Sahuarita area (Tucson, Nogales, Green Valley: for sale, HOA fees, house)

[Copperstate]

Good day all,

My wife and I are preparing to relocate to the Sahuarita area in the next several months. We have a child who will be starting 6th grade, so schools are a concern. I have read a few threads on here, but some are rather dated.

It looks like the schools in Rancho Sahuarita are better, and I read several poor reviews on the Continental district. Does anyone have any feedback?

Also, anyone know the current HOA fees? Last I saw, Rancho is around $140 a month. What about the Madera communities?

I also saw that Rancho residents must pay for fire protection from Rural Metro, what does that cost?

Ideally we would find a 3-4 bedroom house with a 3 car garage under 400k on the biggest lot possible. We would really like to land in a good school area.

I am trying to get a better feel for total monthly costs involved with the area, as well as any areas we should avoid or focus our search.

Thanks for any help or insight anyone has.

[Bygeorge]

I am a little mystified. You seem to have made up your mind to settle in S but you have questions about some important aspects. Sounds like you have things in the wrong order.

With that said, I have heard that the schools there are decent bearing in mind that Pima County schools struggle to keep good teachers due to financing and the typical issues with the stress of teaching.

Hopefully others can address the money questions.

Good luck on your move.

[jksn75]

Look into Sahuarita Highlands which has 1-2 acre lots. Although it's built out already, there might be a couple of properties for sale. I've heard someone in the neighborhood will be listing their home any day now. Everyone in Sahuarita must pay for fire protection, not just rancho. It depends on the sqft of your home. Call Rural Metro and ask appx what it would cost you. We pay around $700/yr for over 3000sqft. I can't help you with the kids and school aspect. Join the FB page: Residents of Rancho Sahuarita. You will have all of your questions answered there. I lived in Rancho for over 10 yrs. I left because it became very overcrowded. A lot of traffic, gym and pool always packed.

[Copperstate]

Thanks all for your replies.

The reason we "settled" on the area is because my wife will be working in Nogales and I will be working in Tucson. So, Sahuarita gets us in roughly the middle.

I would appreciate any other thoughts others have.

[mnsissy61]

Check out Encore at Madera Highlands. The price and lot size fall within your wishes and it's BEAUTIFUL! Scenic, wildlife, quiet.
I don't know if the HOA fees are different than mine (I live in Prelude at Madera Highlands) and my fees are $28 monthly. Pool, tennis courts, dog parks, child parks.
I do not have school age children so, I can't help with info in that area, but there are a lot of school age children in this area.
I love it here. It's not crowded like Rancho. It's safe, quiet, friendly and you'll see people out enjoying the beautiful weather everyday. There's plenty of outdoor activities for the whole family.

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by Copperstate

Good day all,

My wife and I are preparing to relocate to the Sahuarita area in the next several months. We have a child who will be starting 6th grade, so schools are a concern. I have read a few threads on here, but some are rather dated.

It looks like the schools in Rancho Sahuarita are better, and I read several poor reviews on the Continental district. Does anyone have any feedback?

Also, anyone know the current HOA fees? Last I saw, Rancho is around $140 a month. What about the Madera communities?

I also saw that Rancho residents must pay for fire protection from Rural Metro, what does that cost?

Ideally we would find a 3-4 bedroom house with a 3 car garage under 400k on the biggest lot possible. We would really like to land in a good school area.

I am trying to get a better feel for total monthly costs involved with the area, as well as any areas we should avoid or focus our search.

Thanks for any help or insight anyone has.

Let's address a few of the issues.

First, I have done a lot of corporate recruiting over the years before I retired to the Green Valley area. For me, it would be hard to relocate to this area if I had children as I do not think that the schools are very good. Some school districts are better than others but nearly every public school district in this area suffers from underfunding. This makes it difficult for school districts like Sahuarita to retain teachers from year to year. The good ones can find a job making more and move on. Most of the parents that have children in Sahuarita schools are satisfied with them.

Continental USD is ONE K-8 school located in Green Valley. Students attend that school until completing 8th grade and then choose whatever high school in Tucson, Sahuarita, or Rio Rico that they wish to attend at the district's expense. Continental also has funding problems as 90% of the population in the area is 55+ and will NEVER approve a school tax increase. If you are planning to live in Sahuarita, you will not be going to Continental School.

Have you called the Sahuarita Town Hall? They should be able to answer specific questions regarding the fire protection district.

Your big expense is going to be the commuting costs as you are signing up for 150+ miles of driving per work day. That commute both ways is going to be a killer of any vehicle.

One warning. Every year, there is generally several fatalities along I-19 related to people who are commuting between Nogales and Tucson. While the road is decent and you generally don't need to worry about snow and ice, fatigue sets in. BP employees seem to suffer a lot from fatigue during their commute.

I hope that helps.

[wildflowers27]

The local newspaper is also a good way to get the feel for a community:

https://www.sahuaritasun.com/

[okie bird dog]

you can check HOA fees on GVSAR.com. Are the fees for fire department services on top of Pima county property taxes which are already 2nd highest in the state?

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by okie bird dog

Are the fees for fire department services on top of Pima county property taxes which are already 2nd highest in the state?

And the property taxes are generally 20-30% of what most of my neighbors paid prior to moving to this area.

[okie bird dog]

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

And the property taxes are generally 20-30% of what most of my neighbors paid prior to moving to this area.

Although I am grateful for all comments and information, I fail to see how that applies to my question. I was not complaining about or commenting on the tax rate, just noting that it was higher than most of the state. If the fee for fire protection is $700 a year for a home over 3000 sf and other locations in Pima county have the same property tax due and it includes fire protection, I would think that it could be some important information to have. All useful information is of value to those setting budgets. I really don't care what taxes are charged in other states, I am moving to Arizona. HOA fees vary greatly from on subdivision to another depending on debt and amenities, the same with utilities, those types of information can all be valuable in decision making. thank you to all who have been helpful over the past couple of years!!! (By the way, I paid taxes for my children to go to public school, thought I could do better so paid for alternative education. Paid twice to educate my children, all are successful financially and in life.)