Northerners to Arizona heat...?? (Phoenix, Tucson: rent, hotel, houses)

[68428GOAT]

How did you take it first few years? Is it better now ?? Doing lot of reading. We may make the move in a year or sooner to Gilbert area.

Summers worry me. Lot of things and two dogs to move a long ways (from s.NH).

Plan to take few trips. Rent then buy when settled. Bad part seems rent will be higher than a motgage (120k range). Will need a garage either way, will be bringing muscle car (i hope).

Any advise is welcome.

Thank you

[nicoleeee]

We are in same boat as you.LOL! 2 adults in our 40's no kids and 2 dogs from PA. I think Gibert sounds really nice. We need a garage too, were looking under 100,000. seems possible, nice houses too.

[68428GOAT]

Ya I am shocked on the prices. And just read thead on property taxes. I'll take it, average is $5500 yr here. Really makes that payment jump. This is a big move and worried about falling on our face (and no patriots games).

Will have a real good savings and no bills, but still nervous. Whole new world. Oh and that heat. Lol

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by 68428GOAT

How did you take it first few years? Is it better now ?? Doing lot of reading. We may make the move in a year or sooner to Gilbert area.

Summers worry me. Lot of things and two dogs to move a long ways (from s.NH).

Plan to take few trips. Rent then buy when settled. Bad part seems rent will be higher than a motgage (120k range). Will need a garage either way, will be bringing muscle car (i hope).

Any advise is welcome.

Thank you

Unless you live or work outdoors you don't "take" the heat. What you do take is being cooped up in an air conditioned space for weeks at a time. If you can deal with the heat in April/May and in late Sep/Oct then the confinement is bearable if not enjoyable. If you are one of those that thinks 90 plus afternoons is too hot, then look for somewhere else to live. You simply must be able to adjust to that to have any hope of enjoying this place.

[Nanny Goat]

The summers are intense--no way around that. You get about 4 1/2 months of it. If you like a lot of heat, you'll like it here, but if you're on the fence about heat, no, it'll be too much.
The first summers I never minded, but the temps weren't like now. We occasionally got 110's-112's. Now, it's routine and can be for weeks cuz of the heat island effect. They expect the low's to be 100 at some point overnight, I heard recently. But, you have A/C and get a place with a pool--it will help a lot.
But, the heat is only one thing here. It's very different here than the East Coast. People seem to like it a lot or not.

[68428GOAT]

I get that. Hard to judge. I hate the 90 heat here,but humidity is usually 65+. Very thick air. We were just in the caribian and was not bad at all with out the humid air.

Chandler seems nice also. I like Prescott for cooler temps but seems more pricey and lower wages.

[Nanny Goat]

If you rent first, you'll be okay cuz you can take time deciding things. Just don't commit right away. Good luck.

[Heidi60]

Be careful about being seduced by the low home prices, there is a reason they are low. When I lived there the heat was horrible and I think my skin problems started then. You will be going to the grocery store in the middle of the night and you better have outside projects done within an hour of sunrise. You can expect to host visitors during the winter months as tourists pay top dollar for hotel/motels. Remember that Tucson/Phoenix//Flagstaff are route for drugs heading north from Mexico. I still wonder where the water is going to come from in the future, but they do have the Mayo Clinic, Walmart, and lots of cactus to watch grow.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by 68428GOAT

I get that. Hard to judge. I hate the 90 heat here,but humidity is usually 65+. Very thick air. We were just in the caribian and was not bad at all with out the humid air.

Chandler seems nice also. I like Prescott for cooler temps but seems more pricey and lower wages.

You also have to consider the temperature curve during the day here. It is very dry (less than 20% often less than 10%) humidity about 10 months of the year. So the temps can fall off by 30 or more degrees at night. The "heat island" you hear about is much less pronounced in the suburbs like Gilbert. So lows in the 60s are common even though the peaks reach into the 90s or low 100s and it drops quickly after the sun sets. It really is not that bad most of the year unless you are overweight or just unusually heat averse. But July,Aug early Sep - ughh!

One thing different from northern latitudes that you will notice is that the sun is HOT here, year round. Getting into the shade makes a huge difference.

[68428GOAT]

I would rather hibernate from the sun than 3 feet of snow for four months. lol Thank you.