Relocation to Phoenix (Glendale, Scottsdale, Peoria: rental, car registration, condo)

[Jkgourmet]

Sorry to be blunt, but your friend has given you some really bad advice. The posters on this thread are far more knowledgable and savvy about tge CURRENT conditions i'n that section of the valley.

Once you actually get here, i'm confident you will agree. Your best solution, and the best thing you could do for your family, is rent before buying. 6 months AT LEAST. There is no reason to rush into a decision like this.

[HollyhockGarden]

Hello - Greetings from Glendale! Hubby and I are both from a Chicago suburb. You will find people from all over the world here in the Phoenix area. I agree with the suggestion to rent for at least six months while you get acclimated to the area. A couple of things to think about: You did not mention whether you will also be working. Surprise is a nice area, but do consider that it is in the extreme NW corner of the Phoenix metro area. You may find a job right in Surprise, but then again you may not. If not, you need to commute further east to find work. Similarly, if for some reason, your husband's new job does not work out, if you are living in Surprise and the next job he finds is in Mesa or Chandler, the long and costly commute will impact your quality of life. I would suggest you consider living a bit closer in, perhaps right in Glendale, or perhaps Peoria, or even in NW Phoenix. There are many lovely areas for you to choose from, it all depends on your price range. Today's savvy home buyers are looking into closer-in locations close to their jobs, in a walkable location. They are also looking for more central locations, because workers tend to change jobs more often then they did in the past. If you are looking for a place close to shopping, restaurants, and theaters, I would consider looking near the Arrowhead Mall, located just north of Bell Road between 75th and 83rd Avenues. It is also near the 101 expressway and there is a Rapid bus directly downtown, as well as local bus service. Good luck with your move!

[Jukesgrrl]

I'm sure my mother's boss who retired from Pennsylvania to a $1.5 million house in Goodyear would be surprise to find out he moved to a ghetto. (And may I take this moment to say I really think people from Phoenix should stop using the word "ghetto" since they clearly don't know what it means or how utterly disparaging it is to the poor.)

[ChiGirlAtHeart]

I am hearing the renting thing a lot. And originally, we were planning on renting. But we're looking at these houses, and some of them are listed for 99k - 130k. For those prices, our mortgage payment would be anywhere from $300-900 a month- much cheaper than renting... and I'm looking at the rents in these areas and most of them are upwards of $1800 . Our mortgage here in Chicago is about 1800 so it wouldn't be the concern of affording it, but I'm looking at it like, why would I want to pay such a high amount of money to live in a house that I don't own, when I could pay half of that on a house that I do. I keep wavering back and forth. I totally understand why renting is the more feasible option, but I'm so afraid that if we rent - and wait to buy, that the housing market is suddenly going to bounce back and there won't be as many 'great deals" as there are now.

I will be looking for work- but with the economic climate as it is, I'm afraid im going to be looking for a while.

We're coming out for a visit in a few weeks- and will be meeting with a realtor then to look at neighborhoods and cities and get a better "feel" for the Northwest Valley... but I am really appreciative of all the input that everyone has given me.


I have one more question- a friend of mine who's parents live in Prescott- told me that in Arizona to register your car every year, you don't pay a flat fee (like we do in Illinois - here its $98 a year to keep our license plates active) she said that in Arizona the amount of money you pay is based on how expensive your car is?

Can someone verify this, and let me know how I would figure out the costs of my cars (or if there is a site that will tell me) I looked on Arizona's DMV site and I didn't see anything about how much a person could expect to pay.

[khuntrevor]

You can get a two year sticker for your tag, and it is based on value--it's unpleasant.

[ChiGirlAtHeart]

Originally Posted by khuntrevor

You can get a two year sticker for your tag, and it is based on value--it's unpleasant.

Is there a way to figure out based on value how much I would be paying?

I'm assuming they go by Kelly Blue Book Value- but what percentage do they factor for how much you pay?

[Jukesgrrl]

Originally Posted by ChiGirlAtHeart

Is there a way to figure out based on value how much I would be paying?

I'm assuming they go by Kelly Blue Book Value- but what percentage do they factor for how much you pay?

They don't use Blue Book value; they use Manufacturer's Base Retail Price. From the Arizona DMV:

"It varies depending on the vehicle. There is a $4.00 title fee; an $8.00 registration fee; plus an air quality research fee of $1.50; and a vehicle license tax (VLT) assessed in place of a personal property tax charged by other states. There may also be a weight fee for commercial vehicles and other fees. The VLT is based on an assessed value of 60% of the manufacturer's base retail price reduced by 16.25% for each year since the vehicle was first registered in Arizona (15% before 8/1/98). Then, as of the Dec 1, 2000 reduction, the rate is calculated as $2.80 (new vehicles)/$2.89 (used vehicles) for each $100 of the assessed value. For example, for a new vehicle that costs $25,000, the first year assessed value would be $15,000 and the VLT would be $420.00. The second year the assessed value would be $12,562.50 and the VLT would be $363.06."

