[hedoman]

Originally Posted by Indydealmaker

I think that what Hedoman was trying to say is that those "off campus" are most often offering info that they have only received from this forum and many members of this forum do not always read an entire thread in which the correct answer may ultimately be revealed, thus correcting earlier flawed info.

Indy
Yuuuup.... that's about right. Heck even us FROGS get it wrong from time to time as situations change here......

I like the advice "do your homework" but I have gleaned great information here about contractors and such. Other misinformation I just ignore.

Now I have 500 posts in over 2 years as I pretty much only respond if I can be of help and not fill the thread with vain attempts at humor, "where do you live" questions or other non topical items. Folks with 1/2 the time and 4 times the posts have admitted in previous threads to "not living here, not renting here and only visited once" (back in the thread "do you own or rent")
That just seems odd to me.....IMHO

[Posh 08]

Originally Posted by hedoman

Perspective buyers are the ones with questions and we happily try to answer, heck I was one of them for a long time. Those who answer with the air of authority but have very little time here are the ones I worry about and hence incidences of misinformation. I can't understandhow a person can have over 2,000 posts and has never been here but answers inquiries like a local.....

Thanks for clearing that up.

[zcaveman]

I usually try to look at Location at the top right of the poster's name area to see where they are located. Sometimes this can help depending on the question and the answer posted.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by downeaster

It appears the activity on this forum has increased in the past few months. Many more viewing, more threads and more responses. That's the good news.

There also seems to be an increase in the amount of erroneous information. That is the bad news.

A lot of this can have serious consequences. People asking for information may rely on the answers they get here. However, those answers may be from self styled experts who are wrong. There are even cases of others correcting the error only to replace it with another error.

I am not referring to questions such as electric cart vs. gas cart or new vs. resale. Anyone asking about subjects such as those will expect opinions. However, much more serious questions are asked. They include bond issues, taxes, our form of government, IRS issue and more. People deserve correct answers as they may be making a big decision and that decision could depend on the answer they get here.

This problem is out of the hands of the Admins. They cannot be expected to check the accuracy of every post. It is in our hands. Let's get our facts right before responding.

My comments are not meant to include the political forum or any sub forum or question requesting an opinion.

I brought this post alive again because people do say things on here which I find to be incorrect, particularly about sales reps working for the villages not showing you resales.

Ours did. Showed us resales. Did yours? Jim McLaughlin said he made the same percentage on both. Did you want to see resales? Did he or she try to talk you out of resales? Did they discourage your resale from being sold?

Someone also said that a sales rep for the villages would be fired if he/she didn't sell enough new homes.......... I wonder where that information came from. Do you think it is correct? Does anyone know who to ask?

Maybe the person who said that was correct and maybe they weren't.

[casita37]

I remember from very early elementary school learning that a major factor in getting questions either right, or wrong, on a test, is reading the entire question before answering. Lesson well learned.

We bought less than a year ago. We had a TV real estate sales person who showed us both new and resales. The resales he showed us were all listed with Properties of TV. We had a Remax Realtor who showed us resales. She only showed us listing of "outside" real estate companies. Both of them confirmed they could not "cross-show".

That is the type of thing that could change, if TV works out something with the Board of Realtors and/or MLS. If it MATTERS.....call TV and ask. They are open for business right now. Just sayin'. My point being that many people ask a question on a forum when the appropriate agency/business is available to give a correct answer. BTW....sometimes even the right person gets it wrong. If it's expensive, or it really matters to you, check it and double check it!

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

Ours did. Showed us resales. Did yours? Jim McLaughlin said he made the same percentage on both. Did you want to see resales? Did he or she try to talk you out of resales? .

When we purchased our first home in TV, we told the Villages Rep that we were only interested in buying a resale and not to bother showing us anything new. He then took us to three new homes, and said that agents were "supposed" to show new as well as resale. We didn't mind, it was interesting seeing what new homes were being offered. But we knew we wanted a resale, and that's what we bought.

[looneycat]

Originally Posted by downeaster

It appears the activity on this forum has increased in the past few months. Many more viewing, more threads and more responses. That's the good news.

There also seems to be an increase in the amount of erroneous information. That is the bad news.

A lot of this can have serious consequences. People asking for information may rely on the answers they get here. However, those answers may be from self styled experts who are wrong. There are even cases of others correcting the error only to replace it with another error.

I am not referring to questions such as electric cart vs. gas cart or new vs. resale. Anyone asking about subjects such as those will expect opinions. However, much more serious questions are asked. They include bond issues, taxes, our form of government, IRS issue and more. People deserve correct answers as they may be making a big decision and that decision could depend on the answer they get here.

