[NJblue]

We will be arriving soon for a Lifestyle visit. We have already arranged for a TV sales person to show us some new homes to get a perspective of floorplans, etc. Since we won't be in buying mode for probably at least 6 months, I feel uncomfortable putting a real estate agent and the homeowners out by spending their time looking at resales which we almost certainly will not be in a position to buy. However, I feel that there is something to be gained from looking at resales - if for no other reason than to get ideas as to how other people have used the space, decorated and landscaped.

From looking at previous posts here, I get the impression that open houses occur on a daily basis around TV. My question is, how do we find these open houses? Someone indicated that they are not listed in the classified section of the Sun but rather are "posted" elsewhere. Would this be paid advertisements in the Sun? If so, would this be just the houses that are listed through The Villages sales office or do other Realtors also put open house ads in the Sun?

[coach]

The open houses are listed each day in The Daily Sun. Just pick up a copy.You will have plenty of resale open houses to view.

Have fun!!

[NJblue]

Thanks. TOTV has been so helpful in answering minutia-like questions like this that I think I will take my laptop with me. Based on other posts, it appears that the rec centers have free WiFi.

[sschuler1]

We went down to TV about a year before we were ready to buy. We went with an agent from TV first to see the floor plans of the new homes like you are planning to do. We did not bother having her set up any showings with pre-owned at that time because we didn't want to put the resident out of their way for no reason. We also set up an appointment with an outside realtor so that we could meet. We planned to spend the time getting to know the realtor at his office. We went over the floor plans that we previewed with TV rep that we were interested in, and wanted his opinion on new vs. resale from an outside TV sales perspective. He also took us on a tour so we could get a better feel for where we might want to look. We told him about the activities that we would be interested in pursuing and he pointed out the areas that would be more central to those things for us. He also took us to view a few resales that he knew were vacant so we could get a feel for some of the older homes. We learned more from that visit than we did from TV sales rep. It would be worth your while making an appointment with an outside rep, but just let them know your time frame that you are looking at purchasing. It might take you a few times to find a rep that you even want to work with. We got very lucky and found someone we liked right away. I have kept in contact with this rep, and as soon as we sell our house I will be calling him to start looking for us. He knows what 3 floor plans we would accept and the general vicinity of where we want to be. Good luck with your visit!

[Russ_Boston]

You may be able to 'piggyback' into someone's wifi near where you are staying. Somewhat unethical but it happens everywhere. I was able to pick 5 or 6 signals every day when I stayed in Largo. Secure your wireless people!!! If you don't have your laptop the library has open computers and printers.

The daily sun has numerous open houses that are listed every day. They are sometimes early in the day and some are in the afternoon. I would also visit the numerous web sites that are listed in the Sun for each realtor that works in TV. I'm talking about outside realtors like Lyle Grant or Prestige Properties etc. They usually have ads in the paper and just go to their site and browse the resales and call them up.

I looked at many homes, new and resale, even though I won't buy for many years. I learned a whole bunch about what I want. PM me if you'd like some of my findings.

[Indy-Guy]

New home open houses are listed daily on the back page of first section of The Villages Daily Sun paper. Pre-owned open houses are listed on the front page of the classifieds and also on page two. There are open houses every day and they start at 10:00 AM and end at 3:00 PM.

Today there are 21 pre-owned homes and 6 new homes this is about the same number every day. Each home is open for 2 hours. These are only the ones that are offered by properties of The Villages. On a given day there may be other ones by the realty agents outside of The Villages plus the for sale by owners.

[kit9240]

I was in TV for a lifestyle preview in June. The Village Sun was delivered every morning to the house I rented. Open houses are listed in the real estate section. There are open houses every day. I checked the ones I wanted to see and mapped them out. Great way to see resales and compare different villages.

[graciegirl]

I loved going to open houses, even after we bought. Each is just a little different from the same model elsewhere. New AND old houses.

I also really like reading the Village Sun.

[JohnN]

You get a free daily delivered issue of the Daily Sun during your lifestyle visit.
One of the pages has new models that are open, another has resales open.
We visited both and you're right, it is interesting. Good luck.

[Sidney Lanier]

Crucially important to have both a Villages salesperson and an MLS salesperson, as they do not share listings, and what one will have, the other will definitely not. We had both, knew for sure that we wanted a resale, not new, and ironically ended up buying privately (introduced to sellers by their neighbors). In my opinion it is a good idea to get to know sales agents, even if you are not ready to buy right now; this way you have a relationship set up for when you are seriously looking, and in the meantime you can learn so much. Others have already answered about finding open houses listed in the Daily Sun each morning; you can also check the FSBO (for sale by owner) ads. Good luck to you!