Arizona, Land of Opportunity

Arizona is a land steeped in history, intrigue and availability. Even the origin of our state’s name is uncertain. Our name, could come from the Aztec Indian word “Arizuma” that means silver bearing, from the Tohono O’odham Indian word
“ Aleh’zone” which means small spring or the
Pima Indian word “Alishonak” which also means small spring. Who would have thought that our state which is about the size of Italy, had it’s own Navy (well, for a day at least) or that Arizona has more parks and national monuments than any other state, more mountains than Switzerland and more golf courses than Scotland.

The variety that Arizona offers coupled with the fact that the sun shines in Arizona 85% of the time (which is considerable more sunshine that Florida or Hawaii), proves Arizona is a great place to purchase and/or invest in land and start building your own dream.

Purchasing or selling land, however, is different than buying or selling your home. It takes an understanding of the land properties, conditions and terminology unique to Arizona to become successful in making an educated land purchase. Below is a brief description of some of the common terms associated in buying or selling land:

Since Phoenix and the surrounding communities are located in a valley, the topography largely dictates the growth pattern of the Phoenix Metropolitan area.

Growth in Phoenix is restricted toward the east by the Superstition Mountains. Development to the south and the north is restricted by the Native American Reservations. This leaves the west and the northwest as the predominant direction for growth in the Phoenix Metropolitan area.

This growth is evident by the planning and development projections from the City of Surprise, Buckeye, and pockets of Unincorporated Maricopa County. The City of Surprise has projected over 40 major planned communities.

One of the Projects is the Asante Master Planned Community; this One Billion Dollar project is scheduled to break ground in 2007. Already developers will invest more than 100 Million Dollars on public improvements.

The City of Buckeye has already approved 160,000 housing units for development in the community. Sun City Festival is just one of the master planned communities in Buckeye which encompasses a 3,300 acre development which includes 7,200 homes and a 17 acre commercial development.

Sun City Festival promises to be another exciting Resort Style Del Webb Retirement Community.

The unincorporated areas of Maricopa County which are dotted throughout the thriving Northwest and West valley reflect the increased value of the land.

For more information about land in the Phoenix Metropolitan and surrounding communities, please contact Lea Archer at 623-640-8008.

You can learn more about the property that I have listed on this website. Just go to My Listing Flyers and all of the property have land in the address on the drop down menu. You will quickly learn why Arizona is one of the fastest growing states in the nation.

Washes:
Since the annual rainfall in Arizona averages around 7 inches a year, the desert
ground is usually very hard. When it rains in Arizona, we normally receive a significant
amount of rain in a short period of time; therefore the ground can not absorb the water.
This condition causes the Arizona landscape to develop washes (dry creek beds). These washes
are normally dry throughout the year until our monsoon season hits, usually between the months of
July to September. These washes do break up thenormally flat terrain; create interest in the landscaping
and increased vegetation. However, since you would never want to build in a wash, for obvious reasons,
this may be something to consider when looking at property to buy, especially if the property is dotted by washes.

Flood Plains:
Flood Plains occur when the washes can’t handle the rain run off or the area does not get
enough rain on a regular basis to develop washes. The rain water pools in the designated flood plain area.
Normally the water depth is inches, but it can stand on the ground for several days. You can build on a flood plain;
however, it requires a special foundation and will result in increased insurance rates.
Flood Plain maps are available online athttp://www.fcd.maricopa.gov It is critical to pull up the flood plain maps and check the
property’s status prior to submitting a contract.

Property Boundaries:
A survey of the property may be advisable if there is an obvious use of the property
by others (i.e. a well worn path across the property, parked cars or fences and other structures of adjacent
property owners that appear to be built on the property.For more information, visit the Arizona Professional
Land Surveyors website at http://www.azpls.org 

Fly Zone:
Luke Air Force Base provides a strong economical base to our growing Northwest and
West Valley. Because this is one of the largest training bases in the country, Luke has training missions
throughout the day. When you are looking at property, you might want to verify the flight patterns for both Luke
and the Auxiliary Base in relation to your property. For obvious reasons, if your property is in the noise contours
of Luke or the Auxiliary Base, it might affect the resale value of the property. To verify the flight contours;
visit http://www.re.state.az.us/airport.html

Shared Wells:
Since much of our metropolitan community is desert land, Phoenix and the surrounding communities get a significant
portion of their water from the underground aquifer. (Arizona has 364 square miles of water area). This water is
located deep underground and the only way to tap into the water is by drilling a well. Depending on the level of the water
table, you may have to drill a well up to a 1,000 feet deep to reach water, then the water is pumped out. The cost of this
project can cost tens of thousands of dollars. This is the reason that “Shared Wells” are so prominent. With a shared
well, 2 to 25 people combine resources to drill a well and distribute water. When examining property with a shared
well, you will want to get a copy of the well registration, the capacity of the well, the number of individuals involved. Your REALTOR can help you with this.

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Contact Lea Archer

Phone: 623-544-8518
Direct: 623-640-8008
Toll Free: 800-357-6331
Email: LeaArcher@remax.net
Fax: 623-537-2816