When the recent Great Recession disrupted the national economy, and you were a homeowner trying to sell your home, the effort to do so was a devastating experience. On the other hand, buyers in the market enjoyed the boondoggle of drastically reduced bargain basement price. Selling prices crashed. In Sun City, losses of as much as one third of the original purchase price were common. Those disparities have somewhat slowed up but the gaps between the selling prices before and after the Recession continues. Whether you purchased your Sun City before or after the Bubble Burst, you were either a âloserâ or âwinnerâ depending upon whether you were a seller or a buyer.
It would appear that the current price recovery of Sun Cityâs house selling prices is slower than the remaining market, because of the concentration of occupants 70 years of age and older. At that age, selling oneâs home becomes a more common activity for a variety of reasons .Itâs time to move on .Moving on happens all the time, everywhere, but itâs a little more obvious and frequent in an age restricted community.
An experienced real estate broker, living and specializing in Sun City properties, reported that 306 Sun City resales were concluded in 2013. As of the middle of May of this year, 70 homes have been sold. There were âlosers âand âwinnersâ amongst the buyers and sellers .The most current Multiple Listing Service data lists 100 Sun City properties for sale.
Pricing a home for sale is not a science, It is an art. How much is someone willing to pay for your home? You wonât know until someone makes an offer, but you have to start âsomewhereâ. Thatâ somewhereâ is what you originally paid . Unfortunately, in a slow market the primary motivation to sell a property is a price reduction, and another price reduction, and another price reduction. The seller hollers âuncle ââand finally agrees to a substantial reduction. The buyer gleefully signs on the dotted line. Bank foreclosures and heirs resolving estate distributions do their part in continuing the lower selling price trend . Banks have to cut their losses and heirs look for a quick distribution of inherited wealth. So the downturn continues, unless, sellers and their brokers minimize bargain pricing.
Become a trend setter and a winner. The Sun City community and the homes we occupy are a real value. Let the selling price reflect those facts.
Jim Darrow
Sun City resident
I am sitting here looking out the window at the lovely McHenry Park in front of our house, thinking it will be a great holiday weekend for the kids to come over to play in the park. Then this big boxer comes into view. Then owner, with a retractable leash, starts circling the dog in the grass. Yes, you have the idea. The dog is exercising, and we all know what follows the morning exercise: dog duty! I look away, thinking the kids will not be playing in the park this weekend. No rain predicted to wash the grass and the sprinklers are not running yet. We will have to wait this one out.
After the owner picks up the duty, I see movement again. OK, now they are headed toward the garbage bin. Ker-plunk into the bin it goes. She has done her duty picking up the dogs duty and leaving it in the garbage bin, which sits right next to the bench where people come to sit and talk. It is going to be in the high 70-80s this weekend. Guess no one will be sitting there this weekend either.
Now there is a nice blond lab smelling the garbage bin. Some neighbors say they cannot leave their windows open on summer days because of the smell. Now the dog is showing interest in marking over what was just placed in the bin. Good owner. You pulled the dog away before they could actually act on the normal instinct.
When did it become vogue to walk your dog in the park so the dog could do its duty? All winter we saw people bringing their dogs to the park in their car, so the dogs could do duty in the park! There are people who bring the dog in the golf cart in the summer! When we had animals, we, and most of the neighbors, made sure our animals did their duty at home, in a designated part of our yard. Clean up was easy, and it went into our garbage. The kids knew not to play in that area. Do any of you realize the residue that is left behind? Not only on the ground but on the sides of the bin when the bag bursts from the heat! Take your one incident times the number of people who visit the park every day.
Please think about the McHenry Park Neighbors who live and breathe the park air this summer when they are downwind of the overused park and your deposits. . Even if you pick up the duty, you cannot get the liquid! Or is this a not-in my-backyard issue? It is your pet. Please keep its markings, duty, and other body fluids out of the park where adults and children would like to play on the grass. If you want a doggy park, then talk to the Park District about creating one.
Mc Henry Park and the many other parks in the area were meant for human enjoyment not the duty of animals and the garbage bins were meant for human used items not animal deposits.
Carole Bowgren
Neighborhood 12
