Will your real estate admit the following...?

[marvinh11791]

...That is will your real estate agent tell you if the block you are considering is populated by AirBnb or Renters? My concern is I could wind up on a block that empties out in the summer and neighbors going north for the summer. Is that a legitimate concern? I don't see it mentioned very much in this forum. Thanks! Marvin

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

...That is will your real estate agent tell you if the block you are considering is populated by AirBnb or Renters? My concern is I could wind up on a block that empties out in the summer and neighbors going north for the summer. Is that a legitimate concern? I don't see it mentioned very much in this forum. Thanks! Marvin

What makes you think your real estate agent would know if the neighbors are renting their property out on air bnb? Anyone can rent their property at any time. Just because a neighbor is living in the house when you move in, doesn't mean they don't leave for 4 months and rent their place out during that time.

Snowbirds are a thing in Florida, it's no different here in The Villages. You'll find vacancies in every neighborhood during the summer months. You'll also find rentals occupied during the summer months. There are even people who aren't snowbirds - but rather, part-time residents. They only come every couple of months, stay a week or two, and rent their home out to tenants short-term the rest of the time.

And then, you might have a neighborhood that's all owner-occupied, you move in, everything looks great, and all of a sudden 3 people on your block decide they want to travel and rent their place out for a few months.

It's a crapshoot, just like it is in most of the more densely populated suburban neighborhoods around the country.

[Pairadocs]

sp...That is will your real estate agent tell you if the block you are considering is populated by AirBnb or Renters? My concern is I could wind up on a block that empties out in the summer and neighbors going north for the summer. Is that a legitimate concern? I don't see it mentioned very much in this forum. Thanks! Marvin

Just by reading your demeanor, your general level of knowledge and inquiry, etc.your real estate agent will be able to tell you EXACTLY what he/she thinks you WANT to hear. Have no fear of that. Want to know if there has been ANY sink hole activity near the home you're considering ? No worries, of course not, that would have to be revealed right ? Worried about AB& B, high percentage of rentals, of course not, not near the home you are considering. Are there NON compliance issues against the property.... perhaps it does not have the correct amount of grass, or too much stone/gravel, perhaps those beautiful trees that attracted you are actually out of compliance, planted too close to this or that, not to worry, just ask your agent.

[CarlR33]

So, you’re not here in the villages yet? You don’t want the quiet empty houses next to you 9 months a year? It’s Florida? Look at the thread about the next door pot smokers then decide, LOL.

[Pairadocs]

What makes you think your real estate agent would know if the neighbors are renting their property out on air bnb? Anyone can rent their property at any time. Just because a neighbor is living in the house when you move in, doesn't mean they don't leave for 4 months and rent their place out during that time.

Snowbirds are a thing in Florida, it's no different here in The Villages. You'll find vacancies in every neighborhood during the summer months. You'll also find rentals occupied during the summer months. There are even people who aren't snowbirds - but rather, part-time residents. They only come every couple of months, stay a week or two, and rent their home out to tenants short-term the rest of the time.

And then, you might have a neighborhood that's all owner-occupied, you move in, everything looks great, and all of a sudden 3 people on your block decide they want to travel and rent their place out for a few months.

It's a crapshoot, just like it is in most of the more densely populated suburban neighborhoods around the country.

Absolutely true, every word. 15, even 10 years ago, very rare, not all but many part time residents and rental investors existed far more in the villa areas, but that is definitely not the situation now.. Crap shoot for sure ! Our area of all full time owner occupied, owner designed, full time resident homes turned into AB&B land in less than two years after many years of friendly neighbors, driveway get togethers, knowing everyone's name, regular gold groups, and..... in a two year period, deaths, decisions to move nearer to family/adult children, yearning you experience a different retirement area before age or medical condition made that impractical, the stunning rise in cost of what was once one of the most affordable retirement areas in Florida, maybe in the south, and ...... many many many more reasons.

