Kudos to you AZNITRO for having nothing but time on your hands to wait things out and do all the research. We were not so lucky to have all the time in the world to do all of this.  We moved here from out of state, and the move happened very quickly.  Since you have done the research on the schools you probably noticed that MUSD is one of the lowest ranked.  If that was part of your decision, then based on your decision to stay, it seems you must be happy with that.

The market may recover at some point, but if you read the statistics you will see that it has been said mutiple times Maricopa will be one of the areas that takes the longest to recover. Being the age we are, we don't have all the time in the world to wait.  

We wanted to do what was right and still do, but there are very little options avail for those of us who want to do right and hold on to our house but don't want to make Maricopa our indefinite home until the market recovers since there is no guarantee as to if/when this will be.

It is apparent our situation is much different than yours has been so pls just leave it at that. 

You people who are so judgemental are really amazing.  First of all, we did ask the builder to confirm the qty of investors in the subdivision and we were assured that 95% were owner occupied homes.  Apparently you must not be aware of some of the tricks of the trade where somebody buys indicating they are going to occupy as residence and then turns around and rents it out instead.  This happened a lot in our immediate area and  this did not surface until we had moved in as the builders were realizing homes were not being immediatly occupied at close of escrow.  

The circumstances behind us having to make a quick decision is really none of your business and not for you to make judgement about.

As for as "dealing" with the decision made, that's what we've been trying to do - to find a way to make it work so we don't feel stuck as we do right now.

exactly. We moved here from back east 3 years ago pretty quick also and rented before we bought. There is no one at stateline with a gun to your head saying you have to buy. As for the schools, AZ has a poor rating overall and even the highly rated Kyrene district has its own issues. I know my son used to attend there when we rented. They even made the news with a drug bust this week involving some 12 years old kids. We chose  Legacy for my son he loves it so yeah we made a great choice.

 I guess I'm not understanding why you feel "stuck." Maricopa provides nearly everything most people need.. if you like your house, have a great backyard, and have not changed to a job that is an hour away, why do you need to move? Arizona in general is known for lower than average schools, so unless you plan on moving out of state, the school situation will not change. If you want a minor improvement, just have your kids ride the bus to the Kyrene or Chandler schools like some other people do, or perhaps enroll them in a charter school. You don't lose money on your home until you move, and maybe I am missing something, but it doesn't seem like there is a big reason for you to so.

The fact is, this is not a bad location for a lot of people. If you work in Tempe, Chandler, or Casa Grande, Maricopa is a better place to be than Scottsdale, Gilbert, etc. For people like me who work from home, Maricopa is an excellent location. It is quiet, brand new, and small enough right now to learn where every major street is the first week of living here. I am also lucky enough to work another job in Maricopa, 7 minutes from my house. I am not the only one in this situation. Plenty of people own businesses here, work from home, or work in Tempe, 20 minutes away. If you work in north Phx or Scottsdale, I can see your frustration..but remember that that is just not the case with everyone.

DaybyDay,

Your comment about Russell Shaw is hilarious!!!  However, he won't touch depressed areas, that is how he keeps his numbers up.  What he doesn't tell you on his commercials is that he ultimately chooses you in the end.  

This is a pretty interesting thread. There are a lot of judgemental folks contributing. I would caution that this depression/recession is not over yet. If you are feeling safe and immune from the problems some others are dealing with consider your self fortunate. I think a year or so ago we all thought life was grand and would continue to be grand indefinitely. The worm has turned  and who knows for sure they won't be next. So all I am saying here is don't judge too harshly or think it couldn't happen to you. No one is in control of what is happening right now in the economy. All anyone can do is look at their own personal circumstances and make decisions based on those findings.