So, many people ask "what's new in the Prescott real estate market" or say "wow it looks like everyone and their entire families are moving here!" Well, yes we are experiencing a huge growth in the Prescott area. Growth has its pros and cons, and we have all been spoiled a long time with our little town, or at least I feel I have been spoiled for 40 years! During that 40 years I have lived in California and Tennessee as well as Winslow, AZ, and I have done a small amount of travelling, and I can honestly say there is no place I would rather live! So I can't blame folks for discovering this gem of an area and wanting to be here too.
First let's look at the growth. Some folks I have ran in to are upset about the growth. Well, last I checked, we live in a free country and people can live anywhere they want to. I have met amazing people, and the retirees that are coming here have such diverse and amazing backgrounds! Spending a short time talking to the "newbies" in town just always makes me appreciate this lovely little mountain town we call Prescott (and the surrounding towns too!). From the last (still alive) test pilot from WWII, to an artist who has painted dignitaries from all over the world (including Prince Charles), to a retired "super model" from the 1960's, to several famous authors and screenwriters, a former atomic bomb engineer, retired CEO's from all sorts of backgrounds, and the list goes on and on! So is the growth all bad? HECK NO! The wealth of knowledge alone in this town is amazing! And the wealth moving here is good....makes this area a tad more recession proof with the cash buyers for homes here.
Now, my biggest concern, or "negative" I see to this growth....lack of jobs for Average Joe American. Average Joe (and Jane) would love to live here, but can't afford it. Or one of them finds a job and the other doesn't so they can't afford to live here that way either. Or they have jobs and can't afford the American Dream to buy a home, so they move away where they can work and afford their own home. The bulk of people moving here are retirees, and retirees need services, but the service industry pay is awful. You can't work in the service industry and afford a home here, so you either rent an overpriced apartment or spend every last dollar on gas so you can commute 40 minutes in to town from the "affordable" housing areas. I don't like this either! So we really need our municipalities to step it up, bring in GOOD jobs that pay a decent wage, and do some type of incentives to bring in more affordable housing AND change the current building codes and zoning restrictions to allow "tiny homes" and other creative building methods that make homes a bit more affordable. Just my 2 cents, but from what I have read and learned about, areas that don't balance the housing growth with jobs will end up in a world of hurt 20 years later.
Speaking of 20 years later goes in to what is new! There has been a lot of talk about the estimated 8400 homes going in near the airport on the James land (I am not a fan of that location, as the airport grows there will be a lot of whiners in those homes), and the 3500+/- homes in Granite Dells by Arizona Eco. What I have not heard mentioned is the 15,000 acres in total that Arizona Eco has purchased which starts on the West side of Viewpoint in Prescott Valley, goes over to the airport in Prescott and then heads north to Chino. THAT is a massive amount of land! AND much of it is checkerboarded with State Trust Land, so the land mass is greater than 15,000 contiguous acres. Prescott real estate is definitely going to be changing over the next 20 years! And this is why my fiance and I have purchased 4 acres in Paulden on the East side of 89 not far from the gorgeous headwaters of the Verde River. I may have to work in town and drive in traffic, but we will be able to go home and eventually retire to our little piece of peace and quiet!
The last "what's new" is I am working with some great people and forming the Pronghorn Team to handle resale and new construction as well as all other aspects of Prescott area real estate! Our team is going to be set up in the former Brown Family homes showroom/office at the entrance to Pronghorn Ranch. Look for our announcements coming soon! I had to choice...to be a part of this growth and try to be involved and help it go forward in a positive way or sit at home and complain. So here I am, hoping to make a difference!
Feel free to call me any time with any Prescott, Prescott Valley or Chino Valley real estate questions! The Pronghorn Team will be YOUR go to team for the best real estate experience!
