Chances are that you are about to retire, or have just retired, and are checking out retirement communities such as Sun City Center. And chances also are that you have lived in the same house up north for many years. Since you may not have bought a home for many years and/or forgotten how real estate brokers and agents operate, here is information about the local market based on our own experiences. Much of this information applies to most retirement communities in Florida.

Sun City Center is a Buyer's market. Many of the first-generation home owners have either died (in which case the home is being sold by the estate) or the couple or surviving spouse is moving to an apartment, nursing home or back home with the kids. Also, new homes are aggressively marketed by the developer, Florida Design Communities, which cuts into the demand for older homes. In any case, owners/estates are anxious to sell and will accept lower prices just to get the money.

Be wary of homes that have been on the market for many months. Most of the homes in Sun City are alike, i.e., they all have good landscaping and lawns and the homes have been well cared for over the years. And there are only a dozen or so basic plans for the whole community. So buyers have a choice of essentially the same house. Naturally, the ones that are priced to sell will, and those that are overpriced won't.

Have the house inspected before you sign a contract! I can't stress this enough! Don't get excited and sign a contract because you think you might lose the house. There are lots of identical houses available (as mentioned above). And if the present owners won't allow an inspection prior to signing the contract, consider that a sign from God that this isn't the house for you. And even though the contract may contain specific language that the sellers will provide money for any problems found by a certified home inspector, don't put your trust (or $'s) in that. Armed with the list of problems, the real estate agent on behalf of the sellers (who are either dead or feeble) will often try to find the cheapest guy in town to make the repairs, which will leave you with a half-assed repair job that meets the minimum conditions of the contract. It's better to know ahead of time that the bracing of the seawall requires a $3800 job instead of the $3000 one provided by the owners. It's better to know ahead of time what it will cost to shore up the corner of the house that has broken off and is starting to settle. It's better to know ahead of time what it will cost to remove those extra layers of shingles to check the wood underneath. We signed a contract for a house and put down a $10,000 deposit, and then we got the house inspected. Needless to say, there were many problems. Thankfully, we didn't have to buy the house, but it did take almost a year to get the return of most of our deposit. Have the house inspected before you sign a contract. Don't buy a pig- in-a-poke! Let the buyer (that's you) beware!

Likewise, have the termite inspection performed before you sign a contract! The contract will probably have a clause that the owners will pay 1.5% of the contract for termite damage repair. That means maybe $1,500 to $2,000. Hardly enough, if there's major damage. I was told by a termite inspector that every home in Sun City Center either has or has had termites. Many of the homes have wood framing covered by stucco or low brick walls which readily conceal the little buggers' tunnels. Non-pressure treated wood was and still is being used for construction here, so the problem will continue to exist.

As for the deposit to accompany the contract, make it ridiculously small or none at all. It's up to you to decide what it's going to be; after all, it's your money.. We put down $10,000 on a $125,000 house. In retrospect, that was just plain stupid! The sellers are not going to reject a contract because of the deposit that accompanies it - and the agent is required to submit any and all contracts to the sellers. In the current market, they will be tickled pink that they at least have a contract. The big deposit is strictly for the benefit of the listing and selling agents so that they can get their commissions, which by-the-way comes out of your deposit, first, if things go wrong. And there will no doubt be a clause in the contract requiring "specific performance" of your buying the house if the sellers perform their contractual obligations. So a deposit of one dollar, or even no deposit at all, does not let you walk away from a house that you have contracted to buy. What a minimum deposit will do for you is that if the sale of the house falls thru because the other folks screw-up, you can let the deposit go as an inexpensive lesson about the morality (or immorality) of other people. If you make the deposit more than you can afford to lose, then you might end up having to hire a lawyer, spend many months in litigation and lose the interest on the money while getting it back. Let the buyer (that's you) beware!

In Florida, both the listing agent (who is listing the house for the owners) and the selling agent (who is showing you around) work for the sellers - not for you! And even though you have granted a real estate agent the potential to get thousands of dollars of your money in commissions, they are still working for the sellers - to try and get as much of your money as possible. They work for the sellers - not for you! They are forbidden, by law, to say or do anything that will affect the sale of the house. They work for the sellers - not for you! They can't tell you how much the house is overpriced. They work for the sellers - not for you! They can't tell you about the disadvantages of living along a golf course. They work for the sellers - not for you! And yet, it's your money that's going to ultimately pay their commission!

After reading the prior paragraph, one of the local realtors sent me the following:

"In the State of Florida there are several types of representation for a buyer. One of which is a Buyers agent (buyers representation) which is very common. The other is of course sellers agency (works on behalf of the sellers interest) and a Transaction agency(limited representation) and non-representation (no representation with either party). Each agency has their own duties. They all have dealing honestly & fairly and to disclose all known facts that materially affect the value of residential real property that are not readily observable."

