Dream House: Arcadia Part III
Look at me; I’m finally getting around to the final installment of my Arcadia Dream House series. Sorry, life and more dramatic and ridiculous stories got in the way for awhile there.
If you can remember WAY WAY back to the end of 2010, in Part I, we discussed Arcadia and why it’s a desirable area. In Part II we talked about the first two houses we saw (which, admittedly were a bit of a letdown).
Moving on:
House 3, Royal Palm Cir. – Now this baby was more like it. 4400 square feet, built in 2001 (I’m assuming it was a knock-down), with gorgeous Spanish accents (décor accents, not pronunciations with rolled Rs). It is (and I can says ‘is’ because I repulled it just now and nothing appears to have changed about the listing), however, a short sale and priced at $1.1mil.
So just to recap: fabulous and desirable in Arcadia does exist, but you have to breach the million dollar barrier. That’s a touch disheartening for all of us out there who live in the real world where the economy has been playing that game with us your older brother used to play with you in the pool. You know the one where you’re dunking each other and then he grabs you and dunks you under and pulls you back up with just enough time so you can get a breath in and then dunks you under again? And you started out laughing but by the third time you’re crying and pretty sure you’re going to die and it’s just basically water-boarding by sibling? It’s not funny anymore, Economy. Mom’s totally going to ground you when she hears about this!
Anyway, this house totally would work for my sister/faux client. It was spacious and artsy. The kitchen was gorgeous and had one of those farmhouse sinks I’ve always wanted that makes doing dishes look nostalgic and fun (I’ll wash and you dry and we’ll tell each other jokes while we do it). The master closet was the size of Rhode Island. The master bath had an entire desk in it. My favorite part was the covered patio off the master:
And also the view of the camel’s snout:
At that point we thought we’d found a winner. But then we saw:
House 4, Calle Tuberia – Before I tell you about this house, I need to give you a little background on my family. I have a brother and a sister. I have three sons and my sister has one son. My brother has not yet traveled down the road of offspring. So if you’re keeping count, that’s four grandsons for my mom. This makes her sad. She LOVES her grandsons, but she would also love a girl to spoil with beautiful clothes and jewelry. That’s how she tells people she loves them: with beautiful clothes and jewelry. So right now her love is going unappreciated by her four grandsons.
My sister and I loved this house SO VERY MUCH A LOT that we decided we should tell my mom if she buys it and saves it as the prize, we’ll each keep having babies one after another until we eventually produce a female heir to the clothing/jewelry throne and whoever does it first gets to have the house. Because my parents are the only ones in this family who even have a hope of affording this house. I think it’s a good plan. We just need to give my mom 3 glasses of pink wine and pitch it to her, I think.
Deboarding the tangent train. The house. Was. Spectacular. 3500 square feet, a knockdown of a 1955 ranch style home with totally stunning, modern décor. I seriously don’t even really have the words to describe it. All I can think of is: pretty pretty, I want.

Can I lay down right here on this stunning wood floor and gaze up at the amazing ceiling for a minute?
I’m fairly certain this one was purchased as a fix n flip by a design/construction company. In the tax records it shows that it changed hands for $510K early in 2010. It’s now on the market for $1.365mil. When my sister and I saw it it was priced $100K more. I’m telling you, I’ve seen the views from Fountain Hills and the estates in North Scottsdale and Paradise Valley. If I had this kind of scratch, THIS is the house I would buy.
House 5, Calle Tuberia Part 2 – As much as I’d love to end on a high note, we did see a final house after THE BEST HOUSE EVER and it was also on Calle Tuberia, but that’s where the similarities ended. This sucker was 2500 square feet, built in 1957 with an addition put on some time recently and priced at $600K.
This house had a pretty front yard and a decent back yard, but the inside was kind of a mess. The ceilings were low and the hallways were narrow, the rooms were small and segmented-feeling. The kitchen was tiny. The master closet was worse. It needed a lot of work.
With that end to our Arcadia journey, here was our conclusion: If we were Richy Regina and her sister Wealthy Wanda, we’d consider Arcadia. But for our budgets, the money goes so much further in Chandler, Gilbert or even Tempe. $600K in Chandler gets you a mansion with all of the trimmings. In Arcadia it gets you a property on a nice lot, close to Scottsdale Fashion Square and the Biltmore area, that needs to be completely knocked down and rebuilt. It’s just not particularly practical.
(Unless my mom takes the deal! I will begin procreating immediately! Jason, get home, NOW!)