darwin,
Theres an old saying in real estate. There are 3 factors - location, location, location.
Seriuously, where you look is dependant on lots of stuff. Where are you going to work? If I had a job in Chandler I sure as hell wouldn't live where I do in the northeast area. OTOH if you work in Carefree, you don't want to live in Apache Junction (which I think is still in Arizona?).
The question is, where are you going to work, and how much can you spend on housing. In Phoenix you pretty much get (schools, crime, etc) what you pay for. In general, norther and easter is better and pricier.