Prescott Valley subdivisions -good ones, bad ones, etc. (Chino Valley, Dewey-Humboldt: RV park, for sale)

[tony soprano]

After much searching, reading, and discussion, I've put Prescott Valley on the short list for potential retirement destinations. I've been doing online searches for housing and consistently run across homes in the same subdivisions. I don't know if that's a bad sign or not. Are there any PV residents familiar with any of the following subdivisions? Granville, Stoneridge, Pronghorn ranch, or Viewpoint? If so, can you give your general impressions on build quality, convenience of location, your HOA, overall satisfaction, etc.

I know that's a pretty specific question but I thought I'd give it a shot. Any general commentary on different PV subdivisions is welcomed. One thing I'm particularly interested in is the HOAs. My last HOA did not allow you to wash your car on the street, would not allow to park on the street overnight, and was generally a PITA.

Lastly, can anyone tell me how AZ in general, or PV specifically determines property taxes? Is it based on a percentage of the assessed value? It seems the property taxes can vary quite a bit even with homes at similar sales prices.

[BriansPerspective]

Hi Tony,

You can find comprehensive descriptions of Granville (east and west) and Pronghorn subdivisions at: Prescott Valley Subdivisions. I will work on adding Viewpoint and Stoneridge quickly.

Regarding location, Granville is the most convenient. It is closest to the center of Prescott Valley (entertainment district, government, and medical district). Granville also has quick access to both Hwy-69 and Hwy-89A if you are going to Prescott or to the airport. Granville has a fairly strict HOA. I do not think they have a restriction against washing your car, but you cannot park on the street overnight - you have to park in the driveway.

Pronghorn is north of Hwy 89A and therefore a little further from the center of town. Viewpoint is next door to Pronghorn Ranch and is similar, but lacks a community center and the HOA dues are much lower.

Stoneridge is on the opposite side of Hwy-69, about a mile out. Stoneridge has a very nice community center and HOA dues ($42/mo.) similar to Pronghorn and Granville. Personally, I think the homes in Stoneridge are overpriced for what you're buying. Consequently, there is a bit of a glut of homes for sale in Stoneridge right now.

Regarding property taxes, you will need a doctorate degree to understand how they are calculated The bottom line is that the property tax will most likely be less than 1% of the home value. Essentially, property tax is a percentage of the assessed value of the home. There is an assessed Full Cash Value and an assessed Limited Cash Value. Each of those values has its own set of taxes that get levied (School, Fire, Police, Bonds, etc.). However, all of this is somewhat irrelevant, because the various agencies decide how much they will need to spend. Then they tally up all of the assessed values. Then they divide the total assessed value by the amount they need to spend and that determines the tax rate. The rate changes each year. You can challenge your assessed value if you want, but the assessed values are typically set to 80-90% of the actual value of the home.

There are multiple reasons you are seeing a wide spread of property taxes for similarly priced homes. Here are some of the reasons: 1) One listing agent may put the 2007 property tax in one listing and another agent may put the 2008 tax in another listing. 2) One listing might be very overpriced, so the market value of the home might be exaggerated. 3) One home might have been recently remodeled or added on to and the assessor has not caught up with the improvement. 4) One home might have been sold at the height of the market in 2005 and have a higher value while another home might have been last sold in 1995 for a very low value. If you want to see the exact tax bill on any home, you can go to: Tax Search.

Another thing to know is that property taxes are paid in arrears. The first half of the year's taxes are due in October and the second half of the year's taxes are due the following March. When you buy a house, the seller will pay you for the accrued property taxes for that year.

Cheers,
Brian

[tony soprano]

Hello Brian:

Thank you, that post was extremely helpful! I've bookmarked your website and will check in on occasion for your updates.

Thanks again!

[Gretchen B]

I think you'll find that property taxes are higher in StoneRidge and a little bit higher in The Viewpoint.

[esselcue]

Unless you are dead-set on living in Prescott Valley, I would suggest you look around a little. For the same money you will pay there for a cookie cutter house on a postage stamp sized lot, you can find a place on an acre or at least a quarter acre in Chino, Paulden, Dewey-Humboldt, etc. Then again, just my opinion

[spyderman]

I thought the houses were nice in Quailwood but the wife says too far from town

Taxes were higher at Stoneridge and lower just across the street.

[Gretchen B]

Originally Posted by spyderman

I thought the houses were nice in Quailwood but the wife says too far from town

Taxes were higher at Stoneridge and lower just across the street.

There are some nice houses in Quailwood, but the builder (Empire) has shut down and walked away from partially completed homes. Probably not the best place to buy right now.

[tony soprano]

Originally Posted by esselcue

Unless you are dead-set on living in Prescott Valley, I would suggest you look around a little. For the same money you will pay there for a cookie cutter house on a postage stamp sized lot, you can find a place on an acre or at least a quarter acre in Chino, Paulden, Dewey-Humboldt, etc. Then again, just my opinion

Esselcue, I wouldn't say I'm dead set on Prescott Valley, but it certainly is on my radar screen. I currently live and work in Silicon Valley. I am looking for a slower paced, smaller community but I might have difficulty acclimating to someplace that's "too" small or rural. Truth be told, coming from the bay area, my only point of reference is cookie cutter homes on postage stamp sized lots.

[checkthecodes]

Hi Tony, I've lived here in Prescott Valley for 3 years. I live in unit 19 which is on the west side of the city and not in the sub-divisions. I looked for 4 years before I bought here, be aware of the home owner associations rules in the sub-divisions, also be aware of the bond used Pronghorn. Be aware of cracking foundations through out the city in some of these sub-divisions, the city just changed the construction codes and now requires thicker foundations starting in July 2007, call the city building code department.... If your from California be aware if your retiring here, check your health care benefits to see if you lose any... If by chance your retirement is through CalPERS like myself, if you leave California you lose HMO coverage and forced on PPO. Prescott Valley is really a nice place to retire but not if you need a job, the pay is to low. We have a doctor shortage here but they are working on getting more doctors up here. Low crime, big meth problem but the police are cleaning up the problem. Taxes are cheaper than California. If you buy a house and want to add on don't buy in the sub-divisions you won't be able to. Most 1/2 acre lots and houses here have RV parking on the sides. But you need a 3/4 to 1 acre if you want to add another garage or addition, again check the building codes here and required setbacks before you buy. One last thing there are a lot of "Take the money and run" up here...I'm sure it's like that everywhere... you just have to watch who you deal with here ...Lots of un-licensed people and contractors...beware. No RV parking, even behind the fences in the sub-divisions is not allowed... One of our friends was told by the sales person that they could, just to make the deal... read the home owners rules and regs.... There are some nice homes in Chino Valley but your aways from the main hospitals which are in Prescott and Prescott Valley. One last thing is to check on any property here is to see if there any assesments to be paid such as sewer and other city improvements and watch for fast talking realtors. Take your time...Good Luck

[tony soprano]

Thanks checkthecodes. More very useful information. The only thing I wasn't clear on is the mention of the bond used by Pronghorn. Do you have any more detail on that?