When a client calls and says “We need a larger house but we absolutely have to stay in the same neighborhood”, I know it’s a community I need to find out more about.

Jaime and Scott M. bought their home in Stratford Estates, Mesa Arizona three years ago.  At the time, the main motivator was a great deal.  The builder was offering great incentives with their final model home.  Jaime and Scott couldn’t say no to a big, beautiful new home, completely landscaped and decorated nicely. 

Besides the great deal, there were other things about the community that keep their family there today.  The most prevalent being no homeowner’s association.  This is extremely rare in Phoenix, to find a newly built home without a homeowner’s association. 

The average HOA fee is $100 a month.  That generally pays for a landscape company to keep up a public area and maintaining a governing body to enforce community standards such as weeding, upkeep, and architectural standards. 

They are quite happy to live without those standards.  They say the majority of the neighbors maintain their lawns and homes quite nicely.  And there is a lot to maintain;  the average lot size in Stratford Estates is a little over a quarter of an acre.  This doesn’t sounds like much to people coming from Idaho or Missouri, but in Arizona the average size lot is closer to a 10th of an acre.  With all of that land and no homeowner’s association, many neighbors in Stratford Estates are building second garages, workshops, or even guest homes. 

Not only do the large lots add to the send of privacy, it also helps that all of the homes are single level.  Not one house has a two story looming down on the back yard. 

I wondered about the sense of community without a common area, such as a park or community pool.  Jaime says that people are out all the time, walking dogs or playing with the kids.  That makes it really easy to get to know your neighbors.  During the eight months of the year that it’s comfortable to sit outside, Jaime and Scott frequently sit in the front yard, watching the kids play and chatting with neighbors. 

In addition, the neighbors of Stratford Estates have organized a Block Watch.  They meet a few times a year, including a huge Halloween Block Party that is held every year.  Each street has a leader that is responsible for his/her own section of volunteers.  Jaime makes a point to bring her family every year because it’s really only once a year to see all of the neighbors together.

The location has become very convenient.  The brand new Gilbert School District school is a short bike ride away, the newly completed San Tan Freeway is only 5 minutes away with major shopping and movie theaters nearby.  Amazingly, it’s also rural enough to see the stars at night. 

Well, Jaime and Scott have recently had their third child and know that a fourth will come in a year or two.  Which means it’s time to find that larger floorplan they already know they love.  And they know something that most homebuyers don’t, they just know they’ll love the neighborhood.