$290 a month for a bond in Moultrie Creek on a designer. Can’t do it. Agree on Financial Planner!

Then possibly best option is between the 6’s bonds will at least half paid off, I think our 2010 designer had less than $12,000. Doesn’t mean it’s your forever home, after all it’s not like memories keep you from selling.

We started with a PV, investment, two years later added a 3/2 cottage, long term rental, two years later 3/2 designer/cart garage to snowbird and 6month rental.
With the 3 homes in TV we sold 4yo PV, that pretty much paid balance of designer. But we never made any of those investments without weeks of conversations with our FG.

Are 2 year old homes on water selling for $300K over original price (without a realtor and no improvements) the norm now? I thought this market was softening.

I always look at how much the seller paid for a house and how long they owned it. For a one year old house, I am not willing to pay more than what the seller paid for it. The real estate commission is a cost to the seller, not the buyer. It may not always be logical, but that is the way I view it. If everyone did it that way, there would be no flippers for a quick profit, as it should be. Houses are for living in, not as a speculative investment.

My one year old house that I built on the water sold in May 2024 for $243k more than I paid for it. I did put about $40k into it, and closing costs were about $52k, but I made out very well.

Sad for sure. Of course things change but never ever expected this. Waited for lots to go up for sale near the planned Arnold Palmer C.C., designer or premier area recommended for "stability" for people like us, looking to be full time residents, told villa areas more prone to be purchased for part time and vacation homes. Now, our street of "stretched" designer homes (10, five on each side of block) has two of us full time residents. The quite large designer next door is almost exclusively rented by the night, not month or season. We've had no problems with large parties (it has 4 BR) or noise, but almost never does anyone even bother to speak back if you just say "Hi, hello there" ! Some will smile toward you but take off in the golf cart not wanting to waste any time getting to know people they will never see again ! Two homes are are owned by "snowbirds" and we two couples who are full time do look forward to both snowbird couples arriving each year. Neither of them rents out their place when not in residence, so there is no activity at either location other than lawn care people. Yes, it definitely not what we anticipated happening, but, it is what it is.

What "bill of goods" were you sold? That all your neighbors would immediately be your besties?

They are pretty much selling the same # of houses/month that they were selling when you moved in... Maybe a few less, if you listen to "the sky is falling" posters on ToTV...

We moved into an established neighborhood, just north of 44 about 3.5 years ago. While we're still snowflakes (soon to be frogs), we've made some very good friends, have been ignored by a few neighbors and have a host of neighbors, we've yet to meet...

We meet new people at every monthly event our village has (when we're down in TV), new people at the pool, new people when playing golf, pickleball, water aerobics, etc, etc, etc...

Just like our current neighborhood in MD...

Good luck ever buying a resale with those caveats...

The only way I see that happening is if the seller is in dire financial straits where time is of the essence, or if you're you're buying from an "estate sale"...

Either way, you're still competing with other buyers who live in the real world...

Really? I thought The Villages disallowed realtors from buying homes MANY years ago for this exact reason of the flipping.

Well said.