Relocating to Tempe area questions (Mesa, Chandler: rentals, homes, transfer)

[grahamscracker]

My son-in-law may be transferring jobs to 52nd Street in Tempe, AZ from Lehi, UT. Family consists of my daughter, son-in-law, a 5 yr old and 18 mo old and grandma (me) and grandpa. We will rent our home here in Utah and rent for a year in AZ. I've gotten some good information from these threads about places to avoid and some suggestions for areas to live in, but mostly for single people. Can anyone offer suggestions on family living areas (availability, cost to rent), commutes, schools, references for rentals of homes, etc? Do people use the classifieds in newspapers to advertise home rentals anymore? Thank you so much for the insight.

[Jkgourmet]

You won't find much in our newspapers out here - the classified is barely used, compared to the internet.

Areas I would consider for a family, that are a reasonable commute to that area of Tempe are Chandler, South Tempe, most of Gilbert (the commute can be long if you go too far) and NE Mesa.

[ReadyFreddy]

It's very suburban out here. Very family friendly. I'm thinking Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, North Mesa and Ahwatukee might all be nice for you guys.

I would use a realtor to find a rental. Rentals are often MLS listed and a realtor can help you find the right area for your family. They can run a quick search that gives a list of homes she/he can email you. Then you can look at pics of what's in your price range, where the homes are in relation to jobs, etc.

Good luck!