Moving from NY to AZ (Phoenix, Tucson: ski resorts, for sale, real estate)

[bobbyf]

Hello all. My wife and I will be moving to AZ in the next few years. Sick of life in NY, weather, taxes, etc. We otherwise like where we are and are looking for a "sister city" in AZ.

We live in a suburb of Rochester. 15 minute drive one way to a large mall/"business district" where we can find anything we want/need. 15 minute drive the other way is farms and wide open spaces.

The only thing we want to change is we would like not to live in a suburban subdivision neighborhood. I find people to be quite inconsiderate with their barking dogs and loud conversations in their hot tubs late at night. We would like to be "in the country", but not so far out that we need to drive forever to get anywhere (I'm not asking for too much, am I?) So just looking for opinions on where to consider. The heat doesn't bother us and we don't want any snow or too much rain. Thanks!

[JAinAZ]

You will find that AZ is much different that upstate or western NY ( I am from just south of Utica). Here in AZ, most people live in town because much of the land outside the towns is either Federal or State land. What is private goes for MUCH higher prices than in NY.

That is not to discourage you in any way, as there is still private land available outside of towns, but if you want the less expensive property you will be way out in the boondocks.

AZ is a GREAT alternative to NY as far as my wife and I are concerned, so I encourage you to do some more research and narrow down the area you are interested in. Elevation makes a huge difference in weather here, so you will have to decide what you want for weather and go from there.

[Jkgourmet]

Be aware that MANY areas of Arizona do experience snow. While researching cities, do look at the weather reports for winter (I'm not being snide! When I moved to Phoenix in 1989, sight unseen, I was amazed to find out that there are ski resorts just a few hours north. Who knew?)

If you need to continue working when you move, unless you can work from home, you may be limited to Tucson and Phoenix metro (which actually consists of several smaller cities /suburbs). Especially in Phoenix, you will find it difficult to find a non HOA community. I'd say you are making a big generalization in your description and expectations of a subdivision, but that's just me.

[Nanny Goat]

I don't mean to rain on your parade, but with the warm weather nearly year round out here, there's plenty of barking dogs in the yards out here, too. Probably substantially more. In the East, you have the cold weather, rain, etc. but out here it's nearly always backyard weather for dogs except for maybe late December, January and February. And, in the country, probably lots of barkers, too. And, the sound travels in the desert because no hills, etc. to muffle it.
I think it depends more on responsible, good neighbors than anything else.

[bobbyf]

Thanks for the responses! I guess I'm just looking for some peace and quiet, at least during sleeping hours. I live in a "nice" suburb now, and I've been very surprised at the level of inconsiderateness, whether it's the aforementioned barking dogs (which for almost 4 years was a German shepard, in a kennel 50 feet from my house for hours each day. Not barking in the distance, but percussive, permeate-the-walls barking) or people carrying on conversations on their back porch at midnight that I can clearly hear three houses away without straining. At one point last summer there were three nights in a row where a different dog was let out at midnight, waking us each night.

This is otherwise a nice neighborhood. Kids playing, people walking/jogging, well-kept properties, no rentals, etc. I'm just afraid we'll find our dream house and have to deal with too much noise. We'll be coming up on 50 by the time we make the move. We don't want a retirement community but I can't handle the disturbances I have described. I'd also like some privacy and to not have somebody right in my face when I walk out my front door or on top of me in my backyard. Our price range will be 200-250. And we'll probably have to work in one of the metro areas.

[JAinAZ]

The houses here are built much closer to each other than many back east. Keep in mind that everything here is new, thus every neighborhood is planned by a developer. You won't find the older homes with big yards in many areas. The lots are laid out to maximize the developer's profits not your privacy.

[Nanny Goat]

Retirement areas are generally very quiet. I think Sun City Grande is for people over 45 or 50??

[bobbyf]

Any drawbacks to properties like these?

38013 N 16th St Phoenix AZ - Home For Sale and Real Estate Listing - MLS #4704853 - Realtor.com®

38006 N 18th St Phoenix AZ - Foreclosure for Sale - MLS #4668196 - Realtor.com®

[magnum0417]

I grew up near NYC. I spent my adult in years in both the NYC and Buffalo areas. Just like you, I made a permanent move to Tempe due to being so negative and critical of NY State taxes and weather.

I think Tempe would be ideal for you. I know Rochester very well and Tempe has a very suburban yet accessible feel to it as far as amenities go. Tempe is less conservative than other suburbs like Mesa and Gilbert generally speaking too. Plus it's not as overpriced as Scottsdale.

I assume you will be seeking employment and Phoenix is largely one big suburb of over 4 million people Metropolitan area wise.I again, feel Tempe is very good for a NY transplant.

Tucson is also like Rochester from a population standpoint. Both areas have appx a million people (Pima County and Monroe County). However, there is more diverse employment opportunities in Phoenix for obvious reasons. However, I'd personally live in Tucson if my employer opened up an office there. I visited Tucson yesterday and was upset with not having as many amenities accessible as I thought. However, the scenery is beautiful and is typically 5-10 degrees cooler than Phoenix being 2500 ft above sea level to Phoenix's 1000 feet.

Best of Luck !

[atlaw]

Tucson is great. We moved from one of the old states years ago. if you want a little change of seasons try Payson. We both wish we'd done the move far earlier than we did. We are in Oro Avlley so 20 mins to the city, 20 mins to the open spaces