[New York Transplant]

So, we all know that selling a (NEW) home here in the Villages is their number one priority. The high bonds and the interest over time is very lucrative. Granted, it's real estate 101 and it's perfectly understandable that this is the Realtors priority! However, we chose to buy a pre-owned home with a low bond. Low enough to pay off. Even tho we're happy with our decision to buy (PO) &notget trapped into paying interest on a bond , we're not too happy with the way the realtors who handled our closing. Pre-owed owners should have the same priority!
Citizens Bank is awesome however the Village realtors we delt with need some customer service training. We were promised a walk-thru which NEVER took place and the inspection company they recommended overlooked a few major issues. One major issue is an electrical one. Gee, could the inspectors be linked to the Villages and or being paid off not to disclose serious problems? I hate to think this and will give them the benefit of the doubt and will consider it an oversight for now, as long as they take care of the bill.

After moving in we found that the owners who the Villages represented as well didn't fix the minor problems that was on the inspection report. We're talking fixing a few minor holes around pipes, etc, etc. We also found a broken screen window that wasn't there before as well as dirty toilet brushes sitting in the bathroom. The brushes were not there before the closing.

Over all, the people here is the reason why we made the move however some realtors that work for the Villages is less to be desired . (We were also promised a sign for our home which we never received).....that is the least of our issues.

I hope whoever decides to buy here takes this in mind and ask a lot of questions and make sure the inspectors the Villages recommend does their job.

[RickeyD]

Originally Posted by New York Transplant

So, we all know that selling a (NEW) home here in the Villages is their number one priority. The high bonds and the interest over time is very lucrative. Granted, it's real estate 101 and it's perfectly understandable that this is the Realtors priority! However, we chose to buy a pre-owned home with a low bond. Low enough to pay off. Even tho we're happy with our decision to buy (PO) &notget trapped into paying interest on a bond , we're not too happy with the way the realtors who handled our closing. Pre-owed owners should have the same priority!

Citizens Bank is awesome however the Village realtors we delt with need some customer service training. We were promised a walk-thru which NEVER took place and the inspection company they recommended overlooked a few major issues. One major issue is an electrical one. Gee, could the inspectors be linked to the Villages and or being paid off not to disclose serious problems? I hate to think this and will give them the benefit of the doubt and will consider it an oversight for now, as long as they take care of the bill.



After moving in we found that the owners who the Villages represented as well didn't fix the minor problems that was on the inspection report. We're talking fixing a few minor holes around pipes, etc, etc. We also found a broken screen window that wasn't there before as well as dirty toilet brushes sitting in the bathroom. The brushes were not there before the closing.



Over all, the people here is the reason why we made the move however some realtors that work for the Villages is less to be desired . (We were also promised a sign for our home which we never received).....that is the least of our issues.



I hope whoever decides to buy here takes this in mind and ask a lot of questions and make sure the inspectors the Villages recommend does their job.

Why in the world did you sign the closing papers until you were satisfied with what needed to be done. Or were you absent from the closing ? Either way it seems you didn't do your due diligence. Trust no one, check everything.
And never ever hire anyone the selling agent recommends !

[New York Transplant]

Sorry, they didn't do their job period! To place blame on the buyer is pathetic as we HIRED them to represent us at closing!! No excuses and it should be public knowledge since there's a lot of money at stake!

[RickeyD]

Originally Posted by New York Transplant

Sorry, they didn't do their job period! To place blame on the buyer is pathetic as we HIRED them to represent us at closing!! No excuses and it should be public knowledge since there's a lot of money at stake!

You need to escalate this to upper management, not TOTV. As in any business transaction there are checks and balances of which you're responsible for. It sucks but that is the way it is. Trust no one and check everything.

[RickeyD]

I think all this pie in the sky stuff about the developer is causing people to loose their edge. When they get screwed it's a big surprise. Not.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by RickeyD

I think all this pie in the sky stuff about the developer is causing people to loose their edge. When they get screwed it's a big surprise. Not.

yeah.

