Buying Pre-owned from Properties of the Villages

[Accidental1]

My wife and I are looking at homes in the Villages. Currently we've just been going to open houses on our own and looking mainly at listings offered by The Villages (not MLS listed). We were wondering how others have handled their purchase of pre-owned homes from the Villages. Did you get your own MLS realtor to assist you or did you deal only with The Villages sales representatives? It seems to me that dealing only with The Villages sales representatives (even if the person assisting you isn't the one who is listed as the rep for the home being sold) is risky. In that case is anyone really looking out for the buyers best interest? Would love to know other peoples experiences. If you've bought new homes your input would be appreciated too.

Thank you.

[John_W]

Did you get your own MLS realtor to assist you or did you deal only with The Villages sales representatives? It seems to me that dealing only with The Villages sales representatives (even if the person assisting you isn't the one who is listed as the rep for the home being sold) is risky. In that case is anyone really looking out for the buyers best interest?
Thank you.

Villages agents are not Realtors, they may have taken the state exam and hold a real estate license and they may not. They are similar to a car salesman working for the dealer selling new and used cars. They cannot show homes on MLS because TV does not belong to the MLS and their agents are not all licensed as such.

Realtors are those who hold a Florida Real Estate License and have joined the Board of Realtors for their county and work under a set of code of conduct. They generally work for a broker who is part of the MLS system and can sell and list homes in that network.

To see all the resales in TV, you need both agents, at anyone time there are slightly more than 200 homes listed with MLS and 200 plus listed with TV Office. All Realtors unless designated a buyers agent, work for the seller whether they took the listing or another MLS agent took the listing. TV sales people generally operate the same, but don't have the same code of conduct.

[REDCART]

We used both an MLS realtor and a Villages sales agent at the same time. My wife thought it was wrong but I was ok with it. Between the two, we viewed close to 40 homes over a 3 month period. The Villages sales agent was busy with multiple buyers. By the time he scheduled an appt, it was often too late. The home was already in contract. We also went to open houses (pre Covid) on our own, and in fact purchased one that we saw at an open house. So I think you need both sales people for the best buying opportunities.

[bebemary]

In Florida MLS agents do not legally work for the seller . True in places up north but not here. Only the listing agent would represent the individual seller

[Mikeodonnell73]

I used both as well as a good friend of mine. In both cases we brought from the MLS. There was more choices and the problem with The Village group they were pushing new home down in the south section.

[Jayhawk]

Villages agents are not Realtors, they may have taken the state exam and hold a real estate license and they may not. They are similar to a car salesman working for the dealer selling new and used cars. They cannot show homes on MLS because TV does not belong to the MLS and their agents are not all licensed as such.



Not correct.

"In addition to being licensed Florida real estate agents, our team of over 200 agents receives frequent, professional education beyond the state’s continuing education requirements on customer care, product knowledge, and the latest information pertaining to the lifestyle we all enjoy."


Meet Our Amazing The Villages(R) Sales Representatives (https://www.thevillages.com/sales-reps/)

[manaboutown]

My big question is can Villages agents be buyer's agents as MLS Realtors can?

[eweissenbach]

Villages reps are licensed real estate sales people. You cannot sell real estate without a license. As a former Realtor (r) I can assure you it means almost nothing, other than you paid the dues to join the National Association of Realtors. Having said that, there is nothing wrong, unethical, or out of the ordinary to work with both an MLS realtor or a Villages rep., in fact a must if you want to see all available inventory.

[Malsua]

My wife and I are looking at homes in the Villages. Currently we've just been going to open houses on our own and looking mainly at listings offered by The Villages (not MLS listed). We were wondering how others have handled their purchase of pre-owned homes from the Villages. Did you get your own MLS realtor to assist you or did you deal only with The Villages sales representatives? It seems to me that dealing only with The Villages sales representatives (even if the person assisting you isn't the one who is listed as the rep for the home being sold) is risky. In that case is anyone really looking out for the buyers best interest? Would love to know other peoples experiences. If you've bought new homes your input would be appreciated too.

Thank you.

I can only say that I bought one TV home from a MLS realtor and another TV home from the Villages both pre-owned. To me, the process was identical except on one, we looked at the Villages site, on the other we looked at Zillow.

In both cases, I feel like the agent was looking out for us. In both cases they negotiated our offers with the listing agent with no pressure for us to accept a counter or whatever. It was exactly the same thing and we feel like it was a win. The contract for the TV listing was a little more specific on some things but no show stoppers.

Good luck.

[vintageogauge]

We used both and ended up buying through TV. The MLS agent didn't seem to have what we were looking for and the TV rep. did. May have just been a matter of timing. They both seem to sell about an equal number of re-sales per year so I would advise using both. For a new home you have to use TV's agents.

[John_W]

Not correct.

"In addition to being licensed Florida real estate agents, our team of over 200 agents receives frequent, professional education beyond the state’s continuing education requirements on customer care, product knowledge, and the latest information pertaining to the lifestyle we all enjoy."



