[ijusluvit]

Originally Posted by OldDave

Greetings folks. I haven't had anything to post since our visit in June. For those of you that remember me, again thanks for all your support for our medically interesting visit. You may recall I had double vision for the whole trip. I'm pleased to report that my vision returned to normal about a month after we got home. I will always be very grateful for all the help, sympathy and information I received here. Now, I would like to begin to ask for some more as we consider a move.

We are beginning to get an idea of what kind of house we'd want, whether new or used, etc. While many of the folks I've talked to here are very excited about the idea of a new house, our preference has always been for a house that has been lived in a bit and all the bugs have been worked out, and of course most places it would be a bit cheaper...although I'm not sure that is true here. Having the bond paid would be nice. I would like some reaction to some of our notions.

We believe we would be happiest in a villa somewhere north of 466. We would like to be somewhere close to Spanish Springs and reasonably close to Lake Sumter. Certainly not the isolated part up near Nancy Lopez. What do you think of the construction of the older homes? With my health issues, we really didn't get a chance to look at the used houses. The new and model homes we looked at were not the best built houses I've ever seen, although admitedly we were looking at the cheapest range of houses. I'm wondering if this is a function of the current break neck building speed, or it that was the case for the last 15 to 20 years. I'm not saying the homes are poor, just not carefully built. Just a brief example...brand new patio villa. There were more seams showing in the siding than I could count. Most parts of the country no one would sell a house like that. The seams make a good entrance for bugs, and in hurricanes would be a great place for the wind to take hold. (The much more expensive 3 bedroom we rented in June seemed much better built. As everywhere you get what you pay for.)

Please do give me a lecture about love it or leave it. I think we've already decided that the shortcomings of the Villages are probably outweighted by the many wonderful things we found. We really did like it a great deal. But I'm not the kind of person to pretend the shortcomings aren't there. We want to try to get the best purchase for our money. So tell me anything you have to say about those older areas.

Also, I do worry about sink holes. It seems to make sense more stable soil in older areas might be better than the new builds where they are moving all the soil. Also from what I've read the further away from water features you can get the better. Any thoughts on that?

Finally, if you would be so kind. Those who live in villas, have you found them too close to neighbors, or are the ones with walls pretty insolated. We've kind of come to the conclusion these are kind of like nice apartments that just don't quite touch each other. I'd really like to know your thoughts. Even the large house we rented was so close to the neighbors, I would probably never open a window...and of course the villas are much closer.

I'm sure as we consider further I will have more questions and thank you all in advance for your help. It is deeply appreciated.

Dave

It's possible you are making a mistake in some of your reasoning. It isn't the question of new versus resale which may be the most fundamental. And many veterans here would much rather live in a quiet isolated place than near a town square. Once you decide the type of house you prefer, the real question is how convenient you are located to the things you want and need. There was a recent thread here about folks in two 1200 resident villages having to share one community pool and recreation center. Those same folks have to go miles, then often stand in line, to buy a loaf of bread. The Villages is not created equal. That "isolated part up North" has just about the best access to every kind of shopping and recreation, without congestion, because of it's geography. The center of The Villages has the most traffic and competition for services. The newer areas have fewer recreational facilities per resident. The newest homes are on smaller lots and realtors tell me they are not as well constructed as those built 5-10 years ago. Finally, there was another thread here recently about "problem areas" you should avoid. Things like living downwind of a sewage treatment facility, or in the frequent path of flying golf balls. Consider everything carefully. And, Good Luck!!

[gomoho]

Trust your REALTOR - a good one should have a complete understanding of your wants, needs, and desires and take it from there. Let you REALTOR earn that commission.

[jimbo2012]

Originally Posted by ijusluvit

The newest homes... realtors tell me they are not as well constructed as those built 5-10 years ago.

Can't agree with that statement by a realtor, they R clueless about the building code.

Everything is built better in newer homes, the code is simply more stringent in many regards.
2 quick examples are they R designed to withstand higher wind speeds in hurricanes.
The insulation and windows are better.

The AC units have seer ratings of 15+, that saves $$

[asianthree]

Glad to see your post Old Dave, I know your visit was not the best, I have a house south of 466, and have been looking at preowned for about 6mos. I noticed that the older homes seem to have put more thought in the design and lots of high ceilings, the yards are bigger and the neighborhoods are more mature. I agree when you are ready I think you would be wise to come and rent for a month or two and take your time to look at what is for sale and if you don't find something at least you have an idea of what streets or villages near SS you want to be. We came for 5 weeks and it still was not enough time to figure it out. but now know where we do not want to be. (not close to power lines, four lane roads) but thats just what we found, however we could buy a house on line in a heartbeat with the time we spent drawing all over our map of where to live.

