Must haves and Wants when buying a home
 

Did you have a list of Must Haves and a list of Wants when you brought your home?

Can you please share some of them?

thank you!

If was doing it now--a big 3 car garage with a/c, no carpet from the get go--we bought a brand new house removed the carpet before moving in

If you are buying a designer house or larger, you must have at least a 2 car garage and a golf cart garage. I wouldn't even look at a house that doesn't because it will be very difficult to sell.

Must Haves. Fenced in back yard for our cats. Low maintenance. At least 2b/2b. Electric range. Privacy. Quiet neighbors.
Wants. two car garage. Volume ceiling. Near shopping (max 5 miles).
Decided on courtyard villa near LSL.

Must have - A private back yard. Either a pool or room to build a pool. Under a maximum price point (including bond, if any) for with or without a pool. Not on, or near, a busy road with lots of traffic and noise. Near most Championship golf, so the northern half of the Villages (at the time 100% of the Villages was north of 44). A home with a relatively new roof and A/C unit (or a reduced price to reflect the need to replace).

Wants - No carpet. Minimum two bed and two bath. A two car garage or one and a half garage with golf cart garage. Indoor laundry. Good appliances.

We found a home with all our must haves as well as all our wants, except it only has a one and a half car garage. The home we found did not have a pool, but had a back yard abutting a preserve with enough room to build our dream pool. We had the pool/birdcage built three years ago, and after the price of the house and pool, we still came in a little under our price point.

Must have - A private back yard. Either a pool or room to build a pool. Under a maximum price point (including bond, if any) for with or without a pool. Not on, or near, a busy road with lots of traffic and noise. Near most Championship golf, so the northern half of the Villages (at the time 100% of the Villages was north of 44). A home with a relatively new roof and A/C unit (or a reduced price to reflect the need to replace).

Wants - No carpet. Minimum two bed and two bath. A two car garage or one and a half garage with golf cart garage. Indoor laundry. Good appliances.

We found a home with all our must haves as well as all our wants, except it only has a one and a half car garage. The home we found did not have a pool, but had a back yard abutting a preserve with enough room to build our dream pool. We had the pool/birdcage built three years ago, and after the price of the house and pool, we still came in a little under our price point.

At least a 2 car garage and no carpet or tile.

Unless you like to look out your back yard and see your neighbor staring at you, I'd get a home with a view.

Open view in the back. At least 2.5 baths. Large master bedroom. Golf cart or 3 car garage. Lanai + cage.

yes we did

wanted to go new...we had just finished renovating our previous home a few years earlier and didn't want to go through that again

we had looked at all of designer floor plans that they were building at the time and had decided that we wanted a home where you didn't have to pass through the bathroom to get to the walk in closets....concern was humidity from taking showers...

the rear lanai had to face south east or south west

we didn't want to be on a heavily traveled road

we wanted mostly tile flooring throughout the house

we wanted a flat driveway vs. one with an incline

we had had inground pools in the past...decided that was not something we wanted

Needs: 2 car plus golf cart garage, pool, dining room at least 14x14, soaking tub in master, within 10 minute golf cart ride of groceries, private back yard

Wants: 3 car garage, large master, gas kitchen, outdoor kitchen, 2 1/2 bath, view

It’s all personal preference no one can give you an idea of what you want, but for us

2 car with cart garage, or 3 car. With full driveway

We have corner pond view, with a road between. While some are not a fan we enjoy the golf carts, and how many colors and styles there are. In afternoon there is hardly and traffic, and the view is very pretty. beats the kissing lanai.

We have had two new homes here in TV. (Eleven new homes overall). One here was already built and the other one here we contracted to build.

Most important;

Golf cart garage and as much storage that you can have. We don't have basements.

Enough space around you to feel comfortable and not too much to maintain.

Block and stucco. (It hurricanes here and every little bit helps)

A price that you can easily afford.

A view if it fits in your budget or if it is available...………..

All of the above plus a 4 car garage 3rd bathroom and a side entry/exit man door in the garage.

A great view and relative privacy are important to me. Not on a thoroughfare, natural gas, two car plus golf cart garage, at least two baths, three bedrooms, over 2,000 square feet. I want to be close to but not on top of grocery stores, restaurants and other shopping.

Designer home, 1800 to 1950 square feet, 3 br or 2 br/1den, open concept, 2 car garage plus golf cart garage, Roman shower, Master bedroom had to be large enough for all our bedroom furniture that we had purchased two years prior to moving here, small enough lot that watering, fertilizing, mowing, herbicide and insecticide treatments would not be costly or too time consuming. It had to fit into our predetermined cost.

