Did we make a mistake?

[NJ2AZSusan]

Originally Posted by SOON2BNSURPRISE

What I always say is never look back, don't retreat, just move forward. Sounds like you have what you want and that is half the battle. I like the system that Suzie Welch recently wrote a book about called, "10 10 10". For every decision that you make think how it will affect you 10 minutes from now, 10 months from now, and 10 years from now. If what you did met the test then you are in the clear. By the way, Suzie is Jack Welch's wife, the former CEO of GE.

Well I can at least deal with the "how willl it affect me in 10 minutes?" part...

Susan

[twiggy]

I have friends there that really love it, I haven't lived there personally but I think it will ok!

[EDnurse]

Originally Posted by thedreamteam

I've been reading these forums for quite a while now and am aware of some of the negative opinions regarding south phoenix and laveen and weighed them heavily before making a decision to purchase there myself. Having said that each situation is different and i just wanted to hear others opinions given our unique set of circumstances.

• WANT: the landscape is flat, boring prairie where we live year round CHECK: we built on a premium lot, high up on the hillside about as far south as you can get into the foothills of South Mountain Preserve with excellent city and mountain views
• WANT: since we will be travelling quite a bit it was important for us to be in close proximity to the airport CHECK: we are located within 10 mins driving distance from skyharbour
• WANT: two main things of importance for us were size and age of the home because neither my wife or i wanted to live in a pre-owned home and love to entertain CHECK: floor plan is 3600 sq ft and an entertainers dream and a brand new 2009 model
• WANT: we visited many short sale and bank owned properties and given the lack of attachment from many of the former owners we noticed many (nearly all) of the properties were in rough shape CHECK: therefore we built brandnew and selected the EXACT materials and colours that appealed to us. we will be using this as a second home and prefer no enjoy the weather vs. taking on a project.
• WANT: since this will be a second home we can't physically be there at all times to check on the property CHECK: we purchased in a Gated Community, signed up for an monitoring contract and got the builder to throw in sureveillance cameras so we can view online at all times.
• WANT: in addition to be a recreation proeprty we also wanted to see some price appreciation when we do go to sell in 10-15 yrs from now while getting some enjoyment out of it in the meantime CHECK: although it's impossible to time the market we feel confident in our decision that we won't lose money on the property over our 10-15 yrs time horizon. we paid approx $350k for the same house that was going for close to $700k in 2006. given the proximity to downtown, the airport, and scottsdale's shopping/restauarants and all the recent development in the area we think the baseline area to the north of us will go through some gentrification in the next 5-10 yrs. Hopefully this leads to some price appreciation as i've seen happen in other big cities.

other factors:

• our children will not be attending school down there therfore schools weren't really a concern for us, although it could affect value when we go to sell in 10-15 yrs if the area doesn't pick up the way we think it should.
• we were quite cognisant of the negative connotations associated with south phoenix/laveen, but from my personal research a lot of the negative elements are well north (50 blocks or so) from where we are at. I would say the Broadway area is the worst and it gets better as you move south towards Southern, past Baseline and we are even south of Dobbins where we are at. we paid $350k, but are surrounded by some $1M homes.

At the end of the day we had many other options in the price range we paid, but none met all the needs above. I've given you all my decision making rationale.. now given our specific set of circumstances do you think we live to regret our decision?

Sounds to me like you did your research and that you are happy with your decision right now. Who knows what'll happen in 10-15 years from now? Don't sweat it. Besides, with the way real estate is nowadays, if you break even or make a very modest gain, you'll be better off than a lot of other people are right now.

As far as all the negative comments about the area, you have to consider the frame of reference of certain people. What some people consider "high crime" might not be so to you. I've lived in the west valley for over 12 years and I've never had my car stolen or vandalized, never been mugged, never had my home broken into. I live 8 miles from work, 10 miles from LAFB, I've easy access to the 101, I-10, US 60, the Arrowhead area, the Litchfield Park area, Westgate, etc. I'm comfortable where I'm at. My kids attended public schools in Glendale. They all graduated from H.S. and went on to college. There were no drug incidents, arrests, or pregnancies. By my standards, that's pretty good. Yet, there are some folks who shudder at the mere mention of the "West Side", and that's OK. Doesn't bother me at all.

Some people never imagined that Harlem, Brooklyn and even the Bronx in NYC would be gentrified. Look at those areas now. Sure there's a lot of room for improvement left, but a lot of people with vision made a lot of money. You did right in buying property for the long term.

