How do you buy a house in The Villages?
 

Okay, let’s get some of the preliminaries out of the way. I did a Lifestyle visit, about 3-4 days, a year ago, in Newell. I spent July in an Airbnb in the northern village of Alhambra. I don’t want to move until I start my Social Security, so sometime after February. Although my wife was smitten with the idea of a new home, the LONG drive down to Eastport made her less eager, and I don’t want the big bonds of the new houses (I know, many say bonds don’t matter for various reasons, but I don’t want a new house bond.)

Maybe I should clarify my original question now:
How do you go about buying a (preowned) home in a community 1500 miles away from where you live?
Thanks to all who share their experiences.

Well do like rest of did. Look for houses on real estate sits and villages site. Review the information, look over the location, select ones in you like and in your budget. IMO I would get here and rent first month to month basics while looking. Trying to buy 1500 miles away not good idea to me, but that’s me. I like see the listing in person, look area over and make decision.

Right now kind slow market so plenty to select from when you get here. Should be able to close within month or two depending on how picky you are. Or when you house goes on market and has closing date come down and select then. IMO in few months market going to sluggish well into next year if not beyond do to all expansion down south.

Bonds don’t just come with new houses. Some resales will have them as well.

I would not try to but a resale 'sight unseen', at a minimum you need an inspection report by YOUR inspector, you time to find a suitable house, plan where furniture will go, IF you will bring furniture with you etc. As noted, there are sites where you may be able to get a list of potential homes to look at and schedule a trip to see the houses. Closing will take some time unless you are paying cash. You will require time to pack and move, and you will need to find a suitable mover (I suggest one that does not use a transfer station). `
Also, you will probably need 2 realtors, one for MLS and maybe one for houses listed with the villages, with the recent changes in the way the realtors work I have no idea how this works now.

You can get a fully furnished rental for a year (or less) while you look while living here without a bond, pest control worries, tax bills, water bill, mortgage payment, etc? Renting is a really good option for those reasons alone as opposed to buying, IMO. If you rent in the summer it’s a no brainer but if you do this in the winter not so much (so do a year lease). Plenty of inventory year round so why buy before you get here? The “crap” you end up bringing down with you (we all do) will need packed anyway so just do a POD and you only need to touch it once and pay for the monthly storage fee. If you look on the VLS there are many homes just over 1 years old so same as new. Speaking from our experience.

Except you are wasting $30,000+ renting a home with no equity.

Pete,

My wife and I bought our current home (not in The Villages) ne’er having stepped inside. Our realtor walked us through a few video chats where the on-line photos matched the video. I refused the inspection on the (then) seven year-old home simply because the inspector wouldn’t assess the irrigation system. Our current house is part of an HOA where reality does not dovetail with the written rules. We needn’t worry about that in The Villages; for the most part, perception is the reality. Good luck.

It can be a balancing act to pull it off with ease, but very stressful no matter what.
Buy too early.... you got two houses
Buy too slow... homeless and living out of your moving truck
Rent long term.....wasting money, plus furniture storage fees

Everybody has a different way
Few get the perfect house and area for them the first time
Most move again to the perfect house/area long after moving down

.

You don't. You rent. Then you have plenty of time to look around.

You have to decide what you want. We wanted to be near Sumter Landing. We wanted a courtyard villa for our dogs. We wanted a two car garage. That narrowed our choices down considerably so when one became available we had a friend who lived here go and look at it for us and it was perfect.

That's a pretty narrow and tough order to fill. I'd like the same thing, but pretty much gave up looking for one. Not many out there, from what I've seen.

But that $400k-$500k that you would have spent on a home is sitting in the stock market earning 9% or $36k-45k. Or, taking out a mortgage at 7% and paying that same $30k in interest expense. So, not really that cut and dry.

We were lucky.

It depends on so many things for different people. If you cash out your home up north and put that in a high interest account it can help pay a large portion of the rent. Yes, $30K seems like a lot until you do the actual math for your situation. Your not making killer equity (at age 65) in a years time even in the villages?

It's much easier in The Villages, than it is anywhere else.

Their are limited models to choose from. Narrow down your preferred area and they'll be a zillion home that will meet your needs. Given the current inventory, you'll have to problem finding one that suits your needs. Given you're going to end up painting and doing a few other upgrades, one is about the same as the next.

You'll need 2 brokers, one MLS, one from The Villages. Because of the way the MLS system works in TV, that's the only way to see the entire inventory. The MLS inventory, you can view online at a number of sites.

When the time comes to actually buy, set up 8-10 homes to view ... one will be right.. A day or two is all you'll need.

