What makes The Villages homes worth 150K more?
 

Edited: Like the title says. I wonder what makes the relatively same house across an imaginary line worth 50-150K more (depends on inner lot vs woods/lake lot). If you do a side by side comparison of homes in The Villages to comparable homes just across the street in Middleton, there seems to be a substantial price difference. Is it the amenities? The perceived status?

Whatever it is, I'm crossing my fingers "it" drags up the Middleton home prices with it.

The amenities made a difference for us.

Can you provide the two addresses you’re comparing?

Willing and able buyers, just like out in the case of houses across the street from one another but in different school districts, one top notch, the other middling.

I'll see if I can't scratch some up. It mostly appears to be lake lots. Maybe it will be comparable when all the Middleton lake lots are bought up. Inner neighborhood street homes seem to be relatively similar. I think that's what I'm noticing.

It’s only the price you give them, just saying.

When we were searching for a home, we too noticed Middleton prices are cheaper than the Villages. Same models as those in the Villages but $10 to $50 k less. I asked our VLS agent for an explanation. I didn't get much of a response.
Ask your VLS agent. Maybe you will receive a knowledgeable response. (We bought a preowned and never followed up.)

In 2015 we built a Liberty (Premier) model in TV. In Oxford Oaks (family neighborhood) there was a Liberty under construction. The base house price was 100 lower than our build.

You are buying a lifestyle!

Friends bought in Middleton, because TV amenities weren’t anything they were interested in. (Clubs, executive golf, Recreation centers). They can acquire an Enhanced Membership, if they choose. The Maintenance fees were much higher than expected. But same house elsewhere would have been $80,000 more.

After 2 years very happy to be in a mixed neighborhood instead of “only old people” neighborhood. They love the neighborhood, the area, and yes the sound from the sports fields, and laughter from kids. Which is far less during busy school schedules, compared to summers.

Their thoughts some Old people really don’t tolerate young children, of their own family, they definitely won’t enjoy an active family neighborhood.

Worth or Charged For
 

I see it as what the market will bear.

It’s simply the market.

Real Estate in The Villages, in many ways, is different than any place we have lived and we have lived and purchased several houses in Florida and different states. The very same model of house on a golf course lot, water lot or view lot may sell 50% to 100% more than the same model house sitting on an interior lot. I’ve seen this happen over and over in The Villages the last several years. We have been on both sides of these type of real estate transactions.

Because of the “amenities” the same model house in The Villages may be more expensive than one just outside of The Villages like in Middleton or another subdivision close to The Villages. As always, any house only sells for what somebody is willing to pay for it. Markets change and recently it has moved a bit toward a buyers real estate market.

That's a lot of money (to me at least) for "the lifestyle". Especially when you have monthly fees on top of it. To each their own I guess.

On the flip side it makes my house in Middleton more desirable and raises it's value (to a point) as well. Especially once The Villages expands and surrounds Middleton and Middleton is fully developed.

Yes, it seems we have a lot of Ex-Villagers living in Middleton. A fair number of my immediate neighbors are from The Villages.

The market saturated with new and resale housing right now it should be buyer market? especially on resales due to time being on the market. IMO those days of selling majority resale and slowed new houses in villages in month or two turned into 8 plus months. Some even more.

Well good for them…

the answer is very simple:

TV is primarily attractive to an over 55, large part retirees with a life savings from an existing home, downsizing can easily afford moving from a higher cost of housing location to a lower cost of housing location, marketed towards the national active retirees looking for an active retirement.

Middleton, with the school district, not a 55+ community, is priced for people who are not retirees, many who are moving laterally within a cost of housing location, and starter homes. . Middleton was always marketed towards working families, especially to support the trades and services within the villages, so wasn't designed to support the retirement lifestyle

I wonder if the developer missed the mark there. 1. Not many "starter homes" to speak of. 2. A lot of retired people including Villagers choosing to buy in Middleton as opposed to working individuals who serve the community.

I guess the answer wasn't so simple for me. I don't see the value in buying the same product that provides the same return/perks in an area that costs a significant amount more just to say I have that perceived level of exclusivity or amenities (which I pay extra for anyhow) or just to own that specific "label". I suppose that's just me looking at it from a pragmatic standpoint. Obviously, there is the demand to be inside those walls, so to speak.

Works for you but wouldn’t for me. As a retiree, I don’t know why I would buy next to a community with amenities rather than in that community - there are other places to live in Florida. I use the amenities a bit, my wife more, and others use them quite a lot. Middleton wasn’t an option when I moved here but I still would have paid the premium to be in the Villages.

