Scottsdale or Mesa (Phoenix, Chandler, Tempe: how much, new home, neighborhoods)

[umamall]

Hi! We're moving from Colorado to the Phoenix area. Although we're still looking, we've chosen Scottsdale and Mesa as our most likely to move to places. We're looking for:
Good schools
Good commute into Phoenix
Luxury homes (I know the obvious answer is Scottsdale, but is Mesa a nice area as well?)
Thanks!

[GHOSTRIDER AZ]

Scottsdale 1st choice.


Mesa West / Val vista

[DavidBilly]

Mesa Eastmark, new homes, some gated neighborhoods, various price points.

[yellowbelle]

Where in PHX are you commuting to?

I'd avoid Mesa, even the "nice" parts of Mesa. Since price point doesn't seem to be a concern, Scottsdale is the easy winner hands-down.

[BuckeyeBoyDJ]

Scottsdale and Mesa are very different as far as what the cities offer. It really comes down to what amenities you're looking for in a community. Where you'll be working will be the determining factor. I assume you're going to be working in Phoenix since you're worried about the commute to Phoenix. If you're working in Downtown/Central Phoenix then Central/South Scottsdale and West Mesa would be doable. If you're working in north Phoenix then I wouldn't be looking any where in Mesa or the southeast valley in general as the commute would be awful. North Phoenix/North Scottsdale areas would be more tolerable commute wise.

Scottsdale: It reminds me a lot of west LA areas like Brentwood, Sherman Oaks, etc. It's pretty much a "conservative LA" in the desert with great schools, a plethora of luxury homes,great restaurants, shopping, 5 star resorts&spas, great golf courses. It's not all glitz&glammer though many people live normal suburban lives as well. You'll find a lot of young professionals, families, and a good amount of retirees in Scottsdale.

Mesa: Mesa is actually a fairly large city and the largest suburb in the country with well over 400K residence. It's really nothing special honestly it's just a regular suburb with all of the typical suburban things. You won't really find too many luxury homes it's mostly older single family homes mixed in with newer subdivisions throughout. And Mesa schools are more hit and miss but I can't comment on the schools as I have no experience with the school district there. If you're considering Mesa you should be considering Chandler, South Tempe, Gilbert, and Ahwatukee as well.

[asufan]

Luxury meaning $1M-$2M+ I assume? I would look at Scottsdale first, primarily the area bordering Arcadia or Arcadia itself if commuting to central Phoenix is important. Mesa definitely has enough luxury housing to choose from and you could get more bang for your buck, but it is further away and doesn't really compare well to Scottsdale or Arcadia IMO.

[Minntoaz]

Why Mesa as your other option? Why not Chandler? It's the same distance from city center as Mesa, if not closer.

[John7777]

On a scale of 1 to 100, I'd put Scottsdale in the upper 90s. Mesa? I'd give it a 15.

There's no comparison. Listen to the people here and forget about Mesa.

[Colt AZ]

Scottsdale or Mesa?

Neither, nor.

I'm mostly an out-in-the-sticks kinda guy.

[DogLovinGal]

I recently moved from another state into Scottsdale and after spending some time in the valley, the posts on this board are correct. You can't really compare. As far as a commute to Phoenix goes sounds like Scottsdale would be your better bet. Homes range from around 300K in cheap-but-still decent neighborhoods to well... several million, depending on your location. I know 300K isn't cheap for everyone, but for a decent house in a decent area of scottsdale, this is your starting point. If property appreciation is a factor for you Scottsdale wins hands down with that as well, we worked with several advisers prior to purchasing our home and in one year I can't complain with how much it's appreciated versus homes in other parts of the valley. On the other hand, you could buy more house for your money out in Mesa. The price we paid for our home, we could have purchased two homes in Chandler (brand new builds, with pools, etc). But they don't appreciate as quickly.

Other nice areas with good schools and luxury homes are Arcadia & Paradise Valley, both with decent commutes to DT phoenix. Homes in that area are at least 600-700, and what you get isn't what you'd expect for that price. To get a nicer luxury home you're looking in the 2+ million range in those areas.