Relocation to Phoenix (Glendale, Scottsdale, Surprise: renting, vacation home, neighborhoods)

[ChiGirlAtHeart]

I just wanted to clarify a few things... were being transferred because of my husbands job- who is the main breadwinner- whatever money I make is fun money... so we wont have any issues qualifying for a mortgage without my income
Im looking on Realtor dot com and honestly, I'm looking in Surprise, Glendale, Peoria, Wadell, Goodyear, Avondale , Litchfield Park- and trying to find a rental house that has three bedrooms, accepts both cats and dogs ( I have 2 dogs and a cat) plus has a pool - I get six houses - all over 1800. If I take out the pool I get one more listing. :-/

I appreciate the input. I'm not being argumentative but it seems to be fairly slim pickings for rentals...

[Deborah Braun]

I've seen some older posts of living in Verrado but am interested in current info. My husband and I are in our mid 50's, have previously owned a condo in Scottsdale (sold it about 5 years ago) and loved being able to have a great vacation spot. We are now in the market again. I have spent the last 8 months on the internet looking at various cities within an hour/ hour 1/2 drive from Sky Harbor Airport. The prices at Verrado seem to have declined since the other reviews i read from 2007 which is extremely attractive to us since we don't want to sink a lot of money into a vacation home. Being near the White Tank Mountains seems like a great incentive to us since we love the outdoors and enjoy hiking, etc. i'm looking at the Ashtonwoods Developer in Fairview Park in Verrado. I understand there is another pool planned in this particular part of the development which sounds convenient. I like the idea of having the Main Street, etc. advantages without living too close to all the action. Any thoughts on Ashtonwoods developer? Any thoughts on Verrado in general? Apparantely, the Ashtonwoods lots are smaller - which seems to be an advantage for a vacation home in terms of maintenance issues. We do have two small dogs which should do well in the smaller yard along with walks and jaunts in the parks. I like the idea of pools without the slides, etc. since I would have no use for them. I've given this much thought but am curious about what other people have to say.
Any retiree's out there?

[rpotter]

I'm relocating to Phoenix and I know nothing other than about the heat, the low water, cultural, and not much else other than uniforms at the schools. I'm from Kansas City Kansas but I reside in Omaha Nebraska coming to Phoenix AZ for something new. I love Corona Ca but too expensive to way not Arizona. I'm curious about customer service, jobs in homecare and at coca cola, average rent rate for a 4bed house, wic, schools, daycare, etc...All of those goodies. There would be two huge families relocating to Phoenix and need to know.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by rpotter

I'm relocating to Phoenix and I know nothing other than about the heat, the low water, cultural, and not much else other than uniforms at the schools. I'm from Kansas City Kansas but I reside in Omaha Nebraska coming to Phoenix AZ for something new. I love Corona Ca but too expensive to way not Arizona. I'm curious about customer service, jobs in homecare and at coca cola, average rent rate for a 4bed house, wic, schools, daycare, etc...All of those goodies. There would be two huge families relocating to Phoenix and need to know.

You would be better off to start your own thread rather than jumping on an existing one. But first, there's a lot of information to read here about Phoenix. What you list as things you do know about the city I'm not clear on.. "cultural"?? "uniforms in schools"?

If two huge families are planning to move here, some parts of those families need to come out here and see for themselves, before you do all that uprooting. Job market is getting better but not great yet. There are employers with different kinds of customer service jobs, depending on what you are looking for. "Homecare", assuming you mean providing care/companionship to the elderly/disabled in their homes-- there are several providers, I have no idea what availability of jobs are. There would be more openings in winter than in summer. Jobs at Coca Cola? I have no idea.

The Phoenix metro area is far larger in terms of population and geographic area than you are used to. Schools and rents vary quite a bit. You want to avoid a long commute, so where you find work will dictate where you live.

That's why you need to do a lot more reading, and then actually come and see so you can focus your housing and employment options, before uprooting two families.

[observer53]

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.

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.

The housing market is not going to bounce back that fast. You don't want to get stuck in an area you find you don't like, even if you got a "great deal".

Car registration is a formula that is based on the MSRP of the car and goes down each year. I think the DMV site does have some info on how it's calculated. I'll see if I can find the link. EDIT: My computer is being balky. Go to www.azdot.gov/mvd, click on "Frequently asked questions" then Title and Registration. Question No. 2 has the formula in the answer... it will give you an idea. There's another thread here that had a calculator for it, too.

[wretched wrench]

Originally Posted by observer53

Car registration is a formula that is based on the MSRP of the car and goes down each year. I think the DMV site does have some info on how it's calculated. I'll see if I can find the link. EDIT: My computer is being balky. Go to www.azdot.gov/mvd, click on "Frequently asked questions" then Title and Registration. Question No. 2 has the formula in the answer... it will give you an idea. There's another thread here that had a calculator for it, too.

That seems to make sense for a new vehicle purchased in AZ, but there seems to be no provision for someone bringing an older used vehicle with them when moving to AZ. If I read it correctly, AZ would seem to be trying to collect taxes for all the years the vehicle was located and taxed in another state.

I see a Constitutional issue, here.

Perhaps there is more to the law than what is on the AZ site FAQs.

[Jukesgrrl]

Originally Posted by wretched wrench

That seems to make sense for a new vehicle purchased in AZ, but there seems to be no provision for someone bringing an older used vehicle with them when moving to AZ. If I read it correctly, AZ would seem to be trying to collect taxes for all the years the vehicle was located and taxed in another state.

I see a Constitutional issue, here.

Perhaps there is more to the law than what is on the AZ site FAQs.

You misunderstand. For example, I brought two cars here, one brand new, one more than five years old. While their original prices were comparable, they were taxed at vastly different rates due to the age disparity. Having been here five years now means the older car is now ten years old. The amount I paid for the registration tax went down every year and now is only about $50. The amount also went down annually on the newer vehicle. Nothing unconstitutional about it.

[wretched wrench]

Originally Posted by Jukesgrrl

You misunderstand. For example, I brought two cars here, one brand new, one more than five years old. While their original prices were comparable, they were taxed at vastly different rates due to the age disparity. Having been here five years now means the older car is now ten years old. The amount I paid for the registration tax went down every year and now is only about $50. The amount also went down annually on the newer vehicle. Nothing unconstitutional about it.

Certainly what you experienced seems reasonable and fair. The AZDOT site seems not to address used vehicles.

From AZDOT:

"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."

The reduction in assessed value seems to start when the "vehicle was first registered in Arizona". I see nothing there that relates to used older vehicles brought into the state.

However, I do believe the information is somewhere, just can't find it.

Asking for help in finding it was the intent of my post.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by wretched wrench

Certainly what you experienced seems reasonable and fair. The AZDOT site seems not to address used vehicles.

From AZDOT:

"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."

The reduction in assessed value seems to start when the "vehicle was first registered in Arizona". I see nothing there that relates to used older vehicles brought into the state.

However, I do believe the information is somewhere, just can't find it.

Asking for help in finding it was the intent of my post.

The law is ARS 28-5801. Look it up. It does NOT say anything about when"first registered in Arizona". The tax is the same whether the car is from in or out of state. I wish it were otherwise and that newbies were charged an "impact fee", but it is not.

[wretched wrench]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

The law is ARS 28-5801. Look it up. It does NOT say anything about when"first registered in Arizona". The tax is the same whether the car is from in or out of state.

Thanks for the direct reference. That business about "first registered in Arizona" on the AZDOT site seemed questionable.