Which isn’t to say no one would buy in Middleton. Someone with ties to the area (such as a job in the Villages) might like the close proximity, access to the schools, a planned community, and some nice amenities more oriented towards those who are busy during the day would find Middleton a great place to live.

I hear ya, I see your point. Part of it is my not loving it here. Don't get me wrong. I love The Villages and the perceived lifestyle driving up the price of my Middleton home. Trust me, I'm going to be smiling all the way to the bank when I sell.

You are right. There are other places in FL. Places that are very rural and you don't have close neighbors. That is where I'm hoping to move to, if not out of FL all together. I just have to wait a few years for my boys to graduate. Them being able to ride bikes to school sure is one of the few perks I see to living this type of lifestyle in Middleton. And the school itself being so good. I can't in good conscience put my boys back in public school.

Yo
Where I came from, I lived in a beautiful, safe rural area, but I could easily go a week or two without talking to anyone. In The Villages I perform in seven or eight musical jams or performances a week in rec centers, and I have at least a hundred acquaintances to talk with. Plus, The Villages is constantly beautiful, manicured, and safe. There’s so much more I could do if I wanted to or had the time. I love it here. A similar home not in The Villages would cost much less, but I definitely get my money’s worth. When I moved here, I bought a house on a golf course with a pool and a mortgage. After two years, I downsized to a lovely courtyard villa with lots of privacy, no pool or golf course, and no mortgage. $225,000 less. That was a great decision. The more expensive house was worth it, but this one is. Even more worth it. I wouldn’t want a villa with “kissing lanais,” though. I love my private courtyard.

Amenities. Middleton doesn’t have access to over 700 holes of golf essentially for free (comparatively speaking).

Interesting points of view to read. As a professional Real Estate Appraiser Licensed in Pennsylvania for over 30 years I have only just begun to study the Villages. My wife and I bought two years ago. We are in the Northern end in Marion County. People make markets. Our neighborhood is 20+ years old. Perception by the participants of a market dictate what is beneficial from a value perspective. Once the sparkle of the "Lifestyle" wears off then you have the things you need balanced by the things you want. Many things can be quantified such as Bedroom Count, Condition (renovations you like compared to things you are willing to accept) Location, corner location vs inner lot, View, Pool, Extra Cart Garage, Privacy ( back up to a Villa Wall, Storm Water Retention area, Golf Course, other homes and roads) and so on. Age of home can determine location. Size can be deceiving, larger home can sell for more unless you are looking to downsize into a home that has the features you want. Would you pay a premium for a smaller home that offers' all that you want? This listing is only the beginning of an analysis. There are micro markets within the markets (neighborhoods). Each can be unique to them selves. Yes I tend to ramble but only you can determine what you value the most in a home. A home is worth no more than what someone is willing to pay.

You can buy a 4 bedroom two story home with 2 bonus office spaces in Middleton for $425,000 at 3000sf. If you want 3000sf in The Villages you have to build a Premier home at way over $1M. Big difference.

So you or your spouse are obviously a Villages employee, or employee of a business that supports the Villages community in some way, so hopefully you or your spouse are happy with your job and it’s secure since your kids going to the charter schools are dependent on it. Personally, I don’t know why anyone with kids would buy in Middleton if they aren’t a Villages employee (or retiree), and able to send their kids to the charter schools. This major detail IMO makes the buying pool for Middleton fairly limited.

As a retiree I would only want to live in The Villages, not Middleton, because we love the amenities and golf cart lifestyle, not because we don’t want to live near kids. The lifestyle is the only reason we bought here (definitely not for the weather, lol). I have personally never seen living in the Villages as a status thing, but maybe that’s because we moved from a very upscale community in SoCal, which affects my perception of status, lol.

I would just be worried about resale in Middleton due to the restriction of being a Villages employee to attend the charter schools there, and the fact that if a parent suddenly loses their Villages employment their kids have to leave the schools. That would’ve been too stressful for me as a parent back when my three kids were in school.

I moved from a community with three recreation centers.
The Villages has 100 recreation centers.
It is not just the quantity of activities.
It is the diversity and quality of activities.
The squares seem to be unique to the Villages.

This Enhanced Membership is only good for the Championship Courses and pools and you still pay for the golf. The website states you must be a resident of The Villages to be eligible.

Have you compared the bond amounts as well? In the newer sections, the bonds can be considerably higher.

I’ve come across many who think that they have the world by the short hairs just because they are in the Villages. That doesn’t mean that someone who chose to live in a different community has a “less than” lifestyle. The Villages is nice; it’s why we’re in this part of the state. If you’re willing to pay a significantly higher price for a home inside the bubble, plus a bond, more power to you. If you are on board with the “lovin’ the lifestyle” selling point, more power to you. I can tell you that one does not have to live inside the Villages to be active, engaged, and invested in community. Many folks on this forum seem to take it personally if you don’t profess love for every aspect of Villages life.

