It’s hard to believe that the height of the peak season of SunBird occupancy has been reached and is now on the down side as some residents will begin leaving for the summer months. This year has been filled with excellent activities, events and fun. We would like to thank all those who hosted or helped organize and promote these many activities. SunBird has many clubs and organizations that do such a great job of preparing and carrying out these events.
Home sales in SunBird are continuing to climb with home and property values also on the rise with some reportedly increasing 15-20 percent in the last 18 months. Some realtors report a waiting list of interested home buyers waiting for certain SunBird models of homes to become available for sale. It’s great to be part of a community that is progressing and people are wanting to buy and join into.
The SunBird Marketing Committee is now focusing efforts to welcome these many new SunBird homeowners into our wonderful community. The committee will be making personal home visits to the new owners to officially welcome and introduce them to the many social and recreational clubs, facilities and events. We already have hosted two new homeowner specific orientations in the Horizon Room with a breakfast buffet to review the history, current operations and answer any questions of SunBird. We have learned that the greatest marketing tool and greatest technique is still word of mouth. Most new home buyers who come into SunBird learn about SunBird from a friend, relative or associate. SunBird simply sells itself. Once people drive in through the gates and see the beautiful green grass of the golf course, then drive towards the Clubhouse, see all of the people having fun using the facilities and amenities, and then enter into and tour the Clubhouse with its excellent facilities and fabulous views, it’s a done deal. In meeting with several of our new and existing residents, the commonality of a friendly community is in almost all cases a factor of choosing to move into SunBird.
This past month SunBird had its 2016 annual membership meeting with over 200 in attendance to hear very informative reports from the various committees, officers and management regarding operations of 2015. The independent financial auditor reported a “Clean Opinion” of the SunBird financial controls, testing and reports conducted for this past year. The annual financial report of 2015 was presented with total actual revenue of $2,424,876 and a total expense of $2,287,347 for a positive $137,529 revenue over expense. Some pie charts were presented noting the amount and percentages of the sources of revenue, expenses and the allocation of how the $850 annual assessment was spent this past year. The 2015 auditor’s annual report and pie chart graphs are available at the SunBird office or on the SunBird website for further information.
We would like to thank all the committees, clubs, organizations, individuals and employees who care and work hard to keep SunBird a great place to live. Last but not least, we need to express appreciation to our Board of Directors who are volunteers and your neighbors, who also serve with many hours and study and are faced with sometimes making difficult decisions to keep SunBird the best place to live for today and many years to come.