Looking To Move To Anthem or Phoenix/Happy Valley Area (Scottsdale: middle-class, apartment)

[weloveaz]

Hi,
My husband and I are looking to move to either Anthem or Phoenix - Happy Valley location. Any thoughts, and help to get to know the areas, would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you very much.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by weloveaz

Hi,
My husband and I are looking to move to either Anthem or Phoenix - Happy Valley location. Any thoughts, and help to get to know the areas, would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you very much.

Your questions are really too broad to answer meaningfully. What about those two areas caused you to choose them (I assume you knew something about them before selecting them)? Have you visited them yourself? Where will either or both of you be working? What other amenities do you need or prefer to be close to? There are threads about those areas already that you can find with the search function which might help you. Knowing a bit more about your situation would be helpful to the people here in answering your questions.

[ScottsdaleMark]

I recommend you research the soil quality of whatever homes you end up considering, because there are a lot of issues with expansive soils up there. When you have your home inspected, ask them to check closely for any foundation issues. They also have a lot of issues with flooding up that way due to all the rivers/washes running down from the mountains so you may want to scout around the area to determine how close you are to any of those danger areas. Bad soil needn't be an issue, but only if the builder spent a few thousand extra to put in a better foundation, etc., which often times they don't want to do, because most people don't think about soil when they buy a home.

Here is a site you can pull up detailed flood insurance rate maps for any area (also shows your risk of flooding, basically):
http://msc.fema.gov/portal/search

Here is a soil map for the Phoenix area:

[observer53]

If you are looking for a one bedroom apartment, as you indicate in your other thread, then you will have more options in the Happy Valley area.

[weloveaz]

Thank you all very for the information. We greatly appreciate it. I think you changed our minds. We are new to the area and looking for a new apartment to settle down for a while.

[Rico Valencia]

Originally Posted by ScottsdaleMark

I recommend you research the soil quality of whatever homes you end up considering, because there are a lot of issues with expansive soils up there. When you have your home inspected, ask them to check closely for any foundation issues. They also have a lot of issues with flooding up that way due to all the rivers/washes running down from the mountains so you may want to scout around the area to determine how close you are to any of those danger areas. Bad soil needn't be an issue, but only if the builder spent a few thousand extra to put in a better foundation, etc., which often times they don't want to do, because most people don't think about soil when they buy a home.

Here is a site you can pull up detailed flood insurance rate maps for any area (also shows your risk of flooding, basically):
FEMA Flood Map Service Center | Search By Address

Here is a soil map for the Phoenix area:

The soil in Gilbert is much more expansive than Anthem. Soil expansion in the Happy Valley area is minimal to nonexistent. It seems like you have some kind of irrational vendetta against the North Valley. With that being said, as long as the soil near your foundation is graded properly you will be fine, expansive soil or not.

[Rico Valencia]

Originally Posted by weloveaz

Hi,
My husband and I are looking to move to either Anthem or Phoenix - Happy Valley location. Any thoughts, and help to get to know the areas, would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you very much.

You and your husband can't go wrong with the Anthem/ Happy Valley area. The Happy Valley area you speak of is known as Norterra east of the I-17 and Stetson Valley west of the freeway. The area is quit scenic with many hiking trails, dining options and has many major employers in the area like USAA, American Express and the Deer Valley Airport.

The area has highly rated schools and generally speaking is an upper-middle-class, prestigious, highly sought after area so you will have to pay your "fair share" to live up there. Good luck!

[FromEastCoast]

I love living in Anthem. Let me know what questions you have and I'll try my best to answer them.

[ScottsdaleMark]

Originally Posted by Rico Valencia

The soil in Gilbert is much more expansive than Anthem. Soil expansion in the Happy Valley area is minimal to nonexistent. It seems like you have some kind of irrational vendetta against the North Valley. With that being said, as long as the soil near your foundation is graded properly you will be fine, expansive soil or not.

Certainly I can look at the map that I posted...not sure what the obvious soil issues in parts of the SE Valley have to do with the OP's question about Anthem and surrounding areas. Who knew posting a government-issued map was so provocative. And, yes, it does flood up there, quite recently. It's a reasonable advisement.

In terms of an "irrational vendetta" against the North Valley, I have no idea where you got that from. Please try to substantiate that, because you can't. What an odd thing to say.

[Wally Sconce]

Originally Posted by ScottsdaleMark

Certainly I can look at the map that I posted...not sure what the obvious soil issues in parts of the SE Valley have to do with the OP's question about Anthem and surrounding areas. Who knew posting a government-issued map was so provocative. And, yes, it does flood up there, quite recently. It's a reasonable advisement.

In terms of an "irrational vendetta" against the North Valley, I have no idea where you got that from. Please try to substantiate that, because you can't. What an odd thing to say.

Where did it flood up there "recently"?