Buying a Villa

[sunsetlakes]

Originally Posted by Midsummer

We have already started our list for work for our next visit, apart from the normal housekeeping jobs, washing all pillows, comforters, etc. painting, replacing a chipped wash basin and painting the pool deck.

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We've just started our list, replace a bathroom and redecorate the quiet room - poor Rob. I've already started ordering the new bedding and we don't go until September

[steve@mac155.f]

My list is growing by the day looks like another 3 weeks in lowes and home depot in November lol but all worth it in the end.

Steve

[Guest]

Hi all - very interesting reading, but despite all of it we are looking to buy approx a year from now. We are starting small with a condo hopefully and hoping to buy outright in a decent gated community with good facilities.

But we have no idea where to begin, finding the right people to trust, timescales for completion etc. we will probably have a management company or property manager to manage everything for us, again this is where the trust comes in - where to start eh?

As it'll be bought outright, the rental aspect becomes a bonus. We will aim to visit 2 times a year for spruce ups etc and hopefully see this as stepping stone for bigger things in the future, but small steps first.

We would love to hear from you all, especially about completion times/legal fees etc.

Many thanks

Lee

[starwarsclark]

Hi all,
We are looking to buy a condo or townhouse without a mortgage in a gated community sometime in the next year or two. We will not rent it out apart from to very close friends and family. It would be interesting to hear from anyone that does this type of buy and not rent, what sort of monthly costs etc. Ultimately this will be our escape from the winter here and we would be looking for it to be our base for 3 - 4 months a year so that we could explore America. Retirement is 10 to 12 years away and that is when we are planning to travel however the low prices in Florida at the moment are pushing us towards buying something sooner rather than later. We had a look at Emerald Island on the net yesterday and it seems like a nice place, not too close but not too far away either, we would love to hear from anyone that has a place there or has stayed there.

[hot scot]

Originally Posted by starwarsclark

Hi all,
We are looking to buy a condo or townhouse without a mortgage in a gated community sometime in the next year or two. We will not rent it out apart from to very close friends and family. It would be interesting to hear from anyone that does this type of buy and not rent, what sort of monthly costs etc. Ultimately this will be our escape from the winter here and we would be looking for it to be our base for 3 - 4 months a year so that we could explore America. Retirement is 10 to 12 years away and that is when we are planning to travel however the low prices in Florida at the moment are pushing us towards buying something sooner rather than later. We had a look at Emerald Island on the net yesterday and it seems like a nice place, not too close but not too far away either, we would love to hear from anyone that has a place there or has stayed there.

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Very interesting post and I would be interested to hear thoughts on this. Buying a property is something which is very tempting to me as well

[HoneyB]

Originally Posted by starwarsclark

Hi all,
We are looking to buy a condo or townhouse without a mortgage in a gated community sometime in the next year or two. We will not rent it out apart from to very close friends and family. It would be interesting to hear from anyone that does this type of buy and not rent, what sort of monthly costs etc

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Great idea, but the problem is that if you rent your property AT ALL, there'll be tax to pay on any rental income, you'll need a hotel licence and local business tax licence as well as then needing an accountant to file your annual tax returns. Whether you rent your home or not, you'll need a management company to keep an eye on things for you and you'll pay the same HOA fees as everyone else, which contribute to the upkeep of the resort.

For me personally it's not worth keeping the home if I don't rent it, as I simply don't get enough use out of it to justify the costs otherwise. Obviously if I was to stay for longer periods it may work out but I would suggest that you either keep it just for yourselves only OR rent it out, as mixing both won't work. Hope I haven't confused matters;feel free to PM if you have any questions...

Oh and BTW Emerald Island is in a great location - we missed out on a townhouse there before we bought the condo and it seemed a lovely resort, although be careful which phase you buy in. Some of the townhouses are situated in the same section as the villa community and close to the clubhouse, whilst others are outside of the 'manned' gated section and can be close to the 429 road flyover, so check the location carefully!

[Guest]

Originally Posted by Rizzoface

If there was one thing you would all do differnently when buying a villa, what would it be?
i ask because there seems to be quite a few "regrets" on here

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We have learned a lot about buying & rebting along the way - and don't have any regrets!

[Leeds Tink]

Really interesting thread which has confirmed that buying for our sole use is the right thing for us when the time comes in a couple of years.

Thanks you everyone for sharing your experiences.

[NearToDisney]

Originally Posted by deejay

We have learned a lot about buying & rebting along the way - and don't have any regrets!

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No regrets for us either

[steve@mac155.f]

I bought my home just under a year ago after many years of research, and the feeling of knowing you are going to your home when you get on the plane is fantastic, even if you know you will spend a lot of time making sure your home is kept up to the standard you want it so guests can enjoy there time there.

Steve