If I remember correctly, when Fenny first came on the market last year, the cheapest 2/2 1.5 car garage was $153....? and the 2/2/2 car garages were going for $156?

We were considering one of them back then....I can't be exact off hand but I believe I am very close, but if you really want to know for sure, check out the sumter county tax records, square footage for patios and it will tell you the exact amount.

thanks

when people ask the questions, and they did, I answer them.....

:boom:

there were patio villas down here around $140,000 last year.

thanks

This is exactly what they do. The agents usually have a sheet showing the different names side by side.

We agree completely with this comment. We are so tired of shiplap, open concept everything (no, the house doesn't get bigger because you remove walls), and increases in value that significantly exceed the costs of the improvements. HGTV just replays the same tunes over and over. We love the fact that contractors appear instantaneously, permits are granted virtually on the spot, and time delays just don't happen.

Only in some states - and areas therein - and under specific conditions can non-Realtor agents gain access to the MLS. Of course they have to pay a fee; but that fee is less than it costs to be a member Realtor. It just depends.

Non-Member Access to REALTOR(R) Association Multiple Listing Services | www.nar.realtor

Buy the house to enjoy, not to make $$ on--and if you have to think about $1K on a house--maybe TV won't fit your lifestyle

It seems that with a high inventory of new houses that someone purchasing a new home in The Villages should pay less than the asking price. For example, if the asking is $300,000, would an offer of $270,000 be appropriate? What is your experience?

Especially interested in recent experiences and the village of Fenney.

Thanks!

If you mean buying brand new directly from The Villages the answer is NO. You cannot offer less than the asking price not even a penny less. Resales yes but if I were asking $300,000 and an offer came in at 270,000 I’d counter at 330,000 unless the market was dead and I was desperate to get out. Just my humble opinion...

Agree. don't waste your time making an offer on a new home. If they have dead inventory they will mark it down themselves but the agents will not write up anything lower than the asking price.

Resale
 

All depends on upgrades and how well the house was maintained. The beautiful ones go quick at a higher price and the ones that people hardly did anything to and don't show great will sit and sell at a much lower price

6 years ago they were under $130K

I was in real estate for 35 years. Hello, supply and demand. And I never would buy "full priced retail" but some do. It's the same as buying a new car vs. a used car, your choice. One of the most curious things I ever found during my career were the people who bought homes for the large, bright windows and then when I went back to visit they had covered all those "large, bright windows" with heavy curtains. Go figure.

We have been here 9 years, and it's amazing how much they adjust the prices up and down. We bought a new home about a year ago and the house next door to us went up a little over $20,000, in a short period of time. It's a big game they play

It is called business.

I bought my first house in 1967 and have held a real estate broker's license since 1976. During that period I have snapped up an occasional property at asking price, locking it up ahead of backup offers which occurred because it was a hot property, a hot market, or both. Most of the time one can of course negotiate an asking price down. It depends. A couple of months ago my daughter got her Aliso Viejo, CA condo under contract within four days. It needed new carpeting, a total paint job and was not staged. She received five offers within two days of it going on the market. She accepted a cash offer well above her asking price. It closed right on time, no problem. Hot market action!

The Villages is a spectacularly successful development. As a highly sophisticated business entity the developer constantly resets prices to adjust them to what the market will bear, sell off stale inventory and for various other reasons. Your local car dealer, furniture store and grocer do the same.

Agree with that completely. Your money is as safe as it can be in these times invested in Villages property.

The village REPS have a real estate license but they are not Realtors. They are in effect an employee of developer as they cannot sell property outside of the villages. They work like a licensed builder rep. you are familiar with in non-village communities. They only sell the builders properties even tho they have a Real Estate license from their board.

They are more likely independent contractors, not employees, although I really do not know. As I understand it most real estate agents, including Realtors, are independent contractors.

We have gone to eat at Fenney Grill several times now. It seems that each time we drive down there the area is growing in front of our eyes. The porch at the Fenney Grill reminds me of a Girl Scout Camp Cottage Porch and the view to the spectacular Family pool is so beautiful with all of those towering oaks. It seems so private and so in the country.

We always take a spin through the Village of Fenney, now becoming the new Village of DeSoto. The residents show the same sense of property pride you see everywhere in The Villages. It is so beautiful.

It is hard to believe that there wasn't one single house south of 466A just shy of eight years ago. All of the landscaping and trees in the common areas and near the homes look like it has always been there.

I am so proud to call this place, The Villages, home.

We were told today at the sales office that all existing inventory as well as new builds selling prices are being increased by $6,500 to $8,000 on June 4th.

For now I think this is true, but history does repeat itself. It was about 10 years ago that the nation, including The Villages, had a real estate bubble that burst. The combination of a lack of banking regulations & inflated prices led to trouble, which took a long time to get out of.

That being said, I would not hesitate to buy in Fenney. But expect to pay full price for a new home or negotiate on a pre-owned one (which there are a few in that village).

