Who to help find existing homes?

[Cookie Princess]

We are coming to TV in April for a Lifestyle visit. Who did you use to show you existing homes?

We have been contacted by someone from Grizzard Real Estate. We have a 3+ year timeline so don't want anyone pushy or who will constantly call and pester us. THANKS!!

[biker1]

As part of your Lifestyle Visit, you will have an opportunity to spend time with an agent from The Villages real estate. He/she can show you some existing homes and give you a feel for the current real estate situation. I would be upfront about your 3+ year timeline. Many (most) people who come down on a Lifestyle Visit are not ready to buy and the agents will understand this. I don't think there is any real need to meet with an outside (non Villages real estate company) real estate company at this time. When you are ready to buy, I would recommend you connect again with your Villages agent (assuming you liked them) and also find an outside real estate company. The reason for this is that existing homes listed by an outside real estate company will not be shown by a Villages agent and existing homes listed with The Villages will not be shown by outside real estate companies. You need two agents to have access to all existing homes on the market. However, keep in mind that "for sale by owner" homes are also available and you would need to research those yourself. If you were to wind up wanting a new home, those are only available through The Villages agents. Enjoy your Lifestyle Visit.

We are coming to TV in April for a Lifestyle visit. Who did you use to show you existing homes?

We have been contacted by someone from Grizzard Real Estate. We have a 3+ year timeline so don't want anyone pushy or who will constantly call and pester us. THANKS!!

[ohiosbestus]

Call Zina Fenster-Beasley 352-430-5376. She had our home that we bought listed...... As a sidelight, you better buy now and lese your home out. # yers from now you will pay another 20-30,000 for your home.

[baustgen]

The Villages agents are used to dealing with "lookers" more than outside agents. I suggest you not bother an outside agents until you are ready to buy. The Village agent will show you all types of homes in your price range. When you get ready to buy, have both. Don't forget FSBO.

[GrumpyOldMan]

TV agents are the opposite of pushy in my experience. Having one work with us was a really strange experience compared to previous home buying experiences. They really do go out of their way to be helpful and not pushy.

[charmed59]

You might want to get an outside realtor if there is a particular area you are interested in and the villages doesn’t have any listings there, but you can find homes for sale there on outside sites. For instance, right now the Villages has few listings in Virginia Trace/Sabel Chase/Largo, but there are quite a few available on Realtor.com. However, if you are interested in Fenney, the Villages has over 20 pre-owned homes listed, while outside realtors have 2.

On our lifestyle visit our village realtor wouldn’t show us anything, including pre-owned homes, north of 466A, and this was 4 years ago. I was ready to write The Villages off as a retirement area. My husband would not give up. He rented a home for a month near Lake Sumter Landing, we contacted a new Village realtor there, and now we own three homes here, all in our preferred area around Lake Sumter Landing. So if you happen to be assigned a Village realtor that has an area he or she is more comfortable with you might have to push for other areas.

[jebartle]

We are coming to TV in April for a Lifestyle visit. Who did you use to show you existing homes?

We have been contacted by someone from Grizzard Real Estate. We have a 3+ year timeline so don't want anyone pushy or who will constantly call and pester us. THANKS!!

If your looking for Village realtor, I can not say enough GREAT things about Greg Yoder, he is the BEST, patiet, kind kniwledgeable, just a good guy!
352-516-2616:bigbow::bigbow::bigbow:

[manaboutown]

Just be sure your Villages rep is willing to show you existing homes. Mine, who was highly referred, essentially refused to do so after I repeatedly asked. He only showed me a few new spec homes and told me to drive myself around and call him if I found an existing one. In other words he wanted me to do the work and himself collect the sales commission.

[graciegirl]

Just be sure your Villages rep is willing to show you existing homes. Mine, who was highly referred, essentially refused to do so after I repeatedly asked. He only showed me a few new spec homes and told me to drive myself around and call him if I found an existing one. In other words he wanted me to do the work and himself collect the sales commission.