[justjim]

Originally Posted by jimbo2012

Can't agree with that statement by a realtor, they R clueless about the building code.

Everything is built better in newer homes, the code is simply more stringent in many regards.
2 quick examples are they R designed to withstand higher wind speeds in hurricanes.
The insulation and windows are better.

The AC units have seer ratings of 15+, that saves $$

100% right jimbo. See post #12 in this thread. Sounds like a Realtor "pushing" a resale. That's not to say that a resale can't be a good deal given the right price and location.

[Pturner]

Hi Old Dave,
Welcome back. You've asked some great questions. I'll give you some moral support on your preference for pre-owned. We went that route and will again if we decide to trade for a bigger house/garage in going from snowflakes to frogs. We enjoy the mature landscaping not only for its beauty but for the increased privacy and reduced noise and dust it provides.

I've been in TV as a snowflake and as a frog. As a full-time resident, I agree unequivocally with the other posters who feel that living near shopping is more important than living near a town square. Of course, nothing says you can't do both.

We love living on the quieter, less congested north side! However, being more centrally located would have it's pluses too and most legitimately has its advocates.

Personally, I wouldn't love the dust, construction noise and construction debris that may accompany new, but that is temporary; and new homes certainly have well-reasoned advocates and couldn't-be-happier campers. This is not a question of right or wrong but pluses, minuses and preferences.

In choosing the most suitable home and location for you in this wonderful place called TV, the most important preferences... are your own!

All best wishes.

[anarick]

Originally Posted by Pturner

Hi Old Dave,
Welcome back. You've asked some great questions. I'll give you some moral support on your preference for pre-owned. We went that route and will again if we decide to trade for a bigger house/garage in going from snowflakes to frogs. We enjoy the mature landscaping not only for its beauty but for the increased privacy and reduced noise and dust it provides.

I've been in TV as a snowflake and as a frog. As a full-time resident, I agree unequivocally with the other posters who feel that living near shopping is more important than living near a town square. Of course, nothing says you can't do both.

We love living on the quieter, less congested north side! However, being more centrally located would have it's pluses too and most legitimately has its advocates.

Personally, I wouldn't love the dust, construction noise and construction debris that may accompany new, but that is temporary; and new homes certainly have well-reasoned advocates and couldn't-be-happier campers. This is not a question of right or wrong but pluses, minuses and preferences.

In choosing the most suitable home and location for you in this wonderful place called TV, the most important preferences... are your own!

All best wishes.

Well said.

[OldDave]

Very helpful posts. Thanks so much for the warm welcome back. I must say the more I hear about avoiding the squares and heading more for Walmart starts to make sense to me. Of course being around Spanish Springs kind of gives you both, if you're not too close. I'm looking for more thoughts. Thanks so much to all of you.

[villagerjack]

Seams in siding? Paralysis through analysis. You are over thinking. Anywhere you live here is just fine . And for $125000 patio villa, will not get the Taj Mahal, anywhere.

[wendyquat]

Originally Posted by OldDave

Very helpful posts. Thanks so much for the warm welcome back. I must say the more I hear about avoiding the squares and heading more for Walmart starts to make sense to me. Of course being around Spanish Springs kind of gives you both, if you're not too close. I'm looking for more thoughts. Thanks so much to all of you.

First of all, we rented two different months in 2010 North of 466 and liked it so well that we had decided that was where we would buy when our house in N C sold. Well, when it did sell last year we had to move much quicker than anticipated so we had to move before having a chance to come back to TV to find a house. We knew we wanted a CYV so that narrowed it down a bit. Of course, price was our next consideration and then location. We wound up having to rent for six months which gave us ample time to decide where to buy but it also meant moving twice which is a big chore at our age. We finally chose a CYV in Largo because of the centralized location. The older cvs we saw North
Of 466 in our price range seemed to need a lot of upgrading and it would have meant spending thousands of dollars. We decided we'd rather be in a newer neighborhood that needed less work. We also knew we wanted gas heat, hot water and cooking so we were able to further narrow down the choices. We found two in Largo and liked them both. We are on an inside lot but never hear from our "over the fence" neighbors. The other CYV was a corner lot that backed up to the PO. It probably was a better buy but it had a much bigger lot with 8 palm trees and actually we chose the smaller villa because of the smaller lot as my husband did not want to be tied down to the maintenance of a larger yard. We bought a FSBO but I believe we could have gotten a new unit as cheap or cheaper. This villa does have some additions that we liked but our main reason was the location. We really like Spanish Springs and while we are only about 10 minutes from Lake Sumter we are about equal distance between SS and Brownwood. One thing that kept us from buying N of 466 is the cart paths on the major streets there. I do like that Largo is off Canal Street.

