There's no question Emily the vast differences in home style and price helps make Sun City unique. It was one of the things John Meeker was most proud of; integrating modestly priced homes with those far more expensive. I still enjoy driving around all three phases and noting the variety and what people are doing to them. In many cases, it isn't just the changes, but I also appreciate when owners have done nothing but keep them looking pristine and maintaining that 60's style. I still am fascinated by the Patio homes across from the Lakeview greens. There are 72 in total and they have their own character, different from anything else out there. I'm also interested in the properties immediately across from the Sun Bowl. Camino Del Sol or something like that. We park back there on the side streets for concerts and love the variety; some having small second stories and differing shapes. And in Phase 1, there are also many interesting designs. The later part of that phase DEVCO brought a Spanish flair to some models. When you drive the streets, between total remodels, looks that haven't changed a bit and those differing designs you get quite an eclectic array of choices. And then if you really want to blow your mind, drive through Rancho Estates. Doesn't get much better than Sun City eh?
Morning, Since we are in the house hunting phase, what you describe above is a blessing and a curse. We have: - researched floor plans - begun a daily check for new homes hitting the "For Sale" status (and are prepared to make a quick trip to Arizona if we see "the right one") - engaged a realtor - checked the historical numbers to determine when the inventory is highest (and planned a 10 day trip to SC during that time) And we still don't feel like we have a good handle on what type of house we will buy. In most places it comes down to what we can afford, what we are willing to afford, or what we like. In Sun City, we are finding, there is more than one option for any of those categories. Having said all that - this is a wonderful problem that we are fortunate to have. :chuncky:
I looked at many, many homes. I knew I wanted the one I purchased as soon as I walked into it. I purchased a condo because I liked the idea of "being taken care of". My monthly association fees cover many things including lawn maintenance, trash pickup, water and more. Fees differ from association to association. In a stand-alone house you have to take care of those things yourself. Also, my association is very active and we often have gettogethers. Could that be because I am Social Secretary????? Another thing is, we watch out for each other. Very comforting. I have heard of some people in stand-alones who never meet their neighbors. I'll be watching for the opinions of others.
Thanks Peg for the condo insight. I had not considered the "taken care of", safety, and the social aspect idea of a condo. Today I like to take care of my own, but in future years, who knows. However I do hate mowing the lawn. It has been raining on and off for almost 2 weeks and we got 6" snow on Saturday so the grass is a jungle and I dread having to try to mow that mess today assuming the sun stays out. My good friend/cousin bought a duplex in phase 1 about 4-5 years ago and really enjoys the life. Lucky for her she bought when the market was rock bottom. She said when she walked in it just felt like home.
Another consideration when purchasing a home in Sun City, is whether you want a grass lawn or a "gravel" lawn. I opted for grass because it just seems cooler temperature wise and my association fees include maintenance. The entire area behind my condo is all grass. I also insisted upon a 2 car garage. Along one of the walls in mine are many storage cabinets. Very nice to keep holiday items and other stuff. Some of the homes in Sun City have gas. Mine does - water heater, stove top, and air conditioner. The AC also uses electricity. I totaled my gas and electric bills for last year and the average came to $100 per month. Summer is the highest and spring and fall the lowest. For the past month, neither my heater nor my air conditioner came on. Property taxes tend to be nearly half of what they are in most other states. Arizona has a state income tax but it usually does not come to very much. A plus is when you file, whether or not you owe, you get $25. As for Federal Income Tax, the Sun City Homeowners association offers free income tax preparation. Unfortunately, you usually have to wait in line for quite some time. There are, of course, many places that will prepare an income tax (think HR Block, etc.) for a modest fee. Time is money, right? There is a "buy in" fee that is now $3,000 per unit going up to $3,500 this fall. I understand that it is negotiable between buyer & seller. It's worth the price and usually made up within a year or so by lower costs for such things as mentioned (taxes).
