Moving Out of The Villages? Let's make your exit count.
A straight-talking guide to selling your Villages home and relocating with confidence, from Lili Whittington, MBA, the Villages' trusted seller advisor for 20+ years.
How much is your home worth today?
Your home's value is never one number. It moves with the village you're in, the floor plan, the condition, the bond balance, and what buyers are actually doing this month.
That's why I price every listing from the data, not a guess: sold comparables, active competition, and pending sales pulled straight from Stellar MLS, then adjusted for your exact floor plan and updates.
The first step is a free valuation. No pressure, no obligation. Just the honest number buyers will pay in this market, and what it takes to get it.
Your free home valuation
- Current sold comps from Stellar MLS for your village
- What your bond, amenity fee, and taxes mean for buyers
- A realistic price range and days-on-market outlook
- What to fix and what to skip before listing
Bonds and the amenities fee when you sell
Two numbers follow every Villages home around: the bond and the amenities fee. Here's how they work when it's your turn to sell.
The bond
Your community development district bond paid for the roads, water, and infrastructure when your area went in. It attaches to the property, not to you as a person.
Whether it transfers to the buyer depends on your village, your bond year, and the offer terms: many buyers take over the remaining payments, some ask for a credit, and some pay the balance off at closing. When we list, I pull the exact bond status for your home so we market the real number, not a guess.
The amenities fee
The Villages has no traditional HOA. Instead, each home carries a monthly amenities fee, about $204 for most homes, that covers golf, pools, recreation centers, and the whole lifestyle system.
At closing it is prorated day by day: you pay through your closing date, and the buyer takes over from the day after. Your exact fee is set for your home, and I confirm it before we market.
The buyer's title company prorates the amenity fee, property taxes, and district assessments at closing, so you only pay your share through your last day of ownership.
What to fix before you list
Most sellers over-improve and under-prepare. These five quick wins get the highest return per dollar, and they're the ones buyers notice first.
A newer roof pays
The roof is the first thing buyers and insurers ask about in Florida. A recent roof signals low risk, sells faster, and protects your price. If yours is aging, we talk about it honestly before we list.
Clean the enclosed lanai
The lanai is the room buyers fall for in Central Florida. A deep clean, fresh screening, and tidy storage turn it into the showpiece that sells the lifestyle.
Make golf cart parking camera-ready
A clean, well-lit golf cart spot signals easy, low-maintenance living to the 55+ buyer. It's a small detail that photographs big.
Fresh, neutral paint
Fresh paint is the cheapest way to modernize a home. Neutral walls photograph brighter, read move-in ready, and let buyers picture their own furniture.
Declutter and depersonalize
Clear counters, edit furniture, and store personal items. Buyers need to see themselves in the home, not your stuff.
Skip the full remodel
In this market, buyers rarely pay a complete kitchen or bathroom renovation back at resale. Put the money into the quick wins above, price from the data, and let the buyer add their own taste. Every dollar you don't spend on a remodel is a dollar that stays with you at closing.
Real timelines and what to expect
The Villages spans three counties, and the numbers differ by county, village, and price point. Here are today's medians, straight from the market data.
| County | Median days on market | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Marion County | ~75 days | Realtor.com market data, spring 2026 |
| Sumter County | ~60 days | Realtor.com market data, spring 2026 |
| Lake County | ~72 days | Realtor.com / FRED series, mid-2026 |
For context, Florida's statewide median was about 78 days in mid-2026, and single-village medians run both faster and slower than these county figures. These are expectations, not promises. When we list, I pull the current month from Stellar MLS for your exact area and price point, and price to the market so you don't spend your first thirty days overpriced.
Price right on day one. Homes that start overpriced lose their first-week momentum, then their price.
The first two weeks matter most. That's when showings and the strongest offers arrive.
Well-marketed homes sell faster. Professional photos, video, and digital exposure beat the county median most months.
The two-week bridge plan for sellers buying their next home
List with data, not hope
We price your Villages home from current Stellar MLS comps, photograph and video it professionally, and hit the market within two weeks of prep being done.
Shop your next home in parallel
While your home is live, we tour and negotiate your next one. Extended closing dates and seller-friendly terms protect you so you are never out of a home.
Close both sides back to back
We coordinate the two closings days or weeks apart, and negotiate a short rent-back on your Villages home if your new one is not ready. You move once, not twice.
Most of my sellers are buying a home at the same time. I coordinate both sides of the move myself, so the sale and the purchase line up and you never carry two mortgages or sleep in a hotel.
Moving out of Florida: taxes and next steps
Property taxes when you leave
Florida property taxes are prorated at closing: you pay only through your closing date, and the buyer picks up from there. Your homestead exemption and the Save Our Homes cap apply while the home is your primary residence; once you sell and leave, they end for that property, and your new state's tax rules take over. Florida has no state income tax, so leaving does not create a Florida income tax filing.
Cancel and prorate the small stuff
Cancel or transfer water, electric, internet, cable, lawn care, and trash for your closing date. The title company collects and prorates the final bills, so you only pay for exactly the days you owned the home.
Sell from out of state
You do not have to be here to sell. Many of my sellers have already moved when we list: professional photos and video tours, virtual showings, digital offers, and remote closings handled by notary and technology. The whole process runs from wherever you land.
Because this is your home, most sellers owe no federal capital gains tax on the first $250,000 of gain, or up to $500,000 for married couples filing jointly, if you've lived in it two of the last five years. Confirm the details with your tax advisor, and I'll connect you with local professionals who know Florida-to-anywhere moves.
"You don't have to be here to sell. Many of my sellers close from another state entirely."
Lili Whittington
Grab the free Seller's Guide and your home value
The guide walks you through bonds, the amenities fee, taxes, and timing for selling your Villages home and moving on. Tell me where you are in the process and I'll send it straight to your inbox with a free, no-pressure valuation.
- The Seller's Guide, delivered by email, yours to keep
- A free home value from current Stellar MLS data
- A straight answer on your timeline, bond, and best next step
Looking forward to talking again.
Send me the Seller's Guide
Tell me where you are, and I'll be in touch with the guide and your value.
Ready to talk about your exit?
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