I LOVE SCOTTSDALE!!! Who else? (Phoenix: buying, middle school, pharmacy)

[Aroundtheworld]

Scottsdale is as real as South Beach, fake boobs, fake hair, living in a dumpy out-dated apartment to have money to burn at Axis-Radius. Paradise Valley is way more upscale and real than Slumsdale.

[joninaz]

Bud Light Presents, "Real American Heroes"

Today we salute you, 'Mr. Angry Generalizing Scottsdale Basher.'

Your tireless efforts keep Scottsdale stereotypes alive and well. Without you we might think that everyone who plays in Scottsdale might not actually live there.

Is an entire city a slum? You would know. Why? Because you are an angry generalizing Scottsdale basher.

So crack open an ice cold Bud Light Mister, for you have shown that painting with a broad brush doesn't require a broad mind.

[desert student]

Originally Posted by joninaz

Bud Light Presents, "Real American Heroes"

Today we salute you, 'Mr. Angry Generalizing Scottsdale Basher.'

Your tireless efforts keep Scottsdale stereotypes alive and well. Without you we might think that everyone who plays in Scottsdale might not actually live there.

Is an entire city a slum? You would know. Why? Because you are an angry generalizing Scottsdale basher.

So crack open an ice cold Bud Light Mister, for you have shown that painting with a broad brush doesn't require a broad mind.

LOL!

Funny how a place that is regarded as being one of the most exclusive big cities in the nation is given the title "Slumsdale." The intelligence level from that is just overwhelming!

[backtochitown]

Originally Posted by 43north87west

Some of Scottsdale is pretty average IMO and is looking pretty tired.

This is another thing I despise about the Valley of Hellacious Heat...the common cheap stucco boxes there do NOT age well at all in the relentless sun and heat...heck, most 'newer' cookie cutter hoods there start to look bad after only 3-5 years as paint washes out and exterior wood on fences, etc. warps because very few homeowners paint/stain as often as it is truly required.

I'm back in the Chicago area now and the many decades old stone/brick homes in the area I am in still look awesome...construction in the desert West is crap.

[nickluva]

Originally Posted by Aroundtheworld

Scottsdale is as real as South Beach, fake boobs, fake hair, living in a dumpy out-dated apartment to have money to burn at Axis-Radius. Paradise Valley is way more upscale and real than Slumsdale.

I dunno about that one South Beach>>>>>>>Scottsdale, you can't even compare the two. Also Coral Gables>>>>>>>>>>>>>Paradise Valley

[yakijy]

Originally Posted by backtochitown

This is another thing I despise about the Valley of Hellacious Heat...the common cheap stucco boxes there do NOT age well at all in the relentless sun and heat...heck, most 'newer' cookie cutter hoods there start to look bad after only 3-5 years as paint washes out and exterior wood on fences, etc. warps because very few homeowners paint/stain as often as it is truly required.
I'm back in the Chicago area now and the many decades old stone/brick homes in the area I am in still look awesome...construction in the desert West is crap.

Left Chicago 5 years ago to escape all the stuff there, that has since gotten worse.... furniture left on the streets by low class imbeciles, the 'Bridgeport' type racism that abounds in certain neighborhoods, packed expressways and crosstown traffic, trying to find a place to funnel the snow from my snowblower, putting salt on the stairs and waiting for it to crack the concrete, freezing my face on the 'El' platform, praying that the torrential rains do not crack my gutters or start leaking from the ceiling, garage door graffiti, idiotic post office service, crowds everywhere. My Portage Park brick bungalow was cramped on a 25x100 lot, it went to $430k (Zillow), and is now down to $380k. Basement would flood, pipes cracked in winter, gutters always need to be cleaned, backyard had no privacy (the houses are about 8 ft apart), got chased back inside by mosquitoes when I tried to read outside.
Kinda miss the downtown energy, but not Daley's goon squad that will tow your car when you leave it for 10 minutes. Kinda miss Montrose Harbor, but I hear now that Vietnamese fishermen are being thrown off the piers by racist thugs.
I would have liked to live in Winnetka or Wilmette, but could not afford it, and you still have the commute, unless you can take the commuter train, which I did in Barrington for awhile, which was nicer, but I had to buy a lawn tractor and spent a lot of time on it.
The lakefront is nice, but how many Chicagoans actually use it? Most suburbanites stay in their communities, and go their crowded malls - like Woodfield, Gurnee, or Old Orchard. My sister in law from Schaumburg visited here, and is dying to move.

[londonbarcelona]

Originally Posted by backtochitown

This is another thing I despise about the Valley of Hellacious Heat...the common cheap stucco boxes there do NOT age well at all in the relentless sun and heat...heck, most 'newer' cookie cutter hoods there start to look bad after only 3-5 years as paint washes out and exterior wood on fences, etc. warps because very few homeowners paint/stain as often as it is truly required.

