What to request before making an offer — the documents that protect your purchase and the reserve fund red flags specific to a 30-year-old community with three golf courses
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Talk to a Specialist →Sun City Texas has been operating since 1995. Three decades of capital expenditures, reserve fund contributions, and infrastructure maintenance mean the financial health of the community association is more complex than in a newly opened community. Three golf courses — Legacy Hills, White Wing, and Cowan Creek — represent enormous ongoing capital obligations. The reserve fund study tells you whether those obligations are being adequately funded.
| Document | Why It Matters | Red Flags |
|---|---|---|
| Reserve Fund Study (most recent) | Shows funded percentage for all major capital components — golf course equipment, pool systems, roads, facilities | Below 70% funded on any major component; no study in past 3 years |
| Current Year Budget | Shows how association spends money and whether dues cover operating costs | Operating deficits; draws from reserves for operating expenses |
| Past 12 Months Board Minutes | Reveals pending issues before formal notices | Discussions of special assessments, deferred maintenance, governance disputes |
| Golf Course Financial Reports | Three golf courses are a major liability; verify they are not operating at losses subsidized by homeowners | Ongoing operating losses; special assessments related to golf operations |
| CC&Rs and Rules | Rental restrictions, pet rules, architectural approval process | Any restrictions that conflict with your intended use |
| Pending Special Assessments | Any approved but unpaid assessments transfer to buyer at closing | Any pending assessment — budget separately |
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Sun City Texas' three golf courses are public courses managed by the community association. Public golf courses frequently operate at financial losses, particularly as rounds played nationally have declined over the past decade. If the courses are operating at losses, those losses are ultimately borne by the community association — meaning all homeowners, not just golfers. The reserve study and budget should make clear whether golf course operations are self-sustaining from membership fees and green fees, or whether they require HOA subsidization.
Request specifically: the golf course operating budget for the past two years. Ask whether golf operations require any subsidy from general HOA funds. This is not a standard disclosure — ask directly.
Texas Property Code requires sellers to deliver an HOA disclosure package to buyers. Buyers have a right to cancel the contract within a specified period after receiving the documents if they find unacceptable conditions. Verify the current cancellation window with your Texas real estate attorney — it varies depending on how the contract is written.
Hire a Texas real estate attorney to review the CC&Rs and reserve study. An attorney review costs $300–$500 and provides protection that a real estate agent review cannot offer. Given the financial complexity of a 30-year-old community with three golf courses, this is money well spent.
We can connect you with Texas real estate attorneys who specialize in 55+ community document review.
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