Realtor: Homebuyers should give south side of the tracks another look

By Dayv Morgan

There is a stigma attached to being on the “wrong side” of the tracks, and that has played out in Maricopa for years.

When I would ask a buyer what area of town they were interested in, they would often say, “I don’t want to be south of the railroad tracks.”  I have lived on the south side since coming to Maricopa in 2006, and when I would tell people where I lived, they would say, “Oh, that’s too bad.”

That sentiment affected the price of homes, resulting in prices that were about 10% less than homes in northern Maricopa.

But times are changing. Homebuyers have good reason to give the south side another look.

After the real estate market hit its low point in 2010, development on the south side began to turn some heads. The Ak-Chin opened the UltraStar Multi-tainment Center in 2012. Then the City of Maricopa opened Copper Sky in 2014.

With a high school, middle school and elementary school already in place, and entertainment, city festivals, recreation, swimming and sports tournaments within easy distance, homebuying has become more enticing.

The biggest accomplishment has been the completion of the overpass across the tracks. That eliminated traffic delays caused by trains and also widened the four lanes to six lanes to improve the flow of commuter traffic.

The City plans more commercial development at Copper Sky.  Homebuilders like Lennar, Richmond American and K Hovnanian have returned to Alterra, Palo Brea and Maricopa Meadows, identifying the south side as the place to be.

Besides the amenities unique to the south side, Richmond American is the only builder in the city offering homes with attached RV garages – just another consideration for homebuyers.

Where improved lots are available for construction, only Santa Rosa Crossing (east of Desert Cedars) and areas in the flood plain are not seeing current homebuilding.

But there is still a lot of room for new subdivisions within the city boundaries south of the tracks, and home values on the south side are now about equal to those on the north side, and may even exceed them in the near future.

Soon homebuyers may reconsider which side of the tracks in Maricopa is the “wrong side.”

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Dayv Morgan is a Maricopa Realtor and owner of HomeSmart Success.
480-251-4231
[email protected]