Located just 28 miles to the northeast of Phoenix, Gainey Ranch stands out as one of the best-known master-planned communities in Scottsdale. It sits just off 101 Loop and south of East Mountain View Road. It is west of North Hayden Drive, north of East Doubletree Ranch Road, and encompasses its own eponymous award-winning 27-hole golf course.

Nestled in a peerless, centralized location in Scottsdale, Gainey Ranch is conveniently located close to a number of key local amenities and services. The community is also hallmarked with appealing features like scenic lake vistas and acres of rolling manicured greens.

Even more, buyers will find a wide array of home styles available in Gainey Ranch, all of which are spread out among the numerous diverse neighborhoods that make up the community. Some of these individual neighborhoods consist of private subdivisions. Many of them also are governed by their own homeowner's associations.

More than 2000 people call this upscale master-planned community home. It features a combined population of single households, families, and retirees.

Much of the real estate market in Gainey Ranch consists of resale single-family and attached homes. However, a few vacant lots are available for new construction. Buyers can contact local real estate professionals like Carl Chapman and West USA Realty to see the available listings on the market in Gainey Ranch.

People who live in Gainey Ranch enjoy access to world-class amenities, including a community clubhouse, found throughout the various neighborhoods. They are also just minutes away from some of the best shopping found in the Greater Phoenix area. Some of the retail centers that are close to Gainey Ranch include:

• Gainey Village Shops
• Mountain View Plaza
• Scottsdale Promenade
• Old Town Scottsdale
• Pima Crossing
• Scottsdale Fiesta

Even more, Gainey Ranch was created to be a self-contained community that provides homeowners here with most or all of the services and conveniences that they need to live comfortably.

Gainey Ranch got its start in 1985 when the first of the new homes were built here. Construction on new homes continued through 1997. Buyers can now find a wide variety of homes, including townhouses, condominiums and apartments, routinely for sale on the real estate market in Gainey Ranch.

The homes for sale in Gainey Ranch are located on land that was once used to raise champion Arabian horses. In fact, it gets its name from the land's original owner, Daniel C. Gainey, who enjoyed a reputation as a famed Arabian horse breeder. He was so respected and well-known that he was friends with two U.S. presidents.

The Gainey sold the land to Markland Properties in the early 1980s with the specific intention of using it for residential buildings. It now primarily exists as a mixed-use community, featuring both residences and commercial areas.

It also has its own upscale, members-only country club, named after Daniel Gainey. The country club offers even more amenities like fitness centers, swimming pools, and croquet lawns.

The homes in Gainey Ranch are designed to be just as luxurious and upscale as the community and its amenities themselves. As mentioned, the real estate market here consists of spacious and beautiful single-family homes. However, there are also luxury townhouses, condominiums, and apartments available to people who want to buy homes in Gainey Ranch.

Given the exclusivity and appeal of Gainey Ranch, it is expected that home prices reflect the growing demand for housing here. The median sale price for a home in Gainey Ranch sits just at $714,000. However, current prices can actually range from $695,000 to as much as $$2.39 million.

Further, closing prices on homes for sale in Gainey Ranch range from $320,000 to $1.05 million. Buyers pay an average of $499 per square foot for homes in this upscale master-planned community.

It is not uncommon for homes on the market in Gainey Ranch to range in size from 954 to more than 6800 square feet. Further, many homes here have anywhere from two to seven bedrooms, as well as two to eight bathrooms. The homes can sit on half to five-acre lots and have two, three, and four-car garages.

The average property tax bill in Gainey Ranch is right around $5800 a year. The taxes are paid on top of homeowners association fees or assessments, which can cost homeowners here anywhere from $200 to $900 a month, depending on the size and location of their homes in Gainey Ranch.

Further, home prices have gone up markedly in the last year. Homes for sale in Gainey Ranch are priced $230,000 more, on average, than they were a year ago.

Even more, houses in Gainey Ranch sell faster today than they did a year ago. Last year, it took home around 103 days to sell once it was listed on the market. Today, however, a home can sell as fast as 22 days after listing. Real estate agents typically sell anywhere from eight to 12 houses per month in Gainey Ranch.

