Looking for land in AZ (Phoenix, Flagstaff: mortgage, loan, purchasing)

[dizzycassy]

for artists. The best community is Sedona. But it is expensive. Cottonwood is a nice alternative as well as verde valley. Both are 20 minutes from Sedona and an hour from Phoenix

[LBear]

While the areas being named can be nice, some are nicer than others, while some (IMHO) are quit ugly & bleak.

Remember, you will have to drive out here and check out the areas yourself. DO NOT rely on Real Estate agents or guides to see what an area looks like. They fabricate the pictures with Photo Shop and make it look greener and nicer than it really is.

Cornville, looks like the Nevada desert. It is ugly & bleak. The Phoenix areas (Sonoran Desert) is much more beautiful. There is a BIG DIFFERENCE between Cornville and Sedona. That is why the price of land is 1/16th that of Sedona land. You get what you paid for.

Just like the Prescott areas. Chino Valley is ugly and bleak, Prescott Valley is a LITTLE nicer, Prescott is where the trees are. That is why the price of real estate reflects the same. Chino being the LEAST expensive and Prescott being the MOST expensive and PV is in the middle of the two.

[maesplace]

Hi You might want to check out Cave Creek/Carefree. There are a lot of artists here and a very active small town catering to artists. A lot of land and nice homes in a small unique quiet community. Mayo and John C Lincoln are only about 20 mins away. Stay away from the HOA developements though. It's a nightmare to live in those types of communities. I am not a realtor just a person that likes this area. Much to do here. A large choice of small ranches for sale in very secluded places. I have a realtor friend that would glad to help you. Here is his email address.... gpmony@aol.com. He is on the town council for Cave Creek. If you want seclusion and the old west feel come here. Good Luck and welcome to Arizona

[lewebb]

We re-located from MD to the Williams AZ area 4 years ago. There is land to be had in our area , depending on how secluded you want to be. If you check out our Association website - www.howardmesapoa.org it will give you some local info and some realtor contacts.
This area is about 50-60 mins from Flagstaff- the Flagstaff Medical Center (hospital) is extremely good, very progressive, and might be a good job opportunity. There is also a small medical center in Williams about 25-30 mins.
There are "subdivisions" all along RTe. 64 with property available from 5 - 40+ acres just be sure to deal with a realtor. There are a lot of peculiarities about buying land in AZ and you need to be careful.
We have 4 seasons, some snow in the winter, but usually doesn't stay around long, and meets a lot of your general requirements from your 1st post.
If you want more specific info you can email me from the website.

[brian_2]

There are places to stretch-out in Arizona, you just need to move further out to find the more affordable land. I see many 'land for sale' signs in the Williams area. Williams is popular with many Verde Valley to Phoenix retirees & second-home people because of the cooler summer temperatures, but of course the flip side is you have colder winters. A big plus - the Grand Canyon is a hop, skip & jump away from Williams - and who doesn't love the Grand Canyon? I know a real estate broker here in the Cottonwood, AZ area whose family has a second home in Williams, and they look forward to relaxing up there. I've overheard people in the Williams area talking about having water hauled into their properties. Inquire about water/sewer/electrical issues first thing, and read the threads here on City-Data Arizona about the theme park/facility coming to Williams.

[bb5745]

Thanks to all who has responded and provided insight!

I made a large tour of AZ this winter and decided Prescott is clearly the right fit for me. A good small art scene, a little seasonal tourism which is good $$wise, but met some wonderful locals, small town feel but big enough, good climate, found some good dining, went on a couple of beautiful hikes....loved the area.

So, does anyone have any insight on particular areas I may want to look at? I'd be looking at around 5 to 15 acres, or more if it were affordable, but probably not - the prices I've seen on land were a little sobering, as it is fairly costly. I'd be willing to be 25 to 30 minutes from downtown, at the most. Prefer a more complex landscape with hills, boulders, etc - not flat (most of the pictures I've seen of Williamson Valley for example, do not appeal to me.)

Any ideas?

