[outlaw]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

You know what I think? I think that there has been a lot of dissension on this thread started by and continued by disgruntled MLS agents. ONLY the reps for the Villages can sell the new homes here and the resales listed on The Villages site and you can say all you want about sour grapes, sour grapes do exist.

As a buyer I am glad to be able to choose. I have no loyalty to anyone and I LOVE the way I am not SOLD by the Villages rep. He answered all of our questions and never called us to push things along. He now stops by on our birthdays to chat. I like Jim McLaughlin a lot.

Do any of you remember that big meeting at Laurel Manor with an overflowing crowd five or so years ago with Janet Tutt and it was mostly about something to do with MLS. I think it was about the CDD and signage for homes for sale above 466. Always below 466 no yard signs were allowed, but they were at one time north of 466. I think that was it, but don't remember exactly. I still think that realtors that sell for nearby developments and those that are disgruntled start things on this forum sometimes.

Here is the issue; The Daily Sun July 31,2012 Districts discuss yard sign deed restriction

Yes. It's a big conspiracy to bring down the developer and his real estate sales empire.

[NavyNJ]

Originally Posted by dbussone

bbbbbb - thanks for the info. I knew that MLS agents are licensed. Are they licensed by the state or MLS though? And someone told me that VLS agents, although not MLS, must still take a qualifying state exam.

Does anyone know the status of the two agent types?

Good lord.....do people on this forum actually not know how to use Google (or Bing or whatever)?? Most of all of the "rumors", "things I/we heard", "things I/we were told", "things I/we understand" posted and re-posted on this and just about every other thread, could probably be figured out way more easily than posting in these threads.

But, since all of this has been bantered about, confirmed and contradicted multiple times here.....I'll throw my 2 cents in:

- Properties of The Villages Agents (i.e., VLS agents, Developer agents, etc.) are, in fact, licensed by the State of Florida.
- Outside Agents, working for various Real Estate Brokers/Companies (i.e., MLS agents) are, in fact, licensed by the vary same State of Florida.
- MLS (Multiple Listing Service) is just that....a Service. Not an entity or firm or anything one swears allegiance to. It's a service that Real Estate Brokers pay for annually to be given access to all those listings in the area served by a specific MLS (there's not a single MLS for the entire State).
- VLS (Villages Listing Service) is just that.....a Service. But, in this case, it's only accessible to agents working for Properties of The Villages, and is a private service.

There was a time, pre-VLS, that all agents played in the same sand box. Then as The Villages began to explode, friction between the organizations (mostly due to outside agents not having access to new construction) led to the birth of the VLS and the segregation of the two systems.

And, as most/many have suggested, if a home buyer truly wants to have the full measure of the marketplace to choose from, they should work with an agent of both services (MLS & VLS). Some find that too cumbersome, and land on just one and most likely end up doing just fine, notwithstanding the inability to buy a new home thru an MLS agent.

Hope that has cleared up at least of few of the rumors and points of contention.....oh, and yes, VLS agents are paid as independent contractors via a IRS 1099, but so are 99.9% of all real estate agents in the country, so that's a non-issue.

[dbussone]

Originally Posted by NavyNJ

Good lord.....do people on this forum actually not know how to use Google (or Bing or whatever)?? Most of all of the "rumors", "things I/we heard", "things I/we were told", "things I/we understand" posted and re-posted on this and just about every other thread, could probably be figured out way more easily than posting in these threads.



But, since all of this has been bantered about, confirmed and contradicted multiple times here.....I'll throw my 2 cents in:



- Properties of The Villages Agents (i.e., VLS agents, Developer agents, etc.) are, in fact, licensed by the State of Florida.

- Outside Agents, working for various Real Estate Brokers/Companies (i.e., MLS agents) are, in fact, licensed by the vary same State of Florida.

- MLS (Multiple Listing Service) is just that....a Service. Not an entity or firm or anything one swears allegiance to. It's a service that Real Estate Brokers pay for annually to be given access to all those listings in the area served by a specific MLS (there's not a single MLS for the entire State).

- VLS (Villages Listing Service) is just that.....a Service. But, in this case, it's only accessible to agents working for Properties of The Villages, and is a private service.



