When we initially started looking to buy in Sun City, there was effectively one Realtor who owned the marketplace; Meade Reality. The owner, Ken Meade was literally a legend. He built his business around the concept of becoming an integral part of the community and our unique way of life. He understood the importance of giving back. When Ken retired, things changed. Eventually the the company was bought out by Coldwell Banker residential real estate. Most of the agents stayed, at least for the short run. Their focus, as a national company, was a broader approach and using more technology and networking to sell homes. Eventually, several of the agents who had been with Ken Meade, broke away and started Tempus. It was an interesting construct as the agents bought into the ownership, and allowed them to return to a more face to face relationship structure. They were local realtors and they liked that. They focused on Sun City and Sun City West. Watching the Meade company drift from their roots when Ken retired was sad. His style embodied what Sun City was all about. He understood the importance of community and investing in it. Whenever events were being held, he was there. The first magazine i saw on Sun City came from Meade Reality. It has been the format i have used in the 5 magazines i have written on Sun City. It was simply telling the Sun City story and our way of life in ways potential buyers could connect to. The beauty was in that you didn't have to be clever or a brilliant writer, you just needed to portray what we had and how we lived in an accurate and colorful way. Over the years, i have gotten to know dozens of realtors. Some really good ones, some okay and some i wouldn't hire to run a garage sale for me. When we sold our home on Desert Rock ( you can find the story i did in "Selling the Compound,") we were in a quandary. I had become friends with the Nixon's (Tim and Amy) simply because i stop at open houses often. While getting to know them and their orange logo'd everything, i found they were throwbacks to the Meade company. They had quickly grasp the importance of giving back to the community they both live in and sell in. It was never just a one way proposition; selling or listing a home was always about building relationships. And, not with just the buyer or seller, but also with the community. To highlight this, we will be holding the United Sates Lawn Bowling Open in November again this year. 350 bowlers from 12 countries will come to the Sun Cities to play in a week long tournament. It is the biggest event of its kind in the country. We always look for sponsors, but most often, we struggle. Businesses will buy-in small and get little in return. The days of Ken Meade have passed us by. Imagine my surprise when the Nixon's said "heck yes, we'll be a major sponsor, count us in." We met yesterday and worked out the details. They didn't blink, they didn't waiver, they wanted to be a part of the event and more importantly of the community. Damned if i didn't feel i was sitting across from Ken Meade himself. You can call this a shameless plug if you want. For me, it is the essence of how Sun City was built and why we succeeded. When those living and working in the community act in concert with one another, we ultimately all win. It's long been the story of life and one sadly these days we tend to forget. And to be clear, it's not so much the money but the idea community matters. If you need a realtor, the first ones i would reach out to would be Tim and Amy Nixon at Tempus. They get it.
Almost always when i start a thread, there is a method to my madness. It would be easy to see this as simply a shameless plug for the Nixon's, but it was always going to become more than that. Knowing/understanding the history of the community is a plus for anyone who takes the time to try and get their head around it. I've always found a little knowledge is dangerous, a lot is lethal (in a good way). To amplify, let's step back to the beginning, opening day, 1960. Try and get your arms around a community with no homes having a shopping center with a Safeway store and several other shops to serve the needs of the residents (what residents?). You got it, makes no sense; unless you are betting on the come. And of course the fact the owner of the shopping center gave you a sweet lease based on percentage of sales. It didn't hurt that Del Webb's partner in DEVCO, Jim Boswell, was on the board of Safeway. From those meager beginnings, over the course of the next 18 years, they would build a total of 16 strip malls in Sun City. There were varying shapes and sizes, but they helped ground the community and those they served. During the first ten years, there were constantly events sponsored by the shops, stores and services. Prizes, parties and endless promotions drew those living here to become loyal customers. There was one other thing all of the centers had in common; Webb not only built them, he owned and ran them. Not just anyone could rent space. They wanted stores that presented the best possible look for Sun City. Over time DEVCO sold them off and now as you see empty strip centers where the tax write-off is more attractive than reducing the rent, we see a different side of the business model. Throw into the discussion the number of "massage parlors" we see and imagine DEVCO allowing any of them to grace the community. Nope, wouldn't have happened. There's no question, times are changing. People are changing. On line shopping gets bigger by the year. Strip shopping centers are converting to medical centers, which is a pleasant change in my opinion. That's why i love to remember "the good old days." Seems to me we would be better off to cling to some of those traditions that made us special rather than just discard them. I am a huge fan of moving forward, but there are some things we can never afford to lose. Relationships and face to face interactions was a way of life when we first opened and in my opinion need be an integral part of ho we live today
Sometimes people who don't/won't take the time to get their head around our history think stuff just happens. That's seldom the case. If you look closely at how Sun City was built, you will see an ebb and flow that shifted constantly. DEVCO was always moving the mark on where they were headed and how they were getting there. It was never just about selling houses, they knew they needed help those living here create a way of life. In some cases they gave them a hard push, in some they pointed them in the right direction. Sometimes they just got out of the way. Those moving here in the 60's and 70's were willing to take ownership in ways we don't today. Seems to me to be one of our primary shortcomings. So many of the new age restricted communities are built around simply paying others to do it. That's why you see communities with $200 and $300 a month rec fees. We were built differently, but for it to work, people need to step up. It's one of the reasons i try and inject a historical perspective into these threads. There will come a day, should we stray too far, our costs will have to increase at a faster pace. Teaching new owners the importance of community involvement and participation should be a given. The tenets we were built around aren't guaranteed, they only work if we embrace them because they are what make Sun City different, unique.
Lordy, how appropriate; Sunday Morning Coming Down...thank you Johnny Cash. As we look back, it's always important to look forward as well. Life is circular in many respects. And in some cases, not so much. When Sun City was first built, there were no churches. It took a silly little millimeter for DEVCO to realize that wouldn't work. They quickly agreed to sell land and build them as close to cost as they could. They also agreed to match dollar for dollar any landscaping. Who wants to see poorly landscaped churches? Turns out, organized religion was very popular with Sun City home buyers. The 60's and 70's had massive numbers of church-goers, mortality and salvation were extremely popular. Hence, churches sprang up on what seemed like every major street corner. 31 of them by the time build out was done. Staggering, almost as high a percentage per capita as there was golf courses (said with a smile). Odd how now we are overbuilt on both. All of which begs the question, what happens as the number of players (in golf) and the numbers of prayers (in church) falls by the wayside? This has always been my demon; thinking about things i have no ability to change. For the churches it does pose a real challenge. They've relied heavily on volunteers from the congregation. My wife had older tennis friends who had family members who used to go to their church of choice every day. Not just to pray or attend services, but to work around the rectory. As attendance drops (and it has), the numbers diminish as do the numbers of volunteers. Some of the churches are gorgeous, some less but still costly propositions to run. They get some tax breaks, but that does nothing for the cost to heat and cool them. Nothing on the maintenance and upkeep. Like golf, at some point the reality has to set in and decisions will need be made. They won't be pretty, but they will be necessary. Everything evolves, and much like shopping centers feeling the pinch of online shopping kicking their butts, changes will be made. Ignoring our history is as foolish as ignoring our past.
Sadly there truth in what you wrote E; those times are never coming back. It's the never-ending struggle to cling to what we liked/loved and it being replaced by something; maybe better, maybe worse. In my previous work life i constantly preached; "you can't stop change, you can manage it." To do that means taking a hands on approach with defined goals and set agendas. Simply letting things flow, ultimately means change manages you. Affordability is critical. That said, over the next twenty years the RCSC will have 150 million dollars from the PIF; hopefully they will do a better job with it than they did the first twenty.