Hmmm. Not our experience. Jim McLaughlin sold us both new homes and showed us many used homes. Not the experience of friends either.

Perhaps he thought you were a realtor, Manabouttown??? and he thought you could look at them on your own??

I myself thought you were a person who sold homes until I read your recent post that said you are not a realtor.

[manaboutown]

Hmmm. Not our experience. Jim McLaughlin sold us both new homes and showed us many used homes. Not the experience of friends either.

Perhaps you told him you were a realtor, Manabouttown??? and he knew you could look at them on your own??

I am not now and have never been a Realtor.

As I see it I chose the wrong guy, a guy who still works as a TV agent and who had received rides on the developer’s private jet(s) and eaten in their. private dining room.

My take on it is he made more per sale on new with a fraction of the effort so why bother to show existing. At that time he was selling new hand over fist making lots of commissions. He was very, very smooth and likable and obviously highly successful at selling. Of course he had and still has a highly in demand product to sell!

My point is that if a potential buyer wants to look at existing homes he or she should make sure their agent is willing to take the time to show them existing homes. If he or she is not request an agent who will.

[Carla B]

Just be sure your Villages rep is willing to show you existing homes. Mine, who was highly referred, essentially refused to do so after I repeatedly asked. He only showed me a few new spec homes and told me to drive myself around and call him if I found an existing one. In other words he wanted me to do the work and himself collect the sales commission.

Essentially our experience also. Villages agent said "You don't want to look at preowned homes. They are asking more for those than new homes."

[manaboutown]

Essentially our experience also. Villages agent said "You don't want to look at preowned homes. They are asking more for those than new homes."

As I understand it Villages agents are “encouraged” by the developer to move the new product. They are paid higher commissions as an incentive and/or otherwise compensated. For example trips on a company jet, meals at the developers private club and no doubt otherwise. Selling existing units is a lucrative adjunct business that satisfies a need and brings in more dough but building and selling new homes is the primary objective.

[Midnight Cowgirl]

Just be sure your Villages rep is willing to show you existing homes. Mine, who was highly referred, essentially refused to do so after I repeatedly asked. He only showed me a few new spec homes and told me to drive myself around and call him if I found an existing one. In other words he wanted me to do the work and himself collect the sales commission.


Someone like that discredits all other real estate professionals and shouldn't be working as an agent.

I would have reported him to his broker. That kind of behavior is unacceptable.

[Midnight Cowgirl]

Essentially our experience also. Villages agent said "You don't want to look at preowned homes. They are asking more for those than new homes."


That's interesting -- actually very funny because it's precisely a Villages agent who has priced the homes that are resales!

[Cobh521]

If you find a home that is listed on the Multiple Listing Service, you will need to use a Realtor who has access to the MLS. I highly recommend Katy Kelly, from ReMAx Premier Realty. She can be reached at 352-355-7982 or katypkelly@gmail.com

[manaboutown]

Someone like that discredits all other real estate professionals and shouldn't be working as an agent.

I would have reported him to his broker. That kind of behavior is unacceptable.

He is no doubt looked on with great favor by his broker as he sells so many new homes which benefits the business far more than resales do. From what he disclosed to me about his “awards” he is the Villages equivalent of a “top producer” in Realtor-speak.

[villagetinker]

OP, you state your window is 3 years off, so IMHO, you may be jumping the gun, unless you plan on buying and renting the house out. With all of the recently announced building plans (over 60,000 homes south of 44), The Villages will be somewhat different in 3 years. Your plan to come down for a lifestyle visit is excellent, as you will get a sense of the area, etc. You can keep an eye on houses for sale as mentioned above, and make up your mind on a location and house when you are getting ready to actually move. I have seen tremendous changes in just the 6 years that we have lived here. When we bought, we were at the southern end of TV, we are now in the center!!

