[cats12470]

We just returned from looking at homes in the Villages... we looked with a Village rep (did not like her) and a CB rep.... very nice person... but here is our problem...
They seem to have the same floor plan 1392 sq. ft. in all areas... and yet the price is so different..... how can they charge so much for one over another??? Don't they use sq. ft. price when pricing a home?????
We looked at for sale by owner... WOW...they want as much as the ones listed and they are not paying realtor fees.... pricing just seems strange to us...
We want a 3 bedroom, 2 bath 2 car garage with golf cart garage... newer...not more than 5 yrs old.... we have found a couple under $160,000 and that is where we want to stay.... anyone know of any GOOD buys in this range?
Is it easy to get a job in the Villages? My husband wants to work on golf carts as a PART time job... 15-20 hrs. a week.... I would like to work in an office or as a host or something like that same amount of hours... do they just pay min wage?
We have not talked to anyone who does not love it.... so we are soooo looking forward to the move....just need the right house... if you know someone selling you can pass on our email address... cats12470@aol.com.. looking forward to our May visit....

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by cats12470

We just returned from looking at homes in the Villages... we looked with a Village rep (did not like her) and a CB rep.... very nice person... but here is our problem...
They seem to have the same floor plan 1392 sq. ft. in all areas... and yet the price is so different..... how can they charge so much for one over another??? Don't they use sq. ft. price when pricing a home?????
We looked at for sale by owner... WOW...they want as much as the ones listed and they are not paying realtor fees.... pricing just seems strange to us...
We want a 3 bedroom, 2 bath 2 car garage with golf cart garage... newer...not more than 5 yrs old.... we have found a couple under $160,000 and that is where we want to stay.... anyone know of any GOOD buys in this range?
Is it easy to get a job in the Villages? My husband wants to work on golf carts as a PART time job... 15-20 hrs. a week.... I would like to work in an office or as a host or something like that same amount of hours... do they just pay min wage?
We have not talked to anyone who does not love it.... so we are soooo looking forward to the move....just need the right house... if you know someone selling you can pass on our email address... cats12470@aol.com.. looking forward to our May visit....

Welcome to you. I know you will love it here.

The real estate search here takes a bit of getting used to. The same size house is priced VERY differently depending on the view and whether it is an "interior" lot. (One that has the lanai facing another homes lanai). I was surprised that houses backing onto streets were considered a better lot. The new already built houses may or may not have washer and dryer and blinds included, ditto for stainless steel appliances and granite or corian countertops. You are right about the resales being about the same or sometimes more than the new homes. That is because that the bond is paid or partially paid and that they may have been purchased when the housing market was booming all across the U.S. and were priced higher at that time than the same model is now.

If you want to know what a person paid for a resale and when it was built and that home is in Sumter county, go to sumterpa.com and type in the address, but do NOT type in the second part of the street name, such as loop, circle, drive etc.

There are many choices here. I think they are well built homes and I have found them to cool and heat comfortably, so I think they are well insulated. They all have underground irrigation systems, garage door openers and insulated windows.

This is a very good place to gather information and get spirited opinions.

I hope that you will find a home here and be as happy as most of us are.

[redwitch]

Grsacie explained the hosue pricing differential quite well. It is a matter of location snd some amenities. But, since it is all TV, the location is the surroundings of the house -- view, lot size, kissing lanais .... Many of the FSBOs are overpriced. The homeowners (1) don't want to pay realtor fees, (2) have not priced according to the market but rather what they KNOW their home is worth or what they paid for it, (3) really didn't like what realtors were telling them the home would sell for, (4) the bond is totally or nearly totally reduced. A few FSBOs are priced right and you just have to get lucky. You're really better off going with a TV rep and an outside realtor.

As to jobs, the rate of pay is incredibly low. I don't know what a golf cart mechanic would make here, but I doubt it is much over minimum wage. If you're talking about being a host for a restaurant, you're talking well below minimum wage and a sharing of tips from the servers. Office jobs are rarely above $10.00 an hour and most are around $8.00. Most jobs are part-time so that employers don't have to offer benefits.

Good luck on your search. TV really is a wonderful place to live and offers a lot to anyone who is willing to go out and find it.

[FranS]

I love how informative these boards are. I read them every day and talk with husband on topic of moving to The Villages. I was curious however if anyone had visited Top of The World and what the differences are compared to each other? So far I see The Villages as where I want to be.

Thanks

[jaspal]

I went to sumpter.com. I can't find where to go once the page comes up.

Help...........

[graciegirl]

On the left are a series of catagories with a green background. Click on the first one, record search.

[Pturner]

Hi Cats,

Others have answered so well. Some additional points to consider:

• To compare apples to apples, consider the total home price to be the purchase price + amount of outstanding bond.
• Some resales might have upgrades that were not included in new homes or in lower-priced resales (e.g., pavers, attic stairs, appliances, window treatments, ceiling fans, etc.). Some resales are available fully or partially furnished and some even turnkey with linens, dishes, pots and pans, etc.
• On resales, but not on new homes, the price of the home is negotiable and you are not likely to have to pay the asking price.
• As others have said, location, view, size and privacy of lanai and other factors can affect the price.

Best of luck finding just what you are looking for. It can take some time. It's worth it. You will love TV!

