Ultimate Guide to Moving to Phoenix AZ | Everything You Must Know Before You Move

Thinking about moving to the Phoenix area? And here's the thing, we're more than just Scottsdale, believe it or not, but you've realized that Phoenix is ginormous and it's a little overwhelming trying to figure out what is where. This is going to be your ultimate guide video, the everything you need to know before you make the move, from where the greenest areas are, best mountain views, safest neighborhoods, and even the things no one tells you. If this floats your boat, and I even have some information on Scottsdale at the end of this video, stay tuned because I'm going to start right now where you can get the greenest areas if desert really isn't your thing. All right, if you are looking for green, even though you're moving to the desert, you're going to find happiness in either Chandler, Gilbert, Queen Creek, maybe some immediate surrounding areas, but those are going to be the cities that really have a lot of green. This is where we had the majority of our farms like a hundred years ago, so the soil is very rich with nutrients. And they also built communities in the 80s and the 90s very differently. We weren't in a drought back then. Now we have had a lot of rain in 2025, but we still have a lot of things that we need to do to plan for the next hundred years. So new communities typically have more desert landscaping than you will see these vast green lawns and the trees and the shade and I'm just telling you it's amazing. Let's talk about my top three communities if green is your thing. Number one is going to be Ocotillo. Now Ocotillo is the master plan community. There are many neighborhoods within Ocotillo. There's a golf course community, there's multiple lake communities, there are also condominiums even those are a rarity, right? But this is in a fantastic location as well. The trees, the rolling green grass areas, it is absolutely stunning and this is a very mature neighborhood being that it was built in the 90s and so no matter where you go you literally feel cooler in the summer. Just saying. Now number two is actually most of our visitors favorite community. It's called Morrison Ranch and Morrison Ranch is in Gilbert. Morrison Ranch has also many different neighborhoods within its master plan community. What this neighborhood is known for is the first of all the architecture is completely different. It's much more modern than for instance Ocotillo. The homes were built as recently up until just a few years ago so again that more modern style. They have front porches, beautiful trees, everybody has front lawn. There are tree lined streets. It's gorgeous. Let's just put it that way. There is one large lake that's just outside of the community. It's not like amongst the housing but it is nice if you live in that newer area right by that lake. It's a catch and release. There's some benches you can enjoy. Not a lot of shade just yet over there. Hopefully they'll be putting in some more trees but again this community is mostly known for its big tree lined streets and the beautiful grass rolling areas. Now number three I love recommending this community because it's also affordable. This is Power Ranch in Gilbert as well and Power Ranch was one of the first master plan communities we had in the Phoenix Valley. What I love about this one is it truly it has amazing grass areas, huge soccer fields. It has also a clubhouse. It has a new pool that they just redid maybe a year, year and a half ago. They take very good care of this community. I mean the pond or the it's a lake but you know it's gorgeous. Let me tell you people go out there and take their their graduation pictures, even wedding pictures. It's absolutely beautiful and I love this community again because of the large trees, the mature landscaping. I love also the community events. This is truly a community that's run like a city. They have something going on. Everything from sewing club to running clubs to they have pickleball now. They have everything from kids to adults and things going on in the neighborhood. Not to mention you're going to see community garage sales. You're also going to see a massive Halloween neighborhood. It's really amazing community for the families and it doesn't break the bank. Power Ranch starts today in the 400s. All right so let's say you've embraced the desert but you're like I want mountain views. If I'm gonna move to the desert, I want mountain views. Well we have mountain views almost in every city. The question is how far are those mountains away from your house? Like for instance, Surprise is flat as it can go. There are no mountain views in Surprise unless you go maybe 50 miles away and then it's just like this that you can't see from your house. So don't be fooled by what the builders tell you. Here are my top three communities with mountain views that don't break the bank. The first one is one that you've probably overlooked. It's Anthem. Anthem is actually the master plan name. It's the part of the city of Phoenix and it's in the furthest most north part of the Phoenix area. Here's the thing guys though. It is a standalone, I want to call it a city. It really feels like a city when you go there. I mean there's