How to find a home now the For Sale Signs have gone
 

It's really annoying, we know. Now you can't see what's for sale and therefore if you like an area and want to buy something in it, you can't see!

We came up with a solution - "What's for sale around me"

It's a mobile application that works on any phone with a web browser on it - iPhone, Blackberry, Android and more.

All you have to do is text EVUSA to 87778

It will let you download the application and off you go :)

Happy hunting!

And of course you can look by village on thevillages.com. And print out whatever you want to look at. Also Lyle Gant has an easily navigated site.

Whoops. I see now that you are an advertiser. Sorry.

Oops????
 

Too fast on the downbeat, GG?

so does a for sale sign pop up on your phone as you drive by a home for sale?:girlneener:

I wish! That would be brilliant!

Absolutely agree GG, TheVillages.com is a great resource and Lyle is a fantastic agent! The nice thing about TV is that I'm happy for people to go and check out the developers website because if they want new, there's nothing we can do about it :(

If they want pre-owned, us MLS agents (mostly haha) enjoy working together and cooperating is the name of the game!

without an obvious for sale sign i can no longer select "possible/potential purchases" to let my friends back north know about. i do not and will not have a smart phone so your app is of no use to me. or i guess i can just cause a traffic tie-up as my car creeps down the streets searching windows for signs. if you're behind me give a little honk and i'll gladly pull to the side of the road. ;)

nj, have you been honked at yet? If you want to pull up potential/possibles for friends, we are always happy to help create a shortlist for you. You can actually now create a favorites list here and then share it with your friends. If there's anything we can do to help, please don't hesitate to contact us

Minor problem. Your suggestion won't show any real estate that is not listed with The Villages as they don't, and won't list properties listed with other realtors. It's part of a thing called monopoly.

Agree. The Villages doesn't use the MLS, it will be interesting to see if they use the MLS when all new construction has completed and they are only doing resales.

Lyle Gant ONLY has MLS lisitings. If I were to go with an MLS realtor, he would be my choice. He has a great website with all MLS listings and other important information about The Villages.

Everyone that I know of who used him liked him very much. He advertises on this forum.

Actually, I do not think The Villages CAN use the MLS because they are not REALTORS. Private for sale by owners will often get their homes into the MLS because they pay a one-time fee for it to be listed for them by a Realtor. I doubt that the Realtor Association would allow The Villages that same opportunity.

it takes 2 minutes for any MLS agent to send you a complete list of every home for sale that is listed in the MLS system...probably the same with the Village agents...It's NOT a big deal!!!!!!!! Why does everyone keep trying to stir the pot? The MLS agents are upset because they are losing advertising...they WANT anyone driving through the Villages to call their company so they can get customers. As a consumer, all you have to do is pick up the phone...so simple and one heck of a lot easier than driving around looking at for sale signs. Not only will you know every house listed, you will also know the stats...number of bedrooms, baths, lot size, extras...you can narrow down your search then call the agent that was nice enough to give you the listings and ask him/her to show you properties. The homes that I have sold were almost always sold by agents that informed their clients of the availability of the home. They knew the price range and specifications that their clients were looking for and did their best to make sure the buyer was qualified to purchase. The buyers did not call off of the sign...they were given the information by their agent. Signs DO NOT sell houses...agents do. If there was a problem selling houses in The Villages it would be a completely different story but from my research it is not an issue. So you can't have a sign...get over it!!! One other thing...a Realtor is a person that has joined the National Association of Realtors and therefore can legally use that designation...it has nothing to do with the Multiple Listing Service. From what I have been told, you must have a real estate license to sell for TV and therefore I am in the process of getting mine.

Your speaking common sense.That doesn't work here.

gracie - great post! thanx for the website! luv it! just too bad that the 'author' got the facts wrong about some of the villages and their covenants [...'sudden enforcement of the restriction North of 466'...]. spreading misinformation too often fails to enable folks to draw a fair conclusion. but we can get him trained up on his research skills. ;)

Home shopping for real estate
 

Every realtor that I know of has their listings on a website. Virtual tours of the home, still pics, etc., plus a complete description including price. They have a search engine for price, number of baths, etc. I do not see the problem with finding homes to buy or rent for that matter.

clpeak - there is no problem with that process. what do you have to say about the developer stepping in and removing something that is expressly permitted in your village covenants [and has not been a problem for 20+ years]...which by doing so, shortchanges your ability to sell you home - especially if NOT using a realtor?

