The best of The Villages.....
 

A family member just sold a piece of property in Manhattan and sold it for an ---insane--- amount of money. Although he is just a "regular" recently retired guy, he wishes to use the proceeds and purchase a grand home in The Villages and he is asking for my help.

He has a budget for the house of 2.5 million with more than enough money left over to last him for the rest of his life and for the rest of his children's life. The budgeted amount would include the house, all fees, taxes and all furnishing.

"BEFORE" consulting a real estate agent and tax professional, any suggestions where we can look ?

Once again, Thank You !!!:bigbow:

I would thoughtfully suggest he rents, all over Florida if he is intent on living in Florida. The Villages may be his cup of tea or he may fall in love with other areas such as a home by the Gulf of Mexico. Good luck to him but I hope he does his homework.

I know you said he is recently retired but just to dot the I's & cross the T's are the children at the correct age level to fit The Villages rules? Just a little forward thinking! Hey, you never know! I let someone else handle the details of the age thing. :faint:

The Villages is not currently building any Premier houses. And, they have only 4 house listed above a million dollars. The most expensive listing by The Villages is about $1.3 million. So, your family member will be saving a lot of his money. He may want to buy a high quality lot, build a new house, and include a lot of expensive upgrades. Another option is for him to find a high toned woman. Problem solved.

Buy near the water.
Why would anyone want to pay that much for a villages house.
I sold my premier recently and am looking at my options.

Look in the different Bridgeport Villages, spectacular homes. There are some unbelievable homes on the Palmer golf course (Riley and Laurel) as well as Lake Miona. For that kind of coin I hope any home considered has a private 25 yard long lap swimming pool.

I have a cousin who passed away last year, but anybody that has been to Ocean City, Maryland probably has seen Billy's Famous Subs on 140th Street. He moved his sub shop from the boardwalk to that location in 1974 and took a gamble buying 3 acres for $40,000. At that time, there was nothing but sand dunes, the boardwalk ended at 35th St. and beyond that was very little. By 2000 the entire area well beyond his sub shop was built up and he retired and gave the shop to his long time manager and sold the remaining acreage for $3 million dollars, which just added to his retirement.

Anyway, he always looked for ways to make money. In 1985 when he wanted to build a house in Florida, his sub business was summer only and he wanted a winter home. He went to Hollywood, Florida and put in $600,000 along with two friends who also each put in $600,000. So for $1.8 million they bought a canal lot and built this six unit condo with parking and storage underneath, a pool in the back, plus a dock for their boat on the canal. Each of the three investors got one condo to live in and one condo to sell. So basically they built the home for free. This is the building at 3300 N. Ocean Drive.



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If he's looking for a "grand" home and his budget is 'up to' 2.5 mil including everything, I'd suggest one of the St. Augustines in the Villages of Bridgeport. They're both under $1 mil, 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, small pool, over 3000 square feet, tucked away from the world but easily accessible to the main road. He could pick out his own furnishings, rip out the carpet in the bedrooms and replace them with tile, buy gorgeous rugs to cover the tile, pay all his bonds and fees and whatnots, and still have plenty from that 2.5 mil to hire a cleaning lady to come in once a week (and tip her VERY well for holidays and her birthday).

My parents and I used to vacation every summer for a week in Ocean City, MD in the 1950's. There was no 35th Street. But, one year my mom saw a sign to buy oceanfront lots for $5,000 and she said that we should buy one. My dad immediately said, "$5,000 for a lot! Are they crazy?"

The peeps

If he wants to mingle with millionaires I suggest he check out Golden Ocala.
The average income retired person couldn't even get up to the gate, much less thru it.
Supposedly the estates in there resemble castle's from what I'm told.

I believe that all people who live in The Villages live like people who lived in the wealthiest places in history. We drive our little chariots through more miles of beautiful flowers and landscaping and cut lawn than any Roman Emporer ever experienced, with dozens of sparkling swimming pools to enjoy at will.

We live in neighborhoods surrounded by others with decades of amazing adventures and experiences who for the mere asking will share with us the way they changed this world with their diligence and creativity and scholarship at the school of life.

I think that people in all homes, big or small enjoy them with the same pride and satisfaction as the Astors and Rockerfellers and Vanderbilts and one up them because we have wonderful, WONDERFUL, air conditioning during the hottest times and only have to push buttons to water our lovely yards. We don't have to worry with snarly and petulant servants and don't have to think who has the most money because really, very few know or care where you live or how big or small your home is when you sit next to them in art class or at the squares.

I really love and have enjoyed and have been very impressed with every home I have been invited to visit in The Villages.

With 2.5 million to spend on a house, why TThe Villages?

There are quite a few who do and they did choose here.

For that money, I would go outside the villages. The villages is nice, but for $2m, you have a lot of nice options in florida.