multiple grocery stores and gas stations and there's not a lot of like you know high-end dining and things like that but I'm telling you it has everything especially if you're raising a family or you're a part-time resident or you're retiring. It really fits the bill. The desert views and mountain views from Anthem are I'm telling you unsurpassed. The community amenities also in this area are unbelievable. You're a pickleballer. If you're a tennis player. If you're a skateboarder. How about a choo-choo train for the kids. There is a community pool. I'm telling you if you look it up on ChatGPT, Anthem will continue to come up as one of the best places to raise a family. If you want mountain views you should be looking at Anthem and prices start there also in the 400s. Now my second favorite is going to be Astoria Mountain Ranch. Now this is a master plan community also in the city of Goodyear though. Now I'm not saying all of Goodyear is like this. I'm saying specifically this particular community. Now here's the thing. Astoria Mountain Ranch is more than just mountain views. The mountains aren't super close. Let me explain to you. Number one it's 10 to 15 minutes off of Interstate 10 and there's a new freeway little exit there from the 303. When you get off that freeway it's another 10 or 15 minutes down in the desert. That drive oh my gosh if you are stressed from work or maybe the other traffic till you got to that spot this drive is majestic. It's absolutely gorgeous and once you get home you don't want to leave. People that live in Astoria Mountain Ranch love that being outside of the hustle and the bustle and the noise and they have everything that they can possibly want not to mention two ginormous lakes. These are really true again big lakes. There are a few homes that are on the water. When they come up they go like this by the way and the smaller homes in this community they start in the high 300s. There's a lot of opportunity in Astoria Mountain Ranch not to mention there's a Safeway, gas station, fast food. There is also the clubhouse. It's a star point has a gorgeous pool. It has fun things for the kids. It has a couple of different restaurants. They have community events and festivals and movies in the park. You should definitely check out Astoria Mountain Ranch. Now I'm not talking about the new part of Astoria Mountain Ranch because the new part just to give you a little heads up this is why you never go directly to the builder because the builders have forgotten to mention this to a few home buyers. It's interesting they've reached out to me. I did a video on this. It's a part of Astoria Mountain Ranch called Lucero and I said to my viewers be careful there's a lot of power lines in this area and I had two different people call me after I released that video saying the builder never told me that and now that you've pointed it out I realize I have power lines in my backyard view. No bueno. That's why you got to give us a call. The builders rep do not are not there to represent you. They're there to sell you a home. Number three the mountain views and depending on the price point you want to spend because this community also starts in the 400s mid 400s this is Verado. Verado is standalone the most amazing master plan community we have here in the entire greater phoenix area. When we have people come to town and they ask to see Verado and it's and anything else that compares to it I'm like there's not really anything that compares to it. It's that amazing and this particular community offers so many things from condominiums townhomes they have a builder out there that's also kind of doing duplex kind of a home you actually it's a single family home but it's two that are connected there's of course patio homes there's also a 55 plus community that when you ask me what my favorite 55 plus community is this is going to be it. Victory and they there will be more new construction but they are only about halfway done in Verado and like I said you can get some homes in the mid 400s and the number one tip I get from people that have bought with us out there is don't be drawn so much to the new construction versus being as close to the downtown as possible. That is the charm and the draw of Verado and when you live farther out because you wanted a newer home you don't feel it so remember that and again that's why you want to give us a call. Relocation is completely different it's not just picking a pretty house and buying it it's about the area the feel the experience and again we got you covered no matter where you're thinking in the greater phoenix area. Verado has a ton of new restaurants they have a Costco they have a new Safeway that's opening up they have um movie theaters that are going to be open up here anytime now. Verado is definitely one that you want to have on your list. Let's touch on schools for just a moment. Number one you can look on chat GPT and you can get this information yourself. Just be mindful of how you ask the question. So if you just ask for what are the best school districts in Maricopa County then it's going to pull up Scottsdale is number one. Now if you put in best schools in Maricopa County with a median price of 700,000 it's going to pull up different