How to buy a home in The Villages, FL

Age eligibility — confirm before you buy

The Villages is a 55+ community. At least one household member must be 55 or older. No full-time resident may be younger than 19. Visitors under 18 are limited to 30 days per calendar year. These rules are enforced through deed restrictions, not a traditional HOA. Verify the specific declaration for the property you are considering.

Step 1: understand the market before you search

The Villages is not a market where you can search Zillow, pick a price range, and start touring homes. The community's unique cost structure — bond payments, county taxes, amenity fees — means two homes at the same purchase price can cost very different amounts annually. Before you start looking at listings, you need to understand:

Which area (Northern Area, Central Area, or Southern Area) fits your lifestyle and budget
What bond balance range is acceptable for your annual cost target
Which home types (Designer, Patio Villa, Premier, etc.) you're open to
What your true monthly cost will be once all fees are included

This is what the first conversation with me covers. It takes about 30 minutes and changes everything about how efficiently you search.

Step 2: get pre-approved (if financing)

If you're financing your purchase, get a pre-approval letter before you start seriously touring homes. In a market like The Villages where well-priced homes can move quickly, being pre-approved means you can move when you find the right home without delay.

Key considerations for financing in The Villages:

Lenders should be comfortable with the CDD bond structure — not all are familiar with it
Some lenders have specific experience with The Villages market and understand the documentation
Bond assessments appear on the property tax bill — lenders will factor this into your debt-to-income calculation
Many buyers in this market pay cash — be aware that you may be competing against cash offers

Step 3: narrow your area and neighborhood

Before looking at specific listings, settle on an area and a target neighborhood list. In The Villages, this decision drives everything else — bond balance range, county tax rate, golf cart connectivity, and which town square you'll be closest to.

I work with buyers to identify 3–5 neighborhoods that match their priorities, then run the numbers on current listings in those neighborhoods before we start touring. This approach eliminates the noise and focuses your time on homes that actually fit.

Browse all neighborhoods →

Step 4: tour homes — with context

When you tour homes with me, I pull the bond balance on every property before we walk in. You'll know what the annual carrying cost is before you form an emotional attachment to a home — which is exactly when you need that information.

I also flag things that affect resale value, insurance costs, and practical livability: roof age, construction type (block vs. wood frame), golf cart garage, privacy, and lot position. These details matter and are easy to miss on a first showing.

Step 5: make an offer

When you find the right home, I'll prepare a competitive offer based on recent comparable sales in the neighborhood, the home's condition, its bond balance relative to competing listings, and current market dynamics. In The Villages, pricing relative to a home's true annual cost — not just its list price — is what makes an offer competitive and fair.

The offer package in Florida includes the purchase price, earnest money deposit (typically 1–3% of purchase price), desired closing date, contingencies (financing, inspection), and any personal property inclusions. I'll walk you through every element.

Step 6: inspection and due diligence

Florida contracts provide a due diligence period (typically 10–15 days) during which you can inspect the property and negotiate repairs or credits. I recommend:

General home inspection — roof, structure, systems, HVAC, plumbing, electrical
Wind mitigation inspection — documents storm-resistant features; can significantly reduce insurance premiums
Four-point inspection — required by many insurers for homes over 25 years old (roof, HVAC, plumbing, electrical)
Sewer scope — recommended for older homes

After inspection, we negotiate any repairs or price credits based on findings. This is where having an experienced agent matters — knowing what to push on and what to let go.

Step 7: insurance and final mortgage approval

Florida homeowner's insurance needs to be bound before closing. Get quotes early — ideally before you make an offer on the specific home, since insurance costs can vary significantly by home age, construction type, and roof condition. Your lender will require proof of insurance before closing.

If financing, your lender will order a final appraisal and complete underwriting during this period. Stay responsive to any requests for documentation — underwriting delays are the most common cause of closing timeline issues.

Step 8: closing

Closings in Florida are typically handled by a title company. You'll receive a Closing Disclosure 3 business days before closing listing all costs. At closing you'll sign documents, wire your closing funds, and receive keys.

After closing — within a few days — file for your Florida Homestead Exemption with your county property appraiser's office. This must be done by March 1 in the year following your purchase and saves most buyers several hundred dollars per year on their property tax bill.

Important: the seller's property tax bill does not predict yours. When a home sells in Florida, the assessed value resets to the purchase price. Apply for homestead exemption immediately after closing to begin building your Save Our Homes cap, which limits future annual assessed-value increases to 3% or CPI, whichever is lower.

What to know before you close: deed restrictions and ARC

The Villages does not have a traditional homeowners association (HOA), but that does not mean there are no rules. Exterior modifications — including pools, landscaping changes, paint colors, screen cages, fences, porch enclosures, and driveway work — require approval from the Architectural Review Committee (ARC). Deed restrictions also govern rentals, pets, and property appearance standards.

Request the Declaration of Covenants and Restrictions (CCRs) for the specific property before closing so you know exactly what is and is not permitted. ARC rules, forms, and application requirements are at districtgov.org/services/resident/community-standards/. I make this a standard part of every transaction I handle.

FAQ

Home Buying Process — Common Questions

From accepted offer to closing, a financed purchase typically takes 30–45 days. An all-cash transaction can close in as little as two weeks if both parties are ready. The search phase varies — some buyers identify the right home on a first visit; others spend several weeks touring before making an offer. The inspection and due diligence period after the offer is accepted is typically 10–15 days.

Florida law does not require a buyer to use a Realtor. In The Villages specifically, having an agent who knows the market matters more than in most places. The bond balance, county tax implications, and area-by-area cost differences are significant and vary home to home. A buyer's agent who knows this market pulls bond balances before you tour, runs the true annual cost model, and knows current pricing patterns. The buyer's agent commission is typically paid by the seller.

No. New developer construction is sold through VLS (Villages Licensed Sales) agents only — outside Realtors cannot participate in new construction purchases. If you're interested in a new home, Scout can connect you with a VLS agent she trusts. For resale homes throughout The Villages, Scout represents you directly as your buyer's agent.

Earnest money is a good-faith deposit submitted with your offer, typically held in escrow by the title company. In The Villages, the deposit is usually 1–3% of the purchase price. If the sale closes, the deposit applies toward your down payment or closing costs. If you cancel during the inspection period for a valid contractual reason, you generally receive the deposit back. If you cancel outside that window without a valid contractual reason, the seller may retain it.

At minimum: a general home inspection (roof, structure, HVAC, plumbing, electrical), a wind mitigation inspection (documents storm-resistance features and can reduce insurance premiums significantly), and a four-point inspection (required by many insurers for homes over 25 years old, covering roof, HVAC, plumbing, and electrical). For older homes, a sewer scope is worth adding. Get your insurance quotes before the inspection period closes — you need to know the insurance cost before you are fully committed to the purchase.

The Home Buying Process in The Villages