Uprooting to Arizona! Please help! (Phoenix, Tucson: appointed, to rent, hotel)

[keigaro]

I am in need of some information!! Me, my husband, two children, and dog, are moving to Arizona from NC on July 1st. I have been searching on the internet for information but there is nothing like finding out right from the people who are already there! We have never moved and was born and raised right here in Fayetteville, NC, so this is a big step and a big change for us. I will list some information and please tell me if you can help.

me: worked for Army Recruiting for 11 years, and have owned painting and home improvement business for 16 years.

husband: Has worked mainly as a vehicle body repair, modification, and paint person, but also runs the painting and home improvement business while I worked during the day. (has a modified low rider truck)

children: have two children, one going to 7th grade and one going to 9th grade.

dog: have an akita, female dog

We like to live about 10-20 minutes close to a town, like we do now, but would like to have an area off by ourselves. We love to grow things, work in the yard, and build stuff around the house. We like to surround ourselves with more of an older crowd, we are in our early 30's but hang around mostly people in there 50's and above. Also, we are not restuarant eating, shopping, nor party people. Neither of us drink alcohol. We are currently going to rent the house that we own now out and we will need a place to rent when we move there. A couple that we know used to live in Arizona and they said they just drove there, stayed in a hotel until they could find something, but they had the money to do that. It costs $1600 just to rent a uhaul to travel that far, so we will be driving one truck and pulling another instead.

If anyone can offer me any help please do! I am getting a little anxious as the time draws near!

[kdog]

My advice is to stay put where you are now. If $1600 to rent a U-Haul sounds like a lot of money to you, then it sounds like you don't have the financial backing for this adventure. In fact, I think it would be downright irresponsible, especially for the kids. Your skills are not particularly lucrative in AZ and you will have tons of competition, much of which will be from immigrant labor willing to work for $10/hour. Is that going to be enough to finance your little dream ranch just outside a city? The most disgruntled people we've seen in this forum are the ones who move here looking to get away from something and for a better life, and are severely disappointed when they don't find it here. Please don't be one of those people. Stay where you are now, live below your means and build your wealth. Then someday when you are successful you may revisit the idea again.

[Nanny Goat]

I'd look more closely at what the employment options here are, cost of living here vs there and what you are really trying to gain with a move. Good luck to you.

[MotleyCrew]

I would recommend having a years wages set aside for emergency things that will most likely pop up with such an adventure. We pulled up stakes and came here without jobs but we are self employed in a professional occupation and the economy was booming at the time. We did not predict this economic crash and it hit our industry very hard. I agree with the poster that mentioned our guest labor situation and many older residents in Sun City seem to depend on them for help around the house. With unemployment being so high right now I suspect your competition with new handymen with Master degrees will be significant. Think about it before you come over.

[azdr0710]

do you absolutely have to move???......are the kids going to be ok being "uprooted"?....is there more to the story?....

this could be difficult.....and there really aren't places like Fayetteville out here with places just outside of town to set up a semi-independent operation....anything near a town is usually somewhat pricey unless you are very rural....towns are further apart from each other out here than back east....

sorry to be doom and gloom, but this might need more thinking....can you visit first before committing?....if you can do that hotel thing your friends did, it could help before you start pulling vehicles and stuff....

careful about expenses!!!!

[keninaz]

Jobs are tough all over, that's for sure.
What kind of climate are you looking for?
Phoenix is pretty hot in the summer but nice in the winter.
You need elevation in AZ to get 4 seasons and a cooler climate.
Do you want a larger town or something smaller?