I didn't say they didn't receive and continue their education, that's something I would expect, however I don't believe it was a past practice to be a Florida Licensed Real Estate Agent. Is this something new for TV sales staff?

[Rrgolf]

What are you looking for? Our home just went up for sale with TV

[Toymeister]

Invariably this thread will morph into a MLS agent as some sort of superior real estate agent. In reality it won't matter if you use a Villages agent.

What will matter is where you are buying. All new and the majority of used but newer homes will be sold by Villages agents. As you get closer to the more established areas MLS reign.

I have used both. Both types did not have my interest in mind in the slightest. Both types had degrees of unprofessionalism.

One possibility that can work in your favor is a used but less than 12 month old home. No matter who sells it the owner cannot receive a profit. This is in place to discourage flippers. In a sought after location you can benefit from no appreciation and improvements that the original owner completed

[vintageogauge]

Invariably this thread will morph into a MLS agent as some sort of superior real estate agent. In reality it won't matter if you use a Villages agent.

What will matter is where you are buying. All new and the majority of used but newer homes will be sold by Villages agents. As you get closer to the more established areas MLS reign.

I have used both. Both types did not have my interest in mind in the slightest. Both types had degrees of unprofessionalism.

One possibility that can work in your favor is a used but less than 12 month old home. No matter who sells it the owner cannot receive a profit. This is in place to discourage flippers. In a sought after location you can benefit from no appreciation and improvements that the original owner completed

Wrong, the owner can add the cost of improvements to the selling price to recoup the cost of those improvements. You will also have a lesser warranty when buying a almost new home vs a new home.

[retiredguy123]

Wrong, the owner can add the cost of improvements to the selling price to recoup the cost of those improvements. You will also have a lesser warranty when buying a almost new home vs a new home.
Correct, 100 percent of the cost. And, they can also add the cost for the real estate commission.

[eweissenbach]

Also, don’t forget to check Zillow.com and FSBO. com for homes that are not listed with either Villages or MLS. We bought our villa from the owner and saved several thousand dollars.

[Cobh521]

I would suggest that you work with an MLS agent and a villages agent. This way you are able to view all houses that are listed. A great MLS agent is Katy Kelly with RE/MAX Premier Realty 352-355-7982.

[mlmarr1]

MLS realtor that knows the villages..be educated.. villages aren't always honest. Watch the bonds.. welcome

[llaran]

the main focus of a V agent is to sell NEW homes

[wiseguys14]

Hello We just bought a pre existing home and used a Village representative. We met with the representative on two different visits. It is important to lay out your most important desires. In our case it was location (near town centers). We were not interested in the newer section. I was very happy with our representative. Once it was that he figured out exactly what we were looking for he was excellent. We lived up north and prior to our purchase did a tremendous amount internet searches. We had a good experience with our village agent.

[Jewelz]

We met our Villages Agent when we went down for our Lifestyle visit 3 years ago and have kept in touch with her. When we were ready to start looking we contracted her and also went to many open houses on our own. We did have a Remax agent show us a few houses, but TV had many more listing at the time. We just closed on our house yesterday and our Villages Agent Jenny did EVERYTHING for us- we are in Illinois and it was such an easy closing. I would be happy to share her info if you would like. Good luck on your house hunt!!

[J1ceasar]

It's always buyer beware and whether you deal with a salesman or a realtor even with a code of ethics there have been lots of cases of potential conflicts, please note you should never say anything in front of a realtor or a salesperson that you would not say in front of the person selling the house.
I am repeating the following from the above comment because the absolute truth,All Realtors unless designated a buyers agent, work for the seller whether they took the listing or another MLS agent took the listing. TV sales people generally operate the same, but don't have the same code of conduct

[Catalina36]

I am from Long Island N.Y. I have purchased 7 homes / real estate properties in my life time. I must say I am very satisfied using The Villages Sales Representative when I purchased my Villages home this past October 2020. My Sales Representative answered every email, phone call, and text message quickly and professionally. My Sales Rep answered every question I had about the Villages. Think about it, who would know more about The Villages then a Villages Sales Rep? My Sales Rep made sure everything was completed according to the purchase agreement contract and I feel he went above and beyond to make certain the purchase was a smooth transaction. Thank You Villages Sales Rep Chris Mullen for a job well done.

[Singerlady]

My wife and I are looking at homes in the Villages. Currently we've just been going to open houses on our own and looking mainly at listings offered by The Villages (not MLS listed). We were wondering how others have handled their purchase of pre-owned homes from the Villages. Did you get your own MLS realtor to assist you or did you deal only with The Villages sales representatives? It seems to me that dealing only with The Villages sales representatives (even if the person assisting you isn't the one who is listed as the rep for the home being sold) is risky. In that case is anyone really looking out for the buyers best interest? Would love to know other peoples experiences. If you've bought new homes your input would be appreciated too.

