[graciegirl]

WHY can't I find a entire list of ALL homes for sale in The Villages?????

I am getting so frustrated!!!!! I have been trying to get as much information as possible about the homes for sale in TV. before we arrive on the 14th of this month for our initial information gathering visit. We are planning to rent for a month in October before we buy. We have spent 24 hours there visiting a friend about a month ago, drank the water and got bit.

I have read the listings from the Villages on new and used homes. I have read lists, each is different, for FSBO, I have tried to figure out foreclosure lists, I have seen TWO good sites from different realtors, and as I read, take visual tours, make notes, I realize that it would be so much easier if there were a MLS list that had every home for sale on it.

Now before you send me to past threads, which I have read,(and they are excellent) many from last year, I want to point out, as boring as it is, each of us makes this journey starting now. I know that a dependable realtor is the key, and I have read many of your favorites, however, I don't want to "marry" one before I get down there.

I realize I am venting.

Why isn't there a MLS list with everything on it?

I wish for a full list for how long a listing has been up, for clear pictures (with shades OPEN), for all costs including bonds etc.

I am NOT a property virgin. We have lived in 12 houses in our lives so far and built eight of them.

Can anyone guide me?

[redwitch]

I doubt you'll find a "complete" listing anywhere in the country. FSBOs are not listed because they're not represented by realtors (here, there or everywhere). Remember, realtors pay to list the property, either via membership dues or for each listing. FSBOs are the mortal enemy of realtors -- some won't even mention that the house two doors down is on the market even though they would get their fee simply because it is a FSBO. Property sold by TV itself, whether new or previously owned, is also not listed in the MLS. The reality is that TV would prefer that there be no other realtors selling the property. With the market of today, things might change. Realtors might be more willing to show FSBOs and TV might end up paying the cost of MLS listings (but don't hold your breath).

You can look at it two ways -- how inconvenient it is to have to go to so many different sources or go for the thrill of the hunt, especially with the underlying challenges. I know of several who ended up purchasing their homes here by accident -- one couple was riding their bikes, saw a for sale sign, stopped, fell in love and bought their home that afternoon. Another was a friend saw a house for sale, told her friend via email and voila! another successful purchase. Luck can sometimes be a big factor.

Pick your neighborhood/village of choice. Visit it as often as possible. Tell everyone you're looking in that area and you'll be surprised what all may be or become available that isn't known to realtors (some not even on the market yet, just in the planning stages). Frustrating, yes. Challenging, yes. But, if you make a game of it, it can be fun.

[bleweyz39]

I couldn't agree more with you Graciegirl. This is like navigating in the dark. There is so much info out there, and some of it becomes redundant.
We actually went there from NY to check it out, and when we left our heads were spinning for days.

I hope someone will help you with this question, so I can steal the information!!!
Dee

[JohnN]

graciegirl,
it all just ain't out there like you'd like it,

you'll just have to research as best you can, spend some time driving around, ask a lot of questions of your realtors, etc.

[KathieI]

Originally Posted by bleweyz39

...... when we left our heads were spinning for days.
I hope someone will help you with this question, so I can steal the information!!!
Dee

Gracie and Dee,

Totally agree with you but also agree with JohnN, I've been searching for a home in TV since Nov. and my head spins constantly. Very confusing and tough to keep a clear understanding of what is available, and the pros and cons. JohnN is right in that you need to keep researching but try to put it into a system that works for you.

What I did, since I'm a little bit savvy on Excel spreadsheets, I created a spreadsheet with the important features I want to focus on. This made a huge difference because there are so many different aspects to TV home, there's the VLS, MLS, FSBO, amount of bedrooms and baths, square footage, style of home, and it goes on and on. No wonder we get confused. But if you try to hone in on the important features you want and put them into whatever sort of chart or system that works for you, you'll be a lot better off.

Unfortunately, I don't believe there is a place where you can find the entire list of ALL the home in the Villages. Sometimes we have to work a little harder for what we want.

If you would like some help, PM me, and I'll see if I can offer more suggestions.

