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TRUE OR FALSE: Child Catchers Only Exist In The Movies ... FALSE!

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner CalBRE# 01433049

I  read an interesting article in the Sunday paper that I haven't been able to put out of my mind. The article was about Sun City, Arizona. Evidently, this entire city of 42,000 residents is an adult community. We have neighborhoods in my area that are adult communities, but an entire city of 42,000 is unreal to me.

child catcherThe bottom line is this. Nobody under the age of 19 can call Sun City home. Nobody. At least one resident in 80% of the homes must be 55 years or older. This is an exclusive status Sun City wants to keep, so how do they manage it? The Sun City police has a division called the "age police". In other words, they have child catchers.

While reading this article, all I could think about was the child catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Lollipops, chocolate and ice cream ... they're all free today. Come children, come, come out to play.

Children 18 and under can VISIT up to 90 days out of the year. All it takes is an alleged violation (from your neighbor, Gladys Kravitz) to send the Sun City age police peering over your fence. Is that a stray ball? A pint-sized pair of flip flops? Is that a Justin Bieber song I hear? Lets face it, children are hard to hide.

It would seem logical to me that if someone never had kids, never wanted kids, THEY might be the ones who would want to live in a place like this. But a lot of these residents have grown children and grandchildren. WAIT a minute ... then aren't THEY the ones responsible for the existence of children in the first place?

I, for one, would not enjoy life without children around. I can't imagine living in a city without schools. I can't imagine going shopping where there were no toddlers helping mom pick out groceries. Nor would I want to live in a world without retirement age seniors. This type of exclusionary lifestyle doesn't make any sense to me at all. I'm just saying ...

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by

 

Cynthia Larsen (707-332-2560) is an independent real estate referral broker in Sonoma County, California as well as a Certified Probate Real Estate Specialist.

CA Broker License #01433049

Comments (17)

Lori Bowers
La Quinta, CA
The Lori Bowers Group

It sounds like they do allow kids- on their terms and their convenience. The people who are looking for violators are surely unhappy lonely people with nothing better to do. I feel sorry for them.

Sep 02, 2010 04:25 AM
Liz Wallace
Century 21 Sherlock Homes - Rockville Centre, NY
Broker C21 Sherlock Homes, Rockville Centre, LI, N

I have no idea why anyone would not want to hear the sound of children but to each his own.  The child catcher made me laugh, my two older sons are 43 and 44 and they are still afraid of him.

Sep 02, 2010 04:34 AM
Cynthia Larsen
Cotati, CA
Independent Broker In Sonoma County, CA

Lori - This City allows adults only for year-round living. That means a couple in their early 20's can live there as part of the 20% of housing that doesn't require a 55 year/old. So if they get pregnant, that means they have to give their child away, move, or hand the kid over to a family member who doesn't live in Sun City.

Liz - LOL, I'm older than your kids and I'M still afraid of the child catcher! I love the sound of children, they are happy sounds to me.

Sep 02, 2010 05:02 AM
Team Honeycutt
Allen Tate - Concord, NC

I have a client who moved to one of these communties, and she loves it. I think children keep us young though.

Sep 02, 2010 05:09 AM
Cynthia Larsen
Cotati, CA
Independent Broker In Sonoma County, CA

Allen - So ... to keep us even younger, can we start a community where nobody over 54 can live? Kick their butts out ... to Sun City :)

Sep 02, 2010 05:26 AM
Lora "Leah" Stern 914-772-4528
Coldwell Banker, 170 N Main Street, New City NY 10956 - New City, NY
Real Estate Salesperson

Cynthia - can't imagine a whole city of seniors.  Those 55+ seniors are the ones that will be turning 60, 70 and 80 before you know it and will be living with "old people" only.  Kids tend to keep us young, in action and in mind, and they keep us attuned to all the latest trends and what happening in the world.  My ideal would be a mixed age community and I'm definitely against under 55 only - unless you're judging age based on "young at heart" ( otherwise I'd be ruled out).

Sep 02, 2010 05:36 AM
Cynthia Larsen
Cotati, CA
Independent Broker In Sonoma County, CA

Leah - LOL, I'd be ruled out soon as well. PLEASE don't make me move to a 55+ community to live out the rest of my life! The word segregation keeps coming to mind. Discrimination as well. When did it become OK to segregate age groups?

Sep 02, 2010 06:02 AM
Marian Goetzinger
Pine Knoll Shores Realty 252-422-9000 - Pine Knoll Shores, NC
Crystal Coast Real Estate NC

I've known several people who have moved into these communities.  I feel sorry for them.  They don't like to be around children for more than a few hours at a time, even their own grandchildren.  I guess I'm glad there's a place for them because children should not be subjected to them.

For me, I want to be around people of all ages.  Children keep me young.

Sep 02, 2010 12:52 PM
Cynthia Larsen
Cotati, CA
Independent Broker In Sonoma County, CA

Marian - I AGREE, if you want to get old fast, move to a retirement community. I've been admiring your current profile photo, keep hanging around those adorable grandkids and you will forever be young!

Sep 02, 2010 01:18 PM
Sun City Grand Homes Surprise AZ Real Estate Leolinda Bowers Designated Broker Leolinda Realty
Leolinda Realty - Surprise, AZ
Sun City Grand in Surprise Arizona

I thought to clarify the age restrictions in Sun City Arizona and the school district taxes. All of Sun City Arizona is exempted from elementary, middle school and high school district taxes.

A couple in the early 20's cannot live in Sun City Arizona without one resident being in the home being at least 55. The rules are clear. One resident must be 55 or older. That's ok if one resident is 55 and they have a 19 year old spouse, or if one resident is 55 and they have children living with them as long as the children are 19 years or older.

