34 St and Union Hills? (Phoenix, Scottsdale: sales, HOA, condo)

[ready2go]

Can anyone familiar with the area describe the virtues and pitfalls of living in this area?

[AZJoeD]

Nice stable area. This is a classic bedroom neighborhood with homes built from the mid-1980s to mid-2000s.

Close to PVCC, PV Golf Course, some small strip malls in the area (also Costco nearby). Close to Bell Rd for shopping dining and services. Close to 51 for commuting.

You could do worse.

[ready2go]

Originally Posted by AZJoeD

Nice stable area. This is a classic bedroom neighborhood with homes built from the mid-1980s to mid-2000s.

Close to PVCC, PV Golf Course, some small strip malls in the area (also Costco nearby). Close to Bell Rd for shopping dining and services. Close to 51 for commuting.

You could do worse.

AZJoeD,

Thanks for the feedback. "You could do worse" doesn't side like a ringing endorsement.

Assuming where we came from and where we end up are relevant to judging the area - our last home was in a pretty crime-free, slightly upscale neighborhood. Would we be facing a major or minor adjustment?

[Zippyman]

I'm at 20th and union hills and I love it.

At the time we bought, there was nothing available in our price range in the area you are considering.

There were some questionable short-sales in that area that hammered the property values unfairly in my opinion.

I would give the area a ringing endorsement, and I would buy there myself if we were looking now for a primary residence.

[AZJoeD]

Originally Posted by ready2go

AZJoeD,

Thanks for the feedback. "You could do worse" doesn't side like a ringing endorsement.

Assuming where we came from and where we end up are relevant to judging the area - our last home was in a pretty crime-free, slightly upscale neighborhood. Would we be facing a major or minor adjustment?

This is a nice area. While I would not consider it to be "upscale", it is a very desirable location.

If you want statistics, here are some. I took the area bounded by the 101 on the north,Union Hills, 32nd St on the west to Rte 51 on the east. There were 39 sales with an average sale price for the last 6 mo of $163K. (range from $113K to $260K). Average sq footage was 1600. Average age is around 1995.

The homes that sold that sold for over $200K (there were 11) averaged 2100 sq ft.

If this is the type of area you are interested I think you will like it. If you want something more "upscale" (also higher priced) try Desert Ridge or Triple Crown.

[greybear14]

That specific area is nice... however, if you go a mile south, you're in what's referred to as "the square." Higher crime, lower income and you will never drive around the square without seeing a police car at least once. Phoenix can be like that though--you drive a few blocks and you're from nice to not so nice very quickly.

I actually lived on 32nd St and Grovers (.5 mile south of the area you're considering) and there was a lot of auto theft crime. If you've ever heard the term "ghetto bird"... it was around I'd say at least once every two weeks and having lived in Scottsdale, I can say that that is relatively a lot compared to an upscale area like Scottsdale.

Originally Posted by AZJoeD

This is a nice area. While I would not consider it to be "upscale", it is a very desirable location.

If you want statistics, here are some. I took the area bounded by the 101 on the north,Union Hills, 32nd St on the west to Rte 51 on the east. There were 39 sales with an average sale price for the last 6 mo of $163K. (range from $113K to $260K). Average sq footage was 1600. Average age is around 1995.

The homes that sold that sold for over $200K (there were 11) averaged 2100 sq ft.

If this is the type of area you are interested I think you will like it. If you want something more "upscale" (also higher priced) try Desert Ridge or Triple Crown.

[ready2go]

Everyone,

Thanks for your input. Much appreciated.

It's a tough one. The house we were looking at was a very nice fixer-upper at a very good price. My wife and I both liked it. Given the area comps tho we'd probably be looking at staying a few years if we wanted to recover the costs of updating.

But while I can live just about anywhere I'm concerned about my wife - she likes to take long walks and bike rides. I'd rather she didn't wander into any rough areas. So we'll probably break open the piggy bank and look at Fountain Hills or North Scottsdale.

Too bad. Really was looking forward to no mortgage payments.

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by ready2go

Everyone,

Thanks for your input. Much appreciated.

It's a tough one. The house we were looking at was a very nice fixer-upper at a very good price. My wife and I both liked it. Given the area comps tho we'd probably be looking at staying a few years if we wanted to recover the costs of updating.

But while I can live just about anywhere I'm concerned about my wife - she likes to take long walks and bike rides. I'd rather she didn't wander into any rough areas. So we'll probably break open the piggy bank and look at Fountain Hills or North Scottsdale.

Too bad. Really was looking forward to no mortgage payments.

It isn't a "tough one" at all - this is a public forum, and you'll receive a range of opinions from those that think that any house under $500k is a dump in an unsafe area, and others that will tell you that their $12k condo is located in a magical fairyland that is crime and blight free.

Fountain Hills and North Scottsdale have their own problems, and their own cheers-jeers sections on this forum, and within the public at large. I lived in north Scottsdale for a couple of years, and I'm not a fan - the houses were too close together, the drivers were aggressive & arrogant, and even though property values might have been higher than a Phoenix address - it truly reminded me of my early childhood (in a single-wide trailer in a park in Flint Michigan).

