Traveling Around Sun City West Arizona You remember taking your kids for a ride them to get them to calm down and go sleep?  Well even though most of the Sun City West residents are retired, the kids are frequently taken for a ride.  I've just returned from Rain Camp this morning and this was a welcoming site seeing one of my clients taking his kids out.  Yes, many people travel within the community utilizing golf carts.  If you looking to buy a home or sell a home in Sun City West, Sun City Grand in Surprise AZ, please contact me or visit my website at www.LEOLINDA.com. I am a Sun City West homeowner and a full-time Associate Broker Realtor®.   Leolinda BowersAssociate BrokerKen Meade RealtyCell (602) 403-6865Business (623) 937-5701   I live here, I work here, I know this community!  ... 02/17/2010

Leolinda Bowers Ranks The Top Individual Sales Volume Producer for Ken Meade Realty in 2009 I am proud and honored to have been named the #1 producer among the incredible team of five offices with over 350 agents at Ken Meade Realty in Arizona. I had $12.5 million in sales in 2009. My sales volume has increased from 2008 due to the tremendous number of referrals from previous buyers and sellers, friends and family in Hawaii, CRS members and Active Rain members. If you looking to buy a home or sell a home in Sun City Grand in Surprise AZ, please contact me or visit my website at www.LEOLINDA.com. I am a year-round Sun City Grand resident and a full-time Associate Broker Realtor®. Leolinda BowersAssociate BrokerKen Meade RealtyCell (602) 403-6865Business (623) 937-5701 Sun City Grand ~ I ... 02/13/2010

Sun City West AZ Real Estate Market Update for the Week Ending February 7, 2010 Sun City West Arizona is an unincorporated area with 17,300 residences, four recreation centers and seven golf courses.  Presently, only 468 Sun City West homes are listed on MLS for sale. This comprises of 70 single family golf course properties, 262 single family non-golf course properties and 136 condos/duplexes. Under Contract this Week:  23 Closed Transactions this Week: 22 Price Changes: 40 New Listings This Week: 46 Sun City Grand Absorption Rate (Weeks of Inventory): 41 weeks There are 12 active short sale property listings in Sun City West.  5 properties are awaiting bank approval.  13 short sale properties have sold and closed since February 7, 2009. There are a total of 15 active foreclosure (lend... 02/07/2010

Sun City West AZ Real Estate Sales for January 2010 Marketing Name SQFT Original List Price Current List Price Sold Price CDOM ADDRESS  AUGUSTA 1,989 222,000 210,000 195,000 24 19415 N 132ND AVE  CHANDLER 1,794 310,000 310,000 298,000 9 14415 W VIA MONTOYA CHATEAU 1,887 256,000 256,000 248,000 9 13627 W GABLE HILL DR  MONTEREY II 3,063 439,900 439,900 400,000 235 13302 W SERENADE CIR  SAN FRANCISCAN 2,688 345,000 315,000 305,000 331 13302 W BLUE BONNET DR  SAN SIMEON 2,550 309,000 309,000 295,000 32 19402 N 142nd DR  SAN SIMEON 2,550 375,000 375,000 350,000 28 13731 W ALEPPO DR  SANDOVAL 2,150 325,000 325,000 310,000 34 14626 W SKY HAWK DR SEDONA 2,197 345,000 345,000 345,000 8 14316 W ROBERTSON DR  TRUXTON 2,367 339,900 329,000 282,500 535 22116 N Via Montoya ST VENTANA 2,606 475,000 4... 02/03/2010

Winning POWERBALL Ticket Purchased in Sun City West Arizona! The Arizona Lottery announced that two unclaimed Powerball Lottery tickets.  One was purchased in a Circle K store in Mesa, the other was purchased at the Safeway at 13503 W. Camino del Sol in Sun City West AZ.  The winning ticket holder matched all five white ball numbers from January 27th (Wednesday) game the $200,000 prize.  The winning ticket holder has matched five numbers which according to the Arizona lottery were 6-15-20-26-31.   I you are holding the winning ticket, you must redeem the ticket at the Arizona Lottery office which is open Monday through Friday, except holidays, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The address is 4740 E. University Dr. View Larger MapNeed more information, contact the Arizona Lottery office at 480.921.4... 02/01/2010

Lions White Cane Day- January 28 & 29, 2010   While out at the Bank of America in Sun City West I flew by the folks at the front of the bank, said good morning and made my way. I made my deposit and headed back out. I was curious as to what these gentlemen where up too. Turns out that they were up to a lot of good today. The Lions Club is holding it's annual White Cane Day in an effort to raise money for those who are blind, visually impaired or deaf-blind. Charles Serfine, pictured below is a member of the Sun City West Pioneer Lions Club. He and Dick Bell, also of the Sun City West Pioneer Lions Club were set up at the Bank of America this morning. The members work in shifts from 9am-5pm today and tomorrow at various locations. Charles mentioned to me that they are also at the Safeway... 01/28/2010

