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Pardon my curiosity but I'm wondering how much stuff you move. I'm interested in the 2-home strategy.
We toured a house for sale in Chandler last year at Stellar Airpark. And yes, you can park your plane in your own hangar on your own property. The owners were at their other home and were selling this one because they no longer own a plane. But the house was full of furniture, doodads, etc. and I didn't get the sense they staged it that way for sale. It looked like they had just stepped away for a moment. Even the closets were partially full. And their "Arizona car" was in the garage.
DISCLAIMER: These are 1st world problems and not exactly insurmountable. But it gets old.
I move a small trailer full of stuff mostly work related (I work out of the house). But you will have cloths that you want to bring (and forget), cameras, iPads, etc etc. You get to think about where you park that when you are in a hotel.
Before you can bail on either house location, you need to have this frequent pressure of winding down what you bring in the house. I'm talking food, alcohol, etc. That's because I don't feel comfortable leaving on the Fridge. It's a waste of power and if it fails, you are going to have a mess. So for the last 1.5 months, every food trip is in the back of your mind. That's also because I'm programmed not to waste and I cannot shake this tick; it's in my genes.
Shutting down takes effort at both locations (as well as setting things back up as they were before when you arrive at your new destination). While it looks like a simple check list, it takes time as you try break things up in stages. I must scan a check list 20 times before I finally exit and add in some more. Then new must-do's develop before you leave like get the security system fixed which causes you some headaches. You have to take care of the hot tub, forward the mall and time it perfectly so that you don't have it in limbo, talk with neighbors to say your goodbyes so they don't think you are standoffish, and those small details go on and on and on. In short, it's a mental juggling exercise of writing things down so that you don't forget to bring back so-and-so. Then you what to remember to type it in your spread sheet so that you don't forget it next year.
For my business, I need to drop my inventory so I do not spend hundreds shipping it back to the other location. More mental planning. So for me, I hang more than 2 weeks longer than my wife who flies back home because I have business inventory I need to sell.
Then of course we have a dog that doesn't fly. I get that wonderful 2 day (15 hour a day drive) to drag back the dog 2x a year.
You need to contemplate your medical insurance and how it works in MN and AZ. Figure out a way to get from the airport to the house in MN (2.5 hours away), what hotel to say at that takes a dog, etc etc etc etc. Basically it's on your mind for hours over a solid month. Then the cycle starts again.
In short, owning a 2nd home in the same state inside of a few hours isn't a big deal. In AZ, having a house in the mountains is much more ideal. Having two homes is a PITA out of state. Now if you have a THICK wallet to hire people and don't mind wasting, the stress level drops. As I said... 1st world problems.
I too loved AZ in the beginning years I lived there. I thought I loved the heat and the sun, but found out after several summers of prolonged heat, that I felt worn down and eager for the summer to end. Couldn't even stand the thought of a whole summer ahead of me as temps rose to above 100 and more every day in June.
In light of my experience I've come to think that many people living in cold climates are too easily seduced by hot climates, and too eager to jump from the freezer to the frying pan.
There are other places in the US where there are 4 season climates without winter being very snowy or bitter or gray. Right there in AZ, for example, is Prescott. And nearby in New Mexico also. A little bit of cold, even a little snow in winter is bracing and makes the arrival of Spring more welcome and attractive. I too feel I've escaped the bitter winters of the North, but love winter here almost as much as summer.
I too loved AZ in the beginning years I lived there. I thought I loved the heat and the sun, but found out after several summers of prolonged heat, that I felt worn down and eager for the summer to end. Couldn't even stand the thought of a whole summer ahead of me as temps rose to above 100 and more every day in June.
In light of my experience I've come to think that many people living in cold climates are too easily seduced by hot climates, and too eager to jump from the freezer to the frying pan.
There are other places in the US where there are 4 season climates without winter being very snowy or bitter or gray. Right there in AZ, for example, is Prescott. And nearby in New Mexico also. A little bit of cold, even a little snow in winter is bracing and makes the arrival of Spring more welcome and attractive. I too feel I've escaped the bitter winters of the North, but love winter here almost as much as summer.
Totally agreed.
There needs to be way more reason to come to Arizona than just to escape! More thought should be given to entering an entirely new and foreign lifestyle.
Especially if people will undoubtedly continue to constantly PINE for those so-called "four seasons" which were left behind -- plus the incessant WHINE and whimpering about heat and sun.
People move to Phoenix for cheap homes (most very cheaply built too)...then find out the heat lasts for most of the year...and realize the economy is service driven...notice everything is brown...get tired of paying $500 a month AC bills...then leave.
This person has a very good point. Lots of people move here because homes are relatively inexpensive. What they don't consider is that wages are mediocre. It's hot, IMO, for about HALF the year. I think a lot of people move here from cold states, like WI, MN, NY, etc., and get excited about NO winter. That was my experience. I wouldn't want to go back to a cold, snowy climate, BTW.
While it's true there is NO winter here, there's a big price to be paid in the summer in terms of blazing sun and heat. It's NOT pleasant in the summer.
If you're a gardener like I am, you may be VERY disappointed with Phoenix. It's hard to grow things in the alkaline, salty soil and blazing sunshine we have here. Some things, like bermuda grass, do just fine, however, and obviously succulents and cacti will also thrive. But forget growing an English garden in Phoenix- it won't work. Shade trees weren't a high priority when they built this city. If you want a city who values shade trees, look no further than Sacramento. Beautiful tree lined residential streets to shade the hot sun. I was absolutely stunned to see their beautiful, tree lined neighborhoods. This could have been done in Phoenix, but the foresight and planning wasn't there. The value of shade in this hot climate cannot be overstated.
