Mohave Valley vs Bullhead City (Lake Havasu City: for sale, to rent, HOA)

[meanjean]

Hi, I live in southern CA and my family and I like to take weekend trips to the Colorado River. We are currently looking for a house to buy for a second home. We found new construction homes that we liked in Mohave Valley and Bullhead City. The one in BC is in a planned community with some homes already built and most of the lots have been sold. But we like the floorplan in the MV home better and more upgrades are included in the home. There are not a lot of lots sold yet and maybe 3 homes are already built in it (I believe there is a cop living in one of the homes too). It's also closer to the Needles marinas where we would launch our boat. There is no HOA for the MV home.

Any suggestions on which place is better to live in? We will not be living there full-time so I am concerned about the crime rate and the home value. We would like it to be closer to CA so Laughlin and Lake Havasu City are out.

Thank you for your input.

[Packard fan]

Originally Posted by meanjean

Hi, I live in southern CA and my family and I like to take weekend trips to the Colorado River. We are currently looking for a house to buy for a second home. We found new construction homes that we liked in Mohave Valley and Bullhead City. The one in BC is in a planned community with some homes already built and most of the lots have been sold. But we like the floorplan in the MV home better and more upgrades are included in the home. There are not a lot of lots sold yet and maybe 3 homes are already built in it (I believe there is a cop living in one of the homes too). It's also closer to the Needles marinas where we would launch our boat. There is no HOA for the MV home.

Any suggestions on which place is better to live in? We will not be living there full-time so I am concerned about the crime rate and the home value. We would like it to be closer to CA so Laughlin and Lake Havasu City are out.

Thank you for your input.

Uh; it's the same distance from Needles to either Bullhead or Laughlin since both towns are across the river from each other.

It sounds to me you've answered your question since MV is closest to Needles, although Fort Mohave's between MV and Bullhead.

[SiriousGA]

Yep....I'd choose Laughlin. I don't think building or buying a new home in BHC is a good idea. You want to find a home someone is trying to get rid of quickly. Happens all the time around here. Mosquito's in MV are a concern, and they don't have much there, so you will always be driving in order to shop or eat.

[dump1567]

Personally, I think Bullhead is nicer. But you will pay for that. They have mandatory trash service you pay for whether or not you use it. I don't think MV has that requirement. Also you may have an association to pay into, which may be a good thing to keep the neighborhood nice. BHC has it's own PD, so property taxes may be more $$. I would discuss your concerns with a good realtor. I see a lot of areas where everyone is trying to sell. There's probably a reason for it.

I like the area off Bullhead Pkwy, but a lot of it's 55 Plus. I use to have a second house there. Nice and quit and somewhat save. I found that the closer you get to the river, your crime rate went up.

The area still hasn't recovered from the early 2000's boom, so now's a good time to get a deal. Just realize you may not be able to sell very quickly if you need to. And I think you'll get a better deal on the used market, but it's hard to resist the glitter of a new home.
You may want to rent a house for a year and see if it's worth investing into the area (and to get to know the area better).

[fwi97]

We bought a home in BHC 3 years ago. There are 2 BHC's, East of 95 and West of 95. Ours is above the Parkway at the north end in Desert Foothills Estates. It is very quiet, very safe and very affordable. You can buy today a beautiful 3/2 with 3 car garage for under $300k, you can buy a smaller home under $200k, although there are very few home for sale in the area at this time.
The "bad" areas (meaning you can have as many used appliances and junk cars in your front yard as you want) in BHC are just off of 95 and mostly to the west, yes closer to the river.
The property taxes are low, utilities are very low, insurance (home and car) is also very low.
One thing to keep in mind is that this entire area gets a LOT of wind, Mohave Valley gets a lot more, being exposed to the open desert floor, when it does you have serious dust storms in the low lying areas. This does not happen above the Parkway, plus, you are 80 minutes away from Las Vegas from where we are.
We have accidentally left our garage door open for several days while away and nothing has ever happened.....we were lucky of course, but the area only has one way in and one way out, so no one just drives through here. About half the homes in the Parkway area are part time residences.
Grocery stores are in both BHC and MV, there are also 2 new hospitals in both places. The choice is yours.
Also, if you are worried about HOA because of the fees, ours is only $75/ quarter, other areas may be a bit higher. If your concern is more about what you can and cannot do to your home, ie: the general appearance of the front yard or what types of vehicles (RV's. boats, etc....) there are plenty of homes with side access to the rear where you can park your toys.
If, however you are a slob, then west of 95 would be more your style.

[Packard fan]

Originally Posted by fwi97

We bought a home in BHC 3 years ago. There are 2 BHC's, East of 95 and West of 95. Ours is above the Parkway at the north end in Desert Foothills Estates. It is very quiet, very safe and very affordable. You can buy today a beautiful 3/2 with 3 car garage for under $300k, you can buy a smaller home under $200k, although there are very few home for sale in the area at this time.
The "bad" areas (meaning you can have as many used appliances and junk cars in your front yard as you want) in BHC are just off of 95 and mostly to the west, yes closer to the river.
The property taxes are low, utilities are very low, insurance (home and car) is also very low.
One thing to keep in mind is that this entire area gets a LOT of wind, Mohave Valley gets a lot more, being exposed to the open desert floor, when it does you have serious dust storms in the low lying areas. This does not happen above the Parkway, plus, you are 80 minutes away from Las Vegas from where we are.
We have accidentally left our garage door open for several days while away and nothing has ever happened.....we were lucky of course, but the area only has one way in and one way out, so no one just drives through here. About half the homes in the Parkway area are part time residences.
Grocery stores are in both BHC and MV, there are also 2 new hospitals in both places. The choice is yours.
Also, if you are worried about HOA because of the fees, ours is only $75/ quarter, other areas may be a bit higher. If your concern is more about what you can and cannot do to your home, ie: the general appearance of the front yard or what types of vehicles (RV's. boats, etc....) there are plenty of homes with side access to the rear where you can park your toys.
If, however you are a slob, then west of 95 would be more your style.

To be fair: even IF I was mega rich; I would NOT live off the Parkway IF I had to stay here in Bullhead, I'd live by the river. Otherwise, there ain't much here for me.

[Hawk J]

Avi Casino has a boat ramp. We used to use it years ago. It's right across the river bridge from Fort Mohave.

https://www.google.com/#q=Avi+casino+boat+ramp