Should I avoid a lower level condominium in Phoenix/Scottsdale? (Paradise Valley: apartment, HOA)

[jwblue]

Moving to the area.

Heard a story about a guy who had to move out of his condo on first level due to scorpions.

[Riley.]

I might not worry about scorpions but noise from above would definitely be a concern.

[wilberry]

I found two scorpions on the ground floor this year ( the yellow ones )

[KO Stradivarius]

Originally Posted by Riley.

I might not worry about scorpions but noise from above would definitely be a concern.

People all over the Phoenix area have 1 or 2 story houses so scorpion exposure is no worse in a 1st floor condo or apartment. Unless the landlord won't pay for effective pest control. Personally, I like first floor units - no stairs or elevator to contend with on a daily basis or when moving, which is a huge deal unless you are quite young, and even then it would get old quick. Just consider how often you will need to use those stairs!

[Ponderosa]

Scorpions can climb walls and stairs. Anyway, the scorpion threat is massively misjudged by people who don't live here. Stings are not common, and when one gets stung, it is very rarely serious.

My considerations for first or second floor would be more about people than scorpions. Things like burglaries, home invasions, and stray bullets from nearby shootouts outnumber scorpion issues by orders of magnitude. All of these are more of a threat on the first floor.

[YAZ]

We just have hobos & black widows.

The occasional porch pirate.

Widows are relatively welcome and generally don't go to Spider Heaven unless they're in the house.

[wp169]

Originally Posted by jwblue

Moving to the area.

Heard a story about a guy who had to move out of his condo on first level due to scorpions.

I'm so glad you brought this up, I'm thinking about selling my house, right now I live on the top floor. I was interested in an over 55 condo community in a countryish wooded area in suburban NY, The condos are attached with garages and on one level. I am leery about one level places due to ants, spiders, termites or whatever etc, getting in under the doors.

Additionally, some have wood decks and I would be worried about snakes (most are non-venomous here, but sometimes a copperhead will be seen in the area). or other animals getting underneath, and I know coyotes are seen in the development.

I think I've decided if I move it will be in an apartment building type condo, at a higher level than the ground and with a terrace, no worries.

Good luck.

[pathrunner]

Originally Posted by jwblue

Moving to the area.

Heard a story about a guy who had to move out of his condo on first level due to scorpions.

I moved out of a rented condo because my bathroom ceiling caved in. The nasty neighbor upstairs would not let ANYONE in to inspect it. (He was married to the owner, and his name was NOT on the property deed.) I suspect there was something untoward going on up there. He was an a-hole. I got the HOA involved via my property manager but nothing came of it. He probably paid off the corrupt nasty HOA president to accomplish keeping people out. It never did get fixed properly, and the cause was never adequately discovered. He actually had the audacity and the stupidity to insist that "water doesn't flow downward." A real piece of work.

He's the same guy who got on my case about termite trails on the inside walls of my garage. I reported it but nothing was ever done. The guy was scared for himself that his condo was going to cave down. It would have served him right. In Arizona, my understanding from my property manager was that AZ doesn't care about termites the way California does. In California, there is always a termite inspection done and many times a tent goes over the structure. Not in AZ from what I saw. That being said, I would live in a downstairs unit because it's somewhat cooler and not as noisy as living above someone.

[rarpics]

In 17 years of AZ ground floor living - I’ve never seen a scorpion. I’d be much more concerned about nosey neighbors.

[pathrunner]

I only saw one scorpion and that was on a hillside in Paradise Valley where homes have encroached on native territory. The higher up a home is built there, the more likely it is to encounter such creatures. The further out one goes, the more likely one is to see all kinds of scary wildlife, not just scorpions.