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The original Del Webb Sun City began selling homes in January, 1960. The single family homes in Phase 1 were small (1,000 - 1,200 sq. ft.). Most of the homes had only carports. As they built Phase 11 & 111 the homes became larger and most had garages. The original residents were of the G.I. generation (1901-1924) or older. They were followed by the Silent generation (1925-1945). Then came the Boomers. Yes, inspite of some posters quesses and speculation, boomers are moving into Sun City at a fast pace.
One attitude that has remained constant amongst the residents over the generations has been the desire to live simply & modestly. Residents consist of multi-millionaires to those who struggle to pay their bills each month. You are more likely to see 10+ year old cars on the road as opposed to luxury vehicles. People are interested in leading full lives out & about participating in the activities at the rec. centers, golf courses or at their favorite special interest club.
The Del Webb communities have evolved over the years becoming more & more upscale as newer communities were built. As Jimrob pointed out, Sun City West is more upscale than Sun City and Sun City Grand is more upscale than Sun City West. There is a Sun City Fiesta in Buckeye that has not gotten off the ground. Probably because of the real estate bust in the Phoenix area. Plus, it is a long way from much civilization. I am sure that will change in time. I have no interest in living in any retirement community in the West Valley besides Sun City. I do not get good vibes when visiting those communities. Sun City fits my personality and I have been warmly welcomed here as a newcomer. In just 6 months I have met so many nice people and am in the midst of forming close friednships with a half dozen or so people who share my interests. It's a great feeling to get up in the morning and know that I have some fun place to go and meet up with some great people if I so choose.
I especially do not like Surprise, AZ. Prior to the 90's it was just a place in the road out in the desert. In the 90's young families began moving to the area because of cheap housing. It is a long tedious communte into Phoenix but people were willing to do it because at least they could afford to buy their own home. Surprise had to be built from the ground up and over the years it is now teeming with big box stores & chain restaurants. Although, there are a few good non-chain restaraunts sprinkled around. No character or soul to the place IMO. Young families seem to like it though because there is a lot of activities for the kids.
There are a lot of foreclosures & short sales in all of the retirement communities. The communities were not spared from the Phoenix real estate bust. A couple of years ago here in Sun City, homes for sale were just sitting there with very little activity. Homeowners were trying to get high dollar or at least break even on their home. Little by little they began lowering their asking prices. As the homes fell in price buyers began scooping them up. Nowadays, foreclosures & short sales have really thinned out. I have noticed that if a home is priced right they are sold within a matter of days with multiple offers. I bought my little duplex at the end of January. I honestly feel that I got in on the last of the cheap houses. Prices are now creeping back up.
So, as a previous poster mentioned, do your research because 55+ communities are not created equal. If you want to live in a 55+ community find one that fits your budget, values & personality.
The restrictions are pretty heavy in these communities. I've met several people now that like me rented for a year. After the year they bought homes in the local communities. Seems there most frequent complaint has been all the HOA rules, and even more so the restrictions on grandchildren or families . visiting. Or they just missed seeing the different people that make up the neighborhoods across America. Another complaint I have heard are the mandatory fees to live here once a home is purchased. That I'm not completely sure of, because I'm renting and haven't looked into purchasing a home here as of yet. However from converstations with people it seems there is one fee of several thousand one pays upon ownership. Then there is the mandatory yearly fee of $400 per person or in that range for the Recreation Center membership. Everyone in the household must pay that. I don't know how true this is, but a lien is put on your home for the payment if it is not paid. Evidently the Rec fee goes up $30 or so every year. That I'm hearing is a common complaint because though the rec centers are popular. Many residents are not able to, or don't want to visit the rec centers for various reasons. Thanks
The HOA fees on single family homes here in Sun City is minimal. I'm not sure of the amount because I live in a duplex. However, homeowners are expected to keep their properties in good condition. There are monthly HOA fees associated with condos and duplexes. These fees vary depending on the community. I have not heard any complaints about HOAs but since there are over 380 associations for the various communites, I am sure there could be some oppresive ones and unhappy people. In addition, there is a $3,000 buy in fee. I did not mind paying it because that fee is what keeps Sun City looking as pristine as it did over 50 yrs. ago. The first rec. center built was recently remodeled. I have not been there but people tell me the lockers & showers by the pools look like what you would find in an upscale resort. The workout equipment in all of the fitness centers is up to date and kept in great working condition.
The rec. fee is $444.00 per year for 2 people in the household. I as a single person have to pay the same fee. Still a bargain for access to all of the rec. centers and clubs. The fee was increased last year from $432.00 to $444.00 a year. So, a $12.00 a yr increase
I do not understand why people move into a 55+ and then start complaining about fees & restrictions. All of the fees & restrictions are provided to each homeowner before they sign on the dotted line. Most people who do not want to pay the buy-in fee just do not move here. If you do not plan on using the rec. centers and have a problem with the rules regarding minor children then do not move into a 55+ community. It is your option. Do not move into a 55+ hoping to change the rules after the fact. It just won't happen.
Our community started building in 2006 and will probably be another 5 years until build out. The NC/SC border is almost exactly 5 miles north of our main entrance. We get all the benefits of being close to a larger city, yet the lower taxes of SC. In fact the new WalMart in the area built about 1000' south of the border to take advantage of that. Also have businesses moving across the border for the same. Red Ventures, one of the largest customer service contract agencies is located about 3 miles up the road.
