Time for a confession: sometimes real estate agents exaggerate the benefits of a particular home. One common exaggeration is location. Anyone even slightly familiar with real estate knows there are three considerations when choosing a home. They are:

1. Location      
2. Location
3. Location

Here in Sun City Festival it is common to see “close to Sage Recreation Center” as part of the property spiel. Returning to the theme of this post it’s time to drill down on the importance of location and its exaggeration.

A client was looking at homes via the internet and communicated that one particular property was “too far from the rec center”. What is “too far”?  Is it something beyond a short walk? Is it measured in minutes or distance?  

The entire development is less than 2 miles in length and about a mile wide. If you have a home north of Beardsley Parkway your residence would be about as far from the recreation center as you can get. Even then it is a drive of less than 6 minutes from garage to parking lot. Is that too far? 

I admit I have said of more than one of my listings “only minutes from the Sage Recreation Center”. Truth told that could be every house in Festival. This is sort of like a car salesman saying “the little old lady only drove it to church on Sundays”. It’s called puffery.

As you consider Sun City Festival keep in mind no matter where you live you are only a few minutes from the rec center. South of Sun Valley Parkway the builder is opening a whole new section backed up against the White Tank Mountains. There will be a 2nd rec center there along with another 9 holes of golf. Pricing has not been revealed but speculation is those lots are going to be pricey. Still in the planning stages is a 3rd recreation center. Location has not been revealed.

What is “too far”?  Is a drive of 6 minutes too far? Anything over 2 minutes?  Prefer a short walk?  As you ponder these choices keep in mind you may be planning for who you are today. Will you be the same in 5 or 10 years?  Your future physical condition may turn that short walk today into a drive. If that’s the case does it really matter whether the drive is 2 minutes or 6 minutes? Once your in the car does 4 minutes really make a difference?

Sun City Festival will eventually have just over 7,000 homes. We are currently less than half that. You’re going to have lots of locations from which to choose. Maybe a few minutes makes a huge difference but keep in mind, it may not need be the determining factor.