My visit to Phoenix and findings (Scottsdale, Chandler: rental car, short sale, foreclosure)

[wildmark]

Let me first start by saying these are my opinions if you don't agree then that’s your prerogative, I'm just stating mine, and I do not want to get into an argument with the people that always come on protecting their precious town, let’s keep it positive as I think the whole area is fantastic.

We flew into Phoenix on Thursday morning, a very new - modern airport, we did not like the fact we had to take a bus to the car rental place, (all the car rental companies are in the same place ten mins from the airport...again a big brand new place and very organized).

We stayed at the Royal Palms Resort which is a small upscale boutique hotel which is on Camelback Rd 2 mins from the center of Scottsdale and was great and turned out to be a great base for what we wanted to do, after checking in we took off driving around Scottsdale and Paradise Valley, the first thing that struck me was that, ‘just when you think you’re doing well in life’ you visit a place like this and it makes you feel like a pauper...holy crap the money that is there is ridiculous!, we pulled up at the lights three cars back - in front of us was a Bentley, a Porsche and a Lexus, to the right was a Ferrari another Porsche and a Classic Rolls Royce and that seemed to be the theme for the area I would say 50% of all the cars driving around that area are high end. The houses on the West side of Scottsdale Rd in Paradise Valley were out of this world, and way out of our price range

I would say Scottsdale was a great upscale area, Paradise Valley is off the charts, so we ventured north just above Hwy 101 and drove round a few development’s one in particular took our fancy called DC Ranch/Silverdale a great area with its own version of Main St which was new-built but quaint with a nice selection of restaurants and shops but also a lot of 'for lease' signs, which is not too surprising/

The whole area from Hwy 101 up to say Dynamite is where we will end up buying a house, it’s no more than 10 minutes from the highway and then because the highway seems to move quite fast even in rush-hour, you’re not that far from the center of Phoenix or anywhere in the Valley, not sure what the traffic is like down near the airport/City in rushour, but I'm sure it’s pretty bad, as all major cities!

We went to a very high end development called Mirabel which was gorgeous with a very nice country club with great facilities but the average age of the members was about 15 years older than us so not a good fit but we did speak to the onsite realtor who put us in touch with a really nice realtor who is now looking for us, he met up with us within a hour and took us to a few developments to give us an idea what’s out there in our price range and when were ready to pull the trigger in the New Year I would not be surprised if we go for a short sale or foreclosure as there is so much out there right now it’s scary!

On the Sunday we drove around the whole city, we did not like Tempe, the area is a big college town and everything in the center is geared up for that. Around the city were a few nice areas but a lot of run down ones so we struck that off our list, we then went across to Avondale, very low end did not like that area at all the City center reminded me of where I grew up - lots of low end government run housing, there may have been areas around that are ok but the center was small and a bit rundown IMO, lots of people driving round in lowered Honda civics with biscuit tin exhausts making a hell of a racquet. We then drove up to the Peoria/Sun City area, this was much better looks like a newer City with lots of chain restaurants and outlets, reminded us of Tampa, everything seemed very new, nice but not what we were looking for, then we drove further north to the outskirts of the area just north of the highway, again lots of new developments and a very nice area, seemed similar to the northern outskirts of Scottsdale but without the amount of amenities, this would be our second choice.

So to sum up the trip, we found an area that we want to live in, Phoenix is a great place with lots going on...on the subject of Phoenix City Center this was a big letdown, we drove in to the city at about 10am Saturday morning and it was like a scene from “28 days later”...absolutely no people, we drove around and could count the number of people on the streets on two hands..what’s the deal with that, any City Center in the UK would have been buzzing at that time especially in the week up to Xmas but it was a ghost town

Anyway that our opinion if it offends anyone then I'm sorry but that my opinion.

Regards

PS While we were there Flagstaff got snow and they were reporting the ski slopes open…wow you can sunbath in the morning then drive two hours and ski!!! Well it was a bit too cold to sunbath but you get the idea!

[observer53]

Thanks for your views. The only thing I would comment on (and for the benefit of others to whom the information could be helpful) is that you evidently did not venture beyond central Tempe, within a mile or two radius of the campus. If you went south a few miles, you would see some areas with large custom homes not unlike what you saw in Scottsdale, and other very nice upscale neighborhoods. Those of us who live in that area wouldn't even know the University is there, but appreciate the nearby cultural, educational and entertainment options it provides.

I wish you good luck in finding just the right spot, and welcome!

[adolpho]

The rental car bus is the same way in Vegas, but it seems kind of far to the place. Your City Center comments were interesting. I think they have been trying to figure that out for decades. I first moved here in the 90s, and went to Fat Tuesday's several times for the frozen drinks. It was never a real happening place like you think a downtown place should be. I ended up as a multi year regular at George and Dragon's, which is much more Midtown on Central Ave. There were a lot more locals there and a good happy hour, also. Central Ave. can be spotty, too. I just moved back into the 23rd and Northern area, after a 10 year absence. Nothing to rant and rave about, but it is very livable and cheap by most standards.