You will find that the older neighborhoods are inhabited by "more seasoned" residents and may not be as active as the newer neighborhoods that are full of "less seasoned" residents who are all new to TV and a lot more active with block parties and get togethers on a regular basis. At our age we are thankful for our settled neighbors even though we may only get together once a month or less!

There are only one set of cyvs in Largo and they are just steps from the post office, family and adult pools and rec center. As others have said, you will be glad to be near shopping. The squares are wonderful to have but you won't go every night after you become a frog (at least we don't)!

I'm sorry this is so lengthy but I want to help. We were walking in your same shoes last year. No matter where you wind up I'm sure you'll be happy you made the move!

BTW, there are two or three villas in Largo for sale at this time! We'd love to have you!

[OldDave]

Wendy, thank you for the wonderfully detailed response. That is exactly the kind of information I was looking for and brought up the condition of older units which I really hadn't given much thought to. I have noticed in looking at pictures of units on line, the kitchens look pretty dated in the older ones. Thanks again for such a great response.

[eweissenbach]

Originally Posted by villagerjack

Seams in siding? Paralysis through analysis. You are over thinking. Anywhere you live here is just fine . And for $125000 patio villa, will not get the Taj Mahal, anywhere.

The OP didn't say that seams were a disqualifier, just that he noticed them. I too notice them, and they are often unsightly - seems like they should be avoided on the front and especially the entry area. Wouldn't keep me from buying but it is a cost cutter that should be avoided IMO.

[NancyGQB]

If you come from the midwest you automatically look at construction differences. Remember you are buying a "lifestyle" ilo a home. All areas are somewhat convenient to stores, squares, and medical facilities. We just recently purchased a CYV in Springdale and love it. We did however, rent for 5 years prior to purchasing.

[OldDave]

OK, I wasn't going to rise to the bait, but since Ed did, I will too. I am always amazed on this site by people who think that because TV is paradise you should stop using the function of your brain. "Paralysis through analysis." Amazing. As Ed pointed out it may not be a deal breaker, but no quality builder would leave visable seams. At the least they would put the seams in the back where they aren't so noticeable. At best there would be no seams. That kind of workmanship won't save much money, BUT it is an indication of sloppy work that many times is an indicator of sloppy work in more important areas you cannot see.

I simply don't understand why I should stop thinking when making a major purchase just because TV is a lovely fun place. Maybe others have $150,000 to $200,000 in the cushions of their couches, but I don't. I want to make a good, informed decision. And at least two people posting did indicate better building methods in the older homes, which is one of the things I asked about.

So, please allow me and others to use our heads and not just our hearts to consider the last major purchase we're likely to make.

And as to buying a lifestyle not a home, I disagree. Between the bond, the association fees and the increased housing prices I'm paying for that lifestyle quite well already thank you. Home prices in Kansas are much lower. One of the 1,200 sq. foot CVY there at $150K would be $90,000 here. Of course they are higher in Florida, but if you look at other developments near TV you find them $10-$20K cheaper than TV and with better construction.

Yes, we will probably buy in TV and I think we will enjoy the lifestyle very much, but I, and I believe at least a few others, want to do it with our eyes open.

Again thanks for all the helpful responses. I'd love to hear from others.

Dave

[2BNTV]

Of course one must their head when making a major purchase. Renting for a while will give you time to make a more informed decision. I for one, want to buy a pre-owned home and would like my decision based on not having to move again because i overlooked something in the decision process.

I was thinking halfway between SS and LSL is right for me. Others say to be close to shopping as the squares lose their appeal after a year. There are those who prefer new vs pre-owned. Some prefer the quite neighborhoods. There are many homes to coose from.

You can also search for new vs pre-owned threads as this subject has been discussed before. I would make a list of what you want as oppossed of things you can live without. As Pturner has said, your preference are the only one's that count.