Not all blocks in any given Valley ZIP code are alike.
Most are full of diverse neighborhoods, where home prices can vary by
tens of thousands of dollars street by street.
For example, there's an enclave in the 85003 ZIP code, home to several
central Phoenix historic neighborhoods, where the median home price is
$302,500.
Just a few streets to the south in the same ZIP code, the typical home
sells for only $76,000.
So housing statistics in
The Arizona Republic's Valley
Housing Values Report online are also broken down by mail carrier
routes, which span only four to five blocks.
For example, the overall median home price in Chandler is $189,900,
there are twelve neighborhoods, or carrier routes, where the median
price is above $200,000.
Chandler's most high-end neighborhood, which is full of new homes, has
a median home price of nearly $500,000.
Posh Paradise Valley's typical house sells for about $906,000, but in
one neighborhood most houses sell for $400,000.
The typical home in Paradise Valley's priciest enclave near Mummy
Mountain sells for $1.3 million.
By typing in a house's address, the Web sites then search for the mail
carrier route attached to the home.
Data for all routes within a ZIP code are analyzed and compared.
There are fewer
than 100 Zip codes in Greater Phoenix, and more than 2,500 mail
carrier routes. The data for a
mail carrier route should gives a much better idea of how a home is
appreciating. You can find your carrier route at the
US Postal Service site. Fill in the
ZIP code form and click on the 'Submit' button. On the results page
click on "Mailing Industry Information" to get your carrier route.