[eweissenbach]

If you don't know what style of home or what village/area you wish to eventually live in, I would suggest you go to open houses while on your LSP. You will get a copy of the Daily Sun each day and there are two pages of Villages pre-owned open houses and numerous MLS open houses daily. There are also three pages of Villages new open houses daily so you can see all manner of home styles in all the areas, giving you a good idea of the market - now! The market is likely to be dramatically different in three years. We had our LSP in 2010 and did what I suggest, then rented for eight years, always looking at open houses, and bought in 2018. By then we knew exactly what we wanted and how much to pay.

[graciegirl]

As I understand it Villages agents are “encouraged” by the developer to move the new product. They are paid higher commissions as an incentive and/or otherwise compensated. For example trips on a company jet, meals at the developers private club and no doubt otherwise. Selling existing units is a lucrative adjunct business that satisfies a need and brings in more dough but building and selling new homes is the primary objective.

In the realtor business I imagine there are sales contests and incentives.

The Villages doesn't have to "drum up business" to sell homes or reward people to get sales. People are standing in line to buy homes here, new and used. If a home is used and not selling it is because it is priced too high, dirty, smelly, or needs staged I would think.

People are easily selling used homes by themselves and using a closing service to close if those who are selling them aren't trying to hit a home run.

I see that Manabouttown's former occupation was intellectual property attorney. I apologize for confusing his prior job with real estate.

[Moderator]

OP asked for help in being able to find pre-owned homes for sale.

This is not an argument about Villages realtors.

Please stay on topic.

Moderator

[Fraugoofy]

Not sure if you bought a house in April, but here is a great one for sale:

2453 Kingstree Place, 32162 (http://www.2453kingstreepl.info)

Sent from my SM-N920R4 using Tapatalk

[Larry A]

My wife and I just purchased a home in July. We used BOTH. Villages reps can ONLY show you homes that are listed for sale through The Villages Real Estate. New or used. Multiple listing agents can ONLY show you homes that are NOT listed with The Villages. These are limited to homes which are NOT brand new. Some are fairly new though. We found this to be a good way to see just about everything that was in our price range and it gave us a great taste of what was available throughout the ENTIRE area. We also did months of looking On-Line first to get a feel for prices and styles that were available. Ultimately we ended up buying a new home in an area that we were originally dead set against moving to. After seeing the newer homes, the development of the new areas and the value for the $$, we were hooked. Our Villages agent was extremely professional and not pushy in the slightest. Good Luck finding a home you love. We did.

[valuemkt]

I found grizzard to be a very reputable firm. My suggestion is to find an experienced realtor within the firm, who knows the villages top to bottom, and not someone that is new to either the villages or florida real estate law. That person will act as your buyers agent, and work to get you the right house for you at the best terms. You can go to open houses to get a feel for the styles etc .. Most agents will then set you up with auto searches based on your location and size requirements ..

[Rga20]

Once you get a sense of the place during your lifestyle visit, one of the best resources is the internet. Look at The Villages website for their listings, realtor dot com for MLS listings and the various FSBO websites. Unless you bump into a realtor that impresses you at an open house, once you are close to buying and you have a few candidates, then you can pick an inside and outside realtor to finalize your selection. Two things to note from my experience, the best houses go very quickly and even so, there will always be another house, so while you have to be decisive when you get serious about buying, if you miss out on that "perfect" house, be patient and another one will come along.

[Schaumburger]

If you don't know what style of home or what village/area you wish to eventually live in, I would suggest you go to open houses while on your LSP. You will get a copy of the Daily Sun each day and there are two pages of Villages pre-owned open houses and numerous MLS open houses daily. There are also three pages of Villages new open houses daily so you can see all manner of home styles in all the areas, giving you a good idea of the market - now! The market is likely to be dramatically different in three years. We had our LSP in 2010 and did what I suggest, then rented for eight years, always looking at open houses, and bought in 2018. By then we knew exactly what we wanted and how much to pay.

Great advice, Ed. One of the nice things about visiting The Villages is that open houses for both new and preowned homes are held every day, not just on the weekends as is normal up north. Open houses are a good way to see various neighborhoods and styles of homes.

