In 2022, I have moved to almost everything about "The Villages" in Florida and showing my experience in everything from purchasing a home to visiting the "Farmers Market". If you are interested in 55 plus communities I have put a little something in for other choices like Margaritaville, etc. Thanks for watching as I transition to this topic.
We live in a 55+ golf cart community (tennis courts, pickleball, 8 artist buildings, etc). Our home is on an acre of land (yeah, the neighborhood mows it) and we also live directly on a large power-boating lake which is 65 feet lower and 250 feet away from the house. Getting up and down that pathway can be a long walk carrying two 5 gallons gas cans so the #1 objective is to be able to get up and down that pathway safely. We are 60 and my parents are in their 80s so we need to be able to bring them down to the boat safely as well so 4 seats was a requirement. So, things like 4-wheel hydraulic brakes was #1 priority. A second priority is a strong AC motor to get up the steep pathway which also means that the lighter it is the better it would be able to get up and down that path so lithium seemed to also be a priority. We also have a width limitation of where it will be parked when not in use and that was a MAXIMUM width of 50" which eliminated all of the "forward facing" 4-seaters. While these may be odd priorities, we only found one cart that we found of interest. We bought a Viper-EV G model non-lifted and it is very unique, fast (30MPH), Lithium, 4-wheel disc breaks, road ready, licensed and can travel 40 miles in a charge A few benefits such as a tinted front windshield, turn signals embedded in the mirrors, stereo, Umbrella storage and the ability to flip the rear seat down for a platform to place the 5 gallon gas cans on. We opted for one without the flashy LEDs as that's just not us. Retail is around $14K but these can be bought for under $10K
Hey Gary thanks for all the great information, my wife and I bought a new home in Moultrie Creek. We close July 9 until then we are staying with friends here in the villages. We also Having a golf car built for us didn’t expect to spend that much but we did!!
The newer homes are further away from shopping, especially the grocery store, were you spend most time in, trust me. They're further from squares except for Sawgrass which is the smallest venue and the villages try to sell you the new homes making you think you want to be near a square when reality that's not what you want, you want to be near a grocery store and the most important thing, new construction have high high bonds 30k-50k which is outrageous , very little yard, way closer to the neighbors and way further from anywhere, plus they don't give you a washer or dryer or nicerr fixtures and some are in lake county which is more expensive as far as taxes go
I agree the initial bonds are on the rise but after three years of living south of 44 I don’t find shopping all that far in almost any direction. You can drive to a grocery store in under 10 minutes in at least three different directions. Now big box stores on 441 are a ways away but I don’t want to be near there. I personally don’t buy all that much any more and definitely don’t want my wife near there either. :)
I have two Publix stores only 10 minutes or so by golf cart either at Magnolia plaza or Lake Denham plaza. Neither is at a square as I live in Citrus Grove.
I have been looking into The Villages for 6 months now, and planning to move there. This video is by far the most informative one I have seen. Thanks Gary!
My lifestyle visit is July 2024, so this is a timely video for us. I could not get a handle on the layout of TV and hearing the village names didn’t mean much. This helps.
Comment.....We just visited 6-5-24 through 6-12-24 for the second summer and stayed in between spanish springs and lake sumpter and you can not beat that location. Matter of fact if you can find an empty lot in the orange blossom neighborhood I would suggest building there if you just have to have a new home.
When I purchased in 2021, new homes were less than preowned but you could be waiting a year or two for all the pools and recreation areas to be completed. I think this has always been the case when comparing and keep in mind new homes have to be built to the latest building codes. Now some of this is because of location, location, location because everyone wants to be near some areas that are already built so homes have that premium built in. Just search around Lake Sumter and those homes are at a premium.
Any idea if they’re going to lower the the commission since the law is changing in July? And if the commission is negotiable? 6 % these days is too high for a buyer to pay
Not really. Now I have heard some MLS realtors will go with you to a VLS listing but they don’t work together. It’s a good idea to have two separately looking out for you.
Hi. You can get more than 1 life style visit. In fact, many go for 2 or 3. To help decide to move to TV, and then which village. It is very understandable that takes more than 1 week to decide. It is a very big investment. I do not want to move 3 times. You should never rush this decision. Location is the number 1 decision. They will only give you extras like show tickets only once.
Absolutely. Look up Ira Miller (search for "Ira Miller The Villages, FL", or "IM Realty The Villages, FL") - he worked for The Villages for 9 years, then the MLS side for years, so he knows the specifics from both sides.
Usually stucco homes run about 20 to 30 thousand more than wood frame homes. The newer trend is they are building a lot more precast concrete wall tilt up homes.
Hi Gary, is it quicker to get around in a gold cart? I am hoping to move in another 3 years. Hoping that I can find a home that is connected to a shopping center that is accessible by golf cart. Not sure I would need one if that is not possible.
Quicker? As I’m retired not sure quicker is an important factor any more. Clearly you should do a lifestyle visit when you get closer to buying to see how it is with a golf cart. Let me know if you get a gold cart?
It's definitely "quicker" in your car! Really, doing 20mph in a golf-car will take quite a while to go any serious distance, but then I (personally) wouldn't be in any hurry -- I'd enjoy the ride/scenery there & back so for me my golf-car would be the PREFERRED way to travel within "The Bubble." Would only use my vehicle for outside trips I'd need to make (which likely would be almost as rare as hen's teeth). -- BR
Hey Gary. Enjoy your videos! Question: can you list a few benefits for why a homeowner should pay off a bond rather than carrying the bond for the duration? Other than saving interest costs? Thanks!
