Retirement in Arizona - Golf Lover Seeking Advice (Phoenix, Scottsdale: rental homes, condo)

[bustoff1]

Hello,

We have been searching for retirement locations. We currently live in the Midwest where summers are unbearably hot and humid and winters are cold. Southern California was our ideal first choice, but the cost of homes there made it unrealistic.

I'm early sixties and spouse is late fifties. We love outdoor physical activities which include golf (my main obsession), running and hiking. My biggest fear in retirement is turning into a couch potato.

We looked hard at Florida and had lots of visits there, but have no desire to be there in summer. Considered snowbirding down to FL, but that still left us living through hot and humid summers here in Missouri.
And definitely don't want the expense and headache of second home there, or anywhere else.

So recently, it occurred to us that Arizona might be a good spot because of its proximity to California, Southwest Colorado, several national parks and much more.
It also dawned on us that we could leave the Phoenix/Scottsdale area to escape summer and within 6 hours be in a rental in Southern California. Seems like a halfway decent compromise in that we get a little taste of California thrown into the mix if we choose.

Problem is we've never spent any time in AZ other than driving through on a road trip or a layover at Sky Harbor.
I would really appreciate your thoughts and advice on retirement in or around the Phoenix/Scottsdale area.

Our upper limit for a home is $350k.

Did you sell your house first and then rent?

If we want to leave AZ for the summers, would you recommend a home or condo in retirement communities where golf is included or something else?

We would rent until we were familiar with the area, but where???

Thanks,
waldomer

[thinkalot]

I'm not aware of any places that include golf.

In Sun City it is $16 for 9 and $27 for 18.

Yearly pass is $1475. Or $755 and you pay $3 to $5 a round.

We have 8 courses. A few private courses would be an additional fee. The private courses are in Sun City but not part of Sun City.

Rec center fee (7 rec centers) is $456 a year.


I like it here. Never rented. Bought as soon as I got here. Its a big Valley with lots to do.

[ILikeEveryone]

I sent you a DM. The answer, (of course), is the Original Sun City. 8 golf course, 7 rec centers. Yearly rec fee is $462 per year.

I cannot even begin to tell you how happy DH and I are that we made this decision.

Sun City West was our 2nd choice. You can't go wrong purchasing in either. Good luck!

[MotleyCrew]

You can find nice homes in the original Sun City that have been updated for a bargain...in my opinion.
We started doing remodels here 6 years ago and slowly fell in love with the retro feel to it. We purchased a little 1,100 square foot home for pennies and took it down to the studs. I love my house. It is what I have been hunting for all over the US and found right here for far less in taxes. There are plenty of options for you in the 3 Sun City developments. Just depends on what you are looking for.

[DetroitN8V]

Desert Mountain if you want luxury and relative isolation in a golf community with six Nicklaus courses. That and Sun City are at the opposite ends of the spectrum. Your budget will determine which is a better fit, or possibly something in the middle.

[bustoff1]

Originally Posted by thinkalot

I'm not aware of any places that include golf.

In Sun City it is $16 for 9 and $27 for 18.

Yearly pass is $1475. Or $755 and you pay $3 to $5 a round.

We have 8 courses. A few private courses would be an additional fee. The private courses are in Sun City but not part of Sun City.

Rec center fee (7 rec centers) is $456 a year.


I like it here. Never rented. Bought as soon as I got here. Its a big Valley with lots to do.

Thanks thinkalot!

I'm a little little confused. Maybe you can set me straight.

Yesterday, prior to seeing your post, I checked the golf fees at Sun City Festival.
Holy smokes...even their "Special Resident Rate" looks really expensive.

This is from their website:

Quote:
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 every day the two of us play!
Playing 3 times a week would be almost $400 a week or $1600 every month.
Please tell me that can't be right ... can it?

[bustoff1]

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

Desert Mountain if you want luxury and relative isolation in a golf community with six Nicklaus courses. That and Sun City are at the opposite ends of the spectrum. Your budget will determine which is a better fit, or possibly something in the middle.

Thanks Detroit
I just edited my OP to include our price range for homes is $350k or less.
I would imagine that excludes Desert Mountain

[DetroitN8V]

Originally Posted by waldomer

Thanks Detroit
I just edited my OP to include our price range for homes is $350k or less.
I would imagine that excludes Desert Mountain

Sorry, it would. It's very pricey up there but a great option for a golf enthusiast with deep pockets. One of the Sun Cities should fit the bill and leave you with a good bit of spare change leftover.

[Montanama]

If you're not looking specifically for an age-restricted community, there are plenty of master-planned developments in the PHX area built around or near golf courses. For example we are in Estrella Mountain Ranch, and the MP Estrella community includes Canta Mia, an age-restricted section. We have a Troon-managed golf course which offers daily play or seasonal membership within the community.

Palm Valley, same kind of deal also in Goodyear. Verrado in Buckeye. Innumerable MP communities, not age-restricted, with golf and many other activities readily available.

Pebble-Creek is an age restricted MP community in Goodyear too with, I think, 2 courses...

You get the picture--that's just a few and just in Goodyear. The possibilities across this huge valley are endless. So I give the advice our friends, who had bought in a nice section of Sun City West just before we bought our vacation/retirement home in Estrella gave us when we were feeling overwhelmed both by the size of the greater PHX area and the huge number of communities we had to choose from:

Find your spot and stop looking.

Some people have family or friends they want to settle near, or a particular activity like boating or baseball they need to be close to. That helps narrow it down because a drive from one end of the valley to another can be a couple of hours or more. But if you don't, there's just too much to choose from and it's hard to narrow down. ILikeEveryone suggests starting in Sun Cities, and why not, if age-restricted is what you're after. Even there, there is a huge variety of lifestyles to choose from. There are plenty of rental homes almost everywhere in the valley depending on your price range so that you can try an area out before you buy.

Try it out, rent a place in Sun City or another community, explore a little, and when you find your spot stop looking.

Wish I could take my own advice, lol. We really love Estrella and can't imagine that anything could compare, but I just can't stop looking. This valley is huge, there are SO many well-done developments, and plenty of activities to choose from. You couldn't be far from a golf course if you tried, but if you want to ride your golf cart to one every day or live on one, maybe an age-restricted community is best. We like the flexibility of a non-age-restricted community after a lot of consideration (we still have children at home but qualified for the communities open to 45 and up.)

I think your part-time rental in CA idea is great--and will leave you flexible to try other locations too during the heat of the summer each year, keeping the sense of adventure alive!!

[AZPam]

There are some great active adult communities in the East Valley you might want to consider also. Sun Lakes, Solera, Trilogy, Providence, just to name a few.

Maybe you would want to consider a smaller home in the valley and then another smaller home in Flagstaff, Prescott or Showlow/Pinetop during the summers. Lots of communities there centered around golfing too. Could be the best of both worlds!