[l2ridehd]

There is one on Buena Vista just North of St Charles Place. Also one North of 466 but not sure where. As that was the area I wanted to live, I made sure I was upwind of it. I have never noticed a problem, but have had others mention it.

The power lines were a significant issue for me as my better half would not consider anything where they could even be seen. I personally would not want to be under or real close to them but she didn't even want to be able to see them. Doubt we are alone on that issue as homes close to them tend to have a significantly lower per sq ft price. Both lot and home.

If you analyze several hundred homes as I did, you start to see trends that impact value. Backing to streets, traffic circles, power lines, all have a negative impact. Cul-de-sacs, quiet areas, open space, town squares seems to all have a positive impact. There are many other more subtle items as well. Every buyer needs to decide what is important to them and build a profile of homes that meet that goal.

[JeanneBeannie]

This is all very helpful information for those of us looking at homes, thank you all for pointing out excellent points.
It reminded me of the home I looked at here in NY before this one, the house was beautiful and perfect for me, till we walked outside in the back yard and it was loaded with power lines, I was so disappointed. My realtor said "cant you over look that"? I said "Ummm....let me think....NO" lol. So very glad you brought up those points. JMO

[katezbox]

I do not believe the Villages Sales Reps only push new homes - at least not in my experience. Many of the folks selling their homes as resales bought when prices were higher - even in "the bubble" there is a recession going on. Some also added additional features to their homes - that had a cost of $X- but that may not be of interest to the buyer. For example - driveway pavers. I love them but they are an absolute NO for my cuter half who wants no driveway maintenance. They would like to not lose money on that investment - so the prices are sometimes high in comparison to new - where the developer is offering "deals."

The resales that we looked at with the bond paid were about $20K+ higher than those without it paid. You can do the math and see that was no bargain.

Resales priced right are selling - and some quickly. Our new neighbors sold a CYV in a few weeks.

l2ridehd had a good post a few months back on all the factors he considered pluses and minuses - I would search for that thread.

[Army Guy]

Totally agree with I2ridehd. When we were there in Feb, our Rep showed us this 2 bd Breaureguard (sp?) which is what we wanted. But we really didn't like it. It sat at the dead end of a street so had more yard, which we really didn't want, and inside it didn't have some of the upgrades we wanted. Of course we saw others too. Upon coming home, I started to do more research of the homes we had saw, I used the Sat. images avalible on-line. And by doing that I discovered that the location was ideal! Dead end meant NO traffic at all in front of me unless you are coming to my house, it was also an end unit, which for a 2 bed is rare. Instead of having the normal what I call "alley" between CYVs, I have a short plastic fence and since I am sitting high in Bonita I actually can see the ranch homes and palms in their backyards instead of a cement wall of the next CYV. Then right behind me is the neighborhood ADULT pool horseshoe and schuffleboard courts, so no houses even behind me. So we prayed that it would see be avail when we could go down again in May to confirm it. It was, so we checked times, you can actually walk to the pool, but it is a 4 min golf cart ride. The new Sea Breeze Rec Center will be a 9 min golf cart ride and LSL is 16 min! So it is Location, Location, Location, and RESEARCH! By the way we close 18 June!!

Army Guy

[graciegirl]

I totally agree with Kate. Some older homes were bought at the peak of the boom and they were a lot more expensive. That is true of all houses all over the U.S. AND I think that the sales reps who work for The Villages are very fair and honest and NOT at all pushy. They don't have to be.

We had Jim McLaughlin. A very good rep and a nice gentleman.

[deano_hoosier]

Some things you can do on this site is look at home sales rates, e.g., Q109 the home sales were only 45% of sales Q107. Takes a little digging and parsing the sales report generator, but the data are there. Also easy to see the hits home owners are taking on sales of homes purchased since early '06.

Another thing to check out is "which lots are in the 100year flood zone". Was surprised to see the home lots around the preserves in de la Vista are such properties, for example.

