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Originally Posted by Foemom
Hi, We are coming down from Chicago to stay there for the month of November and "test drive" The Villages. Because we are limited to 3 weeks does anyone have any suggestions on how to see and learn the most about the place?
We spent one day there last Spring and decided to check it out some more and find which neighborhood we would be interested in purchasing a home.
Any ideas on where to start?
Can anyone explain the additional expenses involved after purchasing a home, ie HOA's, Bonds, keys, etc? I keep reading about additional hidden fees.
Is there a hunting and or gun club for my husband?
Is it better to purchase a used home from The Villages themselves or through a private Realtor? Is there a best time of year to buy? Are homes sold fully furnished ever?
Any info will help. Thanks everyone.
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Foeman - Hello and welcome to TOTV from northwest suburban Cook County. I am just a wannabee, but I will give you some info. You may want to go onto The Villages web site,
The Villages - Florida's Friendliest Retirement Hometown - New Home Sales, Home Resales, Build Your Dream Home, Brownwood Paddock Square to look at both pre-owned and new homes for sale. MLS agents and agents from The Villages do not share listings, so if you want to look at all the preowned homes for sale, you would have to work with both a Villages agent and an MLS agent. If you go on realtor.com or trulia.com you can see homes in The Villages listed by MLS agents. Use zip codes 32159 and 32162 for The Villages.
Regarding hunting or gun club, the weekly Villages rec news which comes out every Thursday has hundreds of clubs listed. You can access a PDF of the weekly rec news on
The Villages - Florida's Friendliest Retirement Hometown - New Home Sales, Home Resales, Build Your Dream Home, Brownwood Paddock Square, click the recreation tab, click recreation activities, scroll down to recreation downloads, click on recreation news & activities.
The Villages is spread out over three counties: Lake, Sumter and Marion.
New homes will have a bond; be sure to ask a Villages agent the amount of the bond if you are considering a new home. Pre-owned homes located in Lake County do not have a bond. Some pre-owned homes in Marion and Sumter Counties will already have the bond paid off; some will have part of the bond paid off. If there is a bond balance on a pre-owned home, the agent should be able to tell you the amount of the bond balance and how much of that balance is payable each year along with your property taxes.
The amenities fee is about $145 per month -- if that amount is wrong, someone please correct me on that. You will pay that amount no matter what county your house is in or how much your house is worth.
If you want to buy a fully furnished house, and there are quite a few available that are fully furnished, look for a house that has "turnkey" written in the listing description.
Have a great time on your visit in November. I will be in The Villages for 8 days in October. Fall is a very nice time to visit The Villages.