This problem is out of the hands of the Admins. They cannot be expected to check the accuracy of every post. It is in our hands. Let's get our facts right before responding.

My comments are not meant to include the political forum or any sub forum or question requesting an opinion.

only a fool acts on advice from an unknown source. forum responses are starting points only. the onus is always on the individual asking the questions to corroborate the responses via other sources.

[Vic&Judy]

As a "newbie" in tV and on this wonderful site, I've been impressed at how quickly a negative experience, real, imagined, provoked or even possibly fabricated by competitors (I cringe at this last one) can cause panic or unfair press for a merchant, including our own developer. We've all felt we've been treated unfairly at one time in our lives or another, and I guess even well-meaning people dealing with the public can "lose it" when provoked, but the amount of damage angry talk can generate can literally achieve geometric proportions on a site such as this.

I do believe that there are plenty of real scams out there affecting our residents, and this is a great place to share for mutual defense and welfare, but we all need to be cognizant of how powerful a cybermedium such as this can be and use it judiciously.

Vic

[Villageshooter]

This is not a tablet on the mount,,,,and Moses is spending most of his time selling beer at the bait shack at LSL. take all this for what it is,,,, words on the Internet ,,,,, I pay homage to one person and take everything said as the truth.... And that was sheriff Andy Taylor. Just Remeber words that we all must live by that were said by rodney king.....Help I can't swim!!

[Buzz Bowman]

I take the approach on info passed along with two things in mind. Believe nothing that you hear and only half of what you see. President Reagan had a better idea.....Trust but Verify

[asianthree]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

I brought this post alive again because people do say things on here which I find to be incorrect, particularly about sales reps working for the villages not showing you resales.

Ours did. Showed us resales. Did yours? Jim McLaughlin said he made the same percentage on both. Did you want to see resales? Did he or she try to talk you out of resales? Did they discourage your resale from being sold?

Someone also said that a sales rep for the villages would be fired if he/she didn't sell enough new homes.......... I wonder where that information came from. Do you think it is correct? Does anyone know who to ask?

Maybe the person who said that was correct and maybe they weren't.

Our rep showed us preowned also, but we bought a new villa, now he is showing us preowned again because we want to stay in the same area, he wants us happy it does not mater what home, just glad to help us out..Good thread Gracie

[uujudy]

"The thing about quotes on the internet is that you cannot confirm their validity." ~ Abraham Lincoln

[Joaniesmom]

Originally Posted by pqrstar

Another example of false information was about "free amenities" for Village employees.

Way back in the day, when my husband and I were trying to decide whether to buy in TV, we were concerned about the IRS Bond issue. I wrote a post, maybe my third or fourth, asking about it. The explosive and insulting reaction I got was so hurtful that I didn't come back to TOTV for, I think, close to a year.

We all have found out that words and the information they convey are powerful, powerful. If you are a member who can spread oil on troubled waters, who can correct crazy bad wrong statements, who can help warmly welcome people who are tentitive about joining us in our wonderful world, please, oh please stay on the board.

You are needed more than you know.

Joaniesmom

[createquilts]

Well I for one and glad for this forum. We are coming next week for our second visit, this time we are staying a week onsite. From reading about bond, lanai's, floor plans, fences, animals, how much the amenities fees are etc. I at least was able to make a list of questions to ask. I know now to have an MLS as well as villages agent when we get to the buying stage.

Of course not all the info is factual. When we first visited, years ago, we were told one member of the household had to be 55 and this was by the Villages. But apparently that has changed, as have many other things.

Thank you to all who have posted, about resales vs. new homes, about bonds, about taxes, about the different amenities, about the restrictive convenants. Very useful information to further research.

[rubicon]

Like any Q & A based issue "it depends" It depends on the time of the occurrence. It also depends circumstances that may be added or ommitted
Some situation appear to be the same but when you do a closer experience you will find variables. So that a person offering an opinion may be correct as to their situation but not another. The resident requirements cited in previous posts come to mind

In my office we use use to conference cases. Often in the beginning a case would look like until someone asked a questionand the response from the presenter was oh I forgot to mention and every opinion we had begin to offer was render moot.

I was taught that the listener has the obligations when it comes to communication, others would differ and place the burden on the sender of information. You choose but whom ever has the burden it means they have an obligation to make certain they have all the facts have been considered

Having said all of that my suggestion would be when someone offers advice get in the habit of asking some probing questions.