For any new buyers coming to Sun City, they should get a good solid grasp of the various home styles to chose from. Unfortunately I've found no website or Realtors that do that. Some day I might build my own site (nope don't want a job or to be a Realtor) that explains it all in depth so buyers aren't coming in cold. I've used that technique in the past and when you aren't trying to sell someone something, it's amazing how quickly people feel an attachment and a relationship when all you are is available for research and education. Mom and dad bought here in the mid 90's. They owned a house on Boswell down from Willowcreek golf course. In 2006 dad died of Leukemia and later that year mom had a stroke. We got her back into her own home (about 1400 square feet), but by the spring of 2007 it was clear she shouldn't be living alone. We sold the place and she bought a unit in Eldorado. Very nice but as she got her health back, she wanted her independence back as well. Community meals weren't her thing and it was pricey. In 2010 we sold her unit and she found a quad (back to back to back to back 4 plex) just 2 blocks over from the Bell Rec Center. It was great, clean and affordable (she paid $93,500) for a 1500 + square foot property. We put roughly $7000 in remodeling it and she now owns a house larger than her and my father had. She's happy as a clam living alone and the property keeps increasing in value. 2 huge bedrooms, 1.75 bath, massive kitchen, dining room and living room. We just added a killer outside front patio and she also has a wonderful covered back yard complete with roses and other blooming flowers she adores. The garage is like an airport hanger. The point being here is you can get almost anything you want if you know what you are looking for. That's where I think a website dedicated to helping potential Sun City buyers would be so awesome.
The quad was a steal, but better yet it opened my eyes to options beyond a single family home. I drove around mom's neighborhood and found 4 of them for sale. They are priced in the $150,000 range and a couple of them have more than 1600 square feet of living space. I always look at $100 per square as the high side of a property in Sun City and expect it to have lots of remodeling done if it's that high. The caveat being a lake or golf course lot adding to that value. Having a website like I mentioned would be really cool and I have started doing some early research to get one done. I don't mind the expense of putting it up or even the time to do it. My problem is I can't build it without help from a techie who can do the layout and design. Anyone interested in a joint project, let me know. Just as an example, I drove the streets between Bell Road and Riverview golf course between Del Webb Blvd and Boswell. It's a very popular location and properties sell quickly. I noted 3 home styles (but there may actually be 4). Bordering Bell Road, there are Gemini's (twin homes with grass backyards). Running through to the golf course are quads (4 plex's backing up to one another) with Gemini's abutting the golf course. Closer to Boswell are what I call Garden Court apts (units attached and in a row typically of 4). My confusion is there may be a difference in that Garden Court apts have a garden courtyard while there may be a different name for those facing the street and having no courtyard. Essentially they are similar in floor plans and size (1200-1400 square feet), so I would need to look back in DEVCO documents for clarification. The cool thing is all of the information is available at the Museum. Original model home magazines would show the floor plans and names. I see this being the kind of project that could include a blog where potential buyers could ask questions and get information that would help sell the community. Like I say, if anyone with a tech background wants to help me laying information on a page (uploading and setup), I would do all of the writing, pick up cost of URL and what have you and the research.
Back in 2013 this forum talked about floor plant in SC. Here is a link. http://www.eta-az.info/sun city/index.html Also, the Visitor Center has a book with Names, Numbers, & Floor Plans.
I love our retro homes here. One just flew off the market up the street and it was in the high $200,000's. They had put quite a bit into the interior but the price just blew me away. I fear now we will be getting too popular lol.
Dang pegmih, I didn't pick up one of the books with the floorplans with original names when I was at the Visitor Center. I have been able to come up with a reasonable idea of the floorplans using a couple of different websites, there really is no one good site. Google, however, is my friend and I can find a lot of stuff. I've always been told that they value of a home is what someone is willing to pay for it, but yes some of the homes are selling at ridiculous prices. We have run into a couple of "for sales" where parents took out a bad loan and kids are selling the house at an unreasonable price to cover that loan. There are also places that were bought at inflated prices of the early 2000's being sold at equally inflated prices to recoup the money. With my mom being in ever decreasing health, I can sympathize. We will, however, wait for the right house at the right price.
The Visitor Center does not have a book that you can take. It just has a book that you can look at. Here is a link to SC homes. http://www.eta-az.info/sun city/index.html
