Help! It's official we are moving to Phoenix! (Tucson, Glendale: extended stay, for sale) - Arizona (AZ) - City-Data Forum

R3ady4aChang3 · 08-05-2011, 01:36 PM

I have posted a few questions on here lately and have gotten a few responses (thanks).

My wife (25) and I (30) are moving to the Phoenix area (from Ohio) towards the end of the year. I am being relocated with my company so yes I already have work lined up. My wife does not and will be looking for an entry level Human Resources job. We have no children but plan to start a family reasonably soon.

We are allowed mulple "home-hunting" trips, I will be traveling back and forth with extended stays in the area during November-December and will be in corporate housing for 30 days after that. I know that the smartest thing to do would be to rent first but I am stubborn and tired of renting/apartment living, I am determined to buy after the time in corporate housing so please don't try to talk me out of it. Without friends or family in the area in the beginning I am certain that (with some advice) I can find a suitable area to buy after my home-hunting trips, extrended travel visits and 30 days in corporate housing.

From what I have heard I would like to target Gilbert but that sounds like WAY to much of a commute for me. I am willing to do a 25-30 minutes commute if the community is worth it but would love to be closer to the 15 minutes range if possible and not giving up much on the community. We want to be in a newer developement that is obviously clean and as safe as possible.

Looking to spend somewhere between 120k-170k and we don't need a huge house, 3 bed 2 bath ~1700 sq ft would be fine. Planning to buy with a pool and 3 car garage. We know that the pool will take time and money to maintain but is a must for us.

What are things to consider to help keep the house cooler? 1 story? north/south front/back? Etc?

What are other things to consider about Arizona? Sounds like vehicle registration for example is EXPENSIVE!!! Here its like 50-75 per vehicle. We have 2 cars and 2 motorcycles so OUCH!!

Are there nice roads/routes to ride motorcycles out there? Am considering buying dirtbikes... anywhere to ride those?

I checked the cost of living and it seems comparable to where I am living currently... are there any costs that others have found abnormally high (or low) compared to other areas? Different taxes? Etc...

I know its hot in the many summer months but we will have to adjust.

We don't really need "night-life" necessarily but we do like to go out for drinks occasionally.

I love sports and hope to be able to attend football and basketball games especially but some hockey and baseball as well...

Any suggestions on how to meet people?

Any and all input is welcome... constructive criticism and reasonable warning are fine but please don't over exaggerate things! We are coming and we have a positive attitude!

Kimballette · 08-05-2011, 01:49 PM

You say Gilbert might be too much of a commute. Where will your job be located?

R3ady4aChang3 · 08-05-2011, 02:51 PM

All that post and I didn't give that info!!! Tolleson around W Van Buren and 75th.

Thanks in advance!

Captain Bill · 08-05-2011, 03:10 PM

Goodyear may be a good location for you.

Finger Laker · 08-05-2011, 03:27 PM

Coming from Gilbert would probably be pretty tiring ..... I would look into Goodyear, Litchfield Park and parts of Peoria/N. Glendale (Arrowhead area) as nice areas that would offer you a reasonable commute while still giving your wife some reach

Maybe rent a little closer to central Phoenix .... you'll have a reverse commute from the I-10/I-17 interchange heading west to 75th ave and Van Buren is just off the freeway ..... being central could give your wife more scope when looking for jobs and then you could find the permanent spot that works for your complete situation once secured

In Goodyear/LP you'd be able to find something really nice for that price range .... I don't ride, but there are a lot of really good motorcycle routes and many that are really popular (see them out constantly) .... I don't dirt bike either, but I know a lot of people have their toy haulers and make their way just west of the metro

Goodyear/LP/Arrowhead will also be very close to NFL football and hockey (well as long as we have hockey) ..... very convenient for spring training baseball, summer league/rookie ball, and the AZ Fall League (which is awesome) ..... basketball, MLB and the arena league for football are all downtown ... usually takes me 25-30 minutes to get downtown for a game

For meeting people? Get active doing things you enjoy doing .... you're bound to run into other like minded individuals, many of whom are also new to the area .... just put yourself out there

robabeatle · 08-05-2011, 03:34 PM

Seriously, you are moving across the country and want to buy right away (30 days is not that long) and have it fit your family's needs...
Please, please consider renting for a few months, get a 6 month lease or month to month. What you perceive as being the right area after a few visits will look very different come 1 year from now. Put most of your stuff in storage so it will be easy to move after you get a feel for Phoenix.
House prices are not going up, if anything down or remaining steady for at least a year if not much longer.

