A bunch of questions for Arizona snowbirds (Phoenix, Scottsdale: rent, home owners insurance)

[ctr88]

I'm a lot younger than most snowbirds (43), but I'm thinking about living in Arizona 6-7 months of year (Oct to May). I live in Seattle now and would live up here May to Oct. I have my own business and work from home. Questions:

-do you rent or own? Do you just leave your house vacant the summer months when you are not there? How has that worked out? Is it secure?
-Curious where do you all spend your summer months? Same questions about securing your home during winter?
-What part of PHX do you live? Where would you recommend for someone 43, works from home, enjoys hiking, mountain biking, ASU basketball and football, Suns basketball?
-Did you you look at other areas to live in winter before choosing PHX? Where else? TX? FL? HI?
-How do you like living in the PHX area for winters?

Thanks!

[youthinkso]

Originally Posted by ctr88

I'm a lot younger than most snowbirds (43), but I'm thinking about living in Arizona 6-7 months of year (Oct to May). I live in Seattle now and would live up here May to Oct. I have my own business and work from home. Questions:

-do you rent or own? Do you just leave your house vacant the summer months when you are not there? How has that worked out? Is it secure?
-Curious where do you all spend your summer months? Same questions about securing your home during winter?
-What part of PHX do you live? Where would you recommend for someone 43, works from home, enjoys hiking, mountain biking, ASU basketball and football, Suns basketball?
-Did you you look at other areas to live in winter before choosing PHX? Where else? TX? FL? HI?
-How do you like living in the PHX area for winters?

Thanks!

Own. leave it empty...no problems what so ever. I do go to Phoenix for at least 10 days every summer. Never had a problem as I have good neighbors .
Canuckistan-home
North Phoenix -Tramonto lots of hiking and cycling in the neighborhood all within a couple of miles of my doorstep.
Looked all over the valley but not outside of AZ and had narrowed it down to about three areas before I had ever set foot in AZ (all on-line over the course of a month) Cycling forums were a big help to me as well as a good realtor who fed me all the info I requested.
Love it....I would spend 12 months a year in Phoenix if I could legally. +45C beats the heck out of -45C.

BTW I'm 48.

[ctr88]

Thanks for the info youthinkso. Canuckistan, love it, great country. Beauty eh?

[43north87west]

I'm a little younger than you, but also a snowbird. Unlike some snowbirds, I never really close up my house here. I still come back and forth during summer, but spend most of the warm months elsewhere.

-I rent at this time, as I live a lock-and-leave lifestyle, I'm single, I like living in a high rise in an urban area, and very close to the airport. However, I would consider buying again if I could have a nice self-maintaining house plus a nice big garage and workshop like I have in the Midwest. More than likely, I have to compromise on distance from the airport, or some other feature.
-Wisconsin, and work in Chicago.
-Downtown Phoenix. You can walk to sports venues and take light rail to ASU games. I'm within 15 minutes of both the Phoenix Mountain Preserve (Squaw Peak, Shaw Butte) or South Mountain Park. I either go to South Mountain Park to hike or go mountain biking, or Squaw Peak to run up and down once or twice. Between the two, I spend 5-6 afternoons a week at one or the other, as long as the temperature is below 105 when I get to the trailhead.
-Commuting by air, a major airport within 20 minutes on light rail was an enormous benefit. Walking out the door 1 hour before boarding starts is huge. I have lived here for a long time by Phoenix standards. Scottsdale (in two houses), and Ahwatukee. Getting to and from the airport was eating up a lot of time, especially as my travel back and forth became more frequent instead of truly "seasonal". Because I'm in and out of here all year, getting in and out without a production was a top priority. Plus my work demands quick response, so easy availability of direct flights is a must.
-Phoenix winter is basically ideal.

There are other benefits, such as cost of living, friendly people, and more adventures in a few hours than most other places in the US. That names a few. There are more. I'm very happy with this area on the whole, especially given that I get to spend a lot of time in other parts of the US on a regular basis. A lot of people out here don't realize just how nice it is.

