Lots of Phoenix Questions (Mesa, Glendale: ski resorts, best neighborhoods, for sale)

[dew2773]

We are thinking of moving to the Phoenix area this summer. What are the best neighborhoods? We are looking for something with other young families, good schools, safe, decent houses. We'd like to buy in the $600k range.

We are big skiers. . .are there decent resorts in driving distance? How long does it take to drive to San Diego? Las Vegas?

Are there many outdoorsy people and activities?

What about pests, are there problems with bugs, snakes, lizards INSIDE the house?

Do most houses have pools?

Thanks!

[AngelfaceAZ]

wow! you do have a lot of questions, which is good. Make sure you know as much as you can before you take the plunge.

There are plenty of wonderful neighborhoods all over the valley and it kind of depends on where you are planning on working and how long of a commute you would like to have as too where to recommend you look. Gilbert, Chandler, Ahwatukee, North Mesa, Scottsdale, Cave Creek are all very nice cities.

For $600k you can get more in some places than others, it all depends on what you are looking for and what you like. In Scottsdale $600K will buy you a very nice home...in Gilbert it will buy you a very nice mansion lol.

Snow Bowl and Sun Rise are the two main ski resorts and while Snow Bowl is the closer of the two, Sun Rise usually has more snow. The drive would usually be anywhere from 4-6 hours to get to either one.

I think that San Diego is about a 6 hour drive, but I've never done that one myself. Las Vegas is probably about a 6-8 hour drive depending on which route you take and traffic...and if you speed lol.

Outdoor activities: Plenty in the fall, winter, spring...harder in the summer. Lots of mountains to climb, especially if you live in South Ahwahtukee...some of the views down there are phenomenal!

ummmm bugs, snakes and lizards oh my!...most people in AZ will see a roach or two from time to time, comes with the territory. I've not heard of anyone having snakes in the house but occasionally hear of geckos in houses...usually by accident. The other big one is the scorpion...we definately have those in houses around here...depends on where you live though.

There are plenty of homes available with pools...currently there are plenty of homes available period lol.

Hope that helps

[AzDreamer]

Best Neighborhood: There are good neighborhoods scattered all over the valley. Lots of people find their place based on where they will be working. If you know where you will be working and want to share that info you'll get lots of suggestions.

Skiing: There are some good choices in AZ but the snow isn't as reliable as that in Colorado. The best skiing in AZ is in Flagstaff at Snowbowl (http://www.arizonasnowbowl.com/) and the White Mountains at Sunrise (http://www.sunriseskipark.com/). If you are up for a 6-8 hour drive then SW Colorado is pretty good.

Driving: google "drive time phoenix las vegas san diego" and you'll find a few sites with drive times. I would paste one here but it would probably get deleted by the moderator.

Outdoorsy People: Almost everyone I know in Phoenix falls into this category. Hiking, biking, tennis and swimming are big.

Pests: I have never seen a snake or lizard inside my house. We did have to listen to crickets at a place we owned 20 years ago. Roaches are probably going to be a problem if you don't keep your kitchen clean. You can spray Boric Acid into the walls and behind cabinets to help with this problem. Boric Acid isn't poisonous to people, I don't know why roaches find it objectionable. I have only seen one scorpion and that was on a camping trip. There are some folks that see them behind every rock, maybe they have a sixth sense. There are probably black widow spiders in every garden shed but I don't know anyone that has been bitten. I have more issues with every-day pests like mosquitoes and they are not that prevalent in Phoenix unless you live next to an unmaintained pool.

Pools: Some neighborhoods have lots of pools. The nicer the area the more pools you'll find. You can use google maps satellite pictures to zoom into a neighborhood to see how many pools there are. There are lots of folks that like salt-water pools, you can use google for more info on that.

[Captain Bill]

Originally Posted by dew2773

We are thinking of moving to the Phoenix area this summer. What are the best neighborhoods? We are looking for something with other young families, good schools, safe, decent houses. We'd like to buy in the $600k range.

We are big skiers. . .are there decent resorts in driving distance? How long does it take to drive to San Diego? Las Vegas?

Are there many outdoorsy people and activities?

What about pests, are there problems with bugs, snakes, lizards INSIDE the house?

Do most houses have pools?

Thanks!

Dew, there are a lot or really nice areas with homes in the price range you mention.

There are a lot of outdoorsy people and activities.

Many homes have pools.

I've never seen bugs, snakes, or lizards inside my home. I've never seen a scorpion inside or outside my home. If you see a lizard, just remember that lizards are friendly little critters who eat bugs. If you do find one inside the house, just take him outside and let him go.

It is a good idea to have an insect company spray your home on a schedule of every two to three months.

In the areas closer to the desert and areas that have all desert landscape like N. Scottsdale are where you'll find more wild life outside your home.

Depending on how fast you drive it can be about 7 hours or less to San Diego and around 6 to Las Vegas.

In east Gilbert there is a huge baseball complex with replicas of 8 famous stadiums. I haven't been by there but it was scheduled to be completed last month.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/88663 (broken link)

There is a new beautiful bowling alley in Gilbert that is much more than a bowling alley.

