One of the things that always seems to amaze my clients is the sheer size and variety in Arizona. In two short hours, you can go from the deserts of Phoenix to the forests of Flagstaff, from 1,000 feet above sea level to 7,200 and change.
Distance is a way of life. And one of the first questions I ask a prospective client inquiring about Phoenix is on what side of town will they be working. Living in Surprise and working in Mesa just won't work, not unless you enjoy 2-plus-hour commutes.
The importance of this question was brought home yesterday as I drove across the Valley (literally) to photograph and install a lockbox on a new listing in Queen Creek. Queen Creek is on the far southeastern edge of Maricopa County, and now is stretching into Pinal County as well. Or maybe it's all Pinal County these days. All I know for certain is it's 70-plus miles from my house.
For a brief few moments, driving down Ellsworth Road, we were able to enjoy "old town" Queen Creek as it were. But once you make the turn onto the Hunt Highway, you get a full sense of the real-estate hotbed Queen Creek has become. Homes are rising from the farms and deserts of the San Tan Mountain foothills, and are rising quickly.
I'll work on adding some pictures a little later.
Aside from the lockbox, we also were driving across town to visit the annual Renaissance Festival outside Apache Junction. My 14-year-old tried hard to pretend we didn't exist, my 7-year-old complained that I wouldn't buy her a $100-plus dollar medeival dress and the 9-year-old was more annoyed by the other two. But that aside, it was an enjoyable first visit.
It also allowed me to make the unusual boast of covering both sides of the Valley in a span of four days ... I had visited the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station outside Tonopah on Thursday to meet with a client and, yesterday, drove to the county's other corner.
Time for an oil change.
For more information about the Phoenix Arizona Real Estate market, visit my comprehensive website at http://www.DaltonsAzHomes.com | 
