Todd Andrews
The Guide: Scottsdale Arizona
March 1, 2007
Living in tents in the desert, the eager apprentices of Frank Lloyd Wright
learned that architecture is inspired by nature, yet produced in a bustling
workplace. Look around Scottsdale and you’ll see this convergence of urbanity
and naturalism. “Scottsdale is like several cities,” says architect Vernon
Swaback, who served as Wright’s apprentice during the last few years of the
master’s life, attending Taliesin West, Wright’s school of architecture that’s
set on 600 acres of Arizona’s preserved Sonoran Desert. “As you go north into
the mountains you see large custom homes, while the south is anchored by
high-end mid-rise condos, a recent phenomenon for Scottsdale.”
Scottsdale,
dubbed “the West’s most Western town,” is multifaceted. It’s a place for horse
lovers, with WestWorld serving as a Mecca for some of the country’s most
prestigious horse shows. This desert is also a Garden of Eden for golfers who
come to play and live at the many golf-driven communities. While summer
temperatures can hit the triple digits, Scottsdale’s climate is ideal for
outdoor living—it is virtually free of bugs, wind and humidity.
Realtors
This swath of a city stretches for 184 square miles and harbors
230,000 residents, with those who want to build big heading north, where
communities such as Silverleaf are allowing larger homes on their generously
sized lots. “It’s hard to find a decent piece of property to build a large
house,” says Bob Hassett of Russ Lyon Realty, explaining that preservation laws
require that owners keep a specific amount of their property as open space. For
those who pre-fer a more vertical lifestyle, Scottsdale has also embraced
the antithesis of the desert estate home with its multiple mid- and
high-rise condominium projects currently underway in the city’s downtown
district.
Top: A 4,420-square-foot home in the Legend Trail golf community, listed for
$12.9 million. Bottom: A $10 million home in Happy Valley. Photograph by Epic Multimedia. (Click images to enlarge); function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
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Jane Blacker (480.283.3009, www.scottsdalefineliving.com).
“We are a fast-growing city,” says Blacker. Specializing in the high-end condo
market in Scottsdale’s up-and-coming downtown area, Blacker holds a listing for
a three-bedroom, 3,400-square-foot penthouse ($2.2 million) at Main Street
Plaza, one of the many mid-rise projects that will open next summer.
Bob
Hassett (602.750.1000, www.bobhasset.com). Responsible for
brokering the most expensive resale in Scottsdale’s history at $10 million,
Hassett says the upper-end market is doing well. “Buyers looking in the $5
million to $15 million range want to be in North Scottsdale at DC Ranch, Desert
Mountain and Silverleaf.”
Cynthia Penwell (480.502.6902, www.silverleaf.com). Situated in the
master-planned community of DC Ranch, Silverleaf has quickly become Scottsdale’s
most sought-
after high-end community. “We currently have five homes listed
in the $10 million to $12 million range,” says Penwell. Silverleaf boasts lot
sizes twice the norm for Scottsdale; recent transactions include a new
11,000-square-foot home priced at $9.5 million.
Mike Sweeney (480.282.5656,
www.dmbrealtynorthscottsdale.com).
This firm specializes in real estate in the North Scottsdale communities of DC
Ranch, Whisper Rock, Grayhawk and Desert Mountain.
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