Thank you.

We went with one particular Villages sales agent recommended by a friend. She was frequently in touch. We narrowed down our search to about 5 models and a location that would be suitable. Our house up north sold very quickly and we had to move quickly. We followed the market online like crazy. Ended up buying sight unseen because we couldn’t get down here! WE found the house...she didn’t. No regrets!

[DecaturFargo]

Be cautious. The Village realtors do BIT show you any homes that meet your criterion, if listed by an agent not affiliated with The Villages. We lost out on homes that would have been of interest to us.

[DIver0258]

We have purchased both of our properties from VLS agents. When we purchased our current home we worked with both. The MLS agent had limited properties to work with compared to the VLS agent. We had some specific had to haves that made locating a property much more difficult for the MLS agent. We have had great experiences with the VLS agents. All of the new construction gives them a broader market to work from. It has been our experience that our VLS agent was absolutely working on our behalf. They will tell you openly when buying a preowned home they are essentially working for the seller. (this was described as don’t tell me you will pay a higher amount when making an offer, if the seller asks I am obligated to share that info)...This being said the agent was open about this fact. But we still felt they took great care of us. We have purchased preowned and new. If you desire a new home VLS is the only option.

[Marathon Man]

the main focus of a V agent is to sell NEW homes

All you have to do is tell them that you are not interested in looking at new construction. That is what we did, and the subject never came up again. They make money when you buy a house. They don't make money by showing you houses that you will never buy. They know that.

[Chellybean]

Not correct.

"In addition to being licensed Florida real estate agents, our team of over 200 agents receives frequent, professional education beyond the state’s continuing education requirements on customer care, product knowledge, and the latest information pertaining to the lifestyle we all enjoy."


Meet Our Amazing The Villages(R) Sales Representatives (https://www.thevillages.com/sales-reps/)

Don't forget to mention all the propaganda.
I have heard " quick buy now we will stop Building Soon" Also you will never have to worry about your property value either, NO Apartments! what a Joke, Stop drinking the cool-aid, LOL
Ps. and don't forget the 25% property tax increase in one year to pay there infrastructure, Please what a joke!

[Robyn1963]

I am a licensed Realtor in Florida. To purchase a home in The Villages you will need both.

MLS homes cannot be shown by a Villages Sales Associate
Villages listings and New homes cannot be shown by MLS Realtors.

You would limit yourself to what you can purchase. There is a decent amount of inventory but why limit your ability to choose.

robyncavallaro.com
I work for Exit Realty if you need assistance. Also, visit my YouTube channel I post about living in TV and what you need to know about buying here.

[richs631]

My wife and I are looking at homes in the Villages. Currently we've just been going to open houses on our own and looking mainly at listings offered by The Villages (not MLS listed). We were wondering how others have handled their purchase of pre-owned homes from the Villages. Did you get your own MLS realtor to assist you or did you deal only with The Villages sales representatives? It seems to me that dealing only with The Villages sales representatives (even if the person assisting you isn't the one who is listed as the rep for the home being sold) is risky. In that case is anyone really looking out for the buyers best interest? Would love to know other peoples experiences. If you've bought new homes your input would be appreciated too.

Thank you.

If you want to see every home, get a villages agent and an outside agent

[Bewalcla]

I’ve the replies, basically you need a trusted agent from those who’ve bought. I trust Justin Wilson from TV.

[Marathon Man]

My wife and I are looking at homes in the Villages. Currently we've just been going to open houses on our own and looking mainly at listings offered by The Villages (not MLS listed). We were wondering how others have handled their purchase of pre-owned homes from the Villages. Did you get your own MLS realtor to assist you or did you deal only with The Villages sales representatives? It seems to me that dealing only with The Villages sales representatives (even if the person assisting you isn't the one who is listed as the rep for the home being sold) is risky. In that case is anyone really looking out for the buyers best interest? Would love to know other peoples experiences. If you've bought new homes your input would be appreciated too.

Thank you.

The Properties of The Villages has sold thousands of re-sale homes. If there was an actual risk specific to them, something would have happened by now. And in a community full of retired folks, the story would have been widely told. So, no.

[mikeritz53]

My wife and I are looking at homes in the Villages. Currently we've just been going to open houses on our own and looking mainly at listings offered by The Villages (not MLS listed). We were wondering how others have handled their purchase of pre-owned homes from the Villages. Did you get your own MLS realtor to assist you or did you deal only with The Villages sales representatives? It seems to me that dealing only with The Villages sales representatives (even if the person assisting you isn't the one who is listed as the rep for the home being sold) is risky. In that case is anyone really looking out for the buyers best interest? Would love to know other peoples experiences. If you've bought new homes your input would be appreciated too.

Thank you.

Get with an MLS Realtor, there are over 400 Homes that a Village Salesperson cannot show you. Who knows which listing (MLS or VLS) your dream home will be on.

