Advice on moving to Phoenix (Glendale, Scottsdale: to rent, townhouses, safe neighborhood)

[mrking23]

Hello Everyone. I am a 28 year old single male with no kids and I am moving to the Phoenix area in late August/early September for work. I am looking to buy a house but I wanted some input and advice on some good locations to start looking at.

I have a budget of about 200k and I would like a 2 br/1.5 bath preferably with a pool (townhouses are fine). I would also like to be located somewhere with a good population of young professionals. Also I would like to be close to restaurants, bars, etc. I

I have heard that Scottsdale is a great place to live, but I was wondering where specifically I should look. I appreciate any input and advice, it is greatly appreciated!

[Az_Mitch]

Where will you be working? The Phoenix area is huge.

[mrking23]

I will be traveling to southern cal and Las Vegas for my job so I have flexibility to live wherever I want within the city. Thanks in advance for the help.

[Jkgourmet]

Originally Posted by mrking23

I will be traveling to southern cal and Las Vegas for my job so I have flexibility to live wherever I want within the city. Thanks in advance for the help.

Traveling by car or airplane?

and what do you enjoy during your leisure hours?

[PHOENIXtreeguy]

I would look at North Scottsdale or North Phoenix near Desert Ridge.

[Jukesgrrl]

Jkgourmet's question is key. Do you need to be near the airport? I-10? For newcomers, it often bears repeating that Metro Phoenix is the same size as the entire STATE of New Jersey. So one can live in "Phoenix" and be nowhere near either Sky Harbor Airport or an interstate highway.

Where are you moving from? Where else have you lived? Have you spent any amount of time in Phoenix so you know what downtown or uptown look like?

There is huge variety in the look and feel of Phoenix's neighborhoods. Most people will advise you to rent here for awhile before deciding to buy, which is good advice given the differences from one area to another. Also, your budget isn't very big for a single family home with a pool. Townhouse with a community pool is possible at the top of your budget unless you can work with one bed/one bath. Not to say you can't get one, but it's not likely to be in an upscale areas full of single professionals unless you are prepared for a place that needs a lot of updating.

[Prickly Pear]

If you are driving I would suggest the West side of the valley just to save time mainly. If you want to be near bars I would check out the Westgate area near the Cardinals stadium. Glendale is pretty well-priced depending where you look. I live near downtown Glendale and my house is 150k and is a 4 bedroom 2 bath in a safe neighborhood. With Glendale, Peoria, and Surprise you are near Grand Ave. which puts you at almost a direct shot to driving to Las Vegas.

If West valley doesn't win your heart I would take a guess that the biggest cluster of young professionals in Phoenix will be in the south Scottsdale area near Old Town (Scottsdale Fashion Square area). Old Town has the most bars and clubs and it's near Mill Avenue. If you are flying for your work it'll probably be better to live on the East side to be closer to Sky Harbor. But housing is more expensive over there especially because it's near Paradise Valley but has better nightlife. I don't know if you can find what you are looking for at that price in Scottsdale.

[thinkalot]

I'm old and live in Sun City but if I was young I think I would like to live in the Westgate area. I go there to eat and shop but I hear the night life is good. I see a lot of different things scheduled there.

[pbenjamin]

Originally Posted by Jukesgrrl

For newcomers, it often bears repeating that Metro Phoenix is the same size as the entire STATE of New Jersey.

While I agree with what you are getting at, equating the metropolitan area with an area the size of New Jersey is a bit misleading. The county is that size, and there are some government folks who may make the entire county part of the metropolitan area, but the practical reality is that the populated area is a little less than half that size. You won't find prospective newcomers looking at homes in Gila Bend, or at least I hope not.

[breakingbad]

I would live off of Chandler BLVD...west of 1-10. Distance wise it is not too far from Sky Harbor and the traffic won't be an issue if you leave at off peak hours. Scottsdale is good but not sure about your budget...