Cute Cheap Condo CopperLeaf Phoenix-Is this a mirage? (apartment complexes, HOA)

[cmist]

Originally Posted by AZSunDevil83

To the OP: I am proud owner of a single-story home here in Copper Leaf. Yes, 24th St/Southern is not the best area!! However, I have been living here for more than 3 months now in my new home and do not regret my decision a bit. HOA does a really great job maintaining the community and obviously keeps property prices up. I have not seen any crimes in the time I have been here in my community. In my initial research, Laveen actually recorded more property/violent crimes in the period I searched.

The community itself is made up of professionals and middle-income residents. Community is really a gem in a not-so-great area. However, I love it and no problems. Only advice I can offer is to check out the community for yourself and make your own decision.

Im curious... did you move from out of state into the area? Or did you move from elsewhere in Phoenix?

I only ask to try and understand if attitudes are shifting, or if it only appeals to people who come from elsewhere in the country.

[observer53]

With the handle AZSunDevil83, my guess is that poster has been here a while. It's good to hear from someone who actually lives there. There are actually a lot of newer areas along both Southern and Baseline from 24th St east that are a sign of revitalization of that area, and are attracting residents like this poster describes. I'd suggest the OP come look around that area and make a judgment from there. Broad stereotypes about a general area don't always fit.

[AZSunDevil83]

Thanks Observer53. You are right on the money. Like you said, Baseline/Southern corridor east of 24th St are really being revitalized. Just south of this community is really nice golf course/community. There's shopping nearby and being close to downtown/biltmore areas and close to Tempe was the selling point for me. Like someone else mentioned, location location location! This being my first home and being able to buy $100K less than what original buyer paid for, was a no-brainer.

Community itself is about 3 years old. Copper Leaf went up around 2006. I think the condos might even be newer. To answer the previous poster's question, I have lived close to ASU and in the West Valley as well (Avondale). After school, re-located to the Bay Area to come back to PHX and buy a home!

[cmist]

Originally Posted by AZSunDevil83

Thanks Observer53. You are right on the money. Like you said, Baseline/Southern corridor east of 24th St are really being revitalized. Just south of this community is really nice golf course/community. There's shopping nearby and being close to downtown/biltmore areas and close to Tempe was the selling point for me. Like someone else mentioned, location location location! This being my first home and being able to buy $100K less than what original buyer paid for, was a no-brainer.

Community itself is about 3 years old. Copper Leaf went up around 2006. I think the condos might even be newer. To answer the previous poster's question, I have lived close to ASU and in the West Valley as well (Avondale). After school, re-located to the Bay Area to come back to PHX and buy a home!

Cool, I asked purely out of curiosity because I really dont know much about the area. However, I do find that many Phoenicians have the mentality that new=safe, and that isnt always true.

There are some pretty lawless new areas that were built in the middle of some downright dangerous ones. As an example, everything is brand new around 67th Ave & Buckeye, but the crime is out of control.

My younger brother lived there for a short while because he thought it "looked" nice, but over time, he witnessed ongoing vandalism regularly, and even witnessed things like stray dogs getting shot in the street. In the first 3 months he may have reported it was great, but over time, he couldnt leave fast enough.

Im not saying anything like that is going to happen in copperleaf, but just making a point that a quick "drive-by" can only ascertain how "new" the area is, but not really be an indication of safety. I would recommend looking at crime statistics for the surrounding area and dont be fooled by the facades of the buildings around you.

It might be best to rent in the area before purchasing so you can form your own observations before locking yourself into this stagnant real estate market.

[Bummer]

Very valid point and good advice, Cmist.

[fcorrales80]

Originally Posted by Bummer

Very valid point and good advice, Cmist.

I actually agree with cmist for the most part as well, except that I think a lot of his statements are fear-based.

I wouldn't exactly say that many of these generalizations are "white flight" or a "white fear" mentality, since there are still white families there in great numbers and more moving in, but for some that isn't too far from the truth. I think most people are afraid of this region because of its huge latino make-up. The same for the sections of the "Estrella Village" that cmist was talking about near 67th Ave. and Buckeye. That area can be diverse and goes from great to problematic. I think cmist, however, you are talking about 67th and LOWER Buckeye.

I have family in that area (Sun Dance Ranch, El Dorado, Sienna Vista, ect.) While their neighborhoods are 1-10 years old, they are great neighborhoods with strong and involved HOA's (can be a bad thing with all the rules). The same is true with sections of Laveen, and the S. Mountain area where Copper Leaf is located. I've noticed over the years some graffiti in random locations (painted over quickly by the City's anti-graffiti task-force, neighborhood association, or HOA's) but the "tagging" in Phoenix is a rather pathetic attempt by the youth here to be "thug" or to "label" a neighborhood. I've never tagged but I'm sure I can create some much better work than most of our taggers in Phoenix. They usually just use black and it looks like scribble. I'd at least throw in some color and use "bubble letters!"

[AZSunDevil83]

Like I mentioned, I know the areas outside of this community are not the greatest. I would NOT go out walking/jogging in the evening outside of the housing community. However, this being said, I always see residents jog/walk their dogs early in the morning and well into the evenings. I really love this community. The little parks inside the community have even turned into a mini-dog park. When I come home from work, I always see tons of residents chatting amongst each other while walking/playing with their dogs. Community really has a homey feeling.

Couple streets north of here is the Park-N-Ride on 33rd St/Washington and I ride the light rail into downtown PHX to catch Suns game, I am a season ticket holder. Some of the larger homes here sold for more than $350K at the peak!! So OP, make a trip out here and visit the community. Talk to the residents in the condos and single-family homes and see what they say as well. This is your best bet.

[calipoppy]

Originally Posted by AZSunDevil83

To the OP: I am proud owner of a single-story home here in Copper Leaf. Yes, 24th St/Southern is not the best area!! However, I have been living here for more than 3 months now in my new home and do not regret my decision a bit. HOA does a really great job maintaining the community and obviously keeps property prices up. I have not seen any crimes in the time I have been here in my community. In my initial research, Laveen actually recorded more property/violent crimes in the period I searched.

The community itself is made up of professionals and middle-income residents. Community is really a gem in a not-so-great area. However, I love it and no problems. Only advice I can offer is to check out the community for yourself and make your own decision.

Thanks so much for the input!

The community itself is really beautiful (from pictures and Google street view) but the surrounding area looks like it is very sparsely populated (blight).

I also noticed that it isn't a gated community. Are there ever any problems with non-residents accessing the community?

[Hatetheheat01]

Originally Posted by calipoppy

Does anyone have any information about the neighborhood in which this development is located?

I came across this really cute condo for sale and the price is just too good to be true. So what's wrong with it I wonder.



$79,000 for a 2 bed/2 bath loacted on 21st Place in Phoenix



Then I found another cute one (located on 21st Terrace) for $88k with a great kitchen...so is this a mirage? What am I missing? Has anyone on C-D bought in this community or know someone who has?

Look into the city of Surprise- I've heard alot of people say Surprise is a good low crime area to live in (it's just kinda out there but the area is growing) and they have fairly new townhomes selling for $85,000 and up.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by calipoppy

Thanks so much for the input!

The community itself is really beautiful (from pictures and Google street view) but the surrounding area looks like it is very sparsely populated (blight).

I also noticed that it isn't a gated community. Are there ever any problems with non-residents accessing the community?

Sparsely populated and "blight" are two different things. Baseline and Southern in that area had a lot of agricultural land until not many years ago. I would not use the word "blight" to describe the general surrounding area.