So here you are, looking at relocating to the Phoenix area, probably looking at a map, and wondering “Where in the world do we start?”  Phoenix is huge, then include the dozens of suburbs and how are you supposed to know the difference between Mesa, Chandler, Tempe, and Gilbert?  How are you supposed to know which freeways are best for commuting?  Or where the good schools are?  Don’t you wish you had a friend in town to show you around?

Where to rent in Phoenix?

Many people decide to rent for 6 months or a year to try to get their bearings, and take their time finding a great house to buy.  Still six months can be a looong time if what you thought was a great neighborhood turns out to be the ghetto. 

So get some help.  I can show you around town, help you find great schools, easier commutes, and friendly neighborhoods, along with showing you rental homes and condos.  My relocation services for renters are the same for home buyers. 

Relocation Help for Renters

Usually my rental clients fly into town for a day or two, we’ve usually narrowed the location down a bit by email prior to their arrival.  I set up the appointments with prospective landlords from both the Realtor MLS system and Craigslist.  We spend the day checking out homes, neighborhoods, etc and they leave with a lease and a good idea of what they’re getting into.

To reserve the day is $500 and an additional $1000 is due at the end of the house-hunting.  All of my clients have found this service to be greatly worth the money.   It can make the relocating enjoyable and way less stress-ful.

Like most families, our day begins with breakfast.  Of course, dodging flying oatmeal isn’t an issue for most families.  For us, it’s an almost daily occurrence.  As breakfast ends and the boys are let loose on the backyard, I find myself grateful for several aspects of my home.  I love that it’s only three steps from the high chair to the sink.  I love how the back door opens to the kitchen tile instead of the living room carpet — boys tend to track in stuff like mud, grass, and the occasional creepy crawly thing.  The list goes on…

These aspects directly affect our everyday lifestyle.  I have found that when my clients keep their family lifestyle in mind, without getting distracted by the model furniture or the gourmet appliances, they are able to find their perfect home.  The best part is the lack of buyer’s remorse. 

Isn’t that the worst feeling?  You’ve gone through this stressful and expensive endeavor of buying a new home. You are finally done and settle in.  Well, you try to, but you realize there is absolutely no storage for your three teenagers’ sports equipment.  Or you wake up the first night to the baby crying because the air conditioner is right outside her window?

Instead of chancing that lack of sleep, take the time to think about what is crucial in your day-to-day life.  Is it the walk in the morning before the kids are up that keeps you sane?  A community with walking trails would probably mean a lot.  Does the constant pounding of a basketball drive you mad?  You might need a community court around the corner instead of a garage hoop. 

Even families without children can benefit from keeping their family lifestyle in the forefront.  I’ll use my newlywed friends as an example.  They just bought the cutest little puppy.  He reminds me a lot of my toddler.  They both drool, both of them have trouble stopping before hitting the screen door, and don’t even get me started on the bladder issues.  My friends and their puppy make a very sweet family.  While looking for a home for them, we had certain criteria in mind:  proximity to a dog park, tile floors to stay cool, and a safe backyard.  An added bonus, a closet door that securely shuts to keep Fluffy away from the shoes. 

These are just a few examples of how family lifestyle real estate can help your home hunt become enjoyable and more satisfying in the end.  House hunting itself can be overwhelming and confusing.  By keeping your day to day lifestyle in mind, you can easily find a home that feels like you, with or without the oatmeal.  Duck!

The internet, blogging in particular, is good at many things.  It can help you find the perfect school.    It can help you find the right neighborhood for your family.  Sometimes it even finds your friends.  But once in awhile…it creates even a miracle.

On August 16, 2008, a Mesa Arizona couple were in a plane crash and suffered massive 3rd degree burns.  The story could end there, in sadness. 

It even gets sadder, the young couple has four sweet children.  But the story doesn’t end there.  In fact that’s where the story gets magical. 

Turns out this young mom, Stephanie Nielson, has much magic of her own.  She blogged, but not just your run of the mill blabbering that so much of us do.  She took magic and put it on the screen.  She not only entertained you but thrilled you with inspiration.  The creativity that spills from her blog posts is astounding. 

