Help, advice on scottsdale areas

[azdr0710]

yes, zillow sux the big one for serious house shopping....fun for snooping on your neighbor, tho

gotta get a realtor!!....and spend a lot of time looking hard, checking comps, and bargaining a bit....

when the time comes, consider the private high schools here, like Phx Country Day and several others....

do you know anybody at Mayo out here who already likes a particular 'hood?....honestly, as I sorta said before, I'd stay south of Bell and west of Pima....those newer outlying N and NE Scotts developments lack soul and stability (in my biased opinion)....would be really nice for you to find a nice Arcadia (nicer Phx area) spot or 85253 place....they're closer-in (and not just to downtown), established, more convenient, not so flashy.....

summer: go tubing on the Salt, jump in the pool, go on an early-morning hike (no daylight savings time out here, by the way!!), head to Flagstaff or other high country a couple hours away, boating at Lake Pleasant or the Salt River lakes....

be warned of very dry air (cold when you get out of the pool due to rapid water evaporation), bright sun, dusty furniture, hot car interiors, slow-paced summers (sorta), fast-paced self-important drivers.....



EDIT: I checked comps on that Gray Rd house at the county assessor's page...slightly smaller places in the same development sold for in the low 600s a year or more ago before prices apparently hit bottom a few months ago....so, yeah, that asking price is a bit high right now....and it last sold for $802K in 2004 about a year before the peak.....lots of stuff for sale in that price range, so haggle.....

[pbenjamin]

For what it's worth, Carefree is in the Cave Creek Unified School District. Today the Arizona Department of Education announced letter grades for school districts. CCUSD received an A, which is the same grade that Scottsdale Unified got.

[vince3vince]

I looked into that Phoenix Country Day School, it was on Stanford Dr., minutes away from paradise reserve. I don't know where i was on Stanford, but that is the rd that i remember that was beat up with a few crummy looking homes (I have no idea where i was with respect to the school though). Interesting though, I looked at the tuition and class sizes (Tuition and Payment Options - Phoenix Country Day School), YIKES- I don't think I would swing $20k+/yr per kid for elementary school/middle school. Grades 9-12 had a class size of just 60- do you think they would prefer kids that attended from k-8 before they accept newcomers for 9-12? Thank you for telling me about this school!

Also, is there some some general consensus as to what streets define north, central, and south scottsdale? I've been under the impression that between Dynamite and Bell Rd/Frank llyod wright + east of Scottsdale Rd is "North", between Bell Rd/Frank llyod wright and Shea and east of Scottsdale Rd is "Central", and below Shea east of Scottsdale Rd is "South", and west of Scottsdale Rd is Paradise Valley proper. I was using zillow to only look at place north of shea + east of scottsdale rd, and south of shea + west of scottsdale rd. Are these good boundaries for what define central+north scottsdale, and PV proper?

[vince3vince]

I just made these pics with MS paint to show what I've been assuming in north, central, and south. The green circles are where I think I've already looked at.

North includes- greyhawk, canyon heights, silverleaf, and windgate

Central- Ancala, stone gate, cactus acres

South- Mccormmick/Gainy

and PV- mostly things off lincoln blvd

[observer53]

Originally Posted by vince3vince

Also, is there some some general consensus as to what streets define north, central, and south scottsdale? I've been under the impression that between Dynamite and Bell Rd/Frank llyod wright + east of Scottsdale Rd is "North", between Bell Rd/Frank llyod wright and Shea and east of Scottsdale Rd is "Central", and below Shea east of Scottsdale Rd is "South", and west of Scottsdale Rd is Paradise Valley proper. I was using zillow to only look at place north of shea + east of scottsdale rd, and south of shea + west of scottsdale rd. Are these good boundaries for what define central+north scottsdale, and PV proper?

We've had threads about this before. You will get some different opinions, even long time residents like me don't have the same parameters. Scottsdale is a very LONG narrow city. If your parameters were it, about three quarters of the city would be "south". I call everything above about Indian Bend/McCormick Parkway, "north", so I guess I have a "far north" too, north of FLW. Central extends down to Osborn, south below that.

[azdr0710]

keep in mind the Stanford Rd area in the T of PV is one of those older areas first developed in the 1950s on land which then was close to the edge of the urban area....since it's in PV, land there is very valuable and very desirable - and many of those "crappy" houses are potential tear-downs valued for the land only (and will still be pricey).....

for planning and service purposes, some companies define "south" Scottsdale as anything south of around Shea or Indian Bend since the city is nearly 30 miles long...long-time residents are often incensed at this definition as, traditionally, South Scottsdale (south of Osborn) is the not-so-great part of town!!....

the boundaries of the T of PV wind around a bit, but you're pretty close about that....however, the town boundaries do not go all the way north to Shea in most areas....check google maps or similar for an accurate map of the true municipal boundaries of all these places....despite the Scottsdale "vibe" there, some are surprised that the City of Phoenix is all along the west side of Scottsdale Rd from Cactus north!!

[reddesertfox]

Originally Posted by vince3vince

Hi,

I am looking on making a purchase in the Phoenix-metro area by December. I have been on trips to Scottsdale and stayed at the montelucia and fairmont pricess resorts to get a feel of the area. Originally, I was interested in paradise valley, in particular, a development called "paradise reserve" that is currently under construction (Lincoln and 40th st). I was very excited about this project because it was in paradise valley (my top choice at the time), it was NEW, gated, beautiful views of camelback mountain, downtown, and close to scottsdale. I also enjoyed the beautiful drive on lincoln through paradise valley. However, the downsides I feel toward this development are: 1. it is right next to an old aging development called "Estate Antigua" which I am not crazy about. 2. There are a lot of "70s ranch style" homes just to the east of it. Actually, there are a lot of these 70s ranch homes all over PV which began to jade my perception of it- and as a result I started looking in Scottsdale. One thing I just don't think i can get use to is having a new built luxury home surrounded by aging homes. Also, I noticed a short drive away from Paradise Reserve (Stanford Dr) felt like a ghetto (but it was still Paradise Valley proper). I still like Paradise Valley and still considering it- but I can't get over how the town mixes building new homes around dated 70s style homes.

Okay, enough of my rant about PV. So, I took a second trip back to scottsdale and felt a little more impressed. Some areas that stood out to me were Canyon heights, Pima acre estates, Silverleaf, Windgate, Cactus Acres, and a few others. Areas that i did NOT like were McCormick/Gainy Ranch, StoneGate, and the east side of shea near the mayo hospital. To me, McCormick/Gainy Ranch was very dated and overpriced- however the one plus was it was right next to PV. Is this why McCormick/Gainy Ranch is so popular- due to it's proximity to Paradise Valley? Stone Gate felt old and dated, and surrounded again by several cheaper homes.

Based on my own analysis of the area, can anyone list pros/cons or ANY information regarding the areas that stood out to me- or other areas you recommend I check out. I am not looking for new construction, don't have the time, however if I end up renting I may consider it. My work is at at 56st and mayo and I am willing to spend $2M if the home meets my rather high expectations... I may need to consider renting if I can't find my dream home.

Vince,I am baffled by your statement,concerning a dream home?Most Americans are in hideous shape,financially,healthwise.Not all of us can live in such luxury.I have empathy for my felllow Arizonansdespite my riches...I have lived in Scottsdale for 68 years and am donating parts of my fortune to others so that they can live in Scottsdale.That being said purchase your home here,but thank God that you can young man.Good health.