So we know we have several potential buyers for Sun City properties on this site, and at least one of them was here this week. Mullet was in town and we got an initial report he found Sun City as a real possibility compared to others he looked at. No idea if he has gone back home, but it would be great if we could get feedback on his trip here and his observations. If you get a chance m-man giver us an update.
BP, et al. Yes indeed, we've arrived back home. Still recovering from another day of flying and the four plus hour drive home from the airport. Did I mention we lived in a remote location? :witless: Our impressions of Sun City were extremely positive. In fact, we've decided to narrow our search to just Sun City. We were shown a number of homes in Sun City West (including Corte Bella) and we also drove around in both SC Grand and Trilogy of Vistancia. I really don't have anything negative to say about any of the communities. We just felt the most comfortable in Sun City. We love the era of the homes, the friendliness of the people, the rec centers and the plethora of available activities. Not to mention how neat and clean the area is. When we initially began or search (from a distance) we focused mostly on the gated communities so SC had to overcome that. I think we'll be very happy there. Our home search didn't yield any "keepers" but it has helped narrow our focus. As I understand it, there aren't a lot of homes on the market right now so that didn't help. We're leaning toward phase three but would be happy in phase two. We looked at both attached and detached homes. While there are some attractive things about attached, I'd be surprised if we ended up in one. Of the homes we were shown, we particularly liked the Castille, Durango and Augusta models. There are other models that we find interesting but we didn't have the opportunity to look at them. We were hoping to find a complete re-do but after looking at some I would imagine we'll end up doing it ourselves. I can envision us living in the home for a winter, allowing us to firm up design ideas and find the right contractor. Finally, we changed realtors near the end of our visit. We weren't very impressed with our first agent for a number of reasons but, most importantly, she didn't know Sun City very well at all. We were not comfortable having her as our eyes and ears. Our new agent lives in SC so should be on top of opportunities that arise. I appreciate the knowledge that flows from this group. It's very helpful. Thank you all.
Oh, by the way. I couldn't figure out why my time was so screwed up while down there. After all, we're in the Mountain time zone too. Then I finally figured out Arizona didn't observe DST. That threw me for a loop for a while. :hopelessness:
Love to see potential buyers looking at various age restricted communities. There's no question in my mind Mullet, each has it's own characteristics and nuances. I've written any number of comments on 55 Places where I encourage boomers to do exactly what you and other visitors to this site are doing; comparison shopping. Way too many folks visit the latest and greatest, get their 4 free day stay in and leave owning an overpriced home in a community being subsidized by the developer. That of unto itself doesn't make it bad, just limiting. Hell, who doesn't love seeing that 150 square foot bathroom and 100 foot walk-in closet? Then once you own it, you come to understand, it's truly just wasted space. When we go to Vegas the, the casino we stay at gives us one of those massive suites. At first blush it's gorgeous, but I've yet to eat a meal at 6 person dining room table. Usually it just is a place to set my ipad. You get the point, most of us are pretty practical people. We want to be comfortable in retirement, or if you are still working, close to amenities that don't cost an arm and a leg. Sun City offers it all; it's not about glitz, but about finding happiness in a more simplistic lifestyle. The good news is M-man, the right house will come along and when it does, you'll know it.
Thanks for the assurances BP. Just to add to your take on some of the more "upscale" developments: we were surprised at how cookie cutter they felt to us. While the homes aren't all the same and don't look the same, after a while your eyes start to glaze over, you lose focus and the details disappear. We never felt that way in Sun City and we covered much of the community in our time there. One of the owners was home at a showing we had in Corte Bella. He was doing his best to sell us on his home and the community. Little did he know but the lifestyle he was describing was exactly what we're not looking for. We're just not the country club type - not that there's anything wrong with that. I'm hoping this doesn't come off negatively toward the gated communities. I'm just expressing the conclusion we reached about what fit best for us. Sun City here we come! (At least, when the right home presents itself, as we've been assured. :applouse
