Scottsdale, AZ Relocation Guide

Scottsdale, AZ Relocation Guide

by | May 20, 2010 | Home Buying, Scottsdale Real Estate

No matter the state of the national economy, political climate, or the price of beans in Uganda, Scottsdale, Arizona remains a coveted relocation address. Official population estimates put our grown-up resort town at 237,000+ residents and climbing (as of 2015).  For those of you keeping score back in Delaware, that’s a 10% increase from the year 2000, even with the uneasy Real Estate market that spanned the latter half of that decade.  Not too shabby for a town whose 1951 origins boasted a total population of two thousand hardy pioneers!

So what exactly is it that keeps this one-way conveyor belt moving?  What intrinsic value of the Arizona lifestyle keeps folks coming in droves to the Valley of the Sun? Why does the city still nostalgically known as “The West’s Most Western Town” continue to add labels, such as the nation‘s “Most Livable City,” and find inclusion amongst various new best-of lists, such as the “Top 100 Cities for Young People,” (1) with each passing year?

Young people?  In Arizona?  Bet you didn’t see that coming!

Let’s examine why exactly Scottsdale might appeal to people of all walks of life.

Is it the 314 days of deep blue skies and sunshine? A horizon so boundless that the occasional passing cloud is quickly chased away like a stray tumbleweed through the Sonoran Desert?  The average high temperatures of 85 degrees, and a scant 7 & a half inches of annual rainfall?  Where the only ice you will find in December lies inside a cocktail glass?

Possibly.

Saguaro High School

Is it the Scottsdale Unified School District, which routinely ranks atop the state in performance and outpaces local and national averages by a wide margin in critical categories such as SAT and ACT scoring?  Which boasts an off the charts percentage of schools categorized as “excelling?”  With 50% of the adult populace holding a bachelor’s degree or higher (which likewise outdistances the state and national averages by a wide margin), education has always been a top priority to the citizenry of Scottsdale.  Surely the robust school system is the reason an out of towner looks to Scottsdale with a longing eye?

Possibly.

 

Could it be the vibrant nightlife and fine dining that boasts an inordinate amount of upscale eating establishments, wine bars and the like? Where you can’t fall down without landing on the finest Fillet Mignon or Prickly Pear Margarita you have ever tasted?  The more than 125 art galleries which make Scottsdale a bastion of high culture? Is it Taliesin West, the former winter home and school of renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright which lives on as a popular tourist destination?

Possibly.

 

McCormick Ranch Golf Course

Is it the golf? The more than 40 courses which can be found within Scottsdale‘s city limits alone? From Par 3 executive courses to PGA venues, there is something for every skill level. You are moving to Scottsdale, Arizona. It simply must be for the golf.  Right?

Possibly.

Is it the strong local economy? The one with the ultra low unemployment figures and strong income levels (median family income of $85,000+ per 2009 estimates)?  The one powered by tourism (39% of city workforce), convention revenue, 2nd home buyers, strong aviation industry presence centered around the Scottsdale Airpark, medical field stalwarts such as Scottsdale Healthcare (largest private employer with nearly 6700 employees), the Mayo Clinic (2nd largest private employer in Scottsdale with nearly 5000 employees), etc?  Notable businesses include the Fortune 500 company, Allied Waste, as well as Rural Metro (private fire protection), Go Daddy, General Dynamics, Dial Corporation, Cold Stone Creamery and TASER International.  So, is it the allure of a healthy job market for a highly skilled workforce that makes Scottsdale Real Estate so historically vibrant?

Possibly.

 

The Shops at Gainey Village in Scottsdale

Or how about the shopping? The spender’s paradise which boasts Kierland Commons, Fashion Square Mall, The Promenade, Old Town, Gainey Village and The Borgata, just to name a few?  Where you will find that perfect something that you can’t live without in every shop?  As synonymous as Scottsdale has become with retail therapy, it has to be the shopping, right?

Possibly.

Perhaps it’s the unbelievable location and access to the rest of the Valley?  Minutes from Sky Harbor International Airport, Scottsdale is connected to the rest of the greater Phoenix area by freeway. Bisected by the Loop 101, previously distant reaches of the Valley such as Chandler/Mesa/Gilbert to the south and Glendale/Peoria to the west are now readily accessible. Could the prime central location be the reason for Scottsdale’s popularity?

Possibly.

 

Wait, it has to be the resorts, right? After all, our well-earned reputation as a resort town is what first put Scottsdale on the national map. With over 70 resorts and hotels, half of the Valley’s resorts are located in Scottsdale. Might the lure of an afternoon at the Hyatt Regency’s pool or the Westin Kierland’s spa be the source of enticement?  Maybe afternoon tea and relaxation at The Phoenician, or reaching out to touch the mountains at The Four Seasons in Troon?

Possibly.

 

How about the immediate access to escape from the daily grind? The ability to trade the heat of a July day for an afternoon in the high mountains with only an hour and a half’s drive north as payment? Or to dip toes in the Pacific Ocean by making the 6 hour drive to San Diego? Heck, less distance than that puts a traveler on a lazy beach in Rocky Point, Mexico. Is it the convenient getaway capacity that attracts all of these new Scottsdale residents?

Possibly.

These are all very strong contenders for the title of most alluring, but I think it boils down to something far more simple, yet somewhat indescribable. Most people move to Scottsdale, Arizona for the very reasons that I have never left. Those reasons are hard to express with words.  Less a physical place than a state of mind, Scottsdale is that internal intersection where an unencumbered side street of your soul meets the thoroughfare of refined, modern living.  The desert Southwest stirs something ancient and irresistible within the romantic ventricles of even the most hardened heart.  Lacking the eloquence to due her justice with my pen (or keyboard, as it were) alone, I yield to pixels.  The images below should provide greater insight as to why this native son still calls Scottsdale, Arizona home after all these years.