Auto registration sounds about right from your estimates and that is not pricey compared to many places.

With that aside, you will love riding a motorcycle here. There are so many open roads just point and go. I am not so familiar with dirtbiking but I know many others who do this here.

Electrical can be pricey in the summer depending on your cooling needs. New construction may have good insulation, maybe not though. Might look into a dual swamp cooler/ac as ac is only needed for those humid monsoon days.

I think that like many you will find the heat more than bearable being that it is so dry BUT after some years you may get really tired of this as I did and I grew up in PA. But that is a long way off. Kids do complain of this as they can't really be out in it. ( I was a teacher and most kids wanted out of the desert.we)

Phoenix has a lot of things to do that you'll find in other major metros. On the flip side of that, Phoenix feels to me like any other metro and has no soul. (I lived in Tucson for 10 years and there is a bit of a rivalry there. It is because Phoenix is jealous of the character of Tucson!)

Ponderosa · 08-05-2011, 04:26 PM

Goodyear or Litchfield Park is where you should look. Forget about Gilbert. It is on the other side of the world from your job. From Estrella in Goodyear, you can just hop on and drive to the dirt. Litchfield would mean trailering a short distance. There are millions upon millions of acres of public land in Arizona and plenty of it around Phoenix. It is off-road heaven here.

As for buying right away, today it seems everyone is just saying rent, rent, rent. Used to be you'd move and buy right away. Rent is going to cost you about double per month what a mortgage on the same house would run right now. Prices on home are stable, but selection is going down. There are fewer homes out there than there for sale than there were six months back. Still quite a few though. Rentals get taken in a week especially if they have things like 3 car garage.

apexin · 08-05-2011, 04:40 PM

Quit your job, get a job at the local Mcdonalds where you are and stay there. Its a hell hole here with people being kidnapped daily and beheaded weekly. If you do not speak Spanish, you will not be able to guy food at the grocery store or even order at a drive thru! Just kidding!

We moved here from the Midwest and love it. Been here two years and as of now, never want to go back. The summers are hot, but not that bad and the other 8 months of the year are paradise. You are close to Cali for the recreation and sightseeing, but dont have to put up with the costs and traffic of living there. Ok, you are already sold, so I wont go on.

Why Gilbrert? I was told the same thing when I was looking around here and found that I really didnt like the area. No offense to the good people of Chandler and Gilbert, but it just wasnt my thing. My wife is in her late 30's and Im 45, have two young kids and enjoy the outdoors, motorcycle/ATV/SXS riding and all the Desert and Arizona have to offer. We ended up in North Peoria in the West Wing development. We love the school, love our neighbors and love the area. I like being close to Lake Pleasant and having mountains all around us with awesome hiking trails within walking distance of my home. I just found Gilbert and Chandler a little too flat and just like the Midwest I got out of. In fact, one day we were leaving the Grocery store in Chandler and noticed a cornfield right across the street from the store. Cornfields are something I never want to have to look at again after 40 years of seeing them. Like the others have suggested, get a short term lease and take your time looking around. We lived in a furnished condo in Chandler for 4 months and Im glad we did. This was after I came out here 10 times for 6 months and even did 3 one week house hunting trips with the wife before we moved. Buying a house in the Phoenix market is nothing like I have ever experienced. You will see what I mean, but after you get through it, you are a better person from the experience and will appreciate what you have more. From thousands of miles away it all seems so easy, so just buckle down and do your homework. I found several areas of Phoenix that I would have never considered if I hadnt been here and looked around for awhile.

As far as riding dirtbikes, well you are moving to Meca. If you have never been, go to the Glamis sand dunes. Go up to Flagstaff and ride in the pine forrest. Go just outside of town and ride the Desert. There are tons of bike dealers here and many places to ride. You could spend weeks riding here and never go the same place twice.

Good luck and enjoy your Southwest experience. Oh, and I hope you like Mexican food, we have some of the best I have ever had and once you have it out here, nothing else is even close.

pbenjamin · 08-05-2011, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by R3ady4aChang3

I know that the smartest thing to do would be to rent first but I am stubborn and tired of renting/apartment living, I am determined to buy after the time in corporate housing so please don't try to talk me out of it.

So what does everybody do? They try to talk him out of it. Give the guy a break. He even said "please".

R3ady4aChang3 · 08-05-2011, 04:50 PM

Thanks for the information so far everyone! I should have made it more clear... I am VERY excited about moving to Phoenix! My wife on the other hand is a little nervous. She is afraid she is going to get kidnapped. I told her she was an adult so she had nothing to worry about but she didn't think that was very funny.