[manaboutown]

You may already have a sales agent or broker with whom you want to work. A great deal of information on your question and homes sales is in former threads but the gist of it is (and you already may know all this) The Villages operates its own listing service separate from MLS companies. If you are looking to purchase existing homes owned by individuals I would suggest you find a good MLS agent to act as your buyer's agent for MLS listed properties in addition to using a Villages agent for VLS properties - and I do not know if a VLS agent can/will act as a buyer's agent for existing properties. As above stated and you no doubt already know new homes can only be sold by TV's agents.

Now as for obtaining a mortgage...if I were looking at preowned homes I would definitely shop hard for the best rate. After all, money is a commodity. Shop locally but also on the internet. Sometimes a surprising deal pops up! If I were going to buy a new home I would just go with Citizen's First as the money will be there on time for closing. If the Citizen's rate is a bit high you can always re-fi when you find a better deal. In any case good luck and best wishes for your successful purchase and financing!