Housing Blues in Sun City,AZ (Sun City West: sale, real estate, house) - Phoenix area - Arizona - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

IowaViking · 02-08-2021, 05:10 PM

The short summary of Sun City vs Sun City West.

Both have significant club structures (wood working, metal working, ceramics, etc). Both have great facilities (pools, courts, golf, pickleball, etc.) Both are 55+ for at least one member of the household. Both have an asset preservation fee, I think it is $3500 for either, plus a $300 transfer fee. This is a one time fee that goes towards capital improvement of the facilities.

SC has an annual property assessment of $496 per year per property. This allows the occupants of the house access to all of the facilities. Some of the clubs have their own annual dues typically in the $30 range.

SCW has Owner/Member associate Dues/Fees of $465 per person. So a married couple would be $930 per year for the facilities. These fees are not optional, they are required if you are in the property 3 months or all year, and even if you never use the facilities. They are like an HOA fee.

You can have a SC or SCW mailing address but not live in the HOA community. You will not have access to any of the facilities or pay the fees. Do not assume that an SC or SCW address is part of the community. Our park model had a Sun City mailing address. There is a neighborhood (Corte Bella) that is adjacent to SCW, but they are not part of the association.

These neighborhoods are (for the most part) not in a school district and do not pay school district taxes. This is an old arrangement from when the communities were originally platted. Newer versions (Sun City Grand, Sun City Festival, etc) do not have that exemption. There are some places in the north end of SCW that are in a school district, and you will see that reflected in the yearly taxes.

grmi66 · 02-09-2021, 06:27 AM

@IowaViking - Out of curiosity, is the long running feud between the different phases of Sun City still there? That part of Phoenix used to be my sales territory and had clients in all of the big three phases of Sun City, SCW and SC Grand. Twenty years ago the original Sun City was where the "Greatest Generation" lived, SCW was the "Silent Generation" and SC Grand was for the "Baby Boomers". SCW and SC Grand looked down on the original Sun City because it was considered the lower income section filled with the older houses. But SC and SCW looked down at SC Grand because it was full of snot nosed Boomers with too much money.

Assuming Sun City has had a massive turnover in population since then. Just always thought it funny that each phase had it's own personality and just because you were over 55 you may not see eye to eye with the folks in the other phases.

I'm in Generation X, so my college days were filled with going to punk shows and enjoying the typical 80's lifestyle. My cohorts will be able to start buying into Sun City this year and I could if I wanted to next year. Will be interesting if Gen X decides to buy a place in any of the Sun City developments. Heard one comedian doing a routine about our age group, we will be moshing with our wheelchairs in 2040.

IowaViking · 02-09-2021, 09:35 AM

I have only been here a few months, and a lot of the social activities are locked down. So I have not seen a lot of people. I know that some folks are opinionated about the difference of activity fees, and I suspect that there may be some friendly rivalry between some clubs that compete against each other.

There are very few 'original owners' left in Sun City West, so I think that the OEM stratification is being stirred up. The build-out of Sun City West stalled in the 1980s, so there may have been a more marked stratification of ages. And I think there is some friction when you have new construction alongside existing neighborhoods.

There is new construction in the middle of SCW near the Frys Grocery store. Link I don't know what caused that piece of property to pop loose, but I'm sure the neighbors are not happy about it. But it will be fine after the construction is complete.

I do not know much about Sun City Grand. The extensive number of clubs like the woodworking club and the metal working club are what pulled me to either Sun City or Sun City West. This structure does not exist in Sun City Grand to the same level. Sun City Grand is 45+. They have fitness centers, pools, and pickle ball courts. But I do not think they have woodworking, metal, lapidary, ceramics, and similar. I think it is focused on golf. (But I could be wrong on these, if golf is your thing and not the other clubs, make sure to investigate all of these places)

grmi66 · 02-09-2021, 11:11 AM

I'm never moving to Sun City, just curious based on how the area was 20 years ago when I was out there on a weekly basis making sales calls. Used to sell stuff to banks, so the branch managers had tons of demographic data and personal insight to the differences between the phases.

You'll have to ask around about the infamous STD outbreak in SC and SCW that made all the papers in the early 2000's. It was the butt of jokes for a few months.

CLEOPATRAZEUS · 02-09-2021, 01:23 PM

The inflated home prices in SC and surrounding areas are starting to NOT look appealing. Will probably have to wait out this insanity in the housing market. Do not see how this can go on forever (Or maybe it will) At least I have a nice home to live in until then. I feel sorry for families who have to move to the area for a job transfer etc. Happy House Hunting..

hartent · 05-09-2021, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aznative94

be careful of the stretch right off of Grand Avenue from El Mirage through the 101. Higher crime rates there. Only mentioning it since you are speaking of buying sight unseen. Wishing you well in the search.

Are you talking about north or south of 60?

Katera · 05-09-2021, 08:02 PM

We just closed on a house in Sun City Grand last week. Love love love it. SCG is absolutely pristine but also much more expensive than Sun City or SSW. The community seems much younger than the other two Sun Cities as well which we like. We are Gen X'ers, not quite 55 yet so Grand was perfect for us. It is our forever home and we could not be happier. And yes we paid cash and offered over list price, but only $2k. We were also in less then 12 hours after it went on the market. The funny thing is we only got it because someone else had beaten us to the punch and they backed out so we pounced. Welcome to pretty much the only way to buy a house in Grand. 10k homes with only a handful few not under contract LOL. Nuts.

fluffythewondercat · 05-09-2021, 08:39 PM

^ Congratulations on your new home!

pathrunner · 05-10-2021, 06:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grmi66

I'm in Generation X, so my college days were filled with going to punk shows and enjoying the typical 80's lifestyle. My cohorts will be able to start buying into Sun City this year and I could if I wanted to next year. Will be interesting if Gen X decides to buy a place in any of the Sun City developments. Heard one comedian doing a routine about our age group, we will be moshing with our wheelchairs in 2040.

I wouldn't buy anywhere near Sun City if I were in your age group. I used to live right next to the 85028 though my zip code was 85254 (Tatum and Shea). I was looking for a fresh new dog park for my pups so I traveled out to Sun City. It's like a ghost town out there. If you like the quiet lifestyle where the walkscore is almost 100%, then go for it. I'm almost 70 and I still would never live there. Not enough going on, and too far from everything I like to do. YMMV.

I also understand $ is an issue now, where I used to live. I moved to Tatum and Shea in 2010, the prices were fantastic. Not so anymore. Too bad. The area is great.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CLEOPATRAZEUS

The inflated home prices in SC and surrounding areas are starting to NOT look appealing. Will probably have to wait out this insanity in the housing market. Do not see how this can go on forever (Or maybe it will) At least I have a nice home to live in until then. I feel sorry for families who have to move to the area for a job transfer etc. Happy House Hunting..

I think a lot of people are going to decide to wait it out. A gamble and could last years. Still, it's a decent option if you can do that.

Katera · 05-10-2021, 09:33 PM

I understand people trying to wait it out, but every single expert says the same thing. There is NO housing crash coming. With interest rates low, mortgage approval criteria crazy tough, and supply at historic lows there is no white knight riding in to save the day. The house I bought last week will be $50k more this time next year. So for what it's worth, try and get in now.

One last thing about waiting it out. Have you seen what rents are doing? Good lord. We were renting a house in Surprise for about $1600/month. It is predicted to now be listed for $2200/month. That's in less than 1 year. So if you think waiting it out (again this is IF you have a choice, many do not so renting is all they have), is smart just remember how bad rents are going to skyrocket this year. It's a double whammy.