So, as far as signs go, its a "level playing field"? I mean is it the same in all 10 CDD'S?

trish, you posted, "So you can't have a sign...get over it!!! " please explain why those who are going to LOSE a protection which they have enjoyed in their covenants for more than 20+ years should get over the loss of same JUST because a house search can be done some other way - which does not always work - especially for fsbo sellers. why should those folks not be entitled to keep this issue as it has been - just because the authority says so? why should they not be entitled to fight for what they want - but should just roll over and get over it? i really am trying to understand why you feel that way.

is it not possible that this change will stack the deck against the interests of mls realors and diminish the ability of the individual homeowner in the select villages thier oppty to sell as they deem appropriate?...especially that all the villages props will soon enough be resales rather than new sales. i can imagine that all property sellers are not as well versed in sales possibiliities or just plain may not be able to or care to use the internet for same. i know some folks who are still not cyber-literate - and some of them live on my historic side of the villages!

Very interesting...

Yes Lyle is a great realtor in The Villages

Exactly! If I want to sell my home myself, I would want to have a sign out front. I agree that probably the majority of homes are sold thru MLS, but there are some sold where prospective buyers drive around a neighborhood, because they are looking for homes in that area. If they see a For Sale By Owner that meets their criteria, they will look at it. Signs make it that much easier. It ticks me off that the Developer took that right away from us, without a vote, without any type of input from us. This sets a bad precedent.

A tool some may find useful. If you want the iPad application, please visit: http://bit.ly/ROADv4

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/...gent_Blast.jpg

It's December and that means an advent calendar and that also means gifts! We've put together a fun advent calendar game that you can play every day and at the end of the 12 days, one lucky entrant will win a Starbucks Verismo Coffee Machine!

Bookmark and play every day to increase your chances! GOOD LUCK!

Engel & Voelkers - Advent Calendar Online 2012

One person will be picked at random at the close of the competition and will be contacted by email. If you play all 12 days, you get 12 entries. One entry per person per day please. Only correct answers count as entries.

I wonder what the rate of success if with FSBO in TV. I did meet one person who did that but it seems most people go the traditional route. Although a realtor is more than just a person listing the house on the MLS, I am surprised more people don't do it to save the commission which can give them more leeway in price.

lol...if you want an accurate answer on that one, don't ask a realtor...

I think a lot, but some folks are afraid to undertake it.

People don't realize how EASY it is. Just have the Villages come a do the FREE market analysis. They tell you what they would list your home at. If they say $200,000 and are going to get a 6% commission, you know you have $12,000 to play with. So, price the home at about $195,000 and you still have plenty of room to negotiate price. The Villages closing dept has one person dedicated to FSBO.
She walks both parties thru the whole process and handles all the paperwork.
Really good experience.

Another way to find a home in The Villages
 

What's more important? Your home or your Realtor's face?

http://i1323.photobucket.com/albums/...at100730AM.png

I have sold 3 homes myself in different states. I paid an attorney a min. fee to draw up paperwork between Seller (me) & Buyer. I would never hesitate to sell a home myself. I guess that's why I'm in real estate class. I won't allow anyone to have a terrible experience as I did with realtors. I want to be more than the 'Best'.
My motto in sales for the last 30 years has always been:

If I don't keep my customers happy, I know my competitor will!

What does this have to do with signs?

Thread from 2012...........................

Yes, that is the problem with REALTORS. They take your listing, throw it into the MLS and hope someone else sells your house. We spent a year trying to get a REALTOR to quit using open houses to sell people on other houses, etc. When we found one that would actually sell OUR house and didn't push for an open house every week, and didn't just throw it into MLS, it only took three weeks to sell it.

We can agree to disagree, but I am happy that I do not have to deal with a REALTOR ever again.

Lucky for us, we live in District 4 (Marion County). We CAN have Realtor Signs here. I would NOT give a contract to a Realtor that would not put the sign out front. I guess, when and if, we decide to upgrade, downgrade or just sell our home, we WON'T be listing it with The Villages Sales. Although, they MAY put up a sign in the yard up here, they won't. Too bad, otherwise they'd probably be our Agency of choice.

See, yet another reason to live up here in God's Country!

Xavier