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My wife and I were out in July looking at different areas and fell in love with the Estrella area. Later on our stay, we went to a comedy show one night and sat next to a couple that was in Real Estate...we were talking how much we loved the area...and her first response to us was....
"GOOD LUCK RESELLING THERE"! And we have NO idea what the hell she ment by that....crushed our dream! .....Anybody? PM if you like. C
Outdated notions, probably. When I first came out here 20 some years ago, things moved very slowly. New subdivisions took years to fill. It was hard to sell your house. There was not the commercial development that people crave. Times have changed. These days it is an absolute madhouse with ground being ripped up everywhere and development popping up like weeds. Homes sell in days to weeks.
My wife and I were out in July looking at different areas and fell in love with the Estrella area. Later on our stay, we went to a comedy show one night and sat next to a couple that was in Real Estate...we were talking how much we loved the area...and her first response to us was....
"GOOD LUCK RESELLING THERE"! And we have NO idea what the hell she ment by that....crushed our dream! .....Anybody? PM if you like. C
I rented there for a year now have homes in Palm Valley and Verrado. I suspect that the comment stems from the tedious drive up the hill. For me, it got old fast. So, I didn't consider EMR as a place that I wanted to purchase. Some folks love it there and they've nice homes by TW Lewis, Taylor-Morrision, Shea et al, but that drive is a deal killer for some.
If you do a quick Google maps search travelling from anywhere in Phx area using the I10 you will find that the time to get to golf course in Estrella vs Verrado is about 4 minutes in difference, it really isn't the house he many make it out to be. I understand preference but really the distance from shopping, eating, and so on is negligible. With the new 303 offramp now open it might actually be literally zero time difference.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wildcat465
I rented there for a year now have homes in Palm Valley and Verrado. I suspect that the comment stems from the tedious drive up the hill. For me, it got old fast. So, I didn't consider EMR as a place that I wanted to purchase. Some folks love it there and they've nice homes by TW Lewis, Taylor-Morrision, Shea et al, but that drive is a deal killer for some.
If you do a quick Google maps search travelling from anywhere in Phx area using the I10 you will find that the time to get to golf course in Estrella vs Verrado is about 4 minutes in difference, it really isn't the house he many make it out to be. I understand preference but really the distance from shopping, eating, and so on is negligible. With the new 303 offramp now open it might actually be literally zero time difference.
I don't need to do a Google search. I lived it. Which is why I removed EMR from places I wanted to live. I used to drive it everyday and understand your point; however, the drive down Estrella Parkway from I10 to the base of the hill takes more than a few minutes with traffic and stoplights and then there's the climb up the hill. Yes, the drive up is pretty (and those starry night are great), I get it. My point is that it's tedious, gets old and I've heard the same complaint from others. That's the concern reflected by the agent to whom the OP referred (and my Realtor too, who also owns a home there, BUT lives in Palm Valley), and me who lived it everyday for about 14 months.
The Drive to EMR is tedious. I did a study based on over 300 trips up and down the hill, and it took me 15+ minutes to get from I10 to where I was renting.
I don't want to get into an EMR vs. Verrado discussion, but, by contrast, my home in Verrado located near Indian School Road and Verrado Way takes fewer than 5 min to get to the 10. . .and yes, Verrado is further West down the 10, but, for me, it's worth the drive because it's a nicer, better-planned, aesthetically more attractive community because of its higher design standards. . .with better appreciation (albeit @ a higher price/sq ft).
I almost purchased onw of the TW Lewis homes home up the hill last year. It would've been a rental property for me, but I did like the drive and felt that it would reduce my pool of potential renters. Again, I like up there, but just cant stomach the drive. Others love it, but it's not for me.
There are two ways to get to Estrella from the I10 that are significantly easier and quicker with few stops. Bullard to Estrella Pkwy or the 303 straight in. Both would be quicker to first half of Estrella than your commute to Verrado and Indian school. The rest of your post is personal preference but the extra drive time is B.S..
There are two ways to get to Estrella from the I10 that are significantly easier and quicker with few stops. Bullard to Estrella Pkwy or the 303 straight in. Both would be quicker to first half of Estrella than your commute to Verrado and Indian school. The rest of your post is personal preference but the extra drive time is B.S..
Not sure why you're being so defensive, but my measurements were done going down Estrella Pkway as well as the back way because I was working in San Diego at the time and Tempe...Call it BS if you want, but it was my reality driving both ways to get down the hill. I tracked the all the drive times over a two-year period in a spreadsheet and took averages.
So, think what you want. All I know is I made an informed decision about why I did not purchase a home in Estrella.
I'm defensive because you are writing things that just aren't true. The time to drive from where you now live and the middle of Estrella to pretty much everywhere such as Target, Wal-Mart, downtown, and airport are pretty much exactly the same. The fact that a couple years ago you took the slow way out of Estrella doesn't make that untrue.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wildcat465
Not sure why you're being so defensive, but my measurements were done going down Estrella Pkway as well as the back way because I was working in San Diego at the time and Tempe...Call it BS if you want, but it was my reality driving both ways to get down the hill. I tracked the all the drive times over a two-year period in a spreadsheet and took averages.
So, think what you want. All I know is I made an informed decision about why I did not purchase a home in Estrella.
Not sure why you're being so defensive, but my measurements were done going down Estrella Pkway as well as the back way because I was working in San Diego at the time and Tempe...Call it BS if you want, but it was my reality driving both ways to get down the hill. I tracked the all the drive times over a two-year period in a spreadsheet and took averages.
So, think what you want. All I know is I made an informed decision about why I did not purchase a home in Estrella.
