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In the far West Valley, northwest of Sun City Grand and south of Wickenburg, you'll find plenty of raw desert acreage known as Whispering Ranch.
This undeveloped land is becoming some of the most desirable and sought after property in Maricopa County. It is located about 13 miles
west of Grand Avenue on Patton Road, just west of Wittmann and the Hassayampa River. Situated in an Unincorporated area of Maricopa
County, to the north and west of the Town of Buckeye, it encompasses approximately 19,000 acres (about 29 +/- square miles). It was originally subdivided
in the late 1950's and early 1960's into approximately 3,400 five-acre parcels and 90 twenty acre parcels. At the southwestern portion of Whispering Ranch you will find the
Toyota Technical Testing Area (also known as Toyota Proving Grounds) occupying about 13,000 acres.
It is bordered to the North and West by Federal Land (Bureau of Land Management), to the south by the Toyota Proving Grounds and Douglas Ranch, and on the eastern side, civilization is being held back by the Hassayampa River (a dry riverbed most of the year, but it floods occasionally). Essentially, it is an island of privately owned land surrounded on three sides by government property. On the southern border, the master planned Douglas Ranch development is slated to be the largest planned development in Arizona history, encompassing 100,000 homes, not to mention all of the other shopping, recreation, education and employment development.
Major Freeways - as well as the CanaMex Highway - will cut through this area, as will the Wickenburg ByPass. In 2011, the Maricopa County Department of Transportation completed the study and recommended the north/south alignment for the Hidden Waters Parkway - a four lane divided parkway - running through the area. In the Fall of 2012, they will also announce they are proposing another east/west parkway along the current Dove Valley Road alignment. This parkway will necessitate a bridge over the Hassayampa River on the east side of Whispering Ranch and is rumored to run all that way to Wittmann and Grand Avenue to the east.
The 110 square mile (70,000 acre) Vulture Mountain Regional Park that borders the north side of Whispering Ranch was announced in January of 2012 by Maricopa County. This area will be managed by Maricopa County Parks Department in a situation similar to the White Tank Mountains Regional Park some 20 miles to the south and east. This Regional Park and Preserve area will keep this pristine raw desert area in is natural state for future generations to enjoy.
The twenty mile wide corridor between Wickenburg to the north and Interstate 10 to the south is where analysts predict the fastest growth of Maricopa County in the
next two decades. That is primarily because Whispering Ranch is sitting on top of the Hassayampa Aquifer, one of the largest untapped water resources in Maricopa County.
The abundance of ground water in this aquifer - and the ease of replacing water usage from the Central Arizona Project Canal - is why there is so much planned growth in this
part of the West Valley. Plans are in place for over 250,000 homes and 2 million new residents in this area of the West Valley over the next 20 years. Once our economy begins
to grow, watch out!! This area is destined to GROW ! !
This pristine desert area is gorgeous, with abundant saguaro cactus and spectacular mountain views in every direction, (Vulture Mountains to the north, Belmont
Mountains to the south west, White Tank Mountains to the south east) and as a bonus, some of the best property values in Maricopa County. This peaceful and quiet rural
setting, complete with native plants and animals, is a huge plus for people wanting a more tranquil lifestyle or looking for an area that is in the path of future growth. Most
of the acreage in Whispering Ranch is zoned R-190, which allows just one dwelling per five acre parcel. This allows plenty of elbow room from your neighbors. Prices in
today's market start in the the $2,500 per acre range meaning you can buy an average parcel for as little as $12,500. And if you want more spectacular parcels,
there are mountainside lots at a higher price. Or there are some parcels that are impacted by floodplain or floodway at lower bargain prices. Just a five or six miles to the east
parcels are selling at $30K per acre. So the Whispering Ranch parcels make economic sense for long term future appreciation. Buy low (today) - Sell high (future).
From an investment standpoint, Whispering Ranch is still in its early appreciation stages and has nowhere to go but up. We witnessed a parcel value increase of 800%
in 2005 before the current "Real Estate Adjustment" hit and prices declined by 60%. Even adjusting for the current decline in value, since 2003 parcel values have increased
in the neighborhood of 100%. Civilization is moving this direction (as evidenced by the forward movement of groundwork at the Douglas Ranch planned community
and the continued growth of Del Webb's Sun City Festival) and the current planning for the four lane divided Hidden Waters Parkway, there is little doubt these parcels will
be increasing in value in the future. This, of course, will bring the infrastructure (more paved roads, water, electric, etc.,which are missing at this point) and then you can imagine
what will happen to the values. NOW is definitely an opportune time to get "your piece of dirt"! Parcels in Whispering Ranch are still among the most affordable in Maricopa
County, even with the increases we have seen over the last few years. One past client said to me "This looks like what Cave Creek was when I bought there 30 years ago."
