Surprise Farms Homes (Glendale, Sun City: foreclosure, crime, neighborhoods)

[Semperfi07]

My wife & I saw some nice homes in the Surprise Farms development on the internet. We live in Maryland and are considering moving to AZ. How is the area, i.e., crime, traffic, etc. Thanks.

[MotleyCrew]

It is not a bad area at all. Like a lot of developments, it was hit very hard with the foreclosure issues, but now is a great time to buy. It was one of the busiest communities at the peak. Some neighborhoods are better than others, so it is always wise to come and see them in person. I like the city of Surprise and when the new mall gets going again, it will be a premier city once again. Crime to me seems very low but again you must check the stats yourself. Someone here has a link to crime statistics and may be posting that for you. You can always go to the chamber of commerce site and see if they have any information. I would look in Marley Park as well for a good home.

[Semperfi07]

Thanks. We spent some time in Glendale a couple of years ago. In fact, my wife liked the area so much we returned 3x since. There were some nice homes in the Glendale area. We heard that Surprise was a nice place to retire. How would you compare Surprise to Glendale?

[AZJoeD]

Originally Posted by Semperfi07

Thanks. We spent some time in Glendale a couple of years ago. In fact, my wife liked the area so much we returned 3x since. There were some nice homes in the Glendale area. We heard that Surprise was a nice place to retire. How would you compare Surprise to Glendale?

Surprise is further to the northwest, so it is less convenient to the city, but also less crowded, newer and more sedate (except for the jets from Luke AFB). It is a popular place to retire. Surprise Farms is a nice development as well as several others like Marley Park, Sierra Montana, Arizona Traditions and others.

[MotleyCrew]

Originally Posted by Semperfi07

Thanks. We spent some time in Glendale a couple of years ago. In fact, my wife liked the area so much we returned 3x since. There were some nice homes in the Glendale area. We heard that Surprise was a nice place to retire. How would you compare Surprise to Glendale?

AZJoe summed it up pretty good. Surprise is a bit newer and still has room to grow. We also like the Sun City Phase III section with the older mid-century style homes in there. The taxes are far less than some 55+ retirement communities and they have seven rec centers, and several very nice golf courses. But, Surprise is again a very nice place to land as well.

[Ritchie_az]

I would avoid the KB Homes there, only because the way they are set up in that neighborhood is a little odd (kind of a shared driveway concept). Otherwise, it's a nice neighborhood in a nice suburb. Crime is low. Traffic could be a problem depending on where you are going and when.