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The Top-Selling Arizona Communities of 2017

Four Arizona communities made the list of the 50 Top-Selling Master-Planned Communities of 2017.

That’s according to John Burns Real Estate Consulting who researches and compiles the list each year.

The #1 community on the list, The Villages in Florida, sold a whopping 2,231 new homes in 2017!

The Arizona communities that made the list did not sell nearly as many as that, but let’s take closer look at the ones that made the list and see how they fared.

Eastmark – #6 Overall, #1 in Arizona

With 919 new home sales in 2017, Eastmark was the only Arizona community to crack the top 10 on this year’s list.

Located in Mesa, Eastmark is a large-scale community comprised of several communities being developed and built by a number of builders.

There is even one neighborhood geared towards retirees.

Encore at Eastmark, offers an active, resort-style community for the 55-Plus crowd. Encore is being planned for approximately 900 single story homes upon completion and has its own clubhouse, The Encore Club which boasts and exciting list of exclusive features: fitness center, pickelball courts, locker rooms, billiards room, arts & crafts center, resort-style outdoor pool, and much more!

Learn more about Encore at Eastmark

Vistancia – #21 Overall, #2 in Arizona

Located in Phoenix’s Northwest Valley, Vistancia is another large community with multiple neighborhoods and builders in them.

Last year they combined for a total of 462 new home sales.

Just like Eastmark, Vistancia has a 55+ component and that is Trilogy® at Vistancia.

Trilogy® at Vistancia is the centerpiece of America’s Best Planned Community. A vibrant resort community enjoys a pristine desert setting, award-winning golf, spectacular resort-style amenities, and easy access to all of your favorite Valley retailers and entertainment.

Trilogy® at Vistancia was named 2015 Best 55+ Community of the Year at the prestigious “Best in American Living” awards, receiving the top-rated Platinum Award.

Learn more about Trilogy® at Vistancia

Verrado – #26 Overall, #3 in Arizona

Verrado is a master-planned community located in the city of Buckeye, Arizona, approximately 25 miles west of downtown Phoenix.

Verrado is know for it’s walkable tree-lined streets, inviting front porches, and easy access to shops and restaurants located right inside the community.

Homes range from roughly the $200k’s to more than $500k.

Last year the builders there sold a combined total of 429 new homes.

Estrella – #30 Overall, #4 in Arizona

Last but not least is Estrella which comes in with 399 new home sales last year.

Estrella is located in Goodyear, AZ which is a suburb of Phoenix.

Again, several smaller neighborhoods make up the master-plan of Estrella and there are a handful of different builders. But again, there’s one (Taylor Morrison) who is building a 55+ section called CantaMia.

CantaMia’s active baby boomer lifestyle is the inspiration for this expansive 55-Plus community. With more than 500 acres of parks and open space, including 72 acres of lakes for boating and fishing, over 20 miles of paths and hiking trails, and the Nicklaus Design championship golf course, The Golf Club of Estrella, a CantaMia home offers you the freedom you deserve during the best years of your life.

Learn more about CantaMia at Estrella

Every year that this list comes out, I always like remind readers to keep in mind that “top-selling” does not always mean “best”.

Finding the best Arizona community for you is a very personal decision that you can only come to after plenty of research and time spent visiting a number of communities that seem like they may be a fit.

In addition to the above communities, be sure to check out the many Featured Communities on our site.

Also, if you are interested in communities in other states, you can see the entire top 50 list here.

Trilogy® Vistanica Model Grand Opening

Trilogy® Vistancia near Phoenix recently held a Grand Opening for seven new model homes.

Couldn’t make it to the Grand Opening?

Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Check them out in the video below:

Located in Phoenix’s Northwest Valley and the centerpiece of America’s Best Planned Community, this vibrant resort community enjoys a pristine desert setting, award-winning golf, spectacular resort-style amenities, and easy access to all of your favorite Valley retailers and entertainment.

