Stetson Hills or Sonoran Mountain ranch? (Phoenix: hoa fees, landscaping, work)

[movingtoaz]

DH and I have moved to phoenix.

We started looking for new constructions.

A Pulte home @ stetson valley or a Shea home @ Sonoran Mountain Ranch?

Any of you from these areas? Could you give us any pros and cons or any other info ?

Commute wise both are ok for DH's work.

[WantingoutofAz]

As for builders, our last home was a Shea and we had absolutely no problems with it. Shea has a pretty good reputation as far as builders go. I am not sure about Pulte though. When the plans for Stetson Valley were first being drawn up we were very disappointed by the fact that there didn't seem to be any playgrounds for children. I have never actually driven through the neighborhood but driving down Happy Valley by it, the homes look to be very crammed together. I really like Sonoran Mountain Ranch. In fact they have my new favorite playground and basketball courts. Not sure if you have children but the playground is very nice and the views are pretty too. It is nestled at the end of 67th ave. It looks like it has a nice walking path at least by the park. You will have about a 10 minute longer drive to the I-17 and 101 freeways from Sonoran Mountain Ranch vs. Stetson Valley.

[MotleyCrew]

We also purchased a Shea home three years ago and are still very happy in it. The customer service team was very responsive and the problems were very minor. Our daughterr also has a Shea home in Maricop and had an almost 0 item delivery. Do not know much about Pulte. Sonoran Mountain is very nice and the HOA fees are not bad at all.

[arizonanative]

We moved into a Pulte home in Stetson and love it here.We are in the Centennial series so the lots are big. There are two large parks going in. One, the city of Phoenix is putting in by the east mountains with soccer fields, basketball courts a dog park etc and the other will be by the school.

Personally, I like the convenience of Stetson to freeways. With Sonoran you kind of get back there on 67th Ave. I've heard traffic in the am can be a little time consuming. Both communities are beautiful though, surrounded by mountains etc. Pulte also has an excellent consumer report rating. You can check it out on JD power website or google it.

[enigmadsm]

Stetson is a great area. Small mountains all around, nice landscaping etc.
I don't know anything about Shea homes.

[Boatdrinks]

I don't know about those specific communities, but we've owned a Pulte home and a Shea home. Our experience was fabulous with Pulte and terrible with Shea, who's customer service was beyond bad. We, personally, would not buy another Shea home. However, I know many people who had great experiences with Shea, and terrible ones with Pulte. I think that if you go with a decent sized, reputable builder, and hire a good inspector at all stages of the building process, you'll likely do ok.