I am curious to see what the prices on the new builds, as they get constructed back up towards Rte 44, will be.

I too heard today, while golfing with a Villages employee in the sales office, that prices were going up next month.

No, homes that back to roads are not discounted. Some people prefer them, so as not to be too close to a neighbor's lanai. We back to Morse & like it. Seldom noisy. Lots to see.

468 is 45 MPH 4-lanes, lots of trucks. It will seldom be quiet.

I can't understand why people want to live in Fenney. It's in the middle of nowhere, near a federal correction complex, and will have the dust and noise of construction around for years to come.

I’m with you. If it was me, I’d buy a preowned in a central location, preferably one that had the bond paid off.

the most important decision of where to live here in the villages is KNOWING YOURSELF. and what brings you JOY.

I choose a pond view near 466 less expensive and all that I need is within a mile. If I were 50 yr old, and had an extra $75,000 for a water view, I would consider something more toward the south
right now Fenney does feel like the "end of the earth" from where I am. I'm sure as it builds up they will have "everything" we have here. I predict a Villages 1 and a Villages II in the long term future. that will be divided by 44
KNOW YOURSELF THEN hire the sales person.

Yep...exactly what we did. :thumbup:

That is part of it, being temporarily disconnected makes for a quiet relaxing rural atmosphere, that is what brought me down her. it's not in the middle of nowhere, less than 10 minutes to Paddock Square/Brownwood, and Rohan along with public, fuel, etc.25 minutes via I-75 to shopping in Ocala or about the same to 27/441 shopping. Retail will be here before you know it both small and large. The correction complex has no affect on Fenney, in over a year I have not hear sirens or seen bright lights, with the new Wildwood land they are going to build all the way around it. The construction is all but over in Fenney so the dust and noise is 95% gone, all of the construction is now in DeSoto and McClure and they have their own construction entrances over there. Fenney is clean and quiet with plenty of amenities. I feel that even after we have golf car access north of 468 and 44 that most people living here will not venture very far up there as with all that is going to be down here there will be no need. You really don't know the feel down here without experiencing it, it's different than other areas of TV, not saying which is better as that is a personal preference but it sure is different, friendly, and peaceful.

It never ceases to amaze me the rudeness of people bashing/criticizing others, based on where they live. Not that long ago there was nothing south of 466A, and people said similar things. Although I don't live in Fenny, I visit, golf and work there frequently, and I love it.

New houses the price is the price. There’s no negotiating on any new house unless the village is almost closed out and then TV sets a discount

In 2010, 2/2patio villa with a 1.5 garage started at 128,000, with flat ceilings white appliances and oak cabinets. Depending on the upgrades it went up from there.

If you really want to see what homes are selling for you can just go to the county site plug-in an address and then you can look at how much all of the houses sold for.

If you have purchased a new home here you have lived through the dust in the dirt while a new village is being created. We have purchased two new homes and have live through it. It’s not a big deal.

Last I heard no one here twists your arm,tied you up, and gagged you until you buy a house.
It’s personal preference we all choose to live in the village of our choice.

Not sure why you have such an issue with those who buy and Fenney. If you don’t want to live there just don’t buy a house there. there are many extremely happy people in the village of Fenney, and probably our son will be one of them. I am on the fence as to move for the 4th time, and desend into the quiet of Fenney.

Based on our experience, living in an area where there is construction is a VERY big deal!

We bought our house in Osceola Hills two years ago and there were very few houses around us. When they started building houses around us, it was terrible. The dust was everywhere.

The workers would park in front of our driveway and totally block us in, and I would have to go from house to house to ask someone to move their vehicle. I complained to the warranty office, but they did nothing and eventually just hung up on me.

Someone suggested we call the police and complain that our drive way was being blocked, so we did exactly that. Very soon, an officer showed up at our house and the workers seemed to disappear inside the houses they were working on. I wonder why?

The officer from Wildwood was very nice. He said they do not mind complaints like ours because it helps them find people who have outstanding arrest warrants.

Anyway, he found the person who blocked our driveway and told them to move their vehicle. After that, no one parked in our driveway.

Actually they are increasing as of June 1. Why? Because they can

In both villages we were the first homes to be occupied. The workers or always pleasant and never had any problems with them.

We Knew that there was going to be dirt since very few homes were completed. This was our fifth home we have built so no big surprise of the dust and dirt.

Sounds like once workers knew you were living there problem solved with the parking.

I do not worry about things I can not change, life is too short

Don't forget the BOND on the new properties (and newer resale properties). It isn't included in the advertised price. Bond runs to five digits now.

Why would anyone forget about bond. It's part of the cost of the home. You can pay a bond or have a higher priced house if they include it in the selling price. Either way you're going to pay for it. The older homes with bonds paid off are priced accordingly so you are still paying for it just part of the selling price of those older homes, homes that may well now need a lot of replacements or repairs. The choice is there to be made, pay it now or pay it later but you're going to pay it in the end.