[Wiotte]

Originally Posted by Love2Swim

I don't know about where you come from, but back in our old hometown, houses were on average at least 40 years old. People here talk about buying a house as though buying a new car - like anything older than 3 or 4 years old is too old, and ready for a trade-in. I think that is crazy. There are some fantastic pre-owned homes for sale in wonderful locations. We happen to live near Sumter Landing, which is almost dead center of the Villages. Many of the pre-owned homes have the bond paid off, and there are no city taxes, and the annual maintenance fees are much lower. Yes, you will have a home that is 10 years old or so, but many of the homes have terrific upgrades, mature landscaping, and location, location, location. Prices asked might be higher than what you want to pay, but everything is negotiable. Expect to pay at least 3% less than the asking price, and even more off if the house has been on the market for awhile. It is more work - you have to look at a lot of houses to find one that "jumps out at you", but I think you'll save money in the long run, if saving money is your aim.

[emoji1303]


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[Wiotte]

Originally Posted by Muffin9780

How much are you paying per year in taxes to the City of Wildwood?

Go to the City of Wildwood and Sumter County web sites. There you will find the respective mil rates. That is what you will pay in taxes for every $1,000 of appraised value.


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[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Muffin9780

How much are you paying per year in taxes to the City of Wildwood?

If you go to Sumter County Property appraiser site;

Here; Sumter County Property Appraiser - Joey Hooten - Bushnell, Florida - 352-569-6800

There is a tax and exemptions space on the top bar.

[villagerjack]

Originally Posted by Love2Swim

I don't know about where you come from, but back in our old hometown, houses were on average at least 40 years old. People here talk about buying a house as though buying a new car - like anything older than 3 or 4 years old is too old, and ready for a trade-in. I think that is crazy. There are some fantastic pre-owned homes for sale in wonderful locations. We happen to live near Sumter Landing, which is almost dead center of the Villages. Many of the pre-owned homes have the bond paid off, and there are no city taxes, and the annual maintenance fees are much lower. Yes, you will have a home that is 10 years old or so, but many of the homes have terrific upgrades, mature landscaping, and location, location, location. Prices asked might be higher than what you want to pay, but everything is negotiable. Expect to pay at least 3% less than the asking price, and even more off if the house has been on the market for awhile. It is more work - you have to look at a lot of houses to find one that "jumps out at you", but I think you'll save money in the long run, if saving money is your aim.

Agree with your overall assessment. Looking at the age of the home is something I have heard only in The Villages. Don’t know why it is even a factor.

[villagerjack]

Originally Posted by KEVIN & JOSIE

I saw a nice cottage home in Fenney for the low 200K range. After checking out the bond amount I found it was 29K (Unit 1F). It also has a Sumter County tax as well as an additional Wildwood $4.00 per thousand city tax. Then I checked the Sumter Tax database and found that the cottage is proposed to have a $767 maintenance fee. Do these additional fees seem a bit high? Are the newer areas outside of Fenney this high? Would appreciate your input.

What is the Maintenance fee? I have Taxes, bond and amenity fees but Maintenance Fee?

[CWGUY]

Originally Posted by villagerjack

What is the Maintenance fee? I have Taxes, bond and amenity fees but Maintenance Fee?

Look at your tax bill. Top part is taxes. Bottom is Fire, Maintenance and Bond.

[Goldwingnut]

Originally Posted by villagerjack

What is the Maintenance fee? I have Taxes, bond and amenity fees but Maintenance Fee?

The maintenance fee is the cost of maintaining the common areas that are not a part of the amenities. This would include cutting the grass and maintaining the common areas, utility bill for the street lights. The maintenance fees cover a lot of items, go to the districtgov.org web sight and look at the budget for the details.

District 12 2017-2018 Budget

[Chinook]

Thanks for that information, that was my understanding also, thanks for confirming it.

[slipcovers]

Originally Posted by villagerjack

Agree with your overall assessment. Looking at the age of the home is something I have heard only in The Villages. Don’t know why it is even a factor.

I think the age of a house does mater in TV. AC usually needs replacement after 10 years. Appliances are builder grade, along with carpet. Posters on here say roofs need replacement in 15 years. Tubs and showers are usually fiberglass, may also have a short lifespan.

All this affects the price of the house.

[gap2415]

Originally Posted by slipcovers

I think the age of a house does mater in TV. AC usually needs replacement after 10 years. Appliances are builder grade, along with carpet. Posters on here say roofs need replacement in 15 years. Tubs and showers are usually fiberglass, may also have a short lifespan.

All this affects the price of the house.

Many, many resales have those items replaced with better quality upgrades than the builder grades in new or newer homes. It's not unusual that resales have had tens of thousands invested in them after market along with good locations, spacious lots and so on.

[perrjojo]

Originally Posted by villagerjack

What is the Maintenance fee? I have Taxes, bond and amenity fees but Maintenance Fee?

Unless I am mistaken if you live in TV you have a maintenance fee. It is on your tax bill

[Love2Swim]

Originally Posted by gap2415

Many, many resales have those items replaced with better quality upgrades than the builder grades in new or newer homes. It's not unusual that resales have had tens of thousands invested in them after market along with good locations, spacious lots and so on.

I agree. I know many people with designers that have spent up to $10,000 on landscaping, upgraded appliances to stainless, all new granite, new flooring, nicer lighting, window treatments, etc. There was an issue with Owens Corning Shingles, and many homes of a certain age had their roofs replaced under warranty. My home is something like 10-12 years old, but got a new roof last year.

[Wiotte]

I don’t know why this is even an argument. Fenny sales year to date ( as of February ) is 350 homes sold. Resales are at 1800 and that is not including MLS sales.


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[villagerjack]

Originally Posted by slipcovers

I think the age of a house does mater in TV. AC usually needs replacement after 10 years. Appliances are builder grade, along with carpet. Posters on here say roofs need replacement in 15 years. Tubs and showers are usually fiberglass, may also have a short lifespan.

All this affects the price of the house.

Location and type of lot are perhaps stronger factors. Search for a resale 3Bedroom, 2 Bath, Golf Front view, CYV and see how many resale’s you come up with....Usually very few available. Look at the difference in prices for similar size units not Golf or water front and in the different locations. It also makes a difference if the CYV is elevated, and has both Water and Golf (double fairway) and on a Championship Course as opposed to an Executive. Buyers walk right towards the view, knowing everything else can be changed except for the view.

[ggnlars]

Taxes based on assessed value. That value starts with the sales price. Here in Florida this is modified based on recent sales of similar housing units. Exactly how frequently this is down is county dependent, but in another part of Florida, we saw our taxes go directly with the housing bubble. When the prices went up by a factor of 3, so did the taxes. However, the taxes also fell when the assess levels fell. This was for non resident owners at the time.
TV is like a giant Condominium. Condo’s have common areas that are maintained by assessing all units equally. In this case the equality pertains to a given village or area. The way I understand it, the bonds are set by the cost of the infrastructure for a given village divided by the number of units. An acre lot and a villa lot in that area has the same bond. That is a one time charge that you can finance or pay off. The maintenance fee is just that. It pays for the on going expenses for the grounds, roads and common facilities. This includes the staff that support those facilities. Depending on the size an complexity, the maintenance fees for a Condo are 400 to 1000 per month. $750 per year sounds like a bargain.