Moving and Need Help (Phoenix, Chandler: section 8, foreclosures, rentals)

[NJcouple]

Hi,

My wife and I (34 and 25) were recently out in Arizona and looking to move out there when I retire. 2 years.

We looked at several houses in Laveen area and although kids are few years away, there seems to be alot of hatred toward the area and schools.

I can see things bad now, but is anyone thinking that it will change and get better.

I grew up near NYC and was exposed to public schools and I turned out okay.

Also, we were looking at a new house near Baseline. We currently in NJ and prices here are so so bad, we get so much more for our money there.

Also, we will both be working there, although I will be getting a pension. So money is not that much of an issue, although concerns about the area..

When we were there we noticed traffic, Baseline was tough.

When we were there we noticed, building. Stripmalls and shops

When we were there, we heard about the 202 loop.

Traffic comes and goes, we like shopping,

Can anyone provide any information to us.

Thank you.

[drb85650]

Are you set on the southwest part of Phoenix, or just Phoenix in general? And, would you consider any other parts of Arizona?

[Ponderosa]

"Hatred" toward Laveen is little strong, I think. Some of us have lived here long enough to appreciate how neighborhoods trend and because of that, don't have a lot of confidence that Laveen will be a desirable place years from now. Part of it is in the definition of "Laveen". The real Laveen was a crossroads with a post office and a store and there are some nice homes and neighborhoods down that way. But, today the name has been adopted by developers to describe what used to be called South Phoenix or southwest Phoenix. "Laveen" has a better cachet I guess. Anyway, the new homes along Broadway, Baseline and the "avenues" look nice today just like homes did in west Phoenix. But they are all starters and a lot of them are already vacant or rentals. The area will be the next Maryvale area - a lower income high rental area with above average crime, above average number of illegals, crappy schools, and prices appreciating more slowly than the rest of the area. It isn't hatred, it's reality. If you like this part of the valley look at northern Avondale, Goodyear or Buckeye and avoid Laveen. I know the draw of lower prices - it got me when I moved here too. But you get what you pay for here like everywhere else. There's a reason prices are low in such a close-in convenient location.

[drb85650]

dittos what Ponderosa said. Only I'd avoid anything west of I-17 and south of the 101. And yes, I know there's some nice areas mixed in there. But in the long run, I don't think west is a great investment.

[NJcouple]

Thank you for your input.

I cant say that we are really set to any one area, but we were drawn by the amount of house available for the price.

Yes, we also realize that is usually an indication of future problems.

Just a few more thoughts.

We probably wont be out there for the two years, so are you all in agreement that Laveen and the newer developments out there are on the down slide and there is no turnaround or hope?

Thanks again

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by drb85650

dittos what Ponderosa said. Only I'd avoid anything west of I-17 and south of the 101. And yes, I know there's some nice areas mixed in there. But in the long run, I don't think west is a great investment.

That's completely absurd and shows you do not know the area. As I correctly said, in the southwest valley Goodyear, northern Avondale, and Buckeye are all are on par with any other part of the town. Goodyear is going to be THE city on the west side over time. It already has one of the highest per capita incomes and education levels in the Phoenix area. Buckeye is a little further down the road, literally and figuratively. And in the long run, the west is the only part of Phoenix that is left to develop! It is the future.

In answer to the OP's other post; no it does not mean new developments are out. The new developments are among the best in the the area. Laveen is a "special case" because much of what passes for Laveen is just an extension of an old problem area - south Phoenix. Maricopa and Queen Creek have similar or better prices, but the issue there is inconvenience not proximity to an area with a bad reputation.

[NJcouple]

Ponderosa,

I appreciate your response, in fact we thank that everyone has taken the time to give us a few minutes.

But specifically, I wanted to ask if you thought that Laveen and someof the newer developments are that bad of an idea.

I work in law enforcement and I know the world is not a perfect place. I know of sex offenders and murderers all over my neighborhood so its not that big of a deal. I feel like you live your life right and be aware that bad things are everywhere.

I just cant do my research on Laveen from NJ and I am relying on opionions of others. I have seen the gamut from NO WAY to its okay and I imagine that the reality is somewhere in the middle.

I believe that a neighbor is what you make of it and if you hunker down in a house and the neighbor hood falls apart around you, its your own fault.

I again would ask for any insight.


Thank you

NJcouple

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by NJcouple

Ponderosa,

I appreciate your response, in fact we thank that everyone has taken the time to give us a few minutes.

But specifically, I wanted to ask if you thought that Laveen and someof the newer developments are that bad of an idea.

I work in law enforcement and I know the world is not a perfect place. I know of sex offenders and murderers all over my neighborhood so its not that big of a deal. I feel like you live your life right and be aware that bad things are everywhere.

I just cant do my research on Laveen from NJ and I am relying on opionions of others. I have seen the gamut from NO WAY to its okay and I imagine that the reality is somewhere in the middle.

I believe that a neighbor is what you make of it and if you hunker down in a house and the neighbor hood falls apart around you, its your own fault.

I again would ask for any insight.


Thank you

NJcouple

It sounds like you want to hear what you want to hear. I don't know about your area so can't draw a parallel for you. Laveen has new homes, nice looking subdivisions, new shopping malls, and from all outward appearances during the day, would be a great place to live. It has a large minority population, was hit especially hard by the housing bust so has many vacant properties and rentals (section 8 kind of stuff). The schools have unusually large numbers of non-English speaking kids, are underfunded and few, if any, are at the top rung of the low ladder of education achievement in AZ. It LOOKs nice there. When I came to AZ many years ago, I bought in a subdivision in south Phoenix that looked nice. Within five years, all my neighbors moved out and illegals and trashy white people moved in. I sold (at a profit) and moved on. I think that is what you are facing in what you call Laveen. From the day you move in you will be looking for a new area. That isn't all bad - it worked out OK for me. But, for a few bucks more you can live in an area without a low rider parked in front of your house, gunshots going off at night, salsa and/or hip-hop music blasting at 2am, car repair on the front lawns etc. Right now it is probably not as bad as that. But, that's what happened to my neighborhood and that is what I think is the future of "Laveen". I could be wrong. Some things are different now. There are homeowners associations and the city has blight ordinances that might help. Maybe.

[homesweetazhome]

NJ Couple,
It really is hard to tell what is a good neighborhood/area and what is not, when viewing from the outside. When my family moved here from PA ten years ago, we were lucky enough to have family here that told us what to avoid, the inside scoop on school districts, and the better neighborhoods. That really helped. Now, I know first hand, Chandler and Kyrene school districts are tops, Maricopa and Queen Creek lead the way in Foreclosures, builders have overbuilt in the outlying areas of the valley leaving many vacant homes and rentals, jobs are more available on the east side of Phoenix in many industries and certain cities have planned well to deal with upcoming build out and limited tax revenue (and some cities are suffering from lack of planning). There are beautiful homes everywhere in the Phoenix valley, so you will want to dig deeper than the looks of a home and find info on the city, neighborhood etc...

[grippit]

I live and work in the west valley. Laveen improving...yes, but will probably remain near the bottom. Goodyear and Buckeye better upside, especially long term.Traffic: Construction, industrial, large trucks. The construction will probably end some day. Loop 202: http://www.rightroads.org/http://phoenix.gov/haht-nsapi/hsrun.hse/payf/CRIMGRIDP/CrimeGrid.htx;start=HS_crime (broken link)