What do you think about buying a house in Maricopa, Arizona? (Casa Grande: car, deal)

[KurtAZ]

Originally Posted by DougStark

This IS the Phoenix forum.

It was moved sparky. It was originally in the "Arizona" forum.

[Colt AZ]

Originally Posted by flint8ball

It often has some farm related odors as well due to it's rural location.

Originally Posted by DougStark

Personally, I don't like how it's surrounded by agriculture because that means dust, odors. Seems like it's often in the direct path of monsoon dust storms. Blame the farmers.

Yep! Whenever I have this need to "communicate with the earth", I usually take long rides all around Maricopa!

[LS Jaun]

Maricopa? Could be worse. Gila Bend or Stanfield

[LagunaMom]

The Town of Maricopa is in Pinal County, not Maricopa County.
My husband drove an hour to work in Maricopa for nearly 35 years, and our son and his family are moving back into Maricopa County after spending 3 years in the Town of Maricopa.
It's a mixed bag.
Yes, it is growing, but unless you're going to be working at home or in town, the traffic is miserable between the town and the I-10. It can take a half-hour to 40 minutes to go the 12 or so miles from the freeway into town. You've got a basic cadre of stores, but you've either got to drive closer to Phoenix or down to Casa Grande to get to a mall. Should you run into hard times and need financial assistance from the government, you'll be stuck in a county with far fewer financial resources.
On the other hand, the housing prices are excellent.

[Posh66]

I did a whole thread on Maricopa a while ago, although I never did get around to describing the neighbourhoods.

It's a sleepy little burg, no nightlife to speak of, a bad commute if you work in the city. Having said that, you might not care about those things or even WANT those things (minus the bad commute, but maybe you work from home?) It all comes down to money. You can get a nice place in a nice neighbourhood in Maricopa for peanuts. BUT...we thought it best to at least look at the northeast area outside Phoenix and there's no comparison. It's much nicer in a place like Surprise than Maricopa, with low (but not lowest) prices. Food for thought!

[pbenjamin]

I don't know if schools are of interest, but the schools in the town of Maricopa don't have a good reputation. When our son lived there they sent their daughter to an elementary school in the Kyrene district in Ahwatukee as did several of their neighbors. Kyrene was even providing transportation.

[hikernut]

There is one thing that may or may not be obvious to you. Unlike Queen Creek or San Tan Valley, Maricopa will never be enveloped by the metro area. Open google maps and type "Gila River Indian Reservation" in the search bar to see what I mean.

I suppose this could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your desires. Just be aware, it will always be geographically separate from Phoenix/Chandler.

[sh9730]

Originally Posted by WSPHXPELON

I know some people that live in Maricopa, they say they like it. Obviously you get more house for you money, the downside is the further commute. One thing which I have been told that is VERY important when house shopping, is to make sure you are on the "right side of the tracks". I mean that in a completely literal sense. There are railroad tracks in Maricopa and you should try to be situated so your daily commute does NOT involve having to cross those tracks every single day. Apparently trains pass frequently and if you are stuck waiting an extra 25 minutes for the train to pass several times per week that makes a bad commute much worse.

Most everything else has been covered here - except two things:

1. The above is only going to be relevant for a short while longer. They are in the construction phase of a bridge over the tracks as we speak. So this will not be a factor soon.

2. If you are considering any of the 3 cities you mention - you should consider Casa Grande also. About the same distances - BUT - closer to Tucson and San Diego, more amenities in place already (Hospital,Mall,etc.), and actual industry coming to town - with the Lucid Motors electric car factory (yes it IS still coming), and other large projects on the horizon.

CG Home prices are on par with the other cities, and lots of home builders returning to town and starting to build again.

Otherwise the other posts pretty much covered it.

[DougStark]

My complaint about Maricopa is, why are developers allowed to build these towns from dust and not first be required to improve the infrastructure first? Who should I blame? Lax State regulations? I'm sure not blaming the home buyers--they're desperate for inexpensive housing with lots of sq. footage. The town developed prior to the '08 housing crash as you recall.

[Tall Traveler]

Originally Posted by DougStark

My complaint about Maricopa is, why are developers allowed to build these towns from dust and not first be required to improve the infrastructure first? Who should I blame? Lax State regulations? I'm sure not blaming the home buyers--they're desperate for inexpensive housing with lots of sq. footage. The town developed prior to the '08 housing crash as you recall.

From a big picture, it just depends who should be allocated this cost. (BTW, I think they do pay a portion of infrastructure but certainly not all the infrastructure.) If more/all of the cost was shifted to the developers an passed through to buyers, then this would raise the initial price of houses to the buyers or it can be captured later from property taxes....it will eventually be rolled into the homeowners cost.