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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.
The fact that you use the word "ghetto" to describe any part of the TOWN of Paradise Valley is, well, amusing at best. As far as the new construction surrounded by older homes, there are a lot of "teardowns" in areas like Paradise Valley, Arcadia in Phoenix, and some other areas of the Valley. If you don't like those surroundings, you are going to have to look at newer developments. I don't recognize the names of most of the Scottsdale areas you liked, but generally speaking, the further north and northeast you go, the more newer construction you will see. If you were looking for newer construction, I don't know why you looked in McCormick Ranch or Gainey Ranch at all. While they were not to your taste, they are popular to those who like more greenery in their surroundings than one would see in the rest of Scottsdale. I doubt it has much to do with the "proximity to Paradise Valley".
You've done a lot of research and have seen a lot of the communities, so now it may be time to begin a search on the mls of homes within your price range. The best searches are on some of the local Realtor web sites because they go directly into the mls, and if they show Active they are usually Active. Zillow and other national sites don't update their sites often because they want more listings there to attract more visitors. Consequently one can see a home they like that shows Active, only to find they've wasted their time because the home has been sold months ago.
You can search on my web site which you can find in my profile, or on any other local Realtors site who have searches that go directly into the mls instead of through third party data suppliers.
In all of Scottsdale and PV there are currently 82 Active homes in the 1.75 to 2.0 mil range. If the search were filtered down to eliminate some of the northern most areas of Scottsdale, such as above Troon at Dynamite, (which may be a longer drive than you want) and filtered to the minimum square foot home size, minimum bedrooms and baths, and age, that 82 number will decrease, leaving you with fewer choices.
By drawing an area on the map with Jomax Rd as the northern boundary, and eliminating the area around the Mayo, (that you said you don't like) the number is reduced to 47 homes.
Then filtering to minimum 5 bedrooms and 5000 square ft, we narrow the selection down to only 18 homes.
You can do as much or as little filtering as you desire. However, you don't want to make it too narrow because there may be some compromises you would be willing to make in order to find the home that best meets your criteria, although not 100%.
From the mls listing sheet, you can view the satellite map to see the area surrounding any of the homes.
At that point you can drive the neighborhood of the homes that meet your criteria, and/or make an appointment with your Realtor to go see them.
Apparently the OP is confusing age with exclusivity, and exclusivity with uniformity.
The ghetto comment is almost funny. There is no ghetto in Paradise Valley. (There are areas of Phoenix that call themselves Paradise Valley, but are nowhere close.)
Most exclusive suburbs are very well established and as such, most homes are not brand new. New construction is often adjacent to old, established areas. But as the OP has noticed, people aren't fleeing places like McCormick Ranch or Gainey Ranch just because properties are older. Same for Paradise Valley. Paradise Valley actually has some of the best 60s-70s modern architecture in the entire valley, and people pay a fortune for it.
The OP should take a ride through some of the foreclosure epicenters in the farther reaching areas of the valley, to dispel the myth that "new" and "nice" are synonymous.
There is plenty of newer construction in North Scottsdale, which might suit the OP's requirements...
first, as obs53 said, don't confuse the incorporated Town of Paradise Valley with that very large geographical area of NE Phx and N Scottsdale called Paradise Valley....the T of PV is generally zip 85253 and is considered the "most exclusive" part of the entire state....going by zip codes, prices in 85253 are very much above the next highest zip code...
that "Paradise Reserve", I think I read, is the only new-build area in the T of PV right now....don't forget development was well underway in this area by the early 1960s, so there will be those tired-looking 60s/70s places all over...some are ripe for tear-down because of the unbeatable location and you'll note evidence of this when you see some oversized Tuscan McMansion next to a tired, low-slung rancher....tear-downs were hot a few years ago during the boom, but have slowed a bit, of course....there is very, very little raw land now in zip 85253, so teardowns are more common than new-builds....that Paradise Reserve is capitalizing on the lack of raw land in 85253...
Estate Antigua, Stanford Dr. and all of this large T of PV area is highly desirable real estate....yes, some is older, but I know places in Greenwich, CT, and Short Hills, NJ, that are much, much older!!!!
as said, those area in Scottsdale (Gainey, McCormick) are not at all priced that way because of T of PV proximity!!....they are very convenient, well-established, stable areas in also-desirable Scottsdale....
keep in mind this entire Scotts/PV area has been very desirable for many decades, so there will be older areas that don't have the glitzy, oversized houses that they build today...tastes change and people are bit a more pretentious today, it seems....if you want a newer feel (and have no older homes around you at all), as said, head to N/NE Scottsdale....with a $2M budget, I'd go for zip 85253, though....it's always a good place to be and probably a very safe investment if you look around hard, check comps and bargain a bit....you get what you pay for!!
by the way, renting is always a good idea before you buy to get a feel for the various areas....and you gotta find a realtor who knows this area very well and can honestly advise you
I suspect you like these locations (Canyon Heights, Pima Acre Estates, Silverleaf, Windgate, Cactus Acres) because of the amount of space available. In your price range you should have little trouble finding a 1/2 acre+ which affords some privacy. Right now Silverleaf has the most available homes, maybe the most expensive too. If you are willing to go just a little further north, Pinnacle Peak Heights has some nice homes with awesome views.
I will plan another trip out and narrow down exactly where I want to purchase. I do not necessarily want to spend $2M, if i can get what i want for $900k or less, that would be great! Right now, all I know I need is 4 bedrooms, a home office/den, and at least 2 bath rooms. But before I start searching the MLS, I really want to have narrowed down a good neighborhood or few to compare (5-10 sq miles, give and take). Although, I have been looking on zillow to get idea of whats available.
Being an out-of-stater, the good areas I've been told are Paradise Valley and North Scottsdale. Both are perfect commute for my work too. I am from westchester NY, and the style of homes is MUCH different, the scenery and the lifestyle as well. I think what I value most is location- first meaning the homes in the area are well kept and priced right, not in that "redevelopment" stage from years of neglect and not a completely new development with nothing around. I am not against "old" homes- In westchester NY, most homes were built in the early 1900s- I am use to older homes. However, the few older homes I actually checked out in scottsdale in gainy ranch as well as east cactus had such bad bones- (low ceilings, 6.5 ft doors instead of 8 ft doors, small bedrooms, small closets, a bubbley kind of drywall which I hate, small kitchens, wavy stucco (don't know the term) and just the overall architecture is dated to me) that i would be very uncomfortable in.
While searching zillow, I found this french-style home which is exactly what I am used to, but it is too much money, and I did not like the neighborhood. I remember driving not even a mile away and seeing 70s ranch style homes (priced in the $200sk)!!! WHY would someone build a $6M house 0.5 miles away from homes priced in the $200s? These kind of areas are what I want to avoid! 2205 E Colter St, Phoenix, AZ 85016 MLS# 4707431 - Zillow
If that house was smaller, in my budget, and in an area that has many homes in the same caliber around- I would be much more comfortable. However, the Spanish/Tuscan-style architecture is appealing to me and thus I liked places like paradise reserve, silverleaf, etc... Paradise Reserve was next to the dated "Estate Antigua" and was much more $ than any other development, thereby shifting my attention to N. Scottsdale. When I was looking in N. Scottsdale, it seemed like all i got to see were the "big name" places like greyhawk, silverleaf, ancala, windgate, etc... and missed out on smaller subdivisions that could fit my needs. Silverleaf was picture PERFECT, the ideal neighborhood, but I found pima acre estates, canyon heights, windgate- all in close proximity to Silverleaf, which I like and curious if there are other smaller subdivisions in this area where I can get the best bang for my buck... It is very hard to pull the trigger on such a large purchase being a newb to the area so any info on such neighborhoods would be greatly appreciated. Or, if you know other areas around N Scottsdale that you think would be my taste, please let me know!
People build new homes in those older neighborhoods because they want a larger lot than most newer subdivisions provide, closer in to the city, and because the areas generally are very desirable ones. If you don't like that, then as I've already stated, DON'T look in older, closer in neighborhoods with larger lots.
Most out of staters think the only places to live in higher priced homes are Scottsdale and Paradise Valley. Not so. There are other areas with homes in your price range, but if you like north Scottsdale, and it seems you do want the cache of a Scottsdale address, then it's a good choice. As far as smaller subdivisions, etc., in that area, I DO think you need to at least start talking to a realtor who would be most familiar with where you could get "the most bang for your buck".
My work will be at 56th st and mayo blvd- the phoenix mayo campus. Are there other wealthy parts of town nearby?
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