[RickeyD]

Originally Posted by New York Transplant

So, we all know that selling a (NEW) home here in the Villages is their number one priority. The high bonds and the interest over time is very lucrative. Granted, it's real estate 101 and it's perfectly understandable that this is the Realtors priority! However, we chose to buy a pre-owned home with a low bond. Low enough to pay off. Even tho we're happy with our decision to buy (PO) &notget trapped into paying interest on a bond , we're not too happy with the way the realtors who handled our closing. Pre-owed owners should have the same priority!

Citizens Bank is awesome however the Village realtors we delt with need some customer service training. We were promised a walk-thru which NEVER took place and the inspection company they recommended overlooked a few major issues. One major issue is an electrical one. Gee, could the inspectors be linked to the Villages and or being paid off not to disclose serious problems? I hate to think this and will give them the benefit of the doubt and will consider it an oversight for now, as long as they take care of the bill.



After moving in we found that the owners who the Villages represented as well didn't fix the minor problems that was on the inspection report. We're talking fixing a few minor holes around pipes, etc, etc. We also found a broken screen window that wasn't there before as well as dirty toilet brushes sitting in the bathroom. The brushes were not there before the closing.



Over all, the people here is the reason why we made the move however some realtors that work for the Villages is less to be desired . (We were also promised a sign for our home which we never received).....that is the least of our issues.



I hope whoever decides to buy here takes this in mind and ask a lot of questions and make sure the inspectors the Villages recommend does their job.

You need to write a letter explaining what was promised and send it to upper management. They need to know how you were treated. Get back to us with what their reply, or no reply is.

[graciegirl]

You were promised an outdoor sign for your house?

That is usually a gift, not part of any discussion.

If someone left bathroom brushes in a used house, how is that the fault of your agent? A used house is kind of as is. I can't tell you how many times we helped friends or family clean a home before they took possession.

I only have heard of a walk through on a new home with the builder.

Oh, and the high bonds and the interest being very lucrative....The Bond is the cost of the infrastructure that would normally be part of the selling price of the home, here it is separated. The bond is the cost of the roads and the golf courses and the rec centers and all that is in place before homes are built. If you don't want to pay the high interest, you can pay it off when you buy. It is a different way of selling homes but not a ripoff, just different.

[Fredman]

Grace you are wrong about the walk thru. I have bought quite a few preoowned houses and have always had a walk thru and that includes 2 homes in the villages

[Jvanostran]

I think that there are several points to be covered here. First the buyer calls the sales person a realtor. They are not. Realtors are persons who work for a broker that is a member of the Board of Realtors and who all are under a strict Code of Ethics. Villages sales people work for the developer, do not belong to the Board of Realtor and do not comply with any code of ethics.

Second, Property of The Villages sales people do not at anytime represent buyers. Their feduciary relationship is with the seller. Since that is the case they have no responsibility to you as a buyer to follow through with any of the repairs or walk through or anything.

A Realtor on the other hand does represent buyers. It is our responsibility to follow up on contract offers made by the buyers, to follow up on inspections and make sure that the sellers agent gets the inspection report and to make sure that the repairs are progressing and are being made as per the contract. It is also our responsibility to have a walk through on behalf of a buyer if the buyer cannot attend closing or with the buyer if they are present to make sure before closing repairs are made and if not to have monies held in escrow to get those repairs made.

These are just a few reasons, however very important reasons why you should use a Realtor to list and buy you next home in The Villages, not a sales/marketing person that represent the developer first and foremost, sellers secondly and then buyers on the bottom of the list.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Fredman

Grace you are wrong about the walk thru. I have bought quite a few preoowned houses and have always had a walk thru and that includes 2 homes in the villages

Thank you for setting me straight.. We have only bought one used house in our marriage of 54 years. And that was 40 years ago.

