[Bigben007]

Our realtor brought us in to look at our house 9:30 in the morning, there was already a couple with another realtor there, the woman was discussing how she was going to arrange the furniture should they buy the house. My realtor went out to her car, got on her computer and put our house on hold. We could have lost our house in minutes.

[Kahuna32162]

Originally Posted by GoodLife

If you look at google maps, there are quite a few homes in Chatham that are closer to the train tracks than the new Souilliere Villas and Chatham acres.

In April of 2017 there was an article in the online news saying that trains would no longer blow their horns where tracks cross 42, the closest to Chatham. I live in Woodbury and used to hear the horns faintly at night when out on the lanai. Not any more. Here is quote from article.

A “quiet zone” is now in effect at three railroad crossings near U.S. 301 in Marion County.
They are located at:
• County Road 42, 500 feet east of U.S. Highway 301
• Southeast 135th Street, 1700 feet east of U.S. Highway 301
• Southeast 147th Street, 4500 feet east of U.S. Highway 301
Quiet zones are established areas along railroad tracks where train horns are not routinely sounded. These newly approved quiet zones no longer require trains to sound their horns at intersections, unless deemed necessary for safety reasons.
The Marion County Office of the County Engineer, in conjunction with the Florida Department of Transportation and CSX Railroad, upgraded and updated crossing gate arms, medians, signage and warning devices.

Well, that all sounds good in theory, but thems not the facts. Quiet zones are not adhered to by the train conductors. We hear the blaring train horns daily at all times of the day and night. And so will anyone buying in those new villas.

[GoodLife]

Originally Posted by Kahuna32162

Well, that all sounds good in theory, but thems not the facts. Quiet zones are not adhered to by the train conductors. We hear the blaring train horns daily at all times of the day and night. And so will anyone buying in those new villas.

Nice! I'm sure that will help your property value.

It's not theory that lots of homes in Chatham are closer to the train tracks than new villas at Souilliere and Chatham Acres. Any fool can see this on a map.

[Airis2thick]

Made two live visits. Had plenty to read: You tube articles, the books advertised here, Skip Smith, TOTV itself. So much to read it was a little overwhelming.
On second visit got within an hour of signing while house on hold, then asked what was on the other side of the fence. Turned out to be a deal breaker.
That house sold to someone else in two weeks.

Real estate agent contacted us at end of January with a house he thought we'd like. Ended up buying over the internet, even though we knew about the
prison, and the trains, and no golf cart connection Yet (sounds like a country and western song).

Due diligence, there is plenty of information out there. It is what you make of it

[petsetc]

A few points,

First, the TV sales staff are real estate sales associates licensed by Florida, not Realtors. Realtor is a trademarked term available for use only by members of the National Association of REALTORS. TV agents and Realtors also have the same FL license.

Second, you must already be "old" to buy here (I got the 80% over 55 stuff). You have probably have lived/purchased/rented expensive stuff before - take some/all responsibility for committing a significant portion of your retirement to your purchase. Due diligence belongs to you, not some new benevolent benefactor you think you're adopting.

Finally, if you picked wrong, cut your loses right away. Either find a new place in TV, or move outside the bubble where your dollars will probably get you much more.

JMHO

[graciegirl]

Here are several negative facts about The Villages.

It is situated in the middle of Florida that has more lightning strikes than any other part of the U.S. Several homes have burned down in The Villages from lightning strikes in the last ten years.

Real alligators do live in the ponds and they will eat pets.

There are sinkholes in this area. We are tenth on the list of counties that have sinkholes in Western-Central Florida. They are unpredictable and scary. They are due to the geological underpinnings of this part of the earth.

There are many, many, many, older people who live here with a preponderance of one kind of voter. Some consider both a plus and others consider one or the other a minus.

It is hot as hell in the summer. It rains hard for ten minutes every day in the summer.

You can get killed riding in a golf cart. We have lost the lives of more than a dozen villagers in the last ten years in golf cart accidents.

Many people drink and drive who live here. Many people don't.

The bond, the cost of the infrastructure is not part of the price of the new home here as it is in other areas. It is separate. It costs from about 17K for smaller homes to 50K for premiere homes.

[VillageIdiots]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

Here are several negative facts about The Villages.

It is situated in the middle of Florida that has more lightning strikes than any other part of the U.S. Several homes have burned down in The Villages from lightning strikes in the last ten years.

Real alligators do live in the ponds and they will eat pets.

There are sinkholes in this area. We are tenth on the list of counties that have sinkholes in Western-Central Florida. They are unpredictable and scary. They are due to the geological underpinnings of this part of the earth.

There are many, many, many, older people who live here with a preponderance of one kind of voter. Some consider both a plus and others consider one or the other a minus.