[Keedy]

Originally Posted by Army Guy

Totally agree with I2ridehd. When we were there in Feb, our Rep showed us this 2 bd Breaureguard (sp?) which is what we wanted. But we really didn't like it. It sat at the dead end of a street so had more yard, which we really didn't want, and inside it didn't have some of the upgrades we wanted. Of course we saw others too. Upon coming home, I started to do more research of the homes we had saw, I used the Sat. images avalible on-line. And by doing that I discovered that the location was ideal! Dead end meant NO traffic at all in front of me unless you are coming to my house, it was also an end unit, which for a 2 bed is rare. Instead of having the normal what I call "alley" between CYVs, I have a short plastic fence and since I am sitting high in Bonita I actually can see the ranch homes and palms in their backyards instead of a cement wall of the next CYV. Then right behind me is the neighborhood ADULT pool horseshoe and schuffleboard courts, so no houses even behind me. So we prayed that it would see be avail when we could go down again in May to confirm it. It was, so we checked times, you can actually walk to the pool, but it is a 4 min golf cart ride. The new Sea Breeze Rec Center will be a 9 min golf cart ride and LSL is 16 min! So it is Location, Location, Location, and RESEARCH! By the way we close 18 June!!

Army Guy

CYV ...Can somebody tell me what this means. I have done a search and cannot find it. I'm a newbie here..(can you guess?)
Keedy

[graciegirl]

Sometimes we speak in code. TV=The Villages, but I imagine you figured THAT out. CYV is Courtyard Villa.

[Keedy]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

Sometimes we speak in code. TV=The Villages, but I imagine you figured THAT out. CYV is Courtyard Villa.

Great!!! Thank-you graciegirl....When I found TV forum I thought I was going to read up on widescreen plasma's. hehehe

Keedy

[Army Guy]

Thanks Gracie for helping Keedy. I guess we in TV are like the Army, we have our own "slang" terms!

Keedy, welcome, any help you need just ask.

Army Guy

[tankdvr1950]

as others have said...take your time before you make your decision

we just moved here from NNy and are in a rental for a month....we close on our new home on June 10th and will take our time moving in to the new place

we did 3 lifestyle visits before deciding to move here....we looked at endless model homes each time we visited and got to know TV pretty well before deciding where we wanted to be located....we even picked home with the lanai facing just the right direction (not sunny in the afternoon/evening)....all the time you spend is well worth it

buying a home in TV is like no place else....we bought new, and if thats your direction....u can just about forget everything you know about purchasing a home.....there is no negotiation here....unless u pick a designer or premier home....the home you like is what it is....no upgrading etc....u take it as is or u don't take it.....be prepared to put 20% down when you sign the contract and you have to close in 30 days

when you come here in June...rent a golf cart and get lost a few times and explore the place....you won't regret it...and IMHO, there is no better place to get your questions answered than right here on TOTV

[Bryan]

As someone pointed out, TV is hugh. We are in portions of three counties and one city/town - Lake County, Marion County, Sumter County and the town of Lady Lake. All have their own tax rates so if that is a concern, check on the rate that applies to the home you want.

Bonds is another issue. Every home had one at one time. Over time the cost of the bonds had gone up so homes in older sections of TV had less of a bond to start with and more is paid off by now. Newer homes have a higher bond to start with and less had been paid off. I am not sure about interest rates on the various bonds. Sometimes a "selling point" on a resale home is that the bond had already been paid off. At a minimum, on nay resale home you consider, make sure you know the balance of the bond payment before you close - that is not part of the purchase price.

The bond we are talking about here for each home is for the infrastructure that was put in place (underground utilities, roads, sewers, etc.). You will see a lot of chatter about an unrealted bond issue with the Center District and the IRS. Although an important issue, it does not factor into home purchase prices or the bond on your home.

[Army Guy]

tankdrver, I agree 100%. As we have all said taking the time to look research, is what it is all about.
I agree also on the new home price, that is why while we looked I automatically figured in 10000-15000 to the price in my mind for upgrades!

Army Guy

[Keedy]

Originally Posted by Army Guy

Thanks Gracie for helping Keedy. I guess we in TV are like the Army, we have our own "slang" terms!

Keedy, welcome, any help you need just ask.

Army Guy

Thanks for the welcome, Army Guy. I did 2 stints in the Army...the first one was a tour (love that word) of Southeast Asia. (Viet nam).
I just discovered this great site recently. We have been exploring the 55+ communities for a few years but only got serious the last year.
We went to Hilton Head in March and visited Sun City, SC. We were impressed and they have a nice woodworking shop that I toured.

A visit to LV and maybe one to Arizona before we decide on retirement location. We are open-minded but we are more serious about the east coast.
Have a great day,
Keedy ("Doc" to my old army buddies)

[Russ_Boston]

Originally Posted by Keedy

We were impressed and they have a nice woodworking shop that I toured.

I assume you mean TV's woodshop? I hear that it is very impressive!