Looking for east/southeast valley housing...

[theferg]

So I just posted up my intro in that other thread...and thought I'd throw this up as well.

I'm relocating my family from St George, UT to the PHX area. I've taken a job in Tempe and need to find some housing for us. I've got other family in the area I'll be staying with for a while and the wife and kids aren't coming down till after school is done up there and they take a mini vacation back up north to SLC area. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is I'm looking slowly and carefully for an excellent, long-term place for us. I'll just be renting for now, but if you know an excellent Mortgage officer, I'd be willing to sit and talk.

Anyway, if you or anyone you know has a nice place you wanna recommend, lemme know.

Here's what the wife and I are wanting/needing:

Gilbert, East Mesa, Queen Creek and there abouts (yes I know how far out some of that is from Tempe). At least 3 bedroom, 2 bath. At least 2 car garage. Open floor plan. 1500+ sq ft. Some grass in back yard. We like upgraded interiors. Kick butt A/C (I love the desert, but my wife's from Oregon...). It'd be nice to have a community park and pool close by.

I've perused craigslist and there seems to be a ton of rentals with what we're looking for and priced decently, we just are trying to make sure we find a place we can stay for at least a year or two without having to worry about whether the owner is actually making their mortgage payments so we don't end up having to move out due to a foreclosure.

Any help is greatly appreciated!


-Ferg-

 

[BMAN]

It's a buyers market right now brother. There's about 10 homes in my neighborhood for sale right now and a bunch of forclosures too. I'm FAR east and south Mesa at Elliot and Meridian. Homes from 1500 to 5000 square foot and ranging from $190's to $500k.

Shoot me a PM when you get into town. We'll have a beer and talk about the east side. I've lived out here all my life and know the east valley pretty well.

You might look for rentals in the Power Ranch area. It's a nice area with like 10 community pools and some urban lakes for fishing. My brother lives down there and there's a TON of rentals in the area.

 

[BrotherRob]

Any reason that you want to move out to the sticks? Depending on your job location in Tempe, you should have plenty of convenient housing options. I know some good mortgage and real estate people if you need a referral. I would be careful renting in Queen Creek or other southeast valley areas, the default rates are high and you might just be posponing someone's foreclosure. We have club members all over the valley so let us know if you have questions about a specific area. We also meet on the third Friday of the month if you can make it in person. Good luck.

 

[theferg]

My wife wants to be out in the sticks cause that's where most of our family is and she wants to be close to them so our kids will have some "instant friends" so to speak. She really wants them to go to the same elementary as the cousins (I'm not sure which one it even is, just that its out in queen creek kinda near the wal-mart). As I didn't know PHX at all, I've been Cruisin around as much as possible trying to get familiar and I really like Gilbert and Mesa seems decent as well (been stying at a place off Gilbert and Southern). Anyway, really, it's about finding an affordable ($800-1200 so we can save for a down payment) place in a safe neighborhood suitable for young families (ages 1 mo, 5 yrs, and 7 yrs). I'll commute from the sticks if that's what I have to do.

-Ferg-

 

[tzicali]

I bought my house last year in Gilbert from Ashton Woods Homes. Gilbert has very good schools and nice communities in the Morrison Ranch area. Check their website.

 

[inkpot]

Howdy! Welcome to the Valley of the Dry Heat. How soon are you going to be down here? Just in time for summer. PM sent on housing. John

 

[splitshot]

(I'm not sure which one it even is, just that its out in queen creek kinda near the wal-mart).

-Ferg-

That almost sounds like the Johnson Ranch area.

www.johnsonranch.com/Pages/JONRANCH.html

 

[RHINO]

buyers market but IMOP still overpriced. we could have talked about trading houses, but i'm not east valley.

 

[brittan]

I can't recommend Johnson Ranch...there is a bunch of cheap homes out there but...the community was built with little thought to water. The community is on a 100 yr well.

All this is hearsay...but I got it from a good source. Do your research before moving there.

