Moving to Arizona (Phoenix, Tucson, Prescott: housing, rent, lease)

[ssundown]

Hi everyone! Just found this site. It is very interesting. Have been learning alot. Would like opinions on where exactly to move to in Arizona. Husband is a house painter and I am in the medical field. Would like a small town feel but not to expensive. I have lived in Ohio all my life. Small town near Akron. It is considered rural but doesn't feel like it with all the development going on. Would like to make a good living. Tired of the cold winters. Time to move west. Please if anyone has any ideas I would welcome them. Thanks

[LordBalfor]

Well, how much heat are you willing to take in the summer?
How cold are you willing to get in the winter?
Temps in Arizona are largely determined by altitude. Northern Arizona is on a high plateau - which means cooler, more pleasant summers, but colder in the winter. Southern Arizona is generally lower (especially on the western side) so the winters are much more mild (pretty perfect by most folks standards probably) but the summers are extremely hot (hottest in the country) in the SW corner and cooler in the SE corner (which is a bit higher). I selected the SE corner of the state as my retirement destination because the climate is pretty ideal by my standards.

Other things to consider:

How important are the quality of the schools (do you have kids)?

Will you miss having trees (if so that leaves out much of Southern Arizona)?

What about crime?

Ken

[mrbradleyb]

Originally Posted by ssundown

Hi everyone! Just found this site. It is very interesting. Have been learning alot. Would like opinions on where exactly to move to in Arizona. Husband is a house painter and I am in the medical field. Would like a small town feel but not to expensive. I have lived in Ohio all my life. Small town near Akron. It is considered rural but doesn't feel like it with all the development going on. Would like to make a good living. Tired of the cold winters. Time to move west. Please if anyone has any ideas I would welcome them. Thanks

Make a good living and housing cost are things that you need to consider AZ isn't a union state.

I know that Yavapai Regional Medical Center is hiring for medical. Painters are not in high demand anywhere in AZ. Prescott or Prescott Valley may have what you are looking for. We get snow, like today but it is usually gone by midday. I am a native of Prescott, love the big city to visit, but Prescott is my home. Moderator cut: realtor advertising
Good Luck and welcome to Arizona.

[MotleyCrew]

I would suggest reading the City by City forum at the top of the AZ page. Folks have taken some time to post their oppinions on the different cities around AZ. The area is so large it is hard to tell people where to start if they do not have a job in place at the time they start to look. Plenty of hospitals in most of the areas. The "small town" feel is difficult close to Phoenix, but in some of the higher elevations, like Prescott, you might find what you are seeking.

[ssundown]

Thanks for all the ideas. Kids are grown. Not yet retirement age. Prescott looks wonderful but from what I have been reading it sounds really expensive. What's up with the not good for house painters? Don't they paint their houses in AZ.

[Gretchen B]

Originally Posted by ssundown

Thanks for all the ideas. Kids are grown. Not yet retirement age. Prescott looks wonderful but from what I have been reading it sounds really expensive. What's up with the not good for house painters? Don't they paint their houses in AZ.

The problem with any job associated with construction right now is that the housing market in AZ was booming for quite a while, and it seemed that many businesses sprang up, i.e. painting, drywall, framing, tiling, roofing, etc. And when there was a lot of new construction there was plenty of work to go around. Now, with the housing slowdown, we're seeing a lot of businesses associated with construction folding. People with special skills and talents seem to still be keeping busy, especially on some of the custom, high-end homes, and also some quality remodels. I would say the downturn has probably weeded out most of the low-quality construction. Unfortunately, a few of the good guys are gone now, too.

[mikec34]

Originally Posted by ssundown

Hi everyone! Just found this site. It is very interesting. Have been learning alot. Would like opinions on where exactly to move to in Arizona. Husband is a house painter and I am in the medical field. Would like a small town feel but not to expensive. I have lived in Ohio all my life. Small town near Akron. It is considered rural but doesn't feel like it with all the development going on. Would like to make a good living. Tired of the cold winters. Time to move west. Please if anyone has any ideas I would welcome them. Thanks

i've met several people from ohio that want or plan to move to AZ. what's up with the AZ myth in that part of the country? why not texas?

i'm one of the few natives left in AZ, and i personally hate it. the temps drop radically from day to night during both seasons of the year (brief winter and summer). this make for uncomfortable days...wear a sweater at night, but have to change during the day. and let me tell you my friend just how important humidty is, which AZ (the valley, where the jobs are and the only realistic place to lie except tucson for working adults) has none. this temp difference, though, helps in the summer when temps are always around 38-44c for 7 months out of the year.

now the housing market got insanely out of control compared with local salaries. however, the last year there have been serious reductions. from a year ago i feel the job market is much worse, and this is probably due to a sluggish local economy. the unemployment is still excellent, just feels like job growth is very slow.


there are mountains 2.5-3 hours away from the valley area (metro phoenix), and a few desert lakes here and there. there's skiing in flagstaff. trout fishing in the mountains (3 hours away, or two if you count payson).

yet, the nice places in AZ aren't the places where the jobs and people are. ie metro phoenix/tuscon. so if you like dry temps year round, and 85-110f temps from march to late november sometimes, with little rain all year, then the valley specifically (not the entire AZ state), is the place for you. people in AZ will often tell you 'AZ is beautiful", but rarely you hear the valley is. this is why i'm trying to narrow down my opinion of where it is you will actually live (phoenix), instead of generalizing the whole state, which is where you won't live.


ps: i hate the heat, dry temps, and dusty ugly city, so my opinion might be biased.

[ssundown]

I really haven't thought about exactly where to go. I was thinking of the Sedona area. It sounds really nice. I know I can get a job anywhere in the medical field, but house painting is what I am worried about. He's been painting for 30 yrs and is really good. It's just that the winters are getting hard for us as we are in our late forty's and he has been to AZ and New Mexico and loved it there. He'd like to go back. From what I have been reading it sounds like AZ is more populated than we imagined. He remembers it being nice and not as many people like up here. Don't know what kind of decision to make now. Do you know anything abot New Mexico and is it as populated as AZ seems to be now? Can't seem to make up my mind !! Thanks for all the input. Would appreciate more opinions.

[mrbradleyb]

Originally Posted by ssundown

I really haven't thought about exactly where to go. I was thinking of the Sedona area. It sounds really nice. I know I can get a job anywhere in the medical field, but house painting is what I am worried about. He's been painting for 30 yrs and is really good. It's just that the winters are getting hard for us as we are in our late forty's and he has been to AZ and New Mexico and loved it there. He'd like to go back. From what I have been reading it sounds like AZ is more populated than we imagined. He remembers it being nice and not as many people like up here. Don't know what kind of decision to make now. Do you know anything abot New Mexico and is it as populated as AZ seems to be now? Can't seem to make up my mind !! Thanks for all the input. Would appreciate more opinions.

Sedona is beautiful, just check the home pricing, also the job market there is slim. Best thing to do is visit the State. I am a native also and I love it. I do live in a pretty area, Prescott. I don't think Phoenix or Tucson is ugly it is just too busy and hot for me. The reason everyone says that AZ is beautiful, is that it is. If you like the desert, we have it, fishing, mountains, and skiing, red rocks, anything you want even beach, Powel and Mexico only a few hrs. Disneyland is a 6 hr drive.
Good luck, spend a few days, weeks looking around.

[ssundown]

Yes, I see Sedona seems to be little bit expensive. Prescott looks nice too. How is home pricing and the job market there? I will spend lots of time looking around. AZ just seems so beautiful. Don't know where to start. Thanks for all your help.