[pzjay]

Originally Posted by cats12470

We just returned from looking at homes in the Villages... we looked with a Village rep (did not like her) and a CB rep.... very nice person... but here is our problem...
They seem to have the same floor plan 1392 sq. ft. in all areas... and yet the price is so different..... how can they charge so much for one over another??? Don't they use sq. ft. price when pricing a home?????
We looked at for sale by owner... WOW...they want as much as the ones listed and they are not paying realtor fees.... pricing just seems strange to us...
We want a 3 bedroom, 2 bath 2 car garage with golf cart garage... newer...not more than 5 yrs old.... we have found a couple under $160,000 and that is where we want to stay.... anyone know of any GOOD buys in this range?
Is it easy to get a job in the Villages? My husband wants to work on golf carts as a PART time job... 15-20 hrs. a week.... I would like to work in an office or as a host or something like that same amount of hours... do they just pay min wage?
We have not talked to anyone who does not love it.... so we are soooo looking forward to the move....just need the right house... if you know someone selling you can pass on our email address... cats12470@aol.com.. looking forward to our May visit....

We also are looking (well we're going to buy actually) and have been astounded at the cost of lots...some carry a premium of +!50M! Yikes! It's all in LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. Definitely affects price of homes.
We also spent some time at Top of The World and though you can get more property and privacy for less money, it cannot compare to The Villages. Our agent is Jim McLaughlin and he's the best! (Of course that's our personal opinion and by following TOTV, there are many more who are excellent.)
You just have to get used to the fact the pricing can take wild swings with location.
Good Luck with your search. I know we can't wait to move.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by pzjay

We also are looking (well we're going to buy actually) and have been astounded at the cost of lots...some carry a premium of +!50M! Yikes! It's all in LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. Definitely affects price of homes.
We also spent some time at Top of The World and though you can get more property and privacy for less money, it cannot compare to The Villages. Our agent is Jim McLaughlin and he's the best! (Of course that's our personal opinion and by following TOTV, there are many more who are excellent.)
You just have to get used to the fact the pricing can take wild swings with location.
Good Luck with your search. I know we can't wait to move.

Jim McLaughlin is a fine man. He helped us find our first house and now he is helping us find our second. Honest and reliable and kind and........past 60. (Grown up!)

[Pturner]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

Jim McLaughlin is a fine man. He helped us find our first house and now he is helping us find our second. Honest and reliable and kind and........past 60. (Grown up!)

Now GG, don't be dissing us under 60s! We're nice too. Plus, you might hurt our feelings.

[784caroline]

Some like a close proximity to a town square....not just for the nightly entertainment but the other businesses and functlons the sqaures offer. A 15-20 minute golf cart ride may not feel like much in the spring or summer but in the winter when night comes at 5pm, or you when have a chill in the air (just ask the people who were in TV this past winter) ....... You will appreciate being close to the square.

If you are buying on a golf course (and paying the big bucks) just be certain you know where your house is situated in relation to the tee and golf paths. There are a number of un-happy people (most likely not golfers) who paid a premium for the back view on an executive course and were sorry afterwards when they could not use their back yards due to golf balls flying in the yard, banging into the house breaking windows or just people walking on to their property to retrieve balls. Just because you pay a premium does not mean you have privacy or the location is great!!!

[Russ_Boston]

Originally Posted by jaspal

I went to sumpter.com. I can't find where to go once the page comes up.

Help...........

First of all it is SUMTER not SUMPTER.

And you should find everything you need at this link: http://sumtergis.com/GIS/

Just put in actual address or just the street name and a list will come up. You can find year built, price paid, owner's name, satellite image, tax info etc.

[redwitch]

Originally Posted by Russ_Boston

First of all it is SUMTER not SUMPTER.

So, what took you so long? Was waiting for you to jump on this. (Jaspal, don't take it personally -- it's one of Russ's pet peeves.)

[cats12470]

WOW... all your posts are wonderful.... we are so ready to move...I am a Realtor in SC...I just finished writing an offer from hell.... sorry... but this lady read EVERY word... (I had sent her a copy before so she could read it before she came, she did not)...THEN...she low balled the offer and I am not expecting the seller to even respond.... it was the worse offer I have ever written... and she wants to be under contract by Friday to get the $6500 tax credit....DUH....she had 7 family members come and check out the houses and she wanted to write 4 offers at once and take the best one.... we DON'T do that in SC.... I can't wait to retire....

Be kind to your Realtor.... we work hard....

the FSBO seems the most over priced to me in the Villages... and the outside listings seem higher than the inside listings.... but how do you get rid of an inside agent if you just don't "click".... they lock you in to a Realtor and that seems to be "it".... she does not even answer my emails... so makes me want to use outside agents... we did find an outside agent who is very nice... she helped us understand several things.... it was good to get the info... we stayed at the Waterfront INN...we are staying there again... nice hotel... the restaurant is not the best but you can walk everywhere... we are going to rent a cart this time.... thanks to you that gave your .2 cents about the working and the homes and everything... we can't thank you enough.... keep the posts coming... we will read them each night... Ann and Bob

[GypsySooners]

There is certainly something to be said for being actual residents in either The Villages, or as someone mentioned here, On Top Of the World.

But, the initial price and the HOA fees can be intimidating too. And, the HOA fees can go up so much.

We recently sold a home in an adult HOA community, (no need to mention which), because of the uncertainty of the cost of fees in the future. Hey, we recently totally retired!

In looking we found a housing addition within 10 miles to The Villages with brand new (bank owned) 3/2 with two car garages for well under half the prices of The Villages and no HOA fees.

Just something you might check into. Keep in mind though that you can enjoy the shopping and some of the activities, but not all.