[frostola]

The Villages website has changed - no longer do you find "New Neigborhoods" but now you see New "Home and Villa's Neighborhoods". And when you click on the home gallery the home prices are not listed anymore. So I guess it is all Spec homes for awhile if not forever. I guess we will have to change our plan and hope for the best!

[ilovetv]

There's not one thing wrong with spec homes here in TV. Other threads about slow-down in custom building or lot sales make it sound like people who bought spec homes here live in Shantytown.....which is far, far from reality.

If a person cannot find an already-built villa, designer or premier home here that is to their liking, then I'd say TV overall is going to be beneath their level, too.

[Buckeyephan]

I had the neighborhood map site bookmarked to check how lots were selling. Gilchrist 209 and 210 now have all empty lots "unavailable" and colored white. In the past, this always indicated spec homes. It will be nice to have grass instead of mud and sand around us.

[tghoul]

Every vacant lot for sale yesterday like you indicated is now unavailable. On a recent thread there were a few posters who said that would never happen but it has. I talked to a salesman who said their design team can design all of the homes in an Unit in a week. If they work with buyers one designer can spend from 4 hours to 2 days with one client.

[frostola]

Originally Posted by ilovetv

There's not one thing wrong with spec homes here in TV. Other threads about slow-down in custom building or lot sales make it sound like people who bought spec homes here live in Shantytown.....which is far, far from reality.

If a person cannot find an already-built villa, designer or premier home here that is to their liking, then I'd say TV overall is going to be beneath their level, too.

I personally think that the Spec homes are very nice and that is what we will be looking at now, and that is not the issue. It's just that people are different and have different priorities, for example we would rather put our money into a bigger lanai than spend it on granite-you don't get that choice with a Spec. I look forward to living in the Villages in the near future.

[patfla06]

Gilchrist 212 no longer has lots available either (went white-spec homes being built).

We bought a spec here and love it.

It's too bad though that there won't be enough lots where people can still build their own - which is always nice.

After building our custom house here in Tampa (took 14 months!), I couldn't
Get my DH to do it again (even in T.V.!).

[DeanFL]

All this is 100% correct. How do I know? My Villages Sales Rep called me an hour ago - after their big meeting - no more 'custom homes' - only Spec. And that I was the LAST customer to get a Custom build - was in the LSL Sales office at 4pm today to work the contract and choose our lot - was dark green on the map, now SOLD.
Of course there is nothing wrong with Spec homes, only that Closing is 30 days from buying. Appears my Design meeting will be in early Nov and home completion/Closing in mid Feb '14. Getting the Holly in Gilchrist 209.
Very happy of course, but sorry for those folks that were waiting a while to buy a lot and build to suit.
Personally for me, it's....phew.....

[frostola]

Originally Posted by DeanFL;725***

All this is 100% correct. How do I know? My Villages Sales Rep called me an hour ago - after their big meeting - no more 'custom homes' - only Spec. And that I was the LAST customer to get a Custom build - was in the LSL Sales office at 4pm today to work the contract and choose our lot - was dark green on the map, now SOLD.
Of course there is nothing wrong with Spec homes, only that Closing is 30 days from buying. Appears my Design meeting will be in early Nov and home completion/Closing in mid Feb '14. Getting the Holly in Glichrist.
Very happy of course, but sorry for those folks that were waiting a while to buy a lot and build to suit.
Personally for me, it's....phew.....

Congratulations!!!

[The Buckeyes]

I'm sure there is nothing wrong with a spec home except for a few things. If you like a lot you are locked into the spec home that is on it or if you like the spec home you are locked in on the lot it is built on. We now consider ourselves VERY LUCKY that we found a model we liked, found a lot with three gorgeous oaks and a number of palms to look at and, most important, would allow us to bump out the garage forward 4', the front bedroom 4', the entire side 2', the back of the house 2', the lanai 4' and the back of the golf cart garage 7'. Try doing that with a spec home on a pre-determined lot. Bottom line.........spec homes are not for everyone! At least before this a potential new owner had option which seems to now have been taken away.

[billethkid]

I defy anybody to drive around and point out which homes are "spec" homes and which were customer built.
Forget it one cannot.

Spec home is really a misnomer here. Most contractors build spec homes to fill in low sales and keep a basic working crew viable, until things pick up.

That is not the case here in TV. As we approach build out, with demand increasing, there is no need to market as when there was more property to sell.

The demand for homes in TV continues to grow. It becomes much more efficient for the developer to build homes and then offer them to the market.
They have years and years of design and spec experience and are building these homes to equal to or better than most people would choose.

For those who were not here during the "boom" years of late 2004 through 2006 (500 - 600 homes per month!!!) you are in for an education. TV will release homes as sections are complete. Prospective buyers will have their name put on a list by type of home wanted. When a number of new homes are completed the prospective buyer will be contacted and told what the house is like, that is most like or better than they were looking to build/buy. They will be told the price and where it is located and will be given a finite time limit to say yes or no. During the "boom" days some as little as 24 hours.

Every home offered will sell very quickly after notification. Yes you can turn it down and ...wait. But your name goes to the bottom of the list.

There is not one single negative aspect to this method of controlled building/selling (like it or not). Nice new completed neighborhood without any construction and contractor traffic. All new happy as a clam owners who I am sure will in no way refer to "their" new home as a spec home......that is not what it is.

As the new homes build out the demand for resales will become even more active than it is now. The baby boomers will continue to want to be in TV....and when built out there will be a finite avaialability.....with increasing demand = increasing prices. Another plus for buying in TV.

Day dreaming? Just watch.

btk

[DianeM]

I thank goodness I was able to buy my pre-built gardenia when my house in Orlando sold in 7 days. The house had been bumped out already and the lanai is almost the width of the house. Do I have granite counters? No but I can do that when I wish. Spec isn't a bad thing. Any house can be modified on the inside to whatever anyone wishes.

[JP]

I think when TV builds spec neighborhoods they look really great. When the neighborhoods are built by individual home owners that get to pick colors and house styles that a lot of times make the neighborhoods look very disjointed. I think TV is finishing build out with spec homes so they can create neighborhoods as they have envisioned them and they think will ultimately sell better and faster and have higher sale values.

[The Buckeyes]

I have absolutely nothing against spec homes.....my only point is how do you bump out a spec home?

[asianthree]

i will just buy someones bumped out stretched preowned

[frostola]

Originally Posted by The Buckeyes

I have absolutely nothing against spec homes.....my only point is how do you bump out a spec home?