Best method to shop for new home when staying with Florida fsmily

[Sepgator]

Is there a suggested method to shop for a new home when staying with family in Florida on a visit? Do you need to contact a realtor or is it possible to gain entrance to visit the Villages sales office? Or can one gain access to just drive around to get an overall first impression?

[bagboy]

Is there a suggested method to shop for a new home when staying with family in Florida on a visit? Do you need to contact a realtor or is it possible to gain entrance to visit the Villages sales office? Or can one gain access to just drive around to get an overall first impression?

You can contact a Realtor, contact a Villages salesperson, walk into any Villages sales office, or simply drive around. Nothing different here than most anywhere.

[Rga20]

There is one difference in that The Villages Real Estate office is not part of the MLS realtor's network, so they can only show you listings with the Villages. To see other listings you'll need an outside realtor. On the other hand, if you're just trying to get a sense of the place, grab a Daily Sun newspaper...there are tons of open houses every day and you can just drive to the ones that interest you. As for access...the Villages really isn't a gated community. At every gate is a red button and if the gate is unmanned, just press the button and bingo you're in. Good luck. It will seem a bit overwhelming with choices but all are good and something will strike you as right. It really is a great place to live.

[baustgen]

Pick up a Daily Sun and go to open houses. Both new and resales. Visit Rec centers near the open houses. Visit a town center. Make a list of what you must have, would like to have, and how much you can spend. It will all come together.

[bluedivergirl]

You can come and go freely. The Villages has gates, and a photo will be taken of your license plate, but access is not restricted. When we were shopping, we felt welcome at the rec centers and squares, even though we were not yet residents.

We rented a home here for a month, and visited other communities. The Villages was vibrant, and felt like home.

[starflyte1]

I shop online. When I find a house I want to see, I call that salesperson, and have always bought the house. The pictures online are so beautiful now, and I just map out an area and only check houses in that area.

[PrudentLifer]

Fortunately, many new retirees are technically savvy. Zillow is the best way to expedite your new home search. Good luck!

[Velvet]

If you plan to live in TV full time, you might want to see it in different seasons too. You are smart to check in here for help, I did the same and so far I’ve gotten great advice (most of the time). Also if you follow TOTV for awhile you get to see what the local concerns and solutions are. You also get a sense of the kind of people you might meet.

[SIRE1]

Fortunately, many new retirees are technically savvy. Zillow is the best way to expedite your new home search. Good luck!

Remember though, that ZILLOW will not show houses that are listed by The Villages sales group. To see those houses, go to The Villages web site (THEVILLAGESdotCOM) and click on OUR HOMES. You can see both new and resales, plus you can search by Village, Style, or Model.

Finally, in most, if not all, neighborhoods there will NOT be a "For Sale" sign easily seen so it is difficult to look for homes by just driving around. The best is to drive around to find an area of The Villages that you might like, and then use Zillow, TheVillages, or the Daily Sun to find houses in that area.

[Chatbrat]

If its brand new house, get in touch with a Villages sales person, if its a resale give Sally Love a shout

[graciegirl]

Is there a suggested method to shop for a new home when staying with family in Florida on a visit? Do you need to contact a realtor or is it possible to gain entrance to visit the Villages sales office? Or can one gain access to just drive around to get an overall first impression?

Be prepared to be overwhelmed. First try to get the sales stuff sent to you before you come here. This is a very large area. It was built from the top (northeast to the bottom, south. It is newer as you go south with some exceptions. Our Village is in the middle and it is only eight years old.

Study the three general types of homes. Ranchesand Patio Villas are the smallest and least expensive after the modular homes that are only found in the parts north east of 441/27. Designers represents the predominant type and size of home people choose here. They are from about 1600 sq. ft to close to 2500 sq ft. Premiers are usually from around 2200 sq ft to sometimes close to 5000 sq. ft.

The price range of all homes here is from around 100K to more than a million dollars, but they all have the same amenity fee of about $150 dollars a month.

We thought at first that it would be easier to leave a Courtyard Villa that is fenced in and has a small yard because we were snow birds when we were looking for a first home. We were sure that is what we wanted. We had looked at many on line, New and used.

We bought a new designer, a Camilla, in Hadley and enjoyed it for four years and then had built the home we live in now full time.

Take your time. Find reasons to return and rent if possible. If you make a mistake and want a different home size or view, homes here are easy to sell.

I do not and have never sold real estate. Get a Villages Sales rep and a MLS realtor and have Frank D'Angelo on speed dial.

I am EXTREMELY BIASED toward living here.

[Marathon Man]

The first time we were here, we were driving through after spotting a sign on I-75. We stopped into the sales office at Sumter Landing and met one of the sales persons. She took us on a tour and gave us lots of information. No pressure or sales talk. Just a nice tour. I recommend doing this. You might want to call for an appointment.