I live in the community of Val Vista Lakes, which was awarded the Gilbert community of the year award. I'm also on the board of directors of the HOA and I can attest to the fact that it is a professionally run community We have an in-house professional manager that answers to the board. She has a staff of about 50 people that operate and maintain the club house, lakes and landscape in the one mile square area. We have a $10,000,000 clubhouse with tennis courts, hand ball courts, weight room, cardio room, outdoor heated junior olympic pool, spa, meeting and banquet rooms, and a unique beach pool with sand, unheated, and a beach volley ball court, all sitting on the lake. We have 4 lakes totaling about 60 acres.

www.valvistalakes.org is the community web site where you can see photos of the area. There are a lot of young families in this community of 1976 homes. There are 24 sub-divisions in the community including 8 gated communities. I've sold homes in the area so I know the inventory very well and you can get a nice home for $600k, and there are a couple of homes on the waterfront in that range.

Gilbert is said to be the second safest city next to Surprise. The Gilbert PD and the FD are excellent.

[erika8907]

The best area to live in is Scottsdale BUT it is a very snooty area so be prepared to keep up with the Jones'.
There are outdoorsy things to do but not alot of good scenery in the Phoenix area.
You can drive to Pasen or Sedona to see and do outdoorsy things.
There are scorpions here. We have them in my apartment...they are alomost impossible to get rid of and they can be very dangerous! Other than that I have not come across alot of pests.
San Diego and Vegas are both about 6 hours away.
I personally want to move out of Arizona (especially the Phoenix area)....I am from near Chicago and I like Chicago much better.
The job market in the Phoenix area is great but there is very little culture here because it is such a melting pot and people are not too friendly.
I would NEVER raise my kids here because the schools here are not good, there isn't a sense of community, and crime is high.

[ivanabacowboy]

Northern Phoenix and North Scottsdale are the areas I know. Very nice. But as stated-your $600K would get a nice house here, but a much much nicer house elsewhere. Price=location. This part of town is very nice. I dont know anything about elementary schools because my son is college age.

My older sister lives in Vegas. She does it in 5 to 5-1/2 hours to where I live in northern Phoenix.

The only bugs I have seen since I moved here and in all my travels here have been a) normal small house spiders just like we had in Ohio b) a few mosquitoes (not many at all tho) and c) a couple crickets.

I rent and we have a pool and a hot tub. Most houses in this part of town do, tho I know there are some that dont (my younger sister lives about 2 miles from me and never got a pool).

For outdoors stuff, tons about now. Much less from about June-August when it is really hot. Tho if you do outdoor stuff, in those summer months people do those activities really early in the morning or late in the evening. I was so shocked the first time I saw like dozens of joggers at 4 am lol!

[Lee151]

Try to move earlier in the year than summer, moving right into the heat from a colder climate doesn't let your body acclimate.

Lots of outdoorsy things to do. Boating, hiking, horseback riding, camping, sports etc. Tons.

Skiing less than six hours away, Flagstaff is about a three hour drive. Colorado and Utah are also pretty easy to get too.

[AZParents]

Many of the neighborhoods mentioned here are good. When looking, find out if the neighborhoods have an HOA, and if it does find out if the HOA is any good. Some are fine, or have minimal fees, but others are over-managed or expensive. Ours has a few self-important doofi on the board, but it's mostly harmless.

Another thing to consider is what kind of "look" you want for your surrounding areas. Places like far north Phoenix/Cave Creek (where I live) or north-north Scottsdale, have a definite desert look, which isn't for everyone. Other places are greener and have more trees, less cactus, etc. This is something you can't see when looking at photos of houses online, etc.

You'll be able to get a good house anywhere, including Scottsdale, for $600k. My in-laws live in the 'dale and their next door neighbor has been trying to sell her pristine 2400+ sq ft house for months and has dropped the price over $75k. There's a ton of inventory everywhere right now.

Lots to do outdoors, especially hiking, but really it's summer and winter here with no real fall or spring. I've never seen a rattle snake, but we did have one scorpion in our house which I killed and never saw another.

[WantingoutofAz]

Originally Posted by dew2773

We are thinking of moving to the Phoenix area this summer. What are the best neighborhoods? We are looking for something with other young families, good schools, safe, decent houses. We'd like to buy in the $600k range.

We are big skiers. . .are there decent resorts in driving distance? How long does it take to drive to San Diego? Las Vegas?

Are there many outdoorsy people and activities?

What about pests, are there problems with bugs, snakes, lizards INSIDE the house?

Do most houses have pools?

Thanks!

Where would you be working? Downtown? That makes a huge difference in the areas I would suggest. My husband and I are both natives and I have never seen a scorpion in either of our parent's houses or our own.

I would say that the bigger the home the more likely it will have a pool. I would say 75% of the homes in our neighborhood have pools but we are in a nicer neighborhood.

Well, if you are looking for a nice, family oriented area I would definitely suggest the northwest valley. For Phoenix it is by far my favorite. This includes Peoria (85383) and Glendale (85308). I have heard that the school districts are good (Peoria and Deer Valley). There are so many young families with children in our neighborhood and there is a nice park here too. I feel very safe in our neighborhood although crime is everywhere here but most of it has to do with car break ins. We have a house for sale in a great neighborhood in Peoria called Fletcher heights exactly in your price range (although at this point we are willing to give a great deal). It is a 4000 sq. foot one story with a basement, 5 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, office and has a larger lot than most and a pool.

Good luck in your search.

[sablebaby]

Living in the north valley it only takes me 4 hours to get to Vegas.