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There's 123 houses on Redfin for under $1.5M, not what you'd get here but not a bad setup if you can swing it. That $9,000 monthly payment with $1269 for property tax is a big kick in the @ss though.
I find it pretty hard to believe someone would go from that type of monthly payment to what you have in Scottsdale and somehow be bored? You could literally live like royalty here if you were to drop to say a $2000 - $3000 total housing cost here. That's an extra $6,000 a month to go have fun, hