We were looking online for four years. When the right on came up we pulled the trigger. Haven’t regretted it.

We stopped and visited The Villages three times over three years, each time checking out a few open houses. The last time we visited, we toured a model that we really, really liked. On the way home to North Carolina, we decided to definitely buy a house in The Villages and probably one of that model. We checked online and found about a dozen houses of that model that were for sale. We did virtual tours of all of them and dismissed them one by one on the basis of orientation (we wanted southern facing to keep the lanai comfortable longer each year), flooring (I actually prefer carpeting over wood or tile for the living room for the acoustics of my home theater) and choice of colors of cabinetry and such. When we decided on the one we liked the best, it turned out to be the one we'd actually toured. We contacted our realtor and got the purchase going. So we bought almost based on looking at pictures on the computer.

We didn't move in for almost 2 years as we hadn't retired yet so we were a little apprehensive about fitting in with the neighbors we'd never met. We needn't have worried as they were all very welcoming and many have become good friends. From what others have told me about their experiences moving into neighborhoods with strangers for neighbors, we're not that unique. Most of us moved here to make new friends, have new experiences and enjoy this stage of our lives. A few have told us some negative experiences about neighbors but that does seem to be more of a rarity than the norm.

Hopefully will be down next month to look. I will let everyone know when I am living in the Villages. The post will probably read something like “Finally.” Thank you for all the comments coming in. You have been so kind.

We did it and couldn't be happier. Trusted our Villager realtor: John Northcott, (352) 446-1392, and he sent back great info. We didn't see it until an hour before closing and that was 5 years ago. No regrets. Evelyn and Ron Taylor on Ashwood Run

We bought in 2014 while we were living in Atlanta. We had a contingency that we had to see it in person before being held liable to buying it. We wired the deposit and looked at it a week later. It worked great! No more heartbreaking when the house we liked got sold before we could get down to look at it! I don’t think there is a downside to this.

Get a good inspection
 

Purchase agreements allow for an inspection. Hire a darn good inspector, and if he/she finds a lot of stuff, you have an out. You can specify that all items be repaired to your satisfaction by the seller. The seller will likely just cancel the deal.

I did it once, not in The Villages. It worked out fine, but I knew I was taking a risk.

Agree with looking at more than house
 

[QUOTE=Chatbrat;1561759]Besides the house you need a look @ the neighborhood and traffic patterns, also how close are the nearest houses: i.e.: kissing lanais--also the demographics IMHO are the further north an older community (people wise) further south younger (people wise

I agree with the statement to also look at the neighborhood and in particular lot lines. Even though I flew down to look at the house we chose, the house directly behind us was being built. The big surprise was after we purchased our house, the one behind us added a pool. Now we have to listen to him blasting his radio and T.V when he is out in the pool or jacuzzi. 😖 We ended up enclosing our lanai to cut down on noise and best part is we now enjoy lanai year round. Making lemonade out of lemons!

Ohiobuckeye
 

Speaking of buying a house, I know a couple of people that live out of state & really want to move here, but they're to old to move. What is the cheapest way they can get their belongings here? Like the cheapest moving company to move them, how much does it cost to move say from Ohio or Texas? Any advice would be appreciated.:pray:

I was looking at a house and but a bid on without looking at it but had my brother in law look at it and he liked it. My wife wanted to see it first so we scheduled a trip on a Friday the real Estate agent said we could lose it if we didn't grab it right away and as it turned out we did. I talked to a second agent and she said our real Estate agent could have stipulated in the offer letter that we would go to contract after a visit and that would solve your husbands concerns.

We tried to Friday as we have family who live in TV who checked it out. Unfortunately, someone else gave them a cash offer higher than our cash offer.

If the house meets the approval of my cousin, then we would agree to do so.

Whatever you choose is fine, however, I must agree with your husband. Making a half million dollar purchase plus or minus is not something to take lightly. There are many many things that can attract or annoy you to a certain property. Our realtor Kathy Collins was very patient while we took 6 months and several visits to decide. We don't enjoy moving, and the standing joke of "well you'll likely own 3-5 homes at the villages before leaving earth" is not anything we would subscribe to. After 7 years here we know know too many people who were not happy once moved in. Some have invested hundreds of thousands in landscaping and upgrades only to decide they hate their lot. We can't imagine many of them did not take a loss on the resale especially with commissions and closing costs. As I said, whatever you are comfortable with, however. Ron

My husband picked out the house I currently live in (nearly 4 years) from the Villages internet. It looked like exactly what I was looking for. However, to ensure that the house was as pictured, I sent a trusted friend who already lived in the Villages to confirm what I was looking at and she did. The first time I saw my house "in person" was the day I moved in! No regrets. Love my house!!

