MESA, AZ --- Dreamland Villa (Sun City: appointed, sales, HOA fees)

[Junes_reston]

As I get closer to my retirement relocation to Mesa, AZ, my realtor suggested I check out these older single family homes in Dreamland Villa in Mesa.

After reading the website, newsletters, media stories and crime stats ... despite the HOA legal disputes, it has a lot going for it it .. things that are of interest to me. 55+ community, older, solidly built home; more home for the buck; low crime stats; readily accessible shopping, health care; reasonable distance from the airport ... to mention a few.

One thing of concern however is the past legal battles about HOA status ... and fees ... that pitted neighbor against neighbor. It is my understanding that the courts have ruled that Dreamland Villa is an HOA, and the legal battle appears to be over ... but older news reports said Dreamland Villa is still a community divided. Is there still a division or have the rifts been resolved?

A Northern VA semi-native, HOAs are the norm and all I've known. A 55+ community is very important to me, so I really have no problem joining an HOA to ensure that restriction is in place..

If anyone is familiar with Dreamland Villa - the pros and cons of the HOA, would you please share? Are there areas of the HOA that are less desirable than others? Thanks

[Serenity1944]

I can't answer regarding the HOAs, etc. All I can tell you is that my husband & I had wanted to buy into Dreamland Villa but ended up buying in the retirement neighborhood near there (Main & 62nd St area) in Velda Rose. This was the early 90s. We also considered Sun City but chose to buy in Dreamland or Velda Rose because the homes were much better built than Sun City-- Farnsworth was the builder.

We bought in 1991. Policeman knocked on my door, 3 breakins in 2 wks, all in corner homes, people away for the summer. He said no one would bother us because we had 3 barking chihuahuas.

While looking at homes in Dreamland prior to buying in VR, a Dreamland couple said there were some breakins so best to buy in the north end of the neighborhood.

About 5 yrs ago I drove through Dreamland, considered buying there. Was disappointed-- did not look as nice to me as it was in the 90s, Sun City seemed the better 'deal' - they have their own police, think 5 recreation centers, more to offer. Best to buy near W Bell Rd as the homes near Thunderbird are block and cinder. Some homes north of Bell Rd were brick or block (can't remember) but further away from W Bell the homes looked to me as they were built with wood, or part wood, and part brick or block.

The traffic in E Mesa-- awful in the AM and after approx 2 PM. In 1991 it took me 45 min to get to work in central Phoenx (leaving around 5:30 AM) but twice as long to get back home (freeway) after work.

[Jkgourmet]

Also consider Leisure World in Mesa. Lovey looking community with a lot of social stuff. People we met LOVED living there.

As far as break ins go, well, they happen. Especially in areas where you have a lot of snowbirds.

[observer53]

I don't know anything about the Dreamland Villa situation, but some friends of mine live in Fountain of the Sun. Seems like a very nice community.

[Jkgourmet]

Originally Posted by observer53

I don't know anything about the Dreamland Villa situation, but some friends of mine live in Fountain of the Sun. Seems like a very nice community.

True - I'd forgotten about that one.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by observer53

I don't know anything about the Dreamland Villa situation, but some friends of mine live in Fountain of the Sun. Seems like a very nice community.

Originally Posted by Jkgourmet

True - I'd forgotten about that one.

Correcting my own senior moment. The place I'm thinking of is Sunland Springs Village.

[Junes_reston]

Great Info – thanks so much. It’s a toss-up between Fountain of the Sun and Dreamland Villa. I prefer the older block homes for the reasons noted. Living in Northern VA, where its next to impossible to find a home that is not in an HOA, I’ve found that HOAs swing from good to not so good and then back to good again. My HOA was in the downswing when I bought - swung around to a ‘highly desired’ community and now swinging down again.

Break Ins are just the nature of the beast and no community is exempt … thieves are basically lazy … they go after homes that are easy targets – unattended; lots of landscaping to hide behind and not well lit. When precautions are taken to make it difficult for a thief, they almost always move on to an easier target.

Please correct me if I’m wrong about Leisure World -- I’ve heard that it is having financial problems – that HOA fees are very high and home sales are sluggish – moreso than neighboring 55+ communities. Rumor has it that Leisure World is considering a change to their Charter to reduce the eligibility age to 45. Does anyone know if this is true? For me, a 55+ community is an absolute must.

I am so looking forward to my relocation to Mesa … these forums have been most helpful. Thank you all for offering input that most realtors are not allowed to share.
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As for traffic - in Northern VA, I work 3 miles from my home ... commute time is consistently 25 minutes (when traffic is moving along). If there's an accident or inclement weather 45 minutes to an hour is not at all unexpected

[Junes_reston]

I just learned that plans were submitted/approved by the county to develop the Golf Course that serves Dreamland Villa with a 2-story residential community with no age restrictions.

According to the article in the newsletter, there was a huge outpouring of people who are opposed to this development.

Does anyone know the status of this pending development, or where I can go to learn more about it.

If this development goes forward, it will definitely affect my decision to buy in Dreamland Villa or near by.

thanks

[Junes_reston]

Four months and counting and my search has narrowed down to Fountain of the Sun and Dreamland Villa - small single family homes - 1,000 - 1,200 sf with desert landscaping (minimal maintenance and water).

None of the homes I’ve seen on line that are of interest include a utilities history.

A couple who wanted to sell me their double wide said – even with their $529 lot/hoa fee their monthly utilities are only an additional $250 …. That I should plan to budget at least $800/month for utilities and Internet/Cable with a single family home ($350-$400 AC) / ($120 Water) / ($50 Sewer) / ($100 trash service) … then of course there is Wi-Fi and Cable.

My Northern VA 3-level – 1,700sf town house utilities /wi-fi-cable are less than half .. our summers are not as hot, but the humidity hoovers between 75% - 90% most of the summer which makes the AC work harder but only for a few months – with the heating being the most expensive. I usually keep my thermostat at 75 – 78 year round – but I’ve made a lot of energy savings upgrades which may keep the costs down.

Was this couple feeding me a line or can I expect to pay upwards to $800 a month for utilities, Wi-fi and cable? Dreamland doesn’t have an HOA, so these would be my regular monthly expenses … FOS annual HOA is about $1,000

Thanks so much for your input.

[Jkgourmet]

You can't necessarily compare your usage to someone else's. For example, maybe they have every channel available on their cable, while you only have the basic plan. Maybe they keep their thermostat at 68 degrees in the summer. Maybe they have super fast internet, while you are happy with the basic package. Maybe they have telephone through the cable provider, while you use your cellphone. And $120 for water? Something's really off on that.

But there's another comparison you're making that is probably not apples to apples. Your comparing a SFR (which presumably is well insulated) to a double-wide (which are notoriously badly insulated, but certainly there are exceptions to that). Your assumption that humidity makes the a/c work harder? I don't think I would agree with that, but I'm not an HVAC expert.

In any event, call the City of Mesa and ask exactly what the water, sewer and trash would be. The utility company (APS or SRP) should also be able to give you estimates BASED on the usage of the current tenants. YMMV.