Ex-Californians in Phoenix, What Do You Think? (Scottsdale, Paradise Valley: rent, condo)

[twiggy]

What is cheaper housing here is out in the burbs. A good hour to Phoenix so keep that in mind. It will be a little cheaper in Phoenix but not that much for a nice place. Cheaper to buy things though. But, you have to cool your house with ac for 6 months and that adds some cost. But if you heated your house then it will be a wash. If you like water you might miss it. I miss it and I've been here along time. But if you don't and love the desert landscape then you will love it. People can carry guns here, and are pretty casual. It's not the same feel as Cali, but you should do like they say but come for a 6 month stay and work here for awhile before you decide. You can always go back or some place else. Come in the summer so you get summer and fall/winter and see if you can deal with the heat. A lot of people love the heat, you might be one.

[movin'on]

Originally Posted by twiggy

What is cheaper housing here is out in the burbs. A good hour to Phoenix so keep that in mind. It will be a little cheaper in Phoenix but not that much for a nice place. Cheaper to buy things though. But, you have to cool your house with ac for 6 months and that adds some cost. But if you heated your house then it will be a wash. If you like water you might miss it. I miss it and I've been here along time. But if you don't and love the desert landscape then you will love it. People can carry guns here, and are pretty casual. It's not the same feel as Cali, but you should do like they say but come for a 6 month stay and work here for awhile before you decide. You can always go back or some place else. Come in the summer so you get summer and fall/winter and see if you can deal with the heat. A lot of people love the heat, you might be one.

It depends on where the burbs are. I live in North Scottsdale (which admittedly is not Phoenix and a separate city) and things are not cheaper here. I don't quite see the advantage of carrying guns, but then I am a liberal. All in all, CA is a much better place to live, albeit much more expensive, but it IS for a reason.

[Melanie53]

Housing is much less expensive here, but be sure to check out the cost of college before you make the move. We were surprised that it was more expensive here than it was in California, even after a year of Arizona residency. That was several years ago, and I don't know if it's still the case.

I miss the Bay Area a lot. I was born and raised in Phoenix, but I spent many years living in California, Southern Cali, San Francisco and the North Bay and South Bay. Even though I'm from Phoenix, the Bay Area (especially the North Bay) has always felt like home to me. I don't, however, miss the cold, rainy winters. When it rains in Phoenix, it doesn't go on for weeks and weeks. I love all the sunshine in Phoenix. Even the summer heat doesn't bother me much. I absolutely love the sunny winters here!!

My oldest son just bought a home in Northern California, in the South Bay. He is very excited because he got such a "good deal." It's a little over 1,000 square feet and has three small bedrooms and one bathroom. The house was built in 1952. He was telling me about a television program he saw on Saturday night. He said that they were showing these "mansions" in the Las Vegas area for around $300,000. He said, "I couldn't believe it! $300,000! I could have bought two of those for the same money I'm spending for my house here!" I told him he could have done the same here.

Two of the main reasons we moved back to Phoenix were the sunshine and the affordability of housing, and compared to the Bay Area, Phoenix is very affordable.

Good luck with whatever you choose!

[rickca]

The affordability is something that appeals to me, I hate throwing my money away on rent.. are condos in Phoenix a good idea?, I mean can you re-sell them later on, I'm not looking to make money just to get around what I paid back so I'm not losing money on rent like I would be if I move somewhere in Cali

I think I would be living near the Tempe area since this is where the college is, how far is this to downtown Phoenix?

[rickca]

Originally Posted by movin'on

All in all, CA is a much better place to live, albeit much more expensive, but it IS for a reason.

I have become frustrated with the high cost of living here, I have not yet completed college so I don't have much money to spend on anything which makes a place like Phoenix more desirable. I can see moving back to California some time even if I do move to Phoenix but I think maybe the lower cost of living could be a nice change while I finish college

[ArizonaBear]

I am toying with moving back to Calif; admittedly------to the Morango Valley/Yucca Valley/Joshua Tree area which is about 30 miles N of Palm Springs.

That enclave still has the Old School Calif 'vibe' IMHO and after living here in Arizona for almost 20 years-----desert life does not bother me. Besides; it is about 5-10 degrees cooler in the above part of the Golden State.

[dc1225]

Originally Posted by movin'on

It depends on where the burbs are. I live in North Scottsdale (which admittedly is not Phoenix and a separate city) and things are not cheaper here. I don't quite see the advantage of carrying guns, but then I am a liberal. All in all, CA is a much better place to live, albeit much more expensive, but it IS for a reason.

Moving On, I'd be very interested to hear what do you not like about living in North Scottsdale? Please give me some insights as that is where I am thinking...do you have a family? are you single? what age bracket are you in? social security number? Im kidding about the SS number but please I'd like to hear what do you not like about Phx area? Thanks.

[dc1225]

Originally Posted by rickca

The affordability is something that appeals to me, I hate throwing my money away on rent.. are condos in Phoenix a good idea?, I mean can you re-sell them later on, I'm not looking to make money just to get around what I paid back so I'm not losing money on rent like I would be if I move somewhere in Cali

I think I would be living near the Tempe area since this is where the college is, how far is this to downtown Phoenix?

Rick, from reading your posts, you seem very grown up for plum young age of 23 and it sounds like you'd be a good fit in Phoenix area....I wish I had been more focused about economics and futures of my life like you instead of channeling my energy toward figuring out which finger goes in the poo and which goes in the coo.

While I do not live in the phoenix area, I believe most people that move to Phoenix area now, their most important reason for making the move is its affordability and cost of living which I think is what you're getting at.

[dc1225]

Originally Posted by rickca

The affordability is something that appeals to me, I hate throwing my money away on rent.. are condos in Phoenix a good idea?, I mean can you re-sell them later on, I'm not looking to make money just to get around what I paid back so I'm not losing money on rent like I would be if I move somewhere in Cali

I think I would be living near the Tempe area since this is where the college is, how far is this to downtown Phoenix?

the rule of thumb of real estate...."location, location, location"....if you buy in already well known established area, you will and should be able to at least sell it for what you paid for, especially if you buy now...there is no where to go but up!

[twiggy]

Well, yes it is cheaper when you take in to account square footage. But you want to make sure you can sell it down the road. It's hard to sell here. I would just rent for a while until our market corrects a little. Plus, remember it will be hard to go back if you get financially invested here. It will cost to much to go back. I would just rent and see how I liked it first. There are a lot of nice rentals here. And please, keep money in the bank so you can afford to leave if you don't like it. People settle in to our cost of living only to not be able to leave later if they want to. You might love it and stay for ever. So just be prepared.