[JoMar]

Originally Posted by pivo

Dr. Winston--I.ve been here now about 5 months, prior to that I lived up north and I was on the comp. just about every day for about 2 years checking prices on homes from the villages and realtors, Ifelt then and now I have a very good idea about the prices, and most today, I say most are overpriced, You can go nearby and get twice the house you pay for in the villages, I know the answer lifestyle, well nearby has the same advantages as the villages, they have everything the villages has except katie belle.
Thats my opinion, most residents won't admit because they are more or less stuck here, so naturally they will come up with the good, like no snow, well then no skiing either.

Here (does that mean you are in TV) and Five months on the comp and you come up with "nearby has the same advantages of TV except Katie Belle". I guess you missed the whole point or if you are in TV....why? Wouldn't you be better off nearby plus you would have twice the house and have those same advantages. Oh yeah, if you're not in TV why are you commenting?

[Miles42]

Maybe I will be able to get a tee time finally LOL

[dotti105]

Sales were down in 2014 compared to 2013. Sales were over 300/month in 2013 and over 200/month in 2014. Sales here are still brisk by any other standard. Just comparing the 2 years there is a significant decrease.

My personal thoughts are that the decrease relates directly with the end of custom design and the large increase in inventory homes. Most people have particular things they want in a new home and it is not as easy to find the "perfect" home in pre-built inventory.

Now they are offering buyers more options in cabinets, lighting and flooring. I think they realize that the end of custom build lead to a decrease in sales.

Just my personal observation.

oh, and......Yes it is 446A that is being widened and...... Yes, the land under the bridge has eroded......Yes, there is land under the bridge, not just water. Next time you look at the bridge you will notice that it is not entirely over water.

This thread has been a hoot to read. That's for sure!

[Packer Fan]

Originally Posted by tomwed

They need to get rid of that corny song. It's reminiscent of the Lawrence Welk and Mitch Miller Shows. No one wants to live with their parents. Like it or not the retirees relate to The Dead, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell and CSNY.
This place has everything that was fun when we were young. Sell that.

I totally disagree! I am 51 and I love the villages song.... It is a real ear worm sometimes.

[Mike W]

Don't kid yourself but the majority of property owners (both new and old) in The Villages were very well informed prior to their purchase. There's no shortage of information (good and bad) about The Villages on the internet. And "the bad" information is primarily from people that are envious of the continued success of The Villages. With any successful business model there are going to be people that will try to duplicate it. It's no secret that around here there's a lot more competition chasing the same dollars, so it doesn't surprise that sales are lower.

[Bonanza]

Originally Posted by mickey100

I agree there are frequent erroneous posts and rumors on this forum. But there is some truth as well, and issues involving The Villages have become much more transparent and not hidden, as they were in the past. It could be some people were turned off by the latest IRS probe, and and the uncertainty regarding how it might affect homeowners pocketbooks.

If people aren't turned off by the unknown ending to the IRS bond fiasco, where we, the homeowners have already forked up well over a million to the attorneys, then add to that the fact that the Lake Sumter bridge is in okay shape but the infrastructure below the bridge (the dirt) is eroding and homeowners are slated to pay the one million plus dollars to fix it. Nice, huh??!?

It's interesting that a public road was built on private land. Yes, very interesting!

[Bonanza]

Originally Posted by kstew43

Plus the bridge assessment, and the widening of 466......from whom will they get the money to pay for those issues?...

Supposedly the developer is paying for one and a half miles worth of the new road on 466A. In light of the fact that homeowners are paying for the IRS deal thus far, and are going to be paying for the bridge repairs, one has to wonder is the developer really paying for the widening of the road??? Or perhaps it's a fairy tale?

