best advise for anyone who is interested in a future purchase at TV. I will go one step further and strongly suggest that if you have the time and funds rent for 3 to 6 months during the season to experience the so-called traffic mess and the waves of snowbirds most full-timers complain about AND 3 to 6 months during the off-season. After a year of renting we decided that The Villages is simply not for us. The main dealbreaker for us was the lack of healthcare options. Perhaps the partnership with UF and a new hospital and medical center in the works may improve this problem sometime in the future but to us it seems the TV new housing and its new population is expanding way to fast and the infrastructure is choking to try and stay in pace, right now its loosing a one-way race.