Intriguing? Captivating? or both?
Don’t you love headers that seduce you into reading more? While words can be temptress-like, how about when you come across material things that have a texture that is far more than what you see at first glance? You know that if you get closer look, all will be revealed and ultimately reveled in.
Sun City is filled with those kinds of wonderful opportunities for exploration. For example; millions of people drive down Thunderbird and cross over Del Webb Blvd each year. As they go flying by, they see the old circular Lakeview Recreation Center. Quaint maybe, but hardly impressive. Sadly, most just see it as an old building. If they stopped and looked, they would be stunned at the gorgeous lake setting and “mountain” behind it. Visitors are always amazed.
But alas, this column is one of a more personal preference; and the setting is a scant block or two away. From my earliest visits to Sun City beginning in the 90’s, i found myself fascinated by a series of homes in Sun City. They were unique – probably why i was mesmerized by them. For those of you who know Sun City, Webb’s style of building was if nothing else, consistent. Though front elevations differed, you could tell it was a Sun City home.
Del Webb Blvd is one of the most often traveled streets in the community. If you are heading south on it and pass Cameo there are 72 odd-looking structures over a two-block by four-block area. They have 10 foot walls and the appearance is almost compound-like. They were a one time construct in the 60 series that was unveiled in 1969/1970 as Del Webb Corporation moved into what is called Phase 2. One reason they stopped building them was the lack of parking as model homes.
I’ve driven by them hundreds times and always wondered what the heck was behind those walls. When models came up for sale, i would pick up information sheets and was even more intrigued by their square footage. Some came in with more than 2200 sf, all had two courtyards and a few even had their own swimming pools.
Sun City has 27,000 plus homes with a third of them some configuration of twins, quads, garden court apartments and patio apartments. In fact, 380 plus home owner associations oversee these various types of dwellings. What was so significant was i kept reading in the information put out by Realtors that these Patio Homes were akin to single family homes…no association fees.
Finally a few years back i got a chance to see a couple of the units. I absolutely loved them. Expansive, and when i saw them, expensive as well. Square footage dictated the higher price, but for those looking for security and convenience, they were perfect. If we hadn’t been living in a single family home we had remodeled from top to bottom, we would have been looking at this type of arrangement.
Perhaps nothing says it better than this cut line from the 60 series booklet on the Patio Home: You have all the advantages of a single family residence plus the economy, security and convenience offered in these highly livable Patio Homes. In my opinion, there is no more interesting property within the walls of Sun City than this style of home. And like all Webb homes, the non-load bearing interior walls can be removed making for some awesome open spaces.There are currently four Patio Homes homes on the market. Five years ago the largest of the units would sell for well over $200,000. The smaller 1888 sq ft would be in the $175,000 range, depending on what had been done to them. Today, the least expensive on the market is $95,000 with the highest at $158,000. All are exquisite bargains.
The photos aboveĀ areĀ from a unit listed by Judy Baerg for $132,000. Judy is a Coldwell Banker sales agent and also the director of the Del Webb Sun Cities Museum. We toured the model the other day and it is an exceptional property. It’s move-in ready, lots of square footage and enough party space to choke the proverbial horse.
Anyone looking to move into Sun City or interested in upgrading or changing their current residence should see these units. They are unique, captivating and intriguing (and one heck of a buy). For more information or a personal showing of any of the four available Patio Homes, visit judybaerghomes.com or contact Judy at 623-451-5527.