[LBear]

Prescott does still have some spots with that type of terrain BUT they are VERY pricey for only a small lot:

www.talkingrockranch.com
LOT 1C-161 1.43 Acres $365,000 Boulder outcroppings - Northwest views

LOT 1C-190 1.36 Acres $455,000 Unique boulder outcroppings, majestic views

That was right off their web-site. This is their architectural guidelines:

* Use of natural and native materials and non-reflective colors are encouraged.
* Custom home square footage is a minimum of 2,400 and a maximum of 8.500.
* Custom home height is limited to 22 feet above natural grade.

The lowest going rate for a contractor-built home is $150.00 a square foot or $360K to build a 2,400 sq.ft. home. Honestly, with a home & lot in that type of area you are looking at $750K- $1MIL+ when all is said and done.

There is also Granite Dells areas but they are priced about the same as Talking Rock. I can't find their web-site but they are just starting to build there.

I don't want to sound like a pessimist but, trust me, there are NO MORE lots with views, boulders, and all for under $300K. Those days are LONG GONE. I would say abut 5 years ago you could have still gotten something like that for $200K but no longer. I was dreaming big also but reality set in. Homes with those type of terrain are selling for $750K - $2MIL. Sorry, I just don't want you to get disappointed by coming out here and spending all this time trying to find something that no longer exists for that budget amount...

Remember, those lots with views, boulders, etc, are in HOA sub-divisions. Most require 2,400+ square foot minimum homes. Some areas like Prescott Ranch require 3,400+ MINIMUM square foot homes. $150 a square foot is the LOWEST you will ever see. Contractors are getting $200+ a square foot ALL DAY LONG. As one contractor put it, "I can build a nice home for $150 sq.ft but, why? When the southern Californians are begging me to build and I am charging them $250 a square foot."

[ldel]

You might want to consider Prescott! Restaurants, Music, art shows and you are close to areas where you can do some hike. Also, Prescott has a really good and big hospital and lots of excellent medical and lab offices. The thing is that you are not going to find land for less than probably $70k. My husband is a builder and we bought a few lots, little less than 1/2 acre in the Camp Verde area and we paid $55k for them.
Hope this help.

[exlexisnexis]

I recommend purchasing land in Ashfork or Seligman they are close to 3 high growth areas: Williams,Prescott and Kingman and you can still get huge acreage for very reasonable money,it may take a few years but the location and climate for these areas is excellent and growth is coming to these areas as a result of the skywalk,theme park aqnd renewed interest in RT 66.

Richard

[LBear]

DO NOT but in Ashfork or Seligman. Especially Ashfork!
Ashfork will NEVER be valuable. The town is 1 block long and most of the stores are run down shops. The only thing keeping that place on the map is the Flagstone quarry.

The area is 95% mobile home and manufactured homes! IF you drive thru that area, it looks like inner-city Detroit. Run down homes, 15 cars in the back yard, 10 dogs running around, homes with boarded-up windows, etc. Even if someone bought that area and tried to clean it up, it would be impossible because their are A LOT of militants, militia and other loaners out there.

Trust me, if you drive thru Ash Fork you will NOT want to live there.!

Seligman is in the middle of nowhere. It has NO downtown. They were excited to get a Subway store. It is a LITTLE better than Ash Fork but no by much. If you are a seclusionist, then maybe Seligman might work.

PRESCOTT is NOT close to either Ash Fork or Seligman. Prescott is a MINIMUM of 65 miles away from Ash Fork and about 85 miles from Seligman. Williams is closer to Ash Fork but still at least 30 minutes away. Kingman is about 45 minutes away from Seligman.

Even if the Williams theme park takes off. Trust me, Ash Fork & Seligman are NOT going anywhere. There are people who own land in those towns and are trying to SCAM out of state people by "HYPING-UP" the area. The same thing happened to MAYER. Someone owned land and was scamming hundreds of thousands of dollars by scamming out of state people to buy in Mayer. In the end, the guy was arrested and sent to jail.

Just a word of warning. Come out and look for yourself. Even if that theme park takes off ASH FORK and SELIGMAN are going to remain the way they are. Ash Fork has been trying to sell a deserted gas station for over 5 years! Nobody is buying. There is a rat infested motel they are also selling for the past 3 years. It is just a haven for drugs (METH LABS GALORE IN ASH FORK) & prostitution.