OK Tell me about south tempe and chandler. (Phoenix, Scottsdale: real estate, townhomes)

[capt chill]

Talked about Scottsdale and what 400 K would buy. Have a comment about these towns. Some help please.

[BuckeyeBoyDJ]

South Tempe, Northwest Chandler, and Ahwatukee is one of my favorite areas. It's suburban enough but at the same time it's close enough to plenty amenities. South Tempe is a pretty nice area there's a lot of nice houses in gated communities and it's fairly green and inviting. South Tempe, NW Chandler, and tukee are also very family oriented and I find the area quite neighborly. If you have kids the schools in the area are some of best in the state. Also, everything you need is within a 10 min drive (Chandler Fashion Center, Ikea, Costco, AMC, and a gazillion other places).

[observer53]

It will buy you a lot more in those two places than in Scottsdale. BuckeyeBoy's list is a good one. I've been in South Tempe for most of the last four decades, in two different locations, still love it. Close to everything, quiet suburban lifestyle, well run city generally, with a great parks and rec department, good public transit when you want and need it, lots of shopping and restaurant options. The area of Chandler that borders Tempe shares many of the same qualities.

[hikernut]

South Tempe is convienent to lots of shopping, not too bad to get to downtown Phoenix, ASU area, airport, etc. Most of the housing stock is from 1980s and 1990s.

Chandler covers a lot of territory. Generally speaking, the home prices get cheaper as you go east and south, as one would expect. There's still new construction in parts of Chandler, if that interests you.

hikernut

[observer53]

Originally Posted by hikernut

South Tempe is convienent to lots of shopping, not too bad to get to downtown Phoenix, ASU area, airport, etc. Most of the housing stock is from 1980s and 1990s.

Chandler covers a lot of territory. Generally speaking, the home prices get cheaper as you go east and south, as one would expect. There's still new construction in parts of Chandler, if that interests you.

hikernut

There are some houses in south Tempe that are newer than 1990s, but it's true that the bulk of the houses are from 80s-90's. Because it's such a popular place to live, though, a lot of those homes have been extensively renovated to update/upgrade them... and, they were well built to start with. Older homes can also mean bigger trees/more mature landscaping, which can be a big plus for some people.

[AZ Tracy]

Tempe is land locked, so basically, no new construction. The prices didn't fall a few years ago like in other communities. Very stable.

[ShampooBanana]

I currently live in S. Tempe and lived in Ahwatukee before. I could have moved anywhere when leaving Ahwatukee (and could have been a LOT closer to my work in N. Scottsdale) but I decided to stay because I love the area and the advantages of living here outweighed the long commute. I like being close to South Mountain, all the shopping and restaurants I could want, the better real estate value, the ease of getting almost anywhere else in the Valley from the 10, 60, 101, or 202, proximity to downtown Tempe, ASU, and Tempe Town Lake, etc. The streets are clean and people generally take care of their homes and the neighborhoods.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by AZ Tracy

Tempe is land locked, so basically, no new construction. The prices didn't fall a few years ago like in other communities. Very stable.

There is still land that could be used for more development, though I don't know who owns it now or what the present zoning is, or how it looks on Tempe's long range plan. Still a few areas where some infill could be done. Most all the vacant land is in the southwest part of the city, and there's not a lot of it.

Agree with you about the prices, and the stability, which actually applies to other things besides prices.

[AZPam]

There are a couple of new to newer builds in both Tempe, Chandler and Ahwatukee. I'm thinking of Tempe Village on Warner/Priest area that were built in 2008 time frame. In NW Chandler, how about The Plaza townhomes by the ice skating rink off of Priest. Those are really nice! Or Lynn Haven Estates off of McClintock and the 202? In Ahwatukee you have Desert Vista on Frye and 32nd St by Lennar homes. Or you can head far west and hit newer built homes in Foothills Reserve area.

This might not be what the OP was looking for, but there are still new builds going up in some in fill projects around this area. They are just a little harder to find

[43north87west]

Basically, anything that falls in or around the square created by the 10, the 60, the 101, and the San Tan 202, is at the crossroads of everything, and everything else. I have lived in that area of the valley, as well as in Scottsdale (twice). While I love Scottsdale and have family history there, the daily life in Chandler, 'Tukee, and Tempe, is not appreciably different.

Of that part of the valley, I'm very partial to Ahwatukee. I moved there from a house on a golf course in North Scottsdale under great protest, but lost the 1-1 vote. I ended up loving the area I have outlined above.