Pros and Cons of living in Sun City Georgetown (Dallas: new house, neighborhood)

[austin-steve]

Originally Posted by riaelise

are there any other established, nice 55 and up communities out there, preferably north? my mother is looking to relocate and she highly prefers age restriction.

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

My mom lives in a smaller one in Fredericksburg that does NOT have golf and she really likes it; however, you get a bunch of retired (or near retired) people together and there is going to be some politicking going on....

Del Web now too builds smaller communities now, without golf courses. The ability to put together 5,000 acres with the kind of financing available when Sun City was put together no longer exists.

Steve

[riaelise]

Thank you. Rick, you're talking about the Taylor Morrison neighborhood right? She visited that one some time ago but at that time it barely had any houses up. I do remember the look on the sales person's face when she saw me come in with my two young children. Bless her heart, she was the nicest lady, but in her best Southern voice she said "Ma'am, just wanted to be sure you knew that this is an age restricted community. The family neighborhood is just down there"

How about Cedar Park? My mom for some reason worries that Sun City is skewed a little too "older". She's an active 68 year old, doesn't golf, and she's divorced. She's worried that there will be mostly married couples.

I've suggested the new condos in Cedar Park but she emphatically told me that at this stage in her life she would prefer no families/first time homebuyers.

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by riaelise

are there any other established, nice 55 and up communities out there, preferably north? my mother is looking to relocate and she highly prefers age restriction.

There are a few in Georgetown.

Heritage Oaks.

Oaks at Wildwood is condos that feel like houses without the yard work, four condos to a building.

Texas Traditions.

Then there are 55+ apartments.

[JPS1]

Originally Posted by austin-steve

The HOA fees in Sun City are $1,090/yr. The question is if that's a good value for what you get. Most people would agree that it's an excellent value. Steve

Only a valid statistical survey (sample or population) would show whether the residents of Sun City believe that what they get for $1,090 a year is good value.

The Sun City Texas Community Association (CA) has never conducted a valid statistical survey of what the residents think about the HOA dues or anything else for that matter. The CA does not even know how to conduct a valid statistical survey.

Since it opened in 1996 or thereabouts the HOA dues have risen 68.2 per cent. Over the same period the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Central Texas has risen 49.8 per cent.

The CPI is important. Most Sun City residents are retired. They depend on Social Security for a substantial portion of their retirement income. And the Social Security COLA is pegged to the CPI. It is an indication of the resident's ability to pay the HOA dues.

Numerous factors have driven the ramp-up in the HOA dues. One of them is the shifting of golf course expenses onto the backs of the homeowners, 70 per cent of whom don't play golf.

In 2011 the CA shifted the property taxes and insurance premiums on the golf courses onto the backs of the residents, claiming in the process that the golf courses are part of the common properties. Nonsense! The CA continuously reminds residents to stay off the golf courses unless they are playing golf.

In 2015 the CA, at the behest of the developer, agreed to shift the expenses of the Golf Reserve Fund onto the backs of the homeowners in 2017. These expenses will find their way through to the HOA dues.

But it is not just the HOA dues. The CA has a bevy of fees that it charges. The most egregious is the transfer fee. In 2014 the average transfer fee was $670, up from $50 when it was implemented in 1998. This is an 1,240 per cent increase since the fee was implemented. So what does a person who pays the transfer fee get? How about absolute nothing. She or he is leaving. Even Jessie and Frank had the decency to shove a gun in the faces of the people that they were robbing so that they knew they were being robbed.

Most of the residents don't have a clue about accounting and finance. They a sheep waiting to be sheared by the developer and the golfers.

Anyone living in Sun City of Texas or thinking of moving here should be aware of how the shifting of the costs associated with golf has taken place or is likely to take place in the future. If you don't play golf, you will help pay the cost of those who do.

Under any reasonable scenario the HOA dues are likely to continue rising at a greater clip than the CPI or any other benchmark.

[austin-steve]

Originally Posted by JPS1

Only a valid statistical survey (sample or population) would show whether the residents of Sun City believe that what they get for $1,090 a year is good value.
...

I think buying there in the first place is an indication of value. People move there from all 50 states.

What's your beef with Sun City?

[JPS1]

Originally Posted by austin-steve

I think buying there in the first place is an indication of value. People move there from all 50 states.

What's your beef with Sun City?

Deception!

The sales people, the developer, and the community association spin the advantages of Sun City without disclosing the downsides. They tell just one half of the story. That's the way real estate sales work in the United States. Or most other places around the world, I suspect!

Only a few people take the time or have the skills to look into the financial implications of how the community association, with the concurrence of the developer, manages to get into the back pockets of the residents.

The fact that people move to Sun City from 50 states has nothing to do with what the residents think about the HOA dues or anything else. Or what they understand about the community finances.

Are you an accountant or financial analyst? Do you know how to read the financial statements? Do you have a clue about how Sun City or any similar community in Texas is managed? Financially?

What's my point? Hopefully the residents that bother to read these posts will become more aware of how their community is managed. And people who are considering moving to Sun City will do so with their eyes open.

Sun City Texas has some positives, as I have noted. But it has some real downsides that people should be aware of!

[austin-steve]

Originally Posted by JPS1

Deception!

The sales people, the developer, and the community association spin the advantages of Sun City without disclosing the downsides. They tell just one half of the story.
...

What specifically is the "other half of the story"? How is it any different than any other community that has an HOA? Is your beef with HOAs in general, or the Sun City HOA in particular?

Steve

[Kion]

Originally Posted by austin-steve

What specifically is the "other half of the story"? How is it any different than any other community that has an HOA? Is your beef with HOAs in general, or the Sun City HOA in particular?

Steve

It sounds like specifically the Sun City HOA, particularly how much "sway" the golf course aspect has on the financial burden of the HOA.

It's a valid point, and one I wouldn't let slide easily if I were a resident there. I'd be howling and screaming if they were raising my HOA fees to pay for golf course expenses that weren't previously being covered by the HOA - and I'm a golfer!

It sounds like that board needs to be booted, or non-golfers need to be very aware of how fast that could go south. I'd honestly be curious to see where in those bylaws it allowed that board to begin paying taxes on another entity's property - while restricting access to that property. Sounds like lawsuit central to me right there.

[JPS1]

Originally Posted by austin-steve

What specifically is the "other half of the story"? How is it any different than any other community that has an HOA? Is your beef with HOAs in general, or the Sun City HOA in particular? Steve

This is my first experience with an active HOA.

If you don't understand some of the key issues from my previous posts, any further elucidation would be futile.

[austin-steve]

Originally Posted by JPS1

This is my first experience with an active HOA.

If you don't understand some of the key issues from my previous posts, any further elucidation would be futile.

I understand the key issues as you've presented them. It also helps to know it's your first experience with an HOA. It's not for everyone. But sometimes it's easy to miss the benefits.

You picked Sun City. It wouldn't exist without an HOA. No HOA is without it's detractors. All are deemed poorly run by some portion of the members. All Board members take heat from complainers, which is why most HOAs have trouble filling the positions. Nobody wants to take the slings and arrows. That's how it is.


The HOA dues in Sun City was $648 20 years ago. It's gone up $22/year every year since then, to about $1,100/yr today. That's not a crazy increase. It's always been billed a "golf course" community, so the golfers have sway. But there are many non-golf amenities and reasons to live there that make it a good deal even for those who never golf.

Steve