[elevatorman]

Great info on the villages! My wife and I have been coming to the villages since it was called , I think, "Orange Blossom Gardens". We were in our 40's and visiting dad. We decided back then to retire to TV, now we are 58 and our home of 30 years is on the market. (Be there soon???)

When we first started looking for V-homes you picked the lot and were given homes to chose from. You also chose all the interior fixtures. We were there about a year ago and the offering was homes that were built and had all the appliances, carpet etc. already installed. No choices other than this house or the other. Now that the market is slowing I was wondering if they are again selling lots and letting you choose the interior amenities?

[downeaster]

My experience with some of these forums is there any number of answers. My advice is to call their 800 number and ask.
Friends of mine are currently negotiating and it seems you may be able to select your lot. You then can select a floor plan based on what they are willing to put on the lot. I believe they can select interior design etc.
But, like I said, phone them and get it from "the horses mouth". Things change around here fast and with no notice.

[RealJudy]

Originally Posted by elevatorman

Great info on the villages! My wife and I have been coming to the villages since it was called , I think, "Orange Blossom Gardens". We were in our 40's and visiting dad. We decided back then to retire to TV, now we are 58 and our home of 30 years is on the market. (Be there soon???)

When we first started looking for V-homes you picked the lot and were given homes to chose from. You also chose all the interior fixtures. We were there about a year ago and the offering was homes that were built and had all the appliances, carpet etc. already installed. No choices other than this house or the other. Now that the market is slowing I was wondering if they are again selling lots and letting you choose the interior amenities?

Yes, you may now choose a home site and select interior and exterior features.

[Russ_Boston]

Originally Posted by RealJudy

Yes, you may now choose a home site and select interior and exterior features.

I think the way they are doing it is that you can select a 'type' of house that has been approved for that lot. In other words they don't allow ranch style homes in an area approved for designer homes. Or designers in an all premier section etc. The lot we are looking at is approved for designer homes only and we had about 12 choices (if memory serves).

As far as the inside goes you can select from 'packages'. But this makes it relatively open as far as inside design goes. You just can't do like you used to and pick out things down to the individual faucets etc.

But as mentioned just consult a sales rep. They will get back to you with all details real quick.

[RIpswich]

We bought last September and can tell you about our experience. First you pick the type of home, eg. villas, designer homes, premier homes. Then you visit the villages where lots for those types of homes are available for sale. Some lots are too small for the larger models. Lots typically are predefined regarding whether they have a left or a right side driveway. We were (advised by friends) to avoid a lanai that faces west because of the hot afternoon sun.

We then were given options for "packages" by viewing the models. According to the sales rep. their designers are much better at picking appropriate combinations of cabinets & floors, etc. than the average buyer. My thinking is they just want to limit the number of options available. Available options included all tile, tile on the diagonal, jets in master bath, golf cart garage and increasing the size of every dimension of the house by a foot or more.

We were also advised to decline the washer/dryer, faux wood blinds and granite counter-top because they could all be purchased aftermarket for less money and can be easily installed immediately after closing if we choose. In retrospect, I would have preferred to decline the refrigerator, washing machine and stove in order to upgrade those as well, but we were not given that option. I bet you could if you pushed hard enough.