Tag Archives: North Encanto Historic District Homes For Sale

5 Phoenix Neighborhoods Offering the Best Value for First-Time Homebuyers

Courtesy, Catherine Reagor, Arizona Republic

Home prices have shot up in metro Phoenix, but deals can still be found if you know where to look.

laura,boyajian,realtor,media,interviews,channel 3,on your side,historic,phoenix,real,estate,homes,newspaper,neighborhoodsFinding that Valley neighborhood, block or home that is still a bargain and likely to rise in value sooner rather than later is the end game for most homebuyers, investors and flippers.

Rising home prices are making it so much tougher for first-time homebuyers. So this year I am sharing some neighborhoods where houses are priced below $300,000.

A disclaimer: I am not advocating to buy in these areas. Some of the areas come with higher crime rates or other urban issues. But when a friend or source asks me where first-time buyers can still afford houses closer in, here’s my answer. 

South Phoenix

I thought this central Valley area close to freeways and the biggest city park in the U.S. would rebound 15 years ago. But the housing boom and bust delayed its comeback until now.

Home sales in the area’s 85040 ZIP code soared 37% last year. Prices in that neighborhood climbed 22% to $201,000 but are still affordable compared with metro Phoenix’s median home price of $268,000.

South Phoenix has golf and gated communities closer to South Mountain in the 85042 ZIP code. But the median price for that area is only $250,000.

A cool new community called Avance on a former golf course, right next to the preserve, opens in May, 2019. Prices there are expected to start above $300,000.

Downtown Mesa

Light rail, new universities and investment from the Mormon Church are giving this older area a boost. Several new restaurants have opened, and new housing projects are planned, and Mesa has some wonderful historic homes.

It’s become a place for people to hang out again.

The median home price in downtown Mesa’s 85201 ZIP code is $220,000, up 10% from last year. The Evergreen Historic District with homes dating to 1910 can be found here.

Benedictine University has a new campus in downtown Mesa, and Arizona State University is opening one. ASU’s investment in downtown Phoenix helped create a rental housing boom in that area.

Sunnyslope

This often-maligned north Phoenix neighborhood that stretches up and around 7th Street and 7th Avenue north of Northern Avenue to North Mountain is starting to see home prices rise and more businesses open.

Its lower-income housing may deter some buyers, while others like the great diversity. It spans the ZIP codes 85020 and 85021 and is one of the most affordable neighborhoods in both.

The median home price in 85021, the more affordable area, is $301,000. But that area also includes parts of the much-pricier north central neighborhood.

Some interesting luxury homes can be found in Sunnyslope around the Phoenix Mountains Preserve.

Melrose Woodlea Historic Neighborhoods

Buyers can find mid-century homes with relatively affordable price tags in several midtown neighborhoods in the 85013 and 85015 ZIP codes such as North Encanto Historic District, Woodlea Historic District or Pierson Place Historic District.

The Willo, Encanto and Uptown neighborhoods, where prices are much higher, border this area.

Neighborhoods bordering some of the historic districts are great places to look, too. Grandview is one of my favorites, or St. Gregory/Westwood, and there are some hidden gem “no-name” neighborhoods also between 7th and 15th streets and Osborn and Indian School roads.

The redevelopment of Park Central Mall and the many new apartments going up in Midtown are also giving this area a boost.

The median home price in 85013 is $325,000, but houses that need some work can be found for less. The median price in 85015 is $229,000.

West Phoenix

The 85017 ZIP code is home to growing Grand Canyon University. The school helped revitalize the area that had Phoenix’s highest crime rate in 2010.

This west Phoenix neighborhood is drawing investors, who are buying homes and turning them into rentals for students, and flippers, who are redoing the area’s older brick ranch-style houses.

Crime rates have dropped and home values have climbed in this area near Interstate 17. The median home price in the 85017 ZIP code has rebounded 302% from $41,000 after the crash in 2011 to $165,000 in 2018.

Despite the jump, it’s still one of the Valley’s most affordable neighborhoods.

Investors/flippers

These areas are top picks for investors and flippers for the same reasons they draw first-time buyers.

That means first-time buyers will face a lot of competition for the best properties.

But for buyers who don’t want to fix up a house or want to rent in an area before buying, it means more options.

For buyers interested in affordable new homes, check out a list of the least pricey new communities. Most are in metro Phoenix’s edge suburbs.

Whether you’re looking to buy a single-family home in Phoenix, AZ, a Historic Phoenix home, or, If the condo lifestyle is something you’re considering, or, if it’s all you can afford now, please give me a call for  free, no obligation consultation. I specialize and LOVE working with first-time homebuyers and am am FIRM believer that THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A STUPID QUESTION. I’ll take all the time with you that you need!

