[petsetc]

I have bought (and sold) a few houses, including investment houses, during my lifetime. Except for cash, Citizens First was the simplest of all the transactions. As one of the previous posters mentioned, most of us with homes in TV are "unemployed" and I can tell you from a recent unpleasant experience in Virginia, that having assets and no job presents a real problem for mortgage lenders. Not so at Citizens since the majority of their mortgages are to the old and unemployed, they get it.

As a final comment, we found them to be competitive on rates, perhaps I could have shaved a few points with a lot of effort, but with the need to fund in 30 days, there was no need to jerk-around.

SO, get Citizens to pre-qual, pre-approve you, and happy house hunting!!!

[mtdjed]

We bought about 11 years ago. Thought I could get a good loan in Massachusetts for The Villages. Was used to loans needing a review usually taking a week or more. Did not work .Called The Villages. When I applied at First Citizens over the phone, I asked how long it would take to get the answer. I was told that it would take a while. I was approved 4 hours later. I am guessing if your record is good, it will be simple. Would not hurt to get it up front.

When we bought, we found that the process was simple compared to elsewhere. On new house even the price negotiation was simple. No negotiation was required. The price was the price.

[jedalton]

Originally Posted by Tom52

DW and I will be coming to TV for the 3rd time this coming January. We hope to find us a home this trip for either snow-birding or maybe full time living. We are not very familiar with the intricacies of obtaining a mortgage in Florida. Is it necessary to be pre-approved for a mortgage ahead of a serious house search? If so can you recommend someone locally to contact?

We checked with our local small town bank and they would not make a 30 year fixed mortgage on a Florida property.

we made the mistake of using local bank, they had no clue, missed closing date. wish we had used CFB

[suebu]

If you are shopping with a Villages real estate broker, and only looking at villages listings, then yes, citizens should be the bank you go to.
However, if you're using an MLS listed property, then you will be looking at listings outside of the villages group, and I'm not sure if Citizens Bank would be as quick if you are purchasing a home other than "theirs". Important to know the politics and rules of home buying in the villages. It took us awhile before anyone told us this, and fortunately it worked out ok.....we also used Citizens for our first home, and it was smooth. 2nd home in the villages was with Quicken Loans and it was an absolute nighmare. Would never go through that again. Good luck with your decision!


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