[natickdan]

My wife and I will be spending 5 nights at TV in December. I want to make certain that we balance our time to experience what TV has to offer and also find the time to look at new and pre-owned homes in the $140 -190K range. I would appreciate any "must see" or "must do" suggestions that will help us to maximize our visit.

Village Location

My wife and I are in our mid 50's and we do not golf. We are active, enjoy walking, swimming and exercising. I would also be interested in wood-working and my wife enjoys crafts. Being close to activities is important, but not so close where noise is a factor (this is also true for noise from highway traffic). Initially, we'll spend about 6 months in TV and another 6 months in the greater Boston area.

Given this brief list of what we are looking for, we would appreciate any suggestions about Villages we should view or, conversely, those villages we may not want to view.

FSBO Homes

We are working with a TV rep to view new & pre-owned homes, but we also want time to view FSBO homes. I have found some listings on fsbo.com and a few listed here. Are there other sources that will allow us to view FSBO in TV?

Foreclosure Properties in TV?

I have been contacted by a real estate agent that wants to show us foreclosed properties. However, she stated that there are not that many foreclosure homes ( I'm not surprised ). Are there other sources that list foreclosed properties in TV?

Mortgage

Until we sell our home, we will have to finance 80% of our purchase. Is there a bank that is known to provide competitive rates and excellent customer service?

Should we get pre-approved prior to our trip? Initially, we were thinking to get pre-qualified, but I'm thinking a pre-approval might carry more weight for negotiating should we find the right home. Financing will not be an issue.

Thank you for reading this post and know that I welcome and appreciate any suggestions.

Regards:

Dan
Natick, MA

[swrinfla]

natickdan:

Eventually, you should hear from lots of folks answering your questions. I just wanted to acknowledge your "brand new" status as a TOTV-er (or at least an active one). Welcome to TOTV and to TV.

Personally, I can't feel comfortable tackling any of your questions, mostly because I came here almost six years ago when everything was different!

SWR

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Re: Which particular Village(s) you might like/not like
You'll find that the farther north you are (generally), the older the homes -they get newer as you head south. That's a real generic statement but at least it gives you an idea of how construction has gone over the years. The "Historic Section" - the original part of TV consisting primarily of manufactured homes - is on the east/north side of 441/27. Thus you can "pick your poison" if the style and age of a home are of importance to you. You'll also find the landscaping, etc. to be more mature in the areas that have been around for more than just a couple of years. But there's no such thing as a bad place to live in TV!! Everything's within a reasonable golf cart ride away!

Re: FSBO searching
Try also www.thevillagesfsbo.com I came across the site (via TOTV, actually!!) a couple of weeks ago..............and lo and behold, the wife and I now have a contract to purchase a home we found there! Woo-hoo!!

Hope those couple of things are of some help to you!

Bill

[philnpat]

Hello Dan!
Welcome to a fellow northeasterner.
The Woodworking shop is in the northeastern section of TV. It's located on Rolling Acres Rd .7 miles south of 27/441 or .5 miles north of Rt 466. It is accessible by golf cart. I visited it earlier this year and was very impressed. I enjoy woodworking and carving and was amazed by the talent of the club members.
We'll be doing 6 months in TV and 6 months north as well. We used Deb Park, a Village salesperson, to help us find our home. Citizen's First was the mortgage company that we used. I believe it's a Village owned company. We got pre-approved before we started looking. They were very professional and closing was flawless and their rates were very competitive.
Again, welcome. PM me if I can be of any assistance.
Phil and Pat

[Pturner]

Hi Natick,
Welcome to TOTV! I'll offer some suggestions.

Village Location
As someone has mentioned, the only woodworking shop in TV is in the NE section of TV. None of the new lots or homes currently under construction are located near it, so you might want to strongly consider a resale. The good news is the NE area of TV is gorgeous with lots of mature landscaping. There is also a fitness trail in the NE area, in the Village of Springdale (although anywhere you look, walking, swimming and exercize facilities will be close by).

