Advice for newbie Phoenix house buyers? What are the "MUST HAVE's in Phoenix? (wood floors, first time home buyer)

[Panks]

Can everyone please advise on what are the must haves or must have nots when buying a home in Phoenix? What are the things that locals know that first time home buyers might overlook that are unique to a desert climate?

For example...make sure the house faces north or make sure you get a pool or make sure the roof is a certain type .or high ceilings are better/worse in the heat etc...

Thank you

[Captain Bill]

Originally Posted by Panks

Can everyone please advise on what are the must haves or must have nots when buying a home in Phoenix? What are the things that locals know that first time home buyers might overlook that are unique to a desert climate?

For example...make sure the house faces north or make sure you get a pool or make sure the roof is a certain type .or high ceilings are better/worse in the heat etc...

Thank you

Panks, much of the must have is dependent on your personal requirements.

First, I would say that the home must be within a reasonable commute distance from your work.

A pool is desirable if you have children, but certainly not a must have. Many communities have a community pool that may be sufficient for your needs. If you add a pool it will be quite expensive, from 25k to 60k. A pool in an existing home will not cost much more, if any, than the same home without a pool.

A home facing north is desirable for many. The living areas will be on the east side, and the bed rooms on the west. A home with the front facing west is desirable for many because the back yard is shaded in the afternoon.

Good shade trees for the sides exposed to the most sun is desirable.

A covered patio or Arizona room is a plus.

A good mister system on the patio will be of great help.

Desert landscaping for minimum maintenance if you don't have kids. If you do have kids then you'll want grass in the back yard. You may want a small spot of grass if you have pets. Some communities don't allow desert landscaping at all because they want to keep a lush green community.

High quality multi pane windows are a must. Six inch construction is good for better insulation. Some homes have block walls.

Ceiling fans are a must because they circulate the air and help to keep your a/c bills down.

High ceilings are desired by many people to give a better feeling of space instead of a cramped in feeling that many experience with low ceilings.

The great room concept is popular in AZ where living/family/kitchen are all combined into one great room.

[Panks]

Outstanding Captain Bill! Thank you I hadn't even heard of mister systems before..will have to look into it.

[AZ Tracy]

I think Captain Bill covered it!

[Great Joy]

Some additional things:

Water softeners are important because of the water here.

Buy into at least a 3 car garage neighborhood because less cars parked in the streets makes the community look much nicer.

If buying new:

Make sure to take time to think about electrical outlets outside too. Do you want outside speakers and do you want a TV mounted under your covered patio for parties?

Plan for outside ceiling fans under your covered patio.

Take advantage of options to extend the covered patio so that it is the largest the home allows. You will appreciate the shade.

If you want an "outdoor kitchen", be sure to get your builder to extend the gas line into the back yard.

Take time planning landscaping and plant types. Not all plants sold in the stores here will survive the heat. Automatic irrigation and sprinklers are a necessity here, so you must know exactly where your trees and flowers will be planted because they run on different water lines.

[amatrine]

Termite check if buying a used home. If you dont have them, you will. We just bought one, and made the seller do a check, and when they found them, we made them treat it.

If you go solar panels out here, the electric company will buy back your electricity that you do not use.

Ama

[SpeedyAZ]

Basically everyone above summed it up.


-If you're thinking about solar panels, remember that it may or may not be cost efficient to do so depending on your initial cost, the size of your home, and the number of years you plan to live here.

-Heat rises so high ceilings are a plus in the summertime.

-Pools are a pro to some and a con to others, some like having a large yard while others appreciate the water in the summertime. Pools generally add little to the resale value of a home but sometimes help get a sale.

-Ceiling fans are a must-have down here.

-Skylights are very popular in kitchens of newer homes.

-Patio's are a must have if you like to entertain and are especially nice in the wintertime.

-Basements are rare and quite expensive to install but CAN be found if you absolutely must have one.

-Grass is usually found in the more upscale areas but remember if you have a home with grass and you want to keep it looking nice, you WILL have a high water bill.

-Open floor plans are quite popular, we like everything to flow from one room to another.

-Stone and Tile flooring is popular since hardwood needs protection from the sun.

If I can think of anything else, I'll add it.

[Synergy38]

I'm looking for a two story home, because if someone breaks in my house, I don't want to be on the same floor as them, or have them breaking in my bedroom while i'm asleep, plus I can leave my window open overnight if I have a bedroom on the 2nd floor of a house.

In the summer I can imagine it getting hot as heat rises but is it that big of a problem? Anyone here live in a two story house?

[Panks]

Great, great tips everyone! Anything else on keeping a house cool? for example would the type/style of roof make a difference? insulation? wall thickness? would having wood floors make the house warmer than tile? How about brick exterior vs. anything else?

I like Synergy38's point on feeling safer keeping the windows open at night on the 2nd floor. Hadn't thought of that..

[Great Joy]

Originally Posted by Synergy38

I'm looking for a two story home, because if someone breaks in my house, I don't want to be on the same floor as them, or have them breaking in my bedroom while i'm asleep, plus I can leave my window open overnight if I have a bedroom on the 2nd floor of a house.

This is one of the reasons why we bought a two story. Plus we wanted a 2-story great room. I don't feel we have an issue with heat/air even with our great room; however, we did get the upgrade of 2X6 construction. With that we got more insulation, and thus savings for our gas and electric bills.

Haven't heard if there is a utility cost difference based upon type of roof.

Brick is very uncommon here; stucco and stacked stone are very common.

We've had wood floors in some of our previous homes, and this is our first home with the majority being tile. I like tile much more because you don't have to worry about water damage. On the subject of flooring, get a lighter color tile or wood. Otherwise with dark floors you'll see the light colored dust all the time. We have neighbors with dark wood floors, and they really regret it. Even after a few hours after cleaning their floor, they can see the walk pathways and footprints again throughout their home. I feel sorry for them because they spent a lot of money on that wood floor.