Why Snowbirds Are Now Flocking to a Once Obscure Phoenix Suburb

Forget Scottsdale, how about Gilbert, Arizona? 

The lesser-known Phoenix suburb used to be dominated by the agriculture and dairy industries, with a population of about 5,700 in 1980. These days, over 275,000 people call the area home with the housing, amenities and public infrastructure to complement this booming town.

This family-friendly suburb that stretches over 72 square miles rivals the vibe of Scottsdale while offering buyers a little relief on home prices, area real estate agents told Mansion Global. It’s also the kind of place that snowbirds seeking refuge from the blistering cold in the North and Midwest flock to in order to take advantage of its outdoor malls, walking and biking trails, golf courses and convivial atmosphere.

“It’s got a small-town feel with some big city flare that’s coming in,” said Jen Felker, an agent with Compass. “It’s very popular for all different age groups, and it offers something for everybody.”

Prices

Homes in Gilbert are generally more affordable than in Scottsdale, the town that real estate agents said bears the most similarities in terms of amenities.

The median home price in Gilbert hovers around $550,000—in Scottsdale it’s around $892,000—but can be much less or more depending on what kind of home you’re after, said Michael Steck, an agent with RETSY based in Scottsdale who works alongside his wife, Heather.

“It’s still affordable,” Michael said. “It’s definitely now becoming more of a target for snowbirds because of what you can get for the dollar.”

Townhomes and condos in Gilbert start at around $300,000, with most single-family homes surpassing $400,000 and more commonly coming in above $500,000, according to Jon Cooper of Cooper Premier Properties LLC. Luxury homes in Gilbert, of which there are many, are around $1 million to $1.2 million on average and are dotted throughout different subdivisions and pockets of town, Cooper said.

He currently represents a waterfront home on a double lot that dates to 1988 but has been fully updated with a home theater, elevator and saltwater swimming pool with a bar. It was most recently on the market for $3.59 million, and is now available as a rental for $15,000 per month. He said communities like this one, West Lake Estates, are popular with snowbirds who flock to the area for its man-made water views.

The Stecks currently hold the priciest single-family home listing in town, a 4.4-acre estate with a 10,000-square-foot main house, 6,000-square-foot entertainment pavilion, dedicated spa and go-kart track. It’s listed for $19.95 million and is anticipated to be the town’s priciest resale in history.

“There are luxury home builders that are building custom homes around here that start from $3 million and go to $25 million,” Michael Steck said. “Moral of the story is [that] the money is here and people are spending it.”

As for the future, Felker said she expects prices in town to increase, perhaps at a faster pace than the market itself, “simply because of how attractive Gilbert has become. People are starting to want a little less and to not have the hustle and bustle of the city.”

Housing Stock

Midwest- or East Coast-based snowbirds who are used to homes from the early 1900s may be shocked to find that an older home in Gilbert dates to the 1980s.

Many homes in the area hew closely to the typical southwest style with barrel-tiled roofs and brown stucco, and are in Homeowners Association, or HOA, communities. There are a few communities with standout styles, like Morrison Ranch, which features modern spins on Prairie- and farm-style homes, and Agritopia, a walkable agrihood with tree-lined streets. Those two neighborhoods “carry a premium,” Heather Steck said, because of how they stand out from the rest.

The SanTan area of Gilbert has the largest stock of newer homes, with many fewer than 5 years old, Cooper said.

Gilbert also has the unique advantage of a lusher landscape than the surrounding areas, a real point of attraction for second-home owners who swap the winter cold for Gilbert’s average winter daytime temperatures in the high ’60s.

“People migrate to Gilbert specifically because it doesn’t look like Scottsdale,” said Heather Steck. “There’s more trees, less cactuses.”

That’s owing to the area’s agricultural history, said Michael Steck. Because the soil was richer and less sandy, it could give root to more kinds of plants.

Despite its bounty of open space in the 1980s, Gilbert’s turn toward becoming a residential area means there are few stretches of land left to develop.

“We’re pretty much out of land,” Cooper said. “There are still some farms in Gilbert,” which have already given way to much of the development in the area, “but we’re pretty landlocked.”

Things to Do

The area is bustling with new attractions from Revel Surf, Arizona’s only man-made surf park, to the outdoor SanTan Mall that has boutiques and big-name shops alongside some of Cooper’s favorite restaurants like seafood spot Buck & Rider and upscale eatery Cooper’s Hawk.

Felker agrees that the SanTan Mall has been great for Gilbert. “It’s a big draw for a lot of people because there’s a movie theater, breweries, sushi restaurants, upscale steakhouses, major department stores—it offers a lot, and it’s all outdoors, which is fun for people, either living here or visitors,” Felker said.

Downtown Gilbert possesses some of the area’s old appeal with buildings dating to the early 1900s, and took cues from downtown Scottsdale with lights strung across the street and one-off restaurants and shops that charm, the Stecks said. Postino East, a wine bar, now occupies the town’s original post office, while Joe’s Real BBQ is a downtown mainstay.

Felker said Downtown Gilbert’s farmer’s market is a particularly happy scene on Saturdays, when families come out with their pets to shop from a variety of meat and produce vendors as well as craftspeople selling their goods. The Gilbert Regional Park also draws people on the weekends who take advantage of its pickleball courts, baseball fields and playgrounds.

“We think passionately about it because this is just such a great, well-rounded place that really has individual character,” Michael Steck said. “It’s building an identity as a destination area. Scottsdale used to be what everybody knows, but now Gilbert is taking over that.”