Considering Property Taxes in Sumter County
 

Can you get the senior discount if you are renting it out at all before moving?

How do you get the seperate water bill ?

I just bought and mine is $179.00

I would like to sell the homes in the villages do you know how you can?

do you know how to become a vls agent?

VLS dont give you uch information on the homes either when you start asking questions they seem to blow it off

Yes I think pre owned is better.......Everyone has the same landscaping when new and things are not established yet......did not like the new areas either such as Deluna its a swamp

When I asked about the bond when my first Villages agent was showing me a new spec home he looked at me as if he had never heard of such a thing! Lol. He was disingenuous. I never really got much of an answer or even a ballpark figure on how much the bond would be.

Villages agents represent the seller of new homes, The Villages, not the buyer!

Corrections
 

Like most posts, there is a lot of good information but also a lot of misinformation. I'm an MLS Realtor so I'm going to address some of the comments.

Properties of The Villages: If you want a new home, they are the only choice. They can also buy/sell pre-owned but ONLY in The Villages. They do NOT work with MLS agents at all, there are not 'some' that will. They are not Realtors, but that does not make them evil. :) They currently sell all new properties and about 50% of the pre-owned properties in The Villages. Since they are not in MLS, they are also not listed in Zillow, Redfin, etc online, only in The Daily Sun, their website and radio station. They have about 300 agents.

MLS: MLS agents and POV agents do NOT cooperate with each other, so if you see a property listed on MLS, Zillow, etc, you CANNOT use a POV agent. There are about 1,000 MLS agents in the greater TV area. MLS agents can buy/sell anywhere in Florida. About 50% of pre-owned properties are sold by MLS Realtors.

As you can see by the above, things work a little bit differently in TV compared to other places. That's why many people choose both a POV agent and an MLS Realtor when looking to buy. I hope this clears things up for you! :22yikes:

One thing about The Villages... There is constant turnover, with younger people moving in as the older people move on...

This goes for ALL areas...

What "protection" would that be?

Correct. Our "Villages" Agent took us where WE wanted to go, and contacted one of her friends, who was an MLS agent to show us the few homes that we wanted to see that were not listed on TV website. We found them on Zillow and Redfin...

She made sure WE were happy... She was referred to us by friends, who had used her 3 times. If we ever decide to move, I would not hesitate to use her again...

If you cannot drive, I would think TV is not the place for you, unless you move close enough to walk to any shopping, Dr's offices etc...

Which means NOTHING.

Village realtors do not have a realtors license.They are sales people for the Villages. Their focus is on new homes although they will show you homes that are listed with them. The best thing to do is use both. That way you have access to all homes for sale. As far as amenity fees, they go higher in the newer neighborhoods in the South. The bonds in the newer homes are also much higher. We bought an older home near the polo grounds and the bond had already been paid and we have one of the lower amenity fees. The homes and area have a very different feel South of 466A than the ones up North. Look at a variety of areas so you can determine what is best for you.

Very true. I will add a one week lifestyle visit is not nearly enough time to decide where you might want to live. We did a month and could easily have done longer

Well, considering it's listed on pretty much every single home posting, it's kind of hard to miss...

Someone just posted (who is a member of the woodshop) that the waiting list is NOT 'years long"...

Moving to The Villages
 

Villages realtors only have access to the houses that home owners list with them. You would be limiting yourself if you don't use MLS. You're not the one paying the fee; the home owner is. $500 is untrue. I pay $173.50. When I first moved in 6 years ago, fee was $149. Extremely normal increase!

Or the seller, who would be someone else...

Per the NAR, their "code of ethics" is simply a guideline...

You should look at both mls and the villages. You will only see half the homes otherwise. The villages also get more for pushing below 44.

For convenience you want above 44.

When looking at price, think how much you will have to pay to pay and the trouble you will go through to “save” money when in reality you will have to pay $30 -40k for repaint (6k) landscaping (10-20 k) , solar tubes with night lights ($800 each) plantation shutters (4-6k), cornices (700 each), epoxy garage (2k), enclosed lanai 10-20k., new floors (15 -20 k), insulation over attic (800) attic fans (800) you get the idea.

Neighbor just did all this then had to move due to family problem back home.

We live in Dunedin. Our fee is $177.

If you are quiet with no loud music or motorcycles come check us out great neighbors with occasional whole neighborhood block parties and our own quiet street get togethers. Ewing Ave
Their house is on Zillow or Realtor.com use realtor of choice.

3526 Ewing Ave, The Villages, FL 32163 | MLS #G5057350 | Zillow

Was your 2nd agent better? Sounds like you got a bad one. Just like there are bad realtors...

I had none of those issues with my agent...

Well, our agent took us to see several "MLS" listed homes, even though she knew she would not make a commission on the sale. She did everything she could do to make sure WE were happy. She now has a customer for life...

