[shaw8700@outlook.com]

We took out a bridge loan (turns out we didn’t need it; our house before the first payment was due) and this made it possible to buy a home here. And it was cheaper than it was to rent.

[badkarma318]

Originally Posted by BrianL99

That's a pretty narrow and tough order to fill. I'd like the same thing, but pretty much gave up looking for one. Not many out there, from what I've seen.

There are currently 44 CYVs with 2 car garages on The Villages site (although most are not right next to LSL). I'm sure there are many more on MLS sites.

[badkarma318]

I would highly suggest that you contact Ira Miller at IM Realty. He has more than 20 years experience selling homes in The Villages (9 of those years working for the developer), as well as his own YouTube channel. He has helped many people in your exact situation. He will input your preferences into his system, then you will receive timely email alerts if a home that meets your criteria becomes available (you can obviously continue to look at listings yourself as well, and just let him know if you find something you're interested in). He can also do live video walkthroughs of homes, including drone footage. He has numerous videos on his channel related to people buying homes from out-of-state. To my knowledge, they were all very happy with the entire process, working with Ira, and their new homes.

[BrianL99]

Originally Posted by badkarma318

There are currently 44 CYVs with 2 car garages on The Villages site (although most are not right next to LSL). I'm sure there are many more on MLS sites.

The only thing that differentiates one home from another in TV, is location.

[CoachKandSportsguy]

Originally Posted by MplsPete

Maybe I should clarify my original question now:
How do you go about buying a (preowned) home in a community 1500 miles away from where you live?
Thanks to all who share their experiences.

The way we have seen houses being bought by people who have been renters at our house,

1) They rent a house for 3-4 months anywhere in TV, furnished, off season, May through November. Advantage, they are living the life style, experiencing a typical TV house, and they spend their time actively looking for a house to buy. They use a TV sales rep, and are firm with what they want, and if the rep keeps steering them to a new build, they change reps, and they use a local RE agent

Once they find a house to buy, they figure out the financials and the logistics, and when they will move.

OR

2) they sell their current house first, its a big job, i am undertaking selling two houses, within the next year, and its daunting. That way they have made the decision, they have the money to close in 30 days and make a cash offer. They ship their items and keep them in storage until they find a house.

They rent a house for 3-4 months anywhere in TV, furnished, off season, May through November. Advantage, they are living the life style, experiencing a typical TV house, and they spend their time actively looking for a house to buy. They use a TV sales rep, and are firm with what they want, and if the rep keeps steering them to a new build, they change reps, and they use a local RE agent

They can move quickly on a house they want, and begin living the lifestyle within 30 days or so.


The real work is knowing what you want first, and then the hunt / quest continues.

Or you can do it like we did. . never heard of the place when we came down.
never intended to buy a house, didn't have finances ready to make a down payment.
you find something that looks unique and amazing even before the amenities and bridges were built, and you fumble around to buy it. . . and then go now what?

good luck. . .

[JimLtravels]

Originally Posted by badkarma318

I would highly suggest that you contact Ira Miller at IM Realty. He has more than 20 years experience selling homes in The Villages (9 of those years working for the developer), as well as his own YouTube channel. He has helped many people in your exact situation. He will input your preferences into his system, then you will receive timely email alerts if a home that meets your criteria becomes available (you can obviously continue to look at listings yourself as well, and just let him know if you find something you're interested in). He can also do live video walkthroughs of homes, including drone footage. He has numerous videos on his channel related to people buying homes from out-of-state. To my knowledge, they were all very happy with the entire process, working with Ira, and their new homes.

Don’t do what I did. I came down and looked at 14 homes in one day. I thought I wanted a courtyard villa. I looked at 12 of them. Luckily my real estate agent was Ira Miller and between him figuring out what would be best suited for me and dumb luck, I have been a resident for just over a year. I don’t intend to move 3 times, which allegedly is the average. He helped me pick a great home for me. One very important factor, is your neighbors. You may not have much control there. My neighborhood has been wonderful and made a huge difference in your my situation. For instance, whether there is an Airbnb near you or renters etc. As mentioned in previous posts there are many factors to consider. But I would recommend looking around a little as opposed to doing what I did.

[villageuser]

I’m a REALTOR® who loves helping people from out of state make their move to The Villages. I’ve lived in the area for 23 years and know it well. For my customers who can’t be here in person, I do live video showings and personally search through listings every day to find homes that match what they’re looking for. When I share listings, I include why I think they’ll like the home and some details about the neighborhood to help them get a feel for the area.