[Kathylowecan@gmail.com]

Unfortunately that is the way they work in the Tv. You need two realtors to look for pre-owned homes. They can not show each other’s listings. I’m a broker still in another State. I find this crazy!!

[rlcooper70]

Advice = pick the areas you want to live. Look only in those areas. Get both types of agents. Find the right house in the right area and then enjoy the lifestyle.

[jabacon6669]

My wife and I recently purchased a home in TV. In fact we are closing virtually this coming Wednesday, 12/16. We started out looking on line about a year ago. We contacted a MLS agent and gave them our interests. We did not want new, we did not want a bond. We wanted turnkey. We wanted between LSL and Brownwood. A designer home, as well as some other things. These were the major items, the minor items, you never find everything your looking for. They would send us listings almost daily, this was actually quite redondent. But we wanted to follow the market and get a good sense on what homes were going for when we were ready to look. Twice I had questions, and my MLS agent never got back to us. A friend of mine who lives there gave us the name of a TV agent. He was awesome. No pressure to buy new, we told him we didn't want that. We traveled down there from Maine in early November. He put a list of homes together meeting our criteria. Made an offer on one we saw the first day, one counter offer is all it took. Back to Maine we went and everything since has been done via e-mail, even the closing. So, I'm parcel to TV. Maybe just a bad experience with the MLS. I'm sure using both is a good approach as well. Good Luck.

[banjobob]

My wife and I are looking at homes in the Villages. Currently we've just been going to open houses on our own and looking mainly at listings offered by The Villages (not MLS listed). We were wondering how others have handled their purchase of pre-owned homes from the Villages. Did you get your own MLS realtor to assist you or did you deal only with The Villages sales representatives? It seems to me that dealing only with The Villages sales representatives (even if the person assisting you isn't the one who is listed as the rep for the home being sold) is risky. In that case is anyone really looking out for the buyers best interest? Would love to know other peoples experiences. If you've bought new homes your input would be appreciated too.

Thank you.
We bought preowned from The Villages listing using one of their salesmen, great experience ,no issues ,no pressure, very happy with our purchase .

[ithos]

I did not use an agent to search for homes and it worked out very well. If you have the time I would find a temporary place to stay and do your own research. If you find a home then call the listing agent. A big advantage is that you only have to schedule with one person and not two. And you don't have a guilty conscious for exploiting an agent after they spent a lot of time searching for your dream home. Because your best deal maybe FSBO, MLS or Village agent.

Another factor is that that commission will not be split and perhaps it should not matter but believe me it does when there is strong interest in the home.
When I did find a home I wanted to buy I put a bid in and the agent canceled the open house the next day and turned down another offer.

[Gonavy]

Look at FSBO also. I did it on my own and saved a lot of money. Many times, you can get a deal because the seller saves money too.

[Villages Kahuna]

With his wife has brokered the sale of hundreds of homes in The Villages last couple years. Specializes in pre-owned homes between 466 and 44.

Jason Kranz
NextHome KD Premier Realty
(352) 561-8322

[Ginsanders]

What are you looking for? Our home just went up for sale with TV

Our home is also for sale in The Villages! 1312 E Schwartz, on golf course, on water. No golf balls can hit this home! Historic site, great deal. Listed with The Villages until Feb.

[newgirl]

No, they do not act as buyers agents. Even pre owned are actually sold under the developer's umbrella ( agents are employees of the developer)

[lstevenson1470]

My husband and I bought a pre-owned home in The Villages in October of this year. Our Villages realtor was Chris Smith and he was terrific! He must have showed us fifty different houses and changed our mind about what we wanted constantly. He never made us feel rushed or pressured, assuring us that the only important thing was that we found the house of our dreams. I recommend Chris Smith highly!

[manaboutown]

No, they do not act as buyers agents. Even pre owned are actually sold under the developer's umbrella ( agents are employees of the developer)

Thank you for this answer as I did not know.:)

[Carl99]

I’m going to be selling my house in Country Club Hills . If you want to save thousands on the realtor fees , come and take a look .

[SacDQ]

Bought are pre-own home in 2019 with a Village sales person. Everything went smoothly.

However the first home we really wanted was a preowned open house listed by the Villages. We put in an offer. Our sales person contacted us later that day with news that the selling person already had a deposit but had the open house anyway without telling her fellow sales members.
Very unethical in my opinion.

[cafw1]

Buyer beware is very good advice. There are deeds restrictions in the villages. When visiting ''open houses'' I noticed several cases of houses that were in violation because the house that was for sale had landscaping and curbing that was too close to the lot line and if a complaint was made the owner would have to fix it. When I pointed this out to the agent they denied any knowledge of the violation. If you buy a house that has this problem you---the new owner--- are responsible. I feel that the seller or the agent should be held responsible if they don't make the problem known. Unfortunately that's not what happens---so beware.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

I dealt with Nitin Khirbat when buying my first home which was pre-owed and on my current home which we bought new. He was great.

