Your thoughts on living in Sun City - phase 1, please. (Phoenix: real estate, foreclosure)

[MNSvenska]

We are a retired Minnesota couple, who are ready to take the plunge and get a home in the warm AZ valley. We plan to drive down the end of Dec, of this year, to see what's available. We want a quiet, safe, clean and laid back type of neighborhood. What are the costs & fees involved? We'd like to keep it under $75k for the home. We like Chandler but think that Sun City - phase 1 will offer us more for our investment. How about convenience to shopping & rec centers? Thank you so much for your help.

Tudy

[observer53]

A friend of mine lives in a small home in the old part of Sun City and LOVES it. He's still working, but not for too much longer. I don't know about the fees, but I'm sure someone here does. I know it varies depending on what part of Sun City (or the related Sun Cities) you are living in.

[AZJoeD]

For starters, you will have very little to choose from in the Chandler or Sun Lakes area at your current price point. Only a few small condos or manufactured homes ( my search yielded 6 homes).

However, Sun City will offer you many choices including condos, duplexes and single family homes (I found 68 currently on the market). Sun City phase 1 & 2 homes were built from 1968 - 1978. The homes were well built and most are still very well maintained, some have been totally remodeled in recent years. In addition the community is well maintained and offers retirees a lot of features. In addition to the community centers and clubhouses much of the community is geared for retirees. With clubs and activities of all sorts. Golf is Sun City is very inexpensive. Many people ride around in golf carts instead of using their cars, it is cheaper and probably more fun.

Area restaurants and stores are inexpensive, many of the doctors in the area specialize in geriatric care and there are 3 hospitals all close by. SCAT dial a ride will take you anywhere within Sun City for $3 per person.

Purchasing in Sun City requires you to do your homework as there are numerous HOAs in Sun City and each one has differing rules. Single Family Homes offer an HOA for about $12 annually (it is optional), duplexes and condos will have monthly dues which are used to maintain the buildings, front lawns, common grounds, etc. Again the level of maintenance varies by section.

Sun City requires a one time "community preservation & improvement fee" of $3000 be paid at the time of deed transfer. This money is what keeps Sun City such a great place to live. It maintains and improves the community centers, roads, golf courses, etc. The fee typically paid by the buyer, but the fee is negotiable, so make your best offer with this in mind. Also, there is a $300 transfer fee for most properties which is almost always paid by the buyer at COE.

The annual recreation fee of $450 grants 2 people access to all community centers, golf courses, clubs, dining, etc. Additional memberships can be purchased if more people reside in the home.

A lot of people complain about the fees, but Sun City is one of those rare communities that has been able to keep from falling into disrepair because they have enough capital to keep the community nice. When you move to Sun City, you move to a community not just a house. It is not for everybody, but it has been successful for 45 years, so I guess it has a good plan.

[thinkalot]

AZJoeD summed it up pretty well.

I live in Sun City. The area between Grand and Olive is fine. The almost new Fairway Rec Center is there along with 2 others. None of the rec centers are that far from each other. I use all 7 rec centers for one activity/club or another. There is an additional charge for golf and bowling.

The $3000 is well spent. Google Recreation Centers of Sun City, click on the site, near the top of the page click on Sunviews. That is the newspaper that will describe what is going on, activities, how money is spent, reserves, income, and lots of general information.

Clubs have a fee to join. Between $2 and $20 a year, mostly $5. Otherwise everybody would join everything and the paperwork would be a nightmare.

There is lots of shopping in Sun City. Peoria and Surprise are close and have many shopping areas. In that area your closest grocery store would be Fry's(Kroger).

I have only encountered friendly people. We all came from somewhere else and knew no one when we came. I have more friends here than I had in my old state.

Stop in the visitor center at the Bell rec center on 99th. They can give you all kinds of information. They were very helpful when I moved here.

