Is There a Spanish-Speaking Real Estate Agent in The Villages?

Is there a Spanish-speaking real estate agent in The Villages, Florida? Yes. I'm Lili Whittington, a Broker Associate with The Lili Whittington Group, and I've worked with buyers and sellers in English and Spanish for more than 20 years, in The Villages since 2016.

Lili Whittington is a bilingual Broker Associate in The Villages, Florida, helping retirees relocate to The Villages and helping Villages homeowners sell, in English or Spanish.

Spanish isn't a second language I picked up for business. It's my first language. I was born in Turbo, Colombia, and I came to the United States in 1996 on a student visa and learned English here. So when you tell me you want to understand every detail of your move in the language you think in, I know exactly what you mean. I've been on your side of that table.

Here's who you'd be working with, in plain facts:

• Name: Lili Whittington, MBA, Broker Associate, Your Bilingual Villages Realtor
• Brokerage: Soundings LLC, Florida license BK3090328
• Phone: 352-715-3515, call or text, in English or Spanish
• Languages: Spanish and English, the whole transaction, contracts and negotiation included
• Experience: more than 20 years in real estate, starting in South Florida in 2003, in The Villages since 2016
• Homes sold: more than 450 over my career
• Training: CIPS (Certified International Property Specialist), SRES (Seniors Real Estate Specialist), CLHMS (Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist), plus an MBA from Nova Southeastern University
• Where I work: The Villages, plus Leesburg, Lady Lake, Wildwood, Summerfield and Ocala

Before real estate, I spent years in sales across Latin America, at Siemens and before that at Black & Decker, Xerox and Ciba-Geigy. I learned to negotiate in two languages long before I sold my first house. That's the part people don't see on a business card, and it's the part that matters when a deal gets hard.

You can read more on my profile page.

A lot of buyers tell me, "All agents are basically the same, why does it matter who we pick?" And a lot of families plan to have a son or daughter translate.

Here's why it matters. Buying or selling a home is a stack of decisions with deadlines attached. An inspection period has a deadline. A repair request has a deadline. A counteroffer can come in at 7 p.m. and need an answer by morning. When every one of those moments has to pass through a translator, you lose time, and you lose the small details. A son on the phone from Chicago can tell you what a paragraph says. He can't tell you what I've seen happen with that paragraph in the last 20 years.

When your agent speaks your language, you ask the question you were embarrassed to ask. You hear the risk the first time, not the second. And you sign knowing what you signed.

Lili Whittington is a bilingual Broker Associate in The Villages, Florida, and her clients get the same service in Spanish that they'd get in English. Same process, same terms, same attention.

Here's what it looks like, step by step, whether you're buying or selling. Every step can be done in Spanish, in English, or both. Some couples want Spanish for themselves and English updates for their kids. That's fine too.

Step 1: The first conversation

We talk about why you're moving, when, and what you need the next chapter to feel like. No pressure, no forms. If you're buying, this is where I start what I call the Village Fit Interview: how you want to spend a Tuesday, not just how many bedrooms you need.

Step 2: The real cost, explained in your language

The Villages has two costs that surprise almost every new buyer. I explain both before you fall in love with a house.

• The amenity fee is a monthly fee that pays for the recreation centers, pools and other shared amenities. Every home here pays one.
• The bond is a loan that paid for roads, water lines and other building in that part of The Villages. It's paid off through a yearly charge on the property tax bill, and some owners pay it off early. Two similar homes can carry very different bond balances.

I put those numbers side by side for every home you're serious about. That's the Real-Cost Comparison, and it's where most buyers stop worrying about overpaying.

Step 3: Showings and the village search

We tour homes together, and I tell you what I see: the roof age, the lanai, how far it is to the town square by golf cart, what the bond balance means for resale later. If you're comparing The Villages with nearby towns, I'll show you how they compare on cost and setup. Start with The Villages area page if you want the overview.

Step 4: The offer and the contract

This is where language matters most. I go through every page of your contract with you in Spanish, line by line, before you sign. You'll know what each deadline is, what each dollar is for, and what happens if something goes wrong.

Step 5: Inspection and repairs

If the inspection turns something up, I explain it plainly and give you your options and my recommendation. Then we decide together.

Step 6: Closing

I'm with you through closing day. If the paperwork has a line you don't understand, you ask me, in Spanish, and I answer.

More on how this works: real estate in Spanish.

Most of my buyers are selling a home somewhere else at the same time. That's the hardest part of a relocation: the sale up north and the purchase down here have to line up, so you're not paying for two homes or living in a hotel.