[vintageogauge]

If its brand new house, get in touch with a Villages sales person, if its a resale give Sally Love a shout

Sally Love cannot show you re-sales that are The Villages listings, she can only show you MLS re-sales. I would suggest getting in touch with Beth Pope 352-552-1511, she and her husband Todd and daughter Kelly are all Villages Sales Professionals and they can show you new and re-sale Villages real estate homes.

[CFrance]

If you plan to live in TV full time, you might want to see it in different seasons too. You are smart to check in here for help, I did the same and so far I’ve gotten great advice (most of the time). Also if you follow TOTV for awhile you get to see what the local concerns and solutions are. You also get a sense of the kind of people you might meet.
Omigosh. Please don't take TOTV as indicative of The Villages residents. Remember it is a social media forum, and people take advantage of their anonymity to speak more forcefully than they would in a face-to-face situation. Myself included.

TV really is a friendly place, and people you meet are for the most part going to be enjoyable and neighborly.

Velvet makes a point: come to visit in different seasons, summer especially. Summer is very hot and humid. Most get used to it; some don't. My favorite times are winter and spring or fall: winter because the cooler weather really suits my Pennsylvania/Michigan bones, and spring and fall because it is calm and quiet.

[John_W]

As Gracie mentioned above, get the sales packet in the mail with video and look it over. Here'a link to the request page.

Request a Free Video Tour of The Villages(R) Homes & Lifestyle (https://www.thevillages.com/freetour/)

[CFrance]

Sally Love cannot show you re-sales that are The Villages listings, she can only show you MLS re-sales. I would suggest getting in touch with Beth Pope 352-552-1511, she and her husband Todd and daughter Kelly are all Villages Sales Professionals and they can show you new and re-sale Villages real estate homes.
To clarify a bit, you need one of each; an MLS realtor for resales that are not listed with Villages sales reps, and a Villages sales rep for new houses and resales that are listed with The Villages.

When we put our first house on the market, we listed it with a Villages sales rep--the one who sold us the house new. An MLS realtor could not have shown our house. It worked out well for us selling, but if you are looking for a resale, you should work with both kinds of realtors, Villages and MLS. You will see more houses that way.

[PrudentLifer]

I don't know for sure but I'd be willing to bet that no other area in our country has a for profit organization brokering residential real estate apart and separate from the local MLS excluding any and all outside brokers and in the process acquiring a 70% resale market share and a 100% new construction share. This practice inhibits the fair and balanced way residential real estate is bought and sold elsewhere throughout our country. They, the Villages don't play well with the other kids.
I can negotiate a selling commission with any MLS broker down to 3% but the Villages resale division is non-negotiable. With them it's 6% or the highway unless you do a sell/buy transaction with them which will then rebate 1% of the sale price which is not paid at closing, rather it's delivered in the form of a check several weeks after the closing.
On another note I'm not a fan of a strictly linear commission. A 600K house cost markets at a minimally higher cost than a 300K one. DOM currently is at 27 within the 32163 zip code. It doesn't take a marketing wizard to sell a house here. 36K vs 18K? I won't be suckered into that.
I am a homeowner, real estate is not and has never been my trade but I do observe quite well and have saved a ton of money in the process and my broker was paid appropriately fair.
I don't care about the realtor vs selling agent thing. I'm a big boy and can watch out for myself, don't need a fiduciary relationship so kudos to the Villages.

Bottom line, it's a real PITA not having the ability to one stop shop with any MLS broker of your choosing.

[manaboutown]

Be sure to ascertain ahead of time that the Villages agent you are assigned or select is willing and able to show you resales. Mine essentially refused to show me any resales, just told me to drive myself around and call him if I found one. He kept steering me only to new spec construction as that is their primary selling mission: market what the developer has built that is sitting there waiting for a buyer. It is my understanding Villages agents make more on sales of new homes than on resales.

[graciegirl]

I don't know for sure but I'd be willing to bet that no other area in our country has a for profit organization brokering residential real estate apart and separate from the local MLS excluding any and all outside brokers and in the process acquiring a 70% resale market share and a 100% new construction share. This practice inhibits the fair and balanced way residential real estate is bought and sold elsewhere throughout our country. They, the Villages don't play well with the other kids.
I can negotiate a selling commission with any MLS broker down to 3% but the Villages resale division is non-negotiable. With them it's 6% or the highway unless you do a sell/buy transaction with them which will then rebate 1% of the sale price which is not paid at closing, rather it's delivered in the form of a check several weeks after the closing.
On another note I'm not a fan of a strictly linear commission. A 600K house cost markets at a minimally higher cost than a 300K one. DOM currently is at 27 within the 32163 zip code. It doesn't take a marketing wizard to sell a house here. 36K vs 18K? I won't be suckered into that.
I am a homeowner, real estate is not and has never been my trade but I do observe quite well and have saved a ton of money in the process and my broker was paid appropriately fair.
I don't care about the realtor vs selling agent thing. I'm a big boy and can watch out for myself, don't need a fiduciary relationship so kudos to the Villages.

