Moving to Tucson in June!

[RickTucsonHomes]

Originally Posted by CharlyT

So we were supposed to close on the sale of our home on Monday and move to our temp place tomorrow. Just found out a couple hours ago there's been a snag with our buyers final loan approval so our closing date will have to be postponed.

Kids and hubby are both off from school/work for a week, and since our closing/moving plans have been blown, I decided we're going to take an impromptu trip to Tucson tomorrow. The kids will get to see what Tucson looks like and I can escape my frustration with this house sale for a couple days. I figure we can also do a couple test drives to get a feel for the reality of the commute from Oro Valley to the hubby's work.

Questions:
1) Anyone think it's too soon to begin a house hunt for a rental starting in June?

2) Any recommendations of places to take the kiddos? We'll be there from Sunday-Wednesday (11-14). Any special events happening? Our daughters are 7 and 10.

Sorry to hear about your closing, happens sometimes though unfortunately.

In addition to the Desert Museum you might also try the Tucson Childrens Museum for a more interactive type childrens activity.
Kids will always enjoy a trip to eegee's, Flavor of the month is Lucky Lime! Great food, and some of the best fries in town. (get some ranch dressing to dip them in too)

I certainly think it would be best to look at rentals while you are here to at least get an idea of what you can get for the money in the different areas. You probably won't find anyone willing to put it on "hold" for you till June. But look, and if you see some you like make a note of it. Then see if they may still be on the market when it comes closer to moving time. But at least you will be able to narow down the areas you want to look in that will certainly make your future searches more fruitfull. Forget about the stress of your closing and enjoy your visit!

[Jukesgrrl]

I've been living in Tucson for six years now and I have yet to experience any traffic I would classify as "horrendous." Even when I-10 was under construction. Perhaps if CharlyT has never lived anywhere except Albuquerque she might consider a two-light delay at Ina and Oracle during "rush" hour to be horrifying, but to many Americans, that's considered "light traffic."

But even that can be avoided with a little effort. If you are in Oro Valley use La Canada as a corridor south rather than Oracle. Then go left on Orange Grove and jog over to First Avenue. That lets you go south on a wide, quiet road and you can turn east onto River Road there, totally skipping all the intersections on Oracle. There IS some construction right this very minute near La Canada and Orange Grove, and there might be some later at La Canada and Magee when the bypass is being finished, but both of those projects will be finished this year and make the trip from Oro Valley to River Road all the easier.

Yes, CharlyT, it is a 30-40 minute drive, but you're going a long distance; for most of the trip driving speed with be as much as the law allows. I wouldn't live someplace I don't want to live just to avoid that commute.

You and your kids will love the Oro Valley Library — wonderful family-oriented programs. A trip to Tohono Chul Park will give Mom and Dad an opportunity to have a nice meal and the kids can run off some steam on the byways of the desert botanical garden. (Desert-themed coloring and story books in the museum gift shop.) And take them to Frost in the Casas Adobes Plaza (Ina and Oracle) for real Italian gelato. You'll find it next to Whole Foods. That plaza also has Sauce (a casual pizza place), Pei Wei, and Chipotle, all family-friendly dining.

Safe travels.

[CharlyT]

So after visiting Tucson we re-discovered how much we love the OV area. I also liked what I think is considered the Casas Adobes area. Is that what the intersection of Oracle and Magee is considered? That's the intersection that has Pei Wei and Chipotle right?
How would I search specifically for that neighborhood on the Tarmls system?

We stayed in Oro Valley at the Conquistador resort which was nice but we did notice while there that we were one of the very few Hispanic families in the area. Is this typical for Oro Valley? My sister in law who moved to Tucson about 6 months ago says OV can be a little on the snobby side and there have been little encounters of racism but not enough to make her move out of the area. I'm just concerned about my daughters being bullied at school because there skin is darker complected. Which to me seems silly since they speak so little Spanish! In fact I was hoping by moving to Tucson that we could all learn and become more fluent in Spanish. Is there a school that has an immersion program?

