[patfla06]

Hi Everyone!

Just got home from our 4 night Lifestyle visit.
Our heads are spinning from all the sights we have seen.
Loved, loved, loved TV.

I don't think there is a place that has everything TV does and all in the same place. AMAZING!!!

BUT we want to build a Premier Home and the prices we were quoted were insane. Have they not noticed the economy and housing slump has taken place everywhere?
Yes, even in the Villages.

So, we don't know what we'll do in the future.
Still very much up in the air.

[mulligan]

I know exactly how you feel. Mrs mulligan & I will be in TV saturday for our second visit, for a week. I can't wait.

[Yoda]

Originally Posted by patfla06

Hi Everyone!

Just got home from our 4 night Lifestyle visit.
Our heads are spinning from all the sights we have seen.
Loved, loved, loved TV.

I don't think there is a place that has everything TV does and all in the same place. AMAZING!!!

BUT we want to build a Premier Home and the prices we were quoted were insane. Have they not noticed the economy and housing slump has taken place everywhere?
Yes, even in the Villages.

So, we don't know what we'll do in the future.
Still very much up in the air.

When the economy gets better the prices will just go up even more. There doesn't seem to be a problem selling all the homes that they build.

You could go outside of TV and get the same house for half......But you won't.

As long as you can afford the house, it is well worth it to be here.

C'mon down!

Yoda

[sschuler1]

With all there is to do here, you will almost never be in your house anyway! We went with a designer home and still got a little over 2000 sq. ft. We are very happy with the house! Decide what you really need, what you can't live without, and see if you can't be just as happy in a smaller home. It's less to maintain, and gives you more time to go play.

[katezbox]

Pat,

Like Sue S, I am a business person. Right now home sales are on the upswing in TV, bot the other way around. The discounts being given are far less now than at the same time last year. That being said:

1. there are still good buys in areas they are trying to close out

2. Like Sue we bought a designer - plenty of room. We have just over 2000 sf and a magnificent kitchen. Also a much lower bond.

In RE location is the main factor (as I'm sure I don't need to tell you) - and you can find more home in other places for less - but they aren't in TV., And the older we get - the closer we want to be to all the fun and conveniences this lifestyle offers.

[Freeda]

Just to add my perspective for whatever it is worth, since I can relate to how you may feel about the need for lots of square footage if that is what you are used to before moving to TV, in late 2007 we moved to TV from a 7700 square foot house (and both of us had lived in large homes our entire adult lives) on a large piece of wooded property, to a villa here in TV that is about 1/4 of that size; and although we will eventually be moving to either a larger villa or a house, I can't tell you how much of a relief, de-stresser, and a pleasure it became, once I got over the initial shock, to have, at least temporarily, the much less responsibility and upkeep of a much smaller residence. It has been like living 'on vacation'. If anyone had told me, before we decided to move to TV, I'd be able to successfully make that transition in home size, I would never have believed it.

I would imagine that there are many other Villagers who also made a substantial change in home size when they moved here.

Closet space is a bit of a challenge; but thank goodness we need very little clothes other than warm weather apparel, which takes up much less space, here. Initially, since we travel alot, I kept way too many of my 'cold weather' clothes; much of which I have now given away.

So, I suggest that you just be open to considering all possibilities. Any place you live here in TV, you will love the lifestyle; and will possiblly find that you are at home alot less than you were before moving here, since there is so much to do.

[Russ_Boston]

Not sure if you like the premier for the size or the locations that they tend to put them in.

But I would suggest one of the larger designer models on a really nice private view lot (golf, nature preserve, water etc.). Even if I had the money to get more house this is the configuration that I'd want to have in TV. I don't have a really big house now (around 3k) but Linda says 'downsize'! So I listen!

[mrdills]

I have been here for 13 years and I have seen alot of growth, but the main issure has been the bond issue and I suggest you to discuss this with your sales person. The new houses could be a frog strangler. If you look at a older homes you will most likely not have to pay off a bond issure. I negotiated with the seller and had them pay it off before I bought the house. Look around and you will be supprised to find there is alot of nice houses out there and the prices are right without paying 18K for a bond.

[jeffy]

Originally Posted by patfla06

Hi Everyone!

Just got home from our 4 night Lifestyle visit.
Our heads are spinning from all the sights we have seen.
Loved, loved, loved TV.

I don't think there is a place that has everything TV does and all in the same place. AMAZING!!!

BUT we want to build a Premier Home and the prices we were quoted were insane. Have they not noticed the economy and housing slump has taken place everywhere?
Yes, even in the Villages.

So, we don't know what we'll do in the future.
Still very much up in the air.

Yes the economy has been in the dumps but there are now signs that the worst MAY be over. You cannot imagine the rush to buy a home in TV in 2005. You had to get on a list to even have the opportunity to buy a new home!!!!!!!!!!!!! They were selling 500 new homes a month. That has cooled down but i am sure that any new home developer would kill to have the sales the villages have now.

