We bought our lot sight unseen. Our rep Ron Delk, called us and immediately emailed us pictures. The first lot we refused, the next time we bought immediately (it is a water lot so we only had two hours to commit). We would do it again in a heartbeat. When we met with Ron initially he showed us a map of potential lots and we identified the locations we were interested in, it worked like a charm. We have been in the house in Charlotte door eight months now and are VERY happy. Good luck in your search.

If you are going to build, it is paramount to have a rep who has done builds before. Unfortunately, we had a very nice rep but we were his first build and he was of no help whatsoever. That said, he did see that lots were going on sale in a new section and got me over here two hours before they would hit market. We were lined up for the five o'clock bell and got our first choice. It is by sheer luck and my doing the homework through this site that we were able to build what we wanted.

If you are not happy get a new agent. We had a real bad one. When we sold our first home here ,she did a bad job. In 6 months she never once had her own showing of our home. Yes we had many from other agents. She was more interested in showing new homes that resales. Thats pretty common here. We would watch agents show our home for 2 minutes and back in their cars driving to new homes. Watched that many many times. Ended up selling on our own 7 days and about 50 showings.

yes absolutely get new sales rep we just fired ours. he told us a lot was available for us we ran out to look at it and it did not fit a golf cart garage nor a pool (which is what we requested) complete waste of our time. the sales reps should know exactly what size lot you need before sending you out and disappointing you. Lots to choose from i have a good one i used in past if you need her name then just pm me

You are kidding; right?
I'll leave it at that.
Anyone wanting more info can send a PM

We bought our first pre-owned home in TV in 2007, sight unseen. I'm not suggesting that option for other purchasers, but for us, it was a great decision. Sometimes you just have to trust your intuition.

We worked with Kiernan Bowls for five years before moving to The Villages in 12/2011-- he is great and will do a great job for you in The Villages Realty 352-391-0797
tell him Susan and Eddie Doran recommended him

Dan baker
 

Dan Baker is the name to rememeber...he is an EXCELLENT Sales Rep. :eclipsee_gold_cup: He can even read your mind!

My wife and I about 4 years ago decided to look in The Villages, and talked to a friend that had been here and was ready to buy, ready to sign the papers, then was told about the BOND.
They backed out of the deal due to the large expense. So when we told them we were looking to buy in TV they warned us about a large amount of money that was required that was not mentioned in the price.
We had a Villages sales rep show us places and after the tour we sat down and I asked her if there were any more charges not mentioned, that didn't show up in her figures. She said there was nothing hidden or owed.
Turned out she lied and hid the fact that we would have to pay a large bond.
Most communities, or all I've ever heard of, the cost of infrastructure is included in the price of the home. The Villages doesn't include these costs to make the homes seem lower price. I've been told the reason for this is to make the taxes lower since the value of the home would be less. Sounds like BS to me. Anyway I didn't like how she lied or hid the facts to us. We bought here about 3 years ago, but not from her.

We enjoyed working with our rep, Jim McLaughlin but as we always did, we did our due diligence OURSELVES. We read this forum and talked to friends and knew about the bond, the conventional loan and had adequate funds to go forward.

I don't think many Villagers are property virgins at our age, and I would imagine that most people have had several homes bought and sold under their belts before they arrived here. Most of us thought we could negotiate the price of a new home and soon learned that wasn't the case.

I always think that most people know this or that, But...if things go wrong it is NEVER their fault.

As I have said before, no one has to hoodwink anyone here to sell a house.

Caveat Emptor. We are all grown ups.

I really appreciate all the info and recommendations. I was wondering if anyone has heard anything about which section is likely to go on the market next.

Many thanks!!!!

I think one needs to establish a good working rapport with their sales rep and trust is the key word in business dealings. If you don't feel comfortable wih your sales rep, then you should switch. This is not to blame the sales rep but if the chemistry and trust is not there, then there will be a problem.

One should be relaxed in making a big decision so one's thinking is clear and concise. The homes in TV go fast in terms of selling so one needs to make a clear decision quickly. You snooze, you lose.

I so agree about feeling comfortable with your sales rep. We are one of the vanishing breed that put money down on a lot for a year's wait. Although the wait has been agonizing, our sales rep has stayed in touch throughout. When we discovered our lot would not allow for side stretches, she went to great lengths to find us a new one. She would track us down within hours of a new section opening, and get our go ahead on bidding for that lot. After several attempts, she indeed succeeded, but we decided to keep the lot we had for the time being and in all likelihood build on it.

The point I'm making is she has been there answering all our frantic questions, satisfying our requests for estimates on building a different model on the same lot, freaking out over exterior colors when fearing everything else was taken, sending us pictures of the street, etc., etc. You name it, she has been there for us. She knows our preference for the lanai exposure, expansion plans, proxmity to neighbors on back and sides, whether water or golf exposure or not, maximum premium we're willing to pay, etc. By the time we design, I expect she'll know our interior tile preferences!! :spoken:

And your experience is at it should be - not the exception, but the norm.

There's no way to know if your agent was slacking. My agent warned me that the lot I wanted might not be available by the time we went from the sales center to look at the lot and back. He also told me how disappointed he was at having lost a previous lot sale because of being an instant later than another rep to place a hold on the property. I highly recommend JIM MINNELLI. I looked at properties with him for over a year and now I consider him a friend. He truly represents your interest as a buyer and is faultless in patience and follow through.By the way I did get the lot I wanted.