They need to call various companies for quotes. Bottom line: how much stuff do they have that needs to be moved? Generally speaking, quotes should be based on volume, weight and distance.

We did BUT safely...we knew the floor plan through rental experience, it was new construction in a new neighborhood, already knew & trusted the agent, had specified much (exterior color, size of lot, direction of house vis-a-vis the sun). It's been 12 great years.

Get a good realtor
 

We purchased our Villa after seeing photos;however, the key was having the realtor we contacted (Nancy Schoenacher) go through and FaceTime us. We got to see everything in real time. Bought it immediately.

Bought our house sight inseen, saw pictures on line and got a video from realtor! Planned to view it when we got to TV in 2 weeks. Then it was off the market with a sale pending. I was devistated! Two days later, sale fell through....did not hesitate! You know the rest of the story...no regrets..I was lucky to get a second chance! Go for it!!

Why not take a flight on an expensive airline, see the home, then offer? So many things could go wrong...your house might be situated so close to others you feel they are seeing your windows. You might be in a far flung neighborhood (i.e. the north) and discover that most clubs are central and south and you do not want that. You might be in a very busy neighborhood and not want that. You might be near sink holes, which can be difficult (not impossible) to find out about online. You might find the closets/kitchen cupboards etc. look adequate in photos but don't seem so big in person. You will lose about 10% of the home price or more if you buy, then make a mistake and sell. Do yourself a favor - invest in a plant ticket or even use freq. flyer miles if you have them, and view the home.

We did this last Nov by being specific without realtor (not a Villages salesperson) and trusting her. While here we had viewed a dozen homes with her and she was attentive to our likes and dislikes during those viewings. The unit was subsequently rented unfurnished for 6 months. We just inspected the unit yesterday and it was everything we had specified and everything the realtor had purported. In a nutshell: a good experience.

I bought a house in 2002 from a floor plan. Never got to see a completed model. I was very pleased. I bought my house in TV from an online virtual tour. Again, very happy.

Hello, I am living here in The Villages going on four years. I did research viewing homes on the computer. When the time came my wife came down to meet up with our friend and look at the houses we chose on line. I get a call from my wife telling me they found the one and told me it had a beautiful run in the foyer coming into the house. I told her yes the one with the rug. I was one of the houses we looked at on line and it was the third house her, out friend and her two sisters and our friends sister looked out. What an outing for the sales woman. I hope this makes you feel a little better that you can do some shopping on line and have a few houses use really like and then come and take a look at them. Have yourself a good evening.

Have a couple of friends that would like to move to TV from Texas. Does anyone know what it might cost to have a moving company move them here or any idea what it might cost? I move from Ohio down here & my wife & I move ourselves so I can't be any help with what I want to know. Yes, I know I could call a moving company but it won't do me any good to do it from here. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

We got a quote from United to move from OKC to TV for $8K and included insurance for damage. That included one sofa, two chairs, dining table chairs + china, most kitchen items and dishes, TV cabinet, piano, fire table. No Beds or bedroom furniture. PODS were closer to $3K but you pack and unpack. Storage of the POD was $300+/month. We were surprised at the cost of United bid considering we aren't bringing much furniture. Bottom line is for your friends to figure out how much they want to bring and get their bids. Distance, weight and number of items make a difference.

You can make an offer with the contingency that you can go and look at it in person. Then you can cancel the offer if you aren't happy. Our realtor gave me 7 days. We ended up buying the house.

NOT on a new home in The Villages. They accept NO contingencies on new homes.

Many people here have bought without seeing home. Personally most homes here are beautiful! Marcia

We did so just two months ago. Living in California, our realtor did face time with us. Put in an offer right after. We love our new home.

Anther difference is packing and unpacking. One or last move we saved five grand by doing these two tasks ourselves.

I would want to see first before buying because I cannot stand Florida decor.

Decor and furnishings are the easiest to see in photos, and they are also the easiest to change.

If he was running the equipment that many hours on a daily basis, I would wonder whether he was operating a business out of his home. Isn't this against TV regulations?

We did
 

We have a 2/2 courtyard villa on Nancy Lopez golf course completely furnished with golf cart. its at 17379 SE 84th Foxgrove Ave. it is on Zillow for rent.