Relo from Mich--lots of ????s (Phoenix, Glendale: real estate, homes, neighborhood)

[Boatdrinks]

Originally Posted by livnlarj

TeacherGuyMI,
Have you looked out on the east coast? My nephew started teaching there right after graduation-and they started him at 45k. I know the cost of living is higher--but he's doing very well and enjoys the weather--much milder. They call off school if there's just a chance of snow. Ha! He loves it. He works/lives near the Bethesda area.

Cost of living in Bethesda is REALLY high. 45K is really not a lot of money in that area, especially if you have a family. It's a nice area, but tough to afford.

[Andre5140]

Originally Posted by livnlarj

jco--where is this located inrelation to Phoenix. My husband's office will be in the southeast corner of Phoenix proper. Thanks!

The location he's talking about is in west valley (think: west and slightly north of Phoenix). In MICHIGANDER terms, think of Ann Arbor as Phoenix....Brighton is where Glendale is but your husband works in Ypsi. Sound outrageous? Not if you consider traffic in metro Phoenix compared with metro Ann Arbor

I am finishing up my graduate program in Architecture and Urban Planning at UM. I grew up in Temperance (just north of Toledo). I've accepted a job in Tempe--which is an up-and-coming college town that has an older but unique housing stock (1960s ranch-style) and neighbors SE Phoenix area.

LvnLarj: Based on locations i described above, you should look at Ahwahtukee, Gilbert, and Chandler areas. Stay away from Maricopa or Queen Creek (on a map they look about as far as Brighton is from AA, but the traffic makes it more like an hour. Those locations are tempting cuz of new, cheaper developments, but the traffic and lack of adequate roads (ie freeways) will limit your ability to get out in timely fashion. For example, if you chose Queen Creek, the commutes to SE Phoenix would be like driving from Brighton to Detroit on Grand River Avenue

Hope that helps.

[TeacherGuyMi]

Naw dude, If I'm going to leave my family and all that in Mi, I wanted to find a place where I could effectively erase the words 'snow and sleet' from my vocabulary. $45K sounds good, but I can't think of a better place for me than the Phoenix area, to start my teaching career (at least at this point in my life).

Andre, you're awesome. I've looked at maps for a month or so but hearing about Phoenix in Michigan terms makes things much more real to me. I'm probably going to rent a house in Peoria and teaching in Glendale, so I'm looking forward to my nice short commute. Shoot, I don't know of anyone that would want to drive from Brighton to Detroit... that's nuts

[livnlarj]

That makes a ton of sense to me! Yeah, here I am measuring miles out--trying to figure out how long it would take him to get there. We had already ruled out the NW area--and were leaning toward the SE suburbs. So what do you think of the Scottsdale area? I know my husband is NOT going to buy a house older than 10 years. We've got a 1977 ranch right now--and we've completely revamped it--and now are going to lose every cent plus some--b/c of this awful housing market! He won't do that again! Any more info in Michigan terms is helpful!
Thanks!

[Andre5140]

Originally Posted by livnlarj

That makes a ton of sense to me! Yeah, here I am measuring miles out--trying to figure out how long it would take him to get there. We had already ruled out the NW area--and were leaning toward the SE suburbs. So what do you think of the Scottsdale area? I know my husband is NOT going to buy a house older than 10 years. We've got a 1977 ranch right now--and we've completely revamped it--and now are going to lose every cent plus some--b/c of this awful housing market! He won't do that again! Any more info in Michigan terms is helpful!
Thanks!

During my most recent trip to Phoenix area, I spent a week there in late February. I have been working with a realtor for a while and saw a few homes while I was there. We toured 6 of them early that week and by the time I got home, 3 of them were already taken off of the market. I think the average time a property is on the market in Phoenix area is about 35 days. To give you an idea, that is considered a "slump" to them I wish you well selling your house...especially with Pfizer closing and more people leaving. My parents used to have a home everyone loved and would stop by to compliment them on. That was late 1990s. It took them 1 year and 3 months to sell. They got what they were asking but had to pay the buyer's closing costs...around $7500. Expect to make a concession like that when you sell.