You will pay shockingly more to register your car in Arizona than in Illinois or Pennsylvania. But by the same token, you will pay shockingly less in state income tax and property tax. Every state needs to raise money somehow. This is just the way they do it here.

[Finger Laker]

Lot of good advice so far - the NW Valley is fine

From what you mentioned about where you live now it sounds like the arrowhead area of glendale could be a great fit as all of glendale would be an easy commute for your husband while giving you an expanded scope as well .... not to mention the shopping options, etc

I like surprise - but it is a little isolated - depending on where in Glendale your husband needs to go it could take a while to get there .... but so much of this is individual tolerance

I live in goodyear and love it and again you can reach pretty much anywhere in glendale fairly easily

The buying opportunities will be there for a while - while you may pay a bit more in rent now, it could be worth the additional $3k-$6k over the course of your first year to find a spot that will make you happy and hedge the risk of trying to sell a home if you aren't

[Jkgourmet]

Originally Posted by ChiGirlAtHeart

I am hearing the renting thing a lot. And originally, we were planning on renting. But we're looking at these houses, and some of them are listed for 99k - 130k. For those prices, our mortgage payment would be anywhere from $300-900 a month- much cheaper than renting... and I'm looking at the rents in these areas and most of them are upwards of $1800 . Our mortgage here in Chicago is about 1800 so it wouldn't be the concern of affording it, but I'm looking at it like, why would I want to pay such a high amount of money to live in a house that I don't own, when I could pay half of that on a house that I do. I keep wavering back and forth. I totally understand why renting is the more feasible option, but I'm so afraid that if we rent - and wait to buy, that the housing market is suddenly going to bounce back and there won't be as many 'great deals" as there are now.

I will be looking for work- but with the economic climate as it is, I'm afraid im going to be looking for a while.

A couple of answers to your question above (I've highlighted it in red.)

Because you don't have a job. You want to know where you will be working to determine what you can deal with in a commute.

Because you can find rentals for way less than $1800/mo. EASILY.

Because you don't want to be stuck with a house for the next 5-10 years in a neighborhood you don't like, wishing you had taken at least 6 months to learn about where you DO want to live.

Because you may not qualify for a mortgage without a job.

Because you're not building equity in that house for the first few years. All your paying is interest. And, even in a normal market, you don't cover your closing costs for 3-5 years.

And, the best reason of all, housing prices are not going to change in this area for 6-24 months, except MAYBE go even lower.

I always wonder why people don't do due diligence on what is generally their biggest investment. If someone suggested you invest $100K in such-and-such a stock, you'd be researching everything you could find on it (I hope). But rushing to buy a house seems to be the "smart" thing to do? Hell, I'd rather have the stock - at least that I could get out of quickly, even at a loss.

[Kimballette]

Originally Posted by Jkgourmet

A couple of answers to your question above (I've highlighted it in red.)

Because you don't have a job. You want to know where you will be working to determine what you can deal with in a commute.

Because you can find rentals for way less than $1800/mo. EASILY.

Because you don't want to be stuck with a house for the next 5-10 years in a neighborhood you don't like, wishing you had taken at least 6 months to learn about where you DO want to live.

Because you may not qualify for a mortgage without a job.

Because you're not building equity in that house for the first few years. All your paying is interest. And, even in a normal market, you don't cover your closing costs for 3-5 years.

And, the best reason of all, housing prices are not going to change in this area for 6-24 months, except MAYBE go even lower.

I always wonder why people don't do due diligence on what is generally their biggest investment. If someone suggested you invest $100K in such-and-such a stock, you'd be researching everything you could find on it (I hope). But rushing to buy a house seems to be the "smart" thing to do? Hell, I'd rather have the stock - at least that I could get out of quickly, even at a loss.

So much wisdom in one post!

To the o/p, moving here from another state means all sorts of adjustments to new situations and experiences, including finding your own preferences for areas, neighborhoods, commute routes, shopping, etc. Truly, on paper, things may seem pretty much the same, but you'll never know if you don't go slowly and give yourself time to adjust to all the newness once you arrive.

Regulars on these forums see many posts by people who moved here, made quick decisions, and now post vitriolic rants about how miserable they are with the decisions they made. Far better to wait a bit. My two cents.