[KenLee100]

Originally Posted by Golfer38

I know this is like beating a dead horse, and yes, I have read tons of info on the Villages. I will be coming down next week for a quick visit and then working a lifestyle visit in June.

There is no better feedback than having a ride along with a Villages Owner.

I know this may seem out of the ordinary, but would anyone be willing to show me around? Give me the full monty of the place. Especially the best places to buy.

We can meet in a public place and I will show you my license and credentials. I will even buy you lunch or dinner anywhere you want to go. Information that many of you have is invaluable and worth every penny for dinner/lunch. You can even bring your spouse or friend.

Sorry, if this is out of line for this forum, not my intention.

Jim

Part of the LifeStyle preview is an agent that will do just that, except you can rely on their information.
They will not pressure you
They have enough prospects that they will provide information and you can decide for yourself. We came down in 2012 for our LV and every year after (looking at homes) until we purchased in 2021. Call sales and set it up. You will be happy you did.

[brewbob]

Important things:
* Price you are willing to pay for a house. Huge range in prices here.
* What medical insurance do you have?
* How close do you want to be to doctors and shopping.

Those are my big 3.

Good luck in your journey.

[Mrfriendly]

Originally Posted by BrianL99

Go on Realtor.com or Redfin or Zillow.

Pick out 6-8 pre-owned homes, approximately in your price range, scattered throughout The Villages, north to south. You only want homes represented by MLS Brokers.

Go on the "Villages Word of Mouth" Facebook Group and post a message about what you want to do.

You'll have 50 Brokers bugging you, to let them drive you around. MLS Brokers don't have a horse in the race ... they don't care where in The Villages you buy and most of them know the territory.

If you end up opting to buy "New", you'll be well prepared to deal with what you'll go through with a representative of the Developer's sales operation when the time comes.

If you haven't noticed yet, this Forum is full of highly opinionated people, who aren't afraid to present their opinions, like they were handed down from a mountaintop, on a stone tablet ... me included in that charaterization..

FYI - there are six different Facebook groups called Villages word-of-mouth.

[Vermilion Villager]

Originally Posted by midiwiz

That FB group is loaded with crap. Why a FB group? it's best to not. such a ridiculous idea. All FB is loaded with crap

So would you mind sharing your thoughts about Facebook (FB)?

[DrHitch]

Originally Posted by Dotneko

We live in St Cats. so a southerners take on the place. We rarely go the northern part - only when we need something at BJs.

Haha....a sincere response!
Yes, you should explore all the way from Spanish Springs up North, down south of the FL turnpike. Covers 4 counties!

Visit The Villages 101 - The Villages 101 for good links to other deeper resources.

[DrHitch]

Originally Posted by Dotneko

We live in St Cats. so a southerners take on the place. We rarely go the northern part - only when we need something at BJs.

Haha....a sincere response!
Yes, you should explore all the way from Spanish Springs up North, down south of the FL turnpike. Covers 4 counties!

Visit The Villages 101 - The Villages 101 for good links to other deeper resources.

[Justputt]

Originally Posted by Golfer38

I know this may seem out of the ordinary, but would anyone be willing to show me around? Give me the full monty of the place. Especially the best places to buy.

TV is pretty vast, and your average Villager isn't going to know much more than the places they frequent. IMO, get hooked up with an agent (TV salesperson and non-TV real estate agent) and tell them you want to look at both new builds and resales. Be aware of insurance issues with older homes, and not just the roof and HVAC, but some older homes were built under a different building code, which I have heard can create insurance issues. Note that a TV salesperson is not generally a license real estate agent and can't show you MLS properties, and only TV salespeople can show you new builds in TV.

[hosegooseman]

Originally Posted by Golfer38

I know this is like beating a dead horse, and yes, I have read tons of info on the Villages. I will be coming down next week for a quick visit and then working a lifestyle visit in June.

There is no better feedback than having a ride along with a Villages Owner.

I know this may seem out of the ordinary, but would anyone be willing to show me around? Give me the full monty of the place. Especially the best places to buy.

We can meet in a public place and I will show you my license and credentials. I will even buy you lunch or dinner anywhere you want to go. Information that many of you have is invaluable and worth every penny for dinner/lunch. You can even bring your spouse or friend.

Sorry, if this is out of line for this forum, not my intention.

Jim

Hi

I sent you a PM regarding your request.

Saludos !!! 😎

[Nana2Teddy]

Originally Posted by villagetinker

If you go out with 20 people you will get 20+ answers about the best place to buy, this is a very personal decision, and in my humble opinion no one can tell you what is 'the best place' to buy as they are NOT you. You would probably be better off scheduling the bus ride to the various areas and see what appeals to you. If you do this then you can do some investigation on your own and follow up during your lifestyle visit.

The trolley tour is only down south now. Leaves from Brownwood and heads down to the newest areas. We see it often when out and about down here.

[BrianL99]

Originally Posted by midiwiz

That FB group is loaded with crap. Why a FB group? it's best to not. such a ridiculous idea. All FB is loaded with crap

Anyone who has any knowledge, experience & understanding of FaceBook, knows exactly why that was my recommendation.

That's where all the Brokers who aren't busy, are hanging around, looking for potential clients.

[BrianL99]

Originally Posted by Mrfriendly

FYI - there are six different Facebook groups called Villages word-of-mouth.

No there isn't. There's exactly ONE. With 53,000 members.

[Dusty_Star]

Originally Posted by BrianL99

No there isn't. There's exactly ONE. With 53,000 members.

I counted 8

True, only one of those 8 has 53k members. But the others have decent numbers too. 5k, 27k, & so on.

[Golfer38]

Thank you all for your responses. Just a handful of more questions I need to find answers. All comments are welcome.

I currently live in Maryland and will be retiring after 42+ years working in DC and the military. I play lots of golf, so this will play a major part of my decision. I am single (widower) and my current home is much too big but it is nice and quiet in the development. I wold like to have my Villages home be in a bit more quiet area, if there is an area.

I am sure that if I decide to buy into the Villages I will be much smarter in 5 years than I am now. So I am trying to cut that time down a bit. I am going into this a bit blind and, like most of you, it will be a life changer for me. At my age (63) I want (or would like) to make one move and not more if for some reason I do not like my new home. I know its a big spread, but someone asked how much house I am looking for... So around $500K -$1.5M

I understand that I will get a myriad of answers and those are ok with me. I can weed out the points that do not matter and focus on the points that carry a bit more weight.

Bonds: Are the bonds included in the house cost? I know they are listed as separate, but if a bond is paid off, will the house cost more due to the payoff? If there is a bond, would I be better off paying it? Can I include it in the mortgage to pay off?

I think I may rent first as an option if I don't find something next week or in June. Many folks recommend this approach.

With the Lifestyle visit, how long can I stay? What does it cost? Is it a house?

I apologize for the long-winded response. So if it puts you to sleep, you can thank me later for the nice nap.

Jim

[jacqueline larsen]

I’m a retired architect living near the Brownwood Hotel who would be happy to drive you around. I have nothing to sell but a lot of knowledge to share.
ala2025@aol.com

[Golfer38]

I am trying to reply but the response will not go through