Hmmm . . . makes you think, doesn't
it.
With the recent Real Estate "adjustment", I'm getting a lot of calls from the contacts I have made in the past seven or
eight years - primarily from Buyers who have been thinking about buying a parcel in "The Ranch". The market has softened since the Real Estate frenzy of 2005 - prices
stabilized then dropped - but with all of the planned developments in the works, proposed roadway improvements and Buckeye, Surprise and Wickenburg annexation
plans, it is just a matter of time before this area goes through another "growth spurt". I have read economic articles indicating that 2011 may have been the bottom of the market.
Sadly, I am not seeing anything to indicate that the market is changing. From the lack of phone calls even in the face of declining prices, I am predicting a longer timeframe until this
area starts to see any significant improvement, despite the planned roadways.
With all of the recent changes in the market, I decided to take the time to recap what's been happening in the form of graphs that track Listing Prices, Sales Prices,
number of Days on the Market, and the number of Sales for each Quarter of the year, starting in January of 2004. The information gives you an idea of what how this market has grown
in the past few years. It also gives you an idea of what is to come in the future when people see how undervalued these prices are today and start to snap up these land investments.
To view the Whispering Ranch Activity click here.
Here is a list of the properties I currently have available for sale in Whispering Ranch. Just click here to view the list. The parcels are listed by
ascending price and you can easily see cost per acre, if they are impacted by floodplain and/or floodway, distance to power, and whether ths property Seller is offering to provide Seller
Financing for the property. The list will be updated each month so the effective date of this list will be noted at the bottom of the page. Until I find a way to connect these listings to the
local Multipe Listing Service with a "hot link" you will be only able to view the information, not see all of the listing information. But I'm going to keep working on this idea until I get it
worked out.
I have the latest freeway/roadway maps available from the Maricopa Association of Governments as they become available. These maps indicate where the Towns, Cities, Counties
and State Transportation Agencies are planning to put new Freeways, Parkways, Arterial roads and bridges (over the Hassayampa River for example into Whispering Ranch) or improve
existing transportation corridors. If you have stopped out and visited with us at "The Ranch" on one of our "Open Lot" days, you might have seen
some of these maps. As part of the planning process, these roadways are constantly going through changes, but what I see is that they all include roadways into the large planned
development areas, and into and out of and through Whispering Ranch. This part of the web site also has information and some history on Subdivision Public Reports and how they
can impact you as a Buyer or Seller in Arizona. To go into the area where I have some of these area roadway maps and links to the various Maricopa County Web sites, just click
here. This is one of the most popular pages on my web site, so don't miss it.
To get an idea of what has been happening in this area since early 2005, I have put together a recap of the information that I included on the maps that were
put in the information boxes on my signs for the past few years. The reverse chronology is difficult reading since the newest information is first and the older
information is last, but you will get the idea of what's been happening. These give you an idea of the various happenings in he area and how the local residents have kept me informed
of what they see happening as well. To view the Whispering Ranch Diary click here.
Please read the update in this section if you currently are under a grazing lease in Whispering Ranch. For those of
you who are interested in entering into "Grazing Leases" to lower your taxes, send me an e-mail and I'll return the information, contacts,
costs and instructions on how to start this process in time to lower your future property taxes. I got the updated information sent to me by the various County departments
in early 2008, and after meetings and discussions with the Assessor's Office, this looks like the real deal. OK, so it will cost you a few bucks to start the ball rolling and a
small annual fee, but that's better than paying higher taxes to the County and still having rough roads and plenty of potholes ! ! To get a better idea of what this exemption is,
how it works and the various forms you will need to fill out, click here.
We have been bugging the local officials to see what can be done to improve the streets and roads in Whispering Ranch ever since the taxes went through the roof. If we
are paying higher taxes, why are we not seeing any improvements in services from the County?? In 2011, the preferred alignment for the Hidden Waters Parkway running
north/south through the area was approved by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. In late 2012 they will also initiate the study for the Dove Valley Parkway running
east/west through the area. No one knows when these roadways will be built, but this section gives you an idea of what our efforts have been through the years. If you are
interested in more information, click here.