[Topspinmo]

...That is will your real estate agent tell you if the block you are considering is populated by AirBnb or Renters? My concern is I could wind up on a block that empties out in the summer and neighbors going north for the summer. Is that a legitimate concern? I don't see it mentioned very much in this forum. Thanks! Marvin


I don’t mind when snowbirds leave, traffic goes way down and. Neighborhood quieter.

[Babubhat]

Oral representations are meaningless. Circumstances change frequently here. In my opinion a block with higher priced homes will see less rental activity. Not much you can do

[Papa_lecki]

No - your realtor can not know if the street is full rental units or not.

If it’s a new build, you can not know.
If it’s an existing street, hang out around the street and ask. If someone asked me about my neighborhood, i would love to talk with them.

[kansasr]

Considering there are 810 homes available in AirBNB for July 1 in the Villages area and there are over 80,000 homes here currently, wouldn't seem like a big problem. And if you're interested in a specific area, just go to AirBNB, zoom in on that area and you'll have an answer.

[asianthree]

Considering there are 810 homes available in AirBNB for July 1 in the Villages area and there are over 80,000 homes here currently, wouldn't seem like a big problem. And if you're interested in a specific area, just go to AirBNB, zoom in on that area and you'll have an answer.

How does 810 on ABnB compare to all of rental sites used for TV? Our first visit in 2007 there were approximately 546 homes to rent in our criteria 2/2, for 3-5 days. TV was much smaller then, plus developer was renting homes owned by residents at that time for LSV. Not a group of homes in a village owned by the developer that you see today. We didn’t get a LSV house developer owned until 2010 at CSL.

[villagetinker]

Several years ago, the house next door was up for sale, a very nice couple stopped by our house to ask questions about the area etc., we found out a couple of days later they made an offer, and it was accepted, and we ended up with some very nice neighbors. My point if you find a suitable house stop by one or more neighbors and ask some questions.

[rjm1cc]

Years ago I rented for a couple of weeks and the street I was on had a lot of short term rentals like me and I agree I would prefer a street with more year round occupants.

[retiredguy123]

OP, the real estate agent doesn't have access to any of the information you mentioned that you couldn't access on your own. So, in my opinion, an agent doesn't need to provide you with any information of that type. Also, unless you are paying the agent as a buyer's agent, you don't have an agent. The agent is working for the seller.

[badkarma318]

...That is will your real estate agent tell you if the block you are considering is populated by AirBnb or Renters? My concern is I could wind up on a block that empties out in the summer and neighbors going north for the summer. Is that a legitimate concern? I don't see it mentioned very much in this forum. Thanks! Marvin

This was a concern of ours as well. Avoiding Patio Villa neighborhoods will help quite a bit, as many investors will buy those to use as rental properties.

Once you've narrowed down your potential home choices to "the one", run the addresses for the homes on either side of it/behind it/across the street from it through the big 3 rental sites (Airbnb, ****, and VillagersHomes4Rent), and see if they are listed. Obviously you can check other sites, as well as include more homes in the search (all of the homes on a particular street, etc.), but this approach worked out perfectly for us.

[Normal]

The short term rentals are a major problem in the Villages, it would be a real crapshoot at best to buy without talking to neighbors. No one wants a revolving door as neighbors. You will have to do your homework for a good buy.

[MandoMan]

...That is will your real estate agent tell you if the block you are considering is populated by AirBnb or Renters? My concern is I could wind up on a block that empties out in the summer and neighbors going north for the summer. Is that a legitimate concern? I don't see it mentioned very much in this forum. Thanks! Marvin

Half the homes in The Villages are empty in the summer, but they are all kept up. Most of those are not rented out, as it isn’t easy to find summer renters, and a lot of people only here in the winter don’t want other people living in their house. You can always ask your agent. Your agent can perhaps check to see how many homes are rented out through The Villages Sales and Rentals office. Or, you can go to the Air B&B web site and see if there are any rentals listed on that block. That should be pretty easy.