I don't know why you would think that dealing with a Villages agent would be risky.

You certainly can use both MLS and VLS but you'll find that VLS has the most homes listed.

[donfey]

My wife and I are looking at homes in the Villages. Currently we've just been going to open houses on our own and looking mainly at listings offered by The Villages (not MLS listed). We were wondering how others have handled their purchase of pre-owned homes from the Villages. Did you get your own MLS realtor to assist you or did you deal only with The Villages sales representatives? It seems to me that dealing only with The Villages sales representatives (even if the person assisting you isn't the one who is listed as the rep for the home being sold) is risky. In that case is anyone really looking out for the buyers best interest? Would love to know other peoples experiences. If you've bought new homes your input would be appreciated too.

Thank you.

As you can see, most folks a somewhat biased as to their choice of a realtor. The issue in TV is that MLS realtors can’t sell properties listed with TV, and vice versa. So, to see them all, you “need” one of each. We bought a home in July from a Villages listing, after looking at a dozen or so from both Villages and MLS listings. Our Villages realtor, and he IS a licensed realtor, is Michael Veri. He had shown us homes over a four year period as snow bird renters. We recommend him heartily.

Message me if you’d like more info.

[Belva100$]

We had two sales people. One from The Villages and one from MLS. Worked well.

[Jazzman]

My wife and I are looking at homes in the Villages. Currently we've just been going to open houses on our own and looking mainly at listings offered by The Villages (not MLS listed). We were wondering how others have handled their purchase of pre-owned homes from the Villages. Did you get your own MLS realtor to assist you or did you deal only with The Villages sales representatives? It seems to me that dealing only with The Villages sales representatives (even if the person assisting you isn't the one who is listed as the rep for the home being sold) is risky. In that case is anyone really looking out for the buyers best interest? Would love to know other peoples experiences. If you've bought new homes your input would be appreciated too.

Thank you.

You need to engage with an outside realtor Plus a rep,from The Villages so that you will see all homes for sale in the villages that meet your criteria. We moved here two years ago and first engaged with an outside realtor who had access to the MLS. He was very cooperative and urged us to engage a sales rep associated with the villages so we could see homes that he was unable to show. An honest individual. We wound up buying a home listed wit the villages properties and took the outside realtor out to dinner as a thank you. He was more than gracious.

[HappyRetired]

Don't forget to check online sources like Zillow. I am finding that homes I know are for sale are not listed in the paper--even the open houses. Two in our neighborhood are for sale under smaller realtors and I haven't seen ads, so they must be online. I know one realtor who does virtual tours and no print ads. It apparently is the new way to go. We found our home riding around, so if you have an area you are interested in, drive around and get the agent and number off the signs.

[vintageogauge]

I’m going to be selling my house in Country Club Hills . If you want to save thousands on the realtor fees , come and take a look .

You would be the one saving thousands not the buyer. If you are going go sell by owner for thousands less why not just list it with an agent for 6% higher and get it sold, no need to post it here. The average home is sold in 42 days with TV agents.

[bp243]

My wife and I are looking at homes in the Villages. Currently we've just been going to open houses on our own and looking mainly at listings offered by The Villages (not MLS listed). We were wondering how others have handled their purchase of pre-owned homes from the Villages. Did you get your own MLS realtor to assist you or did you deal only with The Villages sales representatives? It seems to me that dealing only with The Villages sales representatives (even if the person assisting you isn't the one who is listed as the rep for the home being sold) is risky. In that case is anyone really looking out for the buyers best interest? Would love to know other peoples experiences. If you've bought new homes your input would be appreciated too.Thank you.

In our case we located a very successful realtor (Lynn Bartlett at ReMax) and spoke with her son Chris to clarify our wishes regarding size, location and amenities of a preowned home. Then Chris added that information to a search and send us daily any possible homes that fit our wishes. The system worked perfectly and saved us a lot of time doing unnecessary searching. (352-817-4024 is the cell for Chris).

[Rrgolf]

What are you looking for,? We have a 3/2 in Osceola Hills at Soaring Eagle. Its on the Villages website. VLS 232161

[toeser]

My wife and I are looking at homes in the Villages. Currently we've just been going to open houses on our own and looking mainly at listings offered by The Villages (not MLS listed). We were wondering how others have handled their purchase of pre-owned homes from the Villages. Did you get your own MLS realtor to assist you or did you deal only with The Villages sales representatives? It seems to me that dealing only with The Villages sales representatives (even if the person assisting you isn't the one who is listed as the rep for the home being sold) is risky. In that case is anyone really looking out for the buyers best interest? Would love to know other peoples experiences. If you've bought new homes your input would be appreciated too.

Thank you.


You are missing fully one-half the listings if you don't use an MLS source. Plus, we found MLS listings contain much more information and many more pictures than The Villages listings, making it easier to pinpoint a house of interest. Just learn to use Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia, and FSBO.com.