Scottsdale is a great area for the most part. The problem is, it has a mixture of older and newer housing stock. For example, you live in a 1977 ranch now. More affordable, middle-class areas of Scottsdale (zips: 85257 and 85251) have mostly 1950s and 1960s ranch homes that sell for upper 200s. In Scottsdale, I think the further north (away from husband's work) you go in that town, the newer and pricier it gets.

PLEASE DO NOT MAKE THE MISTAKE I MADE! That is, do NOT compare mileage in metro Ann Arbor to metro Phoenix alone. It is tempting, but the traffic is very very different. Ultimately, I will be working in Tempe and living in Tempe.

I assume you have children. I am 25 year-old male (single, unwed) and think about resale a LOT as you should too. Just because Phoenix is booming now doesn't mean it will when we want to sell our houses. The most comparable area to Brighton is south Chandler (along Chandler Blvd, 85226 zip code). I toured 2 homes there that I absolutely loved. They were 1970s and 1980s ranches. There are also newer subs there much like in Brighton. Also like Brighton, there is easy to access shopping and newer amenities such as malls and easy to reach freeways. The Kyrene School District in that zip code is well regarded. You will find that unlike Michigan and most of the East Coast and Midwest, Arizona does not have all that great of a school system. Kyrene seems to be an exception. Scottsdale Schools are among the best in the region but expect to pay a lot more for housing. (Example: $225,000 ranch built in 1987 in Chandler, 85226 had 3 bedrooms and 2 baths in middle to upper-middle class area. That same home would cost you over $300k (likely 100k more) easily in Scottsdale. Think: Scottsdale=Barton Hills and Chandler=Brighton....you pay for a name.)

Get your home for sale ASAP. The SE Michigan real estate market is pitiful. I know folks in this area walking away from their homes. They just won't sell after 2-4 years or more on the market. My parents made out like bandits.
Also, expect to pay full asking price in many metro Phoenix markets. Unlike in Michigan where a home with a $250k asking price prolly means you could get it with an offer of $225k, in metro Phoenix, $225,000 means $225,000 or slightly higher if you get into a bidding war. Granted, I think bidding wars were more common in 2005 out there when the market was on FIRE!

I recommend logging on to ZipRealty.com. That is who I've been working with. Their site has lots of helpful features and they are not pushy at all.

So, recap: Scottsdale is great but pricey, depending on your price range and square footage needs. Chandler is most comparable to Brighton: up and coming but largely built with newer and medium-aged housing. Gilbert (Chandler's neighbor to the East) is up and coming as well and offers newer developments.

Keep some things in mind:
1) Housing prices are much more firm in AZ than MI
2) Mileage is deceiving. (Think: 25 mile commute to Ann Arbor take 35 mins....25 mile commute to Phoenix can take 50-60 mins. Often just double it.)
3) New developments are tempting but they offer more cheaply built homes on teeny-tiny lots. In Brighton, if you live on 1/2 acre that means you live on roughly 22,000 square feet of land. Most new developments offer "tot lots" and a typical lot size is 8000 sq feet or less. Don't even THINK of a storage shed or place for your RV like in Michigan. This lead me to homes built in 1970s and 1980s...lots were typically a bit larger and they almost all offered side yards. I want access to my backyard without having to walk through the house
4) My advice? Tempe is close but for younger, single crowd (older (50s and 60s), small housing and up and coming urban living). Scottsdale is pricey but fancy to visit (high local taxes here...you knew about municipal sales tax in AZ, right??) Mesa has great 1970s and early 1980s ranch homes but stick to certain zips such as 85209, 85202, & 85201. Parts of Mesa are sketchy...other parts are where all the white-headed snow birds roam Chandler is good balance but further out. STAY AWAY FROM SOUTH PHOENIX-PROPER and northern SOUTH MOUNTAIN AREA (85043, 85040). It is run down. Think: Lincoln Park or Allen Park. Consider also: Gilbert and area between South Mountain, I-10, and Chandler Blvd/Pecos Road known as Ahwahtukee. Very nice area also close to freeway.

