The Sedona Lifestyle! Tell me about the Sedona Lifestyle.
The quality of life is exceptional in Sedona. You wake up every morning to the inexhaustible splendor of the red rocks, the pristine 1.8 million acre Coconino National Forest and if you’re lucky to the sound of the riparian rich Oak Creek. The sun is shining most days and the air and water are clean. You feel good! You live in a place where millions vacation.
Sedona is a beautiful retreat from big city life. It is only 90 minutes from a major city where everything is available without having to live in it. Stores like Home Depot & the Super Walmart are a mere 20 minutes away. For a small town with an area population of 17,000, Sedona is a very sophisticated place with annual favorites like the “Jazz on the Rocks” festival, local Shakespeare festival, International Film Festival, Chamber Music Sedona events, Canyon Moon Theater and dozens of art and sculpture shows.
Sedona is known world wide as a thriving artist’s community with hundreds of resident artists and over 40 galleries exhibiting a full spectrum of visual arts. Over 90 movies have been made in Sedona and we have our very own film school. The Sedona Arts Center is home to dozens of local artists who offer classes, host monthly shows and display their work in the members’ gallery. We have a Community College that offers an incredible line up of classes.
Sedona promotes health & well being and offers simplicity and beauty – two precious commodities these days. You feel like you live in a National Park yet you are surrounded by all the amenities - fine restaurants, world class resorts & spas and great shopping - of a place that is second only in popularity to the Grand Canyon in Arizona as a tourist destination. Sedona is recognized as a place of healing – it inspires, refreshes and renews. It has an eclectic population coming from all over the world and the people are warm and friendly.
You will likely catch “Red Rock Fever” as most do and spend your days in Sedona dreaming of moving to the area. There’s no graffiti except for the symbols etched or painted on rock faces near ancient dwelling sites. The community’s residents work diligently to preserve Sedona’s uniqueness to the extent that we have the only teal MacDonald’s arch and you won’t see any billboards beckoning you to buy something.
What is there to do in Sedona?
Sedona offers incredible recreational opportunities all year long. It is a playground for all the “buffs” you can think of including history, geology, archaeology, outdoor, art and scenery. You can hike Sedona’s 130-plus trails surrounded by the famed, red glow of buttes, pinnacles and hoodoos that were 350 million years in the making. Many of these trails are right outside the door. There is an extensive connection of bike trails, horseback riding trails and 180 species of recorded bird life for all the bird watchers. Sedona is among North America’s best mountain-biking destinations. There are lots of golf courses to choose from including award-winning 7 Canyons Golf Resort, skiing is only an hour away in Flagstaff, the weather is perfect for tennis and motorcycle enthusiasts love the area. Slide Rock State Park and Red Rock State Park offer residents and visitors lots of enjoyment.
What is the climate like?
Sedona is located in Arizona’s high desert (upper margin of the Sonoran Desert) at the southwestern rim of the Colorado Plateau. It is about 4,500 feet above sea level giving it four relatively mild seasons making the climate about 15 degrees cooler than Phoenix or Tucson. Sedona’s annual average high temperature is 75 degrees (F) and the average low is 46 degrees (F). Typical summer highs are in the 80’s and 90’s but we always get night time lows in the 60’s. Winter highs are typically in the 50’s with occasional 70 degree days and occasional 30 degree days. Our more than 17 inches of rain per year far exceeds the true definition of a desert which has 10 inches or less.
What kind of Real Estate Market can I expect?
Now is a great time to buy real estate in Sedona - interest rates are low, it’s a “Buyer’s Market” so prices are more attractive than they have been for some time & there is a nice selection of property to choose from. It is a unique window of opportunity which is not expected to last – we have a very small market, land is limited and Sedona’s popularity continues to grow.
Living in Sedona is an elective decision for the most part as few families are obliged to relocate to Sedona due to job requirements. Sedona has all ranges of real estate prices whether you are looking for a condo or an estate. The architecture is varied and interesting and the terrain offers a full range of lots from those that sit on high hills or blend into rolling ridges to ones that are hidden in canyons or hug the cliffs of Oak Creek.
The market is typically conservative as most property owners do not need to sell which makes for a stable market. While the sales for single family homes are down 34% from 2006 to 2007, the median selling price is only down 6%. Our home prices range from $250,000 to $29,000,000 and the median selling price of a home was $595,000 in 2007.
Sedona is surrounded on all sides by the Coconino National Forest making it essentially an island of private property so it is unable to grow outward. City Planners project that in only 12 years Sedona will be 91 – 95% built out and this will impact the market appreciably. Real estate markets in Arizona, which just surpassed Nevada as the fastest growing state, are expected to perform very well for decades to come fueled by tourism, retirement and second home buyers. Our prices are still very attractive when compared to places of equal allure like Jackson Hole, Aspen, Santa Fe and Palm Springs and certainly incredibly cheap compared to many other places in the world like London, Paris or Hong Kong.
Taxes
Arizona is a “wealthy friendly” state and in the bottom quadrant of the US for combined taxation rates and policies. When compared to other areas, many people find Sedona property taxes to be reasonable. Go to http://www.co.yavapai.az.us/WorkArea/showcontent.aspx?id=26428 for all the details.
