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Old 05-06-2015, 10:09 PM
 
Location: Salt Lake City
27,930 posts, read 29,774,299 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MN-Born-n-Raised View Post
I would of picked Gilbert but nearly every nice neighborhood had a Mormon church designed smack dab in the middle of it. What's up with THAT? No Thanks.
Hell, no! You wouldn't want to live in an area with a lot of Mormons!!!!
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Old 05-07-2015, 05:08 AM
 
9,682 posts, read 11,066,746 times
Reputation: 8429
Quote:
Originally Posted by Katzpur View Post
Hell, no! You wouldn't want to live in an area with a lot of Mormons!!!!
My exclusively point was that I would dodge a neighborhood where a church was designed smack dab in the middle of it. The goal of those developers were to attract members of the Mormon faith. I'm agnostic, I don't want to be preached to (think door to door bike riders with white shirts and black slacks trying to "save me"). I'm not on the same philosophical page with someone who thinks Joseph Smith found some golden plates which he translated to become the Book of Mormon. I don't want to find out the neighborhood current events only when I attend church.

For that matter, I'm not going to move into a neighborhood specifically designed around a Jewish synagogue, a Hindu mandir or even a Jain Gambhara. Never mind that I could drive a semi truck though the breaches in logic. If someone is moving into that neighborhood to be close to their own faith (faith is needed when logic/proof is missing), so be it. But count me out. I'd be happy to move to Gilbert as a whole, nearly all the pre-programmed people are ethical and fine folks outside of their stretched beliefs. The neighborhoods that I liked all had those pesky temples and therefore I'm not on the same page. If I moved in their neighborhood, I'd be asking to be an outside looking in.
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Old 05-07-2015, 09:26 AM
 
Location: Metro Phoenix, AZ USA
17,915 posts, read 43,262,187 times
Reputation: 10724
Quote:
Originally Posted by MN-Born-n-Raised View Post

Different stokes for different folks. Allow me to explain. Some people want land. The outer burbs including Surprise offers that. The farther out normally == less crime and Surprise is the 2nd safest city in AZ. I REALLY like that. Some people like the new feel and I'm in that camp.

.....

So without seeing your neighborhood, I predict I'm going to like mine better. I REALLY like my neighborhood and I have no problem whatsoever living in Surprise. I would of picked Gilbert but nearly every nice neighborhood had a Mormon church designed smack dab in the middle of it. .....
There are lots of neighborhoods in Surprise that have the houses jammed close together just like they are in parts of every other city in the Valley. All of them, including Surprise, do have areas that come with larger lots for those who are looking for that and can afford the larger lot size.

I wasn't talking about 60's and 70's vintage neighborhoods, but those that were built before the boom. I'm sure there are nice areas in Surprise, and I know there are people who are perfectly happy there. I just think the OP (like a lot of other people who are moving here without knowing the Valley at all) has other options if their daily commute is to central Phoenix, and if their interests outside of work might often also take them to parts of the Valley far from Surprise.

The OP was never asking about living in Gilbert, or living near a Mormon church. No need to go there.
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Old 05-07-2015, 10:07 AM
 
9,682 posts, read 11,066,746 times
Reputation: 8429
Quote:
Originally Posted by observer53 View Post
There are lots of neighborhoods in Surprise that have the houses jammed close together just like they are in parts of every other city in the Valley.
Yep! Just like a lot of new areas.

Quote:
Originally Posted by observer53 View Post
All of them, including Surprise, do have areas that come with larger lots for those who are looking for that and can afford the larger lot size.
Nope. Think horse lots.

Quote:
Originally Posted by observer53 View Post
I wasn't talking about 60's and 70's vintage neighborhoods, but those that were built before the boom.
There are pockets of newer areas inside of most towns. But the remaining areas might have blight (driving though crap to get to your home). I've observed all kids of PHX proper areas that fit that bill. Some people take that trade-off (1955-1975 shoebox rambler) or in an area that is close but not anywhere near the street appeal that is on Bell inside of Surprise. Yes, there is better areas. But Surprise is no slouch.

Quote:
Originally Posted by observer53 View Post
I just think the OP (like a lot of other people who are moving here without knowing the Valley at all) has other options if their daily commute is to central Phoenix, and if their interests outside of work might often also take them to parts of the Valley far from Surprise.
POSITIVELY! I would never ever have a long commute. Life's too short!