There was a time, pre-VLS, that all agents played in the same sand box. Then as The Villages began to explode, friction between the organizations (mostly due to outside agents not having access to new construction) led to the birth of the VLS and the segregation of the two systems.



And, as most/many have suggested, if a home buyer truly wants to have the full measure of the marketplace to choose from, they should work with an agent of both services (MLS & VLS). Some find that too cumbersome, and land on just one and most likely end up doing just fine, notwithstanding the inability to buy a new home thru an MLS agent.



Hope that has cleared up at least of few of the rumors and points of contention.....oh, and yes, VLS agents are paid as independent contractors via a IRS 1099, but so are 99.9% of all real estate agents in the country, so that's a non-issue.

Good gosh! Why would I want to use Google when there are plenty of intelligent folks here on TOTV who know better than Google. I wasn't a real estate agent and plenty of posters here were.

I trust them more than Google, man. But thanks for your service.

P.S. I hope you don't believe everything you read on the Internet.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[NavyNJ]

Originally Posted by dbussone

Good gosh! Why would I want to use Google when there are plenty of intelligent folks here on TOTV who know better than Google. I wasn't a real estate agent and plenty of posters here were.

I trust them more than Google, man. But thanks for your service.

P.S. I hope you don't believe everything you read on the Internet.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Haha!! No, don't believe much on the Internet, for sure. But Google does point to decent info sources in most cases. Wikipedia on the other hand, can really get iffy.

I actually should have captioned my comments better after referring to Google like that. I was offering up my info more from personal knowledge than internet searching. And yes, agree there are plenty of experienced people on the forums, but even that will sometimes lead to confusing, if not conflicting, info. In the end.....it all usually seems to work out! Cheers!

[dbussone]

Originally Posted by NavyNJ

Haha!! No, don't believe much on the Internet, for sure. But Google does point to decent info sources in most cases. Wikipedia on the other hand, can really get iffy.



I actually should have captioned my comments better after referring to Google like that. I was offering up my info more from personal knowledge than internet searching. And yes, agree there are plenty of experienced people on the forums, but even that will sometimes lead to confusing, if not conflicting, info. In the end.....it all usually seems to work out! Cheers!

Cheers! Have a great weekend. Just duck between the raindrops. [emoji41]



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[pauld315]

Originally Posted by mrdarcy

I inquired once about licensing of Villages Priperties sales agents. The response was that some of the agents have Florida real estate licenses and some do not. Thus, you have to ask about the status of the individual agent with whom you're working.

I asked about becoming a sales associate after moving to TV the last time I was there. They said I needed to get my realtors license in the state of FL and then come talk to them.

[Jazzcat]

We plan to buy our first home in TV in the next couple of months. We understand that new homes can only be purchased directly from TV. Would you recommend having a TV agent to look at new houses, and a MLS agent to look at all pre-owned? Can a MLS agent show us a pre-owned home that is listed by TV? I am a bit reluctant to use TV realtor exclusively, knowing that their allegiance is to TV, rather than to us, as buyers. We notice that many new homes are shown at "discount" prices. Do those discounts fluctuate? Should we expect to see prices on new homes increase as we approach the busy winter season?
Also, most folks seem to say that they don't bother engaging their own attorney to represent them as buyers. I can't imagine signing a such an important contract, without the advice of an attorney. Any others agree or disagree?

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by Jazzcat

We plan to buy our first home in TV in the next couple of months. We understand that new homes can only be purchased directly from TV. Would you recommend having a TV agent to look at new houses, and a MLS agent to look at all pre-owned? Can a MLS agent show us a pre-owned home that is listed by TV? I am a bit reluctant to use TV realtor exclusively, knowing that their allegiance is to TV, rather than to us, as buyers. We notice that many new homes are shown at "discount" prices. Do those discounts fluctuate? Should we expect to see prices on new homes increase as we approach the busy winter season?
Also, most folks seem to say that they don't bother engaging their own attorney to represent them as buyers. I can't imagine signing a such an important contract, without the advice of an attorney. Any others agree or disagree?

I've used the same TV agent for over 10 years. Have been very happy with his services. If interested in name/contact information..........pm me. Discounts don't necessarily fluctuate, they just come and go. Sometimes to move a specific house. I think houses have increased over the years, not so much by season.

