Tatum Highlands: an established North Phoenix alternative

Tatum Highlands sits north of Desert Ridge, between Tatum Boulevard and 40th Street, around the Jomax Road area. I am Jen Keene and I work across North Phoenix and Scottsdale.

Around 1,443 homes, generally between 1,500 and 3,500 square feet, and primarily not gated.

The setting is a little further from the commercial core than Desert Ridge, which is the whole appeal for some people and the drawback for others.

This is the real difference between Tatum Highlands and neighborhoods like Fireside, Aviano or Sky Crossing.

There is no large private resort-style recreation complex here. What there is instead is John W. Teets Park, a City of Phoenix park with large grassy areas, basketball, sand volleyball, playgrounds, fitness stations, walking paths and ramadas.

For a certain buyer that is a clear positive, and it is worth spelling out why. A private recreation center is paid for every month by the people who live in that community, whether or not they use it. A city park is paid for by the city.

If you are not going to use a fitness center and a resort pool, you are buying a lower monthly obligation and walking to a park instead. That is a perfectly rational trade and I have had plenty of clients make it deliberately.

Somebody who wants an established home in North Phoenix with a bit more breathing room from the shopping and the freeway noise, and who would rather not carry the cost of a private amenity package.

Tatum Boulevard access is straightforward, and Desert Ridge Marketplace is close enough that you get the convenience without living on top of it.

The distance cuts both ways and it is worth being honest about. You are further from the Loop 101 than somebody in the heart of Desert Ridge, so a commute south or east takes a few more minutes. In exchange the streets are quieter and the lots generally feel less tight. Whether that is a good trade depends entirely on how often you actually get on the freeway.

Somebody who wants the recreation center lifestyle should look at the amenity communities inside Desert Ridge instead. They are a different proposition at a different monthly cost.

Confirm the association and what it covers, as always. Even without a private clubhouse there is still a community association, and what it does and does not maintain varies.

Because these homes are established rather than new, condition varies more than in a recent build, and two homes with the same floor plan can be a long way apart on price for reasons that have nothing to do with the floor plan. That is the pricing conversation here, and it is also how I work out what a home is worth when somebody is selling.

The specific things I look at in a neighborhood of this age: the age of the roof and the air conditioning, because in this climate both are expensive and both have a known lifespan. Whether the windows have been done. What the kitchen and bathrooms actually are, as opposed to what the photographs suggest. And whether any addition or conversion was permitted, which matters more than people expect when it comes time to sell again.

None of that is visible in a listing, and all of it moves the number.

Happy to walk a few of these with you and show you the difference in person. Get in touch or call me on (480) 203-6605.