areas. So let's talk about under a million dollars where are the good school districts. Number one like I said was Scottsdale but number two is Chandler Unified. Chandler Unified stands above them all. I think even in addition to Scottsdale because it's not just about academics it's about the whole social economic perspective for kids as well as athletics. If all of that is important to you Chandler in my opinion is definitely number one. Not only do you have fantastic academics and really strong STEM programs or let's say STEAM science technology engineering arts and mathematics Chandler's where it's at. If you're also looking for athletic programs that is also where Chandler stands above them all. I've had people that have moved cross-country because their kids played in a specific sport and because there's a lot of scouts that go to several of the high schools in Chandler Arizona believe it or not. Needless to say there's a lot of programs if you're also looking outside of the public school system if you're looking to some of the charter schools or the private schools or monastery schools there's so many school offerings and here's the thing in the East Valley as a whole there is a school called East Valley Institute of Technology. These are for the seniors so aesthetics aircraft mechanics automotive technologies aviation emergency medical technician graphic design software and app design. If this sounds like anything that you'd like to at least have as an option for your kids the East Valley again is going to be where you're going to want to put your kids. Now number three because again Scottsdale was one and then Chandler was two. Number three is Gilbert believe it or not right next door to Chandler of course they have the demand. So many people that have moved to Chandler or they wanted to move to the Chandler area for employment which we'll get to that in a moment now live in Gilbert and so they are they were wanting and needing those same type of programs and so makes sense that Gilbert's right behind Chandler. Now if we're looking for the third area I would highly recommend you take a look at Anthem. I'm going to bring up Anthem a couple of different times in this video and I'm going to tell you it's a very overall well-rounded strong community for families. One of the things I always point out is wherever you're buying today let's talk about your exit strategy as well. You want to know that you're buying in an area that's going to be in demand of some sort down the road. This is going to be the largest financial decision you've made probably this year anyways and you want to make sure that you get a good return on it. This has everything to do with jobs and freeways. Let me show you the job projection for the Phoenix area so this might help you make a little bit more of a you know good investment decision. Let's take a look at this real quick it's going to blow you away we are expecting over 1 million more people just in the next 10 to 12 years. This right here is the employment corridor that's going to be growing over the next 30 years so we are going to consistently see both in housing and also jobs we're going to see a tremendous growth here these are the areas that I've mentioned as far as Southeast Valley. As far as jobs we are going to see a lot grow in this area this is where Taiwan Semiconductor is going in and we're also going to see a lot of growth out here in this area and I'll explain what's going on out there in a moment. Here is what the socio-economic projections are this is where the population look at how much more the Phoenix area is going to continue to grow. So like I said freeways are everything most employment is within two miles of freeways so my recommendation the three different areas if you are looking for a strong demand when you go to sell the hottest spot is going to be the Southeast Valley. You don't have to wait for that demand and everything else that comes with it. The Southeast Valley again I mentioned was Chandler, Gilbert, Queen Creek, parts of Mesa and it's even expanding out into Pinal County which is going to include Santan Valley and the city of Maricopa. We will continue to see massive job growth in this area because we also have a new freeway going in in the Southeast Valley. The second hot area is that northwest part of the valley that I mentioned where Taiwan Semiconductor is going to be coming in. We have already seen massive construction I mentioned that with the schools but we are going to continue to see thousands and I mean thousands and thousands of homes up this way and again the jobs will be there to support it. So this is the second strongest area and the reason it's the second and not the hottest is because if you buy there today you will still need to wait for a lot of other things to come in. They do have a hospital now they do have some shopping which we're going to get to next but you're still going to be waiting for a lot of the things that are already there for you to enjoy in the Southeast Valley. Now the third area I mentioned is going to be specifically Buckeye. Buckeye will continue to see massive growth both in housing as well as jobs. The jobs are a little bit different this is mostly because of its proximity to interstate 