[senior citizen]

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[Jim 9922]

Senior Citizen, two well done posts!

[justjim]

Originally Posted by senior citizen

I agree that no one pressured us either. We were so exhausted after beginning our trip at 3 a.m. in the morning....

Sitting through getting the planes wings de iced, prior to flying to Orlando's airport.....which is HUGE....getting the rental car, getting lost on the roundabouts.......finally finding that GORGEOUS hotel where the sales office is, in Lake Sumter Landing..........being taken to our first house........again, gorgeous..........we opted not to look at the models but decided to just browse around on our own........after we relaxed.

No one pressured us the next month of November either......we wanted to get our bearings on our own........and we did.

However, we know from experience in other places that we "relocated to" in Florida, even after doing said research for many years.......and finding things that were perfect about our chosen town, such as being a "Florida Main Street" community.....with beautiful boulevards and esplanades, smack right on the Gulf of Mexico's totally refurbished beach......jetties for fishing, docks for fishing, etc.......all the services one would need, again a self contained town that was wonderfully laid out..........

The things we did not know, or were not told........was the fact that the RED TIDE BACTERIA was a frequent visitor. It will never go away.
Perhaps if we had bought a house a little ways away from the beach, we'd have not suffered from the results of that bacteria.........but on the beach, everyone could feel it.......it was like pepper in your throat.
This is why our realtor wore a surgical mask.

Back in 1993 and 1994 and prior..........we had basic computers but no internet. Now, I would definitely do more thorough research.......

Some things you find out after you move in..........

As far as being an active lifestyle community........which I get....
what if one has more quiet hobbies or past times?

What exactly does active lifestyle mean to most of you?
Golf, yes.....tennis, yes......? Dancing? Cycling? Our son loved seeing the senior cyclists all over TV......and the Dragon Boat crews........both of which he does out west...........

What if a couple is older and slowing down.........?

We saw plenty of them.......not everyone is 45 to 55, correct?????

Again, we met great folks and had a great experience..........
and agree that doing one's research is important...........
P.S.

Just a comment and a thankyou to all the wonderful posters who have instant messaged me privately.
Apparently, not everything I've said is bad. Truth is better than illusion.
I'd hate to live in a place where people have to be afraid to speak their minds and have to explain everything.
I guess we've just been free thinking Yankees for too long........and that's what I mean by not wanting to pretend
or tow the party line...........at our age, who really wants to be a high school cheerleader? We have no illusions.

Good Post----well done.

[senior citizen]

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[senior citizen]

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[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by senior citizen

I guess you are both serious.......two different Jims....thanks.

Senior. I want to meet you and hug you. You have the dearest heart and so many interesting views.

It's really not that hot. Come on down!

[Joaniesmom]

Originally Posted by jane032657

Ouch. This whole discussion makes my heart bleed for people who have bought this or that and are reading this and feeling devalued. Let's have some kindness. Everyone has different pocketbooks, desires for what they feel is of worth in a home, likes and dislikes. But everyone I think for the most part hangs their hat at the place they have put love into and had joy and experiences in, no matter what the palce is made of, what it is called, what the size of the yard is, where the location is, or what their neighbors age or abilities are. Sometimes these discussions get away from kindness toward others and I just do not see the purpose in doing so. There are so many ways to express opinion and not be condescending to others or make people feel badly about their choices. Opinion is great, everyone is entitled to share, but sensitivity is important too. Just sayin....

This thread has been a little uncomfortable for me and we haven't moved down there yet. Just because we are anonymous doesn't mean we can say anything. But I just want to say that you expressed my feelings perfectly. Thanks.

Joaniesmom

[Quixote]

While I would have to agree that the person whose email I posted has a “way with words” and expresses an opinion very strongly, I just want to apologize and say that it was not my intention to start a firestorm or to criticize anyone’s choice of new versus resale. I know from my experience over the years that there are many Villages wannabees on this site, and my intention was to point out to them the advantages of a resale, something that Villages salespeople don’t do, which I’ll explain.

As rubicon said in a post, “My previous post was to offer people who have not purchased a home here yet an opportunity to be more circumspect about this choice. I wish someone had offered me that opportunity. Please allow me my right of ‘free expression’.” Or villageshooter who wrote, “tell ur story and help others,,,,they have made billions off of unsepecting folks!” It’s up to us to educate ourselves and know exactly what the options are.

Before I continue, I would like to quote again what rubicon said in another posting and I agree with: “So IMHO offering potential buyers the benefit of your point of view is the right thing to do. After all all you are doing is simply offering an opinion and then it is up to the potential buyers to decide.” However, I don’t agree that this has anything to do with politics or political correctness. We don’t need to politicize everything but rather need only to accept the statement on face value and learn, if we wish to, from the experiences of others.

I agree with the poster who was selling a house and noticed that Villages real estate salespeople did little to promote selling a pre-owned home and instead rushed potential clients to buy new and spending far more time showing the latter. When I first came, I had the most honest and ethical salesman with whom remained friends until he left employment here, even though in the end I didn’t buy through him. I had made it clear to him that I wanted a resale and nothing else, and even so, he showed me resales but insisted on showing me new homes as well. I have heard it alleged that Villages salespeople must sell x number of new houses each year or lose their jobs; I was never able to document this, but I did hear it more than once.

I have owned two resales in TV. The first was listed with TV; once the owner and I agreed to a price, he simply called the realty office and canceled his contract, and I bought directly. (TV has changed its policy since then, and this can no longer be done.) The original owners had done very little with the house itself (though they had very obviously spent a fortune on landscaping), resulting in an exceptionally reasonable sale price (with bond paid by them!) while leaving us a clean slate to do as I wished. When I moved within TV some years later, I had a very specific style house in mind, very few of which exist, and when one was on the market in my desired location, I jumped at it, and this was with an outside realty firm. Again, the price was very low in part because the original owners had done little in the parts of the house and property where I wanted to do my thing, and what they did was very well done AND didn’t get in the way of the vision I had for the house. Here the bond was not paid, but it was such a small amount that I just paid it off.

