long shot but..anyone that can compare the Phoenix area neighborhoods to Pittsburgh neighborhoods??? (Mesa: low income, apartments)

[beez74]

I Will be relocating to the Phoenix area soon with my significant other and we are trying to find a good area to house search....... I will be leaving my job but she will be keeping her job and transferring to what I've been told is the Deer Valley area and we are trying to find a 200-250 home in a decent safe area with a little wiggle room that will give me more options to job hunt that is not to bad of a commute. I am used to having a 45 minute commute but much more than that may drive me nuts. we have researched Surprise a bit and love what we have seen and the styles of homes but I worry that it may be to far west and not leave many options for my job search. I have been doing a lot of research and trying to compare Phoenix neighborhoods to Pittsburgh suburbs as far as amenities, safety and entertainment but its pretty much just guessing so I figured I'd throw this on here and see if maybe anyone has ever been to Pittsburgh before that could chime in

[morinotomodachi]

Deer Valley isn't the greatest area of Phoenix. There is a bit more crime in that area, but rent is cheaper and it is right in the middle of Phoenix, so it will take you equal time to get to everything. Surprise is a bit out there and I am uncertain how many jobs exist out there. It would really depend on what kind of work you do. I find most jobs are in Mesa, Scottsdale, downtown Phoenix, and sometimes Glendale.

My S.O. is from Pittsburgh, but has told me that AZ is so much different from PA in almost all ways. I will have to ask them if there are any areas he believes are similar. As for safety, South Phoenix is unsafe. Deer Valley, Glendale, and downtown Phoenix are not great. AZ has pockets of bad areas though throughout each city.

Safer areas would be some of the smaller, less-known cities or expensive cities such as Paradise Valley and Scottsdale. The area near Paradise Valley Mall does not seem that dangerous either.

Most of our events are usually in downtown Phoenix, Mesa, or Scottsdale. Deer Valley is a bit removed from everything in that perspective.

If you can, I would recommend finding a place that is not an HOA and uses SRP for electric and not APS. APS has been raising their rates and it is not uncommon to pay 150+ in electric bills even for those of us with small apartments. Bundling the water, sewage, and trash is also nice, too. Unfortunately, I am not too, too familiar with Surprise because it is a bit farther from me. Lived in Phoenix all my life, but have traveled a bit through AZ.

[SarcasticPhxDude]

Originally Posted by beez74

I Will be relocating to the Phoenix area soon with my significant other and we are trying to find a good area to house search....... I will be leaving my job but she will be keeping her job and transferring to what I've been told is the Deer Valley area and we are trying to find a 200-250 home in a decent safe area with a little wiggle room that will give me more options to job hunt that is not to bad of a commute. I am used to having a 45 minute commute but much more than that may drive me nuts. we have researched Surprise a bit and love what we have seen and the styles of homes but I worry that it may be to far west and not leave many options for my job search. I have been doing a lot of research and trying to compare Phoenix neighborhoods to Pittsburgh suburbs as far as amenities, safety and entertainment but its pretty much just guessing so I figured I'd throw this on here and see if maybe anyone has ever been to Pittsburgh before that could chime in

The Deer Valley area is very nice. Good access to the 101, homes can be newer in spots and 250 still might be able to get you something within your budget and nice. Surprise could be limiting. Peoria and parts of Glendale might work too. I am not from PA but going north and west here could be a travel problem. Just going north, or just going west is ok. Meaning Surprise could really wreck with travel.

[beez74]

Thanks for the fast replies !!..... yea the thought of the traveling up over and down or down over and up around the city so to speak seems like it could be a nightmare. The area of surprise listed a lot of homes that seemed desirable but looking more into things most jobs that fit my field (quality assurance in manufacturing and medical ) seemed to be in Tempe or Glendale. One thing i didn't mention is my S.O. does not have a permanent office schedule meaning she is able to work 60% of the time from home which gives us wiggle room for locations....another question....Litchfield Park had a lot of nice listing but i am confused on the whole unified or unrestricted part of the town or something of that sort..I cant remember exactly the wording but I saw it a few times in posts

[Steelers5]

Deer Valley is not bad. It includes Norterra which is up and coming. USAA is expanding their corporate campus and bringing more jobs. Check out Anthem, its no Schenley Park but plenty of green spaces and affordable homes.

[BIG CATS]

Deer Valley is definitely not the worst place, nor the best. Its just kinda MEH. Its quite a ways up the 17, but you'll be close to the 101, too, which is nice. Your only bet is to come here, visit the homes that are on your list, and drive around the area and stake it out, get a feel for it with your own eyes. Ive been in parts of Deer Valley that were quite nice, and others that were definitely not.

[beez74]

Big Cats yea I am starting to get a feel for what everyone means by good pockets and bad pockets just by using google earth and walking around the neighborhoods......one plan $250+ homes and 2 blocks away worn down low income areas that look pretty bad. I guess its sort of the same as here in Pa its just FLAT!!!! maybe the hills and green trees hide it here better LOL. My significant other will be making a trip down in a few weeks for a weekend and I have just been reading comments and walking areas..I know its not the same as being there but its giving me some pretty good ideas. I mentioned earlier she will be working in Deer Valley area but we aren't locked into that area because she can work from home more than 60% of the time but in a jam she could have to go in for weeks on end so I didn't wanna be to far. Steelers5 I know Schenley Park well and yea thats extra green, not to concerned about the foliage as much as if when i park my car is it gonna be there when i get back.

[BIG CATS]

Originally Posted by beez74

Big Cats yea I am starting to get a feel for what everyone means by good pockets and bad pockets just by using google earth and walking around the neighborhoods......one plan $250+ homes and 2 blocks away worn down low income areas that look pretty bad. I guess its sort of the same as here in Pa its just FLAT!!!! maybe the hills and green trees hide it here better LOL. My significant other will be making a trip down in a few weeks for a weekend and I have just been reading comments and walking areas..I know its not the same as being there but its giving me some pretty good ideas. I mentioned earlier she will be working in Deer Valley area but we aren't locked into that area because she can work from home more than 60% of the time but in a jam she could have to go in for weeks on end so I didn't wanna be to far. Steelers5 I know Schenley Park well and yea thats extra green, not to concerned about the foliage as much as if when i park my car is it gonna be there when i get back.

Those that say Deer Valley isn't ghetto in spots clearly haven't been there. As a matter of fact I was just up there 2 weeks ago and in an area I flat out didn't feel good about leaving my car in. The areas I was in West of the 17 were pretty nice, but East? Heck to the no. Nasty looking crap. As for car theft, PHX has one of the (if not THEE) worst car theft rates in the nation. Your car insurance rates will most likely skyrocket, too, as did ours. We pay almost double here for car insurance as we did in suburban Chicago, its quite crazy.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by BIG CATS

Those that say Deer Valley isn't ghetto in spots clearly haven't been there. As a matter of fact I was just up there 2 weeks ago and in an area I flat out didn't feel good about leaving my car in. The areas I was in West of the 17 were pretty nice, but East? Heck to the no. Nasty looking crap. As for car theft, PHX has one of the (if not THEE) worst car theft rates in the nation. Your car insurance rates will most likely skyrocket, too, as did ours. We pay almost double here for car insurance as we did in suburban Chicago, its quite crazy.

What? Yours doubled? Mine went down coming back here from the northeast, we’re in Tempe near the downtown area.

I know it was high at one point but it seems like enough action was taken make big reductions in auto theft here, we now rank 52 well below more seedy areas like San Diego and Charleston....


https://www.insurance.com/auto-insur...ar-thefts.html

[AZJoeD]

Originally Posted by beez74

Big Cats yea I am starting to get a feel for what everyone means by good pockets and bad pockets just by using google earth and walking around the neighborhoods......one plan $250+ homes and 2 blocks away worn down low income areas that look pretty bad. I guess its sort of the same as here in Pa its just FLAT!!!! maybe the hills and green trees hide it here better LOL. My significant other will be making a trip down in a few weeks for a weekend and I have just been reading comments and walking areas..I know its not the same as being there but its giving me some pretty good ideas. I mentioned earlier she will be working in Deer Valley area but we aren't locked into that area because she can work from home more than 60% of the time but in a jam she could have to go in for weeks on end so I didn't wanna be to far. Steelers5 I know Schenley Park well and yea thats extra green, not to concerned about the foliage as much as if when i park my car is it gonna be there when i get back.

One of the characteristics of Phoenix is pockets of wealth adjacent to pockets of low income. It does not necessarily mean high crime. So it is important to research neighborhoods to get an accurate feel. Too many people try to generalize east side, west side, zip code, etc. It just is not accurate.

Some of the discussion of this post has centered around Deer Valley, which is actually a decent working class neighborhood. But since you have indicated that a short commute would be doable, that will expand your territory a lot. You will have other options.

The $200K-250K price point is extremely competitive. If your a cash buyer you will have a leg up. Buyers using financing are having a difficult time in this price range because prices are rising faster than appraisals are adjusting.

You simply have to keep an open mind about which areas are acceptable to you.