Original Sun City - try before you buy?

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Actually the "stay and play" program was first initiated by John Meeker in the mid 60's. It was adopted by him from an earlier program where visitors could visit and if they bought received a credit against their purchase. His was far different in that he let folks come and stay for a week for $75. They would get two rounds of golf and access to all amenities. They used the Kings Inn to start with and then as they opened newer developments used garden court apartments for the program and when done sold them off.

Sun City West actually built a series of two level units they used for the Stay and Play. They had them for years and finally sold them off. The program worked so well that almost every age restricted community has repeated it in one fashion or another. The logic is simple; people visit, fall in love and buy.

When I was running for the board two years back one of the things I said was I wanted to see the RCSC allocate some of the PIF monies to buy Sun City properties. We could run three and four day stays similar to Las Vegas where the weekdays were four days and the weekend was three days. It would open lots of different options for us. Unfortunately that's not a priority for some of the other board members and we haven't had a serious discussion about it. It's one of the reasons I would consider running for another term on the board...three years just isn't enough time to get things done.

 

I think a "stay and play" should be provided here. I know of several 55+ communities here that offer that and I think Trilogy is one of them. Most of the other newer Del Webbs have them in place. Too bad the others on the board do not see the value in having these in place.

 

If you do come and rent first, be sure to visit all the rec centers and find the neighborhood that is right for you. We like being close to three rec centers and use all for different purposes. I also like being close to Lakeview and the lovely park.

 

I was going to ask if you were ever on the board, B. Sounds as if you on it now? You have good ideas.

 

B is an expert on Sun City stuff. And a great guy.

 

I like the idea of buying a few properties and renting them to people. Sun City and Sun City West should both consider that idea.

 

Thanks for the kind words gang. I am currently on the board and have been with a number of other organizations in the community. I love the infrastructure and the whole idea of us being able get our hands into the fabric of the community. Going forward we need more people to get involved; self-governance works best when more people care and are willing to be a part of something as special as Sun City.

 

I should know this but I don't...how often do the board members change over....is there a limit to how many terms one can serve, and if you serve the maximum terms, can you be elected to the board again after being off it for a while?

 

A term is typically three years, though there are exceptions; if a person dies, quits or is removed from office the person selected is considered having served a term irrespective of the length of time served. Board members can serve up to two terms. Norm Dickson was one of the few who did it and he stayed to insure the Fairway project got underway and as near completed as it did before he had to leave office.

I've toyed with two terms but I am wavering. One term is a commitment, two terms is like a life sentence. The really good news is I hear we have more candidates this year than openings.

 

There could be another way to try and buy. The RCRS could use of the furnished rentals that are out there now, if such a thing is allowed. That way RCRS wouldn't need to do the upkeep. Some people might be willing to rent out their rental properties for this purpose. If it didn't work out, the RCRS would not have invested much.

 

Liability could be one reason that the RCSC wouldn't want to be involved in renting/using other people's property.....who covers the insurance....who would be responsible if the home is damaged by a renter. I believe there have been suggestions in the past that RCSC buy a few townhouses or apartments to use as rentals for just this purpose. I don't know what came of those suggestions, if anything.

 

I didn't mean they would be the ones to negotiate it and handle the people; I meant they could allow people with rentals to do it and perhaps advertise about it.

 

Sorry, I misunderstood what you were suggesting. A central registry for available rentals would be helpful for visitors who want to stay for a while and try out Sun City.

 

Do you know of any agent or number I can call to look into short term rentals while I am looking for a home to buy? I am hoping to come to Sun City by Jan or Feb 2015 but don't want to buy something just based on what I see on the internet - so I'd like to rent for 2 or 3 months - if even that long - Thanks - Cathy