Assuming you're paying cash and selling a home to generate funds, open an Equity Line on the home you're selling. The cost is usually under $500 and you'll have cash available when you're ready to make a move, independent of whether your home is sold. That said, you really need to price the home you're selling, on the money.

Eazy peezy, lemon squeezy.

We took out a bridge loan (turns out we didn’t need it; our house before the first payment was due) and this made it possible to buy a home here. And it was cheaper than it was to rent.

There are currently 44 CYVs with 2 car garages on The Villages site (although most are not right next to LSL). I'm sure there are many more on MLS sites.

I would highly suggest that you contact Ira Miller at IM Realty. He has more than 20 years experience selling homes in The Villages (9 of those years working for the developer), as well as his own YouTube channel. He has helped many people in your exact situation. He will input your preferences into his system, then you will receive timely email alerts if a home that meets your criteria becomes available (you can obviously continue to look at listings yourself as well, and just let him know if you find something you're interested in). He can also do live video walkthroughs of homes, including drone footage. He has numerous videos on his channel related to people buying homes from out-of-state. To my knowledge, they were all very happy with the entire process, working with Ira, and their new homes.

The only thing that differentiates one home from another in TV, is location.

The way we have seen houses being bought by people who have been renters at our house,

1) They rent a house for 3-4 months anywhere in TV, furnished, off season, May through November. Advantage, they are living the life style, experiencing a typical TV house, and they spend their time actively looking for a house to buy. They use a TV sales rep, and are firm with what they want, and if the rep keeps steering them to a new build, they change reps, and they use a local RE agent

Once they find a house to buy, they figure out the financials and the logistics, and when they will move.

OR

2) they sell their current house first, its a big job, i am undertaking selling two houses, within the next year, and its daunting. That way they have made the decision, they have the money to close in 30 days and make a cash offer. They ship their items and keep them in storage until they find a house.

They rent a house for 3-4 months anywhere in TV, furnished, off season, May through November. Advantage, they are living the life style, experiencing a typical TV house, and they spend their time actively looking for a house to buy. They use a TV sales rep, and are firm with what they want, and if the rep keeps steering them to a new build, they change reps, and they use a local RE agent

They can move quickly on a house they want, and begin living the lifestyle within 30 days or so.


The real work is knowing what you want first, and then the hunt / quest continues.

Or you can do it like we did. . never heard of the place when we came down.
never intended to buy a house, didn't have finances ready to make a down payment.
you find something that looks unique and amazing even before the amenities and bridges were built, and you fumble around to buy it. . . and then go now what?

good luck. . .

Don’t do what I did. I came down and looked at 14 homes in one day. I thought I wanted a courtyard villa. I looked at 12 of them. Luckily my real estate agent was Ira Miller and between him figuring out what would be best suited for me and dumb luck, I have been a resident for just over a year. I don’t intend to move 3 times, which allegedly is the average. He helped me pick a great home for me. One very important factor, is your neighbors. You may not have much control there. My neighborhood has been wonderful and made a huge difference in your my situation. For instance, whether there is an Airbnb near you or renters etc. As mentioned in previous posts there are many factors to consider. But I would recommend looking around a little as opposed to doing what I did.

I’m a REALTOR® who loves helping people from out of state make their move to The Villages. I’ve lived in the area for 23 years and know it well. For my customers who can’t be here in person, I do live video showings and personally search through listings every day to find homes that match what they’re looking for. When I share listings, I include why I think they’ll like the home and some details about the neighborhood to help them get a feel for the area.

When the time is right, they come down to meet me, and we tour the homes they’re most excited about. By then, I’ve usually connected them with a few great lenders who can help with things like bridge loans or other financing options.

I know moving from so far away can feel overwhelming, so whether it is me, or somebody else, find someone who is dedicated to making the process as smooth and stress-free as possible. It should be about you, finding the right fit and making the transition easier for you. Best of luck to you, and the next chapter of your life!

Buying a home at TV
 

We bought a home in Feb of 24. We rented a home in TV for the month of February. I would suggest if you wanna look, rent for 2-3 months. Find a licensed realtor and also a Villages realtor. Then with looking at your own list from Zillow and the villages app you should be able to see pretty much everything that’s available. It is very overwhelming as there are a lot of homes available. It comes down to what style home and layout that you like. After we bought in February, we spent the next 2 months of painting and decorating as we wanted. Let me know if you want help. I also know a very good realtor. Good luck!!!

