Please tell me about Anthem area (Phoenix, Mesa: foreclosures, houses, construction)

[JoePAz]

Originally Posted by jenandkevn

Thanks so much for such prompt replies! I've never done anything like this on the internet so it's kind of neat to get responses right away We came to check out Gilbert, Awatukee, Chandler, Higley and Queen Creek a few weeks ago, and what I liked about Queen Creek was that it felt really safe. I guess when a builder builds an entire community it does reduce some of the natural downsides for areas that have kind of evolved naturally. For some reason our realtor has never mentioned Anthem (but we have never asked her either) so I've left her a message asking for some info. Is there a good web site about the community? What kinds of ammenities are in Anthem? How available is childcare there? (Here there are ridiculous wait lists). I really really appreciate all the info.

Yeah,
I can't understand not being told about Anthem. Other than maybe and "east valley" centric realtor. I can see that if had job in Tempe, but when working from home the entire valley is open to you.

Some Anthem websites.
Del Webb / Pulte website - So expect alot of sales crap. There a few new homes going in anthem, but not many. The Arroyo Grande are is not an ideal location in anthem as it far from the heart of anthem. (heart of anthem parkside is east side of the I-17). It will be all resale homes these days, but you have tons of selection. Oldest homes are 1999 vintage and in general get newer as you go east.
www.anthemarizona.com

Home Association Website
Anthem Arizona Portal Featuring Real Estate, Restaurants, Jobs, and More - OnlineAtAnthem


Anthem Stuff - Local forum started and maintain by Anthem residents. Lost of posts by the same 5-6 people and they have their fair share of complainers, but gives you a different view point. Remember no community is perfect.
anthemstuff.com

[Great Joy]

Originally Posted by JoePAz

Yeah,
I can't understand not being told about Anthem. Other than maybe an "east valley" centric realtor. I can see that if had job in Tempe, but when working from home the entire valley is open to you.

jenandkevn, I agree with JoePAz that since you will be working from home that you have the entire valley to choose from. If your realtor didn't mention Anthem, then my guess is that your realtor also didn't mention the other awesome master planned communities around Phoenix such as Estrella, Vistancia, and Verrado. If I were you, I would definitely rent first to get familiar with Phoenix by taking some time to find where you really want to live in the area. Best wishes!

[jenandkevn]

Thanks again for the input - it really makes a difference when you are trying to do something from so far away. I tried to look up those 3 communities - are they in Peoria, Goodyear & Buckeye? I was told early on (by who I can't remember and for what reason I can't remember) that we should avoid the west side of Phoenix. Because AZ is so big it hasn't really been hard, but is there anything wrong with that side as far as anyone on here is concerned? I think someone might have told me it was rougher than the east side. No one has told me anything in that regard about the north, but I think I thought it was mostly Indian reservation land. One thing I liked about Anthem (and maybe it's not such a big deal) but it did say it was a slightly higher elevation and that the temperatures were a couple of degrees cooler in the summer. Coming from Canada I thought we might appreicate the break :-)

[hts]

I may be wrong, but I don't think you'll notice the temp difference in Anthem, even if it is 3-4 degrees F. What you will notice is the sense of a small, fairly tight-knit community beautiful mountain views, and unmatched amenities/activities.

[JoePAz]

Originally Posted by jenandkevn

Thanks again for the input - it really makes a difference when you are trying to do something from so far away. I tried to look up those 3 communities - are they in Peoria, Goodyear & Buckeye? I was told early on (by who I can't remember and for what reason I can't remember) that we should avoid the west side of Phoenix. Because AZ is so big it hasn't really been hard, but is there anything wrong with that side as far as anyone on here is concerned? I think someone might have told me it was rougher than the east side. No one has told me anything in that regard about the north, but I think I thought it was mostly Indian reservation land. One thing I liked about Anthem (and maybe it's not such a big deal) but it did say it was a slightly higher elevation and that the temperatures were a couple of degrees cooler in the summer. Coming from Canada I thought we might appreicate the break :-)

I used to live in Avondale. I bought in 1997 and moved in 2004. Nice place and nothing bad about it. However west Phoenix is different than Avondale/Goodyear. Stay west of the Loop 101 and the west side is not bad if you are south. As you go north the west side gets better as you get less west. My wife and look at Verrado in 2004 and liked it alot, but found the prices higher than in Anthem and it seemed farther out.