We do have some fees here. There is a one time $1000 fee due at closing that goes into the capital fund for future major expenses. We also have an HOA fee of $189/month that goes for the expenses of the community. This includes everything to do with maintenance, community building insurance, salaries, etc. It also includes the lawn care (mowing & trimming), and basic cable with a local cable company.....although Time Warner Cable and Direct TV are both available (I have TWC). There are no fees to use the amenity center for general use, although if you want to take any exercise classes, there is a fee for those. You can purchase them singly for $3 each, or a monthly card with various numbers of punches on it. An unlimited pass is $30 for the month. Again, though, that only for organized classes and not for general use. Plus all clubs can use the meeting rooms for free as well. We do have vendors come in and do presentations all the time and they pay for the use, but the clubs don't.
There are 2 extra taxes that come on our property taxes every year. Because there are so many communities building in the area, they built a new fire station and EMS station. For several years a $90/yr. fee was assessed each household, but only in 3 of the communities and not for those who were here before. There was some discussion and complaints, so the county decided to assess everyone in the area $75/household and businesses pay per square foot, so everyone that benefits actually pays. A second assessment of $380/household is done to pay off a $20M bond taken out by Pulte for infrastructure development, and to pay for a new library building that was basically a "bribe" to the county to get the building approvals. Sorry, but I can't really phrase it any nicer to explain it! Unfortunately even though everyone in the area benefits, only those of us in SCCL are paying for it.
I saw the comment about grandchildren. According to the rules, grandkids can only stay at the grandparents a maximum of 90 days per year. I know this has caused problems at some places because of kids that have to live with grandparents for one reason or another. While I can sympathize, what they don't realize is that if that particular rule is broken, the community can lose its 55+ status. This is a federal housing rule and not individual communities. People who live in 55+ communities came here for the reason of retirement and don't necessarily want to have to deal with small children all the time. That being said, one of the points of contention here is that there is a fee for non-residents to use the pool. It is $3/day, or you can purchase an all summer pass (one per child) which is a lot cheaper. The fee is used to help defray extra costs.....plastic pants for over diapers, clean up and chlorine shocking when there is an "accident" plus the pool monitor who enforces the rules. Plus there are certain "family" hours that kids can use the pool, with usually all day on weekends and holidays. Now keep in mind that there is ONLY 1 outdoor pool and 1 indoor pool for the entire community, so until such time that Pulte decides to build the second amenity with an adult only pool, a division of pool time needs to be done to accomodate all. Unfortunately those with lots of grandkids that visit all summer continue to complain about the fee and schedule, while those who don't have constant grandkids visit want to have time for adults only. Some people feel that they don't want to deal with small children to use an amenity that everyone pays for. Just to note, each house gets 1 activity card per year with 10 "punches" and those can be used for the pool fee, but I realize that isn't much for someone with several grandkids who visit often. We do have a grandkids playground, which I really don't see used much. The pool fees and rules were put out to everyone in the community to vote on, and they were voted in.
I guess the biggest thing that I can suggest is that when you get the copy of the rules and regs, by law you have to get one before you purchase so make sure you ask, make sure to read them thoroughly and question anything you don't understand. I took ours and sat down with a highlighter and read through everything first.
I do not understand why people move into a 55+ and then start complaining about fees & restrictions. All of the fees & restrictions are provided to each homeowner before they sign on the dotted line. Most people who do not want to pay the buy-in fee just do not move here. If you do not plan on using the rec. centers and have a problem with the rules regarding minor children then do not move into a 55+ community. It is your option. Do not move into a 55+ hoping to change the rules after the fact. It just won't happen.
I whole heartedly agree. Communities like that are not for everyone, but many people love them. It's easy enough to read the rules before moving in, so if you don't like the rules, don't move there.
Del Webb (now owned by Pulte Brothers Construction) has 3 developments in SC.
Del Webb Sun City Charleston (about 15 miles from Charleston in Summerville SC) is the smallest and with limited amenities.
Del Webb Sun City Carolina Lakes (on the SC, NC border in Fort Mills SC, near I77, about 25 miles south of Charlotte NC and 60 miles north of Columbia SC) larger then Del Webb Charleston and with more amenities.
Del Web Sun City Hilton Head (in Bluffton SC, some 10 miles from Hilton Head Island, some 5 miles off I95, about 15 miles to Savannah GA) is the largest of the 3 with many, many more amenities like 3 golf courses.
I think maybe you have not lived in the "Bible Belt," where they are happy to give you their far right wing opinions (without you asking!).
I lived near the bay area in CA and often had left wing ideology shoved down my throat and heaven help the poor soul who had a different opinion. So please spare me the sorry of having lived in the bible belt...pfttt.
Off subject: Sorry.
Suffice it to say, I love living here in the original Sun City and S.Baker said it best.
But at the end of the day if you're a single you go back to an empty home with all the attending loneliness of sitting on a patio having a drink all by yourself plus no support system to check up on you in case of an emergency. Isn't that the case?
But at the end of the day if you're a single you go back to an empty home with all the attending loneliness of sitting on a patio having a drink all by yourself plus no support system to check up on you in case of an emergency. Isn't that the case?
Sad as that image may be, it's not exclusive to any particular type of community. People are lonely in NYC, too. Moving into a Del Webb community is no guarantee that you will have endless companionship (although, if you believe some of the books like "Leisureville," these communities have activities and bars where 55+ singles hook up, so I suppose a single senior is a little less likely to go home alone if you live in one than if you live in typical town).
As for a support system, you have neighbors, friends, members of your church group, etc. I've posted before about my friend in Hot Springs Village, which is a large community in AR. I was impressed by the support he received when his wife got seriously ill and eventually died. When she reached a critical point church members and the people from his bocce ball team started calling or stopping by daily. Several widows dropped off casseroles (which drove him crazy; he actually asked us to talk to a few of them and ask them to stop doing this). A few months after the funeral, the calls to check on him died down, but he still does things with his neighbors so he has people checking on him in case he has an emergency. He has one neighbor he goes for a walk with every day.
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