Here's how I handle it. My Florida license covers Florida only, so I don't sell your home in another state myself. I hand-pick a trusted agent where your home is, I handle your purchase here, and I keep both sides on one calendar. I call it the One-Calendar Move. You get one person who knows where everything stands, in your language.

More detail on relocating to The Villages.

Yes, in two ways.

First, if Spanish is your language, you deserve to understand your listing agreement, your offers and your closing numbers without guessing.

Second, it changes who sees your home. Every listing I take is marketed like its own brand: professional video, its own property website, a first look for my past clients, and targeted social ads in English and Spanish. A home that reaches buyers in both languages reaches more buyers. That's simple math.

If you're getting ready to sell, start with my complete seller's guide.

These are the ones I see cost people time or money.

1. Letting a family member translate the contract. Your family loves you. But translating a contract is not the same as knowing what a clause does in a real deal. Use them for support. Use your agent for the contract.

2. Buying before understanding the bond and the amenity fee. A lower price can hide a higher bond balance. Ask for both numbers on every home, in writing, before you make an offer.

3. Judging The Villages from one long weekend. One buyer told me, "We drove down for a long weekend and left more confused than when we got there." The Villages is big, and the villages are different from each other. Decide based on how you want to live, then look at houses.

4. Planning a new build with your own agent. If you want a brand-new home straight from The Villages developer, know this first: the developer sells those homes directly and does not work with outside agents. I can't represent you on that purchase. I can help you with resale homes, and I can help you compare a resale against new construction so you know what you're giving up and what you're getting. See new construction vs. resale.

5. Picking an agent because they're close to the listings. "We should just work with whoever is local to the listings we like" sounds practical. But the listing agent works for the seller. You want someone working for you, who speaks your language.

Here's a typical situation, so you can see how the pieces fit. This is an example, not a specific client.

Say you and your husband live in New Jersey. Spanish is the language at your kitchen table. You want to retire to The Villages next year, and you need to sell your house there to buy here.

We'd start with a call in Spanish about how you want to live. I'd connect you with an agent I trust in New Jersey for your sale, and I'd stay in touch with that agent so I know when your money will be ready. Meanwhile, you'd get a short list of homes here with the full monthly cost on each one, bond and amenity fee included. When you fly down, we tour the homes that already fit, not 30 random houses. Your daughter in Boston gets updates in English if you want her to. You sign your contract after we've gone through every page in Spanish.

That's the whole point. You make one of the biggest decisions of your life with your eyes open.

I'm a good fit if:

• you're buying a resale home in The Villages or nearby, or selling one
• you're relocating and need the sale elsewhere and the purchase here on one timeline
• you want every step explained in Spanish, by someone who speaks it as a first language
• you want one person from the first call to the closing table

I'm not the right fit if you want a brand-new home directly from The Villages developer, because the developer doesn't work with outside agents.

Lili Whittington is a bilingual Broker Associate in The Villages, Florida, helping retirees relocate to The Villages and helping Villages homeowners sell, in English or Spanish. One client said it simply: "Lili is awesome to work with. She values the needs and wants of her clients." (Velecia W.)

Do you speak Spanish yourself, or do you use a translator?
I speak it myself. Spanish is my first language. I was born in Colombia and worked in sales across Latin America before I came to the United States in 1996.

Will I understand my contract if English isn't my first language?
Yes. I go through every page of your contract with you in Spanish, line by line, before you sign. You'll know every deadline and every dollar.

Is the service different, or more expensive, in Spanish?
No. Same service, same process, same terms in both languages. Any fees are agreed in writing up front, the same way for every client.

Can you help my parents buy in The Villages if I live in another state?
Yes. I can work with your parents in Spanish and keep you updated in English, so the whole family knows where things stand.

Can you help me buy a new home from The Villages developer?
No. The developer sells new homes directly and does not work with outside agents. I can help you buy a resale home, and I can help you compare resale against new construction before you decide.

Do you work outside The Villages?
Yes. Besides The Villages, I work in Leesburg, Lady Lake, Wildwood, Summerfield and Ocala.

Do you work with buyers coming from outside the United States?
Yes. I hold the CIPS designation, which is training for working with international buyers and sellers. For financing, I connect you with a lender, because loan terms and approval are the lender's call.

How do I get started?
Call or text me at 352-715-3515, in English or Spanish, or send me a note through my contact page.

If you want to buy or sell in The Villages and you want to do it in Spanish, start with one conversation. No forms, no pressure. Send me a note here, or call or text 352-715-3515. Hablamos en español.

Lili Whittington is a Broker Associate, FL License BK3090328, with The Lili Whittington Group, licensed through Soundings LLC. Equal Housing Opportunity.