I don't know when you lived here, but there are two routes now to I10 that are pretty recent. Bullard exit runs into Estrella right at Buckeye and bypasses all the commercial on Estrella. And there is now a 303 exit that drops you south of Van Buren. The traffic that way is a bit of a hassle with trucks running down to Amazon. And there is still that god awful light at Buckeye. But it does shave enough time off the trip that I think it is quicker than Verrado now. How long that will last is debatable as hundreds of homes are going to be built in the northern part of Estrella starting next year so there will be even more congestion than now and it is already getting bad.
As for rentals/resales, like I said above that is just uninformed outdated information. Rentals here go in about 24 hours I am told and homes sell within a month for the most part. It's booming.
I'm defensive because you are writing things that just aren't true. The time to drive from where you now live and the middle of Estrella to pretty much everywhere such as Target, Wal-Mart, downtown, and airport are pretty much exactly the same. The fact that a couple years ago you took the slow way out of Estrella doesn't make that untrue.
Well, I did the drive this evening @ 7:45PM. Exited Estrella Parkway, light traffic. This was may reality:
From I10 westbound exit:
7 min to MC85
11 Min to lookout tower
14 min to the lake
15 min to San Miguel Road (so far, 9.7 miles)
16 min to Westar (10.3 miles)
18 min to calabasas
21 min to Danglewood Drive (Front of Canta Mia)
On the return trip I reversed my route but at the roundabout, headed towards the new I10 interchange:
16 min From Canta Mia to Lower Buckeye
17 min to new interchange
20 min back to Estrella Pkway where I started.
SO, it's roughly the same.
There is a third way to get in/out of Estrella, but it would have taken even longer.
All driving was done at the speed limit or a few MPH over.
Traffic was light.
Time would be worse during rush hour.
You mentioned Target...I measured about 15-16 MIN to target. Again this is from Cantamia. Most folks don'tlive that far out...BUT, it still took 14 min to get from the freeway to the lake...so most folks would still have a few more min to get home.
So, again, my point is that getting up the hill gets old, really, really, really fast especially if the job is in Phoenix or on the East Side. If poeple like it way up there, that's fine. I don't have a horse in the race. I like it up there, too. I just would not move there if I had to get to work past Goodyear. I work on the east side and just didn't want to spend a 15 - 20 minutes after I left the freeway to get home.
By contrast, I live in Palm Valley, 1 mile north of the 10. Target is 2.5 min away from my house. SO is the gas station, a multitude of restaurants, a walmart grocery store, Home Deopt, the freeway. . .
and btw, you're right, the drive to Verrado is about the same distance; however, the drive to the freeway is faster and less hectic (my propery is deep in Verrado as it takes me 6 - 7 min to get to the freeway. . .and I can walk to the store, the club, and restaurants. It's a lifestyle issue for me. I spend enough time in traffic on the freeway. I don't want to do it in my neighborhood.
Well, I did the drive this evening @ 7:45PM. Exited Estrella Parkway, light traffic. This was may reality:
From I10 westbound exit:
7 min to MC85
11 Min to lookout tower
14 min to the lake
15 min to San Miguel Road (so far, 9.7 miles)
16 min to Westar (10.3 miles)
18 min to calabasas
21 min to Danglewood Drive (Front of Canta Mia)
On the return trip I reversed my route but at the roundabout, headed towards the new I10 interchange:
16 min From Canta Mia to Lower Buckeye
17 min to new interchange
20 min back to Estrella Pkway where I started.
SO, it's roughly the same.
There is a third way to get in/out of Estrella, but it would have taken even longer.
All driving was done at the speed limit or a few MPH over.
Traffic was light.
Time would be worse during rush hour.
You mentioned Target...I measured about 15-16 MIN to target. Again this is from Cantamia. Most folks don'tlive that far out...BUT, it still took 14 min to get from the freeway to the lake...so most folks would still have a few more min to get home.
So, again, my point is that getting up the hill gets old, really, really, really fast especially if the job is in Phoenix or on the East Side. If poeple like it way up there, that's fine. I don't have a horse in the race. I like it up there, too. I just would not move there if I had to get to work past Goodyear. I work on the east side and just didn't want to spend a 15 - 20 minutes after I left the freeway to get home.
By contrast, I live in Palm Valley, 1 mile north of the 10. Target is 2.5 min away from my house. SO is the gas station, a multitude of restaurants, a walmart grocery store, Home Deopt, the freeway. . .
and btw, you're right, the drive to Verrado is about the same distance; however, the drive to the freeway is faster and less hectic (my propery is deep in Verrado as it takes me 6 - 7 min to get to the freeway. . .and I can walk to the store, the club, and restaurants. It's a lifestyle issue for me. I spend enough time in traffic on the freeway. I don't want to do it in my neighborhood.
Happy Christmas.
I live right by the first lake and my drive to I10 is anywhere from 10-15 minutes. I take either the new interchange or Bullard (which you did not use but cuts a minute or two off typically). But, I rarely have to go to town anymore as there is so much development along Estrella (retired).
In any case, you are right, the drive is annoying. When I moved here it was worth it because of the seclusion and lifestyle Estrella offered. If I had to do it now, I would not live here. The congestion and traffic makes it no different than anywhere else in the Phoenix metro. Add in the travel time down the hill and the thrill is gone. I would choose North Peoria up around 99th Ave and Happy Valley.
But recall that the thread was about resale here and the drive apparently is no longer a factor as homes sell like crazy, new ones are going up all over and land is being ripped up for even more. THe newest development is north of the tower which puts it only a few minutes from the freeway.
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