House, Condo, Townhome...?
New / Newer... Older / Historic?
A lot of people will suggest Scottsdale... but I would not go to far north, there are some great little 'sleeper' neighborhoods near Old town. Scottsdale....
Close to that the Arcadia in PHX area (near central Scottsdale) has always been a fave of mine...
Some great new condos, lofts and historic neighborhoods near central / downtown Phoenix (cooler / funkier than cookie cutter 'burb' housing)...
Tempe has some great condo living on the lake, close to everything, the lake and beach park are a great resource all year, and there are some great historic homes near old town Tempe, and older neighborhoods near there..
reviewing my list - looks like I like the more lush / greener areas...
there are some cool desert southwest styles in PHX from Glendale Ave to Shea 16th Street to Tatum/44th St...
Just depends what you like... buy as a rule, I would stay away from the extremes - too far east, north, west (burb land)... the extreme areas are cheaper but have not retained value as well as areas mentioned above, and I think my suggestions are areas with much more accessible with more to do.
