Hi Missypie,
I doubt it would be accurate to say resales are always a better deal. As Gracie said, if an upgrade has been made, but you would change it anyway, then no value should be attached to that upgrade in comparing costs. Some upgrades, such as solar tubes, attic stairs, garage door keypad, pull-out counters are not style dependent and are definitely of value. Others, such as tile and counter tops, and furnishing and decorations, you might love or you might not.
Just add the price of the home + bond + total price for all the upgrades you plan to do, whether new or resale, and you will have an apples-to-apples comparison of costs for any homes that interest you. Of course, if you want new regardless of cost comparison, that's perfectly understandable and a different story.
If you are considering resales definitely get both a Villages agent and MLS Realtor. Get a written "buyer's agent" agreement from your MLS Realtor. That will legally obligate the Realtor to represent only your interests in the transaction. Resales, regardless of whether listed with MLS or Villages, can be negotiated, so you would need to compare negotiated price/ concessions.
Obviously, there is more choice of location with resale. That might or might not matter to you. Best wishes on finding your dream home in TV. Please keep us posted.
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