When news of the plane crash and the extensive hospitilization that would be needed for Stephanie and her husband reached the internet, magic created magic.  The blogging world united in a never-before-seen kind of way.  Thousands of dollars have been raised from fellow bloggers in a variety of ways.  Community garage sales, online auctions, even ski day fundraisers are being organized.  News of the bloggers fundraising have been broadcast on national news shows. 

As a local blogger of family friendly neighborhoods, I knew I needed to do my part.  From now until the end of the year, 10% of all my commissions will be donated to the Nielson Recovery Fund. 

Stephanie Nielson’s blog posts are now being reposted as thousands of people are now finding her blog and begging for more.  When she wakes up from her chemically-induced coma, she will certainly find fame waiting for her.

Visit the Nie Nie Dialogues, be touched, get inspired, maybe even donate.  The internet is a magical thing.

Once you’ve moved to the Phoenix area, it’s time to make your new home as gorgeous and stunning as possible, while on a decent budget of course.  One of the locals’ secrets for incredible and affordable home design is the premiere interior decorator of the East Valley.  Nicole Fuller, owner of Custom Interiors, does everything from oh-so-chic baby bedding to entire home transformations.  Previously she has worked on a strictly referral basis but her business is rapidly growing beyond just word of mouth.  Check out her blog at Custom Interiors By Nicole.  Reach her at 480-217-0215.  Be prepared though, one meeting with Nicole and your whole world could change. 

Cade And Diana R.

From the moment we met Elena Thurston and contracted her to be our real estate agent to sell our home, it has been a very rewarding experience.  Elena’s expertise in staging our home and bringing out our home’s best features gave us much confidence.  She rewarded our trust and confidence by communicating often with us and updating us at every step of the process of selling our home.  Elena has been invaluable to us in selling our home and we would highly recommend that you enjoy the same experience that we have. 

 

Jene and Matt H.

Elena has been amazing during our home buying process.  She is extremely professional and really cares about us and what we need as a growing family.  The real estate market is crazy right now and we know we are in the best hands with Elena.  I can’t imagine purchasing a home without her!

Greg and Annalissa S.

We were so fortunate to have you as our Realtor!  You were so helpful, fun, and resourceful!  We’ll always remember the times and great experience we had with you!

Are you relocating to the Phoenix area?  What’s the Best Commute from Downtown Phoenix to suburbs like Mesa, Chandler, and Gilbert?  Well, that’s the million dollar questions isn’t it?  First, let’s look at a map.  Click on this map so you can see it large while you read this post.  Clicking on it a second time makes it even more clear.

Okay, downtown is right in the middle of the map, see where the 51 meets the 202?  Downtown is just to the left of that.  So, if you are heading to North Mesa, you take the Loop 202 straight out of downtown.  The tan area is Mesa, it’s pretty big huh?

Tempe is obviously very close, that’s the nearest green area.  Look under Mesa, the purple is Chandler and the pinkish is Gilbert.  All of those triangles are park n rides for carpoolers, with some bus routes picking up there. 

Okay, now that you have your bearings, let’s talk commute in the Phoenix area.  We start with the assumption that someone in the household works in or near downtown Phoenix but wants to live somewhere affordable, family friendly, with good schools. 

First you should know that for some reason, it’s the north/south commute that is the most bogged down, that Loop 101 is especially hairy but they are building a carpool lane so that should really help.  See the curve in the I-10, we call it the Broadway Curve and it’s the thing that kills the I-10, even though it has a carpool lane.  See how the Loop 202 curves around (hence Loop?), we use the terms “Upper 202″ and “Lower 202″ for obvious reasons. 

The key to a good commute isn’t actually physical proximity to Downtown Phoenix but proximity to the freeway.  A 30 minute drive to Downtown Phoenix on surface streets is maybe 8 miles, a 30 minute drive on freeway is at least 25 miles.  So if your house is within 3 miles of the freeway, you can go further and further out and get a more affordable home. 

The average downtown commute time from the East Valley is 30 minutes without traffic and 45-60 minutes in rush hour. 