[macawlaw]

Our family came for a lifestyle visit last Christmas. We are still several years away from retirement and decided to start looking at 55+ communities. We had previously visited three others in the past and had not been able to agree on one. My husband fell in love with TV. As he has never wanted to participate in the building process, we looked at new that was already built or being built. Everything new we saw had carpeting throughout. I have dust mite allergies and need a carpet-free home. Also, I did not want to live in a house looking at a wall or my neighbor. This limited our selections. The Villages real estate representative who was assigned to us for our lifestyle visit was polite and patient. One morning he called with a house that had listed just that morning that met all of our qualifications. My husband did a lot of research and we looked at the house several times before purchasing. We closed in February. We are both attorneys and have bought and sold real estate on our own multiple times and were comfortable looking out for our own interests. I will add that while the house was in good shape, the home inspector (who was recommended by TV rep) did an excellent job and found several issues that had to be taken care of before closing. We were satisfied and would use that rep again.

[Shadow8IA]

They can sell it for 3% more instead of 6% and they each save 3%. $200,000 home can be sold for $194,000 & they each saved $6000.00

[Shadow8IA]

They can sell it for 3% more instead of 6% and they each save 3%. $200,000 home can be sold for $194,000 & they each saved $6000.00



You would be the one saving thousands not the buyer. If you are going go sell by owner for thousands less why not just list it with an agent for 6% higher and get it sold, no need to post it here. The average home is sold in 42 days with TV agents.

[NYCAROL]

I recently put a preowned home in the villages and would look in the newspaper for the area I wanted in the type of home I wanted I went through the mls since they can show all homes except those that are been sold by the villages. In the villages does not show homes that are under mls. I personally felt by and a pre owned home was much better deal than buying a new one . My 1st time was a new Hey and then I had to put in everything I liked This rose the cost of the home up And of course having full bond. Find the preowned home I did the bond was very low the homeless exactly what I was looking for and there were a lot of amenities such as back splash.. blinds... no carpet.. enclosed Florida room and low bond. Also updated bathrooms and quartz counters. Depends on what you want.

[Bilyclub]

We looked at both VLS and MLS homes when house shopping. Our Villages person did show us a lot of new stuff down South. We ended up finding a resale between 466A and 44A by riding around and seeing the open house flag. The Villages is a perpetual seller's market so things move fast.

[KRM0614]

My wife and I are looking at homes in the Villages. Currently we've just been going to open houses on our own and looking mainly at listings offered by The Villages (not MLS listed). We were wondering how others have handled their purchase of pre-owned homes from the Villages. Did you get your own MLS realtor to assist you or did you deal only with The Villages sales representatives? It seems to me that dealing only with The Villages sales representatives (even if the person assisting you isn't the one who is listed as the rep for the home being sold) is risky. In that case is anyone really looking out for the buyers best interest? Would love to know other peoples experiences. If you've bought new homes your input would be appreciated too.

Thank you.
The villages promotion people to sell houses are taking 5% not 6% due to lots of inventory.

There are more sale by owner and when they don’t use an agent they pass on the savings. Stay away from village homes they are always listed too high.

I would never ever use them. Had I known about the bond the fees the prison the 25% increase the quarry the inability to fix all the defects for 14 mos and the fact they own all the vendors I would have stayed away. Don’t use their bank insurance or anything.

As a single woman who wanted safety and access to services I screwed up big time moving here and now I want to sell my place. I’m not a golfer bar fly and don’t feel any sense of security. It’s much more expensive than the outdated list of expenses they provide you - add 30% more and that’s more accurate

[KRM0614]

My wife and I are looking at homes in the Villages. Currently we've just been going to open houses on our own and looking mainly at listings offered by The Villages (not MLS listed). We were wondering how others have handled their purchase of pre-owned homes from the Villages. Did you get your own MLS realtor to assist you or did you deal only with The Villages sales representatives? It seems to me that dealing only with The Villages sales representatives (even if the person assisting you isn't the one who is listed as the rep for the home being sold) is risky. In that case is anyone really looking out for the buyers best interest? Would love to know other peoples experiences. If you've bought new homes your input would be appreciated too.

Thank you.
Village sales people don’t look out for anyone’s interest they have a sales quota and it’s all about the billionaires who own this place their money and that of the sales person.

[KRM0614]

Villages agents are not Realtors, they may have taken the state exam and hold a real estate license and they may not. They are similar to a car salesman working for the dealer selling new and used cars. They cannot show homes on MLS because TV does not belong to the MLS and their agents are not all licensed as such.

Realtors are those who hold a Florida Real Estate License and have joined the Board of Realtors for their county and work under a set of code of conduct. They generally work for a broker who is part of the MLS system and can sell and list homes in that network.