[wit-nit]

Here is the Sun City Informational site that will be helpful.
SCVC
Let me extrapolate more from above information.
Phase ! is where it all started for Sun City just over 50 years ago. Houses, condo's, duplexes can be found from $40,000 up to a little over $100.000. I know a couple who recently bought a foreclosure duplex for $39, 995.00. There are 2 grocers in that area, a Fry's (Kroger's) at the North end of phase 1 and a Safeway adjacent to Sun City at the south end. HOA fees differ for each section. Sun City has over 365 individual HOA's governed by 1 overseer SHOA (Sun City Homeowner's Association). Costs will vary according to amenities included. The Sun City Information Center can give you exact costs as well as most of the local realtors.
Phase one homes on the average are smaller than the other phases north of Grand Ave. They were not as well insulated as in the later Phases 2 & 3. But they are well built with bric/block. Many still are using swamp coolers (evaporative coolers) though most have converted to central airconditioning.
There has been a lot of re-modeling activity the past few years updating the kitchens and other parts of the home. Many of the lower priced homes will have only a 1-car garage or open carport. Golf cars are aplenty in Sun City and most garages have room to park one in it.
The newly remodeled Fairway Rec Center offers a lot of amenities, but as stated above there are numerous(7) rec centers throughout the Sun City area. The Sun Cities are very clean and well maintained. They have volunters who constantly checking the area and keeping it clean from trash etc.
At some rec centers you can catch a free bus to the Indian Gambling Casinos on a regular basis.
There is a ton of places to shop, eat, have fun in the area. The AZ Cardinals football stadium is only a few miles away if you enjoy football or home/garden shows, rv shows plus many other events. They have a big new shopping center next to it.
When you come there are numerous Real Estate Agents that will be happy to drive you around and show you homes that meet you criteria.
Good luck, good hunting and welcome to AZ.

[ILikeEveryone]

This is excellent information. I will DM you a link to more info. Good luck.

[MNSvenska]

I can hardly wait til we get down there to check out the homes. My husband would like a single family home, with a low HOA. If it is one that needs repair or updating and is priced accordingly, so much the better. He is a retired homebuilder, so knows how to do most everything, himself. I enjoy remodeling, as well. It is going to be an exciting adventure. Thanx again. Tudy

[chrissybaby]

I have been living in Brooklyn NY all my life. I am planning to retire early in abt 2-3 years. I have been doing a lot of research the last year on the age 55 retirement communities. I visited Arizona for the first time last winter staying with friends. I briefly visited Sun City and fell in love with it. I plan to visit Sun City in a few weeks to learn more about it and the surrounding area. I cant wait to leave the cold, humidity, high cost of living in NY for the new chapter in my life. I am divorced and want to start my new chapter making new friends and taking care of me...

[Burkmere]

Originally Posted by chrissybaby

I have been living in Brooklyn NY all my life. I am planning to retire early in abt 2-3 years. I have been doing a lot of research the last year on the age 55 retirement communities. I visited Arizona for the first time last winter staying with friends. I briefly visited Sun City and fell in love with it. I plan to visit Sun City in a few weeks to learn more about it and the surrounding area. I cant wait to leave the cold, humidity, high cost of living in NY for the new chapter in my life. I am divorced and want to start my new chapter making new friends and taking care of me...

Can I ask your age or approximate age? The reason I ask is because I'll be 63 next month, but am afraid I'll feel too young to be in a community like Sun City (just yet). However, I will be visiting the Phoenix metro for a week in ten days and did schedule a tour of Sun City. So I will see what I feel like after that.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by AZJoeD

Sun City requires a one time "community preservation & improvement fee" of $3000 be paid at the time of deed transfer. This money is what keeps Sun City such a great place to live. It maintains and improves the community centers, roads, golf courses, etc. The fee typically paid by the buyer, but the fee is negotiable, so make your best offer with this in mind. Also, there is a $300 transfer fee for most properties which is almost always paid by the buyer at COE.

The annual recreation fee of $450 grants 2 people access to all community centers, golf courses, clubs, dining, etc. Additional memberships can be purchased if more people reside in the home.

A lot of people complain about the fees, but Sun City is one of those rare communities that has been able to keep from falling into disrepair because they have enough capital to keep the community nice. When you move to Sun City, you move to a community not just a house. It is not for everybody, but it has been successful for 45 years, so I guess it has a good plan.

In addition, the property taxes are much lower in Sun City, mainly because there are no school districts. That alone cuts the tax bill by nearly 70% in many cases. So despite that one time $3,000 fee, as well as possible additional HOA dues, a person can actually save a lot of money by living in an age restricted community like Sun City. It's one of the few places I can think of where a person can live frugally and not have to worry much about crime, trashy neighbors, obnoxious kids, or the neighborhoods going to pot. Sun City looks just as pristine now as it did 40 or 50 years ago.