I may have found the reason of reasons to make a move to Sun City Festival by Del Webb and it’s not what you may think.  Festival is the newest of a series of 55+ communities on the Northwest side of Phoenix.  It benefits from years of builder experience in creating great communities for active adults.

First came the grandaddy of them all, Sun City.  Developer Del Webb realized the coming baby boomer generation may be ready to retire but they wanted more than shuffle board. He opened Sun City on January 1, 1960.  There were 5 models from which to choose. Webb had hoped to draw up to 10,000 people that weekend.  He didn’t, instead one hundred thousand people lined up to see the homes.  Today Sun City has just under 30,000 homes. 

Next in the Sun City series, and that’s what it’s become, is Sun City West. Development started in the late 1970’s. It was sold out in the late 90’s with about 17,000 homes. The Webb company moved to the west and opened Sun City Grand. While there were only 5 floorpans to launch the original Sun City by the time the builder got to Grand they were offering 50 plans.  It was fully developed with just under 10,000 homes by 2006. Then came Sun City Festival.

While Festival is the newest it carries with it over 55 years  of active adult community experience. We have the most modern floorpans and the latest in efficient build technology. There are over 20 floor plans with new plans unveiled every couple of years.  The amenities such as swimming, golf, pickle ball, tennis, running and walking trails, bicycle lanes on all the streets, a fully furnished gym, Arizona State University’s Life Long Learning classes and the list continues.  All of this is great but we came to realize the real reason to choose a community is as Del Webb said years ago, it’s not the buildings that make a community, it’s the people.  We certainly found that out in our own neighborhood.

My wife was stricken with pneumonia and was hospitalized for several days. On her release we discovered what a truly great community this is. Neighbors started bringing complete meals to our house at dinner time. It had been organized through the neighborhood grapevine and one by one they came delivering food while my wife recuperated. 

These columns may from time to time brag about the gorgeous setting, the wonderfully modern homes, amenities galore but just know behind it all is what really counts, the people.  I hope you’ll come visit, stay awhile, let me show you some houses while your here.  Want to build a new house?  Call me and I’ll help you arrange a meeting with new home sales. As we used to say in the farm country where I grew up “we’ll leave a light on for ya”.

It’s not easy for some people to move away from family, to start a new life in a new community. Perhaps the most difficult aspect is being away from the grandchildren. It’s especially hard during the holiday season because, after all, that’s when families are to be together in celebration. Here are some thoughts to help you through the process.

Surely you have heard other grandparents complain about being just around the corner from their grown children and the grand children. “It can be exhausting” say some.  Grandma or grandpa is always right there to help out. In the world in which we live today it is very common for both parents to be working and, well, they need help watching the kids.  You’re no longer working so there you are, always on call. Then there are those who are barred from seeing their grand children for whatever reason. They might as well be a continent away. Finally there are those who move back home to be close to the grand kids only to realize they miss the life they started as retirees. They miss their new friends, the activities, the weather.

Life is not perfect. No matter how hard you try to keep the family together there will be imperfections, disappointments, your feelings may get hurt or you may find love and joy and all the other emotions that can come from family life.  It is rarely one or the other, it is commonly both good and bad. 

Fortunately we live in an electronic world. No matter how far you move you are never more than seconds away. There’s always FaceTime and Skype. What used to be just a voice on the phone now becomes a real person on a screen. They see you and you see them. You can chat all you want. Catch up daily if you desire.  In today’s world we are always together no matter the distance.

So we’ve talked about your behaviors and expectations but now let’s look at the lives of grandchildren.  No matter how close or how involved you are or want to be, you may start to feel left out.  As grand children grow they become entrenched in their own lives with their own friends, the school, their activities. You may start to feel very left out. And you gave up your dreams for this?

As you consider a move to Festival or any other community remember this;  love your children and grand children, give them all the attention they deserve but remember they too have lives of their own. Maybe it’s time for grandma and grandpa to get a life.

Is Sun City Festival in Buckeye or not?

The answer is yes, and no.  Sun City Festival is in the city of Buckeye but only because that city annexed so much open space. When I am looking for anything online and the search involves listing a zip code I use the zip for the city of Surprise. Surprise is so much closer and so much more convenient than Buckeye. 15 minutes to Surprise from Sun City Festival and 30 minutes to any shopping in Buckeye. In my opinion  the drive to Surprise is also much more scenic with the White Tank Mountains and Saguaro Cactus. But, back to Buckeye.

There’s an active adult community developing there that is getting some attention. It’s a mishmash of builders all in one community (the name starts with a “V”). I’ve been hearing about it so the Mrs. and I took a drive over to have a look.  It has an age restricted and non-age restricted section. Promoters brag about a fancy restaurant with great views. But frankly, we were very disappointed.  First we had to wade through offices of sales people to get to each builder’s models. The models were of course very nice. They were also very, very pricey. We didn’t think the developing neighborhoods were that attractive also.  It’s nice when you’ve confirmed you’ve chosen the best.

After looking around the state we chose Sun City Festival for numerous reasons.  Some of those reasons became more apparent as we visited the other Buckeye community.  Every street in Festival is filled with very nice landscaping. The homes are very attractive yet not presumptuous.  Festival does feature a country club style of life but the people are very meat and potatoes. We have doctors, lawyers, (no Indian Chiefs that I’m aware of), plumbers, high-tech executives and workers, people that come from almost all walks of life.  In Sun City Festival it’s not so much about what you did, it’s more about what you do today.

Seems everywhere you look there are people being active whether it’s golf (I don’t play), pickle ball, biking, running, walking (great walking trails throughout) and just out enjoying the sunshine. People in Festival just seem younger than those in other communities.  Maybe it’s because they are younger or perhaps just more active.  Come see for yourself then give me your feedback on the community. I’m always looking for new information and feedback on what I’ve come to think is the best choice of active adults, Sun City  Festival. 

Are you ready for the good life. Let me help you find it in 

Sun City Festival!

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.

On a usual morning walk the most unusual thing happened. The many walking trails throughout  Festival are lined with Palo Verde trees or yards of grass intermixed with rock normally found here in the desert. Nothing has changed on this walk except one thing…my mind.

It was a typical morning as the sun began to brighten the day. Rabbits were scampering behind plants, other walkers were making their way out as many do in the early morning hours. For some unexplained reason I was overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude. Here we are, residents of this resort community, able to get up at our own pace, decide what we want to do with the day and set about enjoying life. Gone are the days for most of us of watching a clock, having a set schedule day in and day out, unless of course it is our choice. And, most important, here we are in a community that allows us the freedom, offers us almost endless choices of activities and a passel of friendly folks with whom we can join, or not.

On this morning I watched the sky light up with the pale blue of early light streaked with bright pink of cirrus clouds. Temperatures now in late fall are in the 50’s overnight on this morning there was a slight southern breeze. Here in Arizona we call this cold. The Monsoon has passed and now every day will be sunny or mostly sunny. Our area has more sunshine than anywhere else in the country, almost 3800 hours of sunshine!

So why is today different than the many days I’ve walked these trails? Today I was simply overwhelmed as I stated before. I didn’t know what life in Festival would be like. I had some preconceived notions but was not confident they were accurate. My notions have been surpassed. My community, which is the only community in which I work as an agent, is filled with friendly people. Seems as though everyone driving by waves, fellow walkers say hello or good morning.

For those reading this from afar, thinking of a move to Arizona, to begin a new chapter in your life, it would be my honor to help you see what your life can be like in the place we call home.