[CFrance]

Originally Posted by manaboutown

I'd like to see that in writing from the proper person in authority before I believe it as I have verbally heard the contrary from more than one agent. A verbal comment from an agent may or may not be meaningless or misleading but I see it as carrying little or no weight.

Perhaps "incentivized" (in some fashion to sell new) would be a better descriptor...???

We tried to get our sales agent to show us some resales as well. he showed us two, and they were in such deplorable condition that we went back to looking at new. I'm happy with what we got, but I would do it differently next time. I would work with one each, sales agent and MLS sales person.

[Ingenuity]

I looked at resales on line. Most had not been updated. Same laminate counters from the 1990s, same carpet(bright raspberry, kelly green, blue, red, etc). That is fine for the seller but as a buyer, more people want neutral. And how many couches does one need in living room. I am not a realtor, but have bought and sold 6 homes since 1996 and flipped two more. I just finished selling my house and helping my fiance sell his. First rule is stage for the buyer. Most of the resales were very cluttered and that says to me it would take forever for the seller to move. I would immediately click on to another. Then there were those few that were updated and done well. We just bought in Fenny with a wonderful TV agent this past weekend and will be there at the end of the month permanently. The deciding factor was a larger yard that was fenced. So every buyer has their criteria. Never sign a contract for longer than 3 months. A year and no sale? Either the house is a mess, no one cares, overpriced, or the agent needs to be changed.

[ColdNoMore]

If the developer's sales people were so superior, there wouldn't be a plethora of very successful independent real estate agents/brokers...also selling homes here.


Just think about that for a moment.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by big guy

Our neighbor next door to our house had his house listed with The Villages for a year.....nothing, not an offer or a request to lower the price.

Assuming your neighbor's house showed well, it is quite possible it was priced over market value.
Some listers are adamant about a list price being accurate. They can take a very long time to come to the conclusion that their house is overpriced. Folks, please don't sign a listing agreement for MLS OR for VLS for longer than three months!

Originally Posted by Villageswimmer

We worked with two different Villages sales people when we purchased our homes here, neither of whom tried to steer us to new construction.

Same here. We have owned two resale homes in The Villages because we wanted to live mid Villages.
We've has no problems getting Villages agents to show us resale homes.

[Fredman]

Originally Posted by ColdNoMore

If the developer's sales people were so superior, there wouldn't be a plethora of very successful independent real estate agents/brokers...also selling homes here.


Just think about that for a moment.

I don’t believe anyone said they are superior. But let’s face it they have and sell more listings than the independents

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by ColdNoMore

If the developer's sales people were so superior, there wouldn't be a plethora of very successful independent real estate agents/brokers...also selling homes here.

IMHO, there are agents that are keen, and agents that are lackluster, in both the MLS and VLS systems.

[starflyte1]

We had a home listed near Mullberry with TV. They showed it a couple of times and that was it. While it was still listed with TV, we held open houses and it sold the second day.

We had to pay TV the commission, but at least it was sold.

[Kahuna32162]

Our experience with Paul Caraway of ERA Grizzard real estate is the best! Sold our home in Woodbury in 5 days and helped us secure our new Villages home, which closed in the same week.

[ColdNoMore]

Originally Posted by Fredman

I don’t believe anyone said they are superior. But let’s face it they have and sell more listings than the independents

Having exclusive rights to sell new homes...easily explains that.

I think you sill find a different outcome, if the sales of pre-owned homes were taken into account.

[pauld315]

Thanks everyone. I think what I am hearing here is that the advantage of going with an outside realtor is that they can only show preowned homes. Therefore, they can't divert the prospective buyers attention to a new home. Hence, they will work a bit harder or longer to sell your preowned home than a TV salesperson. Of course, there would be exceptions to this but speaking generally that is the reason people choose an outside realtor. Is this accurate ?

[Mrs. Robinson]

Originally Posted by manaboutown

As I understand it the agents who work for The Villages RE sales office are licensed Florida real estate agents or brokers but they are NOT Realtors.

When I looked for a home to purchase in The Villages the Villages agent steered me toward new homes as the developer's priority is obviously to sell newly built homes. Indeed I never could get him to show me even one resale home. Existing homes are the developer's competition. I have heard the agents of TV's sales office are more highly compensated to sell new homes than they are to sell resale homes.

Originally Posted by graciegirl

[/COLOR]

That is not true. I asked our sales agent here who has become our friend. He showed us a lot of used homes before we decided to build our second home here and that is when I asked him. New homes and used homes are about the same price in many cases, always depending on location and view. Some people cannot be talked into a new home and that is all we have ever wanted. Love NEW homes.