Though this post is a bit confusing. I’m not sure about the LONG drive to Eastport from Newell but all the new homes coming out are very close to Eastport. Buying a pre-owned home in the northern section, I doubt you’ll ever go down to Eastport since you’d have Spanish Springs and Lake Sumter Landing much closer. I assume you stayed longer than 3-4 days on your second visit since that’s not nearly long enough to know what’s here and the areas. I live in the southern section and it would take me 1 hour 20 minutes by golf cart to get up north. I never go there. Having said that. If you are insistent on pre-owned, you need to get both a Villages Sales person, and an MLS realtor, as they have different homes available. Most Sales agents here work with MLS realtors for this very reason. If you’re asking how to buy a house because you won’t be able to come look at them? Would you buy a house anywhere else sight unseen? If the answer is yes, go for it. There are bonds on pre-owned houses too so let the realtor know you want something without a bond, which most likely will be in the northern section. If you liked it way up there, again, go for it. The north and south villages are very very different. You need to pick the area you like best.

I wouldn't rule out a new build just because of the bond.
 

If you look at it as just adding the bond price to the sale price I found that the comparable prices between pre-owned and new build are very close and then you're getting a warranty, brand new roof, brand new appliances, etc.. Unless you have a specific area you're in love with I wouldn't rule out a new build JUST because of the bond. I realize some pre-owned homes have upgrades but you're probably paying to them in the resale price.

Job 1 is to narrow your search area as much as possible. Frankly, I don't see how you do that without having rented for a while. I wouldn't worry one bit about what someone has suggested about "wasting 30K in equity". First of all, it's not 30K after you do the math and figure what you are NOT paying for, i.e. Taxes, insurance, maintenance fees, amenity fees, mortgage interest (or if not paying a mortgage, you would have the dollars in some sort of interest bearing vehicle) and whatever the math might suggest, IT IS NOT WASTED IF IT HELPS YOU FIND THE HOME YOU WANT IN THE AREA YOU WANT..

The best way to relieve the stress of the situation is to remove the urgency. Renting allows you to do that.

OP you are Not stating that you need to sell prior to buying…that is your first Q&A
Do you have funds to buy and maintain two houses or plan on keeping two houses.
You have not stated what model you are looking for, Need first, want second.
So far the only concern you have posted is you don’t want a bond on new house. Does that mean you are in need of no bond, because of yearly $$$? Then one needs to look at historical sections and north area where bond is almost paid.

We have enough seasoned years that we could buy a home site unseen. Why because we know pretty much every village, from the far north to the most recent village builds.

We require Zero medical facilities within TV, I don’t waste time buying Groceries at B&M in TV. If I need something it arrives at my door at any given day or time. I don’t shop retail, because what does one need later in life that isn’t already in your home. I do find older gens require retail, more than younger, for my observation it’s about interaction for some. Restaurants in most of TV are mediocre at best. If I can make it at home better, (except for fried chicken or fish,) we eat in.

We have owned 3 new homes, one preowned and never paid off the bond. What one needs to be prepared for is instant money when buying preowned. Within 2 years of a 6yo home we needed a new HVAC,($6’000) irrigation ($950) gutters, ($4,000) driveway maintenance ($1200) exterior paint ($4,000) bathrooms/kitchen parts replaced due to leaking. Yes bond was only $1,300 a year, ($1,865 new build) but maintenance was more than we expected for such a young house.

Our first 2 “new” builds had HVAC issues, within 1-3 years, but all was covered by warranty. Our last build the AC blew a hole larger than a softball at 11 months, ( obviously a defect) Covered by warranty. HO insurance on new home $600. Preowned with 1,000sf less was $1,409 for preowned.

Newer builds are very close to Southern Oaks bridge, roughly 15-20 minutes to Brownwood and 30 to LSL. But 10 minutes to the new Middleton and Eastport, with more variety, close to hop on to 75 or turnpike, far better medical facilities and parks are 50 minutes away.
Unsure why the hurry to buy but you will find a furnished rental quickly for a month or two, because of the amount of new closing everyday.

Then again one can just buy a new house live for a year taking time to figure out where and when, sell make a profit and find a dream home.

I’ll echo others and recommend coming to rent for a few months. I would sell your existing home first, if you plan on doing that. Good luck!!

My wife an I rented for one winter season prior to purchasing. If you look at pre owned homes some things to consider:

1) how old is the roof? if over 15 years you may have a hard time with Insurance.
2) How old is the Furnace & AC system. Same problem. If to old it could become insurance issue.
3) If in an older neighborhood (we bought a 23 year old home and the Bond was paid off) is there a Bond payment?
4) Will you be bringing furniture or looking to furnish after you purchase. It makes a difference if the home you purchase is preowned sold with furnishings.
5) Taxes - If you purchase a preowned home your taxes will change on the home. If you are permanent residents you will be intitled to the homestead exemption, however the Real Estate taxes will change based upon the new sale price. Factor that into your budget.
6) I would highly recommend getting a Home Inspection. Many agents will recommend their favorite company for Home inspections. Interview your own inspectors. Not all are as thorough as others. Get the wind mitigation report. Most newer home would be built to the new building codes. Some older homes may not have been updated to the newer Roofing standards with strapping in the attic for wind mitigation. Once again your insurance company will want that inspection report.