You can browse my family friendly neighborhoods to get a sense of the different communities, especially check out “What’s the Difference between Gilbert and Chandler?”.  But here’s an extremely generalized summary of the different East Valley Cities:

Mesa:  is huge, is the oldest of all the suburbs, honestly I would only consider buying a home in two areas.  North Mesa, along the freeway, good neighborhoods, good schools, great proximity to hiking, lake access, etc.  Or far South East Mesa, look at Elliot Rd off the Lower 202.  Feels rural but still lots to do.  Great Gilbert Schools in that area with Low Mesa Taxes.

Tempe:  mostly college town with ASU on the northern edge.  I love Tempe because it has some great older homes, lots of green mature trees, tons of culture, and if you do enough research, really good schools.  High in taxes though and houses cost more. 

Chandler:  it’s nice, it’s big,  I would only consider buying a home south of the Lower 202 and that really extends the commute.  It has some great schools.  Lots to do.  Great neighborhoods include Ocotillo, Old Stone Ranch, Pinelake Estates, Arden Park, Carino Estates….

Gilbert:  My personal favorite, because it’s where I currently live and to me, it’s the most family friendly.  It has really good schools, lots of parks, a brand new mall, and generally good freeway access.  Great Gilbert Neighborhoods include Jake’s Ranch, Val Vista Lakes, Country Lane, Power Ranch, Seville (far commute), Agritopia, ……

To look for homes for sale in any of these neighborhoods: click on the corresponding tag below or click on “Search for Homes” above and enter in the Subdivision Name.

If you have any questions or want more info about commuting, relocating to Mesa, Chandler, or Gilbert, just email me.  Have a great day!

Since food is integral part of a family’s happiness, especially mine, this week’s “You Gotta Know” is about finding the best deals in Gilbert’s grocery options.  Let’s start with the best:

Personally I love the Fry’s on Warner and Val Vista.  It’s close to my house but even if it wasn’t, I would probably still make the trip there.  Why?  Because there is free child care that my two boys love!  Every mom knows, you can siginificantly decrease your grocery bill by not having a four year old begging you for every sugary treat he sees.   My kids actually look forward to a shopping trip, as do I.  They get to draw pictures and I get to take my time.  Note:  all kids have to be over age 2 and healthy to be checked in.  They use lots of hand sanitizer and the manager, Anne, is extremely nice. 

Another favorite of mine is Sprouts, on Val Vista just south of Williamsfield.  If I know I need extra fresh produce and very nice meat, I can count on it at Sprouts.  If I’m going to pay the premium for steaks and such these days, I want to know I’m getting a really good cut, free of hormones, etc.   They also have a large selection of organic produce, dairy, etc.

Many of my friends like to shop the “Supers“, i.e. Super Wal-Mart and Super Target.  That way they are able to minimize their shopping trips by getting absolutely everything at one stop.  I thought their produce prices were kind of high but my friends insist their budget is the same or even a little less.  You can find a Super Target at Power and Ray Roads and another at Gilbert Rd and the 202.  Super Wal-Mart is at Williamsfield and Greenfield Rds or on the West side of Gilbert Rd and the 202.

If you’re a warehouse shopper, you can find CostCo conveniently located just off the 202 freeway and Pecos Rd.  Personally I try not to shop there because I can never get out for less than $100 but you can’t beat the prices on diapers and formula, which can be a huge part of a family’s shopping budget.  Plus their huge churros for only a $1 are a reliable source of bliss for me. 

Finally, my absolute favorite trick for reducing your grocery shopping bill is to use www.sistersavings.net.  There you can find all the best sales for all the grocery stores all in one spot.  I print that out every week, pick the store that has the best prices, and plan my menu for the week.  It has drastically reduced my shopping time and grocery bill. 

Great Deals on Gilbert Homes for Sale

And let’s face it, the less you spend on your silly grocery bill, the more you can spend on your fabulous new house!  Oh, you don’t have a fabulous new house yet?  Well, what are you waiting for?  The Gilbert real estate market is ripe with incredible deals right now!  And the federal governement is starting new regulations for first time home buyers grants and loans, so contact me today to see if you qualify!

I’d love to hear of any other great grocery deals in the Gilbert Arizona area.  Let me know your shopping secrets!