Buying in Surprise AZ (Glendale, Peoria: to rent, buying a house, neighborhoods)

[dentalbuzz]

My husband has been accepted to dental school at Midwestern University in Glendale and we are moving our family down in August. We are interested in buying a house since the prices are so low, and from my research, owning would be cheaper for us than renting.

We are most interested in Surprise because of the (relative) proximity to the school (my husband is ok with the commute), safety, low home prices, family feel to the community etc... We have three children, ages 7, 6 and 3 months. So schools are a big deal.

We are thinking it would be best to rent for awhile to get a good feel for the area before we buy, but I am wondering about the market in Surprise. When is the best time to buy a house? Is summer a good time because it is so hot and there are lots of houses on the market, or should we wait for fall when the kids are back in school? Do the prices fluctuate much? Are houses sitting on the market for a long time or are cheaper houses receiving multiple offers?

Also, if anyone has any insight on which neighborhoods are best, which schools they like (I am a little worried about the bullying factor - is that every a problem here?), community resources, safety etc...

We want at least a 3 bedroom. A 3 bedroom with a den, or 4 bedroom would be ideal. I really want to stay under $80,000 and I definitely want to stick with a one story so we can keep the electricity costs down.

I know I have a lot of questions, sorry! Any help or insight is greatly appreciated!

[need_some_sun]

I live in Surprise, just moved here 1 month ago. You can get a cute one level home here for around $80,000 if you look hard enough and are not picky. I live in Marley Park in Surprise and love it. I think the cheapest home here is going for 101k, but it is such a great beighborhood with trails and parks, and the school within the neighborhood. In addition there are two pools with firepits and grills and community activities. My husband and I joined the Marley Barley Beer club and it was a blast. I don't even drink much, but we met a lot of people in the neighborhood. Surprise is very pretty with the mountains (of course they are everywhere), but I am from Minnesota, so they are still so pretty. There are a lot of stores and restaraunts on Bell Rd. I work in Peoria and commute is 25 minutes. Hope that helps, a little.

[need_some_sun]

Oh, I forgot to tell you, I would rent first. The market should stay steady and low for awhile...just look at gas prices, food prices, and the amount of unemeployed that just went up. Housing is actually down from a couple months ago. I don't see it jumping anytime soon.