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.