House price ranges in decent area? (Phoenix, Mesa: transplants, for sale, real estate)

[monemi]

I'm a British Canadian living in Toronto with Canadian husband. We're discussing a job offer in Phoenix. Pros-cons. I thought that this might be a good place to ask this question.
I took a moment to look at real estate online, and the prices seemed unusually cheap. If we could pay in cash for a house or much smaller mortgage, that would be a BIG postive. But it's likely from my perspective that these neighbourhoods have taken a dive with people vacating? I know prices have dropped quite a bit in the US. But how would you say decent neighbourhoods have faired? And older homes? I'm cozey in houses at least 50 years old.
I love Toronto, but I hate the winter. It would be nice if this city would transplant south for me. I've adjusted to new cities before, we'd get over it. I don't know, there's a lot of question marks over Phoenix.

[MotleyCrew]

You can check our village for great deals. We live in Vistancia which is in north Peoria and is a very well done master planned community. Prices here are about 50% from the peak. Check out Real Estate Listings, Homes for Sale and Rental Property Listings – REALTOR.com® and put in the zip code 85383 and this will take you to several nice communties in Peoria.

[pbenjamin]

Originally Posted by monemi

And older homes? I'm cozey in houses at least 50 years old.

The population of the city of Phoenix 50 years ago was about 400,000, today it is roughly 4 times that. The 50-and-older housing stock is somewhat limited. Many people consider a home more than 10-15 years old to be dated. The suburbs that existed that long ago have similar numbers. You would need to look near Central Phoenix or similar neighborhoods in places like Glendale, Mesa and Tempe to find many older homes.

[AZJoeD]

As has been mentioned before, a lot will depend on where your job is going to be located. There are nice homes and good prices in almost any area of the Valley.

I prefer the North Valley, but you will get opinions for every area.

As a foreign national a cash transaction will be the easiest, but there are several lenders that work with foreign nationals to obtain financing.

Phoenix is less cosmopolitan than Toronto, less urban. We do have some nice historic places and a growing cultural effort, but mostly we are suburban.

[monemi]

Thanks for the responses.

PBenjamin-
Glendale and Tempe look like they're relatively close to Sky Harbour airport. That would help. The Job would be in Scottsdale. Is that an older section as well? Anyone have price ranges for these older neighbourhoods? What age groups are the neighbourhoods? How are they fairing?

AZJoeD
Mostly suburbs? How conservative is phoenix? I've read the southern US is big into guns. Is Phoenix amongst this trend? I'm all for hunting. I just draw a line at joe blow carrying a gun in his car.
Depending on the prices, I'd prefer to arrange financing in Canada if need be. More familiarity, you know?

[Finger Laker]

scottsdale is a very "tall" city - much like tempe - north scottsdale is a bit newer than south scottsdale

depends on what you are looking for in older neighborhoods and where - in some of the "historic districts" north of downtown you can still pay $500,000 for a home, which personally isn't for me

but everyone is different

phoenix is a lot less "city" than toronto - much more suburban - there are some enclaves that have different feels to them (old town scottsdale, downtown phoenix, mill ave in tempe)

however, a lot of the city is setup in non-descript neighborhoods - grocery stores, gas station, retail, maybe a park and a cluster of housing developments around it

basically everything is convenient to your home - big events/entertainment you travel for and then you try to find a decent commute

prices took a beating in my neighborhood and homes would definitely be considered a value to most looking in - i've found that the neighborhood has stabilized a lot

[monemi]

Originally Posted by Finger Laker

scottsdale is a very "tall" city - much like tempe - north scottsdale is a bit newer than south scottsdale

depends on what you are looking for in older neighborhoods and where - in some of the "historic districts" north of downtown you can still pay $500,000 for a home, which personally isn't for me

but everyone is different

phoenix is a lot less "city" than toronto - much more suburban - there are some enclaves that have different feels to them (old town scottsdale, downtown phoenix, mill ave in tempe)

however, a lot of the city is setup in non-descript neighborhoods - grocery stores, gas station, retail, maybe a park and a cluster of housing developments around it

basically everything is convenient to your home - big events/entertainment you travel for and then you try to find a decent commute

prices took a beating in my neighborhood and homes would definitely be considered a value to most looking in - i've found that the neighborhood has stabilized a lot

