Sun City for New Retirees?

We're a couple years from making a move from our MN home to AZ for retirement. We recently toured several communities staying at Festival, then south of Tucson to Quail Creek. We spent an afternoon lounging by the water ways in SunCity Grand, took a quick drive through Sun City West. We began to think it might be easier for new retirees to move into a newer community where social circles are still forming rather than where people have lived for years and years and may not be as welcoming.

We didn't look at Sun City thinking it would be too "old" for us with homes that are not very energy efficient. However, looking at the supply of homes on the market (191 as of this writing) there must be downward pressure on prices. Also tax rates seem to be lower in Sun City. These factors keep drawing us back to take a hard look at Sun City.

Although we only took a brief drive into Sun City West it did not appeal to us. Granted we didn't look beyond the strip malls and busy streets lined with commercial activity but it seemed more like a suburb than a community.

Do you find new retirees coming to Sun City. If you were in your 50's and 60's would you make that move or would you look to newer communities?

 

You will definitely get a lot of comments about this.

Before moving to Sun City in 2007, I also looked at the "other Sun Cities" in Arizona.
Sun City (Original) held the most appeal. Both for price, access to shopping, and airport.

I'm not sure I know what you mean by "energy efficient".

The majority of homes in Sun City have been updated considerably. Needless to say, all the homes have air conditioning.

The Sun City Visitor Center has a Tour Bus. I suggest you contact them and take the tour.
Google Sun City Visitor Center.

BTW. ALL the clubs welcome new members.

The choice is yours, of course, but from what I have heard Sun City is more open to welcoming newcomers than the other places. In fact, some people have moved from another Sun City (noname) because they were "snobbish" to Sun City.

Another factor is that Sun City (Original) has more amenities than any other of the Sun Cities in the World.

 

Well said Peg and I will suggest R you would do yourself a disservice if you didn't at least look at Sun City. My wife and I (lived our entire lives in Minnesota) visited 5 Sun City communities (West, Grand, Tucson, Summerlin in Vegas and the original). The newer ones were easily more glitzy and glamorous. It was easy to get caught up in 150 sq ft bathrooms and 100 sq ft walk-in closets. That said, who needs them?

In the end, the choice was easy. Sun City was the best value at the best price with the most amenities. Yup, our home was older and we have pumped a lot of money into renovations. We do a project every year and it has turned out amazing. Nothing against other communities because they are exceptional, but there is nothing quite like Sun City. I won't belabor the points I've made before because they are any number of threads on this site explaining why we are unique. If you get a chance check them out.

And if you get to Sun City, let me know and i'll show you our house (and Sun City if you want).

 

Thank you all for the comments here. In terms of the "energy efficiency" I refer to specifically newer air conditioners use less power, low E and dual pane windows keep heat out and of course the latest insulation technologies also reduce heat coming in.

i agree with what many of you are saying that there is real value in Sun City. I'm concerned about electricity use in inefficient homes. I expect cost of electricity to go way up given the current war on coal. That means the amount of electricity you use now will cost much more in the not to distant future. If an air conditioner is not at least 13 or 14 seer it's not efficient by today's standards. Spending a few thousand on new air conditioning, thousands more on Low E windows and more on insulation can add up quickly reducing the value of the older homes.

Not saying every home needs this but many probably will. I'm still investigating and will no doubt visit Sun City in the future to take a much more thorough look. I appreciate the invitations and offers here too! Thank you!

 

Thank you Emily for taking the time to post your experiences and thoughts on Sun City. Very good post. You've addressed many of the issues we consider. We're a couple years from making such a move but may be able to visit in the next year. It is posts such as yours that make this forum valuable for members and those considering any Sun City from the Original to the newer communities.

 

A new club has been formed - Tai Chi.
Someone thought one was needed and did a lot of work/research to get one.
Classes start in October.
I took 2 classes at the library and enjoyed the experience.
Watch for updates as to when and where.

 

Does 191 homes on the market in a community of 27,500 homes seem high? Seems a reasonable number considering natural turnover that will occur in a 55+ community.

 

I've written this before and is worth repeating: Pricing for Sun City properties is really a challenge. Lazy Realtors who only look at comps are part of the problem. 2 exact model of home on the same block can easily have a $100,000 price difference in them. There's more than a fair share of Sun City homes that have had nothing done to them since the day they were built. When they go on the market, one of the first things the Realtor looks at is like homes that sold close by and the second is square footage. In reality, they need consider what has been done and what hasn't...there's a world of difference.

And let's be honest, 191 homes on the market (if that is the number), is way low. We've historically seen inventories between 500 and a 1000 homes listed. Heck, bank owned foreclosures had been in excess of 100 for years. Just tells me the Sun City market is heating up and that's a good thing.

 

Hi BPearson,

I have couple of questions and address them to you.

1. If I look at the SC map where are the different phases located?
2. Which two Real Estate Agencies would you recommend?
3. According to the recent news there have been a few sand storms and heavy rain in Phoenix area. How have they affected Sun City?
4. Is there are car rental place in SC?

I appreciate you taking the time and writing. I read these blogs and they are very helpful in many ways. Thanks.

 

Hope that helps Sue2014.

 

Emily I believe this is your first summer there, right? I wonder how you feel about the heat. Many people on websites (not this one) complain bitterly about the heat. They say that people don't really tell the truth about how hot it is and how long the heat actually lasts. Just curious about your first impressions.

 

Forget the heat. Trying to see how Sun City fared during the recent flooding. This is from August but what a great video of a rescue. Where would we be without people willing to do this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pAl9UjKcU0

 

Sun City fared quite well during the most recent monsoon and the previous one too.
SC got nearly 3 inches but no flooding. I stayed home only because some of the
intersections sometimes get flooded. The golf courses were closed, tho.
Today, however, I am going out and about. I'll post this afternoon re any flooding.

 

Thanks, good to know. I'm planning a trip to Sun City for this weekend (finally) to check out properties.

 

Be sure to stop by the SC Visitor Center and maybe take the bus tour.
Google Sun City Visitor Center and scroll down to tour.
The Center is open on Saturday but closed on Sunday.

 

I always appreciate your upbeat take on
Arizona and the weather.

 

Thank you BPearson for your replies to my questions. They are valuable and very much appreciated. They help me in the decision making where to move in the next phase of my life.

 

Thanks Emily. I'll be moving from Los Angeles where (everyone knows) the weather is near perfect. But I have lived in very hot weather before so I think I can manage. Its a big step to move from LA because if you leave its almost too expensive to return. I'm hoping all the other great factors that are Sun City will balance out the heat factor.

 

We looked at Trilogy/Vistancia but considered the higher property taxes and HOA (over $200 a month) and bought a fixer here with original windows and 17 year old AC and remodeled it. We put in all new windows, insulated well and added two new rooms to the house and a new AC. My new build home in Vistancia had higher electric bills. Can't find anything in the newer developments with low HOA and property taxes like the original Sun City. We were welcomed by our neighbors. Joined a club and met plenty of new arrivals our age. There is a the Next Gen club that is for the under 65 resident and a lot of younger members now.
I think prices are still rising here.

 

I just returned from Sun City...looking at houses. The extremely knowledgeable Real Estate Agent who's helping me told me inventory goes down about 5 months in the summer because fewer people visit and buy then. So sellers wait to list their homes. Right now I see a listing number of 115 condos and 250 single family homes. It should start increasing.