To see all the resales in TV, you need both agents, at anyone time there are slightly more than 200 homes listed with MLS and 200 plus listed with TV Office. All Realtors unless designated a buyers agent, work for the seller whether they took the listing or another MLS agent took the listing. TV sales people generally operate the same, but don't have the same code of conduct.
Actually there are much more than 200 houses that are used. There are villas homes etc there are agents from all realty locations. If you go on Zillow realtor.com and the other sites you will find lots of places.

The sales staff from the villages want to sell but are also told to use the villages title company their insurance their bank etc

I purchased a home not a Villa I’m 2019 cash and still don’t have a legal original of my deed. They sent me a photocopy. After 14 months of work orders warranty never fixed everything. At this point I just want to sell, move out of the community and Florida. Lots of unethical people using the art of omission

[KRM0614]

In Florida MLS agents do not legally work for the seller . True in places up north but not here. Only the listing agent would represent the individual seller
Thanks for telling me that ! I have to say that the listing agents here are so lazy I’m amazed at how little effort they put in and promises made are just verbal! It’s the wild Wild West of real estate here

[KRM0614]

Not correct.

"In addition to being licensed Florida real estate agents, our team of over 200 agents receives frequent, professional education beyond the state’s continuing education requirements on customer care, product knowledge, and the latest information pertaining to the lifestyle we all enjoy."


Meet Our Amazing The Villages(R) Sales Representatives (https://www.thevillages.com/sales-reps/)
Yes lots of lies from them they are on the cusp of misleading to potential buyers ! That’s why they’re being sued and the realtor being sued has won the right to sell in here and will win his trial.

[72eagleman]

If the Villages has the house listed, you must use a Villages Realtor. After we visited the Villages, we selected two Realtors...One from MLS and from The Villages. We made them both familiar with where we wanted to live and what features were must haves. Our villages realtor called us on a Monday morning and shared a home that was eight months old, was fully landscaped and had a three car garage. that was coming on the market later that day. He sent me about 50 pictures and arranged for a zoom video tour that same morning after he went to the house. We made an offer before it hit the market which was accepted the next morning. All the paperwork was handled easily over the internet and we moved into our new Lilly Villa home in Monarch Grove last week....and we love the house because it has far more features than we expected. PM me if you would like the name of our realtor.

[Captrwe4]

My wife and I found a pre owned on our own and bought it from the owners. No outside relator or anything, maybe we just got lucky buying from the owner.

[KRM0614]

My big question is can Villages agents be buyer's agents as MLS Realtors can?
I was told yes but that was a lie because it’s verbal. They are mandated by signing a contract with the villages for the villages best interest and will make up a lie if you want to negotiate and they push new sales in areas far removed from local necessities, they represent themselves their profit and that of the villages and will say anything to bag a sale. That is a fact only after you sign and figure out do you realize you’d been had. The bond never goes away, add that amount the 6% interest and after it’s paid off you still pay maintenance as a line item on your property taxes IN ADDITION to HOA fees monthly which are not capped another lie - called amenity - again golf is not free nothing is as we pay for everything at inflated prices even garbage pick up is 20-30% higher.

[KRM0614]

We used both and ended up buying through TV. The MLS agent didn't seem to have what we were looking for and the TV rep. did. May have just been a matter of timing. They both seem to sell about an equal number of re-sales per year so I would advise using both. For a new home you have to use TV's agents.
That’s not true. New homes are also sold by outside agencies. No TV folks don’t have to licensed agents but are forced to after they sign a contract. Just take a test and pay a fee. In Florida if you have a pulse you can pass but you can’t sign contracts you’re not a broker or GRE.

[ithos]

The villages promotion people to sell houses are taking 5% not 6% due to lots of inventory.

There are more sale by owner and when they don’t use an agent they pass on the savings. Stay away from village homes they are always listed too high.

I would never ever use them. Had I known about the bond the fees the prison the 25% increase the quarry the inability to fix all the defects for 14 mos and the fact they own all the vendors I would have stayed away. Don’t use their bank insurance or anything.

As a single woman who wanted safety and access to services I screwed up big time moving here and now I want to sell my place. I’m not a golfer bar fly and don’t feel any sense of security. It’s much more expensive than the outdated list of expenses they provide you - add 30% more and that’s more accurate

It does seem unethical that an agent would not tell you about one of the largest federal prisons and a quarry which still uses explosives within a mile or two.

Am I wrong about this?

[KRM0614]

Wrong, the owner can add the cost of improvements to the selling price to recoup the cost of those improvements. You will also have a lesser warranty when buying a almost new home vs a new home.
Won’t make a difference. The second after the closing the warranty is pretty much worthless it’s sold off to a third party. Homeowners insurance covers very little as well.

[Pairadocs]

Also, don’t forget to check Zillow.com and FSBO. com for homes that are not listed with either Villages or MLS. We bought our villa from the owner and saved several thousand dollars.

