[capecoralbill]

Seems to me that sales are slow in Stonecrest, i've been watching a few nice ones that have been on Zillow for over 200 days. I'm looking in the 210,000 price range for 1700 sq feet less than 12 years old. Is there something wrong with stonecrest? It seems like the homes and lots are much larger than in TV. I dont know, are resales slow in The Villages too ? Thanks Bill

[rustyp]

Yep really slowing down - you would be wise to wait a while longer, much better deals predicted on the horizon.

[dewilson58]

Very different developments.............difficult to compare.........TV's are selling hundreds every month.

Money continues to be cheap.

[John_W]

Originally Posted by capecoralbill

...Is there something wrong with stonecrest? It seems like the homes and lots are much larger than in TV. I dont know, are resales slow in The Villages too ? Thanks Bill

The oldest phrase in real estate, Location, Location, Location.

If you can't live in The Villages, why live nearby. For the same prices as Stonecrest or even less, go buy a resale within 5 miles of the Gulf, with a golf course and country club, with a real gated entrance and less than a hour from Tampa or St. Petersburg. It's only about an hour and 15 minutes from TV.

Heritage Pines - Home Page

Inventory is low right now, I only count 13 homes for sale. Here's a 3BR 2 BA, 1862 SF, 2 car, sold new in 2003 for $168K, now on the market by realtor for $194,900. Heritage Pines in Pasco County, near Tarpon Springs, Dunedin, Clearwater and some of the best beaches in the world.

[EPutnam1863]

Another great place is Viera.

A big difference among all these 55+ communities may be the lifestyle and amenities. Other than these, they are pretty much the same except for the locations such as the beach, etc.

[rjm1cc]

As a general comment I think the resale of newer homes can take a long time. The reason is for maybe a little more money you can buy a new home.
I would think since 12 years old is ok your might find some bargains from people moving North or estate sales. I would not think the problem is the quality of the home. However the amenities' could influence the price. If you can rent in the community so you can see if it meets your needs.

[Steve9930]

Originally Posted by capecoralbill

Seems to me that sales are slow in Stonecrest, i've been watching a few nice ones that have been on Zillow for over 200 days. I'm looking in the 210,000 price range for 1700 sq feet less than 12 years old. Is there something wrong with stonecrest? It seems like the homes and lots are much larger than in TV. I dont know, are resales slow in The Villages too ? Thanks Bill

First question to answer; "What do you want out of the location?" I moved to StoneCrest in 2004 and have been happy. I wanted to be on a Golf Course with no one behind me. Could not afford it in the Villages so I bought on the Golf Course in StoneCrest. I have direct access to WalMart out a side gate by Golf Cart. Access to pools, Fitness Gym, etc. Access to enough places to eat on the East Side of 441 via Golf Cart. If I were to buy in the Villages now I would be looking for something in the Historic Side. The Villages are very nice just depends on what you want out of the area.

[justjim]

Just this afternoon I talked to a man and his wife who has lived five years in Stonecrest and likes it very much. There is nothing wrong with Stonecrest or The Villages or Viera or The Plantation at Leesburg or Top of the World in Ocala or any number of Adult Communities in Florida. By now you see my point. Houses in Adult,Communities cost more or less according to amenities, location, quality, size and lifestyle.

We have owned property in The Villages since March 2006. We like The Villages just like the couple I met this afternoon, who is a friend of a friend, likes the Stonecrest community. About sales----The Villages has always sold faster and more homes in a month than Stonecrest sells in a year or maybe two or three. In my considered opinion it's not about the houses it's about the lifestyle.

[jeriteri]

When talking about homes selling in the villages vs stonecrest you really can't compare because of the enormous size of the villages vs. stonecrest. We all know the difference between the two and that is the opportunity to enjoy golfing for less and all the activities and rec centers available to you, besides the beauty of it all.

[graciegirl]

There is no comparison between the two in my opinion.

Apparently that opinion is shared by over 100,000 others. Mostly in the last ten years.

May is a prime month for people to decide to buy here.

I think that any Villages home that does not sell quickly. (a month) is not presented well, crowded, dirty, may smell, or is overpriced.

I don't sell Real Estate, never have, but keep my fingers on the pulse of local Real Estate because I find it very interesting.

There are approximately ten thousand baby boomers retiring every day and that will continue for the next 18 years.

[joldnol]

Originally Posted by justjim

The Villages has always sold faster and more homes in a month than Stonecrest sells in a year or maybe two or three. In my considered opinion it's not about the houses it's about the lifestyle.

Bingo, we looked at stonecrest and you get much more bang for the buck in your house. However the lifestyle was far less for what we wanted. I've said it before, TV is way overpriced for what you get in the physical structure of your house. You pay for the amenities which are better than any other community we could afford. I am thankful that the developer created a community where we could live this life. Don't for a second however think it was for altruistic motives. If Gary Morse could have sold his homes at twice the price and still had the level of sales he did he would have done it.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by joldnol

Bingo, we looked at stonecrest and you get much more bang for the buck in your house. However the lifestyle was far less for what we wanted. I've said it before, TV is way overpriced for what you get in the physical structure of your house. You pay for the amenities which are better than any other community we could afford. I am thankful that the developer created a community where we could live this life. Don't for a second however think it was for altruistic motives. If Gary Morse could have sold his homes at twice the price and still had the level of sales he did he would have done it.

