Relocating to Surprise, AZ (Phoenix, El Mirage: loan, home, buy)

[Catastrophy]

Originally Posted by pandaundercover

I agree with this guy. It is a great place, regardless of opinions that it is "Boring." Obviously some people prefer partying and bars and clubs, while others know how to entertain themselves and enjoy silence. While I agree with Ray, don't limit yourself to just east of the 303. lol. I live just west of it off Cotton and it's a nice area down here too. Further west is also just as nice, but of course, just an extra few minutes of driving to get to Point B at any time. But traffic out on this part of Surprise is usually not so bad compared to east Surprise.

There is a LOT more going on in Phoenix besides "bars and clubs". Want to see the DBacks or the Suns? Long drive. Any concerts, plays, big name stand-up? Long drive. Museums? Festivals? What about schooling at ASU or a decent community college? Surprise is pretty lacking. Unless you're a hermit (or Sun City age) you're not going to entertain yourself in your home all week every week. Surprise is very boring but relatively safe and affordable compared to Phoenix. Basically you have to rob Peter to pay Paul. Most that move to Surprise do it because they have to (cost and needed space) and they want their family to be safer, but it definitely has drawbacks. Phoenix isn't just for swinging singles. Gilbert is a better option for safety and entertainment (for families) but more expensive.

[pandaundercover]

Originally Posted by Catastrophy

There is a LOT more going on in Phoenix besides "bars and clubs". Want to see the DBacks or the Suns? Long drive. Any concerts, plays, big name stand-up? Long drive. Museums? Festivals? What about schooling at ASU or a decent community college? Surprise is pretty lacking. Unless you're a hermit (or Sun City age) you're not going to entertain yourself in your home all week every week. Surprise is very boring but relatively safe and affordable compared to Phoenix. Basically you have to rob Peter to pay Paul. Most that move to Surprise do it because they have to (cost and needed space) and they want their family to be safer, but it definitely has drawbacks. Phoenix isn't just for swinging singles. Gilbert is a better option for safety and entertainment (for families) but more expensive.

Sorry, but 45 minute drive to the Chase Field, US Airways center, or Comerica center is NOT that big of a hassle. Especially when you grow up with the nearest sport stadiums being 3 hours away. and yes, the colleges are pretty far, which is obviously something someone should keep in mind when moving somewhere because college location should be more of a priority. and yea, I forgot I've been a hermit all my life (only 27 now). I'm more content sitting in my backyard reading a book then going to a mall or a bar. Don't get me wrong, i still attend sporting events year round, go to the mall 3x a year, go to regular stores weekly, etc, but where I live and the drive to them has no direct impact on how it feels to live in Surprise.

Plus, people need to remember Surprise is growing. It is NOT going to be this quiet, safe, out of the way community forever. I give it 5 more years before noticeable changes are happening. Especially with the addition of the mall, more traffic will be out here, but homes will continue to be built, more school systems and probably a college will be built out here. Then suddenly, some of us will feel like moving further west again. Someday, Buckeye will actually look pretty ideal. ha.

Anyway, it really DOES just depend on one's priorities and personal interests. But to continue complaining about the drive it takes to get anyway is ridiculous. It's NOT that bad if it's something you're only doing once a week or less.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by pandaundercover

Sorry, but 45 minute drive to the Chase Field, US Airways center, or Comerica center is NOT that big of a hassle. Especially when you grow up with the nearest sport stadiums being 3 hours away. and yes, the colleges are pretty far, which is obviously something someone should keep in mind when moving somewhere because college location should be more of a priority. and yea, I forgot I've been a hermit all my life (only 27 now). I'm more content sitting in my backyard reading a book then going to a mall or a bar. Don't get me wrong, i still attend sporting events year round, go to the mall 3x a year, go to regular stores weekly, etc, but where I live and the drive to them has no direct impact on how it feels to live in Surprise.

Plus, people need to remember Surprise is growing. It is NOT going to be this quiet, safe, out of the way community forever. I give it 5 more years before noticeable changes are happening. Especially with the addition of the mall, more traffic will be out here, but homes will continue to be built, more school systems and probably a college will be built out here. Then suddenly, some of us will feel like moving further west again. Someday, Buckeye will actually look pretty ideal. ha.

Anyway, it really DOES just depend on one's priorities and personal interests. But to continue complaining about the drive it takes to get anyway is ridiculous. It's NOT that bad if it's something you're only doing once a week or less.

Agreed. I've always lived on the outskirts to get away from the majority of people. There are millions of people across America who experience a true rural setting. As in pigs and cows or even small town USA. Surprise is a mega-metropolis (105,000 people) in comparison to thousands of towns across America.

The last professional game I went to was in 2010. The last play I went to was in 2009. The last museum I visited was in 2001. My commute is from my bedroom to the in home office. I go to the airport once a month and it is a pain to battle traffic.

So to each their own I guess. I would agree that I would prefer an Arrowhead like mall complex in Surprise. I'd also prefer a little more nightlife. But as you mentioned, it's coming.