Bottom line, it's a real PITA not having the ability to one stop shop with any MLS broker of your choosing.

I'll bet you are a realtor no matter the disclaimer. The only folks with a gripe are the folks who don't get to sell new homes. I don't blame The Villages for not sharing when they don't have to.

I don't blame people for selling their own home without a realtor.

I'm not real nuts about realtors. Nice thing about The Villages reps they don't sell hard. They don't have to. Jim McLaughlin sold us both our homes. And he showed us resales too. He is a smart and kind man and his wife Patty is a dear soul as well.

[pooh]

When any developer builds a “development,” he/the company, owns those homes, correct? Been involved in buying NEW homes in developments here in FL and out west...only could buy new homes from the builder/developer/owner. I can’t imagine that owners would have others selling their new homes.

[PrudentLifer]

I'll bet you are a realtor no matter the disclaimer. The only folks with a gripe are the folks who don't get to sell new homes. I don't blame The Villages for not sharing when they don't have to.

I don't blame people for selling their own home without a realtor.

I'm not real nuts about realtors. Nice thing about The Villages reps they don't sell hard. They don't have to. Jim McLaughlin sold us both our homes. And he showed us resales too. He is a smart and kind man and his wife Patty is a dear soul as well.



I have no beef with the Villages reps or Realtors. They do what they have to do and so do I. Recognizing how "things" work around here is not a liability but a very valuable asset that I pass on to newbies I meet every chance I get. Again, a fair trade is what we all want in our quest for a new home sweet home.

[PrudentLifer]

When any developer builds a “development,” he/the company, owns those homes, correct? Been involved in buying NEW homes in developments here in FL and out west...only could buy new homes from the builder/developer/owner. I can’t imagine that owners would have others selling their new homes.



Pulte, Neil, DeVosta, Lennar all list within the MLS system. The Villages does not.

[pooh]

Pulte, Neil, DeVosta all list within the MLS system. The Villages does not.

Then one can assume it was a choice on their part to use outside sellers? One cannot assume other companies have to do this. Is there a reason? Are sales slow?? We don’t know for certain, do we? Not sure what the problem is with the developers here selling their own homes...it is their right to do so. People do have the ability to buy land, build homes, offer them for sale...happens all over the country...and those who do, have the right to sell their homes in the manner they prefer....with their own agents or by enlisting others. Not sure why this whole idea of any individual/company selling their goods under their conditions is a problem. We/you/they as buyers, have a choice....buy what’s offered from the seller, or continue to look somewhere else...no one is forced to buy, here or anywhere else.

[PrudentLifer]

Then one can assume it was a choice on their part to use outside sellers? One cannot assume other companies have to do this. Is there a reason? Are sales slow?? We don’t know for certain, do we? Not sure what the problem is with the developers here selling their own homes...it is their right to do so. People do have the ability to buy land, build homes, offer them for sale...happens all over the country...and those who do, have the right to sell their homes in the manner they prefer....with their own agents or by enlisting others. Not sure why this whole idea of any individual/company selling their goods under their conditions is a problem. We/you/they as buyers, have a choice....buy what’s offered from the seller, or continue to look somewhere else...no one is forced to buy, here or anywhere else.



I'm not selling a conspiracy. What I don't like is when the "big" guy on the block does as they please with no regard for others in the trade, because they can. I'm not going as far as an abuse of power but I have always been on David's side, and others like him.

[pooh]

I'm not selling a conspiracy. What I don't like is when the "big" guy on the block does as they please with no regard for others in the trade, because they can. I'm not going as far as an abuse of power but I have always been on David's side, and others like him.

Does as he pleases? Really? Think about it....if you were selling anything, successfully, would you feel you have to let others sell whatever it is you have? The whole point is developers in any field, may actually own their product/plans/patents and whether we like it or not, it is their right to sell/market as they choose. We may not like it, and obviously, you do not in this instance, but again, they’ve worked hard and continue to do so....something we see with successful companies/entrepreneurs.

[PrudentLifer]

Does as he pleases? Really? Think about it....if you were selling anything, successfully, would you feel you have to let others sell whatever it is you have? The whole point is developers in any field, may actually own their product/plans/patents and whether we like it or not, it is their right to sell/market as they choose. We may not like it, and obviously, you do not in this instance, but again, they’ve worked hard and continue to do so....something we see with successful companies/entrepreneurs.



