Paradise Valley vs. North Scottsdale for family (Phoenix, Cave Creek: real estate, foreclosures)

[winchester314]

Hi, We are thinking about relocating to the Phoenix area about 10 months from now. We have 2 young children and are looking for a nice community with lots of young kids and excellent public schools. Many of my husbands colleagues (they have young children) live in the town of Paradise Valley. However, it appears that Paradise Valley is not that family friendly and the gated communities of North Scottsdale are a better fit. We would like to buy a home and our budget is about $1 to $1.5million.

My questions are:

1. Is Paradise Valley family friendly, are the public schools good?
2. What are the best communities in North Scottsdale for a young family.
3. What are the differences in the communities in North Scottsdale (ex: Grayhawk, DC Ranch, etc.)
4. What are the best public schools in both the areas (Scottsdale and the town of Paradise Valley)

Thanks

[observer53]

The Town of Paradise Valley, which is fairly small in land area, doesn't have its own schools; that area is mostly, if not all, served by Scottsdale School District. I don't perceive it as family friendly, but your husband's colleagues live there with young children-- you should ask how they feel about it. In my opinion, if you are looking for family/child oriented recreation/sports/other activities, you need to be in Scottsdale, not Paradise Valley. I can't speak to differences between places like Grayhawk and DC Ranch, but I'm sure others can. With the budget you have, you will find homes in either North Scottsdale or PV.

[pbenjamin]

While offering no comments on the relative merits of the schools, DC Ranch is in the Scottsdale Unified School District while Greyhawk is in the Paradise Valley Unified School District. PVUSD has nothing to do with the Town of Paradise Valley.

[AZJoeD]

There are so many wonderful communities in your price range. Grayhawk, McDowell Mtn Ranch, D.C. Ranch all fit the bill. Two school districts, Scottsdale and Paradise Valley overlap each other, so make sure you verify which school your children will be attending (in some cases the bus rides get pretty long).

If you are willing to go further north, the Cave Creek school district is small with much smaller schools.

Also, there are many smaller subdivisions that you might over look if you focus only on large ones like Grayhawk. Wingate, Paso Fino, Monteloma to name a few.

[azriverfan.]

1-1.5 million in Paradise Valley is not going to get you that much of a home. For that type of money, you are better off getting a home in North Scottsdale. If you want a decent home that is relatively new in PV, you need to spend at least 1.5 million

[SpeedyAZ]

I agree with azriverfan, if you're looking for a good-sized family home in the actual town of Paradise Valley, it'll run upwards of $1.5 million. You don't get much for your money in Paradise Valley, my parents bought a new house many months back and even with a budget of $2+ million, they didn't find what they really wanted and ended up buying in a gated community in North Scottsdale with a much better bang-for-the-buck.

My best advice would be to hook up with a local real-estate agent who specializes in high-end properties, they will give you more detailed advice than we would.

Just for comparative purposes here are two homes, one in Paradise Valley and one in Scottsdale in your price range:

$1.25 million (4 bed 3 bath, 3700 sq ft) Paradise Valley
6824 E Doubletree Ranch Road, Paradise Valley, AZ, 85253 - MLS #4289629 - Single Family Home real estate - REALTOR.com®

$1.295 million (6 bed, 6 bath, 4900 sq ft) Scottsdale
8477 E Charter Oak Drive, Scottsdale, AZ, 85260 - MLS #4412396 - Single Family Home real estate - REALTOR.com®

[Skywayy2001]

If you can afford that much of a home, you should send your kids to private school around here (public school system is not good regardless of what people may or may not chime in). Furthremore, neither N. Scottsdale or the actual town of PV is great for families. I would like more at McCormick Ranch or Gainey Ranch in Scottsdale where you could get a beautiful home for that price range and be in a more family friendly environment.

[azdr0710]

need to find a good realtor to show you around...

the incorporated Town Of Paradise Valley, as the others say, will have houses in your price range now that prices have come down, but they may be a bit tired, 70s-ish, needing updating, etc.....there are families in T of PV, but kids may be older and there are less nearby activities....very few businesses allowed in T of PV....

though not an incredible bargain, North Scottsdale will have a little bit more value...many, many, many choices up there in all the various subdivisions....foreclosures abound....more family-oriented, too.....DC Ranch is a bit more upscale than Grayhawk, but both are up there....many others around, too.....McDowell Mountain Ranch is family-ish....in N Scotts, your budget will allow a lot....

can't comment on schools....no experience with them these days

[azdr0710]

Originally Posted by Skywayy2001

If you can afford that much of a home, you should send your kids to private school around here (public school system is not good regardless of what people may or may not chime in). Furthremore, neither N. Scottsdale or the actual town of PV is great for families. I would like more at McCormick Ranch or Gainey Ranch in Scottsdale where you could get a beautiful home for that price range and be in a more family friendly environment.

yes, definitely consider private schools....public schools are just too....public!.....big classes, the whole bit.....

and, as suggested, if you can resist the temptation to live in trendy N Scotts (the supposed nice rep and all that), many areas S of Cactus are entirely fine, more established, closer to activities, more stable, closer-in....

[winchester314]

Thanks for all of the advice! We really wanted to have the kids go to public school so they get more of a real world experience. They are currently in private now because where we live the class sizes are too large and the education in public is lagging. We had heard that the Scottsdale Unified is really good. We are not tied to one location. We are looking for a safe neighborhood where the kids can play outside with lots of other children as well as a good community feeling. If anyone else has any other recommendations to look, or schools that are good (public or private) I'd appreciate it. Thanks!