I see The Villages housing market as being several different markets.
1. You have "the flippers". They know going into it they aren't buying their "forever" home. Timing the market is paramount for these buyers. Initial purchase price, interest rates (now and over the next few years) are critically important. Proximity to what makes "The Villages Lifestyle" what it is is less important, figuring that while they get a discount for the current remoteness of the new neighborhood, that remoteness will go away in a few years and raise the desirability of the area.
2. You have the older retiree who is looking at what the area offers now. Being "10 minutes away" from Sawgrass, but on the far side of it relative to Brownwood and LSL and Championship Golf , etc matter NOW. Some folks say the resales are "overpriced". That's not true. They fetch a higher price because of a more favorable and attractive location to this particular market, who likely have more money, don't need a mortgage, and don't want to spend 5 years waiting for amenities and infrastructure to catch up.
3. You have the "soon to be retired"...less bothered by relative remoteness of the area, figuring the amenities and infrastructure will catch up by the time they arrive for retirement. They probably have a mortgage to consider.
4. "The clueless" who think "The Villages is The Villages" and haven't spent enough time here to understand the differences between the older and newer areas. This market is probably less likely to understand why resales seem "over priced". Also, more likely to complain after they have bought, about the remoteness of the squares, and Championship golf etc etc while these things are catching up.
There is a reason, or several reasons, why Richmond was such a hot sell, and Lake Denham is not. The primary reason being proximity to Brownwood and what lies north of 44, compared to being out on the "frontier". These "frontier" towns are more likely to be affected by glitches in the overall housing market because of the type of buyer they are more attractive to, i.e. "The Flipper". If The Developer suddenly announced another village with the same kind of proximity to Brownwood, or LSL as Richmond had, it would also sell hot.
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