Total newbie to the area (Phoenix, Scottsdale: best town, to rent, houses)

[Tipmart87]

My wife, son (2yrs) and myself are seriously wanting to relocate within the next 2-3 years, preferably before my son starts to school so we don't have to uproot him from his friends.

We have looked at Reno, Washington state Colorado Springs and as my wife has now decided that she really hates the cold weather we are looking at Arizona and in Particular the Phoenix area.


We don;t want to live in the city itself, but no more than 15 - 20 miles outside as we are both in the fitness business and will probably want to start up our own business in the city after a couple of years.

As I'm originally from Northern Ireland and might find the heat hard to take sometimes, a house with a pool is essential!!

We have looked online at properties in Gilbert, Tempe, Mese, Litchfield Park and also Scottsdale. Our budget is around $350K to $425K.

3+ bedrooms
2+ bathrooms

Great schools are also very high on the list which going by the property websites, Arizona seems to have quite a few.

Some people I know say to avoid Scottsdale as for whatever reason, they say it is a little bit of a snooty area. I don't mean to offend anyone but that's what I have been told by friends that live in the area.

We are both avid cyclists/duathletes, so somewhere with safe roads to die on is also a big plus. our son is already into swimming so if there are local pools nearby that would be great.

I'm not sure about new construction properties in the area, but everywhere else we have looked it always appear that are jamming as many houses into as little space as possible. i would really like to have a little bit of space between myself and my next door neighbor.

If anyone has any thought, recommendations advice we would greatly appreciate it. We are looking at buying sometime soon and maybe trying to rent it out for a couple of years before we move

Thank You

[BIG CATS]

To avoid Scottsdale is a big mistake. Theres a reason its a highly sought after city, and thats because its safe, and lots of stuff to do with the family. You should be able to find plenty of housing stock in your price range, and the schools within the city and nearby Paradise Valley are generally excellent. Scottsdale is also the epicenter of the bike riding community out here, I swear. Roads are often chock full of groups of riders on teh weekend, riding in the designated bike lanes. A popular road to ride is Hayden and Pima. Its a long gradual uphill climb, with a wicked fast downhill. Scottsdale is also the start of the "greenbelt" bike path, which runs all the way down to Tempe Town Lake (about a 20 mile one-way ride). I ride it all the time, down around the lake and back, which is a shade over 40 miles round trip. The only bad part abuot the greenbelt is that you have to share the path with joggers, snowbirds, rollerbladers, etc, you name it. Areas around the lakes can be jammed with people, but its easy to get around them. The humidity in that area is pretty high, too, with all the water and grass they cram in there. Not to mention swarms of gnat-like bugs, which force you to ride with your mouth closed at times. hahaha The areas south of Osborn can get a little shady at night, so I try to ride in the daytime when I ride alone. Ive seen too many shady characters emerge from the shadows at night, its a little unnerving.

[RubyJune]

I've heard the Scottsdale is Snooty legend many times, and I've lived in North Scottsdale for 5 months and I haven't seen it anywhere except the roads. (People in fancy, expensive cars who seem to be quite entitled in their driving habits.) Otherwise, everyone I've encountered is friendly, and courteous. I'm sure there are plenty snooty people here, but they don't seem to be in the raging majority like some people make is sound.

I don't know anything about schools, but if you're into fitness, Scottsdale is probably a good area. Everything is a little bit more expensive here, including the crazy prices I've seen at some specialty gyms. You might do quite well opening a gym or personal training. I don't go a day without almost being hit by a cyclist walking my dogs, and I've seen cycling groups in my neighbourhood several times on weekends.

So, in short, based on everything you want, I wouldn't count Scottsdale out.

[Tipmart87]

Thanks for the replies

I will certainly be looking at Scottsdale, the houses look nice and while higher than surrounding areas they are considerably cheaper than where we currently live in the Bay area (Don't worry, we live in California but neither of us are Californians if you know what I mean. Can't wait to leave this place!!)

Thanks for the information and we will have a good look around when we come down in March

[i'm not a cookie]

As someone who has lived in the valley of the sun for over 16 years PLEASE do not listen to whoever foolishly told you to aviod Scottsdale, in my opinion it's the best town this valley has to offer...such a great place. There is a reason why people(even on the east coast) know what Scottsdale is.

[Banjo71]

I would agree with others here. Consider Scottsdale. Also, we have good friends in Gilbert and their son is an avid swimmer. I get the impression they have a good program there. I'd consider Scottsdale and Gilbert as first options to explore.

If this ends up being your family's destination, welcome (soon) to Arizona!

[Tintin1983]

Don't mean to hijack the post but if living in Scottsdale and working in Desert Ridge, what would the commute be like? Thanks.

[RubyJune]

Originally Posted by Tintin1983

Don't mean to hijack the post but if living in Scottsdale and working in Desert Ridge, what would the commute be like? Thanks.

Depends on where in Scottsdale. Scottsdale is quite large. I'm in North Scottsdale and it would be around 15 minutes and you could take the back roads to avoid 101. The further south, the longer the commute and the more useless the back roads become.

[Tipmart87]

Thanks again.

We're coming down in March and will base ourselves in either Phoenix or Scottsdale. Are there certain areas in Scottsdale that are considered better than others, especially foe schooling, safety etc?

[smoochaz]

In addition to biking and swimming I'm sure you're going to love hiking!! Like most people said - Scottsdale and NE Phoenix are great! I don't know how important this is to you but there is only YMCA in the NE valley and it's on 68th & Shea. Being close to the Y when my kids were young was very important to me (camps, after school etc)- so just wanted to throw that out there. However, with that said, there are a lot of gyms now that offer babysitting etc. so maybe this is a moot point?! There are a lot of homes 3bedr/2bath with a pool at your price point - a lot of them older. If you want newer take a look at the Norterra area, that is north off 19th Ave near the I17. Exploration trips area always fun - Good luck!
Maha