When the time is right, they come down to meet me, and we tour the homes they’re most excited about. By then, I’ve usually connected them with a few great lenders who can help with things like bridge loans or other financing options.

I know moving from so far away can feel overwhelming, so whether it is me, or somebody else, find someone who is dedicated to making the process as smooth and stress-free as possible. It should be about you, finding the right fit and making the transition easier for you. Best of luck to you, and the next chapter of your life!

[dsattazahn]

Originally Posted by MplsPete

Okay, let’s get some of the preliminaries out of the way. I did a Lifestyle visit, about 3-4 days, a year ago, in Newell. I spent July in an Airbnb in the northern village of Alhambra. I don’t want to move until I start my Social Security, so sometime after February. Although my wife was smitten with the idea of a new home, the LONG drive down to Eastport made her less eager, and I don’t want the big bonds of the new houses (I know, many say bonds don’t matter for various reasons, but I don’t want a new house bond.)

Maybe I should clarify my original question now:
How do you go about buying a (preowned) home in a community 1500 miles away from where you live?
Thanks to all who share their experiences.

We bought a home in Feb of 24. We rented a home in TV for the month of February. I would suggest if you wanna look, rent for 2-3 months. Find a licensed realtor and also a Villages realtor. Then with looking at your own list from Zillow and the villages app you should be able to see pretty much everything that’s available. It is very overwhelming as there are a lot of homes available. It comes down to what style home and layout that you like. After we bought in February, we spent the next 2 months of painting and decorating as we wanted. Let me know if you want help. I also know a very good realtor. Good luck!!!

[Kelevision]

Originally Posted by MplsPete

Okay, let’s get some of the preliminaries out of the way. I did a Lifestyle visit, about 3-4 days, a year ago, in Newell. I spent July in an Airbnb in the northern village of Alhambra. I don’t want to move until I start my Social Security, so sometime after February. Although my wife was smitten with the idea of a new home, the LONG drive down to Eastport made her less eager, and I don’t want the big bonds of the new houses (I know, many say bonds don’t matter for various reasons, but I don’t want a new house bond.)

Maybe I should clarify my original question now:
How do you go about buying a (preowned) home in a community 1500 miles away from where you live?
Thanks to all who share their experiences.

Though this post is a bit confusing. I’m not sure about the LONG drive to Eastport from Newell but all the new homes coming out are very close to Eastport. Buying a pre-owned home in the northern section, I doubt you’ll ever go down to Eastport since you’d have Spanish Springs and Lake Sumter Landing much closer. I assume you stayed longer than 3-4 days on your second visit since that’s not nearly long enough to know what’s here and the areas. I live in the southern section and it would take me 1 hour 20 minutes by golf cart to get up north. I never go there. Having said that. If you are insistent on pre-owned, you need to get both a Villages Sales person, and an MLS realtor, as they have different homes available. Most Sales agents here work with MLS realtors for this very reason. If you’re asking how to buy a house because you won’t be able to come look at them? Would you buy a house anywhere else sight unseen? If the answer is yes, go for it. There are bonds on pre-owned houses too so let the realtor know you want something without a bond, which most likely will be in the northern section. If you liked it way up there, again, go for it. The north and south villages are very very different. You need to pick the area you like best.

[BobGraves]

If you look at it as just adding the bond price to the sale price I found that the comparable prices between pre-owned and new build are very close and then you're getting a warranty, brand new roof, brand new appliances, etc.. Unless you have a specific area you're in love with I wouldn't rule out a new build JUST because of the bond. I realize some pre-owned homes have upgrades but you're probably paying to them in the resale price.

[Laker14]

Job 1 is to narrow your search area as much as possible. Frankly, I don't see how you do that without having rented for a while. I wouldn't worry one bit about what someone has suggested about "wasting 30K in equity". First of all, it's not 30K after you do the math and figure what you are NOT paying for, i.e. Taxes, insurance, maintenance fees, amenity fees, mortgage interest (or if not paying a mortgage, you would have the dollars in some sort of interest bearing vehicle) and whatever the math might suggest, IT IS NOT WASTED IF IT HELPS YOU FIND THE HOME YOU WANT IN THE AREA YOU WANT..

The best way to relieve the stress of the situation is to remove the urgency. Renting allows you to do that.

