With more than 33,000 buyers and sellers in Arizona, and the entire state matching the size of New England and Pennsylvania, it can be hard to pinpoint the best community to live in without some guidance. Plus, there’s no single answer about the best Arizona communities to move to. Some factors worth considering are access to city or nature, areas to target for retirement, or the best communities for top quality public schools. To get a sense of what’s out there and how much a home in Arizona will cost, these are five communities worth considering.
LEARN MORE: Housing affordability rises across all Arizona metros
Scottsdale
East of the state capital Phoenix, and with more than 12,000 active agents, there’s a major real estate market in Scottsdale where the average home sale price is $500,000. For people looking for a staycation, Scottsdale can be appealing with its golf courses, McDowell Sonoran Preserve for hiking, and historical downtown. The mix of city and nature includes 90 restaurants, more than 80 art galleries, and more than 60 miles of trails, which makes Scottsdale one of Arizona’s most desirable places to move to.
Gilbert
Home prices in Gilbert are slightly lower than Scottsdale at an average of $345,000. A former agricultural city, known as the “Hay Shipping Capital of the World,” Gilbert’s population expanded at a rate of 10 percent each year from 1980 to 2020. That could be why it has more than 10,000 agents ready to help buyers and sellers achieve their real estate goals. USA Today even called Gilbert the fourth-safest place to raise a family in the United States.
Chandler
Home prices in Phoenix Suburb, Chandler, are on par with those in Gilbert at about $328,000. If you are relocating for a new job, Chandler is desirable as a hub for computer chip manufacturer Intel — there are four Intel locations in the area and it’s the city’s top employer. Other tech companies also have a presence in Chandler with PayPal as another top employer in the area.
Surprise
At the beginning of its founding, Surprise was a rural community for agricultural workers which was incorporated in 1960 and was slated to not have much of a desirable future. However, an influx of retirees in the 1990s and 2000s, to an area known as Sun City Grand, led to major growth for Surprise. With about 6,000 active agents and an average home price of $269,000, Surprise can be an affordable option, especially for homeowners who are looking to retire.
San Tan Valley
This unincorporated area that didn’t even get its own zip code until 2009, is named for nearby mountains and was mostly undeveloped Southwest desert until 2000. With a population of just 99,894 and an average home price of $240,000 it offers residents an affordable and rural lifestyle.
If you’re looking to buy a home in Arizona, you have many communities to choose from. The best strategy is to work with a real estate agent in the area that you are most interested in to help you navigate the buying or selling process, and get the full picture of the market.
