Need suggestions for where to buy winter home in Phoenix

[Montanama]

Don't know if you're still returning to this thread, but now that I'm a fresh convert I have to plug Estrella in Goodyear.

We are just under contract on a small 3 bedroom second home there with a pool, just under $200k. Under $300k would get you bigger and nicer with a pool.

We were in the same situation, trying to figure out where in the vastness of the Phoenix area to settle. We saw many many listings that looked great on paper and were awful in person. Most of what we saw in Arrowhead Ranch at about $250 were fixers.

We had heard good things about Estrella (compared with Verrado, which we also really loved) but from the listing photos and google/street maps we weren't too impressed. Given the prices of the homes and the amenities, though, we decided we needed to see it in person.

As soon as we saw Estrella, there was just no question. Lakes, activities (clubs for tennis, photography, etc.), fitness center, pools (including adults only lap-pool heated all winter), hiking/biking trails in the beautiful surrounding mountains, and a gorgeous golf course (but you said you don't golf). 30 minutes from the center of downtown in light traffic, which is fine for us if we're going out for a great dinner or sporting event. HOA fees are low compared to other communities we considered (watch out for special assessments, but the home we are buying had none).

Lots of families as well as older people, but Canta Mia is age restricted if you prefer that.

We think it's both gorgeous and a great value so I'm going to be the Estrella cheerleader for a while on this forum.

As our friends who also recently bought a second home in Phoenix advised--just find a community you really like and stop looking everywhere else. There's just too much out there. Find your spot, and then find a home in that community. So that's what we've done, but I can honestly say that nothing else we considered really compares to Estrella. There are more upscale communities but none that we saw felt better.

[BlackAudi]

Montanama... I will definitely check out your suggestions. We're still in Mexico and won't be in the Phoenix area till early May. And yes... I'm still checking here for input. ;-)

[ibarrio]

People who say Surprise is "out" there are funny. My house (very near Litchfield and Waddell) is 20.5 miles from Chase Field, 10 miles from UOP Stadium, and 27 miles to Desert Ridge. Not bad and closer or the same to these places than my family in Mesa.

I can walk to Safeway, Fry's, Walgreens, kegs corks & forks, Native Grill (New concept Native New Yorker), La Fuente, Beef O Brady's, Chase, BOA, Starbucks, Freddy's Burgers, Sonic, McDonalds, Chen Wok, Rossati's Pizza, Uptown Alley, Surprise Animal Hospital, Digiplex Movie Theater, Cold Stone, Nicks II Diner, A gym, Subway, joey's of chicago, taco bell, and a bunch of other businesses.

Freddy's is furthest from my house and it is 0.6 miles away


Gold Canyon is 40 miles from Chase Field to put things in perspective.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by ibarrio

People who say Surprise is "out" there are funny. My house (very near Litchfield and Waddell) is 20.5 miles from Chase Field, 10 miles from UOP Stadium, and 27 miles to Desert Ridge. Not bad and closer or the same to these places than my family in Mesa.

I can walk to Safeway, Fry's, Walgreens, kegs corks & forks, Native Grill (New concept Native New Yorker), La Fuente, Beef O Brady's, Chase, BOA, Starbucks, Freddy's Burgers, Sonic, McDonalds, Chen Wok, Rossati's Pizza, Uptown Alley, Surprise Animal Hospital, Digiplex Movie Theater, Cold Stone, Nicks II Diner, A gym, Subway, joey's of chicago, taco bell, and a bunch of other businesses.

Freddy's is furthest from my house and it is 0.6 miles away


Gold Canyon is 40 miles from Chase Field to put things in perspective.

I share your sentiments. There was some "eastsider" post the other day that remarked how out there Avondale is. What? It is half the distance from downtown that most of Chandler is, and about 1/3 or less from much of Gilbert - not to mention Scottsdale and Mesa. And, as you point out, every part of the city is pretty much self-contained with the typical amenities repeated over and over. One is rarely more than a couple minutes from the all-important "shopping". What is not there now will be in a couple years, too. Really, out there is only relevant to one's employment or possibly preferred recreation.

