Moving to Phoenix in Sept 12' from Baltimore, advice please :) (Tucson: rental, health insurance)

[julieph85]

Hi, Me, my husband, and my 2 year old twins will be moving to Phoenix area in September. We are moving so I can be close to my Doctor at the Mayo Clinic (I have a reare neurological illness that mayo specializes in), as well as the weather, and to be close to my mother in law in Tucson. Anyway, I have several questions.

1) I'm in my mid-twenties and my husband is in his mid-thirties, neither one of us has ever lived anywhere but Baltimore. We have NO idea how to get this process started. This things that need to happen before we can mover are: fix up some things in our current home, rent or sell our current home, pay off some credit cards, husband find a job, and find a home in phoenix surrounding area. My question is, what do we work on first? Obviously we are starting the updates in our current home and paying off the credit cards but should my husband be applying for jobs now, when we can't move till september? Also, when should we start looking for housing in phoenix, and when should we list our current home? I'm afraid if he starts applying too early we will have to turn jobs down because we really wont' be financially ready till September.

2) What is the job market like out there for a Project Manager/Estimator for commercial new construction plumbing/hvac? He is a project manager here in Baltimore and makes $86,000 per year, can he expect a similar salary in his field in phoenix?

3) Everyone has recommended Chandler to us so far. Is that a good area for a family with young children? I'm looking for not too crowded, hopefully mountain views from yard, friendly people and not too far from central phoenix. I love a quiet neighborhood and am looking for low crime.

4) In terms of recommended areas for us to live, some have also recommended north scottsdale. That looks pricey to me. What areas are good for a budget of about $200,000 to $275,000? We would pay a rental up to $1800 per month. I'm looking for 3 to 4 bedrooms, 2 + bathrooms, and an inground pool.


Thank you so much for your help!!

[Kimballette]

Originally Posted by julieph85

I'm looking for not too crowded, hopefully mountain views from yard, friendly people and not too far from central phoenix. I love a quiet neighborhood and am looking for low crime.

Chandler is a very nice city and will definitely have nice homes in your price range, but it's about 25 miles (give or take) from central Phoenix. Oh, and no mountains - that part of the valley is flatflatflat.

[Jkgourmet]

Originally Posted by Kimballette

Chandler is a very nice city and will definitely have nice homes in your price range, but it's about 25 miles (give or take) from central Phoenix. Oh, and no mountains - that part of the valley is flatflatflat.

And a fairly long drive to Mayo (assuming you're going to Scottsdale Mayo).

Out of curiosity, if your husband found a job before September, why would you HAVE to wait?

The order of things, IMO, is pay off the credit cards AND any other debt (like car payments). Get rid of it asap.

Start doing the projects on the house. Even if this all doesn't work out, you'll feel better about your house.

Husband MUST find a job here before you and the family join him. DO NOT MOVE HERE WITHOUT A JOB.

Another warning: Many insurance companies here do not include Mayo in their provider networks. So, your husband's new job may provide you insurance (which is obviously a must for you guys), but it may not allow you to use Mayo providers. If the insurance is a PPO, you can still go to Mayo as out of network, but it will cost you a lot more, and have a higher deductible until the insurance starts to cover your expenses.

We also have Barrow Neurological Hospital here, one of the world's leaders in neuro diseases. While they are most famous for neurosurgery, they do have doctors for other neuro diseases. The reason I mention it is because most insurance companies WILL cover Barrow. And remember - the doctors at Barrows do have relationships with the doctors at Mayo - and UCLA - and Cleveland Clinic - and so forth. With a rare disease, you get the 'advantage' of being special to doctors. Milk it. (been there, done that.)

Feel free to PM me, if you think I can provide any additional assistance.

[Robert A]

Originally Posted by julieph85

I'm looking for not too crowded, hopefully mountain views from yard, friendly people and not too far from central phoenix. I love a quiet neighborhood and am looking for low crime.

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What areas are good for a budget of about $200,000 to $275,000?

There are a lot of areas that meet that criteria. Closer to Chandler, you could live in Ahwatukee. This puts you near South Mountain, and 20-30 minutes (depending on where in Ahwatukee) from Central Phoenix. You'd be a bit far from Mayo. Definitely quiet and safe. Some say crowded, but your mileage may vary.

I think the area around the 51 freeway and Shea might be a good fit. Specifically, the neighborhood east of the 51, west of 36th St, and south of Shea. It's a nice pocket of homes with views of the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. Closer to Central Phoenix and Mayo. Quiet, safe. Homes can be a little older though (think 1970s and 1980s).

North Scottsdale is very nice, too, and much newer. Someone can chime in with more details (I don't know what homes go for over there).

[julieph85]

Thank you both for your help! JK- we have to wait till sept because we have to either sell or rent our current home. I figure it is going to take us till about may to get the house ready and i'm expecting it to take a few months to sell/rent. The market here is a doozy. thank you so much as well for the info about the insurance. That is a good point! I've been lucky to have awesome BCBS insurance here in MD because I work for the state. It has fully covered my trip to mayo. I will definitely take that into consideration when looking at prospective employers for my husband.

[observer53]

If your husband gets a job here he can't turn down, he may have to come out here ahead of you. Get the debt paid, get the house fixed, get it listed.

Some group plans DO cover Mayo: I work for the state here, which runs its own health insurance through agreements with other companies, including BCBS/Ameriben and United HealthCare, which do include Mayo.

[slackjaw]

Baltimore eh? Welcome!

5) You can buy live blue crabs at Lee Lees market, but by late morning Asian shoppers have picked out almost all the males from the bins.

6) Want crab cake try Ernie's in West Chandler: http://www.myernies.com/Ernies/Menu.html

[Zippyman]

If you're definitely going to Mayo and want to live nearby, just draw a circle around it on a map - a 15 minute-drive to Mayo covers quite a bit of territory - you could likely beat your low budget figure by $50k if you don't mind a (gasp!) phoenix zip code. Chandler could be a miserable drive if you have to do it at the wrong time.

Your hubby is unlikely to have much luck sending resumes blind with an out-of-state phone and address. Perhaps get a trac-phone with a phoenix (480 or 602) area code, and consider a mail-forwarding box so he's at least a little less likely to have his resumes go straight to the trash.

[phoenixmike11]

your husband could also get a google voice number (free) with a phoenix area code which can screen and forward calls to another phone (if he wants)

[magnum0417]

Originally Posted by Kimballette

Chandler is a very nice city and will definitely have nice homes in your price range, but it's about 25 miles (give or take) from central Phoenix. Oh, and no mountains - that part of the valley is flatflatflat.

South Mountain is very visible from Chandler BLVD when I was down that way after just arriving IMO. The backdrop is quite scenic IMO. Sure, it's not The Superstitions. However, having dinner at The Rustlers Rooste Steakhouse was a real treat !