[lewdog_5]

Funny that you mention, "true rural setting." I was born and raised in a town of 800 people in small town Montana. I know what it is like and at this point I am ready for something bigger and Surprise will feel plenty big to me. We prefer a quiet setting anyway and usually can entertain ourselves. I will be attending sporting events but not enough to have that dictate where I want to live.

Being in Surprise is important because as I said, I want a short commute, it was cheaper rent out there and seems fairly safe. If I have to spend 45-60 mins to get to a Dbacks game on the weekend, that isn't a huge problem for me. I won't be driving but more than 10 miles a day back-and-forth to work during the week so driving extra on the weekends to attend events won't be a huge deal for me.

[ibarrio]

Originally Posted by Catastrophy

There is a LOT more going on in Phoenix besides "bars and clubs". Want to see the DBacks or the Suns? Long drive. Any concerts, plays, big name stand-up? Long drive. Museums? Festivals? What about schooling at ASU or a decent community college? Surprise is pretty lacking. Unless you're a hermit (or Sun City age) you're not going to entertain yourself in your home all week every week. Surprise is very boring but relatively safe and affordable compared to Phoenix. Basically you have to rob Peter to pay Paul. Most that move to Surprise do it because they have to (cost and needed space) and they want their family to be safer, but it definitely has drawbacks. Phoenix isn't just for swinging singles. Gilbert is a better option for safety and entertainment (for families) but more expensive.

Sports - Yes, the Dbacks and Suns are somewhat far. The Cardinals and Yotes are not. I can get to Westgate in 15 mins. Plus there are 8 spring training teams very close. Getting to a Dbacks game is very easy and not a big hassle. Ever try going to a Dodgers game in Los Angeles?

Festivals - There are Festivals in the area. If you are talking something like the renaissance then sure, that is far...for everyone.

Bars - Surprise has bars, no super nightclubs but unless your into that who really cares?

Universities - ASU West, GCC, Rio Salado, Surprise Communiversity.

Concerts- Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion is not far and draws in big acts.

Surprise is not on a island and driving around is not forbidden. Home prices are creeping up (two homes in my neighborhood have recently gone for over $215,000). Surprise is safe and very clean, especially when compared to Phoenix or even Glendale. As a bonus, Surprise is not controlled by a certain church like Gilbert is.

[pandaundercover]

Originally Posted by ibarrio

Sports - Yes, the Dbacks and Suns are somewhat far. The Cardinals and Yotes are not. I can get to Westgate in 15 mins. Plus there are 8 spring training teams very close. Getting to a Dbacks game is very easy and not a big hassle. Ever try going to a Dodgers game in Los Angeles?

Festivals - There are Festivals in the area. If you are talking something like the renaissance then sure, that is far...for everyone.

My goodness, try the Angels stadium in LA too. Took us an hour to get out of their parking lot after a game. Gotta give props to parking to the games out here because they are no where that horrible.

As for the Renaissance fair... it is certainly far. I have not even been back to it since I was a kid because of the reminder that it's more than an hour drive from here.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by lewdog_5

Funny that you mention, "true rural setting." I was born and raised in a town of 800 people in small town Montana. .

In 2010, Surprise had a population of 117,000 people.

Here is a sample of towns across America with less people than Surprise.

Ann Arbor,MN: 114,000
Berkeley CA :112,000
Provo, Utah: 112,000
Clearwater FL: 107,000
Fargo, ND: 105,000
Green Bay, WI: 104,000
Duluth MN: 84,000
Cheyenne, Wyoming: 59,000

So the reality is Surprise (based off of population alone) will attract a lot more bars, restaurants and stores in the coming years. There are well over a hundred of stores in Surprise but we could use some bigger anchor stores like JCPenny's or Macy's. The furniture stores are also pretty weak.

In 2000, the population was only 30,000. I love the fact that everything on Bell is newer with stone and stucco, green boulevards etc. Give it a few years and I predict there will be even less of a reason for me to go to the Arrowhead shopping area.

[ibarrio]

Homebuilders busy again in corners of metro Phoenix

Article from az central about the home market heating up, Surprise us mentioned as one of the areas heating up.

[lewdog_5]

Originally Posted by ibarrio

Homebuilders busy again in corners of metro Phoenix

Article from az central about the home market heating up, Surprise us mentioned as one of the areas heating up.

Yea we want to make sure we like it in Surprise and that my job is secure. We also want to save up for a decent sized down payment. But then again, I don't want to miss a down housing market if we do plan on staying there so finding that balance and how fast the housing market heats up again will be key!

[lsaulibio]

I just visited Surprise about three weeks ago, looking to buy a home there. I didn't see a whole lot of bad stuff there described in earlier replies. But one night I drove through El Mirage, and Wow! What an experience. Would not buy a house there and spend the money to barricade. The neighborhood looked very rough. I am impressed with the area enough to want to buy a house there. I have my realtor doing the legwork for me, and soon I'll have a home there. Unfortunately, I won't be able to occupy the home for several more years as I plan to stay overseas and work to pay off the house and make enough to buy some toys like a boat, truck, car, RV, etc. My son plans on moving to Phoenix. Incidently, I didn't find the traffic intimidating at all. I found it worse in Honolulu.