[Laker14]

...That is will your real estate agent tell you if the block you are considering is populated by AirBnb or Renters? My concern is I could wind up on a block that empties out in the summer and neighbors going north for the summer. Is that a legitimate concern? I don't see it mentioned very much in this forum. Thanks! Marvin

Your post inspired me to check out Air BnB, and "VEE-R-BEE-oh", as if I were searching for a rental. I searched for summer months, figuring that's when I'd see the most availability. Far from perfect I suppose, but it sure seemed to me that there are areas readily identifiable as more heavily concentrated with rentals, and areas where they are pretty sparse.

it seemed to me the newer villa areas had more offerings, and the older neighborhoods with homes had fewer. So if this is a hot button for you, you might do this kind of search yourself and compare the newer areas with some of the older areas. We live in Poinciana, built ca. 2006, in an area with "regular homes" as opposed to villas. There are a few, very widely scattered offerings on the rental search sites. We have never noticed any issues with rentals.

Just a thought. Good luck.

[jim@jedward.com]

Hi Marvin:
I’m an appraiser and I have been involved in thousands of residential purchase transactions, many here in The Villages. Your concern is both fair and legitimate. I see no reason why your agent should not answer the questions however he/she simply might not know.

I would definitely walk the block perhaps on a busier Saturday morning and talk to the neighbors. Remember also that you can look up any owner on the Sumter County assessors website.

One telltale sign of a non-owner occupied property is landscaping that is unimproved or noticeably worse looking than others. Also, in the villages owner occupants tend to invest in gutters. Landlords often don’t.

Good luck,
Jim

[RRGuyNJ]

...That is will your real estate agent tell you if the block you are considering is populated by AirBnb or Renters? My concern is I could wind up on a block that empties out in the summer and neighbors going north for the summer. Is that a legitimate concern? I don't see it mentioned very much in this forum. Thanks! Marvin

Look up the tax records for the surrounding homes where you are considering. It will give the address of the owner and if they live somewhere other than that house, it may be a rental. It's not perfect but it will tell you if it's the primary home of the owner.

[Lisanp@aol.com]

Two comments...
1) I would not be upset that my block was tranquil for 1/2 the year with how frenetic things can be in the villages during winter. You will make your friends through clubs and activities, and most Villages have some sort of social club so you will meet the neighbors even if they are not on your block.
2) The Villages Sales agents are not representing YOU the buyer, so anything they say is in the best interest of the seller.

[Justputt]

Your sales agent would be able to tell in GENERAL what they see as the more likely/desirable rental areas, which IMO, are going to be those close to squares, entertainment, golf, golf cart accessible, and such. We chose Dabney which is close enough but not too close, and we have zero problem using a car for further things since we and most people probably never owned a golf cart before moving here. I think Eastport is going to be a zoo between having the family section, schools, stadium, restaurants, ball fields, day and night games, shopping, new golf courses, etc. I'm guessing they'll be heavy rental and with all the young people, more like living in a big "small town." We love our preserve lot and being close enough for easy access but not too close.

[HORNET]

If you have neighbors that Snowbirds and lets others use their properties ( for money) , just worry about one own! That means that if anything happens ( like storm damage) then again, worry about one’s own. And when they are here, let them know that The Villages is a retirement community and not a hotel area!

[midiwiz]

sp

Just by reading your demeanor, your general level of knowledge and inquiry, etc.your real estate agent will be able to tell you EXACTLY what he/she thinks you WANT to hear. Have no fear of that. Want to know if there has been ANY sink hole activity near the home you're considering ? No worries, of course not, that would have to be revealed right ? Worried about AB& B, high percentage of rentals, of course not, not near the home you are considering. Are there NON compliance issues against the property.... perhaps it does not have the correct amount of grass, or too much stone/gravel, perhaps those beautiful trees that attracted you are actually out of compliance, planted too close to this or that, not to worry, just ask your agent.

actually you are incorrect.

