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Originally Posted by skipalong (Post 1045805) Don't kid yourself. The villages Real Estate's MAIN job is to sell NEW homes. Sure they sell used homes but ask anyone that has bought a new home that started by looking at used homes and I'll bet ya they were heavily encouraged to buy a new one. They sure do sell used homes the one's that are priced right and look great but I'd love to see some stats on how many used buyers bought new houses. I'm on my third house and I can tell you buying new costs a lot more in the long run than a nice used home.....

Both times we purchased a home in The Villages, we specified a pre-owned home on a view lot in mid Villages.
We were never heavily encouraged to buy new.
A good agent will ask the right questions to find out your needs and wants.
And then the agent will only show you homes that fit that criteria.

There is a very simple explanation. Sales peak at this time of year. We bought our first home here at this time. Jim McLaughlin, our rep said that this time, going into summer was the busiest season for lookers and buyers.. The potential buyers and lookers and short term renters had gone home and are missing the place. And traditionally all over the country this is the time real estate really MOVES. They have to sell the one back home, usually.

The price breaks and discounts happen more before...this time of the year. Think about it.

If your house is priced right, staged right, is clean and doesn't smell of smoke, it will sell soon. You watch.

Perhaps in the high season, visitors are more likely to be vacationers, focused on enjoying Villages amenities, rather than on real estate. As Gracie suggested, once they leave and realize how wonderful TV is, they then become serious about buying. Good luck on selling your home! Remember, all it takes is one serious buyer. We purchased pre-owned and have been grateful for all the beautiful upgrades the previous owner provided.

This is spot on. If I were buying property in The Villages it would not be during the high season of January through March. From the OP I think you will find the people renting during the winter months are there to enjoy what The Villages has to offer. Those after the season are looking to buy. We opened our house for rentals 4/14. 50% renting during the summer months were also looking to make a purchase. Four have purchased, two are still looking, and all 6 want pre-owned. The number one complaint I have heard from those looking at property is the clutter in houses. So many homes have the houses jammed with what the owners brought from where they lived for 30 years. It's hard for them to see past "stuff".

Gracie's final thought is very accurate. A house is only worth what someone is willing to pay.

we purchased our first two Homes new, because that's what we wanted. Our sales rep was happy to show us the pre owned and new to compair. Our third house we purchased was pre owned it was about location not about what was new not about warranty it was where we wanted to live in the style of house. We sold our first house in 36 hours. use the villages rep quick and easy done deal if you asked only see pre-owned that's what they will show you

it is commissioned sales work, of course they are offered incentives.

Well, The Villages shows several times every week in the paper how may new homes and how many re-sales they have handled over the past 12 months.

For MLS, Lyle Gant, one of the TOTV sponsors posts statistics frequently. Easy math will show that TV agents sell far more re-sales than MLS agents. At least 2-to-1.

http://lylesellsthevillages.com/Vill...ics/2015-Sales

Both posts quoted are exactly right. Many people are here in winter to try out the whole idea of wintering in TV and just enjoying the freedom that comes with being able to just walk outdoors every day without a snow shovel, pick-axe to break up the ice at the doorways, and getting all bundled up to just go out.

When they leave, the cold, stark reality sets in and people say to each other, "What were we THINKING? We need to go back there and buy a place so it's ready for us next Dec.-Jan.

If it is priced right it will sell. No one is going to view a house if it is over priced.

My house sold last year, full price in 2 days.

We have sold twice thru Prop of the V - used same realtor with fabulous results. Open houses, lots of advertising, many showings to interested buyers. 1st property sold in 10 days, 2nd property sold in 16 days. Very pleased

I'm wondering if I should feel slighted because our Villages agent never suggested we look at or buy anything in particular. We told him what we wanted and he showed us. Three different times.

We did end up buying new, but that was because I'd done a tone of research and price comparisons. We decided that, for us, new was the best way to go.

Exactly. It's surprising how people will blame the agent, time of the year, lack of open houses, etc.
A Villages home will sell if it's priced right.

Sellers who smoke inside the home, who resist de-cluttering , who have multiple pets that create pet odor ---
they will receive lower offers than a sparkling clean home.

In the past when I was looking for homes I refused to even enter smoked in homes or where the owners kept cats and informed agents of this. A few agents tried to fool me or did not realize a house had a smoker or a cat but in each case I could detect the smell(s) as soon as I entered the front door so I immediately turned around and left.

When we bought four years ago, we went to the sales office and said we wanted to look at new and resale homes. When the agent came to talk to us, he said he was reluctant to show us resales since we were just starting our search and he said if he took us to a resale, the home owner would get their hopes up, and maybe we were just looking. I said, "What?!!" I then went on to the Villages website and found a resale that was what we wanted at a great price and called the agent to ask to see it...he was amazed that I found a house at the price listed and he showed it to us and we bought it the next day. Just recently we started to look at larger resale homes and the Villages' agent was willing to show us anything that we requested to see, and knowing what we were looking for he contacted us several times with information on homes that would be to our liking. In our recent search of homes, we have gone to many open houses and I have to say that quite often the agent is on the phone, or the computer and not very attentive to those looking at the house. Of course, we have encountered other agents who are very personable, attentive and these are the agents we remember and contact.

Are these statistics for Villages Sales People or Private Real Estate People??