Enjoy your house now and let tomorrow take care of itself.

[MathewBracken]

Thanks for the nice post.Since when is Laveen 10 minutes from the airport; it's a good 30 minutes, and make it 45 minutes to any Scottsdale restaurant. Good luck in South Phoenix; make sure you are armed.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by MathewBracken

Thanks for the nice post.Since when is Laveen 10 minutes from the airport; it's a good 30 minutes, and make it 45 minutes to any Scottsdale restaurant. Good luck in South Phoenix; make sure you are armed.

You chose this for your first post?

The OP's home is not in "South Phoenix" as that term is generally used. I don't think they should feel required to be "armed".

The travel times the OP stated from the area (23rd Ave/S of Dobbins) are very optimistic, as others have already noted.

[Captain Bill]

Originally Posted by thedreamteam

I've been reading these forums for quite a while now and am aware of some of the negative opinions regarding south phoenix and laveen and weighed them heavily before making a decision to purchase there myself. Having said that each situation is different and i just wanted to hear others opinions given our unique set of circumstances...

...At the end of the day we had many other options in the price range we paid, but none met all the needs above. I've given you all my decision making rationale.. now given our specific set of circumstances do you think we live to regret our decision?

I'm not sure why you would first make a decision, and then ask for advice on whether you made the right decision.

You did a lot of research and it sounds like you are very happy with your decision, and what you're asking is, will the prices in your area increase based on gentrification of South Phoenix.

My personal opinion is that gentrification won't happen for a long time in South Phoenix. The wealthier families who want the proximity of Scottsdale will relocate to Scottsdale, not to south Phoenix.

Others will relocate to communities with better reputations.

When the building boom was happening, the building spread to the outlying areas of the valley, such as Surprise, Queen Creek, Maricopa, etc. That is typically what happens; and the poorer areas of the city will remain as they are for a long long time.

I believe that any revitilization of a city will usually happens within the city core, and not in the bordering areas such as south Phoenix.

All of that is just my personal opinion based on things I've seen in various cities over the years.

However, the main thing is that you are happy with your decision, and it seems that you are. That is all that counts. So you should be happy that you did all the research and made an educated decision that is best for you and your family. Now you can enjoy your new home.

[thedreamteam]

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

I'm not sure why you would first make a decision, and then ask for advice on whether you made the right decision.

Decision has already been made, paperwork has been signed and deposit placed, so no backing out.. and truth be told although it may appear like we thought things through our decision came straight from the heart (we fell in love with the views from the hillside lot) than logic otherwise we would have given more weight to school system/future resale value. Just looking for others views after the fact and from the looks of it the opinions on the area are varied as usual. thanks everyone.

[ibarrio]

Originally Posted by thedreamteam

Decision has already been made, paperwork has been signed and deposit placed, so no backing out.. and truth be told although it may appear like we thought things through our decision came straight from the heart (we fell in love with the views from the hillside lot) than logic otherwise we would have given more weight to school system/future resale value. Just looking for others views after the fact and from the looks of it the opinions on the area are varied as usual. thanks everyone.

For what it is worth my brother in law is stuck in their home (they want out of the area)...they live in the subdivision across the street from Vistal Golf Club(?) on Dobbins.

The area south of them is rough. They have heard gunshots and murders have happened in the vicinity. Their home has been broken into once. The Fry's down the road has police officers working security...

[observer53]

Originally Posted by ibarrio

For what it is worth my brother in law is stuck in their home (they want out of the area)...they live in the subdivision across the street from Vistal Golf Club(?) on Dobbins.

The area south of them is rough. They have heard gunshots and murders have happened in the vicinity. Their home has been broken into once. The Fry's down the road has police officers working security...

The Vistal Golf Club is 30 blocks east of the OP's location. More truly "south Phoenix", as that term is used.

Originally Posted by thedreamteam

Decision has already been made, paperwork has been signed and deposit placed, so no backing out.. and truth be told although it may appear like we thought things through our decision came straight from the heart (we fell in love with the views from the hillside lot) than logic otherwise we would have given more weight to school system/future resale value. Just looking for others views after the fact and from the looks of it the opinions on the area are varied as usual. thanks everyone.

So after telling us at length all the things you thought through and considered carefully before buying, now you say what really happened that you fell in love with the view and made a purely emotional decision.

Now I can understand why you asked the question. Best of luck.

[CheckM8]

I think you made a good decision. The area you are in will be fine, and the rest is coming up, so don't be so worried.