[IndianGoldEagle]

Originally Posted by keigaro

I am in need of some information!! Me, my husband, two children, and dog, are moving to Arizona from NC on July 1st. I have been searching on the internet for information but there is nothing like finding out right from the people who are already there! We have never moved and was born and raised right here in Fayetteville, NC, so this is a big step and a big change for us. I will list some information and please tell me if you can help.

me: worked for Army Recruiting for 11 years, and have owned painting and home improvement business for 16 years.

husband: Has worked mainly as a vehicle body repair, modification, and paint person, but also runs the painting and home improvement business while I worked during the day. (has a modified low rider truck)

children: have two children, one going to 7th grade and one going to 9th grade.

dog: have an akita, female dog

We like to live about 10-20 minutes close to a town, like we do now, but would like to have an area off by ourselves. We love to grow things, work in the yard, and build stuff around the house. We like to surround ourselves with more of an older crowd, we are in our early 30's but hang around mostly people in there 50's and above. Also, we are not restuarant eating, shopping, nor party people. Neither of us drink alcohol. We are currently going to rent the house that we own now out and we will need a place to rent when we move there. A couple that we know used to live in Arizona and they said they just drove there, stayed in a hotel until they could find something, but they had the money to do that. It costs $1600 just to rent a uhaul to travel that far, so we will be driving one truck and pulling another instead.

If anyone can offer me any help please do! I am getting a little anxious as the time draws near!

Take a look at the Sierra Vista area as it might be easier to find work there. Also cooler weather than Phoenix or Tucson. For real cheap living look at Sunsites, a retirement area that is 1 hour east of Tucson. Not much there and closest town is Wilcox 26 miles away, but a good place to live if you don't mind driving a bit for major shopping.

[keigaro]

There is more to the story...we need to have a change of environment to try and save my teenage girls life or I am afraid it will be doomed. Fayetteville, NC is completely HORRIBLE with murders, robbings, rapes, gangs, and so forth. The economic side is not so great anywhere I dont think! My husband chose Arizona because his friend was always trying to get him to move there.

I have money, but am a tight wad unless it involves tools! I love tools and building things. So yeah $1600 for a uhaul verses buying a used car trailer for $50 and welding some new fenders for $21 to pull our own crap? I choose pull my own! I dont work just to give my money away for something that my husband and I can build ourselves.

We hear nothing but good things about Arizona from many people, and I am researching on the internet. No 26 miles from major shopping would suit me just fine! I dont do much shopping. By major shopping do you mean like department stores or walmarts? Dont go to restuarants, so you can count that out.

10/hr is more than you make here. is that under the table? I normal work for realty companies or builders or find the stuff myself. My husbands friend has a guy who owns a car shop where he can get a job, but he said that he has to show up in person. Let me know if you think of anyone else.

It is not irresponsible to be spontaneous once in a while as long as I have the brain and the money to be. Also I am smart enough to know that if I stay there for a week and dont like it or cant find anything I do have a plan B

[~PaperMoon~]

Don't let the others discourage you, I say go for it!

[kdog]

Originally Posted by keigaro

There is more to the story...we need to have a change of environment to try and save my teenage girls life or I am afraid it will be doomed. Fayetteville, NC is completely HORRIBLE with murders, robbings, rapes, gangs, and so forth. The economic side is not so great anywhere I dont think! My husband chose Arizona because his friend was always trying to get him to move there.

I have money, but am a tight wad unless it involves tools! I love tools and building things. So yeah $1600 for a uhaul verses buying a used car trailer for $50 and welding some new fenders for $21 to pull our own crap? I choose pull my own! I dont work just to give my money away for something that my husband and I can build ourselves.

We hear nothing but good things about Arizona from many people, and I am researching on the internet. No 26 miles from major shopping would suit me just fine! I dont do much shopping. By major shopping do you mean like department stores or walmarts? Dont go to restuarants, so you can count that out.

10/hr is more than you make here. is that under the table? I normal work for realty companies or builders or find the stuff myself. My husbands friend has a guy who owns a car shop where he can get a job, but he said that he has to show up in person. Let me know if you think of anyone else.

It is not irresponsible to be spontaneous once in a while as long as I have the brain and the money to be. Also I am smart enough to know that if I stay there for a week and dont like it or cant find anything I do have a plan B

Thanks for the additional info. It sounds like you have a good attitude and that will be beneficial in a big change like this. You might want to check out northern AZ in your research, and of course I'm partial to Kingman. There's lots of open land and cheap properties out this way within 10 to 30 minutes outside of town. We have a few big box stores like Home Depot, Staples, Walmart, Petco, etc. Plus we're 90 minutes from Las Vegas if you need some specialty items. At 3500' altitude we have a very nice climate too.