Our Retirement Community Visit (Sun City, Green Valley: house, buy, university)

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by GeneR

Arizona does not tax social security but they will tax your pension from another state. As for property taxes I look at listings on realtor web sites (or 55places) and look at the amount of tax on each property. That gives me an idea of what tax rates are. It will not tell me whether that tax includes money for school districts. I'm more interested in the bottom tax line than who gets what. Checking this out is how I realized (and was shocked to see) the very high property tax rates in Texas Del Webb communities.

I'm 2 years away from making a move so looking at 5 years you should be in VERY good and informed shape when it's time to write the check! Congratulations!

We took a different approach. We spend nine weeks in Green Valley this winter and decided to buy after about three.

One of the advantages of Green Valley over some of the Sahuarita communities is that there are lower taxes as there are no schools in Green Valley as it is a 55-over community. I have not seen my first Pima County to test the veracity of that claim. My neighbors have told me that the town of Sahuarita would like to annex Green Valley into the town. I do not think that there is any support in GV for that move.

[BestintheWest]

Maricopa County is 1% property tax on assessed value
Pinal County is 1 1/2% property tax on assessed value.

generally tax assessments in both counties are roughly on 75% of actual value.

[CostumeLady]

Hi GeneR, I have enjoyed all of your posts on your journey to find the 'perfect' place to retire in AZ. My parents live in Green Valley, and we were just there visiting over the holidays. We saw the new hospital being built there, which is a real plus to consider. My mom was very ill a few years ago and the ride back and forth to hospitals up in Tucson is a lot. From where my parents live (off of the Continental exit from 19), the nearest hospital was about a 35 minute drive. The new hospital will really be a plus in Green Valley and should be opening within the next 10 months.

Although we are 5 years from retirement, we have already been looking in AZ online. This past visit, we went to SaddleBrooke Ranch for an afternoon (New Years Day!) and were also impressed with the quality of the homes there. We went through all of the model homes except one and they were very nice. We didn't stay overnight, but just wanted a cursory visit to see if it would stay on the list. On the way there, we also were surprised with the way the town in between SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch looked; it did not impress.

I am looking forward to hearing any other updates you have as you get to a final decision in the next few years!

[Fadskier]

I have a question. What about some of the retirement communities that are manufactured homes? What are these communities like? How well do these homes hold up to desert weather?

[MotleyCrew]

You will get better responses if you start a new thread.

[bustoff1]

Just found this remarkable thread yesterday. Must give it up to GeneR for sharing his efforts to provide this wealth of information.

My question regards the cost of Golf at any of these communities. We are golf nuts and love to play as much as possible.
Do any of them offer their residents free golf like "The Villages" in Florida? If not, who has the best golf deal for their residents?

I just checked the golf fees at Sun City Festival and even their "Special Resident Rate" looks really expensive. This is from their website:

Any individual residing in a Sun City Community
by Del Webb is entitled to our very special rate of
$65.00 before 1:00pm and $52.00 after 1:00pm Monday through Sunday.

That's $130 a day for the both of us! Please tell us that can't be right, can it?

[ILikeEveryone]

SC Festival is a beautiful community. DH and I go out that way to eat at the Grille there every few months. We visited there in 2012 to get purchase information, and concluded, (wisely IMHO now that I look back), that it is too far away from most medical facilities and shopping. I didn't want to be out that way in case of a medical emergency.

[MalteseJane]

Here are the rates for 2015 in Sun City Festival :

Copper Canyon Golf Club - Troon Golf - Arizona - 2015 Golf Rates

[GeneR]

My wife and daughter are concluding another visit to AZ. My daughter is going to Arizona State in the fall of 2016. they visited the established and well run Sun City and Sun City West. Then traveled to Green Valley to look at communities there. I haven't had a long conversation with her yet (she's still in Green Valley) but it appears as though our retirement home will be Green Valley! We love the scenic beauty, clean air, and size of the community (Tucson area). I'll post more after learning more about their visit.

[BestintheWest]

Make sure you look into the Cooper Mines and water quality and availability in Green Valley.

Water Depletion in Green Valley


Baby Boomer Retirement: Green Valley Arizona Retirement Communities


Information on impact of mining in the Santa Cruz Aquifer