A Florida law came into effect on October 1, 1997 which allows a selling agent to be (a) neutral if the house is being listed by his firm or (b) to actually help you if it is being listed by another firm. If an agent is showing you a home that his company is also listing, but he agrees to not work on behalf of the sellers, then he becomes a Transactional Agent. In this instance, if the agent hears around the office that the Jones' are asking $125,000 but will settle for $105,000, he can't tell you that. But if you ask him about the disadvantages of living beside a golf course, then he must be honest and tell you. If the selling agent that is showing you around works for a different broker and agrees to be a Buyers Agent, then she can tell you what she thinks the house is worth, because, now, she's working for you. After the purchase of the home mentioned above fell through, we got a different real estate agent for another house and asked that he agree to be a Transactional Agent, which he did. What a difference... What a pleasure... Here was a person willing to help us, instead of giving us a legal runaround. Having learned to have the inspections done before signing the contract, we got permission to have the home and termite inspections ahead of time. When the termite inspector found termites in a half-garage that the previous owners had added, I made a call to the agent. He went to bat for us and within minutes, called back to say that if we didn't want the half-garage (which we didn't) that he would see to it that it was out of there before the weekend. He did - it was - and the workmen swept up before they left! And all of this was before we had even signed the contract. If I ever do anymore serious house hunting in Florida, I will absolutely require up front that the agent agree in writing to be either a Transactional Agent or a Buyers Agent. In fact, I would probably require that the broker or agent only show me homes of other brokers so that he would always act as a Buyers Agent. And if he balked, he would not get my business. And I would get such an agreement in writing before looking at a single house.

Take a good, long hard look at Florida Design's map for future development in Sun City Center. For example, note that at the extreme northeast (near Runningbrooke Way) and southeast corners of the property are areas set aside for "Village Commercial". These might well become all-night gas-marts with bright lights, slamming doors and a place for itinerants to enter the community. If a real estate agent tells you otherwise, get it in writing! The Developer has publicly promised that the roads of Sun City Center will not be accessible thru these commercial places, but that doesn't preclude walk-ins. Also note the areas designated as Multi Family. Wouldn't it be a surprise if one day your nice view became a Three Story apartment house. And if you're buying a home where development is still taking place, ask to see the whole plat of future homes so that you don't end-up looking into your neighbor's house. Think about future traffic flow and noise. Will it be in front of your house because that's the main route to a future community?

Ruined views is another problem, which can take two forms. The first is that you think you have a view of a lake, golf course or woods. And then one day, a home is built which blocks your view. This problem of ruined views is not usually the fault of, nor unique to, Florida Design. This same problem dates all the way back to the 1960's when Del Webb was the developer. Buyers just don't take the time to carefully examine the plats, and to get in writing that the plats are final. If the home is in an area of development, ask to see the whole plat of future homes so that you don't end-up looking into your neighbor's house. If it is part of a Condo Association, no view obstructing structures should be built, other than those (like porches) allowed in the bylaws. The second way that views are ruined are directly attributable to the developer, Florida Design. This happens when an over-zealous salesperson agrees that a new home can have additional structures. The most infamous case of this occurred recently when the developer agreed to build a fence around the back yard of a new home, so that the future owners could sunbathe "au naturale". The adjacent owner was stymied in his efforts to get his view restored, so he eventually sold out and moved elsewhere. The court case turned on the point that the home and fence had not yet come under the covenants which would have restricted the wall, because the property was technically owned by the developer when the wall was built. Covenants around SCC tend to restrict fences. To prevent this sort of problem, I think one should require Florida Design to certify in writing that other future homes in the area will conform to the covenant as they are being built. If Florida Design balks at providing such a promise in writing, I would be very, very wary.

If you're sensitive to noise, avoid some of the golf-courses where mowers start shortly after 6am, where clubhouse speakers start to blare forth around 7:20am, and where golfers pass by every few minutes shouting their victory or defeat. The closer the home is to Routes 674 or 301, the more likely you'll hear the daily traffic. There is very little nighttime traffic noise. Since the surrounding area is primarily agricultural, the thru-traffic begins rather early in the morning. Also, Winn-Dixie is open 'round the clock.

Pay extra attention to the plumbing in the home. The older homes in Sun City Center had copper plumbing. About ten years ago, the copper started to develop pin-hole leaks. So, home owners replaced it with plastic. Then it turned out that the metal elbows and tee's used with the plastic pipe also developed pin-hole leaks. A national class-action suit against the manufacturer resulted in monies' being made available for replacement of the faulty connectors. So if the house you're considering has copper plumbing, resign yourself to the fact that it should be replaced ASAP. If the house has already been replumbed with plastic, get a confirmation in writing that the fittings are made of the proper metal. Be sure that the agent is aware of your concerns!

Check the location of the neighbor's air-conditioner relative to the bedrooms of your potential home. Would you be kept awake by the cycling of their compressor all night long? Flat roofs are more prone to leakage problems. Consider the siting of the house relative to the sun's path.

A home on one of the major lakes can add as much as $25,000 to the price. Likewise, a home on a cul-de-sac can add another $25,000. For example, the same model of home can cost anywhere from say $80,000 to $130,000, depending on its location. Since no more large lakes are planned, a home on a lake will hold its value by virtue of its location.

Get everything in writing!