One thing that the Villages does extremely well is marketing their product. They create tremendous buzz, especially in the new build sections. They were pushing Fenney really hard when we were on our lifestyle visit almost 9 years ago. Fast forward to the present, and those areas have a lot more houses, but they still seem remote. Moving the high school to Middleton was a stroke of marketing genius, which has acted like a magnet drawing families down there. I’m sure everything down there will be nice when it’s built out.

It all comes down to what’s important to you. Enjoy your home, wherever it may be!

Home Construction Materials
 

There could be internal upgrades or something as easy as one home being made out of boards and siding and the other home is made of bricks and stucco.

The Market Determines the Value
 

The market determines the value and not the seller and not the buyer. Some of the factors influencing the market's value determination are supply, demand, and location

The 3 most important things in real estate:
Location, Location, Location

Amenities
 

Middleton residents don’t get access to The Villages amenities.

Yes. We both work qualifying jobs to keep our kids in school. Nice thing is if one were to lose a job. The other qualifies the kids.

Actually there are a number of families who live here in Middleton whose kids go to Sumterville or Panofskee or where ever.

And there are a lot of ex-villagers who bought here for the “more for less” house. A lot of retirees here.

After over 15 years of living in TV one thing we realize there are many who live here who don’t play golf don’t join clubs or use any sports facilities. They moved here because of convenience the closeness of shopping sometimes they don’t drive a car sometimes their health doesn’t allow them to do .

The developer built schools for the betterment of employees offspring years ago. There are Hundreds who live in Oxford Oaks & Middleton, work for businesses on TV properties, just to have access to the Schools. I only know of a few occasions in 15 years that a parent lost their on property employment. We know many physicians who work on property for VHS privilege. With the addition of the Spectrum Center, the on property draw is sought after. We would never worry about losing employment, our jobs were already in high demand even if we needed employment in TV, just look for a different opportunity within the guidelines.

We know many who would sacrifice living a different area or life, so their children can have a safe, quality education. Do they worry about selling a house later, or missing the amenities you point out. Definitely not.
Children first, parents life second, thankfully our parents and our children believe if you choose to have a child, sacrifice of golf game, club meeting, driving countless hours to the multitude of sports events, or for some delaying retirement is never a difficult decision.

That’s why I’m stuck here. I cannot in good conscience put my kids back into a public school. Not after having them in this school.

And actually I’m counting on the appeal of the school and the neighborhood to jack the price of my Middleton home up so when I’m done. We can cash out and smile smile smile.

Interesting! So glad Middleton is a success, and the schools look amazing to me. We are just a 20 minute golf cart ride to that area and enjoy visiting occasionally to see what’s new. It just keeps getting better and better. :)

Middleton vs. The Villages
 

I had the most up front, honest sales rep at the Villages and through our conversations tailored it to this:
-Middleton is a lot cheaper yes, for the same build quality product
-The Villages proper gives you access to all the clubs/amenities - not importantly, this doesn't just mean Golf. Let's ignore all the golf options for a second. Maybe you want to join the Corvette Club. Or the Softball Club. Especially for single retirees wanting to meet people these clubs / rec centers are clutch.
-Middleton prices won't come up to Villages prices (sorry Ruger) because of the above point
-Middleton will have a great downtown (though it may take 1-2 years to feel it) and Eastport is super close. Those living in Middleton can thus go to downtown Middleton and/or Eastport for restaurants/things to do/nice walks, etc. + if they want go to the other Town Squares further up north.

Middleton has a great community of people/neighbors from what I'm hearing and you can have a great life there. Just depends on your individual situation. If you care more about the town squares and have a spouse/good friends in the area already it's fine. If you're a single retiree and don't know anyone paying more to be in the Villages ecosystem could make sense.

And what 2 retired people need that?

I don't need Middleton to come up to The Villages. I need The Villages prices to keep going crazy to increase the demand and subsequently the price of my home. $1,000,000 water front homes just make my waterfront home that much more desirable (to Villagers and non-Villagers alike). But I get what you were trying to say.

In a few years we will probably have the ability to go South or SE or SW to a square as well. Surrounding Middleton by The Villages will only increase our desirability..........I think.

Middleton is killing the retirement feel in that area. 6-8 passenger golf carts full of kids doing 25-30 mph on the MMP's, kids on scooters and ebikes zooming down the MMP's after dark , without lights, on their way to McDonalds, soccer Mom's driving like Mario Andreti rushing the kids to school - might as well be in an Orlando suburb.