If people move here to avoid allergies, they're in for a BIG disappointment. Lots of pollen and allergies in the spring. No bugs to complain about, though. Although the flies are irritating when I do my yard work, but I use DEET bug spray and then they leave me alone (the little bastards.)
One last gripe: The drinking water here is of very mediocre quality. It has a lot of dissolved solids in it (salts). Most people use reverse osmosis units to remove the salts. They work great, but require periodic maintenance. I have one and love it.
This person has a very good point. Lots of people move here because homes are relatively inexpensive. What they don't consider is that wages are mediocre. It's hot, IMO, for about HALF the year. I think a lot of people move here from cold states, like WI, MN, NY, etc., and get excited about NO winter. That was my experience. I wouldn't want to go back to a cold, snowy climate, BTW.
While it's true there is NO winter here, there's a big price to be paid in the summer in terms of blazing sun and heat. It's NOT pleasant in the summer.
If you're a gardener like I am, you may be VERY disappointed with Phoenix. It's hard to grow things in the alkaline, salty soil and blazing sunshine we have here. Some things, like bermuda grass, do just fine, however, and obviously succulents and cacti will also thrive. But forget growing an English garden in Phoenix- it won't work. Shade trees weren't a high priority when they built this city. If you want a city who values shade trees, look no further than Sacramento. Beautiful tree lined residential streets to shade the hot sun. I was absolutely stunned to see their beautiful, tree lined neighborhoods. This could have been done in Phoenix, but the foresight and planning wasn't there. The value of shade in this hot climate cannot be overstated.
If people move here to avoid allergies, they're in for a BIG disappointment. Lots of pollen and allergies in the spring. No bugs to complain about, though. Although the flies are irritating when I do my yard work, but I use DEET bug spray and then they leave me alone (the little bastards.)
One last gripe: The drinking water here is of very mediocre quality. It has a lot of dissolved solids in it (salts). Most people use reverse osmosis units to remove the salts. They work great, but require periodic maintenance. I have one and love it.
Sacramento is not in a desert. We have some of those kind of neighborhoods in central and east Phoenix, but it would be irresponsible, IMO, to emphasize those water users over a less water intensive option.
Some, not all, of the allergy problems here in the desert were brought about by people wanting the same sort of plants and trees that they enjoyed in other parts of the country. So, they brought in plants that trigger allergies, if not in themselves, in their neighbors. With the rest, it's just that there are different things to be allergic to here; people move here and some do better, some do worse, depending on whether they are allergic to the plants that are common (indigenous and otherwise) here.
Anyone who wants an "English garden" (they have LOTS of rain in England) has many far better options than Phoenix. Maybe in the flood irrigation areas it could be done, but certainly not in your part of town. I know people who are quite successful at gardening here, (not necessarily "English" gardens) but it can take some work in a lot of areas to amend the soil.
If you're a gardener like I am, you may be VERY disappointed with Phoenix.
One last gripe: The drinking water here is of very mediocre quality. It has a lot of dissolved solids in it (salts). Most people use reverse osmosis units to remove the salts. They work great, but require periodic maintenance. I have one and love it.
True. Being from Minnesota I adore gardening ... and now must buy everything in pots and hanging baskets and water every day. Most of my flowers are hanging. If I water every day, they will last all year. Miss *one* DAY and they are finished. Or have indoor Mums for a week or so.
We have a well ... there are lots of properties with wells, but be careful NOT to get a shared well. We share our well with a neighbor and they are VERY wasteful and have probably contaminated the well in the short time they've been there so we buy bottled water. The advantage of well water is that you don't have bleach in your showers, baths, and laundry.
Phoenix is "nice" from November to March, "bearable" in April and October, and "God-awful" from May to September. That's 5 months of nice weather and 7 months of hot weather.
May is my favorite month here. And I grew up in Montana all my life so no, I am not "used" to the heat but it's glorious when it's a dry heat.
I'm not sure most agree with your 7 months of "God-awful" weather. For me, it's 3 months. June-August. As everything, opinions differ. You probably shouldn't live in Phoenix if you think 7 months are horrible. Not sure why you continue to post in this forum if you don't even like it here?
May is my favorite month here. And I grew up in Montana all my life so no, I am not "used" to the heat but it's glorious when it's a dry heat.
I'm not sure most agree with your 7 months of "God-awful" weather. For me, it's 3 months. June-August. As everything, opinions differ. You probably shouldn't live in Phoenix if you think 7 months are horrible. Not sure why you continue to post in this forum if you don't even like it here?
Our three or four months of intense heat can be hard to deal with.
On the other hand several months of blistering cold, snow, and icestorms in the midwest and eastern regions are even more difficult to deal with.
At least we don't have to break our backs shoveling heat or scraping it off our windshields.
It's a tradeoff, nowhere has perfect weather all the time except maybe Hawaii.
I will partially agree about San Diego, it's certainly nicer than Phoenix in the summertime.
But does San Diego have perfect weather all the time? I don't think so.
Although rare, there are times when the marine effect is non-existent and it can be hot, especially when a Santa Ana blows in or when a strong high pressure system takes hold.
It seldom rains there between April and November causing a high fire risk when the Santa Anas blow in, I don't think I would like rainless weather for that long.
At least we get a summertime monsoon season which can bring a good amount of rain and provide a little heat relief.
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Especially if people will undoubtedly continue to constantly PINE for those so-called "four seasons" which were left behind -- plus the incessant WHINE and whimpering about heat and sun.
