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Monday, February 06, 2012
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About Living Vertical - Straighten Up and Buy Right
If you take advantage of "entry level" prices, you could be the only resident rattling around a towering ghost town. Venture outside in search of promised "conveniences and amenities" and you may find only rolled-up sidewalks and tumbleweeds. If you wait for amenities and the surrounding community to be built, you could pay much more than your pioneering neighbors. This publication is designed to help you make the right choice at the right time. High-rise living is about convenience: lock and leave, downsize, simplify, ditch the lawn mower, stay off highways clogged with rush hour traffic, spend less on gas. Our staff has lived the high-rise life in a couple of major cities for more than 50 years (combined). We know first hand that location means more than where you live. It also means, where is everything else? Where is the grocery store, dry cleaner, pharmacy? Where do you walk the dog? Where do you meet and chat with your neighbors? Leading real estate professionals Keith Mishkin and Scott Jarson reinforce this in one word: community. When you venture out of your well-appointed luxury space, what's there? BUILDING "TALL" -- AVOIDING "SPRAWL" Developers have historically pushed homes further away from employment centers where they can build affordable houses by taking advantage of cheaper land. Oil prices, lagging freeway construction and commute times may be applying the brakes to this trend. How does high-rise living fit in a state with little high-rise history? What can we learn from other cities and experiences that can make buying, living and investing in a high-rise lifestyle in Tucson and the Valley of the Sun a much richer life and investment decision?
This is a buyer's guide to high-rise living options in Phoenix and Tucson. It's the only place to find a comprehensive comparison of properties. It also looks at factors to consider when making this important decision: proximity to services; the inner-city, high-density lifestyle; and location, location, location.
The information is gathered from a questionnaire we sent to every qualified developer we found in Arizona. We followed an accepted surveying option for any other major purchase in any other business. Our analysis is presented in three categories:
Howard May's apartment in the Valley's first high-rise. Phoenix Towers, looks out over the tiled roofs of the Heard Museum as far as the Superstitions and Four Peaks. The coral pink building on Central Avenue was built in 1956.
Mays bought it five years ago, moved walls to his specs, stained concrete floors, renovated the bathrooms, and re-enameled the vintage metal cabinets. Now it's a showplace for his art and antique collections. ... more info
Aging means crossing a threshold into unfamiliar territory: middle age, retirement and senior citizen. Every generation faces this, now it's the baby boomer's turn. An unprecedented amount of people will turn 60 in the next few years. What will they do differently?
Martin Valins, Director of Medical and Senior Living Design at DFD Conoyer Hedrick, says, "This generation is like no other. I just bought tickets to see 60-year-old-plus rock and roll legends, The Stones and the reformed Cream! The Woodstock generation does not accept aging easily. Witness healthy-aging diets, cosmetic surgery and joing replacement. The baby boom generation is a generation that never settled down. ... more info
After decades of growing out, the Valley is growing up. During the 20th century only five residential towers were built in Phoenix. Now, 24 are either under construction or being planned. Phoenix's skyline is changing forever.
Phoenix and tower living are perfect matches. Views in a city where almost everyone lives on the ground are sublime. Even a third-floor resident can see six or seven mountain ranges. Living vertically is a celebration of Arizona's light, climate, and stone. The Valley and its sunsets are a canvas whose frame has finally arrived. ... more info
High-rise condos and urban lofts are a red-hot commodity in the Phoenix and Tucson real estate markets.
"Condos and lofts are selling out as fast as they can write contracts," said Realtor Chris F. Campbell. "Most projects sell out before the developer even breaks ground." there could be up to 4,000 people on an "interest" or waiting list for 150 units. ... more info
The technical services in your new high-rise should be as good, or better, than what you enjoyed in your ground-level single-family dwelling.
"you should not have to sacrifice the lifestyle you enjoyed as a single-family homeowner to live in a high-rise. Your cell phone should work," said Michael Whaling of Infinisys, a high-rise technology integrator. ... more info
The high-rise lifestyle is very seductive. It provides amenities, conveniences, and peace of mind. No need to mow the lawn, replace the roof, or repair anything. Got a problem? Call the super. What's not to like? Before you call the moving van, ask youself some questions. Change is fine if you choose to change. When change chooses you, it can be disconcerting. This is our initial list of questions, first of yourself and then of your prospective new home.
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