As fromct says, “The best part of this thread is that in a couple of years it will be a moot point and everyone can concentrate on making the most of the decisions they made....” For sure, when there are no more new homes and only resales, the resales will be worth much more than they are now, when so many people (some because they know exactly what they want, and others possibly because they just don’t know, which is why I started this post) focus only on new homes that resales languish and drop in price.

As far as amenities fees are concerned (unrelated to my original post), I too do not golf and wish that golf were a separate membership within TV, as I’ve seen in other communities, but it is what it is. I signed knowing that they were not separate and am willing to accept that everything cannot be my way. This is a wonderful place to live!

As createquilts said, “I have a question about the older neighborhoods. Don't you think some of them will turn over, just like the neighborhood I live in up north is doing now?” Yes, of course, they’re all turning over all the time. I traveled through the village of Sanibel for the first time recently and already saw a for sale sign in a window (outside realtor). This means it’s a resale of a house that cannot be more than a couple of months old, and it struck me how sad this is. Life can change in a moment.... I live in a long established area where two house across the street sold just before we came, and the house next door and the house behind me sold since I’m here.

Again I apologize if I came across as less than civil. This was certainly not what I intended but rather to share the resale experience with potential newcomers.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by l2ridehd

As with everything else their are pro's and con's to both new and re-sale. I have bought a few different homes in the Villages and I stay on top of the market. In my experience you can always do better on a re-sale over new. Part of that is what has been completed by someone else, part is being able to negotiate on price, and part is lower or no bond. .

We bought two resales in TV. I agree with the above poster that you can do better financially on a resale over new. Plus getting a larger lot in a mature neighborhood, and a more central location.

However there is an emotional component to buying new. For many Wrinklies, their home in TV will be their last opportunity to buy new. There is an excitement in choosing a lot and being part of the creative process; of making choices and feeling the satisfaction of seeing a vision come to life.

[hotrodgirl]

Thank you Quixote for clarifying that, and we all have many different points of view based on our experiences! I do have to say that my particular sales person at TV did make a point of taking me to several resales explaining where in some cases I may be able to obtain what I want at a very good price. We went over several designs in the homes, what had been upgraded, etc. and I wanted to point that out. She showed me resales, spec homes, and just one lot which I purchased, then changed to another. Holy cow! I didn't intend on that actually, but in the end it was a good fit for me. There are many agents out there and I feel I had a very good experience with mine. We had a good connection and she listened to my wants and expectations. I am very happy to have had her in my corner and am sorry for anyone who felt otherwise. I hope those who are coming down to speak with an agent have an equally satisfying experience.
I also think the amenity fees are extremely reasonable. I have another place in Florida (a smaller neighborhood) where our HOA fees are more than double those in TV. We have 2 pools, and lawn care. That is the extent of what we get for our money other than paying a fee to a management company for mailings and meetings. Personally, I do not golf either, but hope to at least take some lessons. I apologize in advance to anyone I may encounter on the golf course!! I am sure the golfers also don't use some of the other amenities, so it kind of evens out. Even though golf is a bit more expensive? OK-maybe it's a TAD uneven, but all the amenities are available to each of us...
Anyways, choosing a home is personal. What is good for one is not for another and we each have the right to choose what is best for ourselves.

[rubicon]

Originally Posted by dkrhardy

graciegirl said a lot of things that make perfect sense to me. She pointed out that the amenities fees are for things other than just golf.
One thing that I think folks miss when considering the fees ..... the whole of TV is kept up very well. Grass cut, trash seems to be quickly removed from paths and common areas, etc, etc. It has always looked parklike to me. Those areas cost money to keep looking the way we like it, where does that money come from? I presume the amenities fees pay for that too. So, if you like the squares clean and if you enjoy the nightly music ...................
Don & Kaz

The amenities fees don't pay for golf.

[rubicon]

Truly this thread is fun. While it may not be political it runs in that manner because predictable someonewill ineventfully tell you "love it or leave it." The entire point of my posts were to simply state as another posters described so well "some residents intolerance" to anything perceived to be negative about TV. As I keep saying no one needs to protect The Villages nor the Developer. In fact as the Developer is richer than God, I expect he get a good laugh at the suggestion.

While some of you got it, my purpose in suggesting that "amenitiy use" move from a flat fee to a user fee ,was for illustrative purposes only because it was a way to show people a way to measure how much usage they would derive and also the need for that amenity. As I clearly pointed out it was to caution prospective buyers to be circumspect about the "Lifestyle" issue and as was predictable the same PC residents strike back with "love it or leave it". And boy, do I hate and refuse to deal with absolutes, except the one that we all go to that big golf course in the sky.

If you recall I never address a pro or con concerning the housing here it was all about the "Lifestyle" vis a vis economic principles

Finally and again I have and continue to accept the responsibilities of my decisions my entire life.

I opine others can decide

[SukiChu]

There is something to be said about lifestyle in a new home area. All of us Fernandinians will be kindergarten kids together! Easier to build relationships with other newbies when we aren't in classes or clubs yet, or know very many people. We have never had a brand new home before - so this is kinda fun!

[dkrhardy]

Originally Posted by rubicon

The amenities fees don't pay for golf.

Sure they do, on the executive courses, right? How ever you say it, those fees are used for upkeep on the cart paths, executive courses, squares, "public" areas.

[graciegirl]

Rubicon, you are an honorable man.

But. I have met a couple people with a tons of money and they still have feelings and pride. And they too were honorable men.