Villages New Open House Policy
 

On Friday my wife and I signed a contract on a new house. On Saturday we went by the house and found The Villages was holding an Open House at our new house. I told the agent assigned to the open house that I had purchased the house the night before and I was surprised to see my house being used as an open house and did not appreciate the crowds of people tracking dirt etc. on the carpets. He told me it didn't matter what I wanted, the new policy was that any house under contract could be used for open houses up until closing. He stated The Villages feels that they are paying the electric bill and taking care of the grass, so it's theirs to use as they see fit. People saw the advertisement in the Daily Sun and expected to see the house advertised and were getting mad when told the house was no longer available. But even if they are allowed in, it's still sold. Attending previous open houses where a house becomes under contract has happened to me before, so I understand. But, the house under contract, was always closed and locked never open to view and another house was used for the open house.

I called my agent and explained what was going on, and asked why I was not informed of the new policy. My agent basically said the same thing that people wanted to see the house that was advertised and The Villages had an extreme housing shortage The advertising was sent to the paper in advance and the ad could not be changed. OK, so why not open another unsold house with the same floor plan? In fact, the house across the street from me is the same floor plan.

I understand that someone might want to see a Lantana for instance, but if the house is sold, why open it up to the public? It's not available for purchase anyway. There is a Model Center with all the floor plans available for people to see. With the housing shortage those models should always be open to the public not just a few.

Now some may say I'm wrong for even worrying about this issue, but I've seen open houses were people use bathrooms, climb on counters to check the tops of cabinets, bring their dogs and let them run free (we won't go there), holes punched in walls from door handles, trash thrown on floor, and all kinds of things tracked in. If you buy a house after it's been used as model, you know what you're getting.

So if you have recently purchased a house, you may want to check with your agent to see if your house is on the "rotation list" for open houses. Also check the Daily Sun to see if your house is advertised as being an Open House.

I'm repeating what the agent told me about The Villages new policy. This may or may not truly represent the policy of The Villages.

It seems that The Villages still owns the house until the closing and can do with it what they want. A lot of contracts are broken by both sides. What would happen, for example, if there was some severe and unrepairable damage to the house such as it getting hit by lighting or a tornado destroying it? You wouldn't take the loss, it would be The Villages.
Until the money and title are transferred, The Villages owns the house.

The potential buyers may not like it and I understand your frustration but I doubt that there is anything that you can do about it.

I totally disagree. It's not your house until the closing. This applies to any house that is under contract, not just new houses. You have no control over the house until you own it.

I wouldn’t be happy with strangers traipsing through my new house either. The Villages is more concerned with pleasing potential buyers than actual buyers like you.

I purchased my second home here 6 years ago and when I put down the deposit it was made clear to me that they could still show the home till I the moment of purchase

I wouldn't like that either but there's probably not much you can do about it. You would think the seller would have more respect for their buyers but.....

Since you are purchasing a new property it should be in new condition when you take ownership. If the seller allows additional traffic through the house then it would make sense that they take the risk for any damage or additional wear that is caused. Pay extra attention on your pre-closing walkthrough to see that everything is perfect and document anything that is not.

Agree with the above. In this case I would be a VERY meticulous buyer at closing and make TV bring it to pristine condition at closing. No detail would be too small.

The good thing is they will come in and clean it all before your closing. Anything you are not happy with, they will comeback and take care of. Congrats on the new house.

As one should do on any new home walkthrough.

What about the subsequent "buyers" or the agent hosting the open house? Seems like a collosal waste of time for all involved parties. I'm curious what percentage of house contracts don't close. The over/under is 10% and I'm betting under.

Maybe in the future you can have them write into your sales agreement, that no more open houses allowed. Developers are the only entities that allow open houses after they have a signed agreement. Look at your sales contract. Does it say anything about allowing them to continue to hold open houses?

It's worse in Michigan, where after you close, the people who sold it to you have up to 30 days to vacate it after the closing !!!! how's that for insane.

It’s not your new house until closing. Plain and simple.

The developer is using new houses under contract as model homes. This wouldn’t make much sense in a pre-owned home, as the realtor most likely doesn’t have a house just like it in their back pocket for any potential buyer.

Friends looked at a home that they loved, but had gone under contract that morning. Their rep would look for the model elsewhere. This was the 5th home that sold literally as they walked through the door, site unseen, by someone. They returned back to Ohio.

So yesterday their rep called to tell them the sold home that they fell in love with 9 days ago, had just returned to the market he put it on hold, and they bought it.

The original people found a house and transferred to other home. So yep you don’t own it until you sign the closing paperwork. First available closing date is 6.5 weeks from now. Remember when you closed in 30 days and under.

It's the same as you selling your house and continuing to show the house after you accepted an offer. It's still your house until closing. We had two contingency offers on our previous home after we accepted the buyer's offer.