[John_W]

Originally Posted by Jvanostran

I think that there are several points to be covered here. First the buyer calls the sales person a realtor. They are not. Realtors are persons who work for a broker that is a member of the Board of Realtors and who all are under a strict Code of Ethics. Villages sales people work for the developer, do not belong to the Board of Realtor and do not comply with any code of ethics...

The OP using the title Realtor caught my eye right away, and I was just getting ready to hit reply when I saw your post and then deleted mine. Here's a situation that not being a Realtor they were able to side-step.

In 2012 our next door neighbor in his 2011 built courtyard villa, who still lived and worked in Connecticut, came for a visit. They had only been here for a couple of short visits before, they found the master bathroom and bedroom flooded with standing water. They knew immediately the carpeting and drywall was ruined plus other damage.

They contacted TV warranty department and they found a leak in the plumbing under the master bath in the slab. For three weeks they worked to repair the problem. Jack Hammering into the slab, fixing the slab, replacing all the drywall, the bathroom vanity and flooring in both the BR and Bath. It looked like new when they were finished and nothing was charged to the owner.

A week later the owner scared to live there in the future, listed the home with TV Sales Office for $209K, they had paid $162K for the new masonry CYV the year before. They sold the home in one week for $193K and when the new owners were standing in the driveway just moments after arriving for the first time. Another neighbor asked them, what did you think about the flooding problem. They had no clue that there was damage and a major repair.

They got a lawyer and contacted TV Sales Office and the response was, the TV Warranty Department fixed the problem so there was no need to convey any information to the buyers. That owner immediately listed the home with TV Sales Office and it sold in two weeks for $215K. Guess what, that owner was never told either, but they still own the home three years later.

[manaboutown]

Originally Posted by John_W

The OP using the title Realtor caught my eye right away, and I was just getting ready to hit reply when I saw your post and then deleted mine. Here's a situation that not being a Realtor they were able to side-step.

In 2012 our next door neighbor in his 2011 built courtyard villa, who still lived and worked in Connecticut, came for a visit. They had only been here for a couple of short visits before, they found the master bathroom and bedroom flooded with standing water. They knew immediately the carpeting and drywall was ruined plus other damage.

They contacted TV warranty department and they found a leak in the plumbing under the master bath in the slab. For three weeks they worked to repair the problem. Jack Hammering into the slab, fixing the slab, replacing all the drywall, the bathroom vanity and flooring in both the BR and Bath. It looked like new when they were finished and nothing was charged to the owner.

A week later the owner scared to live there in the future, listed the home with TV Sales Office for $209K, they had paid $162K for the new masonry CYV the year before. They sold the home in one week for $193K and when the new owners were standing in the driveway just moments after arriving for the first time. Another neighbor asked them, what did you think about the flooding problem. They had no clue that there was damage and a major repair.

They got a lawyer and contacted TV Sales Office and the response was, the TV Warranty Department fixed the problem so there was no need to convey any information to the buyers. That owner immediately listed the home with TV Sales Office and it sold in two weeks for $215K. Guess what, that owner was never told either, but they still own the home three years later.

Caveat Emptor!

[VIN574]

I used a Village agent and couldn't have been more pleased.

I bought a resale. It's not the first property I bought in my lifetime. I always do a final walk through to verify everything in the negotiations has been complied with or there's not going to be a closing. It's my money and I'm not lead or intimidated by any salesperson.

The percentage the agent/broker makes is on the sale price of the property. The bond isn't part of the sale price.

Never chose to take the recommendation of the seller's agent for an inspector. Always do your due diligence to find an independent inspector who doesn't have a connection to the sale.

If you really believe the transaction didn't comply with state standards, file a complaint against their licences. IMHO, I don't think you've got a leg to stand on. You went along with the whole process. Put it behind you and enjoy your new home and your life here.

Best

BTW, I also used a MLS agent. He turned out to be a flake as I had to find the houses in my search area. It doesn't mean they're all bad.

[VIN574]

Originally Posted by manaboutown

Caveat Emptor!