Peoria? Gilbert? or other city (Phoenix, Tucson: sales, real estate, apartments)

[carinap1212]

My husband and I are looking to move in a year or two to Arizona. We currently live in Delaware. We visited Arizona a few years back and even got married in Sedona! We have a 5 year old son, so schools are important. Are any of the two cities above worth looking at?? We are planning a trip soon to visit a few places to see which we like the best, but thought I'd start here so we don't waste time looking at cities that are not worth it!! We do prefer the warmth, but we don't want to go into the Tuscon area. So around Phoenix area is good, but not Phoenix itself! We are looking for an area that isn't over crowded like where we currently live.

Thanks to everyone for the help!

[observer53]

It depends on how you define overcrowded. Peoria and Gilbert are both large suburbs of the fifth or sixth largest city in the country, with lots of subdivisions in them. There are areas that are less dense in both of them. They are diagonally on opposite sides of the Valley, so you have more to think about than just which one to pick. Where will you be working? The commutes here can be long and crowded; you don't want to move to one and find jobs near the other. They are both nice places, with good schools in them. The northern part of Peoria would be newer and nicer. I don't know why you have discarded the city of Phoenix itself altogether, as there are nice areas there and in the other suburbs. Whatever you do, you need to rent first, you don't want to buy something and then realize it's in an area you don't like. Visiting is not the same as living in a place, so give yourselves time to really familiarize yourself with the area.

[carinap1212]

Thank you so much! We have been checking out information online but I agree we really need to revisit Arizona! Take Care

[hts]

We live in Anthem and absolutely *love* it. It is a bit more removed from the city and the closer-in suburbs, but we see that as a plus (many others see it as a negative).

Anthem, Arizona - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Finger Laker]

definitely come & visit

I wouldn't discount Phoenix proper either - in fact, for the bulk of peoria, gilbert & phoenix you would be hard pressed to tell them apart ....... it's not like cities in the north east where you have a big urban core and then some distinct suburbs around it ........ here everything just rolls together

Also keep in mind that dependent on what part of peoria and what part of gilbert you are looking at you are basically covering an area that would span from Newark to Dover - except that it would be filled in with homes, strip malls, job centers, etc.

So basically - it's a giant metro .... there are some areas that don't feel like you are in a big city - however, you will need to balance that with where you will work, commute tolerance, price, etc

[redjan1225]

Originally Posted by carinap1212

My husband and I are looking to move in a year or two to Arizona. We currently live in Delaware. We visited Arizona a few years back and even got married in Sedona! We have a 5 year old son, so schools are important. Are any of the two cities above worth looking at?? We are planning a trip soon to visit a few places to see which we like the best, but thought I'd start here so we don't waste time looking at cities that are not worth it!! We do prefer the warmth, but we don't want to go into the Tuscon area. So around Phoenix area is good, but not Phoenix itself! We are looking for an area that isn't over crowded like where we currently live.

Thanks to everyone for the help!

Don't cross Phoenix off the list. I think Phoenix is very family friendly depending on what area of town you live in. Keep in mind that Phoenix and all surrounding suburbs just blur together. There are millions of people living here. You may find a little more open land visible from Gilbert vs. Peoria, although I guess Peoria does extend up to Lake Pleasant and there is some open space up that direction.

I also just wanted to clarify the weather. Phoenix is generally a few degrees warmer than Tucson. Your post seemed like you felt the Phoenix area was cooler, but I may be misinterpreting.

[carinap1212]

Well thank you everyone for the information. It's been a big help!! and you were correct, I thought Tuscon would be warmer being further south! Thanks for the info there!

It's so hard to relocate so far away and not know much except for the 10 days I took touring alot of Arizona, which caused me to fall in love with it, plus the very warm weather! I hate the cold and rain and snow, lol!

I do appreciate everyone's input! Thanks again!

