[SookeyJo]

It seems like property in The Villages is selling as soon, if not before, it even hits the market. I've been told many people are buying sight unseen. What are your experiences regarding this? Have you been happy with your home/villa purchase? We just put a contract on a villa sight unseen and are scared to death we could be making a big mistake. We will be having an inspection done before the final papers are signed. The villa we have put a contract on is a 2002 Colony.

This is an exciting time for us but just as scary!!! Need everyone's input ASAP!! Thank you so much!!

SookeyJo (Sue)

[jane032657]

I think it is better to see it. You need to see what you face; how close are your neighbors; what does the big picture of the neighborhood look like; what are you close to and are you happy with that; how big are the rooms-sometimes they can be shockingly small; what is your closet space like; do you have room to expand if you decide to later or add a birdcage and what will that be like depending on who is next to you and what they have? Every neighborhood has pluses and minuses and unless you see it, drive around, get a feel for it, you might be one of the many who buy, sell, re-buy...that is expensive. It's worth a flight to see what your money is buying you and compare it to what else there is.

[Cajulian]

I will say that we bought our house sight unseen and love everything about it and it's location and surroundings.

However, with that said, we were thoroughly familiar already with each of the models we had seen previously on visits.

We also had close friends that looked at them on our behalf and knew exactly what we liked. Those close friends also we're very meticulous in identifying all conditions of the property, landscaping, and neighborhood. They sent us pictures in NY. We also had an opportunity to get a house offer in the very first day it hit the market before anyone even had a chance to see it. We are happy.

But, I would still advise if you have the opportunity, always try to see what you are going to buy. If you have lots of money and it doesn't matter, that's always nice.

Whatever you do, get to The Villages. The Lifestyle is terrific. All the best to you.

[Carl in Tampa]

Not all villas are created equal.

Although floor plans are similar, the view out the back, the location within the park and even the orientation with regard to where the sun rises and sets can have a great impact on whether or not you will be comfortable in the residence. Some people want to be in the newer areas of the park; others like being in an older area where the trees and shrubs are more fully developed.

We looked at dozens of villas before finally buying a house. Of those many villas we looked at there were only two that we would have considered purchasing. One was an end unit on a golf course and the other was an end unit with a vacant green space behind it.

You never know what you might like until you see it on the ground. Unless you are financially unable to afford making a quick visit to view the unit you intend to buy, you should do so. You run the risk of not liking what you have purchased.

We were fortunate; we had the leisure to rent a house for a month and spend that month looking at houses. Using a The Villages realtor, an outside realtor and looking on our own, we looked at over 100 prospects. That means there were a lot of houses that didn't suit us for one reason or another.

The house we finally selected was For Sale By Owner.

Best of luck on whatever decision you make.

[njbchbum]

Fear not! Friends of ours bought sight unseen and they love the house! They did have friends do the walk thru before they bought and the realtor took lots of iside/outside pictures and an extensive video for them. When they had the pix and the video they had the whold grand tour of the house, the property and the neighbors. And your choice of the Colony model is a great choice! Hope you had similar assistance.

[Kirsten Lee]

Sue, I can only relate our experience. We knew what model we wanted, a furnished Amarillo with a Florida room. We wrote a offer by fax based on 6 pictures on The Villages website. We closed in May and did not see the property until July 4th. There are many extras we love, solar tubes, sliders in the lanai, beautiful landscaping, pull out screens for the front and garage doors. We have added a hand mixer and crock pot and new silverware (I wanted something different), changed the bedding and curtains in the master (Hubby did not like dark pink flowers), added a few new pictures and a couple sets of towels. Disappointments: Beige carpet had large area rugs in living room and Florida room that covered lots of stains. Best thing is we love the area (Summerhill) and our street. We hosted a 2 hour afternoon party when we went in July and everyone but the single gentleman of the street came. The most welcoming kind people. We can't wait to move down in a few years.

[sharoni]

We had been looking for a CYV, Bonifay model for months and months on a corner lot. We wanted room for a pool...It just didn't exist and didn't look like it would in the near or far future. It was our life, checking all the homes on the website daily. We had seen a new Bonifay, completely furnished, but not on a corner lot. After watching it for several days, I woke up in the morning and told my husband, let's get it! We called the realtor we'd been working with on previous visits and she took more pictures than were on the website. We sent down a check. We have no regrets. Even though it was furnished, we still put our touches on it, redid landscape, and surprising added a small pool. We didn't even need that corner lot...

[ijusluvit]

We bought sight unseen and have met quite of few other folks who did the same. But we knew what we wanted and how high the priorities were for the home's features. Foe example, what was important to us was a corner lot and a safe, quiet golf view. We wanted an open design with 3 bedrooms near shopping but in a PEACEFUL spot. We didn't care about the interior condition, the yard and landscaping or other small details. Friends of ours looked at place they thought we'd like. We bought it that day and have been living there blissfully ever since.

