Questions about moving to AZ (Phoenix, Scottsdale: HOA fees, crime, houses)

[skeetz66]

Hello everyone,

My first thread, thanks for reading!!

My wife and I are semi retired and moving to Arizona from Illinois. Why? TAXES, WINTERS and THEIFS!!

We really like the communities of Maricopa and Buckeye.

They seem to have nice houses at reasonable prices. I'm not to worried about the commute to Phoenix since my commute to Chicago is over an hour and a half on a good day, plus I'll be looking for a part time job when we move.

I'd really appreiciate hearing anything you can tell me about these towns. In older threads people have talked about the bad smells in Maricopa and in Buckeye, people have talked about the nightmare with the HOA communities. I've never lived in a HOA commuity, so it's all new to me.

Thanks for reading, looking forward to your thoughts.

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by skeetz66

Hello everyone,

My first thread, thanks for reading!!

My wife and I are semi retired and moving to Arizona from Illinois. Why? TAXES, WINTERS and THEIFS!!

We really like the communities of Maricopa and Buckeye.

They seem to have nice houses at reasonable prices. I'm not to worried about the commute to Phoenix since my commute to Chicago is over an hour and a half on a good day, plus I'll be looking for a part time job when we move.

I'd really appreiciate hearing anything you can tell me about these towns. In older threads people have talked about the bad smells in Maricopa and in Buckeye, people have talked about the nightmare with the HOA communities. I've never lived in a HOA commuity, so it's all new to me.

Thanks for reading, looking forward to your thoughts.

What industry?

The smell is due to agriculture.

Have you ever been here before?

[keninaz]

The heat in AZ's valley will be the opposite of the cold you now have. In the summers you can expect 100° but 9 AM and I don't care if it is a dry heat, it's hot. The key to more moderate WX here in AZ is elevation of course. We live in the Prescott area at 5000' and are some 15-22° cooler on a hot summer day. We get a little snow that usually does not last in the winter too.
I don't like the traffic in the metro area down there either. At times when we visited the kids if you had to get across the towns that all interconnect it could take 2+ hours with minor fender benders. While the traffic is not Los Angeles type it's still pretty bad when you are sitting in traffic when it's well over 100°.
I don't know what you do for a living but there are lots more jobs in the valley than up where we live of course.
Also note that there is a lot more crime in the valley areas than there are in the smaller mountain areas. And the people are much more friendly in smaller towns which is normal in most cases. Our tri cities area has about 100,000 people.
I don't like HOAs at all. Small minded people telling you what color you can paint your home for example. My kids wanted to paint their home the same color it was and had to get a permit at a cost of some $75 for "permission" to paint the house the same color as it was. That's ridiculous. Just an example. A friend that lives in an HOA controlled home was denied permission to put his 16' boat in his back yard behind the fence as "a normal 6' person could see it over the 5' fences and might not like the looks of the boat". Also note that HOA fees are not controllable and that the HOA can obligate you to fees in the future you may not like to pay. If you can, stay away from any HOA.
Also note that many HOAs are managed by just a handful of management companies and they for the most part all have the same time tested languages in their contracts with the homeowners. Be very careful. If you decide you have to buy in an HOA get a full copy of all the rules and read them before you buy the home.

[MotleyCrew]

Originally Posted by skeetz66

Hello everyone,

My first thread, thanks for reading!!

My wife and I are semi retired and moving to Arizona from Illinois. Why? TAXES, WINTERS and THEIFS!!

We really like the communities of Maricopa and Buckeye.

They seem to have nice houses at reasonable prices. I'm not to worried about the commute to Phoenix since my commute to Chicago is over an hour and a half on a good day, plus I'll be looking for a part time job when we move.

I'd really appreiciate hearing anything you can tell me about these towns. In older threads people have talked about the bad smells in Maricopa and in Buckeye, people have talked about the nightmare with the HOA communities. I've never lived in a HOA commuity, so it's all new to me.

Thanks for reading, looking forward to your thoughts.

If you want a little more relief from taxes and a lot more freedom in what color you paint your house (neighbor had Pepto Bismo Pink for years) then look at the original Sun City. You can remodel these homes to make them what you want them to be and many popping up are already remodeled. Or if you like the 60's motif, then keep it original. Our HOA is a whopping $26 or $27 a year instead of $100 to 200 and up a month. There is a buy in capitol improvement fee but we felt is was worth it with all the upgraded rec centers and golf courses we have here. The rec fee is around $425 a year or close to that. Our HOA only acts on complaints and they do not drive around like urban warriors looking for violations. Don't discount this development. Close to Phoenix and airport not a terrible drive either.

[arancampas]

Just as with anything, there are HOAs that are great, and others that can be.....well, much less than great. If you like high-end amenities it may be worthwhile for you to pay higher fees. It really depends on your lifestyle and preferences. While there is quite a bit of agriculture, being in an area where you don't have the side effects of it is not an issue. Plenty of options out here. Are you looking for a manufactured home?

[skeetz66]

I've been to Arizona several times in the past visiting family. Always loved it. I'm really not looking for a job in any particular industry, just something to keep me busy.

Not to worried about the heat, we plan on traveling over the summer months, but my wife loves the heat and it will be good for her arthritis.

Thanks for the interest and information

[JTW2013]

Originally Posted by skeetz66

Hello everyone,

My first thread, thanks for reading!!

My wife and I are semi retired and moving to Arizona from Illinois. Why? TAXES, WINTERS and THEIFS!!

We really like the communities of Maricopa and Buckeye.

They seem to have nice houses at reasonable prices. I'm not to worried about the commute to Phoenix since my commute to Chicago is over an hour and a half on a good day, plus I'll be looking for a part time job when we move.

I'd really appreiciate hearing anything you can tell me about these towns. In older threads people have talked about the bad smells in Maricopa and in Buckeye, people have talked about the nightmare with the HOA communities. I've never lived in a HOA commuity, so it's all new to me.

Thanks for reading, looking forward to your thoughts.

We moved here from Chicago last winter.

I don't live in Maricopa but have driven through it a few times and it always stinks. It looks pretty depressing too.

Like almost everyone else in the Phoenix area, we live in an HOA community. It's not that bad. I like knowing that my neighbors can't paint their house purple and park a dumpy old car in the front of their house. I hear no complaints in our neighborhood about the HOA and the HOA means that every house in the neighborhood looks uniform and nice. If you're the kind of person who has no desire to make your house look unique you'll be fine in most HOAs.

[skeetz66]

Is Sun City for retirees only? The Sun City in Illinois if for retirees. We're not that old yet, but getting there.

Thanks for the information!!

[skeetz66]

Thanks for the information!!

Being from Chicago, is their any particular area that you like the best in Arizona?

[JTW2013]

Originally Posted by skeetz66

Thanks for the information!!

Being from Chicago, is their any particular area that you like the best in Arizona?

First of all, the Phoenix area is FULL of former Chicagoans and other midwesterners so you'll feel comfortable in just about any part of the Valley.

We bought in South Chandler and we love it because it is clean and new. The streets are all beautifully landscaped. The stores are new. The neighborhoods are pretty and well cared for. Coming from an older part of the country we appreciate all of this. But it is definitely very different from Chicago. It's not at all urban. It's very suburban and big box which will bother some people.

If you could choose any Chicago suburb which would you choose? If your answer is the North Shore, you'd like Scottsdale best. If you're a western suburbs type, then Chandler. Chandler is basically Naperville. If you'd choose St. Charles or Batavia, maybe you'd want Gilbert. If you like Oak Park or Elmhust - Tempe. Oswego = Higley or Queen Creek.