It is hot as hell in the summer. It rains hard for ten minutes every day in the summer.

You can get killed riding in a golf cart. We have lost the lives of more than a dozen villagers in the last ten years in golf cart accidents.

Many people drink and drive who live here. Many people don't.

Good info. Almost anyone could swap out their own negative facts for each one of the above with respect to where they came from as well. For example, chances are, if you don't live somewhere that a sink hole can destroy your house, a tornado, hurricane, wildfire, or earthquake can. All the more reason to do due diligence. If you live somewhere and don't like it, move somewhere else or be proactive about bringing about positive change. Simply complaining about it gets you nowhere.

Ms. GracieGirl, I'm new here but it appears obvious that you are the Queen Mum of TOTV. I look forward to learning a lot from reading your posts here.

[retiredguy123]

I went to an open house today for a new house in Pine Ridge. There was music playing throughout the house, which is always a red flag for me. The house was located on a busy street. If you are interested in the house, always ask the agent to turn off the music. I went to an open house last week for a pre-owned house in Pinellas. The online photos showed a beautiful pond view, but it did not show the part of the view that showed the truck loading area on the back side of Pinellas Plaza, which was also noisy. I think it is unethical for real estate agents to try to hide defects in their houses.

[eweissenbach]

There are ethical and scrupulous real estate sales people and there are the opposite, just like in everything. Structural issues or major repairs should always be disclosed. Something like a loading dock nearby is readily observable and may or may not be a negative for prospective buyers, so probably would not be disclosed. Lying or covering up for defects is a huge no-no, and should never be tolerated. The biggest problem I have observed in TV is misinformation. Two examples: 1. Have heard more than one salesperson tell prospects at an open house that they "guaranteed" the people would be able to sell for a profit anytime they wished to move. Seriously? Would you mind putting that in writing? 2. I was at an open house once and told a friend that I just added the bond into the price of the house to figure out the gross price. The salesperson overheard me and aggressively responded that "you can't do that - the bond is paid with the taxes and you won't even notice it!" Really? I won't notice that extra $1500 or so when I pay my taxes and that, according to my CPA, isn't deductible and is at a higher rate of interest than a mortgage? That is an insult to my intelligence and IMO a blatant falsehood. Would NEVER use the services of any of those salespeople! BTW, the bond payable in TV would simply be part of the sales price in almost any other area of the country. The Villages is a wonderful place and the homes are mostly fairly priced, but do your research and be informed.

[manaboutown]

I agree with the above post.

One needs to add the amount of the bond to its price to arrive at the actual cost of a home. That is simple arithmetic. As an aside the fact that the interest on the bond is not tax deductible and is higher than normally available mortgage interest adds even more to the cost of the home. I would factor that in as well.

[EPutnam1863]

Originally Posted by patfla06

The pickleball ball pop and a basketball thumping would
personally drive me nuts! 🤭

I wouldn’t even look at a house by either one.

One house we bought had its own tennis court, and the neighbors were thrilled when we took it down.

[EPutnam1863]

Originally Posted by manaboutown

I agree with the above post.

One needs to add the amount of the bond to its price to arrive at the actual cost of a home. That is simple arithmetic. As an aside the fact that the interest on the bond is not tax deductible and is higher than normally available mortgage interest adds even more to the cost of the home. I would factor that in as well.

I amy be wrong but I thought on some of the resales, the bond has already been paid and needs not to be paid again.

[Dan9871]

Originally Posted by EPutnam1863

I amy be wrong but I thought on some of the resales, the bond has already been paid and needs not to be paid again.

Yes, on some resale home the bond has already been paid and need not be paid again. But the sellers will probably be trying to recoup what they paid on the bond just as they would try to recoup what they paid for any upgrades they put into the home.

[EPutnam1863]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I went to an open house today for a new house in Pine Ridge. There was music playing throughout the house, which is always a red flag for me. The house was located on a busy street. If you are interested in the house, always ask the agent to turn off the music. I went to an open house last week for a pre-owned house in Pinellas. The online photos showed a beautiful pond view, but it did not show the part of the view that showed the truck loading area on the back side of Pinellas Plaza, which was also noisy. I think it is unethical for real estate agents to try to hide defects in their houses.

If you want to be sure about the location of the house, do a Google search. It is a Godsend, and we rejected a beautiful house listing because Good Earth showed it be next door to a huge parking lot for a huge hospital.

[manaboutown]

Originally Posted by EPutnam1863

I amy be wrong but I thought on some of the resales, the bond has already been paid and needs not to be paid again.

That is true. So if there is no bond on a resale the price (plus closing costs as in any home purchase) is the cost of the home.