Where to live? A true puzzle! (Phoenix, Mesa: for sale, rentals, condos)

[goldeneyez]

Hubby and I are moving back to Phoenix after almost 10 years away, in Michigan, D.C., and L.A. We are professionals in our early 30's (both with 6-fig salaries), and we have an infant daughter (3 mos).

Jobs: We have a unique situation in that he will be working mostly from home, and then traveling via Sky Harbor occasionally, while I will be working in downtown Phoenix, Mesa, and Chandler (3-4 days per week, going to a different location each day; I know this sounds nuts, but that's how physicians do things in the Valley, apparently , to reach a large patient population). Our families, which is one of the draws to move back "home", are located on opposite sides of the 101, in N. Scottsdale and Peoria.

Desires: We would like to be within a reasonable commuting distance to our families, with good freeway access (51, 101) due to the wide range of locations I will need to visit for work. Due to the variety of places we've lived, we'd like to find an area that is safe, with good access to dining and shopping (Biltmore, Kierland, or Fashion Square), and homes with interesting architecture (hopefully not tract homes; they've really lost their charm to me after living in D.C. and L.A.).

Budget: We'll most likely rent initially unless we find a home we can't live without in our price range for purchase; budget would be ideally less than $2500 (aka, "less than we're wasting to rent a 2 bd/2 ba apt in LA"), so we can save money for a down payment in a year or so.

Neighborhoods under consideration: Arcadia, Desert Ridge area, Scottsdale, Tempe. We'll worry about schools in a few years.

Any other suggestions or considerations?

[andrzejn]

Aradia would be my first pick since its about equal distance to all the points of interests on your list.
I would also suggest Arrowhead Lakes in Glendale which seams far from Mesa and Chandler but since its right next to freeway the drive should not take more than 40 minutes to Mesa (accept rush hours)

[observer53]

I don't think you'll find too many rentals in Arcadia, but it's definitely a good choice for neighborhood, and for access to the areas you are interested in. North Phoenix along the 51, say around Shea Blvd or further north, might work as well. I wouldn't go as far west as Glendale, though Arrowhead Lakes is nice.

[andrzejn]

Originally Posted by observer53

I don't think you'll find too many rentals in Arcadia, but it's definitely a good choice for neighborhood, and for access to the areas you are interested in. North Phoenix along the 51, say around Shea Blvd or further north, might work as well. I wouldn't go as far west as Glendale, though Arrowhead Lakes is nice.

I completely forgot about area in North Phoenix around Shea. I would also look at the homes in the mountains on west side of 51 north of Northern.
The reason I suggested Arrowhead Lakes is because its close to all of the family either Peoria and North Scottsdale and there are at least 10 active rental listings in that area for their price range.

[joninaz]

Old Town or South Scottsdale are worth exploring, based on your paramaters. You should be able to rent for less than your budget and be very close to dining/shops. It's close to the 101 for a quick hop to N. Scotty or Chandler, plus its near the airport and also close to the 202/10 for tripping to Peoria. You'd also be next to Arcadia/PV and 10 minutes to Tempe. I'm also a big fan of certain parts of Tempe and Arcadia. Given the housing glut, you might be able to rent a decent house or better-than-avg. condo, giving you a chance to explore and decide on what fits you best. Good luck!

[JDish2000]

The home you rent may not be as interesting...

Think of the house you rent as a temporary situation, unless you are hoping to lease purchase an older home that interests you.

I feel the best areas to rent are:

• as close to you jobs as possible
• maybe a gated community
• a home with a swimming pool since you are going to be re-adjusting
• consider a residential subdivision with a community pool since you have a little one (decreases pool danger at home)

[goldeneyez]

All of these are excellent suggestions. And you're right, the place we rent won't be as interesting, but it would be nice to be in a reasonable area for commuting and be able to explore until we figure out the "right" neighborhood to meet our needs. And I like the community pool suggestion, too...I want a pool someday, but we are going to have little one(s) around for the next few years, so it's probably best to wait.

We'll be heading back out that way again soon to explore, and we'll check out the suggested areas. Even though we visit often, we usually spend so much time at the families' homes that we rarely get out as much as we'd like, so now we feel like some background research is in order!

[rockybird]

Check out azarchitecture.com . They have some homes for sale that are now available as rentals. I dont have any association with them, but sometimes I like to look at the homes they have available for fun. They specialize in modern mid-century and contemporary homes and they range from 1 bedroom condos to 5 million dollar mansions. Anyway, good luck!

[goldeneyez]

Loving the Az architecture website!