Did you get what you wanted when you moved? (Phoenix: real estate, rent)

[twiggy]

I am wondering for people who moved away from AZ or people who moved to AZ from somewhere else, did you find what you thought you would? Are you glad you made the move? And what would you have changed as far as how you researched your new location? If anything. I know the excitement wears off after a few months and you can start to see again. I would like to here your experiences. The goods and the bads and the not what I thoughts!. Thanks, Twiggy

[MotleyCrew]

The only thing that we did not get was to build our home here. By the time we closed down our business and got serious about buying land, it had jumped up to the point where we just did not feel comfortable. We would have liked to have had a larger lot for my husbands VW project. Overall, we are very happy here in our little shoebox.

[AZClydesdale]

Move from Seattle 6 years ago. Wife and I figured out where we would be working which happened to be near each other, then drew a 5 mile radius on a map to look for a home. My office turned out to be a little further than 5 miles but it was still a good deciscion.

SUMMERS...
The first summer I was braced for the heat. I made it through no problem.
The second summer, I was caught a little by surprise, but made it through.
Six summers later, no doubt that AZ summers are dangerously hot.
Think of it as reverse winter and it will help.

I love outdoor activities throughout AZ. I love downtown Phoenix, no matter what anyone else says it will improve even more in the coming years (that is, unless everything goes to Hell by then at which point it won't matter anyway). I also believe it is a good RE investment for commercial and residential.

My wife and I could live anywhere (between us we have lived in WA, TX, NY, IN, AR, and FL) but we choose to live in AZ. More specifically, we choose to live in downtown Phoenix. Of course no place is perfect and everyone has opinions, so good Luck to you.

[irwin]

I moved from the East Coast to Arizona and put up with Arizona for 2 years. I came out with a pretty open mind and the first 6 months I really liked the unique differences in Arizona (found the desert scenery interesting; came out in July and found the heat, although brutal, different, brown mountains, cactus instead of trees, etc). But, after that the annoying things about the Valley really started to get on my nerves; the strip malls everywhere, the lack of diversity, cookie cutter homes, lack of real neighborhoods, lack of public public transportation, no walkable neighborhoods, etc. I also found that one of the big draws that I thought would excite me about Arizona, the ability to buy a full single family home, really didn't do anything for me once I started to see what kind of homes I could afford and where they were located. So, I left and moved back east. My health has improved, my financial situation has improved, my outlook on life has generally improved. Granted, I haven't spent a full winter here in over 2 years, but after dealing with Arizona summers (and frankly the weather there from March to November), I understand that there are VERY few places in this country with perfect weather. I also realized that renting or buying a very small, modest place in a nice city is MUCH more important to me than buying a 3 bedroom, 2 bath stucco, tile roofed converted taco bell store. But, at least I can say this about Arizona...it was a learning experience.

[sheena]

Originally Posted by twiggy

I am wondering for people who moved away from AZ or people who moved to AZ from somewhere else, did you find what you thought you would? Are you glad you made the move? And what would you have changed as far as how you researched your new location? If anything. I know the excitement wears off after a few months and you can start to see again. I would like to here your experiences. The goods and the bads and the not what I thoughts!. Thanks, Twiggy

When I moved to AZ from NY I loved it and was content for years. I have only been out of AZ since Feb, I spent 4 months in Charlotte and that was very nice, I really liked Charlotte a lot.......BUT.......When I visited Myrtle Beach it was over I was hooked. I love Myrtle Beach and I'm sure it's because of the ocean. I'm excited every morning when I walk out my door, I can't get enough.

[Captain Bill]

Originally Posted by twiggy

I am wondering for people who moved away from AZ or people who moved to AZ from somewhere else, did you find what you thought you would? Are you glad you made the move? And what would you have changed as far as how you researched your new location? If anything. I know the excitement wears off after a few months and you can start to see again. I would like to here your experiences. The goods and the bads and the not what I thoughts!. Thanks, Twiggy

We moved here 4 years ago from California and love it. We live on Val Vista Lakes, which is a wonderful community and wouldn't think about going back to Calif except to visit San Francisco.

The weather cannot be beat. The three months of heat are well worth enduring because they are followed by 9 months of perfect weather.

Bill

[jlhct]

Originally Posted by twiggy

I am wondering for people who moved away from AZ or people who moved to AZ from somewhere else, did you find what you thought you would? Are you glad you made the move? And what would you have changed as far as how you researched your new location? If anything. I know the excitement wears off after a few months and you can start to see again. I would like to here your experiences. The goods and the bads and the not what I thoughts!. Thanks, Twiggy

I'm definitely glad I made the move, I came from the NorthEast.

I was looking to improve my housing situation - I had a house back home but I though I could get something better here and reasonably priced. I was able to get a bigger house with a bigger yard. It's located in an older neighborhood, so it doesn't have the look of the newer developments where the houses are extremely close together. I can't stand to see some of these houses where you can look directly into the house right next to you!

I was also looking to work at a bigger company, with a better commute than what I had at home. I was able to find that as well.

I wanted to start doing a lot more outdoor activities, and I did since I've been here. Even through the summer I still kept playing tennis and going on hiking trails (obviously taking the weather into account)

All in all the move has been very positive. The only thing i'd change and may change in the future is maybe moving closer to the central core of Phoenix so that I'll be better able to take advantage of the light rail when it's operational. It's kind of a toss-up as I am pretty centrally located now, but I think moving nearer the light rail would be even better.

[twiggy]

Originally Posted by sheena

When I moved to AZ from NY I loved it and was content for years. I have only been out of AZ since Feb, I spent 4 months in Charlotte and that was very nice, I really liked Charlotte a lot.......BUT.......When I visited Myrtle Beach it was over I was hooked. I love Myrtle Beach and I'm sure it's because of the ocean. I'm excited every morning when I walk out my door, I can't get enough.

Wow, I am glad your still happy sheena! Something about that water.

[twiggy]

Thanks everyone, very interesting to here. I'm glad for everyone who made the right decision on moving here. I'm also glad for everyone who is happy else where. Doesn't seem to be too many problems in either direction. Great!

[country pride]

Yes I did. Actually, when I moved to Az about a decade or so ago, I knew it wasnt going to be permanent. And repeatedly made that clear to many people.
My recent move back here, home, to Calif is where I need to be. My family is here, all my childhood memories, and though some of my family members are actually scattered all over the atlas, the majority is here.
There were a few back in Az who have tried to talk me out of this move (which sometimes things like that only make a person want to leave even more) relating to the quakes here or high cost of living, but no matter where you go, there will always be an issue of some sort. Remembering that too for the most part, the cost of living somewhat compensate the wages. Heck, when I lived Az making Az wages, rent and real estate was (and still is) out of reach for many, in the Casa Grande area, where I lived. Everything had skyrocketed over the past few years with that real estate thing going on. Quakes arent everyday either. But am not EVEN going to start there, if it comes to comparing point A and point B. Those who live in Az and love it, good for them, nothing wrong with that. But Im not one of them. I have no one there, exept a daughter who knows she can move anytime if she ever comes to her senses and gets rid of her abusive husband, she knows she can have 10 people there in a matter of a few hours, to help her with just one phone call.
Point Im getting at, is that despite my talking about coming here for so long, the more people would try to talk me out of it, the less I wanted to stay there. Az could be a nice place to visit, for many, but for me, living there isnt really on my agenda. Theres nothing really wrong with Az, dont get me wrong. But its not my home.
Getting back to the point, yes, Im glad I finally came back to CAlif, and chances are that I might consider WI or S Dakota somewhere down the line, but not right away.