[Dond1959]

We started about 3 years before we bought. The most important thing is to get a feel for the various areas. The place is huge so it can take a week just to understand the major areas. I wouldn’t look at any houses if you are 3 years out from buying. Things will be a lot different in 3 years. Definitely go down to the new areas south of 44 as in 3 years these areas will have preowned homes. Your Villages RE agent can take you around to all the areas. Go to the town squares at night and talk to people. Everyone has an opinion and are happy to share their thoughts. Good luck!

[Catfishjeff]

We just went into escrow on a one year old home in DeSoto using a fabulous developer realtor. I noticed in the paperwork that the commission paid totaled 6% so it appears to me that the company realtors are doing OK with resales. Our sales person showed us both new and resales and essentially we ended up splitting the difference - our resale is so new it’s like a new home but with the bugs worked out.

[rjn5656]

Debra Park from the Villages, great realtor we bought our house with. And have referred many friends to.

[Marathon Man]

You will need to have an MLS agent and a VLS agent in order to see all the homes for sale. Also, look at FSBO.

We did exactly that. We told our Villages salesman that we were only interested in pre-owned homes, and she never brought up new construction. Looked at about eight homes with each. Selected one with VLS, and all went smoothly.

[VillageIdiots]

We are coming to TV in April for a Lifestyle visit. Who did you use to show you existing homes?

We have been contacted by someone from Grizzard Real Estate. We have a 3+ year timeline so don't want anyone pushy or who will constantly call and pester us. THANKS!!

Can you clarify what you mean by "existing homes" and also clarify your timeline? Are you looking to buy soon and move here full time in 3 years, or are you looking now with intent to buy in 3 years?

Existing could be pre-owned or could be brand new spec homes - always plenty of both here, but most don't sit very long before they are sold. There really is no point in looking at pre-owned homes until you are ready to buy. However, looking at existing spec homes while on a visit is a great way to see what the different models offer and the current price ranges. There are 20+ open houses for new spec homes here every single day, 7 days a week. They are listed in the daily paper with directions. That's a great way to see many different models and do it at your own pace without tying up an agent that may be gone and/or forgotten in 3 years. Doesn't matter if it's a Villages agent or an outside agent, they get paid to sell homes and get paid only when they sell a home.

You will encounter an agent at every open house, but most are not pushy at all. Some may ask where you are from and what you are interested in and some will barely acknowledge your existence when you walk in the door. You can make small talk with them and if you come across one that you feel comfortable with, you can keep in contact with them until you are ready to buy. The agent we originally started with retired at just about the same time we made our purchase. He once told me that it's very common for him to work with people for a year or more before they ever buy anything.

[manaboutown]

We just went into escrow on a one year old home in DeSoto using a fabulous developer realtor. I noticed in the paperwork that the commission paid totaled 6% so it appears to me that the company realtors are doing OK with resales. Our sales person showed us both new and resales and essentially we ended up splitting the difference - our resale is so new it’s like a new home but with the bugs worked out.

Debra Park from the Villages, great realtor we bought our house with. And have referred many friends to.

The real estate agents who work for The Villages are licensed but are not Realtors.

[PrudentLifer]

The real estate agents who work for The Villages are licensed but are not Realtors.



A distinction without a difference.


"The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears..." [emoji527]
George Orwell

[manaboutown]

A distinction without a difference.


"The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears..." [emoji527]
George Orwell

National Association of Realtors - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Association_of_Realtors)

[Cookie Princess]

Can you clarify what you mean by "existing homes" and also clarify your timeline? Are you looking to buy soon and move here full time in 3 years, or are you looking now with intent to buy in 3 years?

Thanks for your note! By existing home, I meant pre-owned. We plan to retire in about 3 years so we are starting to look at locations now. My parents rent each year in TV so I am fairly familiar with the area/layout. Our plan is to buy in 3 years, but if we saw something we LOVED in 1-2 years, we could buy sooner and rent it out.

We are also struggling with the snowbird or full-time FL resident question which would make a difference in the house size/price point.

