North Scottsdale, Arizona

North Scottsdale in Arizona is a mostly newer area of the valley.  Its expensive compared to the median for Greater Phoenix; its unique and in most places the beautiful Sonoran desert dominates.  In the 3rd Quarter 2007 the median home price in North Scottsdale was $647,000.  North Scottsdale has boundaries on each side except the South were no one can agree where South Scottsdale ends and North Scottsdale begins.  Some say Shea Blvd. and that seems like a good split but a more accurate split of Scottsdale would be in 3 with a new Middle Scottsdale.  If you delve into each part you will see what I mean.  Each has its own character.

North Scottsdale is about the good life with fast big cars, plenty of good restaurants and endless acres of superb golf courses.  Some of the top communities include, Troon, Desert Highlands, Estancia, and Silverleaf.

Homes in some of the above communities are spectacular but much of North Scottsdale is dominated by Tuscan style homes with a few exceptions like contemporary and Santa Fe contemporary.  Most homes are newer, less than 10-15 years old and many have guest houses.  You can find homes in the high 300's in North Scottsdale but these will be in areas without the North Scottsdale charm.  Expect to pay starting prices in the low 500's but $800,000 would be a better starting point and $2 million plus for anything in the more prestigious gated communities.  You can also find beautiful condominiums and casitas from the mid $400's. 

Just as the homes are newer so are schools.  They are all "excelling" with high student and parent participation.  Most of North Scottsdale is served by the Scottsdale Unified District Schools. 

Shopping in the Northern most part of Scottsdale is limited to boutique stores, and regular service stores and restaurants.  You will find more by going South of Loop 101 or a bit West to Desert Ridge.  There you will find a feast for any shopper with all the popular shopping stores from the discount big boxes at Desert Ridge to the higher end stores in Kierland Commons, the 101 Auto Collection, plenty of dining and entertainment.  The shopping/entertainment/dining experience will only grow as Scottsdale One and City North are developed. 

As I mentioned earlier, if golf is your game than North Scottsdale is paradise.  There are public courses like Troon North or The Tournament Players Club at the Princess Resort other private courses are a bit more expensive.  Besides golf there are plenty of activities like the Barrett-Jackson car auction, Arabian Horses in Westworld, or the Thunderbird Classic balloon festival.  Then of course there are the McDowell Mountains with hiking trails or Cave Creek to the North with its beautiful scenery and hiking and nearby by lakes. 

With the recent decline in sales and prices in Greater Phoenix, it's much easier and almost a bargain in certain cases to buy real estate in North Scottsdale.  You still have to deal with the more demanding jumbo loan structure, but you can buy homes for 10,20,30% less than in 2005, especially when you find people who really do need to sell.  Keep in mind that Scottsdale has no more land to spread into so there will be no new DC Ranch or Grayhawk sized communities.  Scottsdale is landlocked so once the real estate market returns, as it will, prices will move up again at a faster pace than the rest of the valley.

Call us for a consultation about the North Scottsdale real estate market. We would like to discuss your plans with you and help you with your real estate needs.