My wife and I are doing our research on SC and just found this forum. We live in upstate NY and can't take the cold & snow anymore. We plan to visit in April or May to check things out and look for a house to rent. We hope to move before end of summer. Any advice would be appreciated.
Hello there......we moved here 3 months ago after years of searching (and test driving) several 55+ communities. It is a real shame that this forum exists and so few are aware of it. If you are looking for the cleanest spot anyone could live with more activities than you can possibly use and a truly reasonable cost, SC is the place to be. It is the only development that I have ever seen that continues to maintain a visitors center long after all construction has been completed. Be sure to go through this site http://sunaz.com/ from top to bottom and you were be well prepared to ask the right questions once you arrive. One thing you will not find there is the reputation SC has for its Lawn Bowling greens......they are considered some of the finest in North America. I never gave Lawn Bowling much of a look before moving here in late September and now I am hooked. Stop by and give it try when you get here! If I can give you more of our opinions, you can contact me direct at Jack.smith115@yahoo.com The key here is to find a refurbished house or condo so you can jump right into the activities.
You have chosen well. Sun City, Arizona, is the best. Ken Meade is the biggest realtor here. You might consider contacting them before your visit and going to their rental office when you are here. It is located just south of Bell east of Boswell behind Bank of America. One of the posters, Emily, worked with them to purchase a home and I believe she was satisfied. While you are there, go to the Sun City Visitor Center just around the corner. Google "Sun City Arizona Visitor Center" and request an information packet.
Any suggestions on how to promote this site? I give cards to people I meet. Unfortunately, many seniors in Sun City do not use computers. That is rapidly changing as younger people move here. A special organization was formed just for them called GenX.
Watching the weather and boy do we feel for you guys on the east coast. We also recommend Ken Meade for house hunting and I have the name of another good realtor we know who owns his own business. He really goes the distance for his clients and I can private email you his information. Anyway, you will love the winters here. I complain when it goes down to 60 lol. So much to do here.....
Wonder why they called it Gen X? Gen X-ers are born 1965-1980. They are too young for Sun City. Or did you mean the NextGen Club?
Cynthia, the club is called the NextGen club and is geared, for now to the retiring boomers. As time progresses those moving it will be the Gen-X, the millenials, and so on. They have get togethers, outings and game night for those wanting to gather with those of the same interest and age group.
I can also recommend Award Realty. I worked with them to sell and purchase homes, not only in Sun City, but Peoria as well. They are located in the strip mall at the southwest corner of 99th and Bell Road.
My advice on Sun City is this, Get here as soon as you can!! Sun City is not a city, but a self governed community that is a county island within Maricopa County. This makes the taxes lower because we have no city tax or local school tax. The community boasts 8 recreation centers, numerous golf courses, pro shops, snack shops, over 120 clubs, and much more. The tennis courts are being revamped at Bell, new pickleball courts at Mountainview, and the complete remodeling of Marinette Center on the horizon to include a new workout area, larger spa, and even more covered pickleball courts. Imagine being in a heated walking pool right now, enjoying our sunny weather, and making sure you put on extra sun block to not burn! The cost of living is beyond reasonable. Example: The house across the street from mine is for sale. It has 2/2, 1 car garage, corner lot, DR, LR, but needs some additional work. I am sure it could be gotten for around $100K. Taxes are $622 a year. Yearly assessment as 2/1/14 is $456 per year and gives you access to all of the above. Clubs may have additional fees, usually ranging between $5-$10 a year for membership. Homes range in price and size, upwards of $300k for a house on the lake. Did I mention there are two lakes in Sun City, one with with paddle boats and fishing? The buy in fee is $3k, this is a onetime charge paid for the Property Improvement Fund (PIF) so we can all enjoy the updated centers, the clubs, the golf courses, and all of the other amenities that make Sun City such a great place to live and love. Also, there is a New York West Bakery in Sun City, everything made on premises. I can personally attest to their greatness! Greatest neighbors on the planet, everyone helps everyone around here, and if you need assistance, there are great folks like the ones on this board more than willing to help out where ever they can. If there is additional information you desire, please don’t hesitate to ask, and someone will step up and offer their ideas as well.
Peg, it's all good! You had Gen in there, and you knew it had an "X" in it. You do an excellent job at keeping all of this together for everyone to enjoy. BTW, Gen-X will be here sooner then we think. lol
Stand corrected Emily, 8 golf courses, 7 rec ctrs. Got so wound up, got my numbers all goofed up. Sorry all.
We are trying to plan a trip for spring training in March. If we can work out the details of the trip we will have to include a visit to SC.
My son & his wife go to most of the Spring Training Games. Sometimes I can get them a free pass at the Bell Visitor Center. Worth looking in to. I will be there tomorrow and find out. There is a Garden Show and I know I get free tickets at the Center. Other places might have them too.
This is a PARADISE - seeing those folks in other states suffer with all that brutal cold - - makes OUR STATE of Arizona even more appealing ! Even Flaggstaff looks great for winter fun rather that those eastern states who suffer. Sun City is like an Adult Playground and the weather allows many pleasures for us ---ie: outdoor activities.
It has been pretty cold here in the Denver metro, but nothing like the east. We spent the Christmas holiday's in SoCal and it was hard to leave the nice weather. Not hard to leave the traffic though. I'm trying to get my wife to include a Sun City visit during a spring training trip. She is not keen on the idea, I think she is afraid she will like it. :friendly_wink: She watches too many movies that show the across the boarder invasion into AZ and thinks all of AZ is like that. Plus she hates hot weather. If our friend from WA meets us there as planned we will gang up and win her over. :devilish:
Most of our guest workers crossing over flee to other states right away. Ca is a target state right now. Your wife may actually like it here....
Hi all in Sun City! I have been doing research on Sun City on line almost a year now. It seems to be a good place to live. I have a few questions and concerns. What is the most popular newspaper in Sun City? Would like to subscribe to get more information. Before I make the final move it would be best for me to rent a place for a short period of time. Did research on couple of condos and townhomes and found out that the house pricing doesn't seem to take into account the housing bubble burst we just had which caused the home prices to drop up to 40%. Checked Maricopa County's Assessment records and it shows drastic drop in home values. However, current listings don't seem to take into account the last 4-6 years drop. Instead they price the homes based on the before the "bubble burst" prices + 35% to 40%. Early 2013 Sun City map was full of dots (houses for sale, foreclosures, repos etc.) is the situation better now? One realtor currently lists over 800 homes for sale. Does someone have current stats of the housing situation? All replies are welcome and appreciated. Would love to hear from others who have done research or visited Sun City. Looking forward to the day I experience Sun City in person.
Thanks Emily, As always this forum is full of great information. I'm looking forward to a visit, I'm guessing we will swing by SC the morning of the March 23rd, maybe the 22nd too. We have Tickets for the Rockies spring training games March 22nd & 23rd. Bruce
