I’ll admit finding the right location was easy for us since Don and I have been visiting our daughter and her family in California for many years. For the past several visits we started to “just look” at both site-built and manufactured homes in senior communities. So, we are familiar with the general area as well as specific neighborhoods and types of homes for sale.
Being familiar with the area played a huge part in our buying decision. Don was looking through the San Diego newspaper when he noticed a real estate ad for Sun Meadows, an active 55+ manufactured home community in Sun City, California. The homes seemed attractive and the price affordable, so we decided to take a look.
We drove for 45 minutes from our daughter’s home in Oceanside to Sun City. It was a clear day as we traveled from the Pacific coast over the first mountain range to the east. The bright blue sky served as splendid background for high mountain peaks glistening with snow. Our destination, Sun City is located in Menifee Valley with mountains all around. I mention the mountains because they are so refreshing to us after living as “flatlanders” in Florida for 20 years.
As we drove through the city we found it to be neat, clean and very oriented to seniors. Many streets and even the banks have special lanes for seniors driving golf carts. Doctors, lawyers, shopping, restaurants, all kinds of shopping and retail stores, golf courses, tennis courts, shuffleboard courts, are conveniently located.
When we arrived at Sun Meadows 55+ community and passed though the gated entrance we noticed how nice all the manufactured homes looked with their spacious lots, patios and two car garages. As we continued on past the clubhouse to the model center it became clear that we could easily live in this attractive, well-maintained community.
It was truly a case of love at first sight when we saw the model of our home. All the features we were looking for – and more – were right there at the right location at the right price. I wondered if this was too good to be true. So we began walking around and talking with residents, asking them questions about their manufactured home and the community in general.
No problem here. Every resident we spoke with said they enjoyed living in Sun Meadows. One couple who lived in San Diego all their lives told us it took them two years after they retired to find the kind of home they wanted at an affordable price. Like us, they looked at both site-built and manufactured homes and choose the home and lifestyle that Sun Meadows offered. That impressed both Don and I because this couple is intelligent and very well informed about the area. It almost seems as though they had done some of our home “looking” for us.
Another couple told us the monthly price of their land/lease (lot rental) and utilities are much lower than living in their previous site-built home. They even showed us their average monthly bill for rent, TV, RV storage, trash, sewer, water, electric, and gas. We appreciated their open, frank discussion about money and were surprised at the low monthly costs, compared to our site-built home monthly expenses. They mentioned that their lease cost them about $400.00 less per month than if they had purchased private land in southern California.
Some other people who purchased a home, but were waiting to move in told us they were well satisfied with the selection and planning stages before their home was built. However, they did offer one piece of important advice - be sure to get everything in writing. It’s too easy for a misunderstanding or mistake to occur between the buyer, the retailer and the manufacturer unless everything is agreed upon clearly in writing. I repeat this good advice “Get everything in writing!”
Don and I are very impressed with the friendly attitude of the residents of Sun Meadows. We now live in a family neighborhood in Florida and don’t have a lot in common with younger couples raising children. We’ve been there – done that. Now it’s time to move on. We believe this 55+ senior community will allow us to make new friends with shared interests in no time at all.
Several residents mentioned they feel safe and secure walking around the community during the day or even walking their dog at night. One woman said she has never heard of any break in, burglary or any other crime being reported in the neighborhood.
Sun Meadows is an enclosed 60-acre park with electronically controlled entry gates that close at dusk. Residents with electronic gate openers never have to leave their car to enter and the exit gate opens automatically when leaving the community. After dark, guests must dial in by phone at the front gate for admittance. All streets are well lit from dusk to dawn and a resident staff is on duty 24/7 to handle any security or emergency situation.
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