I live in Ohio by Lake Erie...Brutal weather coming...Thanks for the comment.

Many aren't selling bc they are overpriced..

The good news for the OP is that he now has a large selection of homes for sale from which to choose. At some point markets with growing inventory can saturate and sellers become competitive and willing to negotiate. It seems to me the OP has sufficient time to shop for what he wants and hopefully not overpay in a tight market. Building expenses remain high and boomers continue to retire in droves so I expect Villages homes will hold their value, at least during the next several years unless some unforeseen disaster occurs.

So not really much of a change considering how many homes are closing per month. But my suggestion to separate stats per village may help your research for a new home. Stats are great, but in the long run, you really need to make decisions on what home you want, do you want a new home or a preowned.

In 07 houses were selling before final touches were in place. Why because rumor was it was the end. Well that didn’t happen. In 2010 we bought in Pennacamp, basically 90% of this site told us we were so stupid buying so close to end of TV we would never sell. Took 15 days to sell,

Then we bought in Fernandina, again many on this site couldn’t believe we were buying so far far away from a town square. Sold that house in 5 days. Due to wanting a larger garage, we moved to a preowned near Seabreeze. Loved the house but not the location. However in 2014 didn’t want to move farther south, because my mom’s family was 3 minutes from that house.

A year before Richmond was a twinkling to residents we knew that was where we wanted to build. Yes we have a turnpike 3 streets over, and the normal amount of rentals that every new village has due to flippers.

But when we choose to move from LSL area, for this last house we made a why and why not list.
1. how many times into SS…three times a year.
2. How many times into LSL which was 12 minutes away….about 6 times a year.
3. How many times into Brownwood area 20 minutes away once a week.

So our determination on the fourth house was about would the lot fit our house and still leave room for a pool. Did it have a view out back, and how close to turnpike so we could quickly get on for travel to Gainesville, Orlando, and Disney.

Not at any time was what homes were selling, and where, or the cost of homes Our need for certain things is what made the final decision.

Sometimes all the planning and stats can go right out the window when you find what will work for you. As you can see we have lived in multiple areas of TV, No attachment to any house. I really think coming here and staying in multiple areas might change your entire strategy

I wonder about people and decisions. It is like when my mother and sister used to read Ann Landers. Some need to have others tell them what they should do. In the end it is your decision
right or wrong. Nothing is perfect. It is not third grade there are no he tried hard or do overs.
Far as the villages I would decide new or resale. Built or pick options. What can you afford to spend? What do you need and or want? Are you buying a place to live or an investment?
In terms of an investment reality the stock market generally does better than a home and is far more liquid. Our home has gone up quite a bit BUT, it is a place to live. Another place to live has also gone up. The place we sold also has gone up.

No, most would call this due diligence.

The bottom line is you’re not buying just a home, you’re buying a lifestyle. Come out, get to know people, join some clubs, check out the wood shops, and let home prices do whatever they do.

Craig - I'm the same as you, I like to really study a real estate market for a good period of time to learn it, see the range of properties, watch pricing and sales velocity, etc. Doing that has served me well in several home purchases and sales.

I'm watching TV properties carefully too, online. Will be down there for almost 3 weeks starting late Feb and if it checks out for me, I'll list my property here in metro Cincy by early/mid Summer and make the move late Summer/early Fall.

Depending on the circumstances of the buyer and their flexibility - I may fly down for a week and get something under contract and inspected - then move down into that purchased property. Or, I close here and move down to rent for a bit so, I can be local when I'm buying which I find to be the much preferred way for a variety of good reasons.

Best of luck to you and I think you'll find your time has been well-spent watching the housing market in TV for a long while.

You have to remember that today there are more homes in the Villages than ever before so it makes sense that there would be more homes for sale. Anyone looking should be able to find what they want. Interesting that there are over 400 new homes for sale giving not long ago there were lotteries just for people to put a deposit down and now over 400 new homes for sale, different times.

Multiple names still exist, it just depends on the village. Next multi name on release day will be Richmond East. All of Richmond proper (named from residents) had no less than 10 names on build lots some had over 30. Spec homes were the same in Richmond, multiple people on each home. Closest we got on 15 lots was more than 10.

All the while 3 other villages less than 10 minutes away had homes just waiting to buy.

:bigbow:Thanks for all the comments. Have a wonderful day!

INSURANCE RATES AND TAXES are running people out! Nobody's wants in either...

Many have recommended that way and from reading, that appears to be the best way for overly analytical people to feel good and comfortable with their decision. We have had several people rent out house with that purpose in mind. most find their house and purchase within 6 months.

Our local friends here in MA waited 5 years to buy, not being able to pull the trigger for many reasons, but watched for 5 years, looking for a bargain, AND they found a resale which met all their requirements. Their point is that they only wanted to buy and move once and had specific requirements, so they found it, but it was a wait as well. . . I will say a very , very nice outside living house.

We are mostly analytic types but have some experience watching real estate and HGTV over decades so the opportunity came up when we were least expecting it, the downpayment was under our mattress at home, (literally and true story) and we purchased a lot, during a vacation golf vacation week to a place we had never heard of, TV.

So know yourself on how you make big decisions, and make the best one for you.

Good luck

Available land for building
 

One thing to note is that The Villages purchased 15,000 acres or more a few years ago. It took some time to develop the infrastructure including roads and utilities before homes could be built in any new village. It may be that this is somewhat of a timing issue in that more homes are getting completed in the new areas? Also, spring is coming which is usually good for the housing market. Mortgage rates coming down a bit helps those who choose to secure a loan for their new home. As noted, it's not just a house anywhere, its an affordable lifestyle. An article in TS today says the population is now 150,000.

The Villages homes for sale
 

We bought our home in September 2019 and moved here March 2020. By November 2020, there were over 600 new homes available, due to the Developer keeping the building crews, and the local supply chain, employed during the early days of Covid. By February 2022, there were fewer than 20 new homes available and, on one of those days, there were 3! There were 4,004 new homes sold in 2022. The 445 new homes, which included 68 "pending" homes, is probably a 6 or 7 week supply today. Based on the massive infrastructure construction under way (See Gold Wingnut's #134), I don't think the Developer is concerned with the current inventory levels.

BTW - I've not found a way to track the home sales from lot sales. I would guess there's been over 400 lot/home sales completed, not counting the large amount sold and under construction in the Moultrie Creek area.

As of now, the southwest corner of the property owned by The Villages, through their various entities, is due east of Bushnell. Fun fact - Walton Properties owns land on CR 48, a little south and east of that corner. The owners of one of the prominent restaurant groups in The Villages have property at the southwest corner on 471.