Where are married people going to live while at ASU?

[lawman2005]

Mesa, Tempe, what is a good part of town?

[lawman2005]

I want to live no more than 15 minutes away from campus, no pets, no kids(yet).  I am looking for a 2 bedroom place, maybe a condo built in the last 15 years or so.  I might rent for awhile and then look to buy but I don't know.  We were planning on maybe paying around 105 K to buy a place.  I don't want to be too close to partying if possible.  I am a member of the Mormon church and I know that is big in Mesa.  I want to avoid "slums" as much as these smaller towns have them.  We may end up renting and hoping to pay around $600/month.  My wife adn I are still young, I am only 25, so we don't want to be in a retirement community either.

[wildcataz2004]

I grew up outside of Phoenix- in Chandler. Chandler is a great place to live, lots of new apartments, a great mall and shops, and plenty of restaurants, though homes and condos are on the pricey side- won't get much for 105K. But if you're just looking for a nice apartment look in the north side of the city, especially the ones that are close to the 101 freeway. From there you can get to campus real easily- from the 101, just get to the 202 and you're on campus.

[lawman2005]

Thanks for the info, I will probably go down in July and look to rent a place then, and hopefully buy eventually.  I guess it also depends if my wife gets a good job in phoenix.

[inthesun]

I recommend Ahwatukee or Chandler. There are some nice new areas, and it is not as expensive as Scottsdale.  The inexpensive areas (just North of campus, where I actually live) are really not that bad, but I wouldn't choose that as a place to live if I had kids.  It's an older area, and while there are many nice families, there is also some not so nice people that live there because it's cheap.  I think that there are nice areas in Mesa, but there are A LOT of sketchy areas there as well.  Right now, it is definitely a sellers market, so I agree with the poster who said that renting may be a better option.  Currently, homes are being sold for well above the asking price, and when a home goes on the market, it is often sold within hours.  Seems expensive and stressful to me.

[wildcataz2004]

Thanks for the info, I will probably go down in July and look to rent a place then, and hopefully buy eventually.  I guess it also depends if my wife gets a good job in phoenix.

dear god Phoenix in July.... go now! Phoenix in July=miserable, but not as bad as Aug! Rent a car with good AC...

It's not that bad. After all, it's a dry heat...