The homes in Gainey Ranch arguably sell faster because of their upscale visual appeal. In fact, buyers will find well-made houses that feature sturdy stucco or stone exteriors. The outsides of the homes here also feature paved driveways, lush green landscaping, gated front entrances, and covered front terraces.

The insides of the homes typically come with luxury features and amenities like:

• Double door front entrances
• Floor to ceiling windows
• Sliding patio doors
• Fireplaces in the living room and master suites
• Formal dining rooms
• Tile floors
• Oak or cherry wood cabinetry
• Breakfast nooks
• Kitchen bars
• Quartz counters
• Stainless steel appliances
• Recessed lighting
• Pantries
• Offices or libraries
• Ceiling fans
• Carpeted bedrooms
• Walk-in closets with built-in wardrobes and shelves
• Deep garden bathtubs
• Double basin vanity sinks
• Lighted vanity mirrors

The backyards of the homes in Gainey Ranch are enclosed with privacy fencing. They also have covered back terraces with paved or stone patios.

Everyday life outside of the homes in Gainey Ranch falls under the governance of the Gainey Ranch Community Association, or GRCA. The GRCA functions like a homeowners association. It is located at 7720 Gainey Ranch Road, across the street from the Gainey Estate Club, in Scottsdale.

The GRCA oversees daily life, function, and safety in all of the various individual neighborhoods within the entire community. People who buy homes in Gainey Ranch become automatic members of the GRCA.

They pay a monthly fee of $257 for their memberships and also pay separate membership dues to the HOA that oversees the neighborhood or subdivision in which their homes are located. The subdivision or neighborhood HOA fees can range from $364 to $682 a month and must be paid on top of the $257 a month GRCA fee.

Further, new homeowners must pay a one-time upfront GRCA assessment that is equal to one-half percent of their homes' values. This assessment fee is capped at $6000.

The GRCA also employs onsite administrative, security, and maintenance teams to assist it with maintaining the high quality of life in the community. It coordinates with the staff at the Gainey Estate Club to ensure that all of the amenities there are available to homeowners in the Gainey Ranch.

Homeowners in Gainey Ranch can find a list of amenities available throughout the community on the GRCA website. They can also find a list of vendors that the GRCA has approved to provide services to homeowners in the community. These services include those for:

• Painting
• Glass, screens and mirrors
• Carpet cleaning
• Heating and cooling
• Beauty
• Art
• Home decorating and renovation
• Health and fitness
• Beauty and salon services

The GRCA website also serves as a reference for where the individual neighborhoods are located in the community. Some of the neighborhoods found in Gainey Ranch include:

• Arroyo Vista
• Courts
• Enclave
• Enclave II
• Estates
• Golf Cottages
• Golf Villas
• Golf Villas III
• Greens
• Legends
• North Meadow
• North Meadow II
• Oasis
• Pavilions
• Sunset Cove
• Vaquero Drive

Finally, the GRCA functions to ensure that all of the facilities and amenities in Gainey Ranch are modern, updated, and capable of passing inspections. It continues to undertake a major renovation of the Gainey Estate Club.

It notes on its website that the GRCA aims to keep the estate club as modern as possible to make the entire community appealing to newcomers. It also wants to avoid the impression of the community being aged and not as luxurious and upscale as newer master-planned communities in the area.

With that, it plans to replace or update key fixtures, such as the wiring, electrical fixtures, heating and cooling system, plumbing, and flooring in the estate club. The GRCA says that this major overhaul of the estate club will not only make it more appealing to residents but also ensures that the club passes code inspections.

