Who to help find existing homes?
 

We are coming to TV in April for a Lifestyle visit. Who did you use to show you existing homes?

We have been contacted by someone from Grizzard Real Estate. We have a 3+ year timeline so don't want anyone pushy or who will constantly call and pester us. THANKS!!

As part of your Lifestyle Visit, you will have an opportunity to spend time with an agent from The Villages real estate. He/she can show you some existing homes and give you a feel for the current real estate situation. I would be upfront about your 3+ year timeline. Many (most) people who come down on a Lifestyle Visit are not ready to buy and the agents will understand this. I don't think there is any real need to meet with an outside (non Villages real estate company) real estate company at this time. When you are ready to buy, I would recommend you connect again with your Villages agent (assuming you liked them) and also find an outside real estate company. The reason for this is that existing homes listed by an outside real estate company will not be shown by a Villages agent and existing homes listed with The Villages will not be shown by outside real estate companies. You need two agents to have access to all existing homes on the market. However, keep in mind that "for sale by owner" homes are also available and you would need to research those yourself. If you were to wind up wanting a new home, those are only available through The Villages agents. Enjoy your Lifestyle Visit.

Call Zina Fenster-Beasley 352-430-5376. She had our home that we bought listed...... As a sidelight, you better buy now and lese your home out. # yers from now you will pay another 20-30,000 for your home.

The Villages agents are used to dealing with "lookers" more than outside agents. I suggest you not bother an outside agents until you are ready to buy. The Village agent will show you all types of homes in your price range. When you get ready to buy, have both. Don't forget FSBO.

TV agents are the opposite of pushy in my experience. Having one work with us was a really strange experience compared to previous home buying experiences. They really do go out of their way to be helpful and not pushy.

You might want to get an outside realtor if there is a particular area you are interested in and the villages doesn’t have any listings there, but you can find homes for sale there on outside sites. For instance, right now the Villages has few listings in Virginia Trace/Sabel Chase/Largo, but there are quite a few available on Realtor.com. However, if you are interested in Fenney, the Villages has over 20 pre-owned homes listed, while outside realtors have 2.

On our lifestyle visit our village realtor wouldn’t show us anything, including pre-owned homes, north of 466A, and this was 4 years ago. I was ready to write The Villages off as a retirement area. My husband would not give up. He rented a home for a month near Lake Sumter Landing, we contacted a new Village realtor there, and now we own three homes here, all in our preferred area around Lake Sumter Landing. So if you happen to be assigned a Village realtor that has an area he or she is more comfortable with you might have to push for other areas.

If your looking for Village realtor, I can not say enough GREAT things about Greg Yoder, he is the BEST, patiet, kind kniwledgeable, just a good guy!
352-516-2616:bigbow::bigbow::bigbow:

Just be sure your Villages rep is willing to show you existing homes. Mine, who was highly referred, essentially refused to do so after I repeatedly asked. He only showed me a few new spec homes and told me to drive myself around and call him if I found an existing one. In other words he wanted me to do the work and himself collect the sales commission.

Hmmm. Not our experience. Jim McLaughlin sold us both new homes and showed us many used homes. Not the experience of friends either.

Perhaps he thought you were a realtor, Manabouttown??? and he thought you could look at them on your own??

I myself thought you were a person who sold homes until I read your recent post that said you are not a realtor.

I am not now and have never been a Realtor.

As I see it I chose the wrong guy, a guy who still works as a TV agent and who had received rides on the developer’s private jet(s) and eaten in their. private dining room.

My take on it is he made more per sale on new with a fraction of the effort so why bother to show existing. At that time he was selling new hand over fist making lots of commissions. He was very, very smooth and likable and obviously highly successful at selling. Of course he had and still has a highly in demand product to sell!

My point is that if a potential buyer wants to look at existing homes he or she should make sure their agent is willing to take the time to show them existing homes. If he or she is not request an agent who will.

Essentially our experience also. Villages agent said "You don't want to look at preowned homes. They are asking more for those than new homes."

As I understand it Villages agents are “encouraged” by the developer to move the new product. They are paid higher commissions as an incentive and/or otherwise compensated. For example trips on a company jet, meals at the developers private club and no doubt otherwise. Selling existing units is a lucrative adjunct business that satisfies a need and brings in more dough but building and selling new homes is the primary objective.

Someone like that discredits all other real estate professionals and shouldn't be working as an agent.

I would have reported him to his broker. That kind of behavior is unacceptable.

That's interesting -- actually very funny because it's precisely a Villages agent who has priced the homes that are resales!

If you find a home that is listed on the Multiple Listing Service, you will need to use a Realtor who has access to the MLS. I highly recommend Katy Kelly, from ReMAx Premier Realty. She can be reached at 352-355-7982 or katypkelly@gmail.com