Seriously.

Fistfights in the street in front of my home.

I could hear the neighbors flush their toilets, argue, and "get Biblical", with the windows closed inside MY home.

A couple of my neighbors had the wheels stolen from their cars in the neighborhood.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a314/rzyzzy/th_pitstop.jpg (broken link)



The Hoa management company was
just.
plain.
nuts.

We got a "violation" letter because the cable tv wire wasn't painted the same color as the house. The house was seven years old, the wire had been that way, for ... ohhh... seven years or so... and none of the other neighbors had theirs painted the same color as the house...

Sooooo..

Your mileage may vary.

Do your OWN research.

Knock on the neighbor's door(s) and see if they're actually drug-crazed hippies or regular folks just like you...

Check the Phoenix Crime maps and see if there is much crime there.

Borrow a dog and walk the neighborhood on a Saturday morning and see how much company you have - perhaps ask some of those walkers if they're "scared of walking into a bad area"...

[observer53]

Originally Posted by Zippyman

It isn't a "tough one" at all - this is a public forum, and you'll receive a range of opinions from those that think that any house under $500k is a dump in an unsafe area, and others that will tell you that their $12k condo is located in a magical fairyland that is crime and blight free.

Fountain Hills and North Scottsdale have their own problems, and their own cheers-jeers sections on this forum, and within the public at large. I lived in north Scottsdale for a couple of years, and I'm not a fan - the houses were too close together, the drivers were aggressive & arrogant, and even though property values might have been higher than a Phoenix address - it truly reminded me of my early childhood (in a single-wide trailer in a park in Flint Michigan).

Seriously.

Fistfights in the street in front of my home.

I could hear the neighbors flush their toilets, argue, and "get Biblical", with the windows closed inside MY home.

A couple of my neighbors had the wheels stolen from their cars in the neighborhood.





The Hoa management company was
just.
plain.
nuts.

We got a "violation" letter because the cable tv wire wasn't painted the same color as the house. The house was seven years old, the wire had been that way, for ... ohhh... seven years or so... and none of the other neighbors had theirs painted the same color as the house...

Sooooo..

Your mileage may vary.

Do your OWN research.

Knock on the neighbor's door(s) and see if they're actually drug-crazed hippies or regular folks just like you...

Check the Phoenix Crime maps and see if there is much crime there.

Borrow a dog and walk the neighborhood on a Saturday morning and see how much company you have - perhaps ask some of those walkers if they're "scared of walking into a bad area"...

VERY good advice, for the OP, or for anyone similarly curious about a particular neighborhood.

[ready2go]

Originally Posted by Zippyman

It isn't a "tough one" at all - this is a public forum, and you'll receive a range of opinions from those that think that any house under $500k is a dump in an unsafe area, and others that will tell you that their $12k condo is located in a magical fairyland that is crime and blight free.

Fountain Hills and North Scottsdale have their own problems, and their own cheers-jeers sections on this forum, and within the public at large. I lived in north Scottsdale for a couple of years, and I'm not a fan - the houses were too close together, the drivers were aggressive & arrogant, and even though property values might have been higher than a Phoenix address - it truly reminded me of my early childhood (in a single-wide trailer in a park in Flint Michigan).

Seriously.

Fistfights in the street in front of my home.

I could hear the neighbors flush their toilets, argue, and "get Biblical", with the windows closed inside MY home.

A couple of my neighbors had the wheels stolen from their cars in the neighborhood.





The Hoa management company was
just.
plain.
nuts.

We got a "violation" letter because the cable tv wire wasn't painted the same color as the house. The house was seven years old, the wire had been that way, for ... ohhh... seven years or so... and none of the other neighbors had theirs painted the same color as the house...

Sooooo..

Your mileage may vary.

Do your OWN research.

Knock on the neighbor's door(s) and see if they're actually drug-crazed hippies or regular folks just like you...

Check the Phoenix Crime maps and see if there is much crime there.

Borrow a dog and walk the neighborhood on a Saturday morning and see how much company you have - perhaps ask some of those walkers if they're "scared of walking into a bad area"...

Zippyman,

I can only do so much research from Wisconsin - so walking the dog is out.

I don't know the area well so that's why I rely on my agent and people's opinions who are familiar with the area. I'm aware that tastes vary which is why I value a large cross-section of opinions. If opinions are wholly negative then it's a slam-dunk but slightly positive to negative with some qualifications makes the decision harder.

On top of that the short-sale I had lined up fell through so I'm now between homes and have to make a pretty important decision in a short amount of time. Don't really want to move three times.

I do know Scottsdale and Fountain Hills well so I'm pretty darn sure I won't have the same set of problems there as I might face with the Union Hills property. The possibility of dealing with criminals vs dealing with rude nouveau riche(never run into it in Scottsdale or FH) and spending $125k vs $240k for the experience definitely impacts my decision.

So, yes, for me it is a tough one. Thanks for the advice tho.