I like to be within walking distance of parks, schools, rec centers, libraries and fresh groceries. That's what I look for in a neighbourhood. I don't like gardening, so lot size is irrelevant to me. But I grew up in a 200 year old house, so older homes intrinsically feel homey to me. I'm not looking for history so much as a sense of familiarity. Older homes have personalities I can feel at ease with. New homes make me feel like I'm under the watchful gaze of a drill sargent. And yes, I realize I have issues.

[Finger Laker]

and there is a bit of the rub - near the historic areas some of those services are a bit tougher to get near

in the newer neighborhoods everything is close, but it's not really setup to be a walking experience - more of a swing in on your way home from work

there are some older houses out here and some neighborhoods near phoenix .... it's a very large metro in the amount of land that it covers - i'd probably use your job location as the focal point and start working your way out and find a couple neighborhoods that look like they could have a good mix of what you desire (probably wont find everything, but such is life) and then dig a little deeper

i also wouldn't be too concerned about the guns - AZ can be fairly conservative, but the chances are you'll never interface with anyone carrying a gun (at least that you'll know of)

it's not like you have gun racks on pickups and pistols sitting on the drivers seat

i understand what you are saying about the feel of a home - i pretty much grew up in my grandmothers house that was built in the 1880s in a pretty small town ....... i've also lived in a row house from the same period in philadelphia

personally, i've found that my home which was built in 2001 feels very homey and comfortable - but that's what I value in a home - i want it to be lived in - i have pets, pictures, colors, etc that convey what is comfortable to me

[acrylic]

Originally Posted by monemi

I like to be within walking distance of parks, schools, rec centers, libraries and fresh groceries. That's what I look for in a neighbourhood. I don't like gardening, so lot size is irrelevant to me. But I grew up in a 200 year old house, so older homes intrinsically feel homey to me. I'm not looking for history so much as a sense of familiarity. Older homes have personalities I can feel at ease with. New homes make me feel like I'm under the watchful gaze of a drill sargent. And yes, I realize I have issues.

Areas around DT Phoenix have some AWESOME historic homes

[azdr0710]

many concerns for a Toronto couple possibly moving to Phx....

the metro area will have lower density and seem much more car-centric....will seem much newer than Toronto....fewer established neighborhoods (may not be true, but it'll seem) and fewer "hometown shops" "around the corner"....very large and very spread out urban area....streets on a grid system, mostly....lots of recent transplants....fewer old-timers....lots of chain retail reminding you of "Anytown, USA"....still a bit of a friendly, casual, Western attitude in some areas, but fast-paced, self-important people in others....

very dry air except in July and August....cools quickly at night....no daylight savings time....bright and hot in May and June...swamp coolers vs. refrigeration!!....gravel yards instead of grass....block walls around your backyard....

you may be OK with some of the "historic" neighborhoods just N of downtown, like Encanto, Willo, Palmcroft, Coronado, and others....50-70 years old...convenient, maybe walkable, stable, becoming popular....smallish lots, lots of charm....

lots and lots of suburban sprawl with houses all looking alike....these outer areas are where the home prices took the biggest hit and they'll suffer for a few years, I think....they aren't as stable as older, established 'hoods in town....lots of housing choices

not as conservative as you think....any large city will have a healthy mix, but it's more of a Libertarian "leave me alone" attitude here, in general....you won't be intimidated or seem forced to act a certain way, but don't preach to others....famous Sheriff Arpaio is rapidly losing respect and he doesn't represent mainstream Phoenix....he just looks for PR, it seems....

come out and visit....drive around down back roads, see a good realtor, walk around, chat up the locals, look at a map, stop for coffee at a local joint.......