 

[BMAN]

I agree with the QC comments. The water comment is pretty accurate in that there was no money for proper infrastructure out there prior to the mass developement. Rhino is also correct in stating that the market hasn't yet bottomed out. That said, a LOWBALL offer on a home in the east valley could still get it bought. You can snag 2k+ square feet in my neighborhood right now for under $200k. Good for you, bad for me. Not that I plan on selling in the next 5 years though.

Back to the QC thing. Down there by the Walmart is basically Johnson Ranch. You have 2 roads in and out. Commuting to Tempe from there will be an hour +. One of my guys at my shop does that commute and hates it. It takes him 45minutes of that commute just to get past Ellsworth road only 3 miles from his house. The other 45 minutes is spent traveling the remaing 35 miles to our shop just west of tempe and south of the airport. You do the math on that one. Also, their schols are underfunded and overcrowded. Gilbert Schools on the other hand are among the best in the state. My daughter is in Mesa School dist even though we live in Gilbert SD because the school nearest us is also overcrowded. We take her up to north Mesa to an awesome elementary there.

Shoot me a PM. I'll be happy to spend time with ya.

 

[splitshot]

Also, re: Johnson Ranch, My neighbor is a Pinal County building inspector and IIRC, the foundations on some of the houses out there have no re-enforcement whatsoever (not to say it's JR or another development). He was pretty chapped when he found out that some engineer had somehow convinced the county this was ok.

 

[GeoRoss]

The other little publicized problem with Queen Creek is earth fissures. There as been alot of ground water pumping that has led to a bunch of subsidence in that area.

I can't recall exactly where, but it would be a concern of mine as that area is completely reliant on ground water.

AZGS | Earth Fissure Center

 

[Kavik]

Try to stick w/ Gilbert or Chandler. It's a hell of alot easier for your wife to drive in and out of JR for the kids, than it is for you to escape and return during your commute. Hell, I grew up in Tempe. If you can find a house there it is very centrally located (from an east valley perspective) and pretty mellow (read old school=no HOA)

Rent for a year, but be ready/aggressive to buy. There will be good deals coming out of the woodworks soon

BTW - big fan of your 60 build

 

[splitshot]

Hi,

I am planning to give my brother Birthday Gifts. So i was in very much confused state but thanks to them. I got a large variety of gifts & finally bought from here. My brother was so excited o see this what can i say now. i don't have any words. I just can say thanks & i can advice you go for this.

Thanks

John

Ross, cool link!

 

[FJ40LVR]

Ferg -
What a coincidence - I am planning on putting my house up for lease in south chandler/gilbert any day now. I don't want to sell, just lease, as I am I am moving to Las Vegas soon, and am just commuting the last month +.

4 bed, three car garage (3rd car detached shop currently) pool, lotsa grass, gated, etc., etc.

Drop me a PM if'n you want to check it out.

Josh

 

[RHINO]

I grew up in Tempe. If you can find a house there it is very centrally located

i'd consider tempe pretty centrally located, i think i could easily live in and around the downtown tempe area, maybe its only cause of the college but there seems to be a good vibe about tempe, plenty of atmosphere with live bands and events all the time and generally lots to do in a small enough area that you could do it all on a bicycle.

 

[hj60]

Rhino- you been to downtown Tempe lately?
It's starting to remind me of Cambridge, MA. (Built around Harvard U.)
There's LOTS of new condo construction. Prices are going nowhere but up. There's 500k+ condos next to Heather's that weren't even there last year. And a new million+ tower going up next to that. And some new mixed buildings going up on/around Mill. It's becoming its own major city quick.

 

[RHINO]

yes i have and i know what you mean,,,

 

[BMAN]

I sure wouldn't want to raise my kids down there either. Tempe, that is.

 

[62FJ40]

We moved to Gilbert from Tempe about 6 yrs ago, schools were the big reason then, they were getting real bad. Love G town, 202 to 101 puts you in tempe in 20 min max.