The laws in this state are that IF an agent is aware of it and it's bad they have to reveal it IF you ask. If they lie they can be suspended, fined, etc. An Agent that "tells you what you want to hear" needs to be reported to the DBPR

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

actually you are incorrect.

The laws in this state are that IF an agent is aware of it and it's bad they have to reveal it IF you ask. If they lie they can be suspended, fined, etc. An Agent that "tells you what you want to hear" needs to be reported to the DBPR

There are ways of telling a truth that make it sound like good news, when it's actually bad news. If you ask them how many rentals are in your neighborhood, the TRUTH would be "we don't know, there is no way to know who is actually LIVING in each house, but we can tell you that 98% of all homes are owned by individuals, and exactly 2% of them are owned by the bank in foreclosure." That might be the "truth."

Also the "truth" - "I'm not authorized to tell you that information."
Also the "truth" - "I don't know, but you can probably check the various rental websites and find out for yourself."
Also the "truth" - "I haven't seen any rental ads for this neighborhood all year."
Also the "truth" - "I only know of two houses in this neighborhood that have "for rent" signs in their windows."

The residency of someone else's property, is not something a real estate agent is required to disclose if they know about it. They only have to disclose that information if you're looking to buy a home that has tenants. They don't have to disclose if the next door neighbor has tenants.

[dewilson58]

Mine would.

:thumbup:

[elle123]

...That is will your real estate agent tell you if the block you are considering is populated by AirBnb or Renters? My concern is I could wind up on a block that empties out in the summer and neighbors going north for the summer. Is that a legitimate concern? I don't see it mentioned very much in this forum. Thanks! Marvin
Usually the less expensive homes, like patio villas are purchased as an income producing property.

[Bonchris]

How would any real estate agent know ? I guess you would have to go talk to neighbors

[Topspinmo]

Years ago I rented for a couple of weeks and the street I was on had a lot of short term rentals like me and I agree I would prefer a street with more year round
occupants.

I rented for two months close to one of squares almost half houses in that villa was rentals due it’s close approximately to square.

[Pairadocs]

Oral representations are meaningless. Circumstances change frequently here. In my opinion a block with higher priced homes will see less rental activity. Not much you can do

We were thinking along those same lines, neighborhood of larger, high priced homes, less subject to rental, investment, AB& B. We could not have been more WRONG ! As you stated, not much you can do, although we do have family and a few friends who retired to communities where investing to rent out, subletting, etc. is nearly impossible due to the restrictions of the community. That really helps produce a more homogeneous neighborhoods.

[Normal]

So, you’re not here in the villages yet? You don’t want the quiet empty houses next to you 9 months a year? It’s Florida? Look at the thread about the next door pot smokers then decide, LOL.

I think the OP is worried about the neighborhood turning into a revolving door of renters and weekend Disney warriors. That hardly means quiet and peaceful.

[asianthree]

I think the OP is worried about the neighborhood turning into a revolving door of renters and weekend Disney warriors. That hardly means quiet and peaceful.

I don’t get the whole Disney thought. We can rent a condo or house sleeping 8 within 15 minutes of Disney for $250 a night, sometimes less depending on the dates.
This week we are staying on property at AKL sleeping 5 for $225. Value hotels we’re $89 for same date sleeping 5
If one is spending $100 plus a day for a single park per person why would you stay an hour away.entry is 7-9am closing depending on the park is 9-11p.

[DAVES]

...That is will your real estate agent tell you if the block you are considering is populated by AirBnb or Renters? My concern is I could wind up on a block that empties out in the summer and neighbors going north for the summer. Is that a legitimate concern? I don't see it mentioned very much in this forum. Thanks! Marvin

People do not understand a lot of things. YOUR REAL ESTATE AGENT unless you have hired a BUYERS AGENT works for the SELLER not the BUYER. There is ETHICS. LAW AND ETHICS are not the same thing. I'm not an attorney. My understanding is all that matters is what is in WRITING. I doubt you would get two out of ????? on the block are rental or air bnb. Even in writing it would not be so in a few days, weeks etc.

