I see there's several new listings on Realtor.com. I've posted the floor plan on the Castillo before; they're found in Phase 3 and often on the golf course. This one is an absolute beauty (at least from the pictures), but it stretches the budget pretty tight. The good news is, it appears everything has been done for you. 9514 West Lindgren Ave...check it out. Just to give you the other side of the coin, here's another Castillo that bumps up to 99th drive. It's a good looking home and for far less money. This is the kind you can put your stamp on, or enjoy as it is; that is if you can put up with the traffic noise from 99th. 17410 Foothills Drive W. Part of the joy of Sun City home shopping is the variety of remodels as well as the variety of styles.
Two good prospects on different ends or the spectrum. The Lindgren home appears to be a higher quality remodel than those we looked at when in SC. The price also reflects it. It does have great curb appeal. The questions, as I see it, will revolve around the pool and whether the style fits yours. We looked at the Foothills house when there. We were concerned about it backing up to 99th. I will say, we really like the Castillo model.
Good observations Mullet; clearly the properties vary in renovations. The Foothills is nice, Lindgren looks spectacular. One is on a golf course, the other backs up to a busier street. In many cases, neither matter to a buyer, but they are things to consider. The other reason i post these kinds of comparisons is because some posters have talked about buying a vintage property and then renovating. We did just that and have no regrets, but there is a lot to be said about buying one done well and maybe paying more than you planned. We've owned our home since 1999 and we did some things right and others dead wrong. It's a learning curve and you sometimes pay for it. We remodeled our kitchen 3 times: The first we painted the dark brown cabinets a pretty yellow that opened it up. The second time we refaced with new counter tops. This last time we opened a wall, did the granite thing and all new cabinets. Very nice, but certainly not cheap. We've stucco'd, new windows and doors, rounded out all the doorways and widened the 28 inch ones. Added storage, a screen porch and have three outdoor areas. The point being, those things add up and for some the fun is in doing them. For others, they'd just as soon not have to go through it. Lots of Sun City homes have preserved that early charm and that too is just fine. You just need to know what you want and began to factor it all in to the big picture of the next segment of your life.
BP: your insights and experience are valuable to draw from. As we've gone through this process, our focus has changed. Initially, we weren't interested in doing another renovation (we've done two houses and almost all the work ourselves). Now, we're set on a renovation but contracting the work. We're going to find a home in comfortably liveable condition, live in it for one season while formulating a renovation plan. We're focusing on model and location. One thing I think we have going for us is a willingness to be flexible. After all, Sun City wasn't even on our radar when we started the process!
Hey Mull; love to hear you know what you want and are on track to do it. It's why I do this, helping people find what they are looking for is all I can ask. Doesn't matter if it's Sun City or any other age restricted that meets their needs. For years retirees simply bought what was out there; usually the first place they visited. And it was almost always a newer development that wowed them. That's why I really appreciate 55places, it opened people eyes to all the options. As I watch all of you guys doing your home work and trying to narrow it down to the "right one" it truly a joy for me. It's the essence of what Sun City is, sharing thoughts, ideas and what we've learned along the way. I've noticed several new members the last several days. My hope is we can grow this site several times over during the year. We'll see, but for now, just having you guys looking be part of us guys living it is too cool.
That sounds dangerously like work Emily. Here's the really cool thing about Sun City homes...if you can imagine it, you can do it.