Quote:
Originally Posted by observer53 View Post
The OP was never asking about living in Gilbert, or living near a Mormon church. No need to go there.
You said you didn't get why so many people ask about Surprise. I do I told you why. Because other similiar areas are off the radar including Gilbert. It fit the bill for me (newer, reasonably priced, nice area, space if I needed it, etc). I suspect you "get" why people like Gilbert but not Surprise. I gave you the logic why people positively have erased Gilbert on their short list because of that my explanation.
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Old 05-07-2015, 10:54 AM
 
Location: Sonoran Desert
39,004 posts, read 50,987,327 times
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People ask about Surprise because they have been doing online research and it comes up consistently with newer homes at more affordable prices. That has always been the allure of Surprise. If they ask on a board like this, they will learn there is a catch and that is the relative inconvenience of the place. They can then decide if a lower priced, but nice home in a nice area is worth the additional time and money they will spend getting around the city.
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Old 05-07-2015, 11:05 AM
 
Location: Metro Phoenix, AZ USA
17,915 posts, read 43,262,187 times
Reputation: 10724
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ponderosa View Post
People ask about Surprise because they have been doing online research and it comes up consistently with newer homes at more affordable prices. That has always been the allure of Surprise. If they ask on a board like this, they will learn there is a catch and that is the relative inconvenience of the place. They can then decide if a lower priced, but nice home in a nice area is worth the additional time and money they will spend getting around the city.
Pretty much sums it up.
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Old 05-07-2015, 11:07 AM
 
9,682 posts, read 11,066,746 times
Reputation: 8429
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ponderosa View Post
People ask about Surprise because they have been doing online research and it comes up consistently with newer homes at more affordable prices. That has always been the allure of Surprise. If they ask on a board like this, they will learn there is a catch and that is the relative inconvenience of the place. They can then decide if a lower priced, but nice home in a nice area is worth the additional time and money they will spend getting around the city.
Yep! Logical and true.

I got the feeling that observer53 thought Surprise was a touch substandard in some way when she said slapping houses up, all those foreclosures (past tense) and commented that it is so far away... Answer: Some people don't care about being central (FACT, traffic is worse for about 4 hours a day when you are central), and it is older. The benefit is costs less. For people like me where my commute is from the bedroom to the home office, I love being out there AND with 125,000 people worth of (NEW) infrastructure . Trade-offs, trade-offs, trade-offs.
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Old 05-07-2015, 01:32 PM
 
Location: Metro Phoenix, AZ USA
17,915 posts, read 43,262,187 times
Reputation: 10724
Quote:
Originally Posted by MN-Born-n-Raised View Post
Yep! Logical and true.

I got the feeling that observer53 thought Surprise was a touch substandard in some way when she said slapping houses up, all those foreclosures (past tense) and commented that it is so far away... Answer: Some people don't care about being central (FACT, traffic is worse for about 4 hours a day when you are central), and it is older. The benefit is costs less. For people like me where my commute is from the bedroom to the home office, I love being out there AND with 125,000 people worth of (NEW) infrastructure . Trade-offs, trade-offs, trade-offs.

I don't think it's completely substandard, but most anywhere that the houses went up overnight had some issues. New is nice, but so are bigger trees and some variation in the homes. And yes, sometimes just a bit more space, (I'm not talking about horse property). Surprise went from virtually nothing to a pretty good sized bedroom community in nothing flat. Not unlike Maricopa. And, when the bust hit, it got hit hard, just like Maricopa did. Yes, houses are absolutely cheaper there than the comparable house somewhere else in the Valley. So, when out of staters start looking, they see that first. But, there's a tradeoff, as you say. For those who actually DO commute, or have interests that require driving some distance, Surprise is a long drive. Trips I've made in and out of Surprise were nightmarish traffic wise and distance wise. The 303 helps some, but not always enough. For you, and others like you who don't need to commute, Surprise is perfect. For the rest, good quality of life often doesn't include a lot of time in the car.
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Old 05-10-2015, 05:49 AM
 
9,682 posts, read 11,066,746 times
Reputation: 8429
Quote:
Originally Posted by observer53 View Post
I don't think it's completely substandard, but most anywhere that the houses went up overnight had some issues. New is nice, but so are bigger trees and some variation in the homes. And yes, sometimes just a bit more space, (I'm not talking about horse property). Surprise went from virtually nothing to a pretty good sized bedroom community in nothing flat. Not unlike Maricopa. And, when the bust hit, it got hit hard, just like Maricopa did. Yes, houses are absolutely cheaper there than the comparable house somewhere else in the Valley. So, when out of staters start looking, they see that first. But, there's a tradeoff, as you say. For those who actually DO commute, or have interests that require driving some distance, Surprise is a long drive. Trips I've made in and out of Surprise were nightmarish traffic wise and distance wise. The 303 helps some, but not always enough. For you, and others like you who don't need to commute, Surprise is perfect. For the rest, good quality of life often doesn't include a lot of time in the car.
Comparing Maricopa to Surprise is a stretch.