10 and also its proximity to California. So for anything manufacturing, distribution, freight lines, logistics those are the kind of companies there's also going to be some energy companies going in that area. So the draw for higher end employment it's not going to be in the Southwest part of the Valley. So if you're thinking about Verado or Estrella Mountain Ranch that I talked about although there will be some new employment in my opinion that means you're going to have a lot more traffic but there is nothing more really coming in to relieve the excessive traffic already on interstate 10. There is a 303 that will connect you to the Phoenix area thumbs up but as far as getting out to your destinations other than interstate 10 that's what will keep this area affordable for many many more decades. One of the first things I noticed when I moved here from California actually I couldn't believe how many restaurants there were everywhere on every corner. I was like do people not cook at home? Well in the summertime most of actually do eat out a lot but it's also just become a favorite pastime whether you live in the Phoenix area or anywhere else in the country. People actually call themselves foodies and if that is kind of what your lifestyle is like there are definitely going to be parts of the greater Phoenix area that are more desirable because of their proximity to not only food choices, elegant dining but also healthy choices on a regular day-to-day basis. Also take into consideration small mom-and-pop shop not as many let me tell you I was just in New York City I've also been to Seattle and here in Scottsdale as well as Detroit Michigan. There's a Capitol Grill in every single city so don't get me wrong Scottsdale is definitely going to be those higher-end restaurants but again make that a special you know event. How about everyday enjoyability? Let's break down the parts of the valley once again that has some great choices. Okay coming in at the top spot that's going to be Gilbert Arizona again. If you haven't heard Gilbert is the new Scottsdale and although people think Gilbert's expensive it's not expensive when compared to Scottsdale. Gilbert has a ton of options and choices that you can find in Scottsdale but you don't have to travel that far. Here's a little secret guys if you live in the southeast valley Gilbert more specifically Santan village ish area is going to be kind of the center hub the way Scottsdale once was for the entire Phoenix area now Gilbert delivers to just about anyone in the southeast valley. Number two is going to be downtown Chandler. Now downtown Chandler has been working to rebuild this amazing downtown destination. If you are into symphony or performing arts or you want historical district or you want steakhouse or you want festivals or you want um farmers markets and if you want live music that my friends is all in downtown Chandler and Chandler continues to expand so although that core was a little bit and now it's just getting bigger and bigger and bigger Chandler doesn't get the recognition for the downtown because it's in the shadow of Gilbert. Now if you're in the northwest part of the valley if you're not driving all the way into Scottsdale I would say the next best place for restaurant food choices is going to be Desert Ridge. Desert Ridge is a huge shopping center it's also a master plan community it also is in the shadow of Scottsdale but if you've thought about buying in Scottsdale and Scottsdale is a little too expensive Desert Ridge may have come up on your screen. Desert Ridge is a lot of different things there's golf course there's massive shopping dining restaurants um we already talked about um they have great schools they just haven't they're not at the top top top but if you're looking for someone that has like maybe a B average or maybe even an A minus let's say that an A minus average this would be Desert Ridge. So you're right by the luxury you're right by everything Scottsdale has to offer and when we talk about restaurants you're going to love the choices that are in or around this area so if you call Desert Ridge home you're going to have access to all the high-end restaurants the top chefs the private parties the events if that's kind of your cup of tea you're going to absolutely love Desert Ridge which is in Phoenix this is why when people call and they say I don't want to live in Phoenix I'm like what about Desert Ridge they don't realize just like Anthem it's a master plan committee within the city of Phoenix not all of Phoenix is the same and so when you're doing searches on ChatGPT or even just Google it's going to pull up some very skewed numbers because if you pull up Phoenix you're going to have some of the cheapest homes that we have throughout the valley or and also the most expensive let me tell you that Biltmore area and Arcadia are spots within Phoenix that the homes are to die for until you look at the crime rate. So since we talked about dining out what about dining in so if you are looking for a healthier lifestyle and you're cooking in a lot you're gonna want to get to places that offer some of that organic or healthier meat or you know what I'm saying non-pesticides GMO that kind of stuff right well I hate to tell