[OBXNana]

We're within about 2 weeks of buying sight unseen. We narrowed our choices and decided we wanted new construction. For the last couple months we've been watching the houses on The Villages web site and picked out our favorite 2 with what we wanted in a lot within our price range. Our Realtor took videos of both houses, back yard, and interior.

We have purchased without seeing a property in the past in another area and had no regrets. But, as other have said, if at all possible it is probably best to see for yourself what you're buying. We have time restraints and afraid we won't get what we want by waiting until we can make another trip to Florida. We will be moving forward without seeing the villa in person.

It's a huge decision, but such fun dreaming about the day you can live in Paradise!

[justjim]

The way houses/Villas are selling in TV it appears to be 2006 all over again. We were actually on a waiting list for a Villa. Within two years the housing bubble burst. Not as bad in TV as the rest of the country but nevertheless prices did take a dip.

Now that TV is in the so called "final phase" there is a bit of over exuberance, especially regarding new construction. I would spend some time actually looking at both new construction and resales. There are plenty of houses available now and will be in the future. Take your time and choose wisely.

[DougB]

Originally Posted by SookeyJo

It seems like property in The Villages is selling as soon, if not before, it even hits the market. I've been told many people are buying sight unseen. What are your experiences regarding this? Have you been happy with your home/villa purchase? We just put a contract on a villa sight unseen and are scared to death we could be making a big mistake. We will be having an inspection done before the final papers are signed. The villa we have put a contract on is a 2002 Colony.

This is an exciting time for us but just as scary!!! Need everyone's input ASAP!! Thank you so much!!

SookeyJo (Sue)

Little late to worry about it now.

[2BNTV]

Originally Posted by SookeyJo

It seems like property in The Villages is selling as soon, if not before, it even hits the market. I've been told many people are buying sight unseen. What are your experiences regarding this? Have you been happy with your home/villa purchase? We just put a contract on a villa sight unseen and are scared to death we could be making a big mistake. We will be having an inspection done before the final papers are signed. The villa we have put a contract on is a 2002 Colony.

This is an exciting time for us but just as scary!!! Need everyone's input ASAP!! Thank you so much!!

SookeyJo (Sue)

If your big concern was sight unseen, the contract should have had a clause, that lets you back out if for some reason, if you don't like it.

A lot of us, had some anxiety when moving to TV as I know I did. I researched, researched, researched this site for several years and still bought a villa in an area, that was different from what I had envisioned, where I wanted to be.

I would say that a 2002 Colony is fairly new, so that it will be stucturely sound. An inspection will show, if the home has problems, (I doubt that will happen), and the sellers will ahve to fix those before closing. You will find that you want to make only cosmetic changes, to your home. You just want to decorate to your taste and comfort.

I pretty much jumped into buying a house as I developed the "paralysis of analysis" mode of thinking. A great friend of mine suggested that I buy this house, as she loved the house. I bought it, as I was almost in the panic mode, as the inventory was low and prices were starting to rise. I couldn't be happier. It is near shopping, doctors, and rec centers, that have the types of activities, I throughly enjoy.

I think a lot of people's first reaction is, "what the He** am I doing" type of thinking. In time, you'll see real estate prices increase and will be glad you bought, when you did. If you don't like your home, you can always move at your leisure, as your home will be more valuable.

Take deep breaths, and don't lose sleep over it. Everything works out for the best.

Don't forget, you will have a great support system with the TOTV members.

[ilovetv]

O.P., don't worry about it. Most people here move 2 or 3 times (upsizing and downsizing) within TV.

As we go into and out of stages of life, needs/wants change. No need to look at a TV home as the only one you'll be in until you die.

The price range of a patio villa is not "risky". And they are always in demand and easy to sell if you don't like it.

But I think you'll like it. What you've done already is adventuresome and not "worry wart". Adventuresome is good along with being prudent about spending.

Starting out in the lower price ranges is wise.

[mickey100]

The only differences we found in the Colony Villas was the presence or lack of a volume ceiling. The volume ceiling makes the villa feel much more spacious. If we hadn't seen the villa in person, we wouldn't have recognized that. So that was on our "must have" list, a villa with a volume ceiling.

Otherwise, the only other thing I can think of might be barking dogs. The villas are close, so if you have a neighbor that is inconsiderate and leaves a dog unattended for long periods of time with the window open, and the dog barks a lot, it could be bothersome. Hopefully that won't happen to you.

[asianthree]

live in the house for a year see how much you love the neighbors and the house if it doesn't have the right cabinets for the volume ceilings everyone's cherished. At least you'll know you bought a home where you can sell it and change your mind for something different. Stop worrying enjoy your new home.