Originally Posted by manaboutown

I'd like to see that in writing from the proper person in authority before I believe it as I have verbally heard the contrary from more than one agent. A verbal comment from an agent may or may not be meaningless or misleading but I see it as carrying little or no weight.

Perhaps "incentivized" (in some fashion to sell new) would be a better descriptor...???

Manaboutown -- you are correct on this one, as you are on many things.
I'd like to see it in writing, also, because I, too, have heard the opposite from "knowledgeable" sources.

There is some kind of "perk" for TV agents to sell new, as opposed to servicing their resale customers properly.
In that regard, I have heard horror stories about the things they never did.
Don't forget -- the developers money is out on the street until the property sells.

The Villages real estate agents dance to the tune of a different drummer, and it ain't all rainbows and roses.

[Mrs. Robinson]

Originally Posted by ColdNoMore

If the developer's sales people were so superior, there wouldn't be a plethora of very successful independent real estate agents/brokers...also selling homes here.
Just think about that for a moment.

Originally Posted by Fredman

I don’t believe anyone said they are superior. But let’s face it they have and sell more listings than the independents

Originally Posted by ColdNoMore

Having exclusive rights to sell new homes...easily explains that.

I think you sill find a different outcome, if the sales of pre-owned homes were taken into account.

The "real" problem begins and ends with The Villages real estate company.
They refuse to cooperate with outside Realtors and that is why only Villages agents can sell new houses.
Consequently, all (outside) Realtors can only list and sell the resales of other outside (MLS) Realtors.
Also, please understand that all Villages agents are only agents and not Realtors.
They also will not take 90-day listings.

Now -- get this -- Villages agents can sell the resale listings of outside brokers, but they don't and won't!

So what does that tell you?
It should tell you that The Villages is doing a disservice to all residents who want to sell their property.
If the Villages doesn't list it, they won't show it or sell it.
That is, if an outside broker/Realtor lists it, they won't show it.

It's very sad and unethical that the Villages employs this practice. It's the homeowner who pays the price and suffers by not getting the full service they deserve through no fault of all the outside MLS brokers/Realtors.

Yes, I do feel that this is a very unethical practice of the developer.

[twoplanekid]

Like it or not, Properties of the Villages sell 100% of the new homes and have about 60% of the resale market. They dominate the market. Just compare ads for them to anyone else in the Daily Sun. That said, sometimes the smaller firms can be more personable.

[valuemkt]

Pauld315, our buying process included using independent and TV salespeople, augmented by attending numerous open houses hosted by both. We also looked at FSBOs. Before we started this process, we had concluded that we did NOT want to build, and that, while flexible, we were oriented to the villages between 466 and 466A. Our flexibility extended to south of 466A, but not outside Sumter County. For both sets of homes, we had a list of homes we wanted to see, and the agents augmented that list with additional suggestions, based upon their knowledge of available homes and areas. As we analyzed the homes we liked on both sides, we found the price / value equation in the following order of desirability: Independent sold homes, Village listed homes, and FSBOs last (generalizing, they were not in as good condition and overpriced). We negotiated on three independent sold homes, ended up with a move-in ready turnkey home (not a requirement but a relief) in our desired area. Both agents listened to our requirements, and did their best to meet our needs. Given the fragmentation of the market, I highly recommend using one from both listing pools.

[graciegirl]

We sold our first home HERE without a realtor or agent and I refuse to capitalize realtor.

There was a big dust-up involving SOME local realtors about five years ago and there was a meeting at one of the rec centers and it was so ugly, police had to ask people to leave. Janet Tutt as always kept a cool head. THAT is when I learned there were some "undercurrents" from some local realtors. I was appalled.

I got some really ugly P.M.s at that time as well for expressing my opinions. We have sold many homes in the past in Ohio using realtors and we were completely satisfied.

Our last realtor in Ohio was so helpful. She pointed out several things we hadn't seen; our bushes needed to be trimmed way back and all perennials removed. Our outdoor furniture looked "a little tired" to her and either had to go or have new cushions. We had comfortably added a bookshelf and an easy chair in our bedroom that made it cluttered. Our bath needed to be a neutral color rather than the blue we enjoyed....etc. etc. etc.

WE did every thing on her list and priced it with her comparables and sold it in nine days with three buyers bidding against each other. There are really good realtors and there are those not so good. IN my opinion.