When the monopoly antitrust cases went south for AT&T and north for IBM the lawyers on both cases were toasting with champagne.

[pooh]

When the monopoly antitrust cases went south for AT&T and north for IBM the lawyers on both cases were toasting with champagne.

Surely you are not comparing this development and developer to AT&T....;). Do you forsee an uprising?

[PrudentLifer]

Surely you are not comparing this development and developer to AT&T....;). Do you forsee an uprising?



Heck no. Everybody makes money 'cept for the little people.

[pooh]

Heck no. Everybody makes money 'cept for the little people.

Maybe, but maybe not...:). Now that we’ve taken this thread totally off topic, if discussion continues, it probably should be in a new thread.

[PrudentLifer]

Maybe, but maybe not...:). Now that we’ve taken this thread totally off topic, if discussion continues, it probably should be in a new thread.



Your fault, you kept enabling me. :)

[pooh]

Your fault, you kept enabling me. :)

😂😂😂😁

[justjim]

Be prepared to be overwhelmed. First try to get the sales stuff sent to you before you come here. This is a very large area. It was built from the top (northeast to the bottom, south. It is newer as you go south with some exceptions. Our Village is in the middle and it is only eight years old.

Study the three general types of homes. Ranchesand Patio Villas are the smallest and least expensive after the modular homes that are only found in the parts north east of 441/27. Designers represents the predominant type and size of home people choose here. They are from about 1600 sq. ft to close to 2500 sq ft. Premiers are usually from around 2200 sq ft to sometimes close to 5000 sq. ft.
The price range of all homes here is from around 100K to more than a million dollars, but they all have the same amenity fee of about $150 dollars a month.

We thought at first that it would be easier to leave a Courtyard Villa that is fenced in and has a small yard because we were snow birds when we were looking for a first home. We were sure that is what we wanted. We had looked at many on line, New and used.

We bought a new designer, a Camilla, in Hadley and enjoyed it for four years and then had built the home we live in now full time.

Take your time. Find reasons to return and rent if possible. If you make a mistake and want a different home size or view, homes here are easy to sell.

I do not and have never sold real estate. Get a Villages Sales rep and a MLS realtor and have Frank D'Angelo on speed dial.

I am EXTREMELY BIASED toward living here.


Very good advice. Not much to add. OP, said “new home” so don’t know for sure what was meant by that. All new homes (never lived in) are through The Villages Real Estate. if looking at a relatively new resale, I would contact a MLS office and also The Villages Real Estate office. Going to open houses is a very good way to get a feel of what houses are currently available in The Villages. You will find residents happy to talk to you and willing to answer any questions you might have so I would use that to get a different perspective when it’s appropriate. Good luck and enjoy your visit. :ho:

[Velvet]

I'm not selling a conspiracy. What I don't like is when the "big" guy on the block does as they please with no regard for others in the trade, because they can. I'm not going as far as an abuse of power but I have always been on David's side, and others like him.

Wow. Where were you when I was trying to buy my house?

Better late than never. Welcome!

[PrudentLifer]

Wow. Where were you when I was trying to buy my house?



Better late than never. Welcome!



I'm sure you did just fine. [emoji6]

[rjm1cc]

Find a part of Florida you like - consider hurricanes and other weather factors.
Visit communities - small, medium and large and find out what size you like. Also what feature.
Use the communities sales office. You will learn a lot.
Once you have some possibilities spend a few days in the community
Before you buy rent.
Take your time. You can always find something to buy.

[PrudentLifer]

Coastal Florida areas subject to flooding will be seeing exponential flood insurance costs starting in 2020 according to FEMA. Having looked online at certain waterfront areas the prices of houses looked too good to be true.

Coastal homes could see flood insurance premium jump in 2020 | Miami Herald (https://amp.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article215162440.html)

[eweissenbach]

When any developer builds a “development,” he/the company, owns those homes, correct? Been involved in buying NEW homes in developments here in FL and out west...only could buy new homes from the builder/developer/owner. I can’t imagine that owners would have others selling their new homes.

In my experience (and I used to be a Realtor) most builders list their homes for sale with Real Estate professionals, at least in middle America. Now, if they are very large they may own their own in-house sales organization. It kind of follows the truism that most artists are not good marketers. I don't have a problem with the Villages approach, as they indeed, have their own in-house sales organization. It is up to the buyer or seller to know how this system works and determine the strategy for maximizing their buying or selling experience. PS, be sure to check the FSBO websites, including Zillow, for listings (The Villages listings will not be on Zillow). As others have stated get a copy of the daily Sun when you come into TV and check the real estate section. You will find two full pages of Villages resale open houses, and generally, three pages (on the back of the front section) of new home open houses. There will also likely be several listings for fsbo open houses and MLS open houses. Good luck and best wishes.