What's happening in Kingman, AZ? (Phoenix, Tucson: real estate, travel, wages)

[zippytex]

Is Kingman growing? The property prices seem to be soaring.

[desertrat]

Hi Zippytex , yep its growing bigtime around here and in Golden Valley just to the west of me . Prices have gone through the roof here this last couple of years . Used to be bargains here in real estate , but not anymore ( but thats all relative remember , depends where you are coming from ) HOWEVER it is starting to slow down a bit real estate wise so some bargains may reappear . I own 5 acres here and its all paid for , so I'm lucky , but personally I think people are nuts for paying what they do for a place around here . Its pretty nice , but not great , so check it out before you buy . AZ people are very friendly . It gets fairly hot , but not like around Phoenix , Tucson or southern AZ where its blistering hot !!!!! Avoid the areas along the Colorado River if you cant take the heat ........ hottest place in the USA , people there go over to Death Valley CA to cool off in the summertime I've traveled around AZ and lived in Tucson .... AZ is an aquired taste , do rent or check it out well before you buy . I'm not knocking it , just being truthful . Its not for everybody . Plus side is lots of wide open places if you love the outdoors , its gorgeous in the early AM and the evening . Oops , almost forgot one other bad thing about AZ and especialy around Kingman area is the wind ... it blows all the time . Thats the thing I least like about it here I kind of bounced around with my answer , but I hope it helps , and good luck !

[desertrat]

Take Note ...the wind blows furiously around here , easily 30 to 40 + MPH EVERYDAY 24/7/365. The only time it is almost calm ( possibly ) is at the crack of dawn and just before sunset for an hour or so . Basically , it sucks big time , but hey , its the desert ! However , I am starting to see more real estate deals again just this last few weeks or so as the economy goes into a bit of a slump . If you can put up with constant hurricane force winds , dust , dryness , and heat for a few years and then bail out , there is money to be made here . Thats my plan and what I am doing . Then I'm gone !!! People will buy anywhere if the price is cheap enough . Invest in land , sit on it a while and turn a profit . My ex is in real estate here , and I also have a friend doing the same .....he's made a fortune flipping property and says this area is an absolute goldmine . Buy cheap , make a few improvments , sell it . It's one of the few places left to buy at reasonably low prices and sell at a huge profit. People come in from both coasts , and especially California , with a fistful of money and after they live here awhile and they see what its really like , they can't wait to get out of here ... the cycle repeats itself over and over . My only regret is that I don't have more available cash to buy more land here . Dont come here broke or plan to work for a living !!! ...you will die here a pauper , the pay is horrible and you wont have enough money to even make it out of town . I make it sound awful ....but I'm just telling you the truth . Come here with the right plan and you can do well .

[AZ Native]

Originally Posted by zippytex

Is Kingman growing? The property prices seem to be soaring.

There si a lot of spcculation going on in this area. A couple of big Las Vegas builders have come in a bought huge tracts of land. I read one article in the AZ Republic that suggested that the Kingman area will have over 2 million people in the next 20-30 years. Problem is where will they get the water to support that kind of population. Look for lawsuits with some of the builders over that one.

[Trump]

What's a reasonable price to pay for property in Lazy YU?

[danno50]

Originally Posted by beeser

What's a reasonable price to pay for property in Lazy YU?

Depends on what you call reasonable. You can pay anywhere from 500K on up. The sky's the limit. Go to realtor.com and search on Kingman.

[shariv]

Originally Posted by beeser

What's a reasonable price to pay for property in Lazy YU?

If you buy land only and build yourself, land is actually less expensive than a lot of areas. I think that is because Lazy YU has big parcels that cannot be divided into tiny lots by speculators. Houses already on lots will be more expensive. You do need a well and an alternative type septic system, which adds to the building cost. It is a beautiful area and one of the few in Kingman that has not been overrun with developers/speculators.

[wakamac8]

I hate Kingman. I think the town is ugly and full of people of the same. But, some say it is nice. Sorry, I'm moving to Dolan Springs.

[desertrat]

I have posted here over the last year , evaluating the area and giving my opinions based on my own observations , and talking to other people in the area . I'm just going to lump it all together , random thoughts on the place.

Kingman is not where its at . Its WINDY .. let me repeat WINDY , all the time , the realtors call it " cooling breezes " . Bull**** ! Its a ****ing huricane most of the time . 15 to 30 MPH winds are not uncommon . Its hot in the summer ... cold in the winter , and dry as hell . Your skin will crack open and split and you will have permanent bad hair days , although no one here seems to notice or care . Oh yeah , did I mention dust ? Forget keeping your house clean and dusted ... its imposible . A nice car wont last here either with the scorching sun ... buy a pickup to beat around in . White ... with grey interior and have the windows tinted dark so the interior wont burn up . Wages are at the bottom . Local real estate is over priced because of California people ( like me ) paying way more than stuff is worth . Groceries and goods are all trucked in and twice what I was paying in Orange County CA . the quality sucks too . Taxes ARE cheaper here , but utilities are as high or higher than in CA and since you will make less money it isnt cheap to live here in the long run . There is nothing to do around here really unless you go to Laughlin to gamble or like to drink in the evenings ..... and they roll the streets up at 9 PM . People are mostly nice here ... but not real ambitious . Getting something done as promised is an adventure . Nobody gives a **** !
I'm telling you the truth about the area ... I own property here and will make a little money when I sell ... but , honestly , unless you are a real pioneer , just need a place to settle down for a while until you get the wanderlust again .....or you just want to experiance the last of the wild west for a while ... bypass Kingman , AZ .

[Trump]

After reading desertrat's description of Kingman I had to chuckle a little. It sounded at first bitter but then I realized these were my own observations, just expressed differently.