We already contacted her on a home we saw listed in Dunedin (it had an in-law suite with a kitchenette, making it a 4 BR, 3BA that would have been perfect as a media room/"man-cave"), but alas, the timing was wrong...

It's all about building relationships...

MLS vs. Villages realtors
 

Glad to hear that you coming to The Villages for a visit! It will take you 1 day to know that this is where you want to live...it's Paradise! I'm NOT a realtor, but have sold homes on my own before, since we have been in 3 different ones since we moved here, so I'm very knowledgeable on what goes on around here. If you are going to purchase a pre-owned home, you need to pay attention to the balance on the bond initially so you are aware of your situation. My parents built here 22 years ago, so they have seen many changes take place, some good & some bad! There are many things to consider so feel free to give me a call @ 513-222-2981 @ your convenience. I can also tell you the positives & negatives of each area. Good Luck, Doreen

We’re considering moving to The Villages, but have concerns regarding the weather there, primarily hurricanes and damage they can cause. We live in the desert and barely have rain, mosquitoes, flea. Any input is appreciated.

S. Of 44 aka. This joint is jumping jumping s
 

straight from my financials
1 amenity. 172. 08
2 sanitation. 21.41
3 lawn irrigation. Large lot. 92.47 (3x wk)
4. Residental water 70.73
good luck

You just listed many of the extras that I never plan to get done to my existing home in TV at least in the next forseeable 10+ years, and certainly not for those prices.

I think the Senior discount is for residence only. Call Sumter County.

realtor
 

I have a great realtor Cindy Foster {Cindy Foster} 352-460-2260} she does all the work looking for homes for you. Barbara

…or her daughter, Kelley. The best! Caveat to buying a “previously owned” home: it’s probably going to need work…least of all, a new roof. Get a GOOD inspection/inspector. We were in the “rehab” business for a long time…you can easily hit $50k in upgrades and rehab. We chose a NEW build. Just sayin’…

My home is for sale, check it out. Thanks for looking.
 

Homefinder - The Villages(R) Homes and Villas for Sale

The first thing our MLS agent did was pull out a map of the Villages and show us where the water treatment plants were and also where the train tracks were. Most likely don't want to be close to either one of them and the Villages agent we used never mentioned them.

Probably don't want to be close to pickleball courts either.

amenity fees are not $500 and yes all residents pay the same. Ours is like $160 as far as new vs existing. It depends on what you want to do and if you want to pay the bond? I am not sure what the bond is but I am assuming it is quite high. Be mindful of the Turnpike and get a good Villages person to show you around.

Its not rocket science if you have bought real estate before. Do you have a dog? Check out the neighbors first. I would not buy anywhere if I didn't meet the neighbors on either side. It can be a total nightmare if you get the wrong person.

We are so lucky with neighbors it is a blessing, There are horror stories about others so buyer beware.

Definitely get a MLS Realtor and a Village Realtor. Beware unless you ask the Village Realtor to see resales they will steer you to new homes. Do not discount For Sale by Owners also. You can use Zillow and the Sun (local paper). New homes come with hefty bonds (every home has one). The difference is instead of being new $40k you will see much lower bonds North of 44 and a lot of owners paid them off so you may have zero to pay extra. Also the taxes on the new homes are 4x's what I pay North of 44. My Designer Aspen is $2900 a year. Beware of turnpike noise, federal prisons and the quarry south of 44. People complain after they buy so do your homework. Not all homes are affected but some definitely are. You determine your level of comfort & what you can afford not anybody else. No matter where you buy the Villages is a great place to call home. If it's a preowned home meet your neighbors to ensure it's not a rental (there are lots of them out there) & that they are friendly. 95% are but we do have some grumps like every area. Also if there is a golf cart path next to your home expect to hear them starting about 6:00 am when they head out for their tee time. Some have radios blaring. I chose not to be on a golf cart path, not to be too close to the water basin (aka lakes-flooding), not to be too close to a major rec center (pickleball & volley ball noise) and to avoid main roads. Even though my neighbors are close it's very quiet and that is what I desired most. Good Luck!!!

YOu cant compare property taxes, dont assume what is on Realtor.com is what youll pay.
At the sale, the county reassesses. Also, you dont know about homestead exemptions.
So someone who bought their home 25 years ago with a homestead exemption will pay MUC less than their next door neighbor who bought this year.

You'll probably get more homes to look at with a VLS agent. Very few MLS listing in TV. We had a VLS agent and an MLS agent. Never heard from the MLS agent.

My original VLS agent steered me only to new homes and evaded showing me resales even after numerous requests. It appears VLS agents are incentivized to sell new homes to peddle whatever the developer is building.

No, unfortunately, that was YOUR original agent. Mine showed me exactly what and where I wanted to buy...

Did your 2nd agent do the same thing?