Anthem is about 1800 feet and most of Phoenix is about 1000 feet. This means it is 4-5 degrees cooler during the day and maybe 10 degrees at night. There is less city up here to hold the heat in. Not much to feel, but it takes the edge off a bit. Just look up weather.com and plug in 85086 as the zip for anthem and 85032 for phoenix. That will show a small difference.

Also the indian land is south of Phoenix, not north. The only thing north of Anthem are mountains. The best thing is to visit. The desert is different here as well being slightly high elevation it is a tad more lush. Anthem also gets a bit more rain (maybe 1-2 inchs a year) compared to other area due to proximity of the mountains.

Also the air is a little clearer up here. The lower elevations of the city tend capture more smog in the winter. Being higher up and father north means the brown cloud tends to stay south of us.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by jenandkevn

Thanks again for the input - it really makes a difference when you are trying to do something from so far away. I tried to look up those 3 communities - are they in Peoria, Goodyear & Buckeye? I was told early on (by who I can't remember and for what reason I can't remember) that we should avoid the west side of Phoenix. Because AZ is so big it hasn't really been hard, but is there anything wrong with that side as far as anyone on here is concerned? I think someone might have told me it was rougher than the east side. No one has told me anything in that regard about the north, but I think I thought it was mostly Indian reservation land. One thing I liked about Anthem (and maybe it's not such a big deal) but it did say it was a slightly higher elevation and that the temperatures were a couple of degrees cooler in the summer. Coming from Canada I thought we might appreicate the break :-)

Those communities are on the (far) west side and are among some of the finest, state-of-the-art planned communities in the valley. You can't generalize about the area. There are good and bad parts in all directions. As for the heat, it can be significantly cooler in the outlying areas at night than closer in. Daytime temps vary with elevation and might be a few degrees cooler in Anthem, but I doubt you will notice.

[Great Joy]

Yes, you're correct about the city locations of those 3 master planned communities. Please know there are many nice areas around Phoenix besides those communities too. I agree Anthem is nice and worth looking into. I was just offering some other great communities to consider.

In my opinion, there is not one side of Phoenix better than the other (N vs S, E vs W, NW vs SE, etc.) From what I've seen on this site, some like to think "their area" is better, but I think it's just because Phoenix is so large that they haven't spent much time in other areas. For example, anyone that says the west side is rough hasn't been to the numerous nice areas on the west side. A west sider could say the same of the east side since there are also rough areas on that side too. You'll hear some people talk about east and west sides, but I wish they'd stop talking about "sides" because we're really all Phoenix and there are many areas all around Phoenix that are great places to live.

[Great Joy]

Originally Posted by JoePAz

However west Phoenix is different than Avondale/Goodyear. Stay west of the Loop 101 and the west side is not bad if you are south. As you go north the west side gets better as you get less west.

Are you referring to the actual city of Phoenix or the entire "area of Phoenix" (including all surrounding cities)?

[hts]

We bought from Pulte in Anthem (after having a lot deposit and discussing home plans with a small builder in the custom portion of Verrado) for several reasons, not the least of which is that we didn't want to wait 10 years for it to be built out. Anthem is new, but already established. We also wanted to be closer to Scottsdale for weekend shopping runs. We can get from Anthem to Scottsdale in 30-40 mins on the weekends. I suspect that Verrado to Scottsdale has to be 90 minutes each way. We figured that both would be about the same time to downtown/airport (Verrado might be a tad closer, and if so, negligible). We're big fans of DMB (developers of Verrado, as well as DCR and Silverleaf), but in the end, went with Anthem and haven't looked back. I also suspect that Anthem might be holding its value (especially on the club side) a little better then Verrado, but have no fact to base that on, just my gut.

[Finger Laker]

if you are looking to go to many games I would avoid queen creek - the hockey stadium is pretty nice and there are tons of great deals for coyotes games - it's just a trek from QC

i also can't stand the east side / west side crap that is spewed out here - both sections have their rought areas and their not nice areas - the east side maybe developed a little faster, but western development is still very good

schools on the westside are just as good

average incomes on the westside are just as strong

also the bars/restaurants/shopping are evening out

i don't get it.............