Some of our must haves:
2 car plus golf cart garage because we have or primary car and a Miata convertible for a fun car plus a golf car
3 bedrooms for when family and friends visit
Gas stove because my wife hates cooking with electric
Larger kitchen because my wife likes to bake and cook
Nothing close to noisy areas (turnpike, rec centers with pickle ball, etc.). We looked at a house by the turnpike and the noise was very noticeable, even inside.

Some of our wants:
Fenced yard, but we ended up purchasing one without a fence.
No carpeting, we settled on one with carpeting in the bedrooms only
Front porch, which we got

We found by looking at several different models of homes we found the one we like the best that was in our price range and then it was just a matter of finding one with the upgrades we wanted and the area it was in. Our search was then focused on that model until we found the one we liked.

We managed to buy a lot and build the house we wanted (a Gardenia), with 3 stretches. We picked everything inside, so we were confident we would not have to do anything. REAL WORLD: we have completed 40 minor to major additions to our original dream house, we now have our real dream house. While the villages in general does a very good job of designing and building houses, there are some things they (in our humble opinion) miss. The big changes were landscaping (twice) and the birdcage which we decided not to get with the initial build. All of the items after that were more of the personal preference.
IMHO, do not skimp on cabinets, counter tops, these tend to be expensive to replace, we got these right. While I tend to agree with many of the previous comments, what is important to others may not be at all important to you, so look at your EXISTING house and see what you like and do not like, and use that as a list to start with.
Hope this helps.

We had been planning our move for several years and had a list of "must haves" and "would like to have".

We were able to find a newly constructed house that checked all of them, except for the 3 car garage.

Must haves:
view lot
at least 2200 s.f.
2+ garage
larger lanai
lanai not facing directly west
tile floor
walk-in shower
3BR min.
block and stucco exterior

Like to have:
tile laid diagonally
new construction
under cabinet lighting
3 car garage
oversized garage
granite or quartz countertops
lighter colored cabinets

Must have:
Gas appliances
Concrete and stucco
Bond Paid
Backyard Privacy
Golf cart ride to shopping and town center
Southern Exposure so the sun moves side to side not front to back

Wants:
Mostly cosmetic things that can be changed.
No carpet
Step in shower
Nice landscape

If building new the best lot with view you can afford, expect 75k-200K,
avoid kissing lanai
Tile in kit/bath
I'm in design phase now, we opted no flooring they only offer tile & vinyl plank at 16K & 25K respectively extra:ohdear:
We selected no cost sheet vinyl for now (they have very nice options) it cost way less to do after closing and I intend to use engineered wood cost about same a plank vinyl for materiel the choices are numerous HD sells Legend the #1 floor by CR
All walks & driveways rounded edges
lanai same level as main floor, both no extra cost
Lanai ceiling 10', stacked sliders 8' tall
Lanai open span 24' no column to block view
Bird cage with Panoramic view no cross or vertical beams.
Stretches several
My landscaping plan is being done with the build at great price then all sprinklers are designed around that plan, saves big time

about a zillion other mods to numerous we spent days with design taking our time being mindful that changes later are $500

.

We purchased our house when there was an empty lot behind us, our sales person told us the house would be put in at an angle since the lot was a corner lot, well he was wrong--ended up with a kissing lanai, solved the problem by putting in motorized shades inside the lanai--which are muti directional

whats important to you?
 

Besides price point, for me it was Location, location, location. I wanted to be away from a rec center, a postal station and a main thoroughfare. Some of the streets inside the village itself can be busy--it's something to consider.
For example a side street that has a golf cart path to Buena Vista Blvd or Morse Blvd will get a ton of golf cart traffic. (Until about 9 pm hahahah). Decide if that is important to you.

As far as carpeting /tile/ etc all of those things can be modified. You cannot modify the location, size or orientation of your home. Decide what is important to you and then shop accordingly!! Even building a brand new home doesn't guarantee you will get all of your must-haves. You will need to make some compromises.

I wanted to be north of 466A, (all of the major shopping is here) and easy to get to either Lake Sumter landing or Spanish Springs in a golf cart. Backyard privacy wasn't too much of a concern as long as I didn't have a "kissing" lanai so that means either a cul-de-sac lot, or backing up to a cul-de-sac lot. Lots with water / golf/ preserve views are pricier. I wish we had a golf cart garage but life isn't about the "stuff" we have. We downsized and got rid of a lot of unnecessary stuff. My third must have was natural gas cooking--again a personal preference.

