Questions on Scottsdale (Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler: homes, condo, rent)

[AZ_singlemother]

Originally Posted by Nature Girl

Oh and another thing. I keep reading on here that N.Scottsdale has the worst problem with Scorpions. Is this true? Is it enough to worry about?

Scorpions are a problem in Scottsdale, definitely. There are also other issues with big sewer roaches. The summer time is the worst and you will only find them in your house because they come from the sewers. If you move here, it's a must to spray your place and use tons of bleach in the sewers. Will alleviate; however, will not be completely gone.

Scorpions are more frequent around construction and near the desert mountains. There are also wild pigs. We have them in large herds outside our condo.

----About commuting to Phoenix. Traffic is horrible driving from Scottsdale to Phoenix. There are no real public transportation systems and many places there are none. The mayor here does not support the idea of light rail systems. She and the overpriced cost of living here is a major contributor to the unfriendly people in this community. Rents are very high - from 1040/month for a 2 bedroom apartment.

Do not fall for the "luxury condo" trap as this is what I fell for with moving here. Luxury condo or townhouse = small apartment in this area.

Check out other communities such as Surprise, Chandler, Gilbert.

Gilbert is more affordable, surburban community with friendlier people.

[irwin]

I can't believe the mayor of Scottsdale completely ruled out the light rail. So short-sighted and stupid. Old Town would be a perfect place for it. Take the train there and walk around.

Reminds of when Georgetown in Washington DC refused to have a metro stop in the neighborhood back in the 1970's, thinking it would bring in crime. Now, Georgetown wants a stop, but it's too late. They missed out.

[silverbear]

Originally Posted by irwin

I can't believe the mayor of Scottsdale completely ruled out the light rail. So short-sighted and stupid. Old Town would be a perfect place for it. Take the train there and walk around.

Reminds of when Georgetown in Washington DC refused to have a metro stop in the neighborhood back in the 1970's, thinking it would bring in crime. Now, Georgetown wants a stop, but it's too late. They missed out.

Agreed. Although there are many things I like about Scottsdale, this misguided decision, if not reversed, is likely to be a source of regret for decades. It's one of several reasons why I've chosen to live within Phoenix city limits despite occasionally being tempted by Scottsdale.

[nevercoldcall]

Scottsdale has a strong anti-business and anti-development stance. The opposition to light rail is just another chapter. What shocked everyone though is that our left-wing liberal mayor took credit for the downtown revitalization, though she STRONGLY opposed it all the way!!!

In fact, Scottsdale really missed out, just like Georgetown. They finally built up downtown, and now the million-dollar luxury Optima Camelview condos sit mostly vacant and can be rented for $2,000/month. By the time they came around to cleaning up downtown, anyone with any money had already moved north.

On the unfriendly thing, other than a few retirees I know who live way up north in Troon, most people hate Scottsdale. It's not friendly at all. If you say "hi" to someone they look at you like a 3-headed alien instead of saying "hi" back.

Scottsdale is also very phony. People appear rich but for the most part are up to their eyeballs in debt. It's also a big clique of fake-breasted realtors who all stick together and it's hard to make friends if you're not part of that clique, and especially if you're genuinely successful. I'm a #1 NY Times bestselling author and a successful business owner, and most people in Scottsdale really resent that and alienate people like myself.

Having said all that, the Phoenix area in general is very friendly outside of Scottsdale. I'm moving to Newport Beach, CA (in 3 days!) but if I couldn't afford that I'd live in the Arcadia section of Phoenix. Arcadia, Biltmore, and north-central Phoenix are wonderful areas, though equally or more expensive than Scottsdale (Arcadia in particular is very expensive). Another wonderful area is the Arrowhead region of north Glendale, which is very clean, safe, very friendly, and still affordable, despite the fact that Arrowhead Lakes is the #1 wealthiest community in Arizona - yet still friendly and down-to-earth. I'd enjoy living there if it wasn't so far from the airport, as I travel constantly for speaking and other engagements.

On the crime stats, look them up, the burglary rates in the Valley read as follows:

#1: 85257 (South Scottsdale)
#2: 85251 (South Scottsdale)
#3: 85255 ("affluent" North Scottsdale)

[SpeedyAZ]

On the unfriendly thing, other than a few retirees I know who live way up north in Troon, most people hate Scottsdale. It's not friendly at all. If you say "hi" to someone they look at you like a 3-headed alien instead of saying "hi" back.

Most people I know love Scottsdale.

You say that people from Scottsdale are unfriendly but I've had numerous instances when I'm talking to some person and they ask "So where do you live?" I reply "Scottsdale" and they usually become very cold and just cut off the conversation. I couldn't count the times I've had this happen! Many people who don't live here are very mean-spirited to the ones that do. They don't want anything to do with you even if they don't know you.

Be on the recieving end of that a few times and you'll understand.

Scottsdale is also very phony. People appear rich but for the most part are up to their eyeballs in debt.

Another brash, generalizing statement. Most homes in Scottsdale for in excess of $600K+ so don't you think they'll need a fairly large income to get the loan? Yes there are $30K/ year millionaires but the majority are quite wealthy.

[Nature Girl]

Wow, thanks SpeedyAZ! You really answered all of my questions!! The only real concern at this point that we have is the commute into Phoenix. How bad is the drive from Gilbert? I had heard that it's a very nice, liveable city. We were hoping to keep the commute time down to 25 min or less. Can you refer any nice area's with all my criteria mentioned within this commute time? Are there any nice and safe neighborhoods in Phoenix zip code 85016? I believe that is the zip code where he would work,,,not certain though.
Thank-you!

[MiasM]

My husband and I are looking into moving to Scottsdale also. A suggestion is to rent first. Don't commit to buying. So you loose a few months rent in money, but you will be living there and educating yourself on the areas so that when you do buy - you will be way more informed! Also, I think you need to go there and see what the culture is like - no one can really translate that to you because they don't know you and what you are like.
That is my 2 cents.

[Nature Girl]

I've visited there a few times (not Scottsdale though), so I understand the culture and lifestyle. When I visited, I was not looking to "live" there so I did not pay attention to friendly family like neighborhoods/cities, surrounding areas, etc. I had a different mind set. But I did get a good feel and enjoyed my time there.

[Nature Girl]

We will rent once there. I just like to get some good ideas on the "better pockets" in advance from the locals...

[MiasM]

Originally Posted by Nature Girl

We will rent once there. I just like to get some good ideas on the "better pockets" in advance from the locals...

I am talking to an agent that will be showing us around when we go to visit in May. She knows we are looking for a good family community with kids. She has spoken to us about that and will show us some of those areas. If you find an agent that does a lot of relocations, this is like second nature to them. Maybe it would help if you met with a few (I always like getting various opinions) and see which one you like best. You will get a lot of information and they will take you through the communities and explain what they offer.