SUN CITY – It’s year 15 in Sun City’s history in Huntley. All 5,400 original homes have been sold and hundreds of them have changed owners since, some more than once. The famous Sun City lifestyle was marketed skillfully by Del Webb and later by Pulte Homes. The build-out of original homes and lots was robust until 2008, when it was slowed only by a nationwide housing recession.
In 2014, Sun City homes generally sell quickly, especially smaller ones. Prices are slowly but steadily improving. Despite the 55-and-over age limitation, the inventory of homes for sale has dipped currently to about 110.
Del Webb and Pulte are gone. Two Sun City association committees have conducted marketing activities in the last few years. Earlier this year, a third committee was formed. Its members were carefully chosen because of their backgrounds and expertise as entrepreneurs, marketing experts in corporate America, and their track records in organizing and operating multi-faceted enterprises.
Committee members are Joanna Haerle, chairperson; Bill Clanton, vice chairperson; Helene Weston, recorder; Sarah Elam, Bob Marcom, Pat Oakley, and Kathy Wienberg. Oakley is a former member of the association board of directors who served on an earlier marketing committee.
A key person in this third and latest effort is staff liaison Renee Swanson, a dynamic administrator who serves as Sun City’s special events and classes coordinator in the Lifestyles Department. Her “go get ’em” attitude promises to insert a lot of energy and creativity into the effort. Board of Directors’ liaison to the committee is Bill Ziletti, past president of the board.
The effort now is focused on fresh ideas, new approaches, and a new direction from the way things were done before, according to Swanson: “We aren’t just continuing the ways things have always been done,” she said. “We’re not just selling homes, we’re selling a lifestyle. I am still surprised by the number of visitors who come here to Sun City and think we’re a place where old people go to live out their lives. Very few places in the Chicago area or Midwest do as much as we do here with clubs, entertainment, sports, and social activities.”
A lot of specifics about this latest initiative are still not determined yet, or if they have been, they haven’t been announced. “Right now, we’re trying to define the age groups we’re looking to target, and how to reach them,” Swanson said. “We’ll probably be aiming at somewhat younger age groups, who are or soon will enter the age group qualified to live in our 55-and-over community but who need to be educated on the possibilities here when they do become eligible. We also have to decide how far out we want to reach with our message and whether we want to go nationwide.”
A big part of the new marketing plan, of course, will be working with local Realtors such as Century 21 New Heritage, Huntley Realty, ReMax Unlimited Northwest, and Baird and Warner, among others. Several Realtors who work for these companies live in Sun City, which enhances their expertise in selling the community’s lifestyle.
“We’re looking at participating in county and community expos in our area, like the big one annually in Kane County,” Swanson added. “One thing we may go back to is the selection of resident ambassadors who can provide a personal welcome, serve as tour guides, and answer questions based on their own experiences here. We have a wealth of happy, active adults here, and I hope we can find ways to tap into that resource.
“We don’t have a huge problem to solve now, because homes are selling well despite the recent recession and the age limitations,” Swanson said. “We just have to work more creatively to keep the Sun City message alive with the right target groups. We have to keep in mind that Del Webb has long since proved that area residents generally want to stay close to their families.”
