By STEPHEN HART

Think Auckland is growing quickly? Imagine trying to buy a home in Phoenix, Arizona, the fastest growing city in the United States.

We tend to think of Auckland as unique in terms of home buying. Our biggest city is expanding rapidly; whole new suburbs are being created, massive retail complexes are appearing in what were previously backwaters, and school zones morph as their rolls increase.

A couple of years ago we published the homebuyer’s guide Where to Live in Auckland to help buyers figure out which suburbs are right for them, where the best schools are and what prices they should be paying for prospective homes.

I recently returned from Arizona where we have formed a partnership with an American publisher to replicate the Where to Live model for major cities in the USA. Our first publication, Where to Live in Phoenix and the Valley of the Sun, has just gone on sale.

Like Auckland, Phoenix is growing like topsy - faster than any other US city according to the latest census data. A new home is built every five minutes. Phoenix is now the fifth-largest city in the USA. It contains about 1.4 million people, comparable to Auckland’s 1.3 million, but the Phoenicians are spread over 1330sq km compared to Auckland’s 630sq km, which gives a new perspective to our concerns about urban sprawl.

People are attracted to Phoenix by a booming local economy, affordable housing and, of course, the weather - the average daily high temperature is 29 degrees and it’s sunny for 350 days of the year. Mind you, on a hot summer’s day it can reach well over 45 degrees

So how does Phoenix compare to Auckland from a homebuyer’s point of view? The lending market is equally competitive and mortgages over 30 years are standard. Buyers’ agents - who represent the interests of the buyer only - are common and real estate agents’ fees payable by the vendor are twice those in New Zealand. Auctions are non-existent and offering homes for sale without a price just doesn’t happen. The weather is too good for time wasting.

Prices are not that different in the middle of the market. In South Phoenix, which we gave three out of five stars, a 4 bedroom family home can be bought for $NZ380,000 to $NZ600,000. This compares with three star Onehunga, where a renovated villa on a full site demands upwards of $500,000. But at the top end it might cost you more to buy into Phoenix. A 4 bedroom family home in ritzy Paradise Valley demands $NZ3-4.5million. In five star Parnell or Remuera, a similar property can be bought for about $2 million.

On the outskirts of Phoenix, vast tracts of the desert are being transformed. Every other person you meet is a Hummer-driving real estate agent or Donald Trump wannabe. New cities of fake-lake, master-planned communities are appearing where once there were only cacti and rattlesnakes. Sleepy burghs like Buckeye in the West Valley are expected to grow from a population of 8000 two years ago to 150,000 by the end of the decade. There are some seriously sized homes being built, but I’d say 200sq m is the standard with one bathroom per bedroom.

Downtown Phoenix is a snarl of construction traffic; sleek glass and stainless steel apartment towers are being built, complete with personal elevators, and 3000 people waiting lists. Some off-plan offers sell out within 18 hours. Paradise Valley, Arcadia and North Scottsdale have always been the places to live. But instead of bumping into society matrons wearing sensible shoes and a string of pearls on their way to bridge club, you are more likely to encounter blonde trophy wives clad in $30,000 worth of designer buckskin en route to pilates in red Porsche convertibles. God bless America.

Phoenix, like Auckland, has its share of places that buyers should try to avoid. Here’s an extract from Where to Live in Phoenix about West Phoenix:

"South of Camelback Road the area goes medieval in a hurry. Junk stacked on porches, laundry hanging in carports, shopping carts in yards, BEWARE OF THE DOG signs. It gets even worse close to Interstate 10, where the aforementioned features actually characterise the better areas."

In Auckland in 2006, buying in the right area is critical if you want to maximise your chances of capital growth. In Phoenix things are a little easier right now. Over the last few years, 40 per cent annual sales price increases have not been uncommon. Last year, buyers would have been disappointed if they achieved only 25 per cent.

Stephen Hart is the author of Where to Live in Auckland and a Director of HomeFinders.

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