Summer Home, Maricopa or Queen Creek, AZ (Phoenix, Mesa: bank owned, apartment)

[MVD]

Oh, and Scout, they are doing a lot of work on the roads in Queen Creek. I was out there last week for work and took Ironwood all the way. It's actually a really nice ride.

[61scout80]

Originally Posted by MVD

Oh, and Scout, they are doing a lot of work on the roads in Queen Creek. I was out there last week for work and took Ironwood all the way. It's actually a really nice ride.

thats exciting news. when we started looking in feb of 07 we were determined to get into queen creek. but after 4 or 5 trips i couldn't handle it. We drove to maricopa and were quite pleased with the difference.

Isn't there another freeway planned out that way? was it the 404?

[DAWNMOONE]

gooch1962-
I have done about 4mos of investigating the areas. I will be making my second trip this Wednesday and will be taking the plunge to buy, likely in queen Creek. I have heard all sorts of comments go both ways. Make a list of houses you like and take a trip there. I was impressed with many.

People seem mostly concerned with being out of town and commutes, we canadians are worried about this - as this is our place to get away (enough commuting here) Crime is a worry, but I am hopeful that being in a gated community will help and as JDISH200 noted there are a ton of older folks to watch your pad.

I recently met another Canuck frm Alberta that bought in QueenCreek and they love it. I hear that there are MANY flocking to the area, and who wouldn't??? Mesa, Scottsdale aren't an option for the young Canadians looking to get away (we are in our late 30's).
All the best in your quest for a summer pad. Arizona is lovely!!!!

[61scout80]

Originally Posted by DAWNMOONE

gooch1962-
I have done about 4mos of investigating the areas. I will be making my second trip this Wednesday and will be taking the plunge to buy, likely in queen Creek. I have heard all sorts of comments go both ways. Make a list of houses you like and take a trip there. I was impressed with many.

People seem mostly concerned with being out of town and commutes, we canadians are worried about this - as this is our place to get away (enough commuting here) Crime is a worry, but I am hopeful that being in a gated community will help and as JDISH200 noted there are a ton of older folks to watch your pad.

I recently met another Canuck frm Alberta that bought in QueenCreek and they love it. I hear that there are MANY flocking to the area, and who wouldn't??? Mesa, Scottsdale aren't an option for the young Canadians looking to get away (we are in our late 30's).
All the best in your quest for a summer pad. Arizona is lovely!!!!

I'm not sure that maricopa has a gated community that allows people under 55 in. Might be queen creek all the way for you.

[MotleyCrew]

I would recommend looking at the Trilogy in either N.Peoria or the new development, Encanterra, down in Queen Creek. There are many "snowbirds" from all over the planet moving there and the homes are well guarded by good neighbors. They are both gated communities and have fantastic golf courses and restaurants, gyms, spas and swimming pools. Trilogy in N. Peoria is age targeted but the one in Q.C has a mix of ages. We visited Encantera last month and fell in love with the homes and the finishes. I believe the homes start in the mid $200'ks with lots of incentives. Best of luck to you.

[Master Shake]

I don't think a gated community would offer you much more security that an un-gated one. However, for about $35 per month, you can have a monitored security system that will call you and the local police department if anything goes wrong.

Based on what you might pay to rent a place (with furniture) for 6 months at a time (which is usually the minimum rental term on a house), you could probably spend a little more and actually own the property. Also, since you won't be concerned with the daily commute, being somewhat out of town could actually be a good thing -- perhaps more like a vacation home?

Also, what is a fissure?

[Captain Bill]

Originally Posted by Master Shake

I don't think a gated community would offer you much more security that an un-gated one. However, for about $35 per month, you can have a monitored security system that will call you and the local police department if anything goes wrong.

Based on what you might pay to rent a place (with furniture) for 6 months at a time (which is usually the minimum rental term on a house), you could probably spend a little more and actually own the property. Also, since you won't be concerned with the daily commute, being somewhat out of town could actually be a good thing -- perhaps more like a vacation home?

Also, what is a fissure?

During the seasonal months from Nov through April, the rents are also double the normal rate. That's because they sit vacant most of the other months.

Here are some articles on fissures:

Pumping of groundwater spurs surge in earth fissures | www.azstarnet.com ®


http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/88255.php[/SIZE]
http://www.azcentral.com/community/pinal/articles/0908st-fissures.html (broken link)
http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/0811fissures-ON.html (broken link)
http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/0811fissures-ON.html (broken link)

[SpeedyAZ]

My parents have friends who come down during the winter months and I believe many of them have places in Valle Del Oro (sp?) retirement community in Apache Junction. They all seem to like it and it's full of snowbirds from Canada. Properties range from around $20K to $70K-$80K, I'm sure you'd find something you'd like. There are quite a few more retirement communities in the area with comparable pricing.

[jenandkevn]

Dawnmoon,
We are from the Sunshine Coast (just outside Van) and plan to buy a house in Queen Creek in the coming months. It seems to me that the risk is low - even if you don't like it you could rent it out and most likely cover your mtg. (imagine trying to do that in the Lower Mainland!!!). We are also in our 30s and plan to spend 6 months there and 6 months here. We have 2 kids who are not yet in school - do you have children or do you plan to have children? We aren't sure yet whether ours will go to school there or here (my husband is a US citizen). In any event, I would love to hear how your house hunting goes and hear about your experience as a younger Cdn buying property in AZ :-)

[sablebaby]

Originally Posted by jenandkevn

Dawnmoon,
We are from the Sunshine Coast (just outside Van) and plan to buy a house in Queen Creek in the coming months. It seems to me that the risk is low - even if you don't like it you could rent it out and most likely cover your mtg. (imagine trying to do that in the Lower Mainland!!!). We are also in our 30s and plan to spend 6 months there and 6 months here. We have 2 kids who are not yet in school - do you have children or do you plan to have children? We aren't sure yet whether ours will go to school there or here (my husband is a US citizen). In any event, I would love to hear how your house hunting goes and hear about your experience as a younger Cdn buying property in AZ :-)

I disagree. Just renting it out isn't that easy for many reasons. I don't know many people who want to rent in QC. There are many rentals that just sit vacant forever. Plus, the rent is pretty low compared to many mortgages.