Decisions...decisions...decisions...

[VillageIdiots]

Thanks for your note! By existing home, I meant pre-owned. We plan to retire in about 3 years so we are starting to look at locations now. My parents rent each year in TV so I am fairly familiar with the area/layout. Our plan is to buy in 3 years, but if we saw something we LOVED in 1-2 years, we could buy sooner and rent it out.

We are also struggling with the snowbird or full-time FL resident question which would make a difference in the house size/price point.

Decisions...decisions...decisions...

Makes sense. It's still my opinion that looking at anything pre-owned unless and until you are ready to buy is a waste of your time and a waste of an agent's time and potentially a waste of the homeowner's time. The best way to get a feel for home layouts, locations, and prices is to just take advantage of open houses. There are 20+ open houses daily of brand new homes and a wide variety of floor plan options to look at every day. There are also pre-owned open houses every day that are also listed in the paper. Usually the new home open houses will be relatively near each other but pre-owned could be all over the place. But an open house gives you a chance to browse at you own pace and you are not tying up someone else's valuable time. Good luck

[asianthree]

Sadly if you do not plan on buying for a year, I would only go to structured open houses. We are looking to move again, and have known our VLS guy almost 5 years. I try to go to homes that have a open house, and only ask his aid if there is a house that might not be on the market long. The home we currently live in had just been put on the market and we made an offer the same day

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Totally agree with VillageIdiots re: open houses this early in the game. The purpose of a realtor/agent is to help buyers buy. If the only thing you want to do at this point is look, you can very easily do it via open houses.

You can come for a few days (you said you're doing a Lifestyle visit). What we did our first visit:
Check out the Villages Homefinder's webpage and look at locations that seem the *most* interesting to you.
Then the first thing you do after getting to your lifestyle rental and putting your bags down, is open up the copy of the Daily Sun that comes with the visit. Check out the Open Houses section of the paper.

Locate any and all open houses that are located within the top few areas that peaked your fancy when you looked at the Homefinder page. If you liked 4 different models, then select at least 4 homes to look at the first day - one of each model.

You want to get a feel for what it's like to walk from the kitchen to the porch, from the bedroom to the living room, from the driveway to the lanai, etc. etc. What it's like to "be" in the home. The flow, as it's called. Does it feel like you're constantly rounding corners to get from point A to point B? Does that appeal to you, or does it make you claustrophobic?

Also look at the specific neighborhood each of those 4 properties are in. How close to the rec center or neighborhood pool? How close to a road OUT of the Villages? How close to the postal station? What is the condition of the *worst-kept* property in the neighborhood, and will you be comfortable living in close proximity to it for many years?

The next day, do the same thing for another of your top-picked locations. And so on.

You want to see a variety of places, but you also need to see a variety of neighborhoods.


After a couple of visits doing the open house gig, we selected a Villages real estate agent who helped us pick out or actual home.

We picked ours because we wanted the older part of the Villages - we didn't want to have to wait a few years for shade trees tall enough to actually provide shade, and we wanted fewer restrictions on what we could and could not do with our property. But we also wanted an area where - regardless of the lightened deed restrictions, the neighbors still took excellent care of their properties and decorated them with care and thought (no tacky pink flamingos, but an 18-inch granite gargoyle welcoming visitors to the front steps was a fun touch of whimsy).

We were hoping for a site-built but circumstances caused us to change our expectations. We ended up with a really nice manufactured home in an absolutely lovely neighborhood with excellent neighbors, in bicycle-riding distance to the pool.

[VillageIdiots]

Totally agree with VillageIdiots re: open houses this early in the game. The purpose of a realtor/agent is to help buyers buy.

Minor technicality, but, though there are such things as buyer's agents, the purpose of an agent is typically to help seller's sell, not help buyer's buy. The two, hopefully, go together, but it's not an unimportant thing to keep in mind. They work with the buyers and need the buyers in order to deliver for the sellers, but they, technically, work for, and get paid by, the seller.