I downloaded a file I found on the internet of all the available home plans and reviewed them for those I could live with and those I didn't like. I crossed all Amarillo models and those related to it. I didn't want to walk into my living room. I wanted a foyer/entryway. My home even has a closet in the foyer!! I wanted a big kitchen with plenty of cabinets with either a pantry cabinet or pantry closet, and indoor laundry. Kitchen had to be away from the master bedroom. ( I wake up before hubby and I like to bake bread early in the morning--the noise of the Mixer would wake him otherwise). I also wanted an eat-in kitchen.

Orientation of your home is important. Our home faces south, with the master bedroom, dining room, large living room window and lanai facing north (and north east). Our lanai is comfortable even on the hottest days because it isn't in direct sunlight.

We ended up in Glenbrook, north of 466. We bought a 20 yr old home this past year that was in serious need of updating and the price reflected that--$25,000 less that our max. We replaced the flooring throughout the entire house; the roof was replaced by the sellers. We have painted most of the rooms (3 more to go -- hubby and I are doing it ourselves). We are still below our absolute top end price point but once we replace the kitchen counters and put on the bird cage this fall, we will hit it. We also will have to replace some of the appliances; most of what was here is original to the house. I am glad that I get to choose what goes in, rather than have to replace a brand new fridge or stove or dishwasher because I don't like it.

I hate to waste anything; I couldn't even consider some of the newer homes because I would hate to rip out brand new carpeting, etc. to put in what I wanted. I didn't mind ripping up 20 yr old ugly carpet!

Remember when looking at older homes, look BEYOND THE DECOR ... imagine the house empty and with a clean coat of new paint on the walls.


Good luck with your house hunting!

Please tell me if you were trained in use of Kepner Tregoe process. They were two guys from Princeton that I learned from in the 70's, also in NJ.
To answer your question, the most important aspect I think is privacy, regardless of what things you want the house to give you. We live in a villa, which are most private and lowest to maintain. We have a friend whose very nice designer house backed up to another house. The owner of the other house died and her fifty-something cigarette smoking kids moved into the house. They were on their lanai all the time smoking, talking, playing music, and drinking. Our friend's planting screen did not mitigate the annoyance and her own lanai became unusable. She ended up moving after four years.

love carpet 😍

Suggestions
 

If the back of the home faces a road, stay away from the gates- cars and trucks are noisy.
Stay away from Pickleball courts.
If you are here in the summer, a west facing lanai can get very hot in the afternoon.

Carpet in Fl is a mold and sand magnet

Most definitely a ROOF and DOORS. Hoping for WALLS also.

Block stucco with hip roof, flat driveway, check your back property line with the district to make sure your neighbor has not encroached with a patio. Make sure the floors and walls inside outside do not show signs of cracking which indicate structural damage. Make sure you read the rules governing your area before purchasing. Make sure permits have been Applied and final for all important additions such as air conditioning and a new roof and water heater.Do not depend on your real estate agent to tell you all the things that you need to know. Know where your property lines are and what the setbacks are. Good hunting!

No carpeting. We eliminated almost all of our landscaping that required trimming every three or four weeks. Most important to us though was having our lanai out of the afternoon sun so we could use it in the evenings

We wanted a stretched Lily (Has larger second/third bedrooms if you don’t want tv in living room) but couldn’t find one with an affordable view lot and settled for a wall 10’ off our lanai. They built villas on the other side- 5 within hearing distance without enclosed Lana is. We enclosed ours but we could still hear the loudest ones morning to darkness. The wall so close to us began to look like a prison wall, we moved.

Hi...I have noticed so many folks have stated "No Carpeting". I agree and have tile in my home (Not yet in TV). I would think that new homes would not be built with carpet or that people selling their home would take our the carpet before listing.

A large garage. Privacy (we back up to 5 villas). Tasteful upgrades. Carpet only in BR. ELectric appliances (obviously a personal choice). I am also very fussy about paint, not the color, that can be changed. If the house is preowned then pay attention to the baseboards & trim. If done poorly you will see paint on the tile grout and flooring. A total non starter for me. Another item we overlooked was the neighborhood. We have many rentals in our area and the remaining neighbors are not that friendly. On the other hand, our friends ended up in a neighborhood with active, fun and caring neighbors. As a trade off we got a 2.5 PLUS garage. All of my husbands friends are jealous!