In my opinion , the biggest thing holding the sales down now in TV is the inability for people up north to sell their home so they can move here. Once things really turn around, you will not be able to touch a home in TV for what you can now.

Just my personal opinions.

jeffy

[njbchbum]

Originally Posted by patfla06

Hi Everyone!

Just got home from our 4 night Lifestyle visit.
Our heads are spinning from all the sights we have seen.
Loved, loved, loved TV.

I don't think there is a place that has everything TV does and all in the same place. AMAZING!!!

BUT we want to build a Premier Home and the prices we were quoted were insane. Have they not noticed the economy and housing slump has taken place everywhere?
Yes, even in the Villages.

So, we don't know what we'll do in the future.
Still very much up in the air.

...that you take a look at this website:
http://www.lylesellsfla.com/The_Vill...n_houses.shtml in order to get a better perspective on the area real estate market. We found it invaluable while watching the market prior to our buying in TV. I love the feature that tracks the number of days a property has been on the market and how the prices have changed accordingly.

You don't have to buy a resale from a villages sales rep - our home was on the market thru Remax. The ONLY 'inconvenience' we found was having to go to TV offices to get our IDs and to complete a small amount of paperwork about our tele listing

[katezbox]

Originally Posted by mrdills

I have been here for 13 years and I have seen alot of growth, but the main issure has been the bond issue and I suggest you to discuss this with your sales person. The new houses could be a frog strangler. If you look at a older homes you will most likely not have to pay off a bond issure. I negotiated with the seller and had them pay it off before I bought the house. Look around and you will be supprised to find there is alot of nice houses out there and the prices are right without paying 18K for a bond.

The bond is nothing more than one more cost - if you are comparing prices for new to pre-owned, I would add the cost of the bond to the new. In some cases you will find the pre-owned (with a lower bond or none at all_ offer better deals. In others you will see that the "paid off" bond has actually been factored into the asking price and that the new home offers a better value.

[Russ_Boston]

I agree Kate - everyone buying will, or should know about, the bond. Simply add the cost and move on. It is certainly not a showstopper. Not sure why so many think it is a negative - no one is hiding anything.

[Boomer]

Originally Posted by njbchbum

...that you take a look at this website:
http://www.lylesellsfla.com/The_Vill...n_houses.shtml in order to get a better perspective on the area real estate market. We found it invaluable while watching the market prior to our buying in TV. I love the feature that tracks the number of days a property has been on the market and how the prices have changed accordingly.

You don't have to buy a resale from a villages sales rep - our home was on the market thru Remax. The ONLY 'inconvenience' we found was having to go to TV offices to get our IDs and to complete a small amount of paperwork about our tele listing

The information linked here by njbchbum is good to have. DOM can tell a tale more clearly than a lot of other things can. The VLS number on TV's site can give a rather vague indication of how old a Villages listing is, but nothing as clear as what this MLS site does with showing the actual number of days on market, a pretty significant factor.

I always hope that potential buyers know that if they are interested in looking at pre-owned homes, they need to have two agents because TV agents do not sell MLS listings and MLS agents are not allowed to sell VLS listings.

As far as TV raising prices on the new homes goes, I think that should help the pre-owned market for sellers who want or need to sell quickly, if they can be realistic and not decide to jump up in listing price, too. It seems that higher pricing on new would dampen that competition somewhat and might give pre-owned sellers a window of advantage. (I am not sure if TV has raised those new home prices yet. The word from agents when we were there in early November was that they "might." I do not know if that was a trial balloon or if they have been raised now.) Buyers who are not completely convinced that new is all they want should look seriously at pre-owned homes, too. Many pre-owned homes have a lot to offer.

Boomer

[784caroline]

I agree with Rus Boston on buying a bigger Designer on a nice lot to start off with...first of all the bond will definitely be cheaper for the bond on a premier can be $40000 plus. If you get the right lot for the designer you can add a hobby room or whatever you want to call it off the bedroom or expand the family room at a much cheaper cost than new construction. This will cause you some inconvience but in the long run hopefully it wil be worth it.

I was amazed at ZILLOW.com...they are definitely showing price increases for our Designer model in our section...happy to see it....and we bought in late 2006 at the peak of the high!!

[katezbox]

Originally Posted by 784caroline

I agree with Rus Boston on buying a bigger Designer on a nice lot to start off with...first of all the bond will definitely be cheaper for the bond on a premier can be $40000 plus. If you get the right lot for the designer you can add a hobby room or whatever you want to call it off the bedroom or expand the family room at a much cheaper cost than new construction. This will cause you some inconvience but in the long run hopefully it wil be worth it.

I was amazed at ZILLOW.com...they are definitely showing price increases for our Designer model in our section...happy to see it....and we bought in late 2006 at the peak of the high!!

Sweet, Caroline! (hehe)