you this but I'll tell you go online and do Google Maps and type in Whole Foods Phoenix Arizona and it will tell you where all the Whole Foods are and guess what they're all in the East Valley so that would be Scottsdale, Chandler there's a new one opening up in Gilbert a couple in Scottsdale of course. Needless to say if you are looking for a Whole Foods you're not going to find that on the west side of the valley. Also here in the greater Phoenix area we have a private grocery store that is over the top in my opinion better than Whole Foods in a different way it's more of a luxury grocery store it's called AG's Fine Foods but again that's only available in the East Valley. We also have farms so farm to table where you can actually go pick up fresh grown produce, lettuce, vegetables, fruit that's going to be also in the East Valley. You're going to find that in Mesa that's for Tuchio Farms. You're also going to find Olive Mill in Queen Creek. We also have Schnepp Farms in Queen Creek and we also have Steadfast Farms in Mesa and I'm drawing a blank Agritopia in Gilbert. So if you are looking for a healthier way of life and and healthier options there are sprouts throughout the greater Phoenix area. We also do have although there's more Trader Joe's once again in the East Valley there are a couple of them that are starting to sprout up ha no pun intended in the West Valley. Overall healthier eating is available in the East Valley. If you are in the West Valley you're going to be most likely frequenting Safeway as well as there's some Aldi's that are also some people like them some people don't and then there's a lot of Bash's that's another local grocery store or Fry's, Fry's, Kroger really really big out here. So there are food choices they're just not quite as plentiful when you're on the healthy food kick. If you are not an outdoor person yet you are going to be when you move here to Arizona. Even if it just means you're going to be sitting by the pool in December that will only be your first winter. Let me tell you nobody lives out in the pool in December. In fact I went and played pickleball the other day and I saw some people literally walking I thought to play pickleball and they were going to the pool and I said you're good you're just mocking us now. Like nobody that lives here goes to the pool in December. All right if you are a water lover you're going to be drawn probably to Lake Pleasant. The only problem with Lake Pleasant is I mean it is a great area absolutely gorgeous views. If you love going to there's a bar that floats right on the water there I'm drawing a blank I'll think of it in a moment. If you want to be on perma vacation that is a great place to visit but here's the thing there's no housing close to it. The closest housing is going to be Anthem which is still 30 minutes away and we talked about that early in our video and then we also have Vistancia that's over here and they are going to be building a road I actually don't know exactly where it is it's probably going to be right there to pop on over. So right now from Vistancia it's going to be about 30 minutes still as well. So you're never really right on the water and here's the thing guys I used to have a boat a large boat that I couldn't trailer on the road and here's what you do is you just get a slip. So if you have a nice boat put it on the water. If you have one small enough that you can put it on a trailer then do what they call dry docking. With the dry docking they will store your boat and then you give them a call about an hour or two before you can make an appointment a weekend ahead etc. Let them know when you're coming in and they'll drop your vessel in the water. Perfect. A lot of jet skiing and fishing and there's RV camping out this way and everything. If you're going to live 30 minutes away here's some other options. Let's talk about right here Salt River. As you can see it looks a little small right there but right here is a lake and then right here is actually a lake. This is called Canyon and Saguaro. By the way these are all reservoirs. So you can do the same thing you can have your boats dry docked or you can also have a slip. There's actually marinas at both of these areas. These are great hiking areas also paddle boarding. I love to just go out there for the day and go hiking along the edge of the lakes with my dog and we have a great time. Now here's one of the things that's nowhere else. Now I realize you don't want to live over here just for one reason but if you are a paddle boarder there is an actively flowing river right here that is absolutely amazing. So when anybody ever says they go paddle boarding then they tell you they're going to the river this is the river. If you've also ever seen on any of the social media the wild horses while people are paddle boarding that's this area. Here's another fun fact about Arizona. Here in the East Valley we have wild horses and on the West Valley more specifically and up by Lake Pleasant because they need water right they're not going to live out in the middle of the desert. So in this area over here this is going to be wild mules like jackasses like donkeys. Needless to say if you're looking for outdoor lifestyle you have these two areas and then