I'm not Gary, but here are things to consider. If you know you will be living or owning the home for the duration of the bond (20 or 30 yrs) and you can afford the one-time payment, it makes financial sense to pay-off the bond if the bond interest rate is higher than stable investment rates (i.e. can you earn more interest on the cash you would use to pay the bond) From the buyer perspective, I would prefer the home I'm purchasing to not have paid off the bond if the bond interest rate was below the current mortgage rate if I were getting a mortgage for the purchase. For example, exiting homes build in the last 5 years all had bond interest rates in the 3% range. These home when reselling often incorporate some part of the bond into the home price as expected. This would mean I would be paying double the interest (i.e. 6% current rate) for that incorporated bond value in the home price. (ironically, people overlook the fact that buyers are already paying interest on the 6% agent commissions, but that's another story) I believe there is really little value in paying off the bond. I believe its more of what one is used to. I live in California and we have a similar "bond" practice, so its an expected cost when buying a home. I think for folks would live in areas that do not have these practices it feels like an extra tax. I view it similar to the airline industry where they get to advertise lower fares, but when you buy your ticket you realize all the add-ons for luggage, meals, etc. For the Villages you can view the bond information to see the interest rate and the breakout of principle and interest in the payments. Typically are interest rates at of above 5% the interest amount over the 30 year period equals the principle amount (i.e. a $30k bond will cost your $60k over 30 years). You need to decide if this is beneficial to you.
The only thing I would add to Michael response is there is also an annual administration fee. in the description of this video I did put a link to my video on this very question. Thanks for watching.
It took me a couple of days to see if prices are coming down. So the best way for me to check this stat was to look at the prices of a specific style of home and compare to what they were three years ago when I was purchasing. So I looked at cottage homes and designer homes both new & preowned. Prices on a cottage home was $300K new in 2021 are now $370k to $430k. So I don’t think they are coming down at least not yet. Very similar in the Designer home category. Seems like homes go up $20 to $35K per year. I did this my first year and my house went up in this exact range so I’m just not seeing it, if you do the comparison like I did. I know this is not the sold price but I don’t hear of any being sold for less than the original build price.
@@GaryAbbott The prices are coming down from what they now......the Villages website that sell houses are even showing discounts. They may not be at 2021 price levels but they are on the way there, that is what mean. I have Ira Miller sending me all of the MLS homes for sale in the villages and lots of those have had price decrease. Homes are sitting longer and longer before they sell and the prices are coming down. The housing market is headed for a crash. What's going on right now is not sustainable. There are over 355 homes for sale north of 466A in the Villages and these are just MLS listings, that does not include FSBO or the ones the Villages agents are selling. There are over 113 homes for sale south of 466A in the Villages and these are just MLS listings, that does not include FSBO or the ones the Villages agents are selling. I have seen so many price decreases it's not funny. You can find some of the same homes that are 5 years old selling for more than the same type/style homes that the Villages are selling new. If you can be patient and wait to buy a home you will save more money because prices are coming down, not to mention the number of foreclosures are on the rise as well. If you are a cash buyer you will come out smelling like a rose.
Your videos are very informative! thanks! We are looking to purchase in the villages and wonder if there are any flood zones or areas that are prone to sink holes within The Villages?
I have been told some of the new area’s around Eastport are in a flood zone which may require Federal Flood insurance. Sink holes are uncommon but in the last three years of me being here I have seen two reported that were in the roadway. They can happen but rare.
Thank you Gary, I always look forward to your videos, you always have great information! I'm currently using your budget spreadsheet so when we are ready to purchase in TV I know what to expect.
I think you will find that this year they are cracking down so it will be hard to get a second lifestyle visit. My Villages agent filled me in on this last month.
Gary ..Thank You for all the Links in the Description Section... !!! Looks like I will be Busy for a While ... I Enjoy your Videos !!! Much Appreciated 👏
Middleton town center will have a lot of stores and restaurants. Some like going to sporting events at the high school as the facilities are really nice.
Hi Lorie, I did a two video’s regarding developing a budget. In the video description I give how to request it. To see the video description use a laptop or mobile device to see it. Look froward to sending it to you.
Good job uncle Gary! Congratulations on your retirement! I've been watching the videos for a bit, keep up the content! I am glad to see you are doing well for yourself!
Congratulations Gary! Really happy for you! We have the house there like you did prior to retirement - We have a couple years to go until we are there full time. Your videos and golf cart rides keep us informed and entertained. Thankyou and Congrats!
I think you will find in the villages all the homes in a district do not pay the same. Many factors like lot size, village not the district, and what went into the infrastructure of each section. I did another video on just how to look up bonds on new properties as they vary within each area.
In the Villages you pay a district annually fee to keep up the area so that is on top of the bond for developing the area. I think that is why it is talked about so much. But no HOA! Thanks for watching Mark.
Thanks Gary, they used to have a price list of options on their site but I don’t see it there anymore. I Wonder why, makes it easier to be prepared when ready to purchase.
I am so happy for you Gary as you begin the next chapter of your life. I found the adjustment to retirement to be somewhat of a challenge. Most days are great but shifting from a very structured routine, sense of purpose/contributions, identity without the community/social circles, etc. is an adjustment. Well deserved and look forward to meeting you one day within The Villages.
Congratulations! We have homes in NH and The Villages - the best of both worlds. You may want to keep your NH home for at least a year or two. Summers are wonderful in NH. :)
Congratulations!!! Happy Retirement! We love it! Can't wait to move to The Villages in a couple of years! 🎊 Looking forward to more of your videos!!! 😊