Sun City West Model Railroad Club I was over cruising around Sun City West today. I wanted to see what was going on over at the RH Johnson Recreation Center. It's a hopping place to say the least. I visited the Arts and Crafts Village where the Village Store is located. They sell a lot of the things that the different clubs make. There is quite the variety of items at the store. I recommend checking it out sometime. There are many things for sale such as jewelry, art, greeting cards, clothing, pottery and wood working to name a few. Then I came across the Sun City West Model Railroad Club which is one of the over 100 clubs in Sun City West. I've always been interested in trains. As a kid there were always trains rolling through our town. I remember the big train yards, it seemed like th... 01/28/2010

SURPRISE!   I was showing property this afternoon in Sun City West and came across this beautiful plant.  The homeowner placed the potred plant on the patio close to the backdoor.  There it gets all lots of sunlight yet it is shaded from frost and harsh heat. I guess you could say that the homeowner carefully "staged the patio". If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Sun City Grand, please call me or visit my website to search all Sun City Grand homes for sale,  homes just listed in Sun City Grand homes for sale, Sun City Grand Homes floor plans, Sun City Grand Homes for Sale with 3 Car Garage, homes in Sun City Grand with 3 Bedrooms, Sun City Grand Homes for Sale with a Casita or a Guest House, homes sold in Sun City Grand Homes Sold.  01/27/2010

ASU Lifelong Learning Academy Spring Semester 2010-Open to the Public. After doing a little research, I had no idea that the Sun City Grand Lifelong Learning Academy is the oldest and the largest of the community-based lifelong learning programs. More than 800 Sun City Grand residents participate each year as students, instructors and program volunteers. The classes at Sun City Grand take place at the Chaparral Center located in the Village Center at Sun City Grand I've listed all of the Spring Semester Locations and Dates: ASU West Campus/Phoenix: February 8-April 29, 2010 Polytechnic Campus/Mesa: February 2-April 29, 2010 Sun City Grand/Surprise: February 8-April 29, 2010 Tempe Connections/Tempe: February 2-April 29, 2010   Registration at each location is somewhat different so make s... 01/26/2010

Scams against the elderly - A warning to our Arizona retirement communities homeowners Because of the warm Arizona climate, Sun City, Sun City West, Sun City Festival and Sun City Grand Arizona (just to name a few) are popular destinations for baby boomers & seniors alike.  While many move here with "significant others" it is a fact of life that many of our residents eventually find themselves alone or isolated. Unfortunately there are scammers or other criminals who have made a career out of taking advantage of our elders.  I came across this video from Arizona's Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and thought I would share it with you as a reminder to watch out for yourselves as well as others who live close by.   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Subscribe to my AZActiveReti... 01/25/2010

Sun City West AZ Realestate Market Update for the Week Ending January 24, 2010 There are approximately 17,300 residences in the unincorporated age restricted 55+ community of Sun City West Arizona.  The seven Sun City West golf courses are owned by the homeowners association.  Four are championship courses and three are executive-length courses. Presently, only 489 homes are listed on MLS for sale, 72 properties are on the golf course and 417 are non-golf course properties.  Under Contract this Week:  28 Closed Transactions this Week: 14 New Listings This Week: 39 Sun City West Absorption Rate (Weeks of Inventory): 47 weeks There are 9 active short sale property listings in Sun City West.  7 properties are awaiting bank approval.  12 short sale properties have sold and closed since Janu... 01/24/2010

The big storm has passed and now it's time to clean up.  With last weeks heavy rains, this week many will be focusing on issues with leaky roofs in the Sun Cities.It's easy to forget (or procrastinate about) routine maintenance concerns regarding your homes roof when the sun is shining 300+ days out of the year. There's nothing like a strong storm though to get people running to their phones to find a roofing expert While the tile roofs you find in Sun City Grand, Sun City Festival, Corte Bella and the later phases of Sun City West are very durable, they aren't made of steel. After selling a home and having the inspection performed, it's very rare to not have at least a few minor roof fixes required.  Roof tiles slip, caps need to be resealed, cracks need to be patched.  The few times I... 01/24/2010

  Most courses listed below are open with cart path restrictions. According to a staff member, Sun City West had 2 courses closed yesterday, Deer Valley and Echo Mesa. Corte Bella is also closed until Tuesday. Others courses were either closed completely or restricted to play on the front or back nine only. I'm sure that most courses around the state are dealing with the same issues as we are in west valley of Phoenix. The following is information for each golf course in Sun City West including Corte Bella: Pebblebrook (623) 544-6010: Open Trail Ridge (623) 544-6015: Open Stardust (623) 544-6012: Open Desert Trails (623) 544-6017: Open Deer Valley (623) 544-6016: Front 9 open, Back nine closed Grandview (623) 544-6013: Open Echo Mesa (623) 544-6014: Open *You must be a resident or a gu... 01/23/2010