FSBO Homes
You mentioned this option, but did not mention looking at re-sales listed on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS).There is something unique about TV that you might not be aware of. Resales in TV (other than FSBO) are either listed with TV or listed on the MLS. TV agents DO NOT show MLS listings and MLS Agents DO NOT show resales listed with TV. Therefore, to see all of the available resales in your price range, you must work with an MLS Realtor and a TV Sales Agent.

While you found few listings FSBO, you will find many, many choices from an MLS Realtor. I think you will also find that the FSBO's tend to be priced too high. So, bottom line: use an MLS Realtor in addition to your TV Sales Agent. Also, get a written Buyer's Agent agreement with your MLS Realtor. It won't cost you anything but requires the agent to represent ONLY your interests in any negotiations and sales agreement.

Forclosure Properties
I don't know enough about them to be of help. Just proceed with caution.

Mortgage
With good credit, 80 percent financing shouldn't be a problem. I've heard good things about Citizens (the TV-owned bank), but you might want to shop around.

You probably know that new home prices in TV are not negotiable. However, as you are interested in resales, pre-qualifying does sound like a good negotiating strategy. I don't see how it could hurt.

---
I wish you all the luck in the world. You will love it here!

[raynan]

Hi Dan,
Welcome, from a couple that just relocated here from Attleboro MA. You may want to consider a villa in the price range you are planning on and because you will be here part-time. Less maintenance regarding yard work and a good value. We sold our house in MA in 2 hours so you never know. We had bought a lot and had been preapproved by Citizens First in case. There is also a deal now where you can hold a lot for a year for $7500 if you want to build a house. Takes the pressure off in case your house takes awhile to sell. We are in the Village of Pennecamp and almost everyone in our area are in their late 50's, early 60's. Only here for 8 wks and we've met a great bunch of neighbors who are very active and sociable. Many socials and activities and everyone is very friendly. Good luck and try not to get overwhelmed.
Nancy

[K9-Lovers]

Resales listed in the MLS, (not The Villages agents) are negotiable.

We found that most of the FSBO are overpriced. But we bought a FSBO that was priced right and the owner very flexible. It was a great transaction.

Another place to find FSBO is the newspaper, The Daily Sun. Owners often advertise "open house" and fsbo ads in the classifieds.

[Pturner]

I believe that resales listed by TV agents also are negotiable, unless a particular seller isn't willing to negotiate.

Welcome Natick Dan .We're from Worcester.We've been here a little over a year and love it!!Being in your 50's like we are I would reccomend looking in the newer sections of the villages.We had a cottage built,AT Ease floor plan, in the range you're looking .The reason I'm saying to look in the newer sections is I believe you'll find people closer to your ages.I don't know this as fact but I think the more established neighbourhoods have people that have been here a while ,therefore a little older.That being said age is not a factor when it comes to activities & friendliness here in the villages.I play softball & pickle ball with folks 20 years my senior and they are very competitive.We did our closing through citizens and were very happy.The whole experience has been a dream come true.I wake every morning and say a great big thank you to God for another day in the villages!!

[Pturner]

Originally Posted by Bosoxfan

Being in your 50's like we are I would reccomend looking in the newer sections of the villages. ...The reason I'm saying to look in the newer sections is I believe you'll find people closer to your ages.I don't know this as fact but I think the more established neighbourhoods have people ... a little older.

Yep, definitely starting to feel like Rodney Dangerfield.

Young Pturner
Northside

p.s., Sorry for jumping threads

[Tbugs]

First, you have made an excellent choice to move to The Villages. Congrats!

As for an great bank with excellent customer service, In My Opinion, you cannot beat Citizens First. Yes, it is Villages owned but that is not a drawback. Quick service and very friendly.

I think the suggestion of a courtyard villa is very good for your price range. Consider one villa neighborhood called Villas of Valdosta. It is in a desirable area (north of 466) so there are low bonds on the pre-owned homes. Villas of St. Simon are just down the road from them, too, and there are some very nice courtyard villas there. There are some nice ones by Villages Realty in both Villa Valdosta and Villa St. Simon.

My wife's cousin is going to move here so I have scouted out some places. I saw a fully furnished 2 bedroom courtyard villa yesterday for $169,000. Nicely furnished, too. That was in a place called Villas of Cherry Hill.