There have been a lot of questions about a sufficient power coming to all of "The Ranch" and we are mounting an effort to make our voice heard with Arizona Public
Service Company and the Arizona Corporation Commission. To get an idea of what has happened in the past, and what is currently happening with
Whispering Ranch Electrification Efforts, click on the highlighted section. Whether you are currently living in Whispering Ranch and want power brought in, bought
a parcel in Whispering Ranch and want to see prices rise, or are planning to build a home out in this area in the future, you really ought to get on board with this grass roots effort.
If you are interested in what meetings have been held recently in "The Ranch" or want to know about upcoming meetings that will have an effect on the future
of Whispering Ranch, click here Whispering Ranch Meetings click here.
For a directional map to get to Whispering Ranch click here. This is a large area map,
so you may have to scroll or zoom in or out to view it in its entirety. This is a large area, showing the northwest area of Maricopa County,
and "The Ranch" is highlighted. You can easily see what roads you'll need to take to get out to "The Ranch", whether you're coming out from
Phoenix or Wickenburg.
Here are also two detailed maps of Whispering Ranch that you can print and tape together if you want. It might be a good idea to print out the instructions on how to use the map (below) to help you understand some of the roadway markings once you get out there. This map will be invaluable in getting around in the area, since there are no street signs, and just plenty of unidentified dirt roads running all directions. That way you can have a copy of a map when you head out. Hopefully you won't get too lost. Make sure you take plenty of cold drinking water, a cell phone, a full tank of gas and a sense of adventure. A snake bite kit and flare gun are optional items.
Click here for a set of instructions how to use this Whispering Ranch map, and to coordinate road names with compass points once
you are in the subdivision. Or you can grab a map out of the red information boxes on the large signs I have at both of the roads coming into Whispering Ranch. One is
at Patton Road and 299th Avenue on the Wittman side of "The Ranch" and the other is at Carefree Highway and 347th Avenue over on the Vulture Mine Road side of
"The Ranch". I try to keep maps and flyers in both boxes, but let me know if you see that one or the other is empty.
Just so you know, on the second Saturday of each month, we set up our awning at the corner of 299th Avenue and Patton Road. Most Realtors hold an "Open House" when they have a property they are trying to sell. We're not that lucky. We don't have a house to sit in - so we have an "Open Lot". From 9 AM until I drop from exhaustion (usually about 5:00 or 6:00 PM) you can get maps (so you know how to get around), directions to the properties that I have on the market For Sale, information on what's happening in the area, and we normally have a complete list of properties on the market. In addition - and if you feel the need - we can give you a short guided tour of "The Ranch". I usually have a couple of other agents with me to help me get information out to anyone who stops by. Local residents stop by to see what's new and let us know what they see happening as well. It's a good chance to get a feel for what is on the market, and what is planned for the future as civilization heads this direction.
I have been specializing in Whispering Ranch since 2003 (when no one else wanted to be out there) and have established myself
as the "Go to Guy" (or as the locals like to call me "The King of Whispering Ranch") I've handled more than 150 transactions during this time and have
researched and prepared the maps and instructions to allow owners and investors to find their way out there. Being in the Real Estate field for more than
35 years, I have the expertise to assist you in most every endeavor of land sale transactions and have acquired many knowledgeable resources along the way.
Let me know if I can put this experience to work for you.
I would be most happy to assist you in any way possible - whether it is a personalized tour, additional information, specific research, or other questions
you may have about "The Ranch". Please feel free to contact me by E-mail from this site, or you may reach me on my mobile phone (602) 505-7675.
If you are interested in adding your e-mail address to my newsletter list, click here, and on the next page you will be asked to provide as little information
or as much information as you want. I can identify and give you and idea of your parcel location and value in today's market, or just keep you up to date on what's
hapening in Whispering Ranch as it happens. The choice is yours. Tell me what you want to know, and I'll see if I can get it to you. Advise me of how you want to
be involved in our efforts toward bringing in power, roadway maintenance, reducing taxes, etc., and I'll get you in front off the elected officials who can help us all.
Copyright 2004-2012, J. D. Liberty
