We Are Moving to Phoenix!!!! (Glendale: rental, relocation company, how much)

[TxHeather]

Received an offer from a great PHX company and me, my husband and our three fur kids (spaniels) will be relocating to Phoenix later this summer.

My new company is in the 85054 zip code and we will take a couple of months to look around before buying. We are looking for a single family home with a pool no more than $250k.

Any areas/zip codes we should definitely consider in our house hunt? By the same token, any areas we should definitely avoid?

Thank you in advance!

[Jkgourmet]

I'd be concerned about finding a rental that accepts 3 spaniels while you're looking for a home to purchase. That's not goibg to be easy.

[chaparrito]

Just tell prospective landlords they're Pit Bulls. No problem!

[TxHeather]

Originally Posted by Jkgourmet

I'd be concerned about finding a rental that accepts 3 spaniels while you're looking for a home to purchase. That's not goibg to be easy.

The relocation company is handling our temporary housing, but thanks for the concern!

Any recommendations on areas to look for homes or areas to avoid?

[funflyer99]

Take a look from Happy Valley road north up to Anthem. Close to I-17, plenty of shopping and an easy commute to your work in the 85054 zip.

[TxHeather]

Thanks Funflyer! I was actually wondering about Anthem area. They seem to have a lot of nice homes in our price range but wasn't sure about the commute.

[PhxMan500]

It would be tough to find a home in your price range within that zip code. The commute from Anthem will still be a bit of a struggle, but it does depend on how much driving and traffic you are willing to accept. You will certainly get a lot more home for your money there. If you are willing to live in an older home in North Phoenix, try searching for "Desert Ridge" on an RE site. Some of the neighborhoods may be spotty, but it's generally safe and not as bad as other parts of the valley.

[TxHeather]

Thanks PhxMan! We actually would like a ranch style home so older homes are good so long as it's in a good neighborhood.

I will search Desert Ridge - is that a community or subdivision?

[goolsbyjazz]

Welcome to Phoenix! Anthem is nice, but a little ways from everything. Happy Valley may be a better bet for you. Good luck.

[sargeant79]

Your range of options is going to depend on how far you're willing to commute to work in 85054. If you're okay with a 25 minute commute each way, you will have a lot of really good options with pools in nice neighborhoods in that price range. The more your desired commute time drops from that point, the fewer options you will have since 85054 and many of the areas near it tend to be on the pricier side.

The good part is that the neighborhoods in North Phoenix tend to get less expensive the further north you get regardless of whether they are newer or older established neighborhoods. Some good areas that may be in your price range with a pool would include the areas north of Thunderbird/Cactus and east of 7th Avenue all the way up to the 101. Also, just about everything north of the 101 consists of pretty nice neighborhoods, including parts west of the 17 that may have Glendale addresses. If you get much farther north than Happy Valley Rd or further west than 43rd avenue, you start to exceed a 25 minute commute time.

One caveat...I'm making some extreme generalizations with the above statements. There are pockets in that entire area that are better and worse than others, along with pockets that are certainly more or less expensive than others. Generally, most of the areas in that range I mentioned would probably fit your most basic criteria. When you're here, you'll have to driver around and check those areas out in person to see if they are a good fit for you and whether you like their feel.

Good luck on the move.