[LB]

Hello to all, We are still in West Palm, and trying all angels to get more time in the Villages.We have decided to look at Manufactured homes in the historic area. We would rent in the busy months and we could enjoy the rest of the year. This is all new as we have not spent too much time in thes villages. How does renting work for any owners? What are the pitfalls? Would appreciate any feed back.Now I will go back to the web cam and watch poeple having fun at the squares. Regards LB & LB

[eweissenbach]

I think you have a good plan there. I have a few friends who have bought manf. homes in various parts of Fla., not TV, and bragged about what a deal they got. When we explore their purchase further we find that while they may have paid 20-30K for the home, they don't own the land. Typically they pay anywhere from $400 to $800 a month for their "association fees", which include the lot rent, lawncare, and a few amenities. What strikes me is, they really don't own much, and they have no guarantee that the fees won't escalate in the future. It even occurs to me that the landowner could sell the land and the new owner evict everyone and build homes or commercial property on the land. For what they pay for their fees, you could mortgage a nice manufactured home in TV and actually own your property. The other part of your plan, renting it out, also seems sound, as the manufactured homes seem to rent well and bring almost 2/3 as much rent as stick built homes for much less than 2/3 the investment. In my humble opinion, you would do well to go for it.

[LovingLife]

Originally Posted by LB

Hello to all, We are still in West Palm, and trying all angels to get more time in the Villages.We have decided to look at Manufactured homes in the historic area. We would rent in the busy months and we could enjoy the rest of the year. This is all new as we have not spent too much time in thes villages. How does renting work for any owners? What are the pitfalls? Would appreciate any feed back.Now I will go back to the web cam and watch poeple having fun at the squares. Regards LB & LB

We rented a manufactured home on the historic side for 3 years (3-months at a time) and fell in love with the Village of Orange Blossom Gardens. Good friends of ours own and rent several manufactured homes in the Villages of Silver Lake and Country Club Hills, and rarely have any difficulty renting them short or long term, some yearly. One thing to keep in mind is that some original mfd homes are now older than some financial institutions care to grant mortgages and insurance (older than 1978). In these cases cash is king and you can get some great bargains while gaining income from rentals. If it were me, I'd look through each one with a fine toothed comb to assure structural integrity. Then MOVE IN!

[njbchbum]

coach ed offered you good info. you can check these two websites to see the rents that the manufactured homes typically bring in and out of season: http://thevillagesforrentbyowner.com/ and http://villages4rent.com/.

we own on the historic side and we love it there! i feel that the homes and neighborhoods are not as cookie-cutter as others and the mature landscaping adds so much to each homesite. and the maturity and productivity of the fruit trees lead many homeowners to offer their abundant crops gratis!

the paradise rec center is a beehive of activity, the golf courses are ultra-convenient and the adult pools are lovely - one even has a hot tub - an envy of many in the villages! the lack of hills in the area makes walking and bike riding a cinch. and the lack of traffic makes riding in the golf cart less of an adventure than is morse blvd, odell circle, canal street, etc!

since this area is the original villages, the 'children' of many original residents are now taking ownership of the homes...so while other neighborhoods will enjoy an aging population - we are growing younger" i have found that chatting with the original owners gives me a whole different perspective of living under the bubble!

i think the best kept secret of the historic side is the street named kelsea circle - and i will say no more except that it is lovely and we have friends who bought there! but we have lots with the golf course view, too; and there are lots of homes with rear privacy without having to look at a fence and some lots with a water view, too! as far as i am concerned, the historic side offers it all in three neat little villages!

[redjpang]

Curious as to how strick the rules are in the old part.

I see some places for sale that are under 60k. If I want to put a new manufactered home on the lot are there size restrictions? Can you put up Garages instead of carports?

Other places have mature landscaping in the pictures. If you want to mondernize it, do you have to seek permission?

[EdV]

Originally Posted by LB

Hello to all, We are still in West Palm, and trying all angels to get more time in the Villages....

Seeking help from high above certainly never hurts.

