Well, I got my settlement from that drunk that hit me six months ago and I'm planning on investing it into a future home in Arizona. I'm not planning on moving out there until about 2011 after I graduate unless something big happens. So since my sister already lives out in Scottsdale with several roommates, we've had some talks about her looking for a house that she would live in until me and my mom move out there as well, with me footing the down payment and some bills here and there, and possibly renting out the rest of the house in the meantime.

SO! If there are any locals with some tips on where the good housing is in a nice part of Phoenix, I'm all ears. Or any ideas on my situation in general is great. Thanks guys, looking forward to living out there

Man it's the best time to buy right now. And you're in luck cause I'm a local.

First off if you want to make a very safe investment and have some money to burn, go with Scottsdale. It's very nice and the houses don't lose value. If you want to go with a less pricey area try Tempe. It's a big college town and it's by the stadiums and areans. It's a nice area too. If you want to go with the best bang for your buck, try Surprise, Chandler, or Anthem. Surprise & Anthem aren't fully developed yet and the market sucks so you can find a big house for less $$$ than Scottsdale or even Tempe. Chandler is pretty big and is ok for investing. It's mostly planned communities and cookie cutter houses. Anyways, there are a few other places I left out like Mesa, Queen Creek, Gilbert, etc... Good luck on your plan and I hope you find what you're looking for.

Surprise is a great area where you'll get the most house for your money, but there's no way you'll be abl to do it in 2011. It'll be too developed by then.

Example: I just bought at 3600-sq ft house with a ton of upgrades in a gorgeous neighborhood for under 250K, brand new.