AZ
Scottsdale Neighborhoods, From the Golf Clubs North to Old Town
Golf and desert communities in the north, older neighborhoods to the south, and everything in between.
Photo: Ray Redstone, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Living in Scottsdale
Scottsdale neighborhoods cover a wide range, and choosing among them is most of the decision. In the north, private golf clubs, guard gates and custom homes on desert acreage define communities like Silverleaf, Desert Mountain and Estancia. In the middle, master-planned communities such as DC Ranch, Grayhawk and McDowell Mountain Ranch combine parks, trails and shopping. To the south, older neighborhoods sit closer to Old Town Scottsdale.
The McDowell Mountains and the McDowell Sonoran Preserve trail system run along the city’s eastern edge, and many of the communities I work in sit right at their foot. Loop 101, the Pima Freeway, is the main north-south freeway, with Scottsdale Road and Pima Road carrying most local traffic.
Three school districts serve different parts of the city: Scottsdale Unified, Paradise Valley Unified and Cave Creek Unified. Which one serves a home depends on its address, so it’s worth confirming early if schools matter to you.
Talk with me about Scottsdale
How I serve Scottsdale buyers and sellers
I’m Valerie Moe, a Scottsdale real estate agent with Keller Williams Realty Sonoran Living. I bring twenty years of luxury real estate experience, including home sales up to $20 million in Beverly Hills and the Coachella Valley, to the north Scottsdale communities where that background matters most.
In Scottsdale, the details move the price: the view corridor, the lot, the club, the finishes. Two homes a few streets apart can be worth very different amounts. So I walk through a home before I talk about its value, and I compare it against the sales that are actually comparable, not only the ones nearby.
For sellers, that means a documented price and a marketing plan aimed at the buyers most likely to pay for what makes the home distinct. See selling a home in Scottsdale. For buyers, it means learning what each community offers before we tour, so you see fewer homes and better ones. See buying a home in Scottsdale.
Scottsdale neighborhoods and communities I work in
Silverleaf is a guard-gated village inside DC Ranch, developed by DMB, with lots from about 1 to 35 acres and a private club around a Tom Weiskopf golf course. It sits at the top of the Scottsdale market, and a meaningful share of activity there happens off-market.
Desert Mountain has just over 1,900 homes and seven golf courses, six of them Jack Nicklaus Signature designs. Club membership is separate from buying a home and requires approval, which is worth understanding before you buy.
Estancia and Whisper Rock are both 24-hour guard-gated communities near Pinnacle Peak with private golf clubs. Estancia has about 264 homesites around a Tom Fazio course. Whisper Rock has about 197 custom homesites on 1 to 4 acres, and its golf club membership isn’t tied to owning a home there.
Troon North is a group of smaller subdivisions in the Pinnacle Peak area around the Monument and Pinnacle courses. DC Ranch is a master-planned community of several villages with two community centers and Market Street for shopping and dining. Grayhawk, developed mostly from the late 1990s to the mid-2000s, has about 3,700 homes around the Raptor and Talon courses.
Scottsdale Mountain is guard-gated, at the foot of the McDowell Mountains near Mayo Clinic’s Scottsdale campus. McDowell Mountain Ranch is built around a city park with sports fields and an aquatic and fitness center, at more accessible price points.
Gainey Ranch is a gated community in central Scottsdale with 24-hour security, where homes and condos sit around a golf course.
Scottsdale housing market and home types
Scottsdale’s housing ranges from condos and townhomes to custom estates on acreage. Based on my recent market review, approximate ranges by community look like this, and they shift over time:
- Silverleaf: about $3M to $30M+
- Desert Mountain: about $1.3M to $18M+
- Troon North: about $1.2M to $10M
- Scottsdale Mountain: about $1M to $5M
- Grayhawk: about $900K to $3.5M
- DC Ranch (outside Silverleaf): roughly $800K to $4M, with condos and townhomes from about $465K
At the higher end, every home is more individual, so comparable sales take judgment. HOA dues, club membership and what the HOA covers vary widely by community, and they belong in your budget from the start. If you’re looking at that end of the market, see luxury homes in Scottsdale.
Scottsdale lifestyle and getting around
Daily life in Scottsdale depends a lot on which end of the city you choose. North Scottsdale trades a longer drive to Old Town for newer homes, golf, desert views and quick access to the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. Southern neighborhoods put Old Town’s restaurants, galleries and shops close at hand, in older homes on more established streets.
Loop 101 connects most of the city to the rest of the Valley, which matters if you commute west into Phoenix. If you’re relocating, I’ll walk you through the drive times from each community to the places you’ll go most. See relocating to Scottsdale.
Ready to talk about a move in Scottsdale? Contact me, or return to the home page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which school district serves my Scottsdale address?
Scottsdale is served by three districts: Scottsdale Unified, Paradise Valley Unified and Cave Creek Unified. The district depends on the home’s address, so confirm it with the district for any home you’re considering.
Do I have to join the golf club to buy in Desert Mountain?
No. Club membership at Desert Mountain is separate from buying a home and requires approval from the club.
Which Scottsdale communities are guard-gated?
Among the communities I work in, Silverleaf, Estancia, Whisper Rock and Scottsdale Mountain are guard-gated, and Desert Mountain is gated.
Buying in Scottsdale
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Ready to make your move with Valerie Moe?