Trilogy® at Vistancia was named 2015 Best 55+ Community of the Year at the prestigious “Best in American Living” awards, receiving the top-rated Platinum Award.

Want to see all of the great floorplans available in Trilogy® Vistancia?

Request More Information

7 Questions to Ask Your Future Arizona Neighbors

When you visit communities to figure out which one you want to live in, one of the most important things you could possibly do for yourself is talk to as many people who actually live there as possible.

This is best accomplished if you are taking advantage of the “Stay and Play opportunities” that many communities offer these days, where for a nominal fee they will put you up for a couple of days so you can get a good feel for the community. In which case you’ll have a few days to meet several residents and learn what they like and don’t like about the community.

But even if you’re just visiting for the day and getting the official sales presentation, you need to find a way to break free from the salespeople and strike up a conversation with as many residents as you can.

In great communities, salespeople realize their residents are the BEST salespeople, and they’ll have no hesitation about you talking to the residents. Some communities even set you up with a resident ambassador to facilitate this process.

If you’re ever in a community though and get the sense they don’t want you to talk to other residents, that could be a bad sign.

Here’s what you should be asking.

1. Where are they from?

Finding common ground quickly is important if you truly want them to open up to you.

Asking people where they’re from can help you find that common ground. Maybe you’re not from the same place as they are, but maybe you know someone from there or you’ve visited in the past.

Either way, this is a great place to start and you can also get some good information about what it was like adjusting to life in Arizona.

2. How long have they lived here?

With this question you’re trying to figure out just how much experience they possibly have to share with you.

If they’re a fairly new resident, that can be a good thing. Everything you’re about to go through will be fresh in their mind and you can get a lot of helpful hints about things like home selection, lot selection and so on from people like this.

If they’ve lived in the community a few years or longer, this can be a good thing too. First, you know they liked it enough to stay. It’s good to hear they didn’t move in and hate it so much that they immediately started looking for another community.

Plus, they’ll have a better understanding of the inner workings of the community that they’ll hopefully feel free to share with you.

3. What model did you buy?

For whatever reason, people tend to be super-proud of whichever floorplan they chose. Even if its not the size or style you’re thinking about buying, hear them out. You never know what great insights might escape their lips.

Related to this you can ask what they building process was like, what changes they would have made to the home (if any) in hindsight.

All of this can help you immensely no matter what type of home you buy or where you buy it.

4. Where in the community did they buy?

If its a small community, this doesn’t matter as much. But if it’s a big sprawling master-planned community, it’s a very important question.

Different neighborhoods within the community can have drastically different vibes, and pluses and minuses.

Try to get to the root of why they chose to purchase where they did.

5. Do they live in the community full-time?

If you’re planning to snowbird for a few years at first this is a great way to figure out who your fellow snowbirds are and what it’s like to lock and leave your home for months at a time.

What types of services (security, house check, maintenance, etc.) do they employ while they’re gone to keep an eye on their home and how do they like them?

If they live there full-time, try to get a sense of what the different times if year are like in the community. Are certain times more crowded or less crowded than others, and what is that like?

6. Do they plan to stay here forever?

Nobody can predict the future, but most people have some sense of whether this will be their forever home or if they see themselves outgrowing the community in some way.

Maybe they like their home but they heard about the future golf course community being built a few miles away and they’re interested in checking that out.

Either way, this question can elicit some very helpful information.

7. What do they think about other communities in the area?

If their response is to belittle all the other communities around, however rude it may seem, its not necessarily a bad thing. Maybe they’re just passionate about the community they chose and very happy with their choice.

(Side note: A salesperson should NEVER do this. If they do, it should raise red flags! It’s o.k. for them to point out the ways in which their community might be better, but they should never say something like, “Oh, that community is terrible … you don’t want to look there.”)

Back to the residents, see if they know anyone who lives in the other communities you might be considering. Maybe they’ve met these other people through church, civic, or social groups. The more leads you get for people to talk to and learn from, the better.

