What do you think about buying a house in Maricopa, Arizona? (Phoenix: renters, buying a home)

[ComposerRyan]

Hey everybody, so I'm continuing doing some research on home buying and was originally looking at the San Tan Valley and Queen Creek areas but Maricopa also caught my attention.

It looks like it is building up into quite the community even though it is further south. I wanted to see what you all thought of it for a 30 year old man like myself who is looking at buying a home here in AZ. I'm looking at the $250k price range or lower if possible (preferably 4-5 bedrooms.)

Is Maricopa county a good place to settle down? Will it continue to develop in a good way? Or is there anything bad about Maricopa I need to be aware of?

Thanks for your help.

[DetroitN8V]

Where is your job? What are your priorities? It’s pretty remote IMO.

[JGMotorsport64]

It’s as if they took a tract home development and transported it in the middle of nowhere without any reasonable connection to Phoenix.

It’s cheap for a reason. If you were like 65 then it’s a workable option. 30? No.

[flint8ball]

I drive through there quite a bit on my way to Phx. It strikes me as a relatively new commuter development for families. I imagine its quite a bit more affordable than closer cities like Queen Creek. I would think you'd be bored. It seems like strip malls and subdivisions - no real nightlife etc. It often has some farm related odors as well due to it's rural location.

[KurtAZ]

Probably want to move this to the Phoenix forum.

Tons of information in there regarding Maricopa...primarily: Cheap housing, horrible access, horrible utilities and mediocre amenities.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by ComposerRyan

Hey everybody, so I'm continuing doing some research on home buying and was originally looking at the San Tan Valley and Queen Creek areas but Maricopa also caught my attention.

It looks like it is building up into quite the community even though it is further south. I wanted to see what you all thought of it for a 30 year old man like myself who is looking at buying a home here in AZ. I'm looking at the $250k price range or lower if possible (preferably 4-5 bedrooms.)

Is Maricopa county a good place to settle down? Will it continue to develop in a good way? Or is there anything bad about Maricopa I need to be aware of?

Thanks for your help.

Maricopa County is the county containing Phoenix and its contiguous suburbs. The Town of Maricopa is in Pinal County.


You may tire of the drive into the Phoenix area if your work requires that. Some friends of mine who loved their home there but tired of the commute just sold their house and moved north.
And, not much for a single (you don't mention a family, though you want a big house) 30 year old there, either. I'd say the same for Queen Creek and San Tan Valley, too, for that matter.

[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.

[DougStark]

Originally Posted by KurtAZ

Probably want to move this to the Phoenix forum.

Tons of information in there regarding Maricopa...primarily: Cheap housing, horrible access, horrible utilities and mediocre amenities.

This IS the Phoenix forum.

[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.

[Tall Traveler]

Originally Posted by ComposerRyan

Hey everybody, so I'm continuing doing some research on home buying and was originally looking at the San Tan Valley and Queen Creek areas but Maricopa also caught my attention.

It looks like it is building up into quite the community even though it is further south. I wanted to see what you all thought of it for a 30 year old man like myself who is looking at buying a home here in AZ. I'm looking at the $250k price range or lower if possible (preferably 4-5 bedrooms.)

Is Maricopa county a good place to settle down? Will it continue to develop in a good way? Or is there anything bad about Maricopa I need to be aware of?

Thanks for your help.

I think you might be confused about Maricopa County and city. the city of Maricopa is in Pinal County and Phoenix is in he county of Maricopa. Anyway, here are my thoughts on the city of Maricopa:

1) You won't get cheaper housing anywhere
2) The commute to Phoenix will get old if you do it every day
3) Maricopa epitomizes tract suburban sprawl with minimal amenities - It's a good 20 minutes+ to Chandler's shopping
4) Utilities are higher than average

I own 3 houses in Maricopa that I've rented out since 2011 and plan to winter in one of them when I retire next winter. Most of my renters seem to like Maricopa and live there for years though some complain about the utility costs.