Chaparral Park in Scottsdale, AZ Sundown in the McDowell Mountains View from the pool in Scottsdale Mountain View from Pinnacle Peak in Scottsdale AZ McCormick Ranch Bike Path Lake Angela in Scottsdale, AZ (McCormick Ranch)  

Scottsdale Sky

McCormick Stillman Railroad Park in McCormick Ranch

phoenix mountain preserves

(1) Phoenix Business Journal (2007)

Statistics courtesy of the City of Scottsdale (2009)


Ready to Start Your Own Scottsdale Adventure?

Let the Scottsdale Property Shop be your relocation guide.  Follow the links below to all things Scottsdale.

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Scottsdale Schools

Scottsdale Homes for Sale

Scottsdale Neighborhoods & Communities

Things to do in (and around) Scottsdale

Scottsdale Real Estate Market Data

Scottsdale Home Buyer Resources

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1988 Called. It Wants Its Sign Riders Back.

1988 Called. It Wants Its Sign Riders Back.

by | May 6, 2010 | Home Selling, Scottsdale Real Estate

There is nothing the Real Estate industry loves more than a good cliche.  The more hackneyed the slogan, the more likely we are to roll it into our marketing campaigns.  Take the expressions which appear on an old industry stalwart, the sign rider, with frightening regularity.  Intended to separate a listed house from the herd, many of the verbal gutterballs instead relegate their hapless charges to the back of the pack.  You’ve seen the repeat offenders and mocked not only their stunning lack of originality, but more to the point, their inability to inspire … well … anything within your consumptive little heart.

If you will humor the presumption, I’d bet my license that my attendant impressions from the following gambits jive with those of today’s buyer to the tee.

“I’m Beautiful Inside” is henceforth redubbed “Coyote Ugly from the Street,” or “Look Past My Goiter and Love Me For Me.”

“Very Special!” is not outwardly off-putting, but it carries a stunning lack of associative context.  While I happen to be very special to my mother, the man on the street just might cut my throat for the eight bucks in my wallet.  If one can’t think of anything in particular that is worthwhile about the property, “Very Special” seems to fit the vanilla bill.

The insecure younger sister to the first member of our list, “I’m Gorgeous!” is a tired refrain from a house who doth protest too much.  When was the last time that the person who regaled you for hours on end with tales of a jet-setting fashion model’s life was a true American beauty?  It just doesn’t happen.  Such a lovely has learned that his/her stunning visage requires no hyperbolic self-aggrandizement. This house, on the other hand, is the eight foot sasquatch with bad skin who won’t shut up about herself.

“Terms” – While agents generally know this to mean there may be some kind of owner financing available, this one is just patently confusing to the general public.  Of course there are terms.  Whether you are selling a home or Pet Rock, all transferences of ownership come with terms.  Such as, “You pay X, I give you house.”

“Voted First On Tour!” – Congratulations, you beat out two other houses for the distinct honor.  Seriously, if the agent’s colleagues were so taken with the home, where is the procession of buyers?  My first reaction to such a proclamation is to surmise that the home has hung around the market long enough to make it into a tour lineup.  Must be overpriced.

“Pool” – What else needs to be said?  Some might argue that isolating any one feature of the home is pointless without the rest of the details, but I say who cares how many bedrooms, bathrooms, square feet, etc this home has?  It has “Pool.”

“Extra Special!” – Oh snap!  Take that “Very Special!”

“Pride of Ownership!” – For every abortion of a house out there, there is a proud homeowner.  Shoot, that same owner is likely just as proud of his forty year old kid who still lives in the basement.  Forgive me if I don’t lean too heavily on the hubris of persons unknown.

“Original Owner” – The decor has remained hermetically sealed within this time capsule since 1958.  Forensic anthropologists will break down the door in the year 2200 to study the long-term effects of asbestos on shag carpeting.

“Won’t Last!” – Wanna bet?

“Look Here >>>” – I love this one.  I mean, I absolutely love this one.  If you somehow managed to notice the evidently insufficient “For Sale” sign, you are prompted to look at it.  By a rider whose visibility requires you are already looking at it.  A paradoxical delight.

“Neighborhood Specialist” – Silly me.  Here I thought the idea was to promote the house.

I ridicule the use of trite slogans on Real Estate sign riders only because I have been there, done that.  I am not exempt from this carnival of pie-throwing derision.  At some point along my professional arc, I have tried just about every silly rider there is to get the attention of passersby.  Through trial and error, I have come to realize the only one that is consistently effective is a website address.  Rather than trying to sell a home in one to three words, it’s best to utilize that space to send prospective buyers somewhere they can get all of the property details.  Properly designed, said website will catch your fly in a sticky web of additional buyer tools and resources.  The idea is to keep them coming back for more, with your home top of mind all the while.  Don’t tell a buyer how beautiful you are inside as they pass by, direct them to a resource which shows them in painstaking detail.  Don’t distill the core value of the home all the way down to “Pool.”  Funnel them to a place where the pool, 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, upgraded kitchen, hardwood floors, new A/C and half acre lot share equal billing. This is how you best leverage a rider to trade up to its penultimate incarnation: “SOLD!”

Or you can continue to try to reel them in with your “Carpet Allowance!”

Your choice.

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