When Del Webb first started Sun City Arizona, it was called adult community. I believe that the age requirement was 50 years old. 50 years ago, only a few people retired at the age of 50. I don't know exactly when it was changed from 50 to 55.

Sun City Arizona was built as an Active ADULT retirement community. It was the first in the nation, and every other city is a copy of Sun City which is alive and well.  Other Sun Cities have variation of the rules however Sun City Arizona has remained steadfast.

Sun City residents sign documentation at the time of purchase that the homeowner agrees to keep in compliance with the age restriction. Homeowners know prior to purchasing the property about the age restriction.

Any one of legal age can purchase a property in Sun City Arizona however one physical resident, which also includes renters, must be 55. There are ways around this restriction however they are few and far between.

Regarding being sorry for not having children in the community, that's exactly why people buy and want to live in Sun City, Arizona. It is not for everyone, if you don't like the restrictions, don't buy in Sun City Arizona. Most of the 42,000 Sun City Arizona residents want to live in an area in which they will not have to deal with the neighbors children and that's exactly why the neighbors will report the noncompliance.

Children under 19 can visit 90 days in a calendar year. That's a little more than one week a month. What child can take off from school one week a month? Residents feel that they have earned the right for peace and quiet, they have paid their dues.

Sep 02, 2010 05:38 PM
Carla Muss-Jacobs, RETIRED
RETIRED / State License is Inactive - Portland, OR

I love your Gladys Kravitz reference!  I don't get the appeal of these types of communities.  We have kids in our neighborhood, and I like to hear them playing and romping around.  More kids need to be out and about.  They stay cooped up with their video games, and blogs . . . oops

Sep 02, 2010 06:37 PM
Cynthia Larsen
Cotati, CA
Independent Broker In Sonoma County, CA

Leolinda - I was hoping someone from Sun City would pipe in! This is a paragraph from the article in the New York Times.

"To remain a restricted retirement community, at least 80 percent of Sun City’s housing units must have at least one occupant who is 55 or older, allowing for younger spouses or adult children. But the rules are clear on one thing: no one, absolutely no one, who is a teenager, an adolescent, a toddler, a newborn, any form of child, may call Sun City home."

I tried to call Sun City a couple of times (answering machine). I'll try calling again. I was wondering if LEGALLY they can allow 20% of households to not have the age 55 restriction but they choose to enforce 100% and do so by having everyone sign the agreement that you referenced.

Thank you for your input, it is good to get feedback from a local. I hate having to go on only what the media reports or worse, what they don't report.

Sep 03, 2010 01:59 AM
Cynthia Larsen
Cotati, CA
Independent Broker In Sonoma County, CA

Carla - I knew you would get the Gladys Kravitz reference, so far you are the only one. I was a huge fan of Elizabeth Montgomery, I watched Bewitched every chance I got.

Sep 03, 2010 02:00 AM
Carra Riley & Declan Kenyon
Brokers Guild Cherry Creek Ltd - Westminster, CO
Helping people Transition at all ages!

Cynthia.....I know people who don't enjoy being around children, but I for one think it allows you to have a younger state of mind - Children do indeed help to keep you young, even if it's only young at heart.

Sep 03, 2010 04:23 AM
Cynthia Larsen
Cotati, CA
Independent Broker In Sonoma County, CA

Carra - what gets me is that most of these folks had children of their own. Now they can run away and let the rest of the world live next door to their children's children? If a couple had 3 children and they in turn have 3 children each, then one couple in Sun City has contributed to 9 children that they don't want to live near. NICE!

Sep 03, 2010 07:07 AM
Jim Little
Ken Meade Realty - Sun City, AZ
Your Sun City Arizona Realtor

Furthur clarification from a SUN CITY REALTOR.

Federal law allows up to 20% of residences to be occupied by people who are under 55 as long as:

No person under the age of 19 stays longer than 90 days.

AND, the governing body keeps a census of ages. (Sun City does not, Sun City Grand does.) That is why the HOA must enforce 100%, the cost of maintaining records for 42,000 is too large, and the Attorney General says we cannot use census data.

Just within our marketing area, there is Sun City, Sun City West, Sun City Grand, and Sun City Festival, not counting several other adult communities.

An unfortunate result of our current economic climate is that many child rearing families are moving back with the parents and grandparents. It is this phenomena that the HOA is policing. We have seen a neighboring adult community loose its age restriction, and do not want that to happen to Sun City

The Sun Cities, of which there are many across the U.S. provide CHOICES for older people. From the tone of your post, it would seem that you do not approve of choices. If I am mistaken, I will appologize now, but it appears that you are quite judgemental about people who will make choices different than you would.

Perhaps, if you would like to drop by on your next visit to the Grand Canyon, you could call Leolinda or me. We would be happy to show you around, even introduce you to some of the curmudgeonly residents you have chosen to write about.

 

Jim Little, Your SUN CITY NEIGHBORHOOD REALTOR

Sep 03, 2010 09:17 AM
Cynthia Larsen
Cotati, CA
Independent Broker In Sonoma County, CA

Jim - thanks for the clarification of the 20%, the article was a little vague about that. I approve of choices, apology accepted. I'm just saying ... I don't understand why folks have children if they don't want to be around children later on in life. I didn't have children by choice. I'm not the one running away from them. It would seem that I would be the one who would want to live in Sun City. Does that make sense? I love being around children and curmudgeons as well. I will be getting a healthy dose of that when I visit my Mother-In-Law this holiday weekend :) I would love to take you up on your offer to call you or Leolinda when I visit the Grand Canyon. The last time I was there I could only stay 15 minutes. Long story.

Sep 03, 2010 09:34 AM