Best communities and new developments around Phoenix? (Tucson, Mesa: real estate, lease)

[SD33]

Hey all,

My wife and I will be moving to the Phoenix area next year and I am flying down in a couple days to check the area out again (second time). Last time I was there, I looked at Scottsdale, Gilbert, and Chandler. This time I would like to see other parts of Phoenix (Tempe, Mesa, Goodyear, Buckeye, Glendale, Avondale, Sun City, Peoria, etc.?). I really appreciated the housing prices, the safe feel, the family vibe, and the amenities (lots of restaurants and shopping) of Chandler and Gilbert, so I would like to explore similar communities or areas in other parts of greater Phoenix. What do you recommend? I am also interested in new urbanism and communities like Verrado. Where should I go, what should I see? If you have a neighborhood you love that has homes in the 175K-275K price range I would love to hear about your area. Also, if there are any areas I should just stay away from I'd like to know that too.

Side note: I'm a school psychologist and my wife is a dental hygienist, if that makes any difference, so we can kind of live anywhere there is education or healthcare. We also plan on having kids in the next couple years.

Thanks!

[unit731]

Don't know where you are from.

The Valley goes block by block as far as neighborhoods go. One block can be great while another can be average. The town/city really doesn't make much difference unless you view the taxes of such.

So you are both going to move before you obtain employment? You'll end up with a potential long drive.

Me, I'd get the job first then view housing as close to work as possible.

Back East I may drive maybe 8 miles in a day. In Arizona I may drive 100 miles in a day just shopping.

You may have this sdrawkcab esra.

[rjrcm]

I agree, getting your job nailed down should be first priority. Also consider renting for awhile to really be sure of the location you select.

[EDnurse]

I believe what unit731 and rjrcm have posted is true and they've given you very good advice.

I suggest you and your wife sit down and write down what it is that you want:

1. Square footage: how many br/ba, garage, pool, etc.
2. Energy conscious? Get a lot with North/south exposure. Avoid windows on west side of the house.
3. Schools: public vs private. Research schools. (ex. Litchfield Park in the W. Valley are very good). Child care availability/quality/proximity?
4. Proximity to work. A long commute can make your life miserable. Other considerations: Gas prices will never go back to <2.50/gal, wasting time while stuck in traffic, wear/tear on automobile, if you live more than 10 miles from work your auto insurance will be higher, etc. Interstate 10 can turn into a parking lot if there's an accident/construction. I would not want to live more than 10 miles from work. Also, to me, I-17 is a nightmare. I don't know why but people drive like lunatics on it. Please drive on it on weekdays around 0645-0800 and 1600-1800. Then ask yourself if you really want to do that 5 days a week.

The smartest thing to do would be to get the jobs first. Then, get a 6 month lease close to work. Familiarize yourself with the area, the valley. Figure out if you really like the job(s) or if you'd rather work elsewhere. There are jobs and then there are jobs.

As far as "areas to avoid", I don't think these areas have anything in the 275K range. Verrado is pretty, but it is way outside Phoenix.

Good luck.

[sarahdsmom]

We moved to Goodyear last summer and my husband commutes to Peoria for work, about a 15-20 minute commute. We looked in the areas of Peoria, Buckeye, Glendale and Goodyear and settled on the Canyon Trails Community of Goodyear. The west valley is less crowded then Chandler & Gilbert, has less traffic but also a long commute into the city of Phoenix and anything having to do with entertainment, the arts and fine dining. This area was seeing a lot of growth before the market took a turn, so you will see a lot of unfinished neighborhoods. Our decision to move here was because of it's feel, good schools and cutting an hour off our commute to California where we like to visit. We really liked Verrado and it's little main street, and community feel but felt a little too far from everything else and the homes in that price range had small yards, too small for a pool which was a must for us. I suggest you look in the Palm Valley, Litchfield Park, Canyon Trails and Estrella Mountain Ranch areas of Goodyear. Vistancia in Peoria and Arrowhead Ranch in Glendale.

[SD33]

We are from Washington and we will definitely have jobs before we move. I'm more just interested in orienting myself to certain areas before we start shopping for jobs. Again, we can basically live anywhere that has schools or dentist offices. Doesn't mean that everyone will be hiring, but we would rather kind of narrow down certain areas to look in.

Hope that makes more sense.

Sarahdsmom, thanks for recommending some communities. After looking at some of them online I will definitely be checking them out on my trip. That's exactly what I was looking for!

[momtogrif]

There are soooooo many areas that may suit your needs. I suggest you find a centrally located area to rent until you both have employment. I'd hate to see you get a house in Gilbert and then end up working in Glendale, north Phoenix, or Litchfield Park area.....talk about LONG commutes. If you were looking to rent I'd suggest anywhere in north Phoenix just off the 101 and SR 51. From there you can access many areas of the valley. Other areas that are more central would be basically anywhere along the SR51 because you can go north to the 101, go south to I-10, go east to Scottsdale, go west to west Phoenix, Glendale, etc.

You could sign a 6 month lease and that might give you time to check out all the areas plus get employment. The Phoenix metro area is bigger than LA so you really want to be sure you're putting down roots in the right place.

As for areas to actually look: I live in the Arrowhead area of north Glendale and we love it up here. 1 mile north of the 101, takes me 30 mins to get to the airport, 20 mins to north Scottsdale, and 20 mins to our friends out in Litchfield Park. There are some great areas in Gilbert, Chandler, and parts of Mesa, too. Litchfield Park and Goodyear have some nice areas north of the freeway and most of Scottsdale is lovely. I, personally, think that Verrado and Vistancia and even Anthem are too far out of town unless you live in those areas. Same with Estrella Mountain Ranch in Goodyear, it takes 12 minutes just to get to the I 10 from the Estrella community itself. Yet, they are all well planned and neatly put together planned developments.

[Stokes172]

Google Earth and a couple of real estate websites will do wonders for your search.

[Elysium816]

Do you realize we have the worst schools in the country? We rank 50th in spending per pupil and that was even before massive budget cuts. Might be okay if you can afford private schools for your kids. Tucson is a lot nicer city, but in Phoenix, Gilbert has been getting a lot of good PR. I just find it a very unappealing city-crowded, terrible traffic, no soul-like L.A. but hotter than hell and no ocean to cool off in. For a city that size there is an amazing lack of things to do too IMHO.

[observer53]

To the OP: Take both overly positive and overly negative posts (like the above), with a grain of salt. This is an anonymous internet forum, after all. And, NO place is perfect, and no place is for everyone, but thousands, well, millions, are happy, on balance, here. I wonder sometimes why posters like the above are still here, if he or she is that miserable. It isn't like we don't let people leave. Are there issues here, big ones? Sure, like everywhere else-- the issues vary, but every city/state has them. Best of luck in your search.