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Old 02-21-2008, 12:44 AM
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gfmucci gfmucci is offline
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Default Re: Home Hunting Advice Needed

1. We preferred and bought new because
a) Most reseller homeowners prices do not reflect the lower market prices as responsively as the developer does. I believe the developer is more motivated to sell than 95% of the resellers are. That is not to say you will not find good resale deals. But your efforts will need to be much greater. Unless you're lucky, several days of morning to night searching with and without a realtor will be required. And then you have the several days of back and forth negotiation.
b) We wanted a clean, new slate to work from.
c) Most of the neighbors move in within a few months of one another - instant things in common for new friends.

2. Know what you want. Learn and know what part of TV you want to be located in. Near a Town Center? Which one? Near daily conveniences like a Publix Market? Near a neighborhood rec area? Near a regional rec. center? Secluded away in the back of a subdivision? Closer to immediate access to Odell or to Morse Blvd or to Buena Vista, etc. Corner lot? Interior lot? How much privacy do you want? Do you want a view? Gas or all electric? (certain neighborhoods don't have gas)

3. Prices: Most street talk is that we have not reached bottom, or at least have not begun to rise from the bottom...that we will be in the market doldrums at least another two years. That is not a reason not to buy in my opinion. We have less than 10 to 15% of our life left to live if we are lucky. Time is of the essence, so to speak. Unless you are on an extreme shoestring, another $10K to $30K difference between now and next year isn't that important in the bigger realm of things. And in three to four years TV will be built out, or nearly so, and "new" options will become very limited. In 5 to 6 years you are likely to fully recoup (and then some) no matter what price you paid.

4. Scope out areas under construction to get a feel for any homes that may be located, situated, oriented, and contain features you may want. Then ask your saleman to advise you as soon as it is "released" - followup with him/her when you think it may be completed just in case your salesperson gets preoccupied.

5. My experience, after having spent time with 2 or 3 TV agents and one highly recommended independent resale agent was the TV agent is more up to date on current costs, fees, etc. My resale agent was quoting outdated prices, fees, programs for new homes to compare with resales, which was very misleading. For example, he said the buyer of a new home had to pay upteen thousand dollars in impact fees. The developer began including those fees in the price of new homes many months ago. (BTW, my new home agent was John Stamper. Very professional, responsive, knowledgable, pleasant, and low key.)

6. Get on the mailing list for the price reductions and special offers (e.g. $20,000 for furniture or $15,000 off the price of X house.)

7. I've found the price of homeowners insurance quite reasonable...low $700s/year for a home valued in the low $200,000's. Inland costs are MUCH lower than insurance within a mile or two of coastal areas. In Destin, FL we paid $2,800 per year for a home priced not much higher than our new Villages home.

Good luck and happy hunting.
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Brockton, MA 1946-49 * Fort Lauderdale 1950-66 * Northern Virginia (Army) 1967-69 * North Lauderdale 1970-72 * Coconut Creek 1973-87 * St. Louis 1988-89 # Northern Virginia (again) 1990-2000 * Destin, FL 2001-08 * The Villages - Amelia/Hadley