[champion6]

Originally Posted by Jazzcat

We plan to buy our first home in TV in the next couple of months. We understand that new homes can only be purchased directly from TV. Would you recommend having a TV agent to look at new houses, and a MLS agent to look at all pre-owned? Can a MLS agent show us a pre-owned home that is listed by TV? I am a bit reluctant to use TV realtor exclusively, knowing that their allegiance is to TV, rather than to us, as buyers. We notice that many new homes are shown at "discount" prices. Do those discounts fluctuate? Should we expect to see prices on new homes increase as we approach the busy winter season?
Also, most folks seem to say that they don't bother engaging their own attorney to represent them as buyers. I can't imagine signing a such an important contract, without the advice of an attorney. Any others agree or disagree?

TV agent can show you new and resales that are listed with TV.
MLS agent can show resales that are listed with MLS.

Discounts are available for a limited time which might be undefined. They change over time - up or down.

I don't think listed prices (base prices of existing inventory) are raised over time. However, as the newest builds go on the market, they might go up.

I don't think an attorney is necessary when buying a new build from TV. However, it may be very useful to have one when buying any presales from either TV or MLS.

[outahere]

Originally Posted by Jazzcat

Also, most folks seem to say that they don't bother engaging their own attorney to represent them as buyers. I can't imagine signing a such an important contract, without the advice of an attorney. Any others agree or disagree?

If you are buying a new home, TV will not allow any changes/modifications to the sales contract, so hiring an attorney to review the contract would only be for your peace of mind. I do not know if TV will allow changes to the contract on a re-sale.

However, if buying a re-sale through a MLS Realtor, they most likely use the standard Florida contract, which can be modified by either the buyer or the seller, so I would definitely hire an attorney in that case. If TV allows changes to a re-sale contract, then I would also hire an attorney in that case.

[GeoGeo]

Don't feel bad. We were told about 17 years ago they weren't going to be building any more villas. Also, told that wherever you see a rock there will be water there (they put rocks by ponds). The rock we saw never did have water near it. It may now. Not that it matters. We ended up hurrying and buying because they weren't going to build any more villas. Lesson learned....you can't always believe what sales people tell you.

[John_W]

Originally Posted by NavyNJ

Good lord.....do people on this forum actually not know how to use Google (or Bing or whatever)?? Most of all of the "rumors", "things I/we heard", "things I/we were told", "things I/we understand" posted and re-posted on this and just about every other thread, could probably be figured out way more easily than posting in these threads.

But, since all of this has been bantered about, confirmed and contradicted multiple times here.....I'll throw my 2 cents in:

- Properties of The Villages Agents (i.e., VLS agents, Developer agents, etc.) are, in fact, licensed by the State of Florida.
- Outside Agents, working for various Real Estate Brokers/Companies (i.e., MLS agents) are, in fact, licensed by the vary same State of Florida.
- MLS (Multiple Listing Service) is just that....a Service. Not an entity or firm or anything one swears allegiance to. It's a service that Real Estate Brokers pay for annually to be given access to all those listings in the area served by a specific MLS (there's not a single MLS for the entire State).
- VLS (Villages Listing Service) is just that.....a Service. But, in this case, it's only accessible to agents working for Properties of The Villages, and is a private service.

There was a time, pre-VLS, that all agents played in the same sand box. Then as The Villages began to explode, friction between the organizations (mostly due to outside agents not having access to new construction) led to the birth of the VLS and the segregation of the two systems.

And, as most/many have suggested, if a home buyer truly wants to have the full measure of the marketplace to choose from, they should work with an agent of both services (MLS & VLS). Some find that too cumbersome, and land on just one and most likely end up doing just fine, notwithstanding the inability to buy a new home thru an MLS agent.

Hope that has cleared up at least of few of the rumors and points of contention.....oh, and yes, VLS agents are paid as independent contractors via a IRS 1099, but so are 99.9% of all real estate agents in the country, so that's a non-issue.

Finally somebody broke it down to simple terms. I'll add one little item, I do have some experience in this area. I was a licensed Realtor in Savannah, Georgia in the 1980's and published the magazine "Homes & Land of Savannah". Later I was a licensed Realtor in Hernando County (Spring Hill), Florida.

