Hi Folks, We will be in AZ for a couple of Rockies spring training games this weekend. I have talked my wife into a visit to Sun City, not sure what day/time yet, but I suspect Saturday AM we will swing by the visitor's center. My wife Kay is very skeptical of living in AZ so who ever is in the visitor center please help her feel as welcome as possible. I personally love the idea, especially the heat and NO SNOW!
Sign up at the Visitor Center to go on the bus tour. It takes about 2 hours. It is free but donations are welcome. You go to all the Rec Centers and tour a few of them. You go by the Sheriff Posse and Sunshine Services. Sorry I won't be there. I work in the afternoon on 2nd & 4th Wednesday
Let me/us know what your wife thinks of Sun City. Right now we are having wonderful weather. I think winter passed us by this year!
Will do. We will have a friend from Washington with us so I will get opinions from both. I think winter stayed here in CO and didn't make its way to AZ.
Where in Washington? I moved here from Whidbey Island WA. It is such a pleasure to wake up to sunshine! As for summer, everything is air conditioned. There is a saying here that "You don't have to shovel sunshine!".
She lives in Federal Way and loves it there. She said she didn't think she would ever move to AZ, but agreed it would be fun to go look.
So Bruce, did you get here? Stopped at the VC around 11:30 am and they said three people were in from Colorado. Didn't think it was you though, said the woman wanted to move to Sun City.
Yes, we did stop by on Friday afternoon and got a wonderful reception. It was a great visit and the ladies in the visitor's center were a bundle of information. Our friend asked what they didn't like about Sun City and they could not come up with anything. Here is what the ladies thought: Both had the strange concept that the neighborhood would all look the same, cookie cutter homes, etc. They were pleasantly surprised with the variety of homes and the clean look. They were both very impressed. Our WA friend: The good: fiscal responsibility, activities, clubs, clean, Sun City concept, variety of homes and yards. The not so good: Summer heat, she felt hot that day, but admitted she could probably adapt. My wife: The good: fiscal responsibility, activities, clubs (sewing club), rec centers, clean, variety of yards, golf cars (she wants a golf car now). The bad: Yes it can get hot, but felt it was very pleasant this weekend and she could adapt to the summer heat by staying indoors. They both like Sun City very much, our friend is doubtful she would move there because of the heat, but when we move there I know Kay will talk her into it. Now I can't wait for retirement in 4 years. We talked to Caldwell Banker (Ken Meade) realty and looked at a Stanford model and they both loved the layout. The unit we looked at needed a bit of help, but they could both see the potential. My wife is now SOLD on Sun City :joyous:, but is still nervous about AZ. Basically because one of her directors at work used to live in Tucson and both he and his daughter were robbed at gun point. He didn't get robbed because he had his own gun, but makes a big deal about it. She knows this stuff can happen anywhere, but it still makes her nervous.
Good to hear you got by and had a chance to see some of the sights. No question, summers are hot, but you quickly learn to adapt to them. We bought our home when we were 51 and rented it out during the winter months. The rent covered our costs and we gradually kept improving the home (still do a project or two each year). Truly an awesome place to live. Did you pick up the magazine on Sun City from the Visitor Center?
Thanks Bill, Yes, we picked up lots of good stuff from the visitor center. The wonderful volunteers there were very helpful and made sure we had lots of information. The realtor that showed us a home was really helpful also, she said she had lived in SC for 25 years. The one thing our friend asked is; "what is the turn over rate"? Meaning how many people buy and then find they did not like it and sold. No one had an answer for her because it was a strange concept to them. I suspect there are a few just as with any location, but I suspect the percentage is very very low. But I think the main message I would like to convey to the great folks of Sun City... My wife was hard set against ever moving to Sun City. After a short forced visit to the visitor center, a quick drive around, and a look at one home that needed a bit of work... she was sold on the idea. Implementation is another story, but she was very impressed with Sun City and so was I. Great job Sun City residents, we hope to be your neighbor some day.
Nope, not saying that at all Peg. We moved here when we turned 55 but we rented it out the first 4 years during the winter. Buying it changed my life. I went from a workaholic to being on a mission to reach retirement. And for those interested, even if you are under 55 you can come for a limited number of days per year. Back to the question of your wife's change of heart Bruce; that has happened ten's of thousands of times. From the time Meeker took the reigns, he realized the perception of Sun City was exactly what your wife's was...old people waiting to die. Nothing could be further from the truth. It's why he implemented the Play and Stay. He understood the only way to get past the perception was to get people here. It's why I would argue we should return to those days of bringing potential buyers in for 3 and 4 day stays. Sun City's potential is almost unlimited. The only question is are we willing to go the extra mile to reach it. Next time you come to town, let me know, i'll take you through the Del Webb Sun Cities Museum.
So I guess we are added to the statistics for the thousands of visiting converts. Thanks Bill, it will be a while, but will let you know next time we visit. We are looking at some rentals in SC, seems to me a rental and a rec center card is a good way to experience SC. A good friend of 12 years is moving to SC at the end of this month, she bought a condo in phase 1 a couple of years ago and has decided to make the move, we are envious. Found out it is a small world, she and I compared family history notes because of a common last name in our families and found out we are third cousins.
Renting is the best way to get a feel for Sun City. Funny, back when I was on the board of the Visitor Center their director and I lobbied for short term rec cards (30 day increments) and board members were adamant it would never happen. It took 5 or 6 years but finally they came to understand by letting renters enjoy the facilities for 30, 60 or 90 days we (the RCSC) benefitted and most often renters became buyers. And, it has added to the bottom line in ways most never would have believed. Cool on your friend/relative, and she bought when those condo prices in phase 1 were rock bottom.
Last August a friend bought a 2 br 2ba condo in Phase I for $60,000, At that time I was tempted to purchase one for a rental. However, being a landlord/lady sounded like work.