[Bonanza]

Originally Posted by billethkid

How many developers are selling, building and closing on 200 to 300 homes per month?Most across the country would think they have died and gone to heaven if they had the slowest rate in TV.
Maybe the slow down in the rate takes it from explosive to wild?
Reductions (or increases) are significant only when one knows the from which the numbers come/came. There will always be a certain number of new and resale available. The variance can only be plus or minus above that.
The develovers have crews to keep working and price increases to avoid a. In many instances the least cost to the builder could easily be build now and let sit in inventory. Not only least cost but higher profit margins as they will be pricing at current market which will usually be up. And building material costs of last year or even two years ago.
An operation the size of TV has financial options unavailable to smaller entities.
I don't think the TV will stumble in the closing years.
The variance being experienced in measuring terms would be labeled as noise on the curve!

There is no question that TV sells more homes than anywhere else in the country, but the real question is what is the actual percentage compared to other places. It may not be as much as we all think. I also think that number is down from what you quoted.

[Bonanza]

Originally Posted by kstew43

Plus the bridge assessment, and the widening of 466......from whom will they get the money to pay for those issues?...

Originally Posted by graciegirl

Probably from state highway funds.

I have lived here long enough to see many, many tempests in teapots settled. But for some odd reason no one comes on and says, WOW, that was taken care of.

There was hue and cry when the "wall" went up, and now that gate is doing pretty well and the precedent is keeping a lot of not needed golf carts from outside The Villages on the South side.

I may be a Pollyanna, but thank God, I am not as dumb as I look.

Other than the funds for the widening of 466A coming from the developer, the remaining road construction is supposed to take another five years to complete because there isn't enough money to get the work done. 466A is a county road, not a state road, and that makes a big difference.

Homeowners south of 466 are going to be paying for the repair of the bridge which makes no sense at all to me. It is a public road and Villagers north of the bridge use that road on a daily basis as does and can anyone. What genius thought that one up?

Referring to the wall situation, we are not speaking about tons of money and that issue was taken care of pretty quickly.

BTW, Gracie . . . You are far from dumb and certainly don't look it. I wish I had your hair!

[Bonanza]

Originally Posted by Chatbrat

When new houses are built without giving the purchaser a choice as to trim & extras--they sit on the mkt & dilute the mkt--spec homes do nothing but dilute the mkt--custom homes drive it up, also despite--the closer to Wildwood & Fruitland Pk all not help sales

A barrier is a comfort factor

I think they learned their lesson from having built street after street of spec homes.
Take a ride down Hillsborough Trail as an example, and you will see what I mean.
They made some really terrible choices in their decorating or should I say the lack of it.
Where did they find these people who made those choices?

[Bonanza]

Originally Posted by looneycat

I'll agree only as far as you may be able to get a bigger house for the money but not even half the HOME you get here!

Forget the size, but the quality of construction here is just average.
And if you opted for upgrades during construction, you paid through the nose.

[villagerjack]

Nobody goes here it is too crowded.

[Bonanza]

Originally Posted by justjim

"Land under the bridge is sinking", I did read about that but haven't attended any District Meetings regarding details surrounding this problem. What land are they talking about? The land under the bridge I would think would be water or swamp. Is the Bridge sinking or in danger of sinking because the footings were not built to hold the weight of all the traffic? I wonder why the problem still wouldn't be the Sumter county responsibility unless the ground that is sinking has nothing to do with the bridge.

Regardless, this issue still has nothing to do with less home sales IMHO.

Jim -- the problem is that the land under the bridge is eroding. I assume it is because of the prevailing wind moving the water which moves the soil/sand over a pretty long period of time. I guess it's much like what happens to some of the beaches. That in itself tells me that it will be an ongoing issue over time.

I will never understand how a public bridge can be built on private land. Shouldn't this fact have been disclosed in a purchase agreement when we all bought?

[villagerjack]

Dell Webb in Sun City SC is celebrating its 20th Anniversary. They still have about 1000 homes to build. Buildout is about 8500 homes. The Villages and their near genius Management eats the lunch if every developer on this Planet. People LOVE the Villages. Try to get a rental for next February and you will see what I mean. We are very fortunate to live in such a classy operation..

[villagerjack]

Originally Posted by Bonanza

Forget the size, but the quality of construction here is just average.
And if you opted for upgrades during construction, you paid through the nose.

Do you have an engineering background to make that statement? Jyst what do you mean by AVERAGE? Do you Own a home here?