I first looked at local sales and asked my Realtor about foreclosures or VA homes for sale and he advised me to buy a NEW home instead because ALL of the builders were giving extra incentives including covering all the closing costs.
I followed the realtor's advise and did buy a brand new home. The model we bought was to be the model in our subdivision and wasn't even built yet. We had to go to another subdivision to see the model.
We bought the Nautilus model at Sullivan Ranch in Mount Dora which is now selling for $209,000 base price. Our home is 3514 sq feet with 6 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, living/dining room, Family Room, and very large Bonus/game room along with a 2 car garage.
Further details at: http://www.centexhomes.com/fl/orlando/north/mt-dora/sullivan-ranch-60s/nautilus
There were other houses available which were much smaller but also More expensive. We simply felt that the house we bought was the very best value both in size and in price.
We had already visited two other new subdivisions but nothing came close to what we eventually bought. I would recommend Central Florida over either coast because of the humidity.
I like that layout. I especially like that there’s a bedroom and full bath on the main floor that could be used as a 2nd master. The older one gets, the less likely one wants to or is able to tackle stairs. 3,500+ sf is a lot of area to heat/cool. Are the homes well insulated? Having lots of bedrooms is nice since we don’t have basements here. One of my 4 bedrooms has become a storage room.
I’m in central Florida too but came from a oceanside community. The one thing I miss is the constant sea breeze I was use to. As my dearly departed mother lamented daily: not a leaf on a tree moves in central Florida.