Just to relate a little about my friend's recent experiences.
She long ago decided that she wanted a pre-owned, mostly because of its assumed 'mature landscaping." After nearly 18 months, she closed on the sale of her house up north. Two days later, she was here and we visited at least a dozen houses, both VLS and MLS.
Her desires and budget (under $200k) limited her options more than they would have a year ago, but, in the end, after 2 days of looking, she knew where she wanted to be. The place was a little run-down (the wife had died 3 years ago, the husband gave up caring for it as much as he should, plus he began to go downhill, too), so it was pretty easy to offer $6k less than asked.
Sellers agreed immediately. Buyer arranged for almost $7k of improvements, upgrades, etc., and we believe has added $15k to the value.
All accomplished in 2 weeks, too!
Stressful 2 weeks, to be sure, but she's now settled in and has embraced The Villages lifestyle for sure!
SWR