[asianthree]

OP you are Not stating that you need to sell prior to buying…that is your first Q&A
Do you have funds to buy and maintain two houses or plan on keeping two houses.
You have not stated what model you are looking for, Need first, want second.
So far the only concern you have posted is you don’t want a bond on new house. Does that mean you are in need of no bond, because of yearly $$$? Then one needs to look at historical sections and north area where bond is almost paid.

We have enough seasoned years that we could buy a home site unseen. Why because we know pretty much every village, from the far north to the most recent village builds.

We require Zero medical facilities within TV, I don’t waste time buying Groceries at B&M in TV. If I need something it arrives at my door at any given day or time. I don’t shop retail, because what does one need later in life that isn’t already in your home. I do find older gens require retail, more than younger, for my observation it’s about interaction for some. Restaurants in most of TV are mediocre at best. If I can make it at home better, (except for fried chicken or fish,) we eat in.

We have owned 3 new homes, one preowned and never paid off the bond. What one needs to be prepared for is instant money when buying preowned. Within 2 years of a 6yo home we needed a new HVAC,($6’000) irrigation ($950) gutters, ($4,000) driveway maintenance ($1200) exterior paint ($4,000) bathrooms/kitchen parts replaced due to leaking. Yes bond was only $1,300 a year, ($1,865 new build) but maintenance was more than we expected for such a young house.

Our first 2 “new” builds had HVAC issues, within 1-3 years, but all was covered by warranty. Our last build the AC blew a hole larger than a softball at 11 months, ( obviously a defect) Covered by warranty. HO insurance on new home $600. Preowned with 1,000sf less was $1,409 for preowned.

Newer builds are very close to Southern Oaks bridge, roughly 15-20 minutes to Brownwood and 30 to LSL. But 10 minutes to the new Middleton and Eastport, with more variety, close to hop on to 75 or turnpike, far better medical facilities and parks are 50 minutes away.
Unsure why the hurry to buy but you will find a furnished rental quickly for a month or two, because of the amount of new closing everyday.

Then again one can just buy a new house live for a year taking time to figure out where and when, sell make a profit and find a dream home.

[La lamy]

I’ll echo others and recommend coming to rent for a few months. I would sell your existing home first, if you plan on doing that. Good luck!!

[Ellwoodrick]

My wife an I rented for one winter season prior to purchasing. If you look at pre owned homes some things to consider:

1) how old is the roof? if over 15 years you may have a hard time with Insurance.
2) How old is the Furnace & AC system. Same problem. If to old it could become insurance issue.
3) If in an older neighborhood (we bought a 23 year old home and the Bond was paid off) is there a Bond payment?
4) Will you be bringing furniture or looking to furnish after you purchase. It makes a difference if the home you purchase is preowned sold with furnishings.
5) Taxes - If you purchase a preowned home your taxes will change on the home. If you are permanent residents you will be intitled to the homestead exemption, however the Real Estate taxes will change based upon the new sale price. Factor that into your budget.
6) I would highly recommend getting a Home Inspection. Many agents will recommend their favorite company for Home inspections. Interview your own inspectors. Not all are as thorough as others. Get the wind mitigation report. Most newer home would be built to the new building codes. Some older homes may not have been updated to the newer Roofing standards with strapping in the attic for wind mitigation. Once again your insurance company will want that inspection report.

The list by no means is all inclusive but offered as some major points to look at.

My wife and I liked the older neighborhoods with mature trees in it. Not everyone's cup of tea. Also we chose one that was a size we liked but has not been updated (Kitchen & Baths) so we can customize the way we want. Yes, there are many shopping experiences within the Villages. Up north we can jump outside the bubble to shop in 10 minutes. Having been in the Real Estate business for over 30 years in Pennsylvania my best advice - Walk before you run.

I wish you the best of luck in your search. Everybody has a "Guy" for this and that. I would recommend you talk to:

Dan McNulty, not the agent we used but a friend and neighbor who we have gotten to know since our purchase.

(941) 888-4583

[RoseyRed]

Originally Posted by Dotneko

Except you are wasting $30,000+ renting a home with no equity.

YES we struggled with that decision as well! Paying rent seems like throwing money out the window! Decided a year's rent is better than making an impulsive decision to buy and end up selling. The cost of living and selling a house is very expensive compared to our home state. So, from our perspective, it is better to lose a year's rent than to later lose even MORE money on selling a house that was lived in for a short time.