[ladyarwen3]

We have been on 3 different shopping trips to FL ... starting in Naples and working our way up the coast. I was reluctant to move to TV because of the small lot sizes but when you realize the lifestyle, there are no comparisons anywhere else we have looked. Lakewood Ranch, Naples, Sarasota, Fort Myers, Cape Coral ... just didnt have anything for us to do! So we made an appointment with a MLS agent on our way north last spring and we did a new home tour with TV agent... I had found several homes on Zillow that I liked. THe MLS was NOT my favorite realtor and we didnt find what we wanted. I kept searching Zillow and I downloaded all of the floor plans in a .pdf i found using Google. I knew what I wanted and I knew what I didnt when it came to floor plans.
In May we booked a 2 week stay in TV; i made appointments with a Villages agent AND an MLS. Both were very lovely people, but after a lot of consideration we decided we liked the older neighborhoods north of 466. The MLS agent had many more homes to show us. We found the one we liked; homeowners had health issues and were no longer living in the home, and while it needs some serious updating it was in great shape.
Our agent Doug Lange managed to get us a terrific deal at almost 10K below asking. We also had a terrific home inspector Called Integrity First.
We need to do a lot of work-new flooring, new appliances, new countertops and sinks everywhere. Almost every room needs painting, but we enjoy doing the work ourselves when we can. The homeowners replaced the roof as a condition of sale, and made most of the more expensive repairs. They also gave us a generous flooring allowance. Overall my home was purchased for $20K less than my budget. I have great neighbors; I am close to church and hospital and shopping. My home is outdated, but sound and give me time! It is getting updated one room at a time!