Or you can do like we did. I researched everything to death also before we came. Wanted a designer or cottage home without a west facing lanai, wanted an inside washer/dryer, at least 2 car garage etc. What did we end up with? A courtyard villa with a west facing lanai, washer/dryer in the 1 1/2 car garage. Go figure. We keep our 2 golf carts and motorcycle with sidecar in the garage and our car sits in the driveway. We bought in Fenney because the price was too good to pass up. Now we love it. Love the downsizing and if you're determined you can make almost anything work. Come with your list of wants but keep an open mind. I think it's difficult to make a bad choice almost anywhere in TV.

That's funny and yes...it happens. We're always open minded...almost too much so. We tend to walk in and immediately know if it's for us. Very much a "feeling" to a great degree.

Many NEW Villages homes are not designed and then built for you. Some are already built such as the one I showed you. It is ready to be sold and it is how it is, no changes allowed.

I don't sell houses. We buy them. Bought two new ones here. Loved them both. No regrets.

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I realize the new homes are already built and there are no choices in finishes.What I meant is new homes are more expensive than resale and it makes no sense for us to pay a higher price when it's finished out with design choices I don't care for.

The majority of newer homes also seem to be in the southern sector such as Fenney which I don't think is of interest to us. I'd rather be more central and in established neighborhoods but we'll find out when we visit.

I think you have a few of the same misconceptions I had when I first came to TV 5 years ago - first, NEW is NOT more expensive than resale. In fact, right now New can actually be less expensive, because they are in the Fenney area. The other thing is that there are new houses being sold in the historic section at very reasonable prices - in your price range. When I came here, I was going to buy a resale and ended up with a new house, amazing.
Also, there are new houses with all levels and types of cabinets and trim. You can actually find just about anything you want in new home. Look and you will be surprised.

Next - it is CRITICAL to have an MLS and a TV agent. Also, the MLS agent is really not the preferred, in fact the TV agents actually have an advantage because they have more of a share of resales, and they have new homes to sell. Contrary to the bashers here, they are required to have a Valid FL real estate license. They are all excellent.

Lastly - the main thing that determines price is really not location, it is View. Yes, location is important, but you will pay a LOT more for a view. I have a house with no view worth about 300k. Across the street they have a view of evans prairie marsh and the same house is double that. Location is important, yes, but View is much more important - and remember you pay taxes on that.

Lastly - Kissing Lanias are really not that big of a deal. It is preferable to have them offset and not right across from each other. To each his own - if you can get a wall, great.

If a house is on the market more than 2 months, it is overpriced. That is pretty much a rule.

That is my opinion, take it for what it is worth.

Yes, what he said. This is good advice.


We paid about 10K extra for a wall behind our designer. It was nice to have that privacy, and we landscaped along that wall for some interesting stuff to look at from the lanai. I was happy not to have a kissing lanai where you had to landscape right to your lanai to block the view. The Tamarind Grove area wasn't even on our GPS in 2011. Now there is great shopping within ten minutes' drive.



Then we downsized into a courtyard villa with a wall that fronted a street. No more rooftops to look at, only palm trees. And it isn't a major street, so traffic noise is not a problem. We stayed in the same area of Tamarind Grove, in fact just over the wall of our designer, because we love the area and the nearby shopping, especially since the Trailwinds shopping development came in. We just needed a place we could close up easier when we became snowbirds.



I wish you could come rent for a while and experience homes in different locations.

I don't think new homes are more expensive than resales here. They aren't like cars. I don't sell homes never have, but I think that if you don't at least go and visit some of the new homes and new areas you are cheating yourselves out of a choice.

Mostly the price of homes are affected by VIEW. A home that is almost exactly the same as another is going to be cheaper or more expensive if it is looking to the back at a neighbor, or a golfcourse or even a road. Road views are more expensive than neighbors lanai views. Brand new homes and older homes with equal views are generally priced the same...………...

We chose our west facing lanai purposefully and love it. The sunsets are gorgeous, warm in the winter, and we just use the fans in the summer. Would not trade it.

I have also been watching for more than a year now. What I have found is that some sellers WAY overprice their home. Look at the cost per SF.

I know that location can impact this, BUT NOT BY 150%!!! the average price per SF in the villages is ~$220. THERE IS NO WAY ANY PROPERTY IS WORTH MORE THAN $330/SF. All the bells and all the whistles will not make a house more than this amount.

Some sellers think all the things they have added are worth 100% of what they invested - NOT THE CASE, espically when they are electronics ( like sound systems, TVs, ceiling fans , etc.). These things are like landscaping, it is good curb appeal, and may make your home sell sooner, but do not drive up the price.

There are a LOT of homes for sale, “ kick to the curb” the overpriced, or offer a sensible price, but the best is to just move on to the next....

[QUOTE=janht;1609655]I put the address into Zillow ...it's off the market. Yes...the mysteries of the internet are many...:)[/

Oftentimes the MLS sites such as Zillow might say that a home is not for sale if it is listed in the homes portion of The Villages Search Homes site. MLS does not list homes that are being sold by The Villages and The Villages does not list homes marketed by the MLS. However you can find both in The Daily Sun.

Thanks for all the input guys. I can't respond to the more recent posts as I'm hosting our family Christmas and pretty much stuck in the kitchen until Tuesday. :)

We're looking forward to our rental down there in Feb and checking out some homes.

Merry Christmas. Hurry home to us soon.

NO. I have no vested interest. I JUST LOVE IT HERE.