Maricopa County

Mesa

Where the math still works if you don't need it to be pretty

Mesa is the workhorse. It's the biggest city in the East Valley by footprint and the one where the math still works if you don't need the house to be pretty. The stock is mostly sixties-through-eighties ranches on real lots, rents are reasonable, and there are pockets — around downtown, and east Mesa near the 202 — that are visibly improving faster than their prices say. It's not where I'd buy a house I want to show off. It's where I'd buy a rental.

What will bite you

Mesa is huge — over 130 square miles — and "Mesa" prices hide that west Mesa and east Mesa are two different markets. Always check which zip code you're actually in.