I'm back in the Chicago area now and the many decades old stone/brick homes in the area I am in still look awesome...construction in the desert West is crap.

You have a point there. When we first moved here and bought our first home in Scottsdale, we were shocked by some of the houses - they were literally built with chicken wire, foam and stucco on the outside! Luckily, most of the homes we looked at were constructed better. However, I'd say that most of the houses built in Phoenix (not all of AZ) are cheaply built.

You are right in describing how the buildings look shortly after they are built. They do age quickly here. The sun is wicked on anything left outside! You'd think that snow and water would do more damage,but I've seen what the blazing sun can do and it's just as bad.

One good thing though, is that in many places they have strict town ordinaces (sic) and they force the owners to keep them painted at least. I happen to think HOA's are the reason why Phoenix doesn't look like a sh*thole every where you look because the HOA's force people to keep their houses made of matchsticks kept up on the outside.

[backtochitown]

Originally Posted by yakijy

Left Chicago 5 years ago to escape all the stuff there, that has since gotten worse.... furniture left on the streets by low class imbeciles, the 'Bridgeport' type racism that abounds in certain neighborhoods, packed expressways and crosstown traffic, trying to find a place to funnel the snow from my snowblower, putting salt on the stairs and waiting for it to crack the concrete, freezing my face on the 'El' platform, praying that the torrential rains do not crack my gutters or start leaking from the ceiling, garage door graffiti, idiotic post office service, crowds everywhere. My Portage Park brick bungalow was cramped on a 25x100 lot, it went to $430k (Zillow), and is now down to $380k. Basement would flood, pipes cracked in winter, gutters always need to be cleaned, backyard had no privacy (the houses are about 8 ft apart), got chased back inside by mosquitoes when I tried to read outside.
Kinda miss the downtown energy, but not Daley's goon squad that will tow your car when you leave it for 10 minutes. Kinda miss Montrose Harbor, but I hear now that Vietnamese fishermen are being thrown off the piers by racist thugs.
I would have liked to live in Winnetka or Wilmette, but could not afford it, and you still have the commute, unless you can take the commuter train, which I did in Barrington for awhile, which was nicer, but I had to buy a lawn tractor and spent a lot of time on it.
The lakefront is nice, but how many Chicagoans actually use it? Most suburbanites stay in their communities, and go their crowded malls - like Woodfield, Gurnee, or Old Orchard. My sister in law from Schaumburg visited here, and is dying to move.

All I can say is live 18 straight years in a brown, dead area where 100+ degree day/night summers last 6 months and say how great it is...the first few years will not bother you so much but when you realize the summers only start earlier and end later you will get sick of it.

Better yet have your relative visit AZ in the middle of hell season for a month or so and see if their thoughts are the same...EVERYBODY loves Phoenix in December, January and February...but the heat up begins in March.

[yakijy]

Originally Posted by backtochitown

All I can say is live 18 straight years in a brown, dead area where 100+ degree day/night summers last 6 months and say how great it is...the first few years will not bother you so much but when you realize the summers only start earlier and end later you will get sick of it.

Better yet have your relative visit AZ in the middle of hell season for a month or so and see if their thoughts are the same...EVERYBODY loves Phoenix in December, January and February...but the heat up begins in March.

I have a hard time understanding how you can live 18 years in a place you hate. I hope you bought property back then, because then you have enough to go back to Chicago and buy a 1800 sq ft, 70+ year old, frame house on the northside for $600k or Winnetka for $750k.
Suprisingly I don't mind the heat much (except the cooling bills). Maybe it's because I have a pool and my backyard has plenty of green palm, pine and fruit trees. True, the front of my house is rocks, but it isn't ugly, I like it because I don't have to mow it. I think July-Aug-Sep in Phoenix is easier for me to take than Dec-Jan-Feb in Chicago.

[backtochitown]

Originally Posted by yakijy

I have a hard time understanding how you can live 18 years in a place you hate. I hope you bought property back then, because then you have enough to go back to Chicago and buy a 1800 sq ft, 70+ year old, frame house on the northside for $600k or Winnetka for $750k.
Suprisingly I don't mind the heat much (except the cooling bills). Maybe it's because I have a pool and my backyard has plenty of green palm, pine and fruit trees. True, the front of my house is rocks, but it isn't ugly, I like it because I don't have to mow it. I think July-Aug-Sep in Phoenix is easier for me to take than Dec-Jan-Feb in Chicago.

Stayed because AZ is where I started my business...AZ was good to me $ wise...plus we made a fortune off our Scottsdale house when we sold it.

We are looking at NW Indiana (about 30 minutes from downtown) and $500K will get you a brand new loaded luxury stone custom 3000 square foot home with basement on a golf course.

I love snow and cold weather.