Don’t Be Shy!

Don’t be shy about any of this. The residents you’re going to meet were in your shoes one day not too long ago, and they’ll remember and empathize with what you’re going through and the decisions you’re grappling with.

In almost 100% of cases, you’ll find that the residents you try to talk to will be more than happy to give you at least a few minutes of their time and tell you what you want to know.

Some of them will be so excited to talk to someone new you might not be able to get them to shut up once you’ve heard enough.

That’s o.k.

Good or bad, let them get everything off their chest. You never know what they might say, positive or negative, that might help in this important decision.

Is Arizona Tax-Friendly for Retirees?

According to Kiplinger.com, the answer is a resounding yes.

In fact, Arizona is ranked as one of Kiplinger’s Top Ten most tax-friendly states for retirees.

Let’s take a closer look at the reasons why.

Arizona State Sales Tax

Arizona’s state sales tax is 5.6%, but many counties and cities can add to that. The average combined sales tax rate comes out to about 8%. Arizona as a state does not tax food for home consumption, but most cities do. Of particular interest to many retirees, Arizona does not tax drugs prescribed by a licensed physician or dentist.

Arizona State Income Tax

While many popular retirement states (like Florida) have no state income tax, Arizona does, but it is considered fairly low, topping out at about 4.5%.

Social Security benefits are not taxed.

Arizona Property Taxes

The main thing people seem to be concerned about when choosing a place to retire is property taxes.

According to the Tax Foundation, the median property tax on Arizona’s median home value of $166,000 is a low $1,321, and it gets even better for seniors.

According to Kiplinger:

“Single homeowners and renters 65 and older who earn $3,750 or less and married couples who earn $5,500 or less are eligible for a property tax credit.

Homeowners who are at least 70 years old, have either lived in their primary residence for at least six years or have lived in the state for at least 10 years, and do not receive more than $10,000 of taxable income per year can defer their property taxes.

Homeowners who are at least 65 years old, have lived in their primary residence for at least two years and fall below certain income limits (for 2014, one owner of a property must have total income of $34,608 or less, and multiple owners of a property must have income of $43,260 or less) can apply to the assessor by September 1 to have the valuation of their property frozen for three years. The freeze can be renewed every third year.”

So there you have. I think we can agree that if you are considering retirement in Arizona, you should not let a fear of the potential tax burdens deter you.

For more information visit Kiplinger.com’s State-by-State Guide to Taxes on Retirees.

Arizona Real Estate Recovery Continued in 2014

In 2014, Arizona home prices rebounded to near 2005 levels after falling dramatically in the housing bubble crash of 2008 to 2011. Phoenix and other cities in Arizona were hit hard during the Great Recession when the sub-prime mortgage crisis resulted in big declines in home values across the United States.

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Arizona home prices peaked in 2006

According to Zillow, home prices in several Arizona cities popular with boomers topped out in the summer of 2006, before falling roughly 50%. In Phoenix, the median home price rose to $246,400 in June 2006. Tucson homes peaked at $196,000.

Arizona real estate bottomed out in 2011-12

Following was a period of rapid decline, with residential real estate prices falling most sharply from 2008 through 2011. By September 2011, the median home price in Phoenix was only $106,700. Tucson homes bottomed out in January 2012 at $110,200, according to data published by Zillow.

Steady gains in Arizona home prices 2012 – 2014

Triggered by historically low mortgage rates and low inventory, the Arizona real estate market showed new signs of life in 2012, as evidenced by a noticeable upswing in prices. Home prices leveled off in 2013 and 2014 at levels roughly equivalent to 2004 as builders began to catch up with demand and homes in foreclosure became available for sale.

There is no way to predict where Arizona home prices will go from here. However, it appears that for the time being, a modest recovery from the bottoms following the real estate bubble is underway.

Model Home Walkthrough

The Juniper in Trilogy® at Verde River

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