Most Realtors in the MLS system split the commission 4 ways. The listing agent and their broker each get 25% and the selling agent and their broker each get 25%. The exception was Remax, and for that reason Remax generally gets the cream of the crop, or let's say, no part-time retirees. Because Remax Agents actually pay the broker for the right to work in that office.

A Remax agent for example will pay his Broker $1200 a month or about $14,000 a year. The broker will provide the office, the Remax sign, the MLS system and computers, a receptionist, phone numbers, a desk and everything else you need to sell. In return, you get 95% of the selling or listing commission and the broker gets 5%. So this is why I say they get the cream of the crop, because he's paying out every month whether he sells a home or not.

I don't know anything about our local area here or the agents, other than seeing Lyle Grant make informative posts on this website from time-to-time and he seems to be a conscientious Realtor. My own experience was I didn't try to sell homes, because that was very time consuming and also a lot of wear and tear on your car and gas, so I admire those agents who do sell. I specialized in listing and especially listing vacant land. Here's why, there is no key to deal with, no appointments for showing the home, you really don't even need to contact that listing agent until you have a buyer wanting to make an offer. Of course the sales price is much lower for a lot instead of a home, but the commission on vacant land is generally 10% and closings are pretty quick.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by NavyNJ

Good lord.....do people on this forum actually not know how to use Google (or Bing or whatever)?? Most of all of the "rumors", "things I/we heard", "things I/we were told", "things I/we understand" posted and re-posted on this and just about every other thread, could probably be figured out way more easily than posting in these threads.
But, since all of this has been bantered about, confirmed and contradicted multiple times here.....I'll throw my 2 cents in:

Even those of us who decry rumor threads and contradictory responses can't resist posting our opinion,
and I include myself in that.

Originally Posted by kstew43

Remember...VLS sales agents are still licensed by the state of florida, hense they do have to obey Florida Laws. Your offer must be made regardless of how embarrassing the agent thought it might of been. Thats there job and the law.....

Also there is a thing called full disclosure.....but if the agent is so neglectful as to inquire about the home from the owners, then she/hes a fool, and you should have run away.

I go to open houses in the villages all the time and never let on that I am a licensed realtor. I question the agents about aspects of the homes they are sitting open house for, age of roof? boundry lines...bond balance....ect

Most of the time they know nothing and have no answers for me....ridiculos....but the good ones always say let me find that out for you.....thats the right answer.

Sales agents are out for "the transaction" sale of the home, once they got you...there job is done and they move onto the next.

Buyer Beware.......no one is looking out for you but you...

Absolutely NOT true! Regardless of if it's just an agent or Realtor, their job is NOT done until the closing has taken place. Unfortunately, there are agents who do not do a very good job and give the rest a bad name.

Keep in mind that the agent is not paid until the property closes and while it is never advisable, I have seen buyers go behind their agent's back and contact the seller directly, to advise them of a problem. When the seller makes a stink, very often an issue is handled.

Originally Posted by jamblu

On purchasing a preowned home by this Village agent, from the onset this woman lied. I was told that the elderly gentleman who lives in the home was the original owner. He expanded his lanai, he is leaving to go into an assisted living facility and since signing the contracts, she has refused to correspond either by e mail, phone or texts. Well according to the tax records the home was purchased in 2015 and he didn't do a thing in that home. He's not going into an assisted living facility he is going to live with his daughter. Where do they get this stuff from? I have repeatedly contacted the sales office to complain to perhaps a manager annd for some reason they try their damnest to avoid doing that. I still do not have executed contracts signed by both parties??? I think the difference between the VLS agents and MLS agents are MLS agents are bound to a code of ethics and morals and can be sued for misrepresentation. USE MLS

By law, you should have a copy of a signed contract. I would call The Villages' real estate office and demand (if necessary) to speak with the broker of record. If that doesn't work, I would physically go to the office (which I believe is on 466 above a Citizens Bank). There's nothing like a personal appearance to get something accomplished.

I would also file a complaint against the agent with the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation. Once you get on their site, there's a small Google place on the upper right of the page where you can write in "real estate complaint" and that will take you to where you want to go. They will only accept complaints in writing.

Most often, no one will ever file a complaint against an agent. That's why the lousy ones are still in business. You should do it.