The short version: The Villages’ own real estate team, Properties of The Villages, sells new homes and lists pre-owned homes, and the developer’s site says its more than 425 representatives are licensed Florida real estate agents. An independent REALTOR® works for a brokerage that isn’t affiliated with the developer. Florida presumes every licensee is a transaction broker unless a single-agent or no-brokerage relationship is set up in writing, so ask anyone you talk to the same two questions: whom do you represent, and what will you ask me to sign? Full disclosure: I’m an independent, MLS-side REALTOR® with LPT Realty.
Who you meet on each side
| The Villages’ own team | Properties of The Villages. The developer’s site describes more than 425 representatives who are licensed Florida real estate agents and serve both buyers and sellers (The Villages). It lists Welcome Home Sales & Information Centers at Brownwood, Eastport, Lake Sumter Landing and Spanish Springs (FAQ). For new homes you choose the homesite, floor plan and finishes with its design team (build your home). It also markets pre-owned homes and offers sellers a free market analysis (pre-owned homes, resources). |
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| An independent REALTOR® | A licensee whose brokerage has no tie to the developer. If the agent belongs to an MLS, their listings and buyer searches run through it. I work through Stellar MLS, which describes itself as the largest MLS in Florida and Puerto Rico (Stellar MLS). |
| The same for both | Florida’s brokerage-relationship law, section 475.278, applies to every licensee, whichever company they work for (Florida Statutes). |
Everything about the developer’s team above is how its own website describes it, checked October 10, 2026.
Whom does the agent represent? Florida’s three options
Florida allows three arrangements, and dual agency isn’t one of them.
- Transaction broker, the default. The law presumes every licensee is a transaction broker unless a single-agent or no-brokerage relationship is established in writing. A transaction broker gives limited representation, not fiduciary loyalty, and may assist the buyer, the seller, or both. The duties include dealing honestly and fairly, using skill, care and diligence, disclosing known facts that materially affect value and aren’t readily observable, and limited confidentiality, such as not revealing that a seller will take less than the asking price.
- Single agent. Represents only you, adding loyalty, confidentiality, obedience and full disclosure. The duties must be disclosed in writing before or when you sign a listing or representation agreement, or before a showing, whichever comes first.
- No brokerage relationship. The licensee owes you honest and fair dealing, disclosure of known material facts that aren’t readily observable, and accounting for any funds, and must disclose that in writing before showing property.
Two exceptions matter at a new-home sales center. The written disclosure rules don’t apply when an owner sells new homes it built and the setting, such as the sales office location, signage or name badges, should reasonably tell you the person acts for the owner. They also don’t apply to a model home showing that involves no confidential information, offer, representation agreement or price negotiation. So you may never be handed a relationship notice at a model. Ask anyway.
Before you register at a model or sign anything
Since August 17, 2024, under the National Association of REALTORS® settlement, agents who use an MLS must sign a written agreement with a buyer they’re working with before touring a home, in person or by live video. The agreement must state the agent’s compensation in objective terms, and that compensation is negotiable, not set by law. Florida Realtors adds two limits: the rule applies only to MLS participants “working with” a buyer, and an agent working only for the seller isn’t working with the buyer. It also says the settlement didn’t change Florida’s brokerage-relationship law. What the agreement itself covers is on Florida buyer agreements, explained.
Five questions to ask whoever greets you, at a sales center or at an independent office:
- Whom do you represent while we talk: the seller, me, or neither?
Ask for the answer in writing. The three Florida options above carry different duties.
- What exactly are you asking me to sign today?
A guest registration, a buyer agreement, a homesite reservation and a purchase contract are different documents. Read each one before you sign it.
- What is your policy if I have, or want, my own agent?
Ask before the first visit, including when that agent needs to be introduced. If you’ve already signed a buyer agreement, check how it treats new construction.
- If your team lists the resale home I want, how will you work with me?
Florida lets one transaction broker assist both sides with limited representation. Know what that means for confidentiality before you make an offer.
- Can I take the contract and disclosures home first?
Ask for copies to review with a Florida real estate attorney before you sign.
Selling a resale home: what to compare
You can interview both sides. Ask each the same questions and get the answers in writing.
| Where the listing appears | Stellar MLS says brokers control whether their listings go to third-party sites, and that it sends data daily to Realtor.com (Stellar MLS). For The Villages’ own listing system, see MLS vs VLS, then ask the sales team directly where your home would appear. |
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| Who can bring a buyer | An MLS listing is open to MLS agents and their buyers. A listing with the developer’s team reaches that team and its buyers. Ask each how showings by other agents are handled. |
| Relationship and term | Will the listing agent be a single agent or a transaction broker? What changes if the same company also works with the buyer? How long does the agreement run, and how do you end it? |
| Pricing evidence | Ask each for a written pricing analysis built on closed sales. The developer’s site offers a free market analysis; mine is on what is my home worth. |
| Compensation | It’s negotiable and not set by law, and since August 2024 offers of compensation to buyer agents can’t appear on the MLS. Ask how buyer-agent compensation would be handled, and compare the complete written terms rather than one number. |
Where I stand
I’m an independent REALTOR® with LPT Realty, LLC, and I work on the MLS side, so I’m one of the choices this page describes. Nothing here says one side is better. The questions are the ones I’d ask any agent, including me, before signing anything.
Questions people ask
Are the people at The Villages sales centers licensed real estate agents?
The developer’s website says its Properties of The Villages representatives are licensed Florida real estate agents. You can check any individual license on the state’s MyFloridaLicense.com lookup.
Does the agent at a model home represent me?
It depends, so ask. Florida presumes every licensee is a transaction broker, a limited form of representation, unless a single-agent or no-brokerage relationship is set up in writing. When an owner sells new homes it built, the setting itself can signal that the person works for the owner, and no written notice is required.
Do I have to sign a buyer agreement before touring a model home?
Under the NAR settlement rules, agents who use an MLS must have a written agreement before touring a home with a buyer they are working with. Florida Realtors says an agent working only for the seller is not working with the buyer. Ask what any form you are handed is, and why.
Is it legal for one company to work with both the buyer and the seller?
Florida does not allow dual agency, but a transaction broker may give limited representation to both sides. Both parties give up undivided loyalty and get only limited confidentiality, so read the transaction broker duties before you decide what to share.
Can I use my own agent to buy a new home from the developer?
Ask the sales team for its policy before your first visit, and ask your agent how your buyer agreement treats new construction. Get both answers in writing.
Sources
Checked October 10, 2026. Company policies, forms and rules change, so confirm anything that matters in writing before you sign.
- The Villages: Meet our team (Properties of The Villages representatives)
- The Villages: FAQ (Welcome Home Sales & Information Centers)
- The Villages: Build your home
- The Villages: Pre-owned homes
- The Villages: Community resources (free market analysis)
- Florida Statutes §475.278 (2026): authorized brokerage relationships
- NAR: What the NAR settlement means for home buyers and sellers
- NAR: Consumer guide to written buyer agreements
- Florida Realtors: NAR settlement FAQs
- Stellar MLS: about
- Stellar MLS: listing distribution
- Florida DBPR: license search
General real estate information, not legal advice. For contract or relationship questions on a specific deal, talk with a Florida real estate attorney.