Advice for newbie Phoenix house buyers? What are the "MUST HAVE's in Phoenix?

[garynscf]

Phoneix area is quite dusty and many people to not favorite carpet due to that reason. Look for laminate, wood, tile flooring. Also, this helps as this flooring is cooler.

In the same vein, this travertine or natural stone flooring as well as natural woods increase the value of your home when it is time to resell if the value exceeds $500K

[bigtrees]

Air conditioning

[A. Daniels]

I am currently living in the midwest and am looking to relocate to a warmer climate. I love all of the tips on house hunting and drier climate for pain control. etc. We are looking at the Tucson area. Anyone know of jobs avaliable for Fitness Instructor/rehab Specialist and a Therapist/Professor?

[observer53]

Originally Posted by A. Daniels

I am currently living in the midwest and am looking to relocate to a warmer climate. I love all of the tips on house hunting and drier climate for pain control. etc. We are looking at the Tucson area. Anyone know of jobs avaliable for Fitness Instructor/rehab Specialist and a Therapist/Professor?

This is an old thread, on Phoenix issues. Since you are looking at Tucson, you should start a new thread with this question, in the Tucson forum. Go to the Tucson forum, click on the "New Thread" button in the upper left, and put a title on the thread that calls attention to what you are asking for. Good luck!

[thedreamteam]

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

Panks, much of the must have is dependent on your personal requirements.

First, I would say that the home must be within a reasonable commute distance from your work.

A pool is desirable if you have children, but certainly not a must have. Many communities have a community pool that may be sufficient for your needs. If you add a pool it will be quite expensive, from 25k to 60k. A pool in an existing home will not cost much more, if any, than the same home without a pool.

A home facing north is desirable for many. The living areas will be on the east side, and the bed rooms on the west. A home with the front facing west is desirable for many because the back yard is shaded in the afternoon.

Good shade trees for the sides exposed to the most sun is desirable.

A covered patio or Arizona room is a plus.

A good mister system on the patio will be of great help.

Desert landscaping for minimum maintenance if you don't have kids. If you do have kids then you'll want grass in the back yard. You may want a small spot of grass if you have pets. Some communities don't allow desert landscaping at all because they want to keep a lush green community.

High quality multi pane windows are a must. Six inch construction is good for better insulation. Some homes have block walls.

Ceiling fans are a must because they circulate the air and help to keep your a/c bills down.

High ceilings are desired by many people to give a better feeling of space instead of a cramped in feeling that many experience with low ceilings.

The great room concept is popular in AZ where living/family/kitchen are all combined into one great room.

thanks for the excellent advice.. was not aware a North facing home is more desirable. i bought one facing south and my great room, kitchen, nook (all areas i spend the most time in) are at the back of the house and they remain cool all day because sun is at the south end of the house.

[joninaz]

When it comes to trees/plants, look for ones that drop their leaves in the winter. You want the shade in the summer, but you also want the sun in the winter... it does get chilly here for several months.

I've got every wall covered with vines and after 7 years, have most walls and much of the yard shaded by trees. When you get more shade via trees, it actually allows you more room for variety with other other plants/landscaping. Stuff that would fry in the naked sun can do well with some shadow time.

I'm also a big fan of the external shade screens... easy to pop on when it gets toasty and pop off when you want more warmth in cooler months. Even the most efficient windows transfer heat. Keeping the direct light off them from the outside is key.

[Jwilson27]

Originally Posted by sberdrow

who makes basement homes?

Fulton homes, Shea homes, VIP homes, Scott homes, Lennar homes, this doesn’t really help you with your original question but had to comment on basement homes. It gets pretty hot here and basement homes are nice to have but, our soil here makes them more expensive.





Everyone else here answered you question pretty well. There’s all kind of good ideas, opinions and facts.

[David Cee]

Originally Posted by Synergy38

I'm looking for a two story home, because if someone breaks in my house, I don't want to be on the same floor as them, or have them breaking in my bedroom while i'm asleep, plus I can leave my window open overnight if I have a bedroom on the 2nd floor of a house.

In the summer I can imagine it getting hot as heat rises but is it that big of a problem? Anyone here live in a two story house?

And if you are upstairs and a break in occurs you will never hear it. If you are young and healthy 2 story might be OK. But if you ever develop mobility problems. . . .

[David Cee]

[quote=Jwilson27;12963480][color=black][font=Verdana]

Snipped

It gets pretty hot here and basement homes are nice to have but, our soil here makes them more expensive.


What is the issue with the soil?