The GRCA also offers residents a comprehensive list of things to see, do and enjoy in and around the community. The community's eponymous estate club, of course, offers a number of amenities that residents can make use of year-round. These amenities include:

• State-of-the-art fitness centers with workout equipment
• A 25-meter swimming pool
• Tennis courts
• A catering kitchen
• An event lawn for outdoor festivities and meetings

Residents of Gainey Ranch can also find a host of amenities and services at the Gainey Ranch Health Club and Spa, which offers:

• Massages
• Body treatments
• An outdoor swimming pool with lanes
• Poolside seating

Moreover, all homeowners in Gainey Ranch have the opportunity to join the Gainey Ranch Golf Club. This country club makes available services and amenities that are available just to people who pay for memberships to it.

The premier amenity found at the Gainey Ranch Golf Club is its 27-hole golf course, which was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. It is hallmarked with features like lush greens, challenging fairways, three nines, waterfalls, and waterways. Members can reserve tee and playing times on the golf course's website. They can also find playing and scorecard rules and sign up to host a tournament.

When not playing rounds of golf, members can indulge in some of the club's upscale dining options. The club makes available two onsite dining facilities, the Crossroads Dining Room and Patio and The Nest.

The Crossroads Dining Room and Patio offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus. It also has a family-style menu available for members of the club. The Nest offers an all-day menu and can provide to-go dining options for members.

The GRCA likewise provides a full list of events, amenities, and things to do close to Gainey Ranch. For example, the community is located close to the sites where some of the best seasonal events are held each year. People who live in Gainey Ranch can easily attend the:

• Phoenix Film Festival
• Scottsdale Art Walk
• Davis Circus of Illusion
• Scottsdale Culinary Festival
• Barret-Jack Collector Car Auction
• MBA Cardinals spring training

The community is also just minutes from attractions like:

• The Phoenix Zoo
• Desert Botanical Gardens
• The Scottsdale Museum of the West
• The Scottsdale Center for Performance Arts
• The Musical Instrument Museum

Likewise, Gainey Ranch residents who want to get out and enjoy the nightlife are close to popular hotspots like the Center Stage Bar, the Talking Stick Resort and the Blue Martini bar.

Gainey Ranch is also just 21 miles from Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport. People who live in Gainey Ranch can get to it by taking the south Loop 101. The community also sits just 11 miles north on North Scottsdale Road from the Scottsdale Airport.

Finally, Gainey Ranch is located within the Scottsdale Unified Public School District. Parents who live here can send their children to nearby public schools like Cochise Elementary School, Cocopah Middle School, and Chaparral High School.

The Scottsdale Unified School District actually has a total of 20 elementary schools available for students in preschool through fifth grade. It makes available 10 middle schools that serve students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades and six high schools for students in grades nine through 12.

The Scottsdale Unified School District gets a national grade of A, excelling in key areas like academics, teachers, and college preparation. It gets a grade of B in areas like clubs and activities, diversity and health, and safety.

In the state of Arizona, the Scottsdale Unified School District likewise performs well. In fact, Arizona ranks the district as the fourth-best in the state, beating out 111 other districts. It is also ranked fourth best for student-athletes and seventh for having the best quality of teachers working for it.

More than 22,0000 attend the 36 individual schools located throughout the Scottsdale Unified Public School District. This student population allows the district to offer a student-to-teacher ratio of 18 to one, which is just a bit higher than the overall U.S. student-to-teacher ratio of 16:1.

Further, students who attend the Scottsdale Unified Public School District typically outperform their statewide and national peers in standardized testing. In fact, the state's standardized test scores show that 63 percent of the district's students meet proficiency standards in both mathematics and reading. These scores are far higher than the national proficiency scores of 35 percent in reading and 34 percent in mathematics.

With that in mind, parents can also be assured of their students' success in taking college admissions tests like the ACT. District statistics show that the average ACT score in the Scottsdale Unified School District is 28, which is notably higher than the national ACT score average of 20.6. A score of 28 is widely accepted as worthy of partial or full-ride scholarships at most state universities and colleges.

Last, the public school district in Scottsdale boasts an overall graduation rate of 90 percent. This percentage is five percent higher than the national high school graduation rate.

Many of the students who graduate from the Scottsdale Unified School District attend Arizona State University. However, a fair number choose to go to other in-state universities like the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University.