I would never buy sight unseen. Before the Lifestyle visit, we were sure we had narrowed our design decisions (model) down to just a couple options but once seen, quickly realized that what looked good on paper would not work for use. We went an entirely different direction, and buying sight unseen based off floor plans and pictures would have been a disaster and we'd have been looking for a second home in TV before the 1st year was up! Looking at the model homes it wasn't apparent how narrow the garages are because the narrowness of the garage doors (which we did not appreciate at the time) made it look "normal". With my truck in the garage just close enough to not bang the left wall, my wife has to park her jeep at angle towards the golf cart garage area so we're not banging vehicle doors, etc. When building, stretch the garage to max in every direction and pick a roofline that will give you max storage above, although you'll need to insulate and maybe put a minisplit A/C to keep it just it cool enough (80s?) to not melt plastics, etc. stored there. We looked at prebuilt/used homes, but the prices were the same or more than new homes. Yes, they had more mature landscaping, more of the bond was paid off, closer to golf courses, some nice trails at the rec centers, but it seemed the walking/cart/bike pathing system was more extensive in the South, the home designs weren't as dated as far North in TV, we're <45 mins to MCO and Disney, <1.5 hrs to Busch Gardens, ~40 mins to Universal Studios, ~5 miles to Eastport, ~5 miles to Sawgrass Grove, ~2.5 miles to Winn Dixie & Publix, We built in Dabney when it first opened on a preserve lot. Yes, we have a $42k bond, but our new home is up to the most current building codes (wind/electrical surge/etc.), we don't have to replace an older roof, HVAC system, etc., which can be an issue up north when getting insurance. Add the costs of things like a new roof, HVAC, upgrades to current codes, and whatever bond may be left, as well as any remodeling (rug replacement, painting, appliances, countertops, etc.) you would want, and that takes a pretty big bite out of our new home bond amount.
Whether buying old or new, do it in person with eyes wide open.
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