[villages07]

prsm...the bond is fairly common in FL for planned communities; may be higher in the Villages than other places and seems to be increasing rapidly here (house purchased a year ago had a bond of $15K, now it's about $21K). The upfront disclosure is there, but, not always fully understood by buyers.

You can always have a new home inspected prior to closing (and perhaps make it a contingency within the first 5 days of your offer to buy...as someone else said, it should be negotiable). As you will read in other posts, the new home warranty process is extremely efficient and responsive. If stuff is broke or wrong they will fix it and fix it fast. There have been some extensive problems with the installation of vinyl siding in some areas. Hopefully, they are now installing siding properly. That's something to watch for. I agree with mds....I found the overall quality of our home to be very good...no major construction issues and anything we reported got fixed.

When contemplating new vs resale....with a resale closing costs are lower, the bond will likely be less, you can negotiate more, and it will have some maturity (landscape, window treatments, etc.) Downside of resale...you will be newbie in an established neighborhood, no warranty, "stuck" with whatever colors, choices prior owner made.

Either way, this board is full of useful information. It's big decision with a lot of factors to consider, but, in the end, tiz a wonderful place to live. Keep that goal in sight.