Relocation to Arizona (Phoenix, Goodyear, Queen Creek: transplants, rental, house)

[azbound621]

Good Morning,


Since this forum is mainly made up of transplants and retirees from other states I would like your input please.
How did everyone go about selling their old homes and relocating to Arizona? I'm planning this move in the future and am unsure where to start. We are going to use the proceeds from our current house to pay in cash for a home in Arizona. Has anyone done this before and what advice could you guys give us?


Thanks

[DetroitN8V]

How well do you know the area here? The best advice is to rent for the first 6-12 months. That eases the stress of buying and selling simultaneously and allows you to investigate the area before committing to somewhere specific.

[azbound621]

We know the area somewhat. But we also have kids and dogs to consider. The kids will be college age with one hopefully working full time. I think for us we'd rather buy than rent.

[DetroitN8V]

Originally Posted by azbound621

We know the area somewhat. But we also have kids and dogs to consider. The kids will be college age with one hopefully working full time. I think for us we'd rather buy than rent.

To me, it seems risky to to buy in an area that you know "somewhat". I rented a house for the first year after moving. It was more costly and a bit of a hassle, but it allowed me to truly know the area before investing in it. I'm thankful I did. What area are you considering?

[azbound621]

Believe me, I appreciate your advice.
We liked the Queen Creek area the last time we were there in March. Obviously, its subject to change. We're open to seeing other areas. And work commute isn't a factor.

[Jkgourmet]

Originally Posted by azbound621

Believe me, I appreciate your advice.
We liked the Queen Creek area the last time we were there in March. Obviously, its subject to change. We're open to seeing other areas. And work commute isn't a factor.

Isn't the commute a factor for the kid who will be in school and working full time?

[azbound621]

Originally Posted by Jkgourmet

Isn't the commute a factor for the kid who will be in school and working full time?

I don't know at this point where our youngest will go to school. My older son is an accounting major who will graduate next year. He may or may not go with us....has a girlfriend. LOL We're hoping he will

[DetroitN8V]

Too much uncertainty to live on the far outskirts in town, in my opinion. If you were interested in somewhere centrally located, the argument could possibly be made to buy right away, but even then, I think an exploratory 6-12 months in a rental is smart. Sorry for beating a dead horse at this point.

[43north87west]

Rent first. Since this area is made up of a lot of recent transplants, they usually only recommend where they live and only lived in one or two places when they make the recommendation. The city of Phoenix alone is 500 square miles; the Phoenix area is absolutely massive. A lot of people don't get around the area much so they don't have a clue about anything outside of their suburb.

[azbound621]

I know the area is immense. We put on a lot of miles last time. We drove from Goodyear to San Tan and everywhere in between.
This is why I started this thread.