A History of a Historic Preservation Advocate

G.G. George, the Phoenix author of the new book, “The Arizona State Fair,” has a history of preservation activism dating back to the 1960’s and remains an active voice in the historic community today for Historic Phoenix Districts.

districts,historic,phoenix,real estate,G.G. George,neighborhood,encanto palmcroft,encanto park,neighborhood,“G.G. George is the Energizer Bunny of historic preservation,” said Kathryn Leonard, the Arizona State Historic Preservation Officer.

Most recent, the Norton House and all of Encanto Park were listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This completed a project led by George, the president and founder of the Encanto Citizens Association, and the president of the Phoenix Historic Neighborhoods Coalition, to put the entire Encanto Neighborhood on the National Register, which was started in the 1970’s.

And these are only a few of her accomplishments.

“G.G. has always been an extremely valuable voice in the historic preservation movement in Phoenix and it dates back to when all of our historic districts downtown were considered blighted, and nobody wanted to live in them,” said Leonard.

Papago Freeway

George began her work back in 1969 when she heard the plan to construct the I-10 Papago Freeway was displacing residents from their homes. These homes were in the area known as the Moreland Corridor, located between McDowell and Roosevelt Streets and Central and 19th Avenue.

At the time, the Arizona Highway Department, now known as the Arizona Department of Transportation, was offering homeowners less than what their houses were worth so that they could begin construction on the freeway, according to George.

“The freeway fight spurred preservation awareness,” said George. “The homes they were tearing down in the Moreland Corridor were just as nice as this house, just as old and even older,” said George, referring to her home in the Encanto-Palmcroft neighborhood.

George was invited to a meeting by a group known as Citizens for Mass Transit Against Freeways which included a group of concerned neighbors who wanted to make a difference. George attended the meetings, heard the stories from the people who lost their homes, and wanted to help in some way.

“She really was instrumental in saying ‘Hey, these houses have value,’” said Leonard.

According to George, the people in this neighborhood had no idea there was anything they could do to stop the construction of the freeway until a few activists organized the neighborhood. Nearly 2,000 neighbors came together to express their dissent against the construction.

In 1973, a vote appeared on the ballot which determined the fate of the freeway. The Citizens for Mass Transit Against Freeways and preservation advocates won their first battle when construction of the freeway was voted down.

The Department of Transportation had to scrap their original plan for the Papago Freeway, which led to the development of a new plan of an I-10 tunnel under Margaret T. Hance Park.

Arizona State Fairgrounds

Over the years, George has worked on countless other efforts to preserve historic buildings. Most recent, when the Works Progress Administration (WPA) building, located on the Arizona State Fairgrounds near Fairview Place Historic District, was threatened with demolition, George supported the effort to save it.

George wrote “The Arizona State Fair,” a book that chronicles the history of the fairgrounds from its formation in 1905 through the Great Depression when the WPA building was built. George wrote the book “to stimulate interest in the preservation of the buildings and the grounds.” According to George, the profit from the books goes toward historic preservation efforts.

“I devote all my time, research, and writing ability to the [Encanto] citizens association who gets the profits from these books to carry on our work,” said George.

According to Jim McPherson, president of the board of directors for the Arizona Preservation Foundation, George was very supportive of this effort from both a preservation and neighborhood standpoint.

“We have been really appreciative of G.G. in undertaking that major project,” said McPherson regarding George’s book.

Moving forward, George said that she will continue to fight to preserve the integrity of historic districts.

“If we don’t understand the past we can’t even plan for the future,” said George.

Phoenix’s Encanto Park named among best in nation

Fresh air: Phoenix’s Encanto Park named among best in nation

KTAR May 16, 2016

Encanto Park,Historic,District,PhoenixThe Valley of the Sun is famous for our hot summers, but we’re also pretty well known for having some of the best weather in the country during other parts of the year.

We also have some great ways to mark that weather — hiking trails, lakes and one of the best parks in the nation.

Really.

Lifestyle website Thrillist said Phoenix’s Encanto Park is one of the nation’s best 15 city parks.

The site said it selected the 222-acre park because it has a lot to offer Phoenicians — think an amusement park, golf courses and swimming, among other activities — within a short drive from the central part of the city.

The park has also been highly rated by Forbes.

Encanto Park is located near 15th Avenue and McDowell Road. It was built in the 1930’s and designed by William G. Hartranft, who wanted to build something that would rival San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park or San Diego’s Balboa Park — the former was named the fifth-best city park in the nation by Thrillist, while the latter was named the second-best.

The park borders the popular and elite Encanto-Palmcroft Historic District and just across the street is Fairview Place Historic DIstrict with more affordable homes than Encanto. Just a short walk to the north is the popular North Encanto Historic District also offering homes more affordable than Encanto-Palmcroft.

Thrillist said Forest Park, in St. Louis, Missouri, is the best city park in the nation. Built to host the 1904 World’s Fair, it has numerous museums, the country’s biggest outdoor theater and a waterfall.

If you are curious about homes in this area, contact Laura B.