Area suggestions for reasonably fit "snowbirds"? (Tucson, Oro Valley: for sale, real estate)

[gordholio99]

Hey everyone:

So, the wife and I are in our (very) early fifties, and the time has come to get out of wet, gray Vancouver for the winter. We're thinking of buying an inexpensive second (winter) home in or near Tucson, or at the very least renting something down there for a couple months each winter. And I'm looking for a bit of advice on where in or near Tucson might be a good fit for us.

We're really active. Into biking, hiking, running, and that sort of thing. We're also not huge fans of inner-city living and would prefer something on the outskirts. (Though not too far out because we're not total isolationists or anything like that.) But we definitely prefer natural scenery, hiking opportunities, and bike paths, to mega-shopping, mega-malls, downtown cores, etc.

We've looked hard at St George Utah because it's a pretty place and because the area is filled with bike paths and tennis courts and hiking opportunities. But the winter temperatures there are a bit lower than we'd like.

Can anyone help us out with some suggestions within the general Tucson area that aren't crazily expensive? Thanks very much in advance!

[Jukesgrrl]

Can you be more specific about the size of home you would like and most importantly your price range? There is MUCH inventory in the market here. Due to the huge size of Pima County, there are possibilities in every direction outside the city that meet your taste/recreation expectations but it would be easier to make a recommendations if you could describe what kind of home you want to buy.

You'll have to make some kind of arrangements for maintenance/security if you're only in the house a couple of months each year and you don't go with a condo situation. It can be done, my neighbor is only in his house about 4 WEEKS a year, but he has professional property keepers.

More rentals are available than ever, due to people who can't afford to sell their homes and need to move, however, those people are looking for full-time rather than seasonal renters, especially in the suburbs where HOAs often make it illegal for people to do seasonal renting.

Oro Valley, with beautiful parks, extensive bike trails, golf courses, and abutting Catalina State Park in the NW, the Rincon foothills area near Saguaro National Park in the SE, the Green Valley area in SW, all might meet your needs.

Create Your own Tucson Home Search

[RickTucsonHomes]

As Jukesgrrl mentioned it would be a great help to know the size of home and price range you are interested in. Also single family home, condo townhome, all are available all over Tucson. Are you wanting and Active Adult Community? (55+) As Jukes said there are plenty of homes in all the outskirts of Tucson. I spent all of last weekend showing homes in Green Valley. Nice laid back community close to Madera Canyon. Plenty to choose from both for sale or for rent.

[gordholio99]

Hey everyone:

Thanks for the suggestions thus far. And thanks for taking the time to ask more questions. Much appreciated.

I'm 52 and my wife is 50, so 55+ communities are out of the question. For now, anyway. :-)

We'd *like* a one-floor detached house, though a townhouse might be okay as well. The max square footage we'd need is probably 1500. As for price range, well, I've been able to find decent homes in Havasu and St George (two communities with which I'm familiar) at the $150,000 mark. That's pretty much the most we can reasonably afford. Not sure if that's enough...

I'm not against a fixer-upper (the worst home in the best neighbourhood philosophy). And although we likely can't spend much more than a month or two there right now, we should be able to increase that to four - six months in the next few years.

The primary issue to me right now is the area and proximity to the stuff we enjoy, and I guess I babbled enough about that in my original post. And a view - if we can possibly get anything that's a bit elevated in our price range, we'd be happy. :-)

So...what do you think? I'll start checking out the areas you've mentioend, but any extra assistance would be most appreciated. We'll be in Arizona in about six weeks, so the possibility of us buying soon is very real.

Thanks again!

[Jukesgrrl]

Especially if you don't require new construction, there are lots of homes in many areas that would meet your amenities requirements and would fall under your $150,000 limit. You'd have a tough time finding 1,500 sq.ft. within the town limits of Oro Valley for under $150,000 (1,200 sq.ft., yes), but there are lots of other neighborhoods just a stone's throw away that would allow you to use OV's amenities. I live just a couple of miles SW of there and I use the great OV library, which has the most amazing view I've ever seen from a library reading room.

How familiar are you with Tucson? If you don't know the area at all, you need a Realtor before your upcoming trip. I picked out a perfect-for-me house in Tucson on a two-day trip here, but I knew the exact location I wanted to buy in and I had multiple conversations with my Realtor before I got here. From what I've read from Rick on this board, he seems to know his business. If he can't help you for some reason, I'd be happy to recommend the woman who helped me. She is highly regarded and not restricted to a particular area. I would provide her contact info if you DM me.

Just within the area where I live (just because it's what I know), check out Dove Mountain (85658), Continental Ranch (85743),

[Tashinamu8]

First, I agree with everything prior said including the referral to Ric who I do not know, but have read many of his posts.

Second, I will stay off the subject of real estate, but I do agree to find yourself someone to assist you. I enjoyed my realtor who ultimately had the patience to literally comb this city with me until I bought something.

Three, there are several places to find things that are going on here and since your interest is more active outdoor activities, I would direct you to the social site, Meetup.com which is a site for finding people with like interests. The town is so diverse and if you do not have employment, a church, or any other established way of meeting people, it can take a while. If you go to that site, use the zip code 85718 which is roughly the geographic center of Tucson Metro (which is Tucson proper plus the four small satellite towns of Tucson that create the region). It will spew out about 280? and growing everyday interest meetup groups for which you may become involved. It costs nothing, they take no real personal information other than an email address and you are moving forward. This town is a big hiking town. Some of the largest meetup groups are the hiking community and I think there are three or four to choose from. They have actually diversified themselves by ability to distinguish themselves. Also, there are groups for volleyball, different types of recreational sports, going to the movies with others, speaking foreign languages, dining out, or having regular dinner parties with others, exercise groups, just to name a few.

Good luck and welcome.

[Ryan S.]

Definitely Foothills. Especially near Sabino Canyon. Awesome area - kind of what you like - near hiking and outdoor activities, somewhat away from the traffic and city, yet just the right distance Do your research - check bunch of sites - look for Foothills inside info. Good luck!