I get your frustration but they probably already had the open house advertised. Since it was within 1 day of the signing I don’t blame them for still using your house. If they list open homes in the paper they should actually be there when people show up to see them.

Simple you don’t own it until the closing period , if you are upset about damage done before closing require final inspection of your purchase .

When it’s too late to pull the ad, agents will use the Open House to get new buyers. It’s not your home until you have the title. If you look on their website today you will see that it is “pending”. Once it’s “pending” they no longer show it.

Seams look a great excuse to demand a deep cleaning before you move in regardless of the condition. Make sure you are present for the cleaning to see it is done to your standards.

Well, having been a full-time realtor for 12 years before I came to the villages I can assure you that this does not go on other places as a rule. I think the villages owned is one of the only entities that could get away with something like this. When I had a listing and it was sold the night before an open house, I put a sign in the yard the next morning stating that the open house has been canceled. I also would try to get the ad canceled in the paper if possible. The people that were planning on seeing it just had to go home. Yes technically you don’t on the house until the closing and recording, but it’s about respect for the new owner. Obviously if you buy from a private individual this is not going to happen, even if it is listed with a Villages sales agent. If it is listed with a multiple-listing actual Realtor, this type of scenario is not going to take place. Unfortunately when you buy from the villages you put down a large deposit that is nonrefundable if you back out. This does not happen in other locales. You can back out at the closing table if you wish and in most cases get your earnest money back. Sorry for what you’re going through but I guess as they say “it is what it is “

Welcome to The Villages Jim. Their greed will not be stopped. I bought a Premier home in 2015, and was told that would be the very last of the Premier Neighborhoods. No more would be built. Guess what? More were built. When I went to the Villages, they told me it was “true at the time I built my house, but that changed. Make no mistake…THEY are in charge!
You will have a walk through before closing and a 1 year warranty. Make sure everything is exactly as you want it. You can even threaten to delay closing until it’s the way it’s “supposed” to be!
It’s a great place to live once you no longer have to deal with “The Villages”
Best of Luck.
Thank you for your service!

We signed a contract for our house in 2014. TV still conducted an open house two days later. Until we actually went to settlement, TV still owned the home. Sounds like nothing has changed.

wow I agree

House
 

You don’t own the house. It’s up to The Villages to promote their homes and allow people to view floor plans. I see nothing wrong with that mindset. Once escrow closes it’s yours.

Btw, we have a new house also under contract and closes in July. The Villages are free to have an open house there and it wouldn’t bother me in the least. No harm done, and allows others to view the floor plan.

If you go to The Villages golf cart stores and decide you want to “hold a cart” for 24hrs you put a small deposit down, and they will hold it. They also put a sign on it, basically telling people it’s on hold and to stay off of it….Why is it ok for a 15-17,000 dollar purchase but not a 250,000+ purchase to respect and keep it the way it was when the buyer put it under contract or on hold….hmmm…

It's not just The Villages.

You may not like it, but it's not your house and you can still back out.

At transfer you have the right a new condition house and the right to reject anything that is dirty, damaged, etc.

I just recently went in to The Villages golf cart store and ordered a new cart. The sales man had me sit in a cart “on hold” to experience it’s details. So….they do use the carts on hold much in the same way, as homes under contract.

This was an inventory new home.

Even on my resales, we kept showing in case incase the contract fell through.

Just because a house is a given model doesn’t mean it’s exactly the same as the same model across the street. Builders tweak things here and there. Countertops and cabinets are different. One house might have a stretched garage. The lanai might be stretched. Maybe drywall corners are rounded. Lots of things can be different. Although they likely won’t get to buy the house that is open, they get ideas about what is important to them.

Its not anyones house yet. Under contract. Under contract. Like being in limbo

You signed the contract without reading it? You certainly had the right not to sign the contract The Way it was written and if the villages did not change it you can always go elsewhere

Bait and switch ?

IMHO, the ‘Firm’ is getting bolder and bolder. Plenty of other homes to show, etc. They could’ve canceled the Open House at the site. I’ve seen that done. Examine house thoroughly at walk-through!

This happened to us in upstate NY nearly 26 years ago. Perhaps it also happened here? We don’t know as we purchased the house while abroad.
When we arrived months later it was in excellent condition. Hope you enjoy your new home and feel welcomed by your new neighbors.

Do you demand that after the construction workers leave?

Huh? How so?

Put a "SOLD" sign in the window. Bet less folks would enter. If it is removed, install another one. I've seen many pre-owned homes that had "Pending" signs displayed. Guess they do not do that with NEW homes?

Guess you don't own it till you close.

If you are confusing The Villages with anything close to a "democracy", you will be in for a rude awakening. This is a one-sided monarchy ruled by the Morse family. They make ALL the rules