Horse Property Locations (Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale: rent, crime, buying a house)

[gmooney10]

Hi,

My wife and i are planning to relocate from California (surprise huh? &#129299

We recently spent some time in the Gilbert, Chandler and Queen Creek areas and found some nice horse neighborhoods. I like city amenities like malls, restaurants and grocery stores nearby and she is the one who has some horses so we are trying to find a balance.

Someone told us “oh don’t bother looking on the West side because all the crime”.

Is the a generalization or a reality? We are planning to come back in a few weeks and want to expand our search area out of East Valley if possible. Would love to hear of some other places to look into.

Thanks!

[Andrew Wilson]

I meant the west valley does have more crime issues than the east. Now there is some people that would argue with me and say that the west is not all that bad. But they are wrong Now, there is some nice areas in the west valley. However you have to be further out west, further away from Phoenix and centers of shipping to be in them. I personally would stay away form the much of the west valley. However, Surprise and Northern Peoria are not to bad. Some of those areas might have what you are looking for.

Have you thought about the Desert Hills area and Cave Creek. Those areas have a lot of horse properties as well and the are generally considered safe. Although shopping might not be as close. But, I would definitely go check those areas out.

The east valley is a good place to look. Overall it is lower on crime and you are going to have nice neighborhoods with good places to shop. I think you are on the right track.

I am not sure about your work situation, but if you work in Scottsdale or Phoenix than you might be better of in Cave Creek or Desert Hills (Desert is actually part of Phoenix) If you work in the east valley than you would want to live in the east valley. You get the idea. Something to consider, as a long commute, even though it may be the perfect house, is not worth it, to most people that is.

Hope you find this helpful.

[Jkgourmet]

Originally Posted by Andrew Wilson

Hope you find this helpful.

Hope you ignore most of the negative comments about the Westside. Stay away from Maryvale, but otherwise just examine an area as fully as you should ANY area.

North Scottsdale and Cave Creek are lovely. But a little remote and fairly expensive. I'm a big fan of the East Valley. BUT the overriding deciding factor to consider is where you will be working. Buying a house without putting that into the decision is a disaster waiting to happen. A miserable commute commute will make you want to kill the horses (or your wife).

[broncosilly]

I learned a long time ago......follow the money, or, let others make the mistakes while you linger in the shadows, waiting to make your move. And most of all, think it out, take your time. This process could take months or longer. Interviews with locals, horse people, are there trails nearby?, do you trailer the ponies.....on and on.
Your age is a determining factor, are you still working, are you paying cash, etc.


Since I don't do malls and most eating establishments make their meals out of a can, I don't do that either.


An additional rule I follow is..........follow Costco. If they are within a reasonable distance then that is good with me. Why?........teams of very smart people deciding their locations.


Take what realtors say with a grain of salt........don't get me started.......


On to West Valley. Most folks have "no concept of what is coming to the area".


You are embarking on a difficult mission, don't be in a hurry. You can always rent and keep the horses stabled until a sound decision is made.

[wase4711]

[quote=gmooney10;51885476]Hi,
Someone told us “oh don’t bother looking on the West side because all the crime”.
Is the a generalization or a reality?/quote]



complete and absolutely silly generalization from people who dont live there..
save a ton of money, infinitely less traffic/congestion, and the scenery and growth is fantastic, so avoid the east valley at all costs..

[AZJoeD]

Originally Posted by gmooney10

Hi,

My wife and i are planning to relocate from California (surprise huh? ��)

We recently spent some time in the Gilbert, Chandler and Queen Creek areas and found some nice horse neighborhoods. I like city amenities like malls, restaurants and grocery stores nearby and she is the one who has some horses so we are trying to find a balance.

Someone told us “oh don’t bother looking on the West side because all the crime”.

Is the a generalization or a reality? We are planning to come back in a few weeks and want to expand our search area out of East Valley if possible. Would love to hear of some other places to look into.

Thanks!

I am always mystified at how people find the area they want to relocate to. It's almost as if they throw a dart at a map (map what's that?) and go from there.

I have no problem with you liking the east valley, actually, there are some great horse properties in Queen Creek, Chandler, and surrounding areas. San Tan Regional Park has a great horse facility

But there are great horse properties all over the valley including Phoenix and Scottsdale. There are some wonderful locations on the west side and no there is no more crime in the western suburbs than the east. Some people assume anything west is bad and anything east is good and that is incorrect. Yes, there are some pretty crappy neighborhoods on the west side of Phoenix, but I doubt there are any horse properties in those neighborhoods.

The point of this reply is that before you choose a location. Make a list of needs and wants. In your case, things like, size of the property, the number of horses, budget available, etc. I assume that since you want horses that you ride. So make sure the property is close to or adjacent to riding trails. You don't want to load your horse in the trailer everytime you want to go riding. So look for property near state land or national forest, etc. Do you intend to board horses as a business? If so look for a county island with fewer restrictions.

Some other areas to consider?

• Rio Verde Foothills northeast of Scottsdale. Ride right out of your backyard into the Tonto National Forest.
• Desert Hills/New River adjacent to large tracts of state land and Tonto National Forest.
• Northeast Mesa/ Apache Junction near the Usery Mountain Park or the Superstition Mountains.
• Waddell near the White Tank Mountains Regional Park.
  

Just to name a few. Arizona is synonymous with horses. You should have no trouble finding a great place to put down roots.

[pbenjamin]

There are many one acre horse properties in the vicinity of 56th Street and Sweetwater if you want something closer to civilization.

[vfrpilot]

We are in a small neighborhood called Glenarm Farm in Avondale that is zoned for horses (RR-18). Our lot is .65 acre (27,700 ft). The property was set up for horses, but we are not interested. We have removed almost all of the corral fencing, but still have the stable. I'm planning on planting a garden under the shade structure. We have a very nice yard with tons of grass. Looks and feels like a park. Many of our neighbors have horses, chickens, goats, and I know of at least one cow.Our next door neighbor rides down the street to the canal to exercise his horses. He has to trailer the horses to be able to ride open desert or hills. If riding out of your backyard into the desert is important, then the area west of Luke AF Base might have more appeal. I feel like we got lucky finding a small patch of rural living in the middle of suburbia.
I work from home, so commuting is not an issue. We bought here because it's close to freeways, shopping (Costco is 2 miles), racquetball (LA Fitness), and the proximity to San Diego. We also wanted some space between homes and I wanted a workshop.
Good Luck on your search.