[Montanama]

I agree that the west end of the valley seems to often get the, "Way out THERE?" from locals, but we didn't find Litchfield Park, Palm Valley (Goodyear), Estrella (Goodyear) or even Verrado in Buckeye to be any longer drives than any but the most central of Phoenix neighborhoods and some in Glendale/Peoria. In those areas, there is no way we could get the neighborhood feel we wanted or nearly as much house as we did in Estrella, plus added amenities within the community.

There are always trade offs. We spent a whole day AFTER seeing Estrella looking at properties close in (Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, & Tempe) just to make sure we were doing the right thing. No comparison to what we are getting in Estrella, or for that matter what we saw in Surprise or Litchfield Park, or other parts of Goodyear.

There's always a compromise, and for us it was proximity to the city center that came in second to a beautiful, livable neighborhood & community. We were looking to stay under $250k but would have stretched for the right place. We ended up under $200k for a place that is maybe a little smaller than we would ultimately prefer, but fresh and clean with a larger pool than some others, so it worked for us. (Knock wood, inspection today--but if this one falls through there are others!) We saw and considered many in our price range that were larger, some with and some without pools.

The one big downside I see is that when we visit we will always have to rent a car or take a (long and I presume expensive) taxi ride from the airport. If we were in Scottsdale or Phoenix close to shopping & restaurants, we would use mass transit which would be awesome. But I think that holds true for all but the most central of areas, speaking from my very limited experience.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by BlackAudi

My wife and I are considering buying a 2nd home in the Phoenix area to escape the winter rains in the Pacific Northwest.
I've spent a little time there a couple of years ago and have some impressions on some of the neighborhoods, but not enough to make a purchasing decision.
I seem to remember that Chandler & Gilbert had a lot of "dairy smell" in the air. Mesa seemed to have a lot of gated communities. Surprise seemed to be cheaper, but a bit of a drive to the action of downtown.
I would appreciate your suggestions as to where you would move if you could do it over again.
Our criteria:
Kids are gone, so schools don't matter.
We're retired so work commute doesn't factor in.
We'd like to be close to an LA Fitness.
We'd like to be close to some newer movie theaters.
We'd like to have a variety of restaurants to pick from.
A view would be nice... but we'd like to keep the house under $300K.
We'd like to avoid that dairy smell that I remember from Gilbert/Chandler.

You should look into Phoenix's Camelback East area (between approximately the 51 freeway & 32nd Street along & near Camelback Road). You would be close to L.A. Fitness at Town & Country, a really nice AMC movie theatre at the Esplanade, a great variety of restaurants (some are a little expensive considering the location), and you would have views of Camelback Mountain. It's also an urbanized area, so you'd avoid those things you dislike about suburbia, and definitely would avoid any "dairy smells". There are some neighborhoods around there with homes above $300K, but most would be under that price.

[smoochaz]

Old thread - don't know why it popped up in my radar - but curious blackAudi - did you wind up buying in the valley?! do tell - all these posts about where to go and don't get a closure of where the posters actually wind up

[BlackAudi]

Originally Posted by smoochaz

Old thread - don't know why it popped up in my radar - but curious blackAudi - did you wind up buying in the valley?! do tell - all these posts about where to go and don't get a closure of where the posters actually wind up

I just couldn't bring myself to owning a second home and having to pay property taxes, homeowners insurance, buying a house full of furniture... etc.

So, we bought a nice motorhome and are currently in Tuscon for 3+ weeks... then on to Lake Havasu.

[patrick85395]

Goodyear (e.g., Palm Valley). See intersection Litchfield Road @ Mcdowell. Entertainment, Shopping, LA Fitness, other commercial right there...mall coming soon. Homes in all price ranges. Here's a link to the intersection.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/W+...579743!6m1!1e1