After my first, brief-4 day visit to TV this month, here are my impressions (sorry for the length, but I’m a wordy person)
I took the trolley tour the first full day I was here. Actually the size of TV is about what I expected for a population of approx. 80,000. Everything is quite well laid out, clean and well planned. Traffic is about what I expected, but I’m used to suburban Chicago traffic. Since my visit was in July, I’m wondering how much more traffic is there in TV from January through mid-April?
Those traffic roundabouts were quite interesting, but it was helpful to read about them in TOTV, so I wasn’t totally unprepared for them. What is the rationale for the roundabouts – to cut down on speeding, or is there some other reason?
Do go to either Spanish Springs and Lake Sumter Landing at night and listen to the music – very enjoyable – and free!
Weather – yes, it was humid while I was there, but not much more humid than Chicago has been on several days this summer, so I don’t think dealing with summer weather would be an issue for me, especially since 75% of the time I was indoors in A/C. I was surprised to hear from more than one person that about 70% of TV residents are full-time –I thought more residents would be seasonal. I was also told by a TV sales rep. that the average age of the person buying in TV has dropped from 68 ten years ago to 60 now.
I went to 5 open houses while I was here – 2 for new construction villas in Pennecamp, and 3 for pre-owned villas and ranch houses in Alhambra, Summerhill and Caroline. These neighborhoods are really all very immaculately maintained. Only one village had it’s guard gate actually staffed by a person, and I just told him that I was here for an open house, and he waved me in. The other villages, I just pressed the red button at the gate, and the arm popped up to let me in. Is that pretty standard for TV as far as access to enter an individual village?
Four of the open houses were conducted by TV sales reps. and one was conducted by an outside real estate person not affiliated with TV. Some of the reps. were definitely more friendly/personable than others. Of the 5, the 2 nicest were from TV, and I could see working with them if I was in the market for a home right away (my moving timetable is still a few years off). Are the TV sales reps. all actually licensed real estate agents? The outside sales rep. said that the TV reps. are pushed to sell new construction versus pre-owned homes -- does any experienced TV resident have an opinion on that? Having read TOTV for a few months now made me aware to ask the bond balance on each house I saw. On the new construction villas I saw in Pennecamp, I believe the bond was about $11K (these villas were priced at between $145-$150K). Does an $11K bond sound correct for new construction villas in that price range?
Regarding price, on new construction is there room for negotiation, or is the price set in stone by TV? If a pre-owned home is listed by a TV sales rep. is the price negotiable with the seller as it would be if the house is listed with an outside real estate agent? If you find a house in TV through a TV sales rep., who is working on the buyer’s behalf as I’m assuming the TV agent is working on the seller’s behalf?
I’m not a golfer, but the courses do look beautiful. I can see by the amount of activities/clubs/volunteer opportunities that are offered to the residents that if you get bored, it’s your fault.
I could definitely see myself buying in TV a few years down the road. I’m already contemplating renting a villa for a week or two sometime during summer of 2011. I went on the Villages 4 rent web site, and there are quite a few owners who will rent their homes on a weekly basis from May through September. I would also like to take a Lifestyle Preview visit a couple of years from now, but I would like to save that visit for when I actually have a definite move in date on the horizon.
So I guess I drank the Kool-Aid
Laura