Roosevelt is a very very large lake. That's more for like houseboat trips but you can also do if you want to take your trailer your boat up there and jet ski. Here's another thing too. All of these lakes have Airbnb has these kind of experiences. You can rent skis boats at all of these locations by the way if you want to just check out the outdoor activities. Now if you are talking about hiking here's the mountains. Can you see it or can you not? I don't know it's kind of hard. The biggest mountain ranges are going to be the following. Although this looks like a big mountain range this is not a range many people hike. I actually have hiked. I am a huge avid hiker so if you want to talk about hiking trails I can definitely have a conversation with you during that zoom meeting. But the biggest mountain that everybody hikes is this one right here. It's called South Mountain. South Mountain has 51 different trails. You can access the different trails from both the north side. This would be considered South Phoenix which by the way I would not really recommend. If you do consider this area I would highly recommend you take a look at the crime range. Then the other side which is the south side of South Mountain is the most desirable side. It also has cleaner air on this side and it has everything to do with the way the wind blows. This is also where a lot of entertainers and athletes live. This is an area called Ahwatukee. This right here is a very desirable mountain range. Another mountain range right here is called Santan Mountains and this is a huge mountain range that is right here. These again are absolutely stunning mountain ranges. Lots of different hikes. You do have to pay to park. That's a county managed park so you're going to pay depending on if you live in the area it's two dollars. If you're not from the area it's seven dollars but you can also buy an annual pass. Now my favorite parts to hike are going to be actually this area right here is called Superstition. These are some of the most majestic mountains you have ever seen in your life. There is outdoor fishing, hiking, hunting, side by side, some very very challenging trails in this area. The views are insane and that's also where you can again there's no homes that are really right up against the mountain but the mountain is so big over there you can see it for literally 100 miles away. Okay the next area as as much as Fountain Hills is literally named Fountain Hills this is also it's more of just looking. It doesn't have as many trails. Me personally I'm not a huge fan of Fountain Hills unless you are a super high-end buyer and an avid golfer and of the older generation. It is a very very sleepy town and so for the most part if there's anything else that you want other than the majestic views you have to go into Scottsdale or other parts of Phoenix. Now Scottsdale itself also right here the McDowell Mountains are absolutely stunning and I do have some videos on these homes on the north end that will include Toll Brothers and David Weakley. There's several other builders I can't even think of them right off the top of my head. These are all in the three plus million dollar price point. Resell homes you could probably get at a discount about 1.5 to 2 million but you'll probably have to update them or customize them. Most of the people that live in these areas build homes that fit to their needs and so I have yet to find a buyer that has said this is a perfect home for me. They always want to change something so just let you know again if you're looking at Scottsdale or Cave Creek or Carefree area same thing you're going to have beautiful mountain views and everything but these homes are so specific so niche. They might look pretty on the pictures but when you get there you're all what were they thinking? All right then we're going to go over here and we have the White Tank Mountains. The White Tank Mountains are going to be right over here. White Tank Mountains are very very nice and the best place to access them is going to be right over here which is Verado. The homes that they are building here at this base area you're so close to Luke Air Force Base if that's not something that you're used to you might find that a little bit annoying. So again this is why you want to give us a call and I got circles all over the place. Also let's see there's some I'm going to call them mini mountains but there are some mini mountains and trails up this way. One of my favorite smaller housing communities called West Wing is up this way also Stetson. I love that particular neighborhood absolutely gorgeous and then Anthem I'm going to tell you it's very desert-esque. You have mountain views the sunsets are amazing but the mountains are really far away unless you live in the golf course area. Again this is why you need to give us a call. You guys I could be talking to you guys for for hours here's what you got to do to shut me up. You need to give me a call shoot me a text send me an email days nights or weekends we got your back when moving to Phoenix. No matter where you are thinking of moving to the greater Phoenix area we have the answers to your questions. Give us a call today and I can't wait to hear from you. Hope to hear from you soon. Bye!