Have purchased three new homes over the last several years near Lake Sumter Landing and 466a. At that time we found discounted new build homes because the developer wanted to finish the neighborhood and move onto the next project. There were some good deals to be had.

They are overpriced. Many will need a roof, ac, water heater etc. better off with new

Location, location, location is a time honored real estate adage.

What percentage of homes are being bought by real estate investment companies this year?

It’s not unusual to see a pre owned home with $50k of upgrades. Some listings claim $150k of upgrades. A pre owned home less than 10 years old with a bunch of upgrades is a better value than a brand new home.

Also either low or no bond on older homes. (Sorry if this has already been mentioned.)

Preowned have-
upgrades done - these can be expensive
Some of the bond paid
bigger yards
Closer to shopping and golf courses
NO TOLLWAY NOISE
Closer to more town squares
Sometimes some furnishings or a golf cart.

I have bought one of each, it all equals out

IMO it’s mostly because upgrades like driveway painting, landscaping and interior upgrades have been done. Bond May also be paid, or paid down.

Personally, I don’t want the traffic that all the shopping areas bring, so that would be a negative on my list.

Location, location, location.

These stats are on Village sales, does not include Realtor sales.

That doesn’t mean the 80% need a mortgage. With mortgage rates at 2 or 3%, you finance, if they jump to 5 or 6%, you pay cash, or finance a much smaller amount.

That’s impossible, I’ve read on here MANY times, a house with $0 bond is not worth more than a house with a bond balance

It’s almost impossible to generally compare 2 homes, without knowing the details of what’s included.
With a new home, there are always upgrades that need to be made. Most pre owned homes have many thousands of dollars in upgrades. The area around an existing home is most likely fully build out and already has established traffic routes.

As mentioned, established home MIGHT have replacement/maintenance costs sooner.

I wasn't aware of this phenomenon. But, as mentioned before, it's tricky to compare prices without looking at the particulars of each home. When I was shopping for a home in TV, I found that pre-owned homes were a better value, IMO, when I factored in upgrades, and bonds. Bonds don't affect the value of the house, unless of course, one can do math.

I also factored in age of roof, HVAC etc etc, and where I wanted to live.

5 years ago when we bought a new home the re-sales were also higher and our agent said they always are. We looked at both and chose new because there was no wear and tear on anything and at the time you can pick any lot you wanted and they were cheap. Also took into consideration the new home warranty.

It was to me when I was buying.