Most people like to talk. Drive around the area. BE HONEST. Wow that is a great dog I had the same breed as a kid. I'm thinking about buying in ??????? section what is it like? You can do it with anything. Wow, you have one of the nicest landscaping I.'ve seen who does it.?

Posts on this forum? Reminder all you see are people who post on this forum.

[DAVES]

I don’t get the whole Disney thought. We can rent a condo or house sleeping 8 within 15 minutes of Disney for $250 a night, sometimes less depending on the dates.
This week we are staying on property at AKL sleeping 5 for $225. Value hotels we’re $89 for same date sleeping 5
If one is spending $100 plus a day for a single park per person why would you stay an hour away.entry is 7-9am closing depending on the park is 9-11p.

I don't get a lot of things. I was at Chevy getting my car serviced. Entire showroom was Corvettes.
Bored with nothing else to do. Having already had two cups of coffee. With no one shopping-kicking the tires. I told the salesman I was waiting for my Malibu being serviced. I'm not look to buy a car but how would one of these do at WALMART. Even he laughed ok he did suppress a laugh. We he got home he said to the wife or girlfriend-the weirdest question for the day.

[FloridaGuy66]

Look up the tax records for the surrounding homes where you are considering. It will give the address of the owner and if they live somewhere other than that house, it may be a rental. It's not perfect but it will tell you if it's the primary home of the owner.

That's not a useful way of determining much at all.

Take my street for example, I live on a street of exactly 12 homes. Two of the people on my street are here 12 months of the year, the rest have a primary residences "up north" but spend 3-6 months at their homes in TV. Only one of the 12 rents their place out and only for a few months per year. On paper, 10 of us live somewhere else.

[Babubhat]

Check for a license.

State Vacation Rental License

Florida law defines many types of lodging establishments, including vacation rentals. While many Airbnb listings will be vacation rentals, that categorization may not apply to all listings. Please consult the Florida DBPR’s webpage to determine the appropriate category and licensing requirements for your listing.

See State of Florida - Airbnb Help Center (https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2371)

The state of Florida requires that all vacation rentals in the state be licensed through the DBPR.

Vacation Rental is defined in Florida law as: “any unit or group of units in a condominium or cooperative or any individually or collectively owned single-family, two-family, or four-family house or dwelling unit that is also a transient public lodging establishment but that is not a timeshare project.”

509.013 Definitions.—As used in this chapter, the term:
(1) “Division” means the Division of Hotels and Restaurants of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
(2) “Operator” means the owner, licensee, proprietor, lessee, manager, assistant manager, or appointed agent of a public lodging establishment or public food service establishment.
(3) “Guest” means any patron, customer, tenant, lodger, boarder, or occupant of a public lodging establishment or public food service establishment.
(4)(a) “Public lodging establishment” includes a transient public lodging establishment as defined in subparagraph 1. and a nontransient public lodging establishment as defined in subparagraph 2.
1. “Transient public lodging establishment” means any unit, group of units, dwelling, building, or group of buildings within a single complex of buildings which is rented to guests more than three times in a calendar year for periods of less than 30 days or 1 calendar month, whichever is less, or which is advertised or held out to the public as a place regularly rented to guests.
2. “Nontransient public lodging establishment” means any unit, group of units, dwelling, building, or group of buildings within a single complex of buildings which is rented to guests for periods of at least 30 days or 1 calendar month, whichever is less, or which is advertised or held out to the public as a place regularly rented to guests for periods of at least 30 days or 1 calendar month.

[bsloan1960]

I was told it wasn't legal for an agent to discuss who the neighbors are or what they are doing. If I'm wrong I'm sure someone will come along and shame me....That is will your real estate agent tell you if the block you are considering is populated by AirBnb or Renters? My concern is I could wind up on a block that empties out in the summer and neighbors going north for the summer. Is that a legitimate concern? I don't see it mentioned very much in this forum. Thanks! Marvin