Relocation to Arizona (Phoenix, Peoria, Surprise: real estate, month to, buying a house)

[Dangerous Dave]

Originally Posted by azbound621

Good Morning,


Since this forum is mainly made up of transplants and retirees from other states I would like your input please.
How did everyone go about selling their old homes and relocating to Arizona? I'm planning this move in the future and am unsure where to start. We are going to use the proceeds from our current house to pay in cash for a home in Arizona. Has anyone done this before and what advice could you guys give us?


Thanks

I'll go back to your original post and address it. Having relocated several times, and helped my clients relocate, it really depends on your needs and the conditions of the move. If this is going to be something happening in the near term, you may want to go ahead and put your current house on the market this summer when the weather is good and the market is hot up north (noticed you're in NY on your profile!) Taxes on the sale are going to depend on what sort of "profit" you're going to make on the home sale. Married couples get to deduct $500k off the sale price and the rest is taxed.


I've also seen people go ahead and start moving some of their personal items out of the house and into storage on the other end in their new location. This has been a good idea for some of the retirees that I've helped relocate, as they have 40-50 years worth of knick-knacks, antiques, heirloom furniture, etc. that might be better off out of the house once it's up for sale. It's not uncommon for realtors to recommend... or outright beg... their clients to de-clutter!


If rentals are reasonable and available where you live currently, maybe rent a place for awhile until you're done on researching exactly where you want to live in Arizona, keeping everything but necessities packed. Once you find a place and you've closed on it, it's time to move! Keep in consideration that moving in the summertime in Arizona can be quite miserable. A pool is highly recommended, along with covered living space around the house. Never too much shade! Please feel free to message me if you need help finding a Realtor on either end of your move.

[Dangerous Dave]

Originally Posted by azbound621

Mrs Mac...that's a great story and some good insight for us to consider. The moving of household goods is the crazy part. I told my wife when we move that we should hire a company to sell everything in the house. Furniture, snow blowers, lawn mowers, bedroom sets....everything except kids and dogs. LOL


The VRBO idea is great.

Moving sale! One suggestion... make sure if you run an ad, that it has the word "tools" in it. Even if you have no tools in the garage... go to Harbor Freight and buy some screwdrivers and wrenches and put them out on the table for a buck each!

[Dewey59]

Originally Posted by azbound621

Thanks to everyone for all the advice. The POD idea wasn't something that I thought of.

The POD worked great for me! You load it at your leisure, then if I remember right, you have a 30 day window for when you want it delivered to your new address. You then unload it at your leisure. And if you want, they will store it at their facility for as many months as you need (of course you pay a monthly fee for that over and above the cost of the POD rental and move).

[grad_student200]

Originally Posted by azbound621

Good Morning,


Since this forum is mainly made up of transplants and retirees from other states I would like your input please.
How did everyone go about selling their old homes and relocating to Arizona? I'm planning this move in the future and am unsure where to start. We are going to use the proceeds from our current house to pay in cash for a home in Arizona. Has anyone done this before and what advice could you guys give us?


Thanks

You definitely should get a housing inspection done. First, check informally with a real-estate agent and/or a local experienced contractor who is the "jack of all trades" in helping fix up a house to close on a contract. When I sold my house in Tallahassee before moving back to AZ after 14 years in FL, I had a rigorous house-cleaning and fix-up due. First, I met the realtor. He gave the place an informal overview. Then he made it clear the market was good (which it was) and thought he could sell within a week of putting it on the market (he actually did it WAY before that). But ...

The house initially had obvious repairs that were needed, and contractors did their job. As the days went on, they often discovered more "hidden" repairs needed. Then it turned into a "snowball" effect. Meanwhile, I had moved to Arizona while all that was going on. So I was in Phoenix and they were calling me about 3-4 times a day with updates, questions, payments due, newly discovered repair needs, etc.

So the first month back in Phoenix was stressful because the Florida house sale was getting to the "wire" on time for repairs prior to closing. Then there were huge payments.

So see if you have enough time and money to check on ALL POSSIBLE REPAIRS (hidden and obvious) prior to putting it on the market and officially moving. I made the mistake of not starting early enough. But I am euphoric to be back in Phoenix. I love it. I was born and raised here. I live in Scottsdale. I don't miss Florida.

Hidden Costs of Selling a Home | realtor.com®

[Dewey59]

Originally Posted by azbound621

I should also add that when we make the move I'll only be 55, wife will be 54. So, while I did say retirement, I didn't want anyone to think old age home. LOL. We will still be looking for a somewhat active community but also quiet.

I'm just curious, have you considered any of the 55+ communities in the valley?

[azbound621]

No we haven't. Our youngest is 16.

[belgirl]

You said your budget was 250k- 275k. How many bedrooms? Min Sq. Ft? This will make a difference on where you live and what you can afford here.

[azbound621]

4 bedrooms with a minimum of 2000 square feet.
We could possibly go higher in the budget, but I'm talking an all cash deal, no mortgage

[goolsbyjazz]

Originally Posted by azbound621

4 bedrooms with a minimum of 2000 square feet.
We could possibly go higher in the budget, but I'm talking an all cash deal, no mortgage

Although prices have risen there are still decent all cash deals out there. You will find the one that's right for your family.

[belgirl]

Originally Posted by azbound621

4 bedrooms with a minimum of 2000 square feet.
We could possibly go higher in the budget, but I'm talking an all cash deal, no mortgage

Ok, I would say rent first, but with that budget and your requirements, you can eliminate Tempe, Chandler, Scottsdale, alot of Gilbert, alot of Mesa and probably Phoenix as a whole. Queen Creek, Goodyear, Maricopa, Casa Grande and Avondale will be your best bet and out of those I would choose Queen Creek. Yeah, you will find a couple in your budget in Gilbert or Mesa, but at the top of your budget and you will get more bang for your buck in Queen Creek.