We did visit the Wilson school while there. The office explained to us that while they are a K-8, the elementary and mid school are very separated and even keep different schedules so my daughters wouldn't even ride the bus together. Seeing as they won't really see each other, I'm not as committed to the K-8 concept as I previously was. So at least that opens up our options a little bit.

By the way, I've been craving an Eegee since I got home! The kids LOVED Tucson as much as we do so that always helps.

[RickTucsonHomes]

Originally Posted by CharlyT

So after visiting Tucson we re-discovered how much we love the OV area. I also liked what I think is considered the Casas Adobes area. Is that what the intersection of Oracle and Magee is considered? That's the intersection that has Pei Wei and Chipotle right?
How would I search specifically for that neighborhood on the Tarmls system?

That would be Ina and Oracle, Magee is a mile north, but yes that is considered the Casas Adobe area. A Couple ways you can search the area. Try searching by zip code, 85704, that will pick up the southern end of Oro Valley and the Casas Adobe area all the way down to just past River Road. In the Blue Outlined "Search" box type in 85704. Then to narrow your search within the zip code area use the drawing tools at the bottom. You can draw a polygon around the area you want to search in. If you play around with it for a few minutes you can get the hang of it. This is a great way to look in specific areas that are not pre determined by zip code or subdivision. If you type in Casa Adobe into the "Browse" bar section it won't give you everything in the area you are talking about, but also give you some that are not in your area of interest. If you can master the "Map" search page it really helps you narrow down your search area.

eegee's are addictive. When my daughters come back home they always work in a trip to eegee's!

[CheyDee]

I don't know the zip code areas, but we just purchased a place approx. 2-1/2 miles from Oracle & Ina, closer to the Foothills Mall. The zip is 85741.

[MrsEB]

Hi!

How is your move going?
I'm just curious if you found a rental home yet, and how you found the process? My husband and I, along with our 2 little ones are most likely moving to the area in August and will also be looking at renting a house.

I've never been to Tucson, but really like what I see around OV (atleast on my laptop.. ;-)

Hope your transition is going smoothly.

[CharlyT]

Hi, thanks for checking in. We took a trip to Tucson last week to search for a rental home. I had made great efforts in scheduling lots of tours with various property managers and kept my focus on the Amphi and District 16 school districts.

Because we had our hearts set on a pool, it didn't take us long to realize we were definitely going to pay a premium for that and have stiff competition. I had figured we would be able to negotiate our rent with ease considering our 800+ credit scores and willingness to sign a three year lease. As it turned out, the rental market is a lot tighter than what I anticipated!

In the end we found a house in the Sabino Canyon area with a pool. We ended up renting it sight unseen because it popped up on the market the day after we left. I did have a friend go check it out for me though and she gave it the thumbs up. I had offered to sign a three year lease in exchange for 10% off the rent, but the homeowner opted for full rent for a one year instead. There were 4 other applications submitted at the same time for the same house! Glad our application was the one that got accepted though.

The house that was our second choice was in OV. I liked that house and neighborhood more, but my husbands commute will be cut in half by living in the Sabino Canyon area and the schools (Canyon View and Esperero) seemed as good if not slightly better than Wilson, so in the end that gave the first choice the edge.

Good luck on your move in August!

[coatimundi]

I think you'll end up liking the Sabino Canyon area more than Oro Valley.
Yes, very few rental houses have pools. I think it's partially because trusting a tenant to take care of the pool could result in it being virtually destroyed. It's also a liability with the chances of children falling in.
Good luck.

[srrivera25]

I also have been think of Moving to Tucson or Phx. I am living in MN and want to get out! Cant stand the snow and cold weather anymore. I also have a 8 year old daughter who is currently in as bilingual school, so I wouls want her to continue in a sopanish speaking class. I work in the medical field as well as a health Unit Coordinator. How is the pay and the cost of living??? Do you have any suggestions on Tuscon or Phx??? Is it really all desert in AZ??? What are some good hospitals or clinics to apply at??

[bubble2007]

I will be in Tucson house hunting for rental properties early June. Hoping I will be able to find a suitable 3-4 bedroom rental property (with a pool) in the foothills area....