We agree that when you have a town of 30,000 in 1999 and quickly ramps up to 120,000 people in 6 short years, you had mega development. Like many parts of the Valley, the least expensive homes have a bunch of boring shades of tan that lack character. It's no different where many older areas have ugly rectangle concrete shoe boxes also with zero character even though they are close to central PHX. Heck, some of the most "historical" areas on Phoenix were made from DIY Sears and Roebuck house hits that are now cherished. So PHX area as a whole isn't going to win home building quality awards including Surprise. The custom and semi custom homes are excluded in all parts of the Valley. I'm also seeing 2013-2015 built track homes being built better. And since a town like Surprise has a lot of land to build out, it's inaccurate to paint an entire area with one broad stroke like you did because there is and will be a lot of new builds. IMHO, you oversimplified things. It would be like me characterizing Tempe as a crime ridden ASU only party town. That couldn't be farther from the truth. I diverge.

When they bottom fell out, spots like Surprise, Goodyear, Gilbert, and Anthem were filled with upside down homeowners that walked because they bought at near peak without equity. That created the market to undershoot. My 2006 built home originally sold for $495K. Then add shades, yard upgrades, etc. I bought it for a mere $185K or $52 a square foot. The value is now around $370K but I did put in some improvements. Truth be told, I wanted newer and preferred Goodyear north of the 10 or parts of Gilbert. But there were no green areas in Goodyear (where developments reseed). It left me with Buckeye and Verrado or north Peoria and Vistancia. If the infrastructure was in those areas, I would have bought in those areas and one day I will probably move to one of the two.

So just like every other newer town, Surprise has several neighborhoods with tan shoe boxes stacked on top of one another. But there are several neighborhoods with bigger lots and much more character. But I don't drive in those hoods, I drive by them with their typical concrete walls. Surprise is also home to Sun City Grand with thousands of very nice homes that are on several golf courses. When you peak in, they are not trashed like so many other areas in PHX area proper.

As you know, I live in Marley Park which with tree lined streets and the exact opposite of boring tan stucco homes. The trees in our area are 40 feet tall dotted along miles of trails and 14 parks. I can also find you all kinds of 1970's built areas that are missing mature trees and have some overgrown cactus in their ugly green rocked yard. So if you want to be accurate, you cannot paint a town with a broad brush.

Re: the commute. They have widened Northern over the past 2+ years and that has dramatically reduced my drive time out of Surprise. I don't drive 60 or Bell unless I have to. My GPS tells me to go on the new 303 which speeds up my drive as well to the airport. The solution to dodging a nightmare drive from Tempe to Surprise is avoid rush hour and know the back roads when you are forced to do the drive. During peak traffic, it's going to be frustrating for people. I'm not going to be punished so I don't drive in rush hour.. ever unless I absolutely have to. So for me, it's child's play to drive to Chandler or Scottsdale when I drive there once a month. It's a long drive but it sure beats the all-too-common commute as people drive 20 miles that takes them 45 minutes.

So in summary, I really don't think you have spent much time in Surprise nor have you experienced the better flow of traffic that has taken place. Those who are researching Surprise, don't do the long commute. It would be pure Hell. Once you work the numbers, it's far smarter to spend more $$'s and buy closer to your job. But people who like new, want to be away from the congestion, like safer areas and save on one of the largest expenses called housing, contemplate the outer burbs. I don't regret it for a minute. I spend 90% of my day in my neighborhood (mostly my house) and I love my neighborhood and house. So 90% of the time, I'm tickled. Those who have to do the back and forth commute need not apply.
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Old 05-21-2017, 11:07 AM
 
71 posts, read 115,066 times
Reputation: 33
Quote:
Originally Posted by livingincavecreek View Post
Our office is east of the 101 and I-17 (even closer than central Phoenix) and we have not been able to keep a single employee from Surprise who was forced to commute. It's a brutal commute, especially in the winter when more cars are on the road... my employees report 1+ hour commute times regularly. Surprise is just difficult to get in and out of, I would definitely look closer to civilization. If the job ever changes, your situation changes, company moves, etc., you'll be wishing you lived closer to everything.

I don't understand...it is around 30 miles from Surprise to Phoenix..... how can that be such a terrible drive? Granted I live in Southern CA and commute times are more horrendous than most can understand, but.. still.. I am considering relocating to Surprise (general area) and a 30 minutes commute (for my husband) sounds like heaven. Can you elaborate more on this?
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