[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Quixote

While I would have to agree that the person whose email I posted has a “way with words” and expresses an opinion very strongly, I just want to apologize and say that it was not my intention to start a firestorm or to criticize anyone’s choice of new versus resale. I know from my experience over the years that there are many Villages wannabees on this site, and my intention was to point out to them the advantages of a resale, something that Villages salespeople don’t do, which I’ll explain.

As rubicon said in a post, “My previous post was to offer people who have not purchased a home here yet an opportunity to be more circumspect about this choice. I wish someone had offered me that opportunity. Please allow me my right of ‘free expression’.” Or villageshooter who wrote, “tell ur story and help others,,,,they have made billions off of unsepecting folks!” It’s up to us to educate ourselves and know exactly what the options are.

Before I continue, I would like to quote again what rubicon said in another posting and I agree with: “So IMHO offering potential buyers the benefit of your point of view is the right thing to do. After all all you are doing is simply offering an opinion and then it is up to the potential buyers to decide.” However, I don’t agree that this has anything to do with politics or political correctness. We don’t need to politicize everything but rather need only to accept the statement on face value and learn, if we wish to, from the experiences of others.

I agree with the poster who was selling a house and noticed that Villages real estate salespeople did little to promote selling a pre-owned home and instead rushed potential clients to buy new and spending far more time showing the latter. When I first came, I had the most honest and ethical salesman with whom remained friends until he left employment here, even though in the end I didn’t buy through him. I had made it clear to him that I wanted a resale and nothing else, and even so, he showed me resales but insisted on showing me new homes as well. I have heard it alleged that Villages salespeople must sell x number of new houses each year or lose their jobs; I was never able to document this, but I did hear it more than once.

I have owned two resales in TV. The first was listed with TV; once the owner and I agreed to a price, he simply called the realty office and canceled his contract, and I bought directly. (TV has changed its policy since then, and this can no longer be done.) The original owners had done very little with the house itself (though they had very obviously spent a fortune on landscaping), resulting in an exceptionally reasonable sale price (with bond paid by them!) while leaving us a clean slate to do as I wished. When I moved within TV some years later, I had a very specific style house in mind, very few of which exist, and when one was on the market in my desired location, I jumped at it, and this was with an outside realty firm. Again, the price was very low in part because the original owners had done little in the parts of the house and property where I wanted to do my thing, and what they did was very well done AND didn’t get in the way of the vision I had for the house. Here the bond was not paid, but it was such a small amount that I just paid it off.

As fromct says, “The best part of this thread is that in a couple of years it will be a moot point and everyone can concentrate on making the most of the decisions they made....” For sure, when there are no more new homes and only resales, the resales will be worth much more than they are now, when so many people (some because they know exactly what they want, and others possibly because they just don’t know, which is why I started this post) focus only on new homes that resales languish and drop in price.

As far as amenities fees are concerned (unrelated to my original post), I too do not golf and wish that golf were a separate membership within TV, as I’ve seen in other communities, but it is what it is. I signed knowing that they were not separate and am willing to accept that everything cannot be my way. This is a wonderful place to live!

As createquilts said, “I have a question about the older neighborhoods. Don't you think some of them will turn over, just like the neighborhood I live in up north is doing now?” Yes, of course, they’re all turning over all the time. I traveled through the village of Sanibel for the first time recently and already saw a for sale sign in a window (outside realtor). This means it’s a resale of a house that cannot be more than a couple of months old, and it struck me how sad this is. Life can change in a moment.... I live in a long established area where two house across the street sold just before we came, and the house next door and the house behind me sold since I’m here.

Again I apologize if I came across as less than civil. This was certainly not what I intended but rather to share the resale experience with potential newcomers.

A wise man sees his errors. And you aren't wrong, I don't think so at all. There are two wonderful posters on here who frequently point out the merits of buying a resale. They are Buggyone and PTurner. They also say how lovely it is to live north of 466, and they are right on that one too.

Neither of them ever used such a colorful way to describe one of the new homes, to be fair.

Keep 'em coming Quixote! We learn from each other here and that is the reason I love this forum and this wonderful place.