Those who recently relocated to Phoenix... (Scottsdale, Chandler: real estate, rental, high crime)

[nehazaidi]

Did you buy or rent first? Which area? Do you have kids? What you wish you had known beforehand for smoother transition? Any advice for those who are relocating soon.........Thanks!

[foma]

Originally Posted by nehazaidi

Did you buy or rent first? Which area? Do you have kids? What you wish you had known beforehand for smoother transition? Any advice for those who are relocating soon.........Thanks!

We are renting - been living in PHX since Jan '07. We live in Buckeye and will stay in this area, even when we buy a house eventually. My husband's job is way out around exit #109. Our decision to rent was b'c we would be first time home buyers and didn't want to make any haste decisions. No, we do not have kids.

My advice: Buy where you work. I know people change jobs all the time but I've noticed the commute is pretty bad.

My 2nd advice: Know how much you are going to pay in your vehicle taxes/registration. The amount you pay is based on the year/value of your car. I was completely shocked that I had to pay $623 for two years on my car - Honda Pilot 2004. My husband paid $300+ for his VW Golf 2002. That was quite a dent on our moving expenses.

My husband's co-worker also quit the same job as my husband back in NY and moved here to PHX to work for the same company. He bought his home and has wife and kids. They're experienced home buys and were comfortable with their decision. Plus, I doubt it is easy to move around with young children!

Good luck!

[Axiom]

I don't qualify as a recent relocation, but I'll share my experience anyway.

We did the rent first thing when we relocated a couple of moves ago since we just couldn't find the right house to buy. Worst decision we ever made. My husband and I never felt settled since we knew it was a short term thing. Oth, the kids got attached to the house, the nieghborhood, the school, etc. We tried to find a house to buy close to where we were renting - talk about limiting our choices! We ended up buying across town and getting a variance so the kids didn't have to switch schools, but that presented a host of other problems believe me.

When we moved here we bought even though we only had one long weekend for house hunting. Is our house the absolute perfect fit for us? Nope, but we do love our nieghborhood and schools and such. And this move was certainly much less stressful than the time before since we were able to settle in right away.

We're getting ready to relocate again and I think financially the smart choice would be to rent and wait out the market for awhile, but I don't think we will. Moving is stressful enough, I don't want to do it more often than absolutely necessary... especially with kids. The pp is right, they definitely complicate the equation.

Good Luck with your decision

[Boatdrinks]

If you don't have kids, I'd definitely rent first. To me, moving isn't that big of a deal without kids and it's actually kind of fun.

With kids, though, it's a lot more stressful and kind of sucks the fun and adventure right out of the experience It's especially hard if they're older and make friends and get attached to the rental area. I'd recommend getting a GOOD agent (ask for referrals from friends, people at your new job, etc) who can show you around and understands your requirements. Spend as long as you can - a few days at least - on a trip out here scouting it out. Take good notes when you visit each neighborhood - note distance to shopping, work, and schools; house prices; specific notes about models or houses you tour; and also tour the schools while you're there. Then go home and make a decision after thinking it over, and make an offer, unless you're totally sure when you're visiting, in which case make an offer then.

Also, do lots of research online before your visit. You can find out so much info online (greatschools.net and schoolmatters.net are fabulous for school ratings), and of course there are tons of real estate sites. I like aznb.com - you can pull up listings for most of the developments in Phoenix.

With lots of online research before your trip, and a good agent, it's very possible to buy a house during a short visit. It makes the transition SO much easier - believe me. You can settle into your new house and know that you don't have to move again in a few months.

Also, STOP looking once you move. Honestly, you'll drive yourself crazy if you keep looking b/c there will ALWAYS be something nicer/cheaper/closer to work out there at some point and you'll go nuts kicking yourself for buying your house. Just settle in and start looking forward, and enjoy AZ!

Good luck with your move!

[C_G_K]

We moved to N. Scottsdale Oct 2006. We really love it here but have not been through a summer yet. It was 101 degrees last week and seemed OK. You just don't want to hang out in the mid-day sun for too long. I definitely would NOT buy as the market is way overpriced and in the middle of a correction. Besides you may not like the area you move to. We are finding N. Scottsdale a little snobby. The schools are nice, and it is very safe and quiet, but lots of money here. Gilbert and Chandler are probably better for the average middle class person but the commutes can be horrible depending on where you commute to. The people here are generally friendly overall. The winter weather is a dream here. We figure there are about eight months of excellent weather, and 4 months of really HOT weather, give or take. Seems like a good trade off to us.

Drink lots of water and slap on lots of hand lotion (and sunscreen!) if you are not used to the desert. We were surprised about how few bugs and insects there are here. I was expecting cockroaches and flies,etc., but it is really too dry for them unless you are right in the urban area. Phoenix has high crime so stick to the suburbs like Scottsdale, North Phoenix, Gilbert or Chandler.

Good luck with your move. I'm sure you will like it here.