Moving to Scottsdale area, need home search advice and possible alternatives (Phoenix: how much, house)

[EscapingTheBurbs]

Hi All,

I just accepted a job in downtown Scottsdale and the online options are extremely overwhelming! So I thought I would consult the experts for some advice. A little about us:

- We are empty-nesters, just two of us, so schools are not a concern.
- We have four 20-something children who live in Southern California. We'd like a 3-4 bedroom house with a pool so we can enjoy visits from family.
- I've done the long commute in LA and would like to avoid that as much as possible. I'd like to keep the commute under 30 min if possible.
- We are moving from SoCal with equity, so we could spend up to $1M if needed, but would prefer to stay lower if possible.
- My wife has a horse and we will be looking for an equestrian facility nearby for her to keep it.
- I'm an avid cyclist (Road and Mountain) and would like to be in an area with a lot of options to ride.

Looking online, it seems like areas further north in Scottsdale (McCormick Ranch, Scottsdale Ranch, North Scottsdale) have what we are looking for but can get rather pricy. I've found information about communities to the east harder to come by (Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler).

I would also be interested in feedback on commuter traffic. How much should I expect going toward the areas during morning and afternoon rush hour? Is one area much easier to get to traffic-wise?

Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!

[DetroitN8V]

85260 will be close enough to work and close to equestrian centers.

[fluffythewondercat]

There are many horse facilities in my nabe (85260) but most of them are Arabian breeding operations. I don't know of any boarding facilities.

BTW, the big Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show is on now through February 23. The weather is great. This would be a perfect time to visit and check out the area for yourself.

[AZJoeD]

The problem is the <30 minute commute. You can certainly find some lovely homes in Phoenix and Scottsdale for under $1M. You mentioned McCormick and Scottsdale Ranch, both good options. There are good horse facilities in Scottsdale along the Shea and Cactus corridors, but there is nowhere to ride unless you want to load the horse(s) in a trailer and commute the horse to the trails.

You could look further north in the Rio Verde or Cave Creek areas, but that will increase your commute to work.

IMO best option buy close to work and commute to a horse facility further north.

[EscapingTheBurbs]

Originally Posted by AZJoeD

The problem is the <30 minute commute. You can certainly find some lovely homes in Phoenix and Scottsdale for under $1M. You mentioned McCormick and Scottsdale Ranch, both good options. There are good horse facilities in Scottsdale along the Shea and Cactus corridors, but there is nowhere to ride unless you want to load the horse(s) in a trailer and commute the horse to the trails.

You could look further north in the Rio Verde or Cave Creek areas, but that will increase your commute to work.

IMO best option buy close to work and commute to a horse facility further north.

Thanks, Joe, that's helpful. I should clarify that my wife is into riding English Hunter/Jumper, so she's more looking for facilities with an arena rather than riding trails.

[KurtAZ]

Many of the properties along Scottsdale Road North of Dynamite to Carefree are zoned for horses (up to 3 normally). You may need to build your own facilities or find someone who boards. I have heard good things about Grandon's and Osoready Equine centers. If you want to be closer in, there are still some properties around Sunburst Farms (Thunderbird/56th St) and along Cactus in that area that are zoned for horses.

Although there are NUMEROUS horse properties in the SE Valley, I wouldn't consider Chandler/Queen Creek if you are working in DT Scottsdale, that commute would suck. Maybe West Apache Junction/East Mesa but with your budget, if it were me, I would stick with N Scottsdale/N Phoenix or PV area.

[EscapingTheBurbs]

What about somewhere in between? How does Mesa compare to those communities (assuming we don't need to keep horses on our property). Is the commute to Scottsdale bad from there traffic-wise?

[DetroitN8V]

Originally Posted by EscapingTheBurbs

What about somewhere in between? How does Mesa compare to those communities (assuming we don't need to keep horses on our property). Is the commute to Scottsdale bad from there traffic-wise?

There would be no point. You would gain nothing by looking in Mesa. Much of Mesa is lower-income and the nicer parts are way out.

[KurtAZ]

Originally Posted by EscapingTheBurbs

What about somewhere in between? How does Mesa compare to those communities (assuming we don't need to keep horses on our property). Is the commute to Scottsdale bad from there traffic-wise?

At your budget I would probably be looking out towards Las Sendas (East Mesa along L202 by the Usury Mountains). I am not familiar with the normal morning commute out of that area but you don't normally hear of anything too bad on the traffic reports? I would stay out of Mesa Proper. If you can swing McCormick Ranch...that is one of my favorite older Scottsdale neighborhoods. There are some nice properties around the Scottsdale/Lincoln areas as well. Just depends on how much land you want and the surroundings. McCormick Ranch is going to feel much more lush with the golf course and mature trees.

Have you looked at anything around Shea and Via Linda?

[EscapingTheBurbs]

Thanks KurtAZ and DetroitN8V,

At this point, I've just been searching online and decided where I want to focus our in-person search in a week or two. From what I've gathered, I would say top areas are McCormick Ranch, Scottsdale Ranch (Shea Via Linda), and North Scottsdale. But looking online can be deceiving, so I'm just trying to make sure we're not missing anything and/or jumping to the "pricey" area needlessly. But given our requirements and the feedback I've been receiving, it seems that we are zeroing in on the right area.

Can anyone chime in on the traffic on the 101 at rush hour between downtown Scottsdale and North Scottsdale?

Thanks again!