Canadians are looking down south to Arizona real estate for their property investment in Phoenix, Mesa and Scottsdale. This is what you need to know:

Escaping Canadian Winters – An Article about Snowbirds Flying the Coop to Arizona Real Estate

The annual migration of Canadians to international sunspots, particularly the US Sunbelt states are increasingly appealing to those who look to enhance their quality of life. Snowbirds seek out warmer climates and spend up to six months, usually November through April, in sunny destinations to escape Canada’s inclement weather. With the strength of the Canadian dollar, coupled with the lower cost across the border, this attractive economic reality is an encouraging and motivating aspect for those who wish to trade their snowsuits for swimsuits – their raincoats for Ray-Bans. An excellent article by Tracey R., a respected writer on real estate in the US and Canada. These warmth seeking seasonal migrants endeavour to town or rent vacation real estate homes or idyllic retreats for pleasure and future retirement, usually within master planned enclaves of active adult communities or amenity laden resorts. The seasonal mass movement of population from north to south is a surging trend as the country’s population ages and baby boomers seek out a stimulating and satisfying retirement lifestyle. Arizona and California top the locale charts for the western Canadian demographics as a result of their less restrictive tax laws and lower insurance property rates. According to a recent report by the National ASssociation of Realtors, the second most popular US destination for home buying Canadians is Arizona, (the first is Florida). “In Phoenix, 752 Canadians bought homes in 2007, almost double the number of the year before,” according to Information Market, a data firm specializing in the real estate industry. “Canadians are pouring into Arizona,” says Glenn Williamson, CEO and founder of the Canada Arizona Business Council. “Some 496,000 Canadians came to Arizona last year – a very large two year jump.” Williamson credits a variety of reasons for this surge. “There are an increase in flights, an appealing climate, and a growing amount of world class amenities and international events suh as the Barrett Jackson Auto Show and the Phoenix Golf Open to name a few,” she said.

Arizona’s priciest home sale hit year was a $14 million mansion in Pardise Valley purchased by a an Ontario resident. “The stereotype that Canadians come to Arizona and buy ‘retirement’ homes has been shattered,” says Williamson, “The amount of multi million dollar homes owned by Canadians with incredible architecture and furnishings is growing at a very fast pace.” However, it doesn’t take a bulging bank account to live the good life these snowbirds are pursuing. There are so many options available for today’s winter visitors that they can design their own lifestyles to suit their financial and social preferences. The quest to heighten one’s physical, emotional and social well-being, is all part of the allure of the Canadian snowbird lifestyle in the US> Quality of life decisions are based on a number of socio economic factors, which vary from person to person depending on specific interests and needs. Climate, cost of living, culture, environment, infrastructure, leisure, safety, and economy are the most common elements potential Canadian snowbirds consider when purchasing a real estate property.

The Canadian Arizona Real Estate Connection

Cities like Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Mesa grow considerably during the winter months as people choose to purchase a second home, a perk that Canucks can take advantage of due to Canada’s continued strong housing real estate market and escalating home equity. “Canada and Canadians have been very fortunate financially in the last few years,” says Williamson. “They now have some available cash to do things – buying a second home in an ice climate is one of them; in the last 12 months, 24 per cent of all international home sales in the US have been by Canadians, and Arizona real estate is a big recipient of that number,” he says. Arizona real estate comes by its moniker,” Valley of the Sun” honestly. There are more hours of sunshine than there are in Hawaii, even more sunshine than there is in Florida, the Sunshine State. Although Arizona real estate is thought of by many as just a desert state, it has the largest contiguous strand of ponderosa pine trees in the US and over half the state is made up of mountains and plateaus. One quarter of Arizona real estate is made up of forest land, including 11.2 million acres of the National Forest. On the cosmopolitan side, Arizona’s capital city of Phoenix combines with the surrounding cities of Chandler, Glendale, Mesa, Paradise Valley, Scottsdale and Tempe, among other cities, to form Arizona’s rich mecca of diverse experiences. Here’s a look at where the hot spots in Arizona real estate property purchases are for snowbird Canadians right now.