[wildmark]

Originally Posted by observer53

Thanks for your views. The only thing I would comment on (and for the benefit of others to whom the information could be helpful) is that you evidently did not venture beyond central Tempe, within a mile or two radius of the campus. If you went south a few miles, you would see some areas with large custom homes not unlike what you saw in Scottsdale, and other very nice upscale neighborhoods. Those of us who live in that area wouldn't even know the University is there, but appreciate the nearby cultural, educational and entertainment options it provides.

I wish you good luck in finding just the right spot, and welcome!

Yes your right, we did not venture far out of the center and i'm sure there are some nice areas but the College theme put us off. Great for my kids but not for us anymore.

Cheers.

[asufan]

Originally Posted by wildmark

Yes your right, we did not venture far out of the center and i'm sure there are some nice areas but the College theme put us off. Great for my kids but not for us anymore.

Cheers.

Yeah, Tempe is a city of over 150,000, so it's definitely different from end to end. But with the largest university in the nation there, it definitely has it's influence. My favorite parts of the metro area are probably South Tempe and Chandler, but I prefer grass and trees, and it sounds like you are trying to get away from that.

It sounds like you are on the right track with Scottsdale or Desert Ridge for what you want. You may also want to at least take the drive out to Fountain Hills, which is a little East of Scottsdale on the Eastern slope of the McDowell Mountains. You can probably get a hillside house with great views there for a lot less than in Scottsdale.

[intmd8r]

Originally Posted by asufan

Yeah, Tempe is a city of over 150,000, so it's definitely different from end to end. But with the largest university in the nation there, it definitely has it's influence.

Really? Largest university in the nation? I had never heard that the entire time I lived there, but now I'm curious. I know it's not largest by enrollment (I think that's Ohio State), so maybe you mean physical land mass?

Edit: A quick google shows that it will be the largest in the nation by enrollment for the 2009-2010 year. Wow!! I guess I never realized it was that large while I lived there!

[BevK]

We live in Scottsdale, just north of the area that you liked. Our neighborhood is called Winfield, just on the south side of Carefree. Winfield is a mixed area of large houses, smaller semi-custom homes, patio homes and townhouses. It is not an age-restricted community. It is a few miles north of the area you were looking in, but you might want to check it out. We have grocery stores and other stores within walking distance and we really enjoy this community.

Are you moving from the UK? Full time or part time? Arizona is a wonderful state, for just the reason you listed - warm and sunny in the morning and skiing in the afternoon. The geography and the people are diverse and there is no lack of activities, both indoors and outdoors. I hope you like it as much as we do.

[Finger Laker]

Originally Posted by cmist

Most homes can choose between 6 grocery stores, 3 walmarts, 100 bank branches within minutes of their home.............
This setup is one of my biggest complaints about the city

And this is what I like most about the city

As someone who grew up in a place where everything was inconvenient or a big drive, I absolutely love having so many options so close

Also, if you peel back the onion a little bit there is a lot of options besides just chains ... sure they are prevalent, but the local mom & pop business is definitely there and not hard to see if you are looking a little bit

I know in my area we have a fabulous thai restaurant, chinese restaurant (more pei wei style than the takeout that I still crave, but it's good none the less), cajun restaurant, some BBQ options (although I tend to just cook my own), a pet boutique where I buy all my food, etc

I like having all of that really close to where I live

I've also lived in the urban setting and made the choice to move out of it .... while I loved it when I was there, it held little future for me

now that i'm married and with a new baby at home this is what works great for my current situation

there are things I'm not too fond of out here, but all in all I like it and I don't even golf (although I'm trying to pick it up, I just don't have the time)

the key as always is find what excites you and try to get there

if you can't then dig around what you have and make the most of it

[observer53]

Since wildmark's goal is to keep this positive, I have to say that the "golf and sunshine are the keys to happiness here" really oversimplifies what people find here to make them happy. Other than miniature golf, I've spent over 50 years here without swinging a club. Yes, I'd rather have this weather than rain all the time. But, there's a lot more than weather to being "happy" where you are.

Wildmark, again, I wish you luck in your search, and in your goal of keeping this thread positive.

[Finger Laker]

btw - most of the examples I listed are in pretty new shopping centers out here in goodyear

there is definitely room for both - so much so that a lot of little local places have their own "chain" going where they can open multiple places across the city

i'd probably say in my general area the national chains are outnumbered when it comes to restaurants by independent shops or local chains - the only thing that could maybe make it close is the fact that mcdonalds likes to throw up a shop every block

and as someone who has lived in places with very poor grocery options, I love the competition between them .... never in my life have I had a more variety of selection and have been treated better as a customer

the culture & arts scene in the metro is pretty good as well ... granted you wont find much of it in the suburbs or centralized in any single area, but it's definitely out there with a great variety of options