The list by no means is all inclusive but offered as some major points to look at.

My wife and I liked the older neighborhoods with mature trees in it. Not everyone's cup of tea. Also we chose one that was a size we liked but has not been updated (Kitchen & Baths) so we can customize the way we want. Yes, there are many shopping experiences within the Villages. Up north we can jump outside the bubble to shop in 10 minutes. Having been in the Real Estate business for over 30 years in Pennsylvania my best advice - Walk before you run.

I wish you the best of luck in your search. Everybody has a "Guy" for this and that. I would recommend you talk to:

Dan McNulty, not the agent we used but a friend and neighbor who we have gotten to know since our purchase.

(941) 888-4583

YES we struggled with that decision as well! Paying rent seems like throwing money out the window! Decided a year's rent is better than making an impulsive decision to buy and end up selling. The cost of living and selling a house is very expensive compared to our home state. So, from our perspective, it is better to lose a year's rent than to later lose even MORE money on selling a house that was lived in for a short time.

Sorry if someone has stated this already...an MLS realtor can show you pre-owned homes listed on the MLS. A Villages realtor will only show you homes NOT on the MLS but on the Villages realtor/sales system. So get two realtors, one MLS and one VLS.

Have your realtor understand what you are looking for. Realtor will do walk throughs of homes live via video. You find what you like. They put it on hold, and you wire earnest money, along with signing docs online via docu-sign. Easy peasy. It was flawless for us.

It’s a 6 figure investment. Here is what I would do

1) find the great realtor, come down for a few days, see lots of houses in various locations, to hone in on what you want, vs what you think you want now. Realtor will help you. It’s worth the few thousand dollars for this vacation
2) have the realtor search new listings, until you find 1/2/3 places you think you like
3) come back down, visit those last few houses
4) close the deal

You’re spending $5000 for a few trips, to save a huge head ache on a $400,000 purchase.

Our 1100 mile long distance experience took over 2 years to complete. Rented for a month in 2018 (from Rent from a Villager). Looked at about 40 properties from both LS and put in an offer on one but we were overbid. The following year we rented for another month. We looked at likely another 40 properties and the last week, we found one we were interested in. We kept an eye on it while back in Michigan. Three more short trips back to TV to look at others and BOOM. Offer made and accepted.

Use the VLS and MLS DAILY to find your prize. Take your time and make it happen.

Buying pre-owned
 

You need a realtor and I have a good one if you need. She helped us for many years and was very patient .

Prior responses provide good information regarding the purchase of pre-owned homes in The Villages. Golfers shopping for homes in The Villages should NOT purchase a New Home in the Southern Areas, which lack enough Executive Golf Courses. Rather, they should buy a pre-owned home in the Middle or Northern areas which have plenty of Executive golf courses nearby. Also, the Bond is usually paid off on homes in the North and Middle areas, plus you are MUCH CLOSER to Shopping & Restaurants. The Bond is real debt that a home owner is responsible to pay off, so you are wise to recognize that.

Call Patrick Shores, he will meet all your needs
 

Call Patrick Shores, he will meet all your needs

Rented for a year, about middle way between the new construction, then around 466A, and the established part of town. Brownwood was too underwhelming then, so confined our search to areas accessible to Spanish Sprigs and to Lake Sumter Landing. We found the Marion County villages better constructed and landscaped, and while a bit further from LSL than ideal, when a deal presented we took it. Only mistake was in not getting a bigger garage, but that really has not been much of an issue.

Location is everything to us. Just as important as the home model we now have.

Our 1st home here did not have a golf cart garage and was in excess of 5 miles to a gas station to fill our cart, which we use a lot here. Not just for golf but for errands & yes, taking our dog for a ride every day.

Our second home here has a golf cart garage & is a 1/2 mile to a plaza which is a big deal to us.

Also be sure you ask your realtor about water treatment & landfills near you. There are several inside The Villages & they do emit odors especially in summer.

Just a stone’s throw outside of The Villages in the southern area is a federal prison. That may or may not be an issue to you.

And of course highway noise in some locations is something to consider

Good luck in your search. You will find the right home

Atwood
 

The lifestyle homes in Atwood are for sale fully furnished great location directly across the street from Brownwood Square and grocery store. They have been selling quickly that would be a pretty safe purchase remotely LOCATION LOCATION