Home Rentals - Do they bring in people you don't necessarily want in your neighborhood? (Phoenix: foreclosures, renters)

[2 kids and counting]

I'd love to hear some of your thoughts on this. My family will be making the move to the Phoenix area within the next year. We are questioning something though. We see many times on various news media and TV shows VERY nice homes and neighborhoods that look like nice family areas. Come to find out, this beautiful home is the home of some obviously trashy people (meaning cannot speak proper English when they are NATIVE English speakers, are uneducated, and do not look like they belong living in such a nice house). All of which leads me to believe they are renters.

Back in the Midwest, certain neighborhoods were "rental" neighborhoods and one could find a mixture of good and trashy people living there - all for different reasons. I realize that Phoenix has over 4 million people living there and you will get all types of people with a population that large, but am shocked to see what comes out of some of these great looking homes.

It appears that due to the very high foreclosure market in AZ, that one can find a very nice house for rent. So I am wondering if there are any areas or communities that exist that have the stable families living in them, that take pride in home-ownership and it shows by maintaining their home, yard, vehicles, and themselves. In my current neighborhood, rentals are not allowed and most of the residents have been there as long as the homes have been - almost 20 years. People know each other, don't hesitate to ask for a cup of sugar, to borrow hedge trimmer, bake cookies for someone for no reason at all. Are there any areas around like this in any of the suburbs of Phoenix?

[khuntrevor]

Educated people know that good neighborhoods come with a price tag. It appears to me that low down ez qualify loans brought in a lot more garbage than people, who prefer to rent. A lot of the low down folks are so desperate that they will rent to anyone, and that is a problem.

It is kind of unique in the Valley that you see relatively new neighborhoods that are ghetto. Newer houses are in the exurbs; they were crushed the worst. Large, poor families go to the exurbs because they need the space.....

[Sco]

Originally Posted by 2 kids and counting

I'd love to hear some of your thoughts on this. My family will be making the move to the Phoenix area within the next year. We are questioning something though. We see many times on various news media and TV shows VERY nice homes and neighborhoods that look like nice family areas. Come to find out, this beautiful home is the home of some obviously trashy people (meaning cannot speak proper English when they are NATIVE English speakers, are uneducated, and do not look like they belong living in such a nice house). All of which leads me to believe they are renters.

Back in the Midwest, certain neighborhoods were "rental" neighborhoods and one could find a mixture of good and trashy people living there - all for different reasons. I realize that Phoenix has over 4 million people living there and you will get all types of people with a population that large, but am shocked to see what comes out of some of these great looking homes.

It appears that due to the very high foreclosure market in AZ, that one can find a very nice house for rent. So I am wondering if there are any areas or communities that exist that have the stable families living in them, that take pride in home-ownership and it shows by maintaining their home, yard, vehicles, and themselves. In my current neighborhood, rentals are not allowed and most of the residents have been there as long as the homes have been - almost 20 years. People know each other, don't hesitate to ask for a cup of sugar, to borrow hedge trimmer, bake cookies for someone for no reason at all. Are there any areas around like this in any of the suburbs of Phoenix?

No, the entire Phoenix metro area and every neighborhood is infested with scumbag renters. You should probably just stay where you are to be safe.

[AZ bound]

Originally Posted by Sco

No, the entire Phoenix metro area and every neighborhood is infested with scumbag renters. You should probably just stay where you are to be safe.

Or just find a totalitarian regime of an HOA, and move in there

[azriverfan.]

Wealthy educated people with nice homes are pretty selective about who they rent to because they care about their home. They are not slum lords nor are they desperate. They do a background search on potential tenants. They require a certain credit rating. They require a one to two month deposit. They require evidence of a job (Pay stubs) or if they are unemployed they need evidence showing they can cover 6 months rent (bank statement). They require proof of renters insurance. Usually only quality renters can meet these requirements. These are not the type of people who just rent to anyone, they didn't acquire that nice home by being stupid.

And make no mistake, quality renters seek quality landlords. They want to see that a home was taken care of prior to being rented. They want to rent in a quality safe neighborhood. They want to see that the landlord make some concessions to providing a great experience such as paying for pest control and/or perhaps even lawn care. They want to know that if problems should arise, the landlord will take care of it in a timely fashion. Quality renters are not seeking the cheapest home they can find either. They are seeking quality as well and are willing to pay more for a better experience.

[oldtrader]

At current average very low selling price in Phoenix at this time, with all the foreclosures that are happening and it is getting worse, you will find people of all economic brackets able to buy homes. There are some investors moving into the buyer market snapping up the well under value bargains, and they are renting them out holding them hoping they will go up in value again. There is no such thing, as areas that there are no renters. Prices are down as much as 2/3rds in 5 years and still falling.

The question a lot of us ask, if things are so great in the mid west where you live, why are you wanting to move to Phoenix?

[Rogarven]

I know many situations where a couple of families will move into a house with 4 bedrooms or so they can be in a "better neighborhood". That, ulimately, is not good for the neighborhood. As you said, desperate homeowners will rent to practically anyone.

[khuntrevor]

Originally Posted by Rogarven

I know many situations where a couple of families will move into a house with 4 bedrooms or so they can be in a "better neighborhood". That, ulimately, is not good for the neighborhood. As you said, desperate homeowners will rent to practically anyone.

That's the case in my parent's neighborhood, 25 miles from DC. Two families, possibly illegals, sharing a four bedroom house w/ a basement. Value peaked in 2006 at 480K. Now 280K, and that is the highly touted DC area, in a pseudo exurb. So take a guess how the situation is in Phoenix, 165 miles from Mexico, in 4 br homes that are worth 80K?

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by khuntrevor

That's the case in my parent's neighborhood, 25 miles from DC. Two families, possibly illegals, sharing a four bedroom house w/ a basement. Value peaked in 2006 at 480K. Now 280K, and that is the highly touted DC area, in a pseudo exurb. So take a guess how the situation is in Phoenix, 165 miles from Mexico, in 4 br homes that are worth 80K?

It depends on the type of neighborhood you are referring to. Nice neighborhoods do not rent to just anyone. And right now, there are all types of renters. Many of them can afford homes but do not trust this market and prefer to rent. There is a lot of demand for rental homes in nice upscale neighborhoods.

[Captain Bill]

I guess Bernie Madoff could have qualified to be a renter, with his wealth and education.