Get a bead on your neighbors. Do they rent out constantly? Is it a flop house? Talk to sheriffs office about “issues” in the area. Does your neighbor have their unemployed adult child Living with them. Do you like your neighbors’ cigar smoke wafting through your lanai?? Check it out. Rugs or no rugs pales with the above concerns.

I wanted to live in The Villages to make friends and get involved with activities, but I’m an introvert, and most of my life I’ve lived in the woods or on a lake. I like to be beside or in a pool, au naturel, ideally with friends in the same condition, which means having a pool and birdcage. I got the pool and a golf course and no houses to be seen out behind and trees for shading from the west-facing back yard, but the pool and view added a LOT to the cost (over $100,000 extra.) I found those, liked the house, and made an offer an hour later without seeing it in person. Houses with no other houses to be seen behind and a nice view are rare in The Villages. I would never buy one of these houses where you see a number of neighbors out back, fifty feet away, though I’d consider a courtyard house. I like the privacy. But only with a pool.

I wanted about 1500 sq ft with a large living room. Got it. Having had houses with white tile (yech!), linoleum, hardwood, or concrete floors, I wanted carpet in the bedrooms and living room and got it. (I’d lived in Ocala with white tiles, and one day with the windows open and the tiles needed sweeping because they felt gritty.)

I didn’t care if I got granite counters, but they were already there. Got a walk in shower. I really love a six foot long deep bathtub, but I’ll have to do that myself. I really wanted a 2.5 Space garage. I’d pay a lot extra for that. No luck. I wanted his and hers walk in closets and lots of other well-designed closets and got them.

I bought a house with a new roof, new AC system, and bond paid. That was like getting a $50,000 price cut. I also bought it furnished, which saved me a LOT of money. All I had to do was make the sale contingent on having the furniture included. (It’s a good deal for the sellers, as used furniture doesn't get much from consignment sellers.)

When I added up all the good points and subtracted the wishes the house didn’t have (the golf cart garage), I bought. (Of course, the house also looked great indoors and out—impeccable.)

Lanai should be deeper than many that are 8 feet like ours...too narrow for furniture and the lanai should face East or North to avoid the afternoon/evening sun. We missed that and our lanai is extremely hot.

I agree that location is the most important must have. We wanted to be less than 10 minutes by golf cart to grocery, shopping and restaurants. We wanted to be south of 466A (but north of 44) in a newer more active neighborhood.

Must have for the house was a 2 car plus golf cart garage, 2000 square feet, and some privacy in the back yard.

We really wanted to have a gas stove but that really limits your location here in TV. Our home had an electric stove but we recently replaced it with an induction stove and love it! Better than even a gas stove! They are pricey and you have to probably replace your existing cookware, but it’s better than limiting your location based on where gas is available.

I wanted a stucco house with golf car garage on a corner lot with 3 bathrooms and 3 bedrooms. My husband wanted a designated "man cave" and preferred a furnished place as we sold our previous home with furniture. We rented for 6 months and I looked in the paper everyday for the new and pre-owned open houses and I went to at least one of those homes everyday. Once we decided we were ready to buy I made a top 10 list and we looked at those homes. We ended up buying a frame and sided house with a double car garage not on a corner (but on a small culdesac) with only 2 bathrooms but 4 bedrooms. The moral of our story was that we took our time and after looking at many homes we found in our case that although my husband thought we would save money by buying a pre-owned home with furniture that at least the ones we looked at had furniture that was not our taste and were charging a fairly high premium on the price to include that furniture. I would have liked a stucco house but the floorplan that we ultimately bought, The Ponderosa Pine, gave my husband his "man cave" which would not be lost to him when we pulled the pocket door to close off the guest wing. He loves this feature. Also, we have 3 kids so when they all come for Christmas they each have a room as we put a sofa bed in the "man cave". Our double car garage is expanded so deeper than normal so it fits a car and two golf carts back to back quite nicely. We got a brand new home for a very good price. We were $60,000 less than our max budget! The moral of our story was not to rush. We have owned our home for almost 4 years and are still very happy with our purchase.

No tile except bathroom and kitchen

You first have to determine budget. Once you determine budget then you can determine must haves. Do not set your sights on a “want” you can not afford. All of the above suggestions are valid but, they all cost money! A good realtor can help you get what you want and can afford. 24 years in real estate and 17 moves makes me an expert! Andrea Bonivich, Sellstate Superior Realty