I hope this helped even just a little bit. Kathie

[Beltlady]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

WHY can't I find a entire list of ALL homes for sale in The Villages?????

I am getting so frustrated!!!!! I have been trying to get as much information as possible about the homes for sale in TV. before we arrive on the 14th of this month for our initial information gathering visit. We are planning to rent for a month in October before we buy. We have spent 24 hours there visiting a friend about a month ago, drank the water and got bit.

I have read the listings from the Villages on new and used homes. I have read lists, each is different, for FSBO, I have tried to figure out foreclosure lists, I have seen TWO good sites from different realtors, and as I read, take visual tours, make notes, I realize that it would be so much easier if there were a MLS list that had every home for sale on it.

Now before you send me to past threads, which I have read,(and they are excellent) many from last year, I want to point out, as boring as it is, each of us makes this journey starting now. I know that a dependable realtor is the key, and I have read many of your favorites, however, I don't want to "marry" one before I get down there.

I realize I am venting.

Why isn't there a MLS list with everything on it?

I wish for a full list for how long a listing has been up, for clear pictures (with shades OPEN), for all costs including bonds etc.

I am NOT a property virgin. We have lived in 12 houses in our lives so far and built eight of them.

Can anyone guide me?

I suggest you BUILD another one and get exactly what you want.

[captain1202]

Try www.milfordleedy.com for the MLS list. I believe it is pretty complete.

Of course, The Villages website has all their re-sales, but they only show select new homes as representative of a model and area.

As far as FSBO's, there aren't a lot of good sites out there, BUT, when I was house hunting I just took a few hours and drove the streets of the areas I was interested in and looked for "For Sale" signs. NOTE: Some neighborhoods do not permit oputsidde signs so you have to watch the windows in the house for a sign.

Above all, look at a lot of places. I looked at about 30 before the "cream started to rise to the top" so to speak. After you've seen a bunch you'll see what I mean. I allowed 5 days for my preliminary trip to sort things out, then my wife came back with me a month later for the final viewings and purchase. Worked out just fine and we got what we wanted!

[bleweyz39]

Originally Posted by Beltlady

I suggest you BUILD another one and get exactly what you want.

The "friendliest" hometown in America...........

[graciegirl]

Thank you to each of you in the FRIENDLIEST home town in America. YOU are right, and you and you, and I have received invaluable support and information. I am battling impatient me, and I need to remind myself, I am retired. Happiness is not the destination, but the journey. I love houses, big fan of house hunters on HGTV, now I get to be one. I am going to get organized with a spread sheet. Probably a little serendipity will enter into it as well. I hope when MY...OUR, house shows up I will be there to see it before some other lucky person finds it. But if not there will be another. It is not the house that brings the happiness, I am beginning to see.

Oh Gosh. This is gonna be fun.

[Sidney Lanier]

It's not as though you absolutely need to know EVERY SINGLE HOUSE that's for sale in order to figure out what you want to do. As suggested earlier, YOU know just what you want in a house, YOU know how much you're willing to spend, and presumably YOU have some idea one way or the other if you want new construction or a resale. We arrived here on Labor Day to visit friends who had just bought and moved into their house, and by the next day we had hooked up with a Villages salesperson to start getting some idea of what the market was all about; we were able to do this without knowing everything all at once. However, by the time we got back here in mid-October, knowing for sure that we did NOT want to build but rather definitely wanted a resale, we planned our time: one day with a Villages salesperson, one day with a MLS seller, one day for FSBOs based on what we were able to glean from the Daily Sun and other places. In the end, after all this running around, our friends whom we visited the month before introduced us to their neighbors two houses away who were selling (and BTW they were listed with TV...), and we ended up buying directly from them (all they had to do was place a phone call to TV real estate and withdraw their listing). Do your research however you can do it, knowing it does NOT have to be absolutely 100% (that is, EVERY house as you mentioned in your post). Good luck!

[captain1202]

It's not the spreadsheet....it's the lifestyle. Just do a little looking in your price range and you'll find something that suits you.