Shingle and Tile Roofs

Discussion in 'Sun City General Discussions' started by Rusco, Jan 11, 2015.

  1. Rusco

    Rusco New Member

    As I search mls looking at Sun City listings I notice almost all have shingle (composite or asphalt?) roofs whereas the newer developments (such as Sun City Grand) have tile roof material. Seems to me tile would last longer in the desert heat. Is your shingle roof inferior?
     
  2. aggie

    aggie Well-Known Member

    I don't think you've received any replies because there are so few tiled roofs in the original Sun City. The structure of the homes wouldn't support the weight of tile if someone were to switch from shingles. We had our roof stripped and re-shingled 9 years ago and the warranty was for 30 years. We're very happy with the results and with good insulation/venting in the attic it's very economical.
     
  3. Rusco

    Rusco New Member

    Thank you. Thought perhaps someone had looked into the comparison and considered a newer home (SC Grand?) because of the construction and material use. Obviously residents of SC must think it is of no concern. Thanks again Aggie!
     
  4. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    Sorry R, couldn't help you, we have a flat roof. That often troubles people but we have a great roofer which makes an awesome difference.

    There are several variations of hip roofs here, with shingled being the most common. There are some oddities with the occasional rock, wood shingle (which most folks replace) and a smattering of tile. Some of those have replaced the tile with the lighter plastic looking (not sure what the composite is made of but definitely lighter than those heavy tiles).

    If you look in Grand, just be cautious. There was a point where the Webb Corp was purchased and there was some shoddy workmanship that followed. If memory serves me, there was a significant class action suit that resulted in a fairly significant settlement.
     
  5. Rusco

    Rusco New Member

    Very good stuff folks. Thank you so much. My wife and daughter (considering AZ State in Tempe for college) will be visiting in March and will take a good hard look at Sun City and Sun City West. I may post some of our considerations that are leading us to those communities for our retirement home which will happen in 2016 or 2017. I've done a ton of research on several of the new communities in the Phoenix and Tucson areas and still come back to Sun City as perhaps our best choice. More to follow.
     
  6. pegmih

    pegmih Well-Known Member

    If you have not already taken the bus tour offered by SC Visitor Center, consider doing so. You can sign up on line, by telephone, or in person. The SCVC is located across from the Bell library at Bell & 99th.
     
  7. aggie

    aggie Well-Known Member

    Rusco-
    An important financial item to obtain is the average utility bills for the home you are buying. Get at least 15 months of bills for water/sewer, electric and gas. The water/wastewater issue is so important here in the desert with some monthly bills topping $250 per month in newer communities.
     
  8. Cynthia

    Cynthia Well-Known Member

    aggie are buyers able to ask for 15 months of utility bills? I've never heard of this before.
     
  9. pegmih

    pegmih Well-Known Member

    Some of those items are included in HOA monthly fees.
     
  10. aggie

    aggie Well-Known Member

    It just seems to me that I can get at least 2 years utility payments from the companies that service my home and I could supply these figures to a realtor for the benefit of a buyer. It wouldn't be possible in cases where the home is too new. If paid in the monthly HOA assessment, the individual utility payments could be broken out of the total. I suppose a seller could refuse to supply the financial information but then I'd be a very suspicious buyer of that property.
     
  11. Cynthia

    Cynthia Well-Known Member

    Sometimes the seller is not available in Sun City. A flipper could have bought the place, the seller went to assisted living, or the heirs now own it. Of the homes I looked at so far in Sun City the real owner was not available.
     
  12. Rusco

    Rusco New Member

    I was a real estate broker for a few years here in MN. When I was working with a buyer client who was interested in a particular property I would call the utility serving that address and ask for the 12 month average cost. Utility companies always obliged. I suspect this would also be the approach in AZ.
     

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