The Villages Moving Guide
Moving to The Villages, or moving on? The deadlines, the paperwork and the plan, step by step, from Lili Whittington.
Who This Guide Is For
Hi, I'm Lili Whittington. I've helped people moving to The Villages since 2016, and I help Villages homeowners move on too, back home near family or into something smaller.
Either way, the truck is the easy part. What costs people money is the deadline nobody mentioned and the decision made in a rush. This guide covers both directions. Read the part that fits your move: moving here, moving away, or moving within Florida. Step by step, no surprises.
Moving to The Villages: The Florida Deadlines
Once you move in, Florida starts a few clocks. Put these on your calendar the week you arrive.
- Car insurance, then registration: 10 days. The state asks new residents to title and register their vehicles within 10 days of making Florida home. You need Florida insurance from a Florida-licensed agent first, so call an agent before moving day.
- Driver license: 30 days. New residents have 30 days to get a Florida driver license. You apply in person, so book the appointment early. Bring your current license, proof of your Social Security number and two proofs of your new address.
- Homestead exemption: March 1. If you own the home and live in it as your permanent home on January 1, apply to your county property appraiser by March 1. The exemption can take up to $50,000 off your home's assessed value (the second $25,000 doesn't apply to school taxes), and it limits how much that value can rise each year. The Villages spans Lake, Sumter and Marion counties, so apply with the county your home is in. Miss the date and you may wait a full year for the savings.
- Mail and voting. Forward your mail online through the U.S. Postal Service, and update your voter registration once you have your Florida license.
Then the Villages part. Get your resident ID card, which you'll use at the recreation centers and pools. Find your doctors and move your prescriptions before you need them. And if the bond and the amenity fee still sound like a foreign language, our free Villages Buyer Book explains both in plain English.
Checking a Moving Company Before You Sign
A bad mover can hold your furniture until you pay more than the quote. A few minutes of checking prevents that.
- Moving from another state? Interstate movers are regulated by the federal government and must have a USDOT number. Look it up on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's website. Interstate movers must also give you a booklet called Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move. If they don't, that tells you something.
- Moving within Florida? Movers here must register with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Check the registration before you book, or call 1-800-HELP-FLA.
- Get written estimates from at least three companies, after they've seen your things in person or by video. Ask whether each estimate is binding, meaning the price is set, or non-binding, meaning it can change on moving day.
- Pick your date with the weather in mind. Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, and summer afternoons are hard on movers and on you. Plan early starts and leave a little room in your schedule.
Last, set aside a first-night box with your medications, phone chargers, sheets, a few days of clothes, the coffee maker and your closing papers. That box rides in your car, not the truck.
Moving Away From The Villages
Most of the sellers I work with are moving back toward family, after a health change, or to something smaller. Whatever the reason, the order matters.
1. Know your number first. Before you sign a lease or buy somewhere new, find out what your home will likely sell for, from a real comparison of nearby sales, not a website estimate. Get your home value.
2. Decide which comes first, the sale or the move. Some sellers stay until closing. Others move first and sell from a distance. Both work. As one seller wrote, "We moved before our home sold and felt completely comfortable leaving everything in Lili's hands." (Verified seller, Zillow)
3. Sort room by room, with your new floor plan in hand. Measure the rooms where you're going. Mark each piece: coming with you, going to family, selling or donating. Give family a date to claim things, so it doesn't hold up the move.
4. Decide about the golf cart. Check whether your new town allows golf carts on its streets before you pay to ship one. Often it's simpler to sell it here.
5. Tell the property appraiser. Your homestead exemption depends on you living in the home. If you leave Florida or stop using the home as your permanent residence, Florida law requires you to notify your county property appraiser. The exemption doesn't pass to your buyer.
For pricing, getting the house ready and choosing an agent, read our free seller guide, Sell Smart, Retire Well.
Moving Within The Villages or Within Florida
Moving from one village to another, or somewhere else in Florida? Don't leave your homestead savings behind. Florida lets you carry some of your Save Our Homes savings, the gap built up by that yearly cap, to a new Florida homestead. It's called portability.
Two rules matter. You must set up the new homestead within three years of January 1 of the year you left the old one, and you file the portability form with your new homestead application by March 1. The property appraiser in your new county can tell you the exact amount you'd carry over.
You'll also be selling and buying at the same time, which is the move I handle most. Timing two closings so you aren't paying for two homes, or living out of a suitcase, is where a plan pays for itself. Read how we handle relocation and two-closing moves.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Booking the cheapest mover without checking. Look up the USDOT number or the Florida registration first.
- Missing March 1. Whether you're filing for homestead or portability, the date doesn't move for you.
- Shipping furniture that won't fit. Measure the new rooms before the truck is loaded, not after.
- Buying before you know what your house will sell for. Your number sets your budget.
- Waiting to sort until the truck is booked. Decisions made in a rush are the ones people regret.
How I Help, and Your Next Step
I'm Lili Whittington, MBA, Broker Associate with Soundings LLC. I've spent more than 20 years in Florida real estate and sold more than 450 homes, and I work in English or Spanish. When you move with me, you get me, start to finish, not a rotating team.
"As out-of-state buyers, we appreciated Lili's knowledge of The Villages, consistent communication, and dedication until we found the right home." (Lisa Hunter, Zillow)
Moving here? Start with the Villages Buyer Book and our guide to The Villages. Moving away? Find out what your home is worth. Either way, contact me or call (954) 235-4766, and see more from The Lili Whittington Group.
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