Sun is on the Horizon after Arizona Winter Storms Arizona's extreme winter weather is reaping havoc throughout the state.  It was a wild night of rain last night, the worst seen in almost 20 years.  Yesterday alone the cities of Surprise had 3.4 inches of rain and Sun City West had 3.7 inches. Arizona streets (Maricopa County) cannot accommodate heavy rainfall as what we had yesterday.  Consequently many underpasses were closed yesterday.  The hard clay becomes soggy, swamp-like in areas.  I've had two home inspections in the past 48 hours, both of which had the same problem occurring with the air conditioners.  The air conditioner sits on a platform normally located on the side of the home.  The rainfall has resulted in a shift of the platforms due to the soft soil.  The unleveled air ... 01/23/2010

Sun City West Grand Opening - New Pickleball Courts! The pickleball craze has hit Sun City West residents.  On January 15th they had a grand opening of their new courts.  I came across a video that was produced by YourWestValley.com and have included a link for you to see it (warning - there is a short commercial you have to see first). Click on the picture to check it out.  Click on Sun City West Pickleball to find more information on the SCW Club website. According to pickleballcentral.com the sport began close to my home town of Seattle WA, on Bainbridge Island.  I haven't tried it out myself but it must be great fun.  This popular sport has also become a big hit in other area Arizona retirement communities.  Check out Stay Active in Sun City Grand with one of the biggest crazes... P... 01/16/2010

    Little did Oso know when he got up yesterday morning that I was going to cart him off to the groomer. He had to know something was up when we left the house before sun up. I have been going to a great groomer for the last 10 years, Grand Grooming (located in Sun City West). The staff here is just wonderful and the Oso always looks fantastic. There are 4-5 groomers and the pets are never left unattended, it's a pretty nice set up. Here's why I choose Grand Grooming: They return calls promptly They check Oso in and double check what I would like done They take good care of him while they have him He looks absolutely wonderful, smells good and is happy I'm sure that most of you can agree that once you've found a good groomer you stick with them. Oso is used to going there and I like th... 01/15/2010

Sun City West Arizona Real Estate Market Update There are approximately 17,300 residences in Sun City West Arizona. Sun City West an unincorporated, age restricted 55+ community.  Consequently, most of the properties not being subject to school taxes.  It is a highly popular area in which people from all over the United States come to spend their retirement years. The seven golf courses owned by the Sun City West homeowners association, four are championship courses and three are executive-length courses. Presently, only 468 Sun City West homes are listed on MLS for sale. This comprises of 70 golf course properties and 398 non-golf course properties.  Under Contract this Week:  23 Closed Transactions this Week: 22 Price Changes: 40 New Listings This Week: 46 Sun City Grand Absorption Ra... 01/10/2010

Foreclosures in Sun City West Arizona - 2009 There were 38 Sun City West foreclosures that sold this year vs. 15 in 2008 Out of 719 total homes sold in Sun City West in 2009, the 38 foreclosures equates to only 5.3%... making Del Webbs Sun City West and Sun City Grand two of the healthiest of all the valley Arizona retirement communities.  Compare this to the city of Phoenix where 65.9% of the homes sold this last year were foreclosures. Take a look at the chart below.   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you are in the market to buy or sell Sun City West real estate, please call me or visit my website where you will find a wealth of information on most of the Phoenix Arizona west valley golf retirement communities.       Subscribe to my AZActiveRetirementLiving.com blog feed Ken... 01/04/2010

Foreclosures in Corte Bella, Sun City West, Arizona - 2009 There were 24 Corte Bella foreclosures that sold this year vs. 4 in 2008.  It looks as though 2010 will see at least as many, but could have many more than 2009 as the Corte Bella real estate inventories are running still higher than the current demand. Out of 101 total homes sold in Corte Bella in 2009, the 24 foreclosures equates to 23.8%. This is one of the highest percentages for the Arizona golf retirement communities but is still quite a bit less than the city of Phoenix where 65.9% of the homes sold this last year were foreclosures, or the current national average for that matter. Take a look at the chart below.   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you are in the market to buy or sell Corte Bella real estate, pleas... 01/04/2010

Sun City West AZ Real Estate Market Update December 2009There are approximately 17,300 residences in Sun City West Arizona. Sun City West an unincorporated, age restricted community.  Consequently, most of the properties not being subject to school taxes.  It is a highly popular area in which people from all over the United States come to spend their retirement years. The seven golf courses owned by the Sun City West homeowners association, four are championship courses and three are executive-length courses. Presently, only 441 homes are listed on MLS for sale. The list below comprises of the 70 properties that sold and closed in escrow in December 2009. Golf Course Property Sales Model SQFT Original List Price Current List Price Sold Price Days on Market Address AUGUSTA 2,299 $385,900... 01/03/2010