[ctr88]

43north87west...excellent info thank you. I appreciate the comments. I'm thinking I would want to live in a SFR down there on a nice sized lot, garage, etc.... But that is more upkeep and more worry then a condo if I'm not going to be there 5 months a year.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

I'm 48 and winter in AZ.

-do you rent or own? Own.
Do you just leave your house vacant the summer months when you are not there? How has that worked out? Is it secure? This year we will be in AZ from October to May. There is a thread about buttoning up for the summer. Look it over. I'm technical. I have IP cameras, cell security, home automation galore, etc. I also have great neighbors including two police in a stones throw. I suppose I went overboard but I just looked at the cameras. Grass is green, gates are closed, homes is secure, lights are working, etc. For $4K total, I got it for piece of mind.
-Curious where do you all spend your summer months? In northern MN on a lake with millions of mosquitoes.
Same questions about securing your home during winter? Cut, paste, repeat. I do the exact same thing in MN.
-What part of PHX do you live? Surprise. 2nd safest city in AZ.
-Did you you look at other areas to live in winter before choosing PHX? Where else? TX? FL? HI? I flew out several times to FL and once to TX. Because their income taxes are low, they tag you other taxes. Anything close to water is going to have a much higher worry factor of hurricanes as well as 5X higher home owners insurance. So I picked AZ for cost of living. I also despise humidity. Also, price out airfare to FL and TX and compare in to AZ. Southwest keeps the other airlines fares fare.
-How do you like living in the PHX area for winters?For the past 3 years, we LOVE it out here. The proximity to skiing, lakes (reservoirs), Mexico, Vegas, Sedona, and 20 other spots are a huge bonus.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by ctr88

43north87west...excellent info thank you. I appreciate the comments. I'm thinking I would want to live in a SFR down there on a nice sized lot, garage, etc.... But that is more upkeep and more worry then a condo if I'm not going to be there 5 months a year.

You only need to mow and groom the shrubs, 2X a month. I pay $40 a time or $80 a month. That's not special as it is the going rate. That would be $150 a time here in MN. Grass grows much faster in MN because of the humidity. 2X per month is plenty hear in AZ. So you really have to outsource gardening. Don't buy a winter home with a pool either. By in an association with a great pool. Too much worry and cost to an absent pool owner. The dry air makes winter swimming tough. In the winter, it is exclusively eye candy. Heating it is a small fortune as there is about 40% heat loss in the the side walls. If you do heat it, budget more than $300 a month to heat it.

I lived in a condo on the beach in Mexico. Never again. Too close to others and too many rules. I need my SFH elbow room.

[ctr88]

Thanks. Another area I may look at is Austin TX or the Hill Country close by. Not a big FL fan in general. HI is much higher cost of housing. I'm favoring PHX area though. It has a good combination of weather, outdoor activities and pro and college sports.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by ctr88

Thanks. Another area I may look at is Austin TX or the Hill Country close by. Not a big FL fan in general. HI is much higher cost of housing. I'm favoring PHX area though. It has a good combination of weather, outdoor activities and pro and college sports.

IMHO, you need to stare at the average winter temps. If I could get 10 degrees warmer than Phoenix in the winter, I'd strongly prefer that. This past winter delivered those higher temps and it was wonderful. But that isn't the norm. Austin is certainly a certainly a bit cooler. Based exclusively for that reason, TX was off my radar.

[ctr88]

If you go on to weather.com Austin is only 3-4 degrees cooler in Dec and Jan, Oct, Nov, Feb, March, April, May are very nice. I think Arizona has prettier landscape with the hills, desert, Prescott, Sedona, Flag, GC, etc... But I think Austin has a more hip, walkable urban core. Phoenix wins with pro sports. TX no state income tax (but a high property tax, but you could counter act that by renting). Hill Country next to Austin is pretty nice for hiking and biking.