Very excellent advice, we have done the same twice. Excellent experience and we felt much more in control of our own destiny ! Don't know why people get so intimidated about FSBO transactions, we spent a couple hundred on an attorney when selling and saved THOUSANDS we would have handed over, and have felt very protected, again, for a few hundred, by having our own attorney, NOT the "bank's" attorney, the "closing" attorney, etc. Those folks are NOT looking out for you, but some agents will tell you that you don't need anyone, that "there will be an attorney present".... believe me, THAT attorney is not concerned for you. Experience is the best teacher we found. Handed over about 20K in several moves years ago, then learned ! A side benefit I will share, had the experience of an "agent" (not here) who "knew nothing" about the cigarette butts that showed up on our GARAGE FLOOR, even though we knew not a sole who smoked, odd hu ??? Also, an agent who had an open house at our home, allowed people to "wander around", and sure enough a watch and pair of earrings were taken from a dresser drawer. Again, the "agent" was just absolutely sure we had just "misplaced" the items. Also had a contract once that spelled out, NO showings on Sundays, yet, constantly woke at 6 a.m. on a Sunday (after a hard week of working out of town) to "let you know I have a client that I'll be bringing by about 10, they have to fly back this afternoon". Well, LOL, I said, I WILL be in bed resting so PLEASE be very quiet...LOL !
Had so much of this kind of thing, finally went the FSBO route for buying and selling..... it's been a wonderful experience ever since, but an agent will narrow their eyes, look at you, and say WOW, you are so BRAVE, that can be VERY dangerous..... we've actually found it to be LESS of a land mine to negotiate. To each their own !

[John41]

I recently put a preowned home in the villages and would look in the newspaper for the area I wanted in the type of home I wanted I went through the mls since they can show all homes except those that are been sold by the villages. In the villages does not show homes that are under mls. I personally felt by and a pre owned home was much better deal than buying a new one . My 1st time was a new Hey and then I had to put in everything I liked This rose the cost of the home up And of course having full bond. Find the preowned home I did the bond was very low the homeless exactly what I was looking for and there were a lot of amenities such as back splash.. blinds... no carpet.. enclosed Florida room and low bond. Also updated bathrooms and quartz counters. Depends on what you want.

The sellers in our cyv have gone with mls or FSBO and gotten good results. The Villages Realty, I heard, have a higher commission, tend to steer buyers to new homes and have more restrictions. I agree you can get a good deal on a preowned home with lots of choices available. Myself and wife like to live within walking or golf car distance of the squares and that means preowned. There are some great cyv right next to Spanish Springs.

[John41]

Won’t make a difference. The second after the closing the warranty is pretty much worthless it’s sold off to a third party. Homeowners insurance covers very little as well.

When we bought new in 2006 the warranty was not sold off to a third party, but if it is now I would think twice about buying new.

[Andyhope]

We used brian Etheridge . Told him what we wanted , even down to an east facing lanai and price range. Didn’t waste our time showing us homes we weren’t interested in buying. Found our home in one day of looking. Highly recommend brian

[Dlbonivich]

Sort of right. If the MLS agents office had the listing we are transaction brokers if it is another agency we represent the buyer.

[Bilyclub]

Buying a house here is the easy part. Finding reasonable contractors who do good work at a fair price is the harder part.

[NavyNJ]

Correct, 100 percent of the cost. And, they can also add the cost for the real estate commission.

Sellers can (and have always been able to) add in improvement/upgrade costs to the sales/listing price of their home to the heart's content. That in no way effects the selling price that they might be forced to accept due to market conditions. Buyers will make offers based on what they perceive as the value of the home.......not a laundry list of improvements the seller added. There are more than a few examples of sellers over-pricing for this reason, then being forced to do price drops until they reach the "market" price for their area, or simply to accept offers well below their lofty expectations. But you're generally right in that sellers should "consider" the costs they've added to improve the home......then decide with their realtor how to reflect those in the listing price.

[retiredguy123]

Sellers can (and have always been able to) add in improvement/upgrade costs to the sales/listing price of their home to the heart's content. That in no way effects the selling price that they might be forced to accept due to market conditions. Buyers will make offers based on what they perceive as the value of the home.......not a laundry list of improvements the seller added. There are more than a few examples of sellers over-pricing for this reason, then being forced to do price drops until they reach the "market" price for their area, or simply to accept offers well below their lofty expectations. But you're generally right in that sellers should "consider" the costs they've added to improve the home......then decide with their realtor how to reflect those in the listing price.
My post was addressing The Villages rule that, if you purchase a new house and then sell it in less than a year, there is a maximum price you are allowed to get. Some people mistakenly think that, if you paid $300K, that you would have to sell it for $300K or less. That is not true. The actual sales price limit would be $300K plus the cost for upgrades you made, plus the 5 or 6 percent sales commission paid to the broker.

[LiverpoolWalrus]

Why would you want to limit yourself? You need both, an MLS and VLS agent.