Peggy Coven

Many times I've met "soon to retire" buyers who schedule a trip to Florida for a week with the intent to check all out of the retirement communities in Central Florida! At the end of the week, they are weary and confused and go home without making a decision. Then there are the retirees who have only seen ads about The Villages or they have a relative or friend living there and that is as far as they go! Here's what I suggest....

The Coven Team specializes in all active adult communities in Central Florida and will be starting monthly bus tours to view the major communities; visit model homes; resale homes; community centers; and local attractions. Anyone interested should contact Peggy Coven at Peggy@Vangieberry.com.

Save your gas; receive a comparison guide to all of the communities visited; have all your questions answered by an unbiased realtor and enjoy your visit!! SEE YOU ON THE BUS!

Ok, you are now ready to retire and you have always dreamed of sunny winters in Florida! You Google "Florida Retirement Communities" and are amazed at the results. You realize that you need to narrow the search and remember the neighbor went to The Villages in Lady Lake. Your boss retired to Legacy of Leesburg and your friends have visited Lake County and are raving about Lakes of Mount Dora! How do you make a decision on where to visit during your one week stay?

First consider your lifestyle. Do you love fishing? golfing? nature walks? or plenty of activities to get involved in? Will you be on a fixed income? If so, you will need to consider the cost of insurance in the middle of the state verses the coastal areas. It is much cheaper inland. What hidden costs are there to a community? Most Home Owner's Associations provide cable t.v. and garbage and some offer lawn mowing in the package. Make sure you understand the difference between HOA fees; Amenities Fees and CDD bonds!!!!

How stable is the community and the developer. How can you compare how far your money will go and how much home you can afford? Lake County alone has over a dozen active adult communities. Searching on Realtor.com is very time consuming and some of the homes are sold before you can get to Florida and then you have to search again!

HERE'S WHERE THE RETIREMENT SPECIALIST comes in!!! THE COVEN TEAM specializes in Active Adult Communities in Central Florida. We publish a free comparison sheet on the communities and when working with clients we have them fill out a buyer's survey before they arrive. This, combined with our knowledge of the communities, all the fees and all of the activities; allows us to match their needs with the community and help them find the perfect home within their budget. This saves the buyer sooooo much time and worry! Our clients often tell us; "We could not have done this without you!".

AND WHAT A GREAT TIME TO BUY! Prices in Lake County are down 40% and a great three bedroom home can be gotten between $150,000 and $190,000! Leave your searching to the professionals and take the head ache and worry out of retiring to Florida!

There is life outside of The Villages! Legacy of Leesburg is an award-winning active adult community build by Pringle Development located just minutes away from The Villages! Want a gated community with a small town atmosphere? You will be impressed with the block and stucco construction, floor plans, amenities and the general spirit of contentment and enjoyment of nature. Legacy has over 275 acres dedicated to walking trails, conservation and spring fed lakes. The clubhouse has everything you might want - fitness center, bocce ball, tennis, billiards, library and much more! $289,000 can get you a brand new 2,200 square foot home on a pond and conservation. The HOA fee includes the lawn being mowed and the basic cable t.v. package. COME ENJOY YOUR GOLDEN YEARS IN LEGACY OF LEESBURG!

Have you been to The Villages lately? The traffic on Hwy 27/441 is amazing from Lady Lake to Belleview! I was working with a buyer last week, navigating Buena Vista Boulevard and all of those round abouts, and noticed as many gold carts as cars! The day was one of those Chamber of Commerce Days where it's not too hot, not too cool and no humidity. All of the "snowbirds" were wearing shorts and t-shirts. My buyer bought a bank owned home in the Village of Piedmont. Now we need to sell his patio villa that is brand new and an end unit. While I waited in the seller's real estate agent's office for the bank to respond, two more offers came and several more calls with other realtors wanting to show the same home! I must admit it made me want to go to Starbucks at Sumter Landing and hand out my business cards! Selling a bank owned property was so much easier than working a short sale. I had the answer to my offer within eight hours and we can close in two weeks! AND....while all the other developers are seeing very little traffic....The Villages is still building!!!! Of course, not like two years ago. What is it with The Villages? Just travel the whole length of Buena Vista Boulevard and you will get a picture of just how large it is. Alysa and I specialize in active adult communities from Lakes of Mount Dora to Legacy of Leesburg and as far north as Spruce Creek. Pringle builds a very good quality home and so does Spruce Creek. Both of them also have lots of amenities and low Home Owner's Association Fees. Is it just too quite or what? When I work with buyers in Pringle Communities, they react negatively to any home with a close back neighbor. BUT....talk about close neighbors! The Villagers have mastered the art of landscaping for privacy! When "it's all said and done"; how can you not like The Villages. It's the retirement Disney World and has some of the same magic!!

From villas to single family homes in 55+ communities - now is the time to buy!! Central Florida has beautiful communities to retire in; Legacy of Leesburg, Royal Harbor, Lakes of Mount Dora, Royal Highlands, The Villages, Spruce Creek, The Plantation, to name just a few! Prices have dropped $100,000 on most homes. The Coven Team specializes in retirement communities in Lake County, Florida. Trust the agents with all the answers!