Mesa Real Estate

Mesa is just minutes from Scottsdale and Phoenix and is a convenient 9 km or 12 miles from Sky Harbor International Airport. Mesa real estate is fast becoming the Valley’s next urban hot spot in Arizona boasting an assortment of new tourism developments. The Mesa property city centre has long been revered as a winter haven offering premier accommodations, close proximity to Tonto National Forest, and 29 golf courses. If you prefer diamonds to fairways don’t’ miss the Cactus League Spring Training in March with over 200 Major League games in 35 days throughout the state; Mesa’s HoHokam Stadium is spring training home for the Chicago Cubs. Other community highlights include: Mesa’s own passenger traffic airport (Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, a convenient alternative to passengers flying in and out of Phoenix), a new 250 acre retail destination complex. Dana Park Village Square, Mesa’s 400,000 square foot shopping centre (a reflection of some of Mesa’s most affluent neighbourhoods) is adding more dining options to its already impressive collection of high end retailers and unique boutiques. Additionally, Canadian snowbirds are drawn to the natural attractions of Superstition Mountains, Apache Trail, Salt and Verde Rivers, Usery Pass and the area’s many lakes. Snowbirds from Canada flock to Mesa real estate to put down seasonal roots contributing to the 460,000 plus residents, the third largest city in Arizona following Phoenix and Tuscon. Empty nesters Les and Noram Garrison from Port Moody, BC, took early retirement back in 1991 and built a 2,500 square foot three bedroom home with the Arizona Golf Resort’s 14th hole at their backdoor. And it’s no surprise with urban amenities such as the new Mountain Vista Marketplace in East Mesa to open in summer 2009. The first phase of the 114 acre mixed use real estate Mesa project with SuperTarget as its anchor and additional retailers Marshalls, Old Navy, Show Pavilion and Dick’s Sporting Goods to name a few. The marketplace will be a pedestrian friendly design featuring easily accessible walkways throughout the Mesa real estate project.

Scottsdale Real Estate

“Canada has always been an important market for Scottsdale real estate, but increased air service (WestJet in particular) and the strong Canadian dollar has made Scottsdale real estate more desirable to Canadian travelers and investors alike,” says Laura McMurchie, vice president of communications for Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau. “The Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau increased our marketing efforts in Canada for the last fiscal year (July ’07 to June ’08) with additional print and online advertising; the Canadian marketing campaign resulted in more than 11,200 inquiries from Canada,” says McMurchie. Scottsdale real estate metropolitan area has all the quality amenities you would expect to find in a major city including shopping opporutunities second to none. Scottsdale Fashion Square in the Southwest’s largest shopping destination and distinctive address for premier shopping, dining and entertainment, with more than 225 retailers, 50 of which are exclusive to Arizona. For the authentic soul of the Southwest stop by Old Town and the Arts District on Main Street, and don’t miss the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Arts. Scottscale real estate is surrounded by desert and mountain preserves, and parks and is set against the extraordinary backdrop of the Sonoran Desert. Teeming with gusty colors of granite, mocha and sage, a desert by most measures is drab expansions of harsh and crusty terrain – but no so in the Sonoran. The uncultivated desert floor is surprisingly colorful with vegetation (particularly springtime) that defies desert scrub. “Scottsdale real estate is becoming more attractive to Canadians not only because of its well known attributes – warm and sunny weather, golf and spas, but the ever growing infrastructure in terms of services and activities for visitors – the culinary and cultural scene in Scottsdale real estate has dramatically expanded in the past few years – something very appealing to well traveled Canadians,” says Chris Ryall, Canadian PR rep, Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Low taxes, direct air service from many cities in Canada, excellent health facilities, low housing prices compared to Canada all make Scottsdale real estate an ideal destination to visit for holiday or invest in property.”

Phoenix Real Estate

Central Arizona’s desert is home to the Phoenix metropolitan area and its more than 3.4 million residents. Encompassing more than 5,179 square km or 2,000 square miles, Phoenix’s eclectic offerings include world-class resorts, spas, shopping and golf courses. Golf is on the leader board as one of the most popular recreation activities in Arizona state, well suited to more than 300 days of sunshine annually, equal to 300 plus courses to tee up on. You’ll savour some of the best gastronomic southwestern dishes, crafted from homegrown ingredients such as peppers, pomegranates, tomatoes, and citrus fruits. Outstanding authentic Native American and Mexian cuisine is prepared by award winning chefs. “The average age in Phoenix is only 33, so the myth that this is only a retirement city is out of the window,” says Williamson. “There is a very vibrant night life and diverse dining opportunities – it is much more international than people would guess.” In addition, the region also celebrates both the rich tradition of local Native American artistry and cultural expression, highlighting Old West history, galleries, and museums.”

Canadian Passports to Arizona
According to Passport Canada, “Starting June 1, 2009, a US law will require Canadians to present a valid passport to enter the United States by water or land; US law already requires Canadians to present a valid passport to enter the US by air.” Please note that you must have six clear months left on your passport, after your scheduled return home date, for it to be accepted for US travel at this time.