[greendesert]

1) discard every preconceived notion that you have about the Phoenix area. In most cases it is just very different than most other places. Different pros and cons
2) do not even think of buying a house here before you rent for a minimum of 6 months if not more. I had a friend move here, I offered them a place to stay to take his time and make sure he finds the right house for his family. He got in a hurry and just closed on a house. Great deal, dirt cheap. The day after he closed, he figured out that the house is directly in line with the flight pattern of jets from Luke Airforce base and the noise of the new F-35 jets is just insanely loud (many times louder than F16). The neighbors turned out to be a bit of a dissapointment too.

I live in Peoria, I love the city itself, although the farther north you go, the better. Scum is starting to creep north... I've noticed some increase in crime in our area since we moved here. Inform yourself about traffic in the area. driving North/South is generally not too bad for commuting to work (I17 and extra lanes on 7th Ave and ST), but driving west-east or diagonally can be a royal PITA. Personally I'm tempted to agree with the previous poster mentioning Anthem. I'm not a city type and a bit of a farmer at heart, so being away from the city and all the rules would be nice, yet quick access via I-17 is decent. There are also neighborhoods even within Phoenix that are fairly decent. Metroplex mall area is not one of them.

[Finger Laker]

The F-35 is not flying out of Luke at this time .... Brewer was just in Washington lobbying for it (and hoping to preserve some of the F-16 presence that is scheduled to be relocated - mainly to NM)

Currently in the environmental impact study portion of the selection with an expectation of a location for the training site next year

[Captain Bill]

Originally Posted by greendesert

...The day after he closed, he figured out that the house is directly in line with the flight pattern of jets from Luke Airforce base and the noise of the new F-35 jets is just insanely loud (many times louder than F16). The neighbors turned out to be a bit of a dissapointment too...

Anyone buying a home in the west valley should be aware of Luke AFB.

• Realtors provide disclosures of airports in the vicinity.
• The Buyers Advisory provides information and links on military and public air bases.
• Sellers are required to disclose vicinity of airports in the Sellers Property Disclosure Statement
• Buyers are responsible for their own due diligence, during the Due Diligence time frame, as spelled out in section 6 of the Residential Purchase Contract.

Therefore, there is no reason why a buyer should purchase a home and only after closing discover that they're in the vicinity of Luke AFB, or any other airport.

A.R.S. § 28-8486, enacted by the 1999 Legislature, states:

1. The state real estate department shall have and make available to the public on request a map showing the exterior boundaries of each territory in the vicinity of a public airport. The map shall clearly set forth the boundaries on a street map. The state real estate department shall work closely with each public airport and affected local government as necessary to create a map that is visually useful in determining whether property is located in or outside of a territory in the vicinity of a public airport.

A buyer in Surprise, or other city in the vicinity of Luke, would have been given a Luke Air Force Base map showing the air base location and flight paths prior to making an offer. Surprise has an ordinance requiring Realtors to carry that document with them any time they are acting in the capacity of a real estate agent within that city.

Quote=Surprise City Code....
Sec. 26-67. - Display requirement.
(a)
Every person operating a sales trailer, model home complex, sales office, leasing office, or any other facility open to the public for the purpose of leasing or selling new or used homes or apartments shall prominently display a 24-inch by 36-inch copy of the map at the main public entrance of such facility with the approximate location of the homes or apartments being sold or leased clearly depicted.
(b)
Every realtor shall:
(1)
Carry an 8½-inch by 11-inch copy of the map;
(2)
Display the map to potential buyers and lessees prior to showing any home or apartment; and
(3)
Indicate on the map the approximate location of the home or apartment being shown.
(Code 2007, § 8.20.020)
Sec. 26-68. - Penalties for violation.
Any person found to have violated any section of this article shall be subject to a civil penalty. Receipt of three civil violations of this article in any calendar year may result in class two misdemeanor charges being filed against the offending party for each subsequent offense.

Also, page 7 of the Buyers Advisory that every buyer receives and must initial each page and sign, discusses military and public air bases. That section has a link to the military bases: Arizona Department of Real Estate
and to public air bases: Arizona Department of Real Estate

Luke noise map: http://www.luke.af.mil/shared/media/...100817-042.pdf

Lines 189-196 of the Sellers Property Disclosure Statement requires the Seller to disclose if they are in the vicinity of an airport.