[njbchbum]

changes to our properties must be approved by an architectural committe just as in other villages. permits must also be obtained in lake county dependant on the scope of the project...my new screen enclosure - yes, my replacement lanai windows - no.

several original manufactured homes have been removed from homesies and replaced with new or replaced with stick built houses - both situations subject to approval - the purpose of which is to maintain a similarity of style in the neighborhood.

in riding around and noticing the variety of lawn ornamentation in neighborhoods and some individual properties, it appears that those things are considered the 'small stuff' and that any 'violation' would be handled on a complaint basis! but big stuff like overgrown lawns and replacement of houses without permission/approval will surely get noticed and attended to. i do know of one homeowner who was issued a stop work order when modifying an existing raised deck on their home!

you can read about deed restrictions/compliance at this website:
http://www.districtgov.org/departmen...standards.aspx

hth

[chuckinca]

Originally Posted by EdVinMass

Seeking help from high above certainly never hurts.

.

[LB]

Thanks to everyone that took the time to give us some really good advice. It has opened our eyes to what to look for and what we may want to do. We will be in the historic area all weekend looking at all kinds of sales, even for sale by owner. Regards LB&LB

[bkcunningham1]

Originally Posted by njbchbum

coach ed offered you good info. you can check these two websites to see the rents that the manufactured homes typically bring in and out of season: http://thevillagesforrentbyowner.com/ and http://villages4rent.com/.

we own on the historic side and we love it there! i feel that the homes and neighborhoods are not as cookie-cutter as others and the mature landscaping adds so much to each homesite. and the maturity and productivity of the fruit trees lead many homeowners to offer their abundant crops gratis!

the paradise rec center is a beehive of activity, the golf courses are ultra-convenient and the adult pools are lovely - one even has a hot tub - an envy of many in the villages! the lack of hills in the area makes walking and bike riding a cinch. and the lack of traffic makes riding in the golf cart less of an adventure than is morse blvd, odell circle, canal street, etc!

since this area is the original villages, the 'children' of many original residents are now taking ownership of the homes...so while other neighborhoods will enjoy an aging population - we are growing younger" i have found that chatting with the original owners gives me a whole different perspective of living under the bubble!

i think the best kept secret of the historic side is the street named kelsea circle - and i will say no more except that it is lovely and we have friends who bought there! but we have lots with the golf course view, too; and there are lots of homes with rear privacy without having to look at a fence and some lots with a water view, too! as far as i am concerned, the historic side offers it all in three neat little villages!

We live on the historic side too, on the golf course with a cul-de-sac and park in front of our home. We just closed on a house we bought for my father-in-law on Hillcrest on the OB golf course. We looked for many, many months for a houise on Kelsea Circle. Besides my street, Kelsea Circle is one of my favorite places in TV. We actually were standing in a driveway at one house with a realtor on Kelsea Circle, made an offer, and when the realtor called to check on something with the listing agent, we were told an offer was accepted the day before! I wonder if that is where your friend lives?

[njbchbum]

Originally Posted by bkcunningham1

We live on the historic side too, on the golf course with a cul-de-sac and park in front of our home. We just closed on a house we bought for my father-in-law on Hillcrest on the OB golf course. We looked for many, many months for a houise on Kelsea Circle. Besides my street, Kelsea Circle is one of my favorite places in TV. We actually were standing in a driveway at one house with a realtor on Kelsea Circle, made an offer, and when the realtor called to check on something with the listing agent, we were told an offer was accepted the day before! I wonder if that is where your friend lives?

such a small world! we looked at two homes on hillcrest before we bought! our friends bought two yrs ago - # 1042 kelsea circle. those park like settings are the best! but i also like aloha way - on the water!

[chuckinca]

My brother has a house on Hillcrest!


.

[Schaumburger]

Originally Posted by LB

Thanks to everyone that took the time to give us some really good advice. It has opened our eyes to what to look for and what we may want to do. We will be in the historic area all weekend looking at all kinds of sales, even for sale by owner. Regards LB&LB

LB -- Good luck in your home search. Keep us posted on your results.

[Posh 08]

I'm leaning towards searching the historic side for a home. Want friendly neighbors that will socialize though. Living in rural area now with no social life to speak of with neighbors is no fun.

[bkcunningham1]

Originally Posted by chuckinca

My brother has a house on Hillcrest!


.

Is he near the house that does the big Christmas light display?