Phoenix Copper Pointe Condominiums

Forty one stories into the skyline of Phoenix will rise a condominium high-rise tower called the Copper Pointe Condo Residences, in the heart of Copper Square in downtown Phoenix.

Marketed as one of the exclusive high-end Phoenix presales real estate developments in the city, the Copper Pointe Condominium homes will be part of a large urban community at Copper Square that will also include the Market Place, a large urban bistro and fresh food market in addition to the Grotto, Copper Pointe’s own wine bar and lounge. An impressive master planned district in the heart of downtown Phoenix, Copper Pointe Condominiums and residences are in the pre-sales and preconstruction stage at the moment but are available at great prices if you get in early. The real estate developer for the Copper Pointe Phoenix Condos include Pointe of View Developments, one of Western Canada’s most impressive and largest established condominium developers in addition to the Belleview Communities. The sales and marketing is exclusively hanlded by Pillar Communities LLC. You can read all the Copper Pointe Condominiums privacy policy, terms and conditions online at their website and the website is designed by Mouth Media in Phoenix.

The Floorplans at Copper Pointe in Copper Square Phoenix

There are six possible layouts at the Phoenix condominium towers at Copper Pointe Square that include the Napa Plan which is a one bedroom plus den and one bathroom unit with seven hundred and twenty six square feet living space and a balcony of one hundred and sixty two (total square footage is 888). The Porto Plan at the Copper Pointe Condominiums in Phoenix is a two bed and two bath residence with nine hundred and ninety four square feet in indoor space and one hundred and seventy six sq ft of open balcony that is great for entertaining friends and family for parties. The presales Copper Pointe Condos Phoenix also features the Sonoma floorplan which has two bedrooms plus a den and 2 baths totalling an indoor square footage of one thousand and twenty two sq ft and one hundred and eighty three sq ft balcony (total of 1205 sqft). The Tuscany Floorplan at Phoenix Copper Pointe presales condos is two bed and two bath and approximately similar size and layout to the Sonoma. The presales condominiums at Copper Square in Phoenix will also have the Mendoza layout which is 1065 sq ft with a smaller balcony. Last but not least at the Phoenix presales real estate properties here is the large Andalucia residence plan with two bedrooms and a den with two bathrooms that total one thousand two hundred and forty four sq ft and a 96 sqft balcony too. All the floorplans are online.

Contact the Copper Pointe Phoenix Condos today

If you are looking for a truly urban living experience, the masterplanned community at Copper Square in downtown Phoenix is the way to go. The Copper Pointe Condominiums presentation center is now located at 377 N. 3rd Avenue in Phoenix Arizona. The Director of Sales for the presales Copper Pointe Condominiums is Steve Koehler and his telephone number is 602.279.2990 and email address is sales@copperpointeaz.com. For more background information about this presales Phoenix property development, please visit the Copper Pointe web site at http://www.copperpointeaz.com/. In addition, you can also find more details about mortgage calculators including calculating monthly principal and interest payments in addition to interest only monthly payments. The Phoenix condominiums at Copper Pointe Square also has three great articles about the development including: “Copper Pointe Unprecedented Amenities” by Bruno Howard, “Arizona Now Fastest Growing State” by Lew Sichelman and “Condos For Cans” press release. The preferred lenders for the Copper Pointe Phoenix condominium tower residences include Wells Fargo The Solutions Team, in addition to National City Mortgage and Countrywide Home Loans. The partners for the Phoenix Copper Pointe Square condos includes Pillar Communities LLC and The Talon Group. Philanthropy is an important aspect of this presales Phoenix real estate property sales and with developers will be donating $1,000 per residence sale to the following charities: Smile Train, Doctors without Borders and Amnesty International. Very impressive!

The Amenities

The Copper Pointe properties will have unprecedented amenities that include outdoor oasis of cabanas, misters across the outdoor Pebble Tec lap pool area as well as an outdoor martini bar. The residents at the Phoenix condominium towers Copper Pointe Square will also enjoy a lava rock fireplace, soothing therapeutic spas in addition to an observation. Inside, the Copper Pointe Condominiums in Phoenix Arizona will house a fully equipped fitness center that includes a yoga and pilates studio in addition to a tanning room, surround sound private theater, a pool table, state of the art business center and concierge services that can service one or more of the following for Copper Pointe residents: VIP reservations, restaurants, mobile dry cleaning, free wake up calls, limo services, housecleaning, romantic getaway bookings, airport transfers, pet services, golf tee times, spa reservations, relocation services, concert tickets and floral arrangements.

For pre-sales Scottsdale condominium properties.