Well, so would you or me, if we had the great idea, great planning, and absolute genius to do it. He risked his own money again and again and old Mr. Schwartz, his dad, was the originator, the one that started it with a partner with the manufactured homes, but Gary was the one with vision and planning and he could have given us much less. All anyone needs do is look at the décor and the quality of interior design and the furniture at any rec center.

They did it without Federal money or grants and they sold their new homes to people who paid for them entirely or only with conventional mortgages.

I am a huge fan of what they did and they could have stopped and lived with all the money they needed, but continue to build and employ a boat load of people. I love free enterprise. Go Capitalism.

Thank you Morse Family.

[manaboutown]

The long standing real estate adage is of course location, location, location. People will pay significantly more for one of two houses situated across the street from one another if it lies within the superior school district. The Villages vs. Stonecrest is analogous if instead of the relative merits of school systems one considers the relative merits of the amenities.

[Boomer]

Originally Posted by capecoralbill

Seems to me that sales are slow in Stonecrest, i've been watching a few nice ones that have been on Zillow for over 200 days. I'm looking in the 210,000 price range for 1700 sq feet less than 12 years old. Is there something wrong with stonecrest? It seems like the homes and lots are much larger than in TV. I dont know, are resales slow in The Villages too ? Thanks Bill

Hi capecoralbill,

It takes a little more delving into things to determine the days-on-market for houses listed with the VLS. With Zillow and with some of the local MLS sites, the DOM is clearly listed.

On the "Search Homes" section of The Villages site, following the assigned listing numbers can give you a general idea of the time a home has spent being for sale.

But what you must keep in mind when following the VLS listing numbers is that the inventory is constantly changing. TV might add 100 listings, or more, over a two week period, which will obviously bump those listing numbers along, even though a home might not have been on the market for very long.

If you have not already spent much time on The Villages site, may I suggest you do that because that site will allow you to filter your search quite effectively in order to find what you are looking for. You can then follow listings that interest you and pick up on the rhythm of how the sales go.

As far as comparing Stonecrest and TV, I don't think one is superior to the other. The two communities are paced very differently. I think it simply depends on what you want.

TV is so big that it does not appeal to everyone. During the high season, it can be difficult to get to do things you might want to do. But I do think the momentum of the size of the place also can be a positive in terms of owning a home here.

I have watched the market in TV since the turn of the century, and while I think the heyday is behind us, houses will continue to sell. I think the VLS always does a 6 month listing, but if a home is not getting much activity, the agent and the seller need to get together and figure out why.

I don't know if there are rentals available in Stonecrest like there are in TV. If so, and if you have not yet done so, it might be a good idea to give each community a try and see what feels right for you--especially if you plan to make it your year-round home.

(Speaking of TV agents, I recently stumbled across a part of the TV website that is titled "Meet Our Team." It's the whole list of all those agents, along with their pictures and contact info, and very nice introductory bios.)

...........I just love to talk about real estate so please forgive me if I told you a bunch of stuff you already knew.

[Steve9930]

Originally Posted by Boomer

Hi capecoralbill,

It takes a little more delving into things to determine the days-on-market for houses listed with the VLS. With Zillow and with some of the local MLS sites, the DOM is clearly listed.

On the "Search Homes" section of The Villages site, following the assigned listing numbers can give you a general idea of the time a home has spent being for sale.

But what you must keep in mind when following the VLS listing numbers is that the inventory is constantly changing. TV might add 100 listings, or more, over a two week period, which will obviously bump those listing numbers along, even though a home might not have been on the market for very long.

If you have not already spent much time on The Villages site, may I suggest you do that because that site will allow you to filter your search quite effectively in order to find what you are looking for. You can then follow listings that interest you and pick up on the rhythm of how the sales go.

As far as comparing Stonecrest and TV, I don't think one is superior to the other. The two communities are paced very differently. I think it simply depends on what you want.

TV is so big that it does not appeal to everyone. During the high season, it can be difficult to get to do things you might want to do. But I do think the momentum of the size of the place also can be a positive in terms of owning a home here.

I have watched the market in TV since the turn of the century, and while I think the heyday is behind us, houses will continue to sell. I think the VLS always does a 6 month listing, but if a home is not getting much activity, the agent and the seller need to get together and figure out why.

I don't know if there are rentals available in Stonecrest like there are in TV. If so, and if you have not yet done so, it might be a good idea to give each community a try and see what feels right for you--especially if you plan to make it your year-round home.

(Speaking of TV agents, I recently stumbled across a part of the TV website that is titled "Meet Our Team." It's the whole list of all those agents, along with their pictures and contact info, and very nice introductory bios.)

...........I just love to talk about real estate so please forgive me if I told you a bunch of stuff you already knew.

Well said. Your right TV and Stonecrest are their own entities. They each have amenities and their pros and Cons. It just depends on the buyer and what they want. There are rentals in Stonecrest. Gary and now his son have done a nice job in their development of TV. Gary was a real savvy business man. He basically developed TV on other peoples money. Now that Gary has left us his son and family will carry on. They have a great business going. I believe the only thing that will stop the expansion of TV is the Gulf of Mexico. Stonecrest is just about built out and will end up with about 2400 homes. They are currently looking at expanding some of the amenities like the community center and the fitness center. Whether you live in TV, Stoncrest, Spruce Creek South, Spruce Creek Del Web, Central Florida is just a great place to live.