Don't Move To Flagstaff! (Phoenix, Glendale: sale, foreclosure, custom home)

[jaada]

flagstaff is beautiful no questions there, but it is sooo expensive. and as one guy up there said you are either rich or poor. jobs in az everywhere are super low paying. i am a student of nau but i am in yuma, (which is another horrible place to live) i considered moving to flag many times because of the beauty but its hard to find work there. i also heard the meth problem is really bad there too but it is just about everywhere anymore.

[DzzRed]

Used to live in Glendale and Phoenix. Would escape to Flagstaff, for 'stress' release visits. This was in the late 80's.

Was considering it for a retirement spot, 'cause it's so beautiful. But for the cost of housing, and living, guess I will have to scratch it off the list. Still will be a place for me to visit, though. /

Have to say, I do miss, NOT having allergies, while living in Arizona.

[LiveinPA]

I lived in Flag for 1 year and then got the hell out.

The locals call it "poverty with a view".

I come from Pittsburgh and winters there are worse with almost no road maintenance.

Also got tired of mexican illegal immigrants trying to rob me.

[BillR1]

Originally Posted by LiveinPA

I lived in Flag for 1 year and then got the hell out.

The locals call it "poverty with a view".

I come from Pittsburgh and winters there are worse with almost no road maintenance.

Also got tired of mexican illegal immigrants trying to rob me.

Yep, that sounds like Flagstaff...
Smart move getting out. My house is up for sale now...

[shiznit]

Originally Posted by Blue Sky

Housing costs are astronomical

This country just went through the greatest surge in prices it has ever experienced. In 2005, peeps were raising prices because they simply felt like it. It was a sellers market. Those times are over. You can't classify flagstaff as high priced as the entire country is high priced for the most part. Sellers are finally starting to get real and lower their egos. Housing prices are going down and will continue to do so until supply equals demand.

[carecare7]

"If you want the Arizona Moutains and all that Flaggstaff can off then try Prescott Arizona."

Not so fast, Prescott is a nasty retirement town where kids are not liked and the old people outnumber the young. Prescott looks nice, but people there are very unfriendly and the cost of living far exceeds the wages, just like Flagstaff. The oldsters have an attitude of entitlement and treat anyone under 50 like dirt. The education level is far lower as well and employers there are crazy. I lived in Prescott area last year and compared to Flagstaff, it is corrupt, old, lazy, entitled seniors making life for the mostly low-wage, blue collar workers miserable. The people in charge are old and stuck in their ways. Prescott has its water fights and dirty construction deals. No thanks, I will choose Flagstaff any day. At least in Flag, education and children matter and ageism is not a problem. At least in Flag, people seem to know what good manners, friendliness and courtesy are.

[carecare7]

"My water bill is $20 a month instead of $200 a month."

You must have been a very wasteful person then. I have lived on and off in Flagstaff for the past ten years and live there now. For our family of six, I pay about $70 a month for Water, Sewer, Trash and Recycling. That means I get all four for that $70 a month. What were you doing, watering a huge lawn?

Most Flagstaff residents have xeriscape lawns now or permeable rock lawns that allow the rain water to go to the ground.

Flagstaff is not as expensive in the utilities and water as some places. It is the housing that kills Flagstaff, not the utilities.

[nancyirwin]

We are in escrow on a town home in Flagstaff that we are buying for investment. I live in San Diego. My son may or may not go to NAU next year but we already have renters lined up for this fall. We are buying for $325,000 a brand new 3 bedroom, 3.5 bath 1,600 sq.ft. town home (each bed has a bath...perfect for student roommates). The money is coming from an investment we made in CA 5 years ago so we have $100K down. Right now, an investment in CA doesn't make sense because our property taxes are so high (1% of the new purchase price). That would be $3,250/year in CA and in AZ it's only about $1,500. Our total payments, including the mortgage, taxes, insurance, HOA is about $1,450 and we can rent for $1,600. I'm trying to do all the research I can on Flagstaff because I've only been there once. I've read a lot of negative comments in this forum and some doomsday predictions. Any insight is appreciated.

[wit-nit]

Bluesky is 100% correct on the assesment of Flagstaff. Your money would be better off somewhere else.
AZ is one of the fastest growing states and costs are going sky high. Investors, especially from CA are driving prices up. Bankruptcies and foreclosures are at a record pace too.
There are some cheaper places to buy out in the boondocks, but the price to bring in utilities is astronomical.

[artichoke63]

Originally Posted by nitram

Bluesky is 100% correct on the assesment of Flagstaff. Your money would be better off somewhere else.
AZ is one of the fastest growing states and costs are going sky high. Investors, especially from CA are driving prices up. Bankruptcies and foreclosures are at a record pace too.
There are some cheaper places to buy out in the boondocks, but the price to bring in utilities is astronomical.

nitram,

What "other place" does one go? Every desirable town I've looked at seems to have undesirable real estate prices. The only places where it's cheap to live now is in the midwest and the south, and I'm not sure I'd fit into those areas. Where do we go?