Sorry if all this info is overwhelming. Best of luck and keep asking questions if you have any!

[sablebaby]

Originally Posted by Andre5140

I assume you have children. I
Get your home for sale ASAP. The SE Michigan real estate market is pitiful. I know folks in this area walking away from their homes. They just won't sell after 2-4 years or more on the market. My parents made out like bandits.
Also, expect to pay full asking price in many metro Phoenix markets. Unlike in Michigan where a home with a $250k asking price prolly means you could get it with an offer of $225k, in metro Phoenix, $225,000 means $225,000 or slightly higher if you get into a bidding war. Granted, I think bidding wars were more common in 2005 out there when the market was on FIRE!

This was true in 2005, but not anymore. The homes are not selling as fast anymore and most homes are lowering their prices a lot. I know two on my street that have been on the market for a year already. Offering less than listing is what's going on now, since it's slow moving.

[Andre5140]

Saddlebaby:

I would take your word over mine since I have only visited several times and have studied the RE market only recently. I know 2005 seems to be the watershed year for metro Phoenix...people were tripping over themselves to move there.

I've seen on a couple real estate sites where a handful of homes take a bit longer to sell. I can't remember where I saw that "35 days on market" statistic but it was pretty recent (certainly not 2005).

Regardless, even after being on the market for one year is good compared to what we're dealing with in Michigan. Granted, I can only speak for Southeast (Detroit Metro) region as the western and northern parts of the state fair MUCH better. Also, I still bet many homes out there are selling for or close to asking price.

Again, I trust your analysis but lvnlarj is probably used to Michigan markets much like myself until I spent time in Phoenix and realized, "Hey, there are good economies out in this country!"

Where abouts are you located?

[livnlarj]

Andre--
I love your comparisons-b/c I can so relate! I used to work in Lincoln/allen Park--along with all of the SW Detroit area--no thanks!

Anyway, we are looking for a minimum of 5 bedroom 3 bath home. That's just enough to take care of our family. We already had our house on the market when my husband got the offer. We had been looking around here (in GM executive neighborhoods) for the same home as we are in AZ. They range here from 449-519K--the ones we really love. That would give us 5-6 bdr/3-41/2 baths, pool, basement. Even in Gilbert we're finding that almost impossible to find for under 650K. We have 4 teenagers/tweens. We need the room! Currently we live on almost 4 acres! It will definitely be a shock! Anyone need a John Deere riding mower??!?!? LOL! The more I read and look at real estaste etc--I think we're definitely looking at Gilbert--but how far is that from the 4000 block of Cotton Center Rd in Phoenix? that's where husband's office is. He's used to driving--but I'd like him to have a short commute. What do you think? Thanks for all the info.

[livnlarj]

Sablebaby,
I read somewhere else that you are a realtor. what would your recommendation be for us? 4 kids, 15, 13, 11, 11--3 boys and a girl--all really into sports and most of them have 3.9 gpa or better (need good/challenging schools). We also need ROOM--boys require more "bumping" room! Hubby's office is on E. Cotton Center Rd 4000 block. I'd like to keep it under 600K--but not be at the top of the neighborhood. Am I asking for the impossible???? Thanks!

[JMX]

I had never heard of Cotton Center Rd before; I had to look it up. The major cross streets are 40th St. and Broadway, near the "Broadway Curve" of I-10 and the intersection of I-10 and U.S. 60. It's right on the Phoenix/Tempe border.

Given that location, I'd suggest looking in the Ahwatukee / Tempe / Chandler / Gilbert areas.