Ready to buy in Phoenix (Gilbert) but have a few Qs... (Chandler: apartment, appliances)

[occdn]

Greetings,
I just got back from a trip to Gilbert and we looked at houses and builders for 2 straight days. My favorite house and area by far was Seville, and this is the house my wife and I are considering: 1704 Cordoba Plan at Seville: Seville - Escala II by Shea Homes - Family

Does anyone have feedback on this area? Is Shea a decent builder in this area? I live in a Shea apartment in CA right now and they seem okay but maybe the builder is a different wing in AZ?

That aside I spend around $52 a month in electricity and $15 a month water. I am a bit of a hippy and we use VERY little electricity. Given here I have a 1000 sqft apartment on the 4th floor and this is a 2500 sqft house - realistically what sort of rates will I be looking at for hydro (any handy online calculators?) assuming I use energystar appliances and CFLs.

Thanks for any feedback you can offer.

PS. Props for having Keg Steakhouses in the area... and MOLSON CANADIAN on tap (omg!)

[asufan]

Originally Posted by occdn

Greetings,
I just got back from a trip to Gilbert and we looked at houses and builders for 2 straight days. My favorite house and area by far was Seville, and this is the house my wife and I are considering: 1704 Cordoba Plan at Seville: Seville - Escala II by Shea Homes - Family

Does anyone have feedback on this area? Is Shea a decent builder in this area? I live in a Shea apartment in CA right now and they seem okay but maybe the builder is a different wing in AZ?

That aside I spend around $52 a month in electricity and $15 a month water. I am a bit of a hippy and we use VERY little electricity. Given here I have a 1000 sqft apartment on the 4th floor and this is a 2500 sqft house - realistically what sort of rates will I be looking at for hydro (any handy online calculators?) assuming I use energystar appliances and CFLs.

Thanks for any feedback you can offer.

PS. Props for having Keg Steakhouses in the area... and MOLSON CANADIAN on tap (omg!)

I'm pretty sure it's the same Shea Homes, as the Shea family has a home on Balboa Island backing Newport Harbor. Seville is a nice community. A little far from the freeway (202) for my liking, but it's a nice community once you get out there. FYI, I live nearby in Chandler, near the 202 and Gilbert Road, and think it's gonna be a great growth area, and a nice investment.

As far as utilities go, you are going to be paying at least 3-4 times that amount in the summer, and maybe 50%-100% more in the winter. Other cost of living expenses are much cheaper and will offset this, so it shouldn't be a determining factor.

[observer53]

The figures above are about right. If you keep your thermostat up, use ceiling fans, and avoid south and west sun exposure on windows, you can keep the costs down. You may want to go on a managed payment plan, in which you pay the same amount for electric every month, and avoid the "sticker shock" in the summer.

I assume Gilbert is like all the other cities... you are not just paying for water, but trash and sewer service as well. You will definitely pay more than 15 a month for all of that. More like a minimum of 65-70 a month. You will save in other areas, though, as the above poster said.

[ji603]

Yup. Electric about 200 a month in the summer if you set the temp at 78-80, and H20 bill about 50 a month ... could be quite a bit more if you have a lot of grass...

[azaly]

Seville is a great area, but I hope you work close by because it is not close to a freeway.
I just moved from a new energy efficient home in Gilbert that was 2400 square feet. I had SRP electric. My bills in summer ranged between 250 and 300 in the hottest months of summer. For some reason people on this forum consistently low ball electric bills. The truth is they are quite high because it is ungodly hot 24 hours a day June to September. By the way my therm was always set at 80 day and night and I had fans in every room. Budget well for electricity, you should not be uncomfortable in your own home to save a few bucks. Good luck

[aoeu00]

I agree that you should not be uncomfortable in your own home. So, I do pay the price because of that. To most I spoke to, their A/C (electricity) bills were on average $100 higher this summer over last summer (2008). I experienced the same.

We have a 3.2k sq.ft. home. Our peak bill was around $400 this summer... but this summer was a scorcher at times. Also, I think energy rates went up this year, too. We kept our thermostat at around 77-78 during the day (I was home most of the time). I just hate feeling hot "inside". But yeah, I end up paying for it.

This time, I will be switching to the offpeak plan by SRP before it starts to heat up again. Basically, from what I was told, you should minimize energy usage between 3pm-6pm. A neighbor said by doing this, their bill went down $100.

So, with your 2.5k home, you will probably pay "at least" $200 during the summer. I mean, did "anyone" pay less than $200 for electricity this past summer?

[observer53]

Originally Posted by aoeu00

I agree that you should not be uncomfortable in your own home. So, I do pay the price because of that. To most I spoke to, their A/C (electricity) bills were on average $100 higher this summer over last summer (2008). I experienced the same.

We have a 3.2k sq.ft. home. Our peak bill was around $400 this summer... but this summer was a scorcher at times. Also, I think energy rates went up this year, too. We kept our thermostat at around 77-78 during the day (I was home most of the time). I just hate feeling hot "inside". But yeah, I end up paying for it.

This time, I will be switching to the offpeak plan by SRP before it starts to heat up again. Basically, from what I was told, you should minimize energy usage between 3pm-6pm. A neighbor said by doing this, their bill went down $100.

So, with your 2.5k home, you will probably pay "at least" $200 during the summer. I mean, did "anyone" pay less than $200 for electricity this past summer?

Well, yes, I always do. That's because I use the managed payment plan and pay the same every month, avoid the sticker shock, I'm pretty conservative with the thermostat settings, (not 77-78 in summer, I'm comfortable at 80-82 unless I've been outside a while and need to cool down a bit) have lots of ceramic tile floors, and ceiling fans. 2100 sq ft house.

[BBacaengineering]

Shea has been around for years here in the Valley, and they seem to do good work. It depends on many factors but the surest way is to have it inspected. Talk to neighbors, blog to see if that area has any claims against them, perhaps check with the registar of contractors to see if they have info on this development.
Get it inspected by a thorough home inspector [mod] no advtising allowed [/mod] as well as a registered engineer.

It seems you are on the right path asking questions, [mod] no advertising aloowed [/mod]
Good luck on your quest for the best home for you in the Valley!

BBacaengineering

[KarmaPhx]

I assume you're going to be working in the East Valley when you move? If not consider the commute from there, it's not fun.

[5238z]

I thought I would ask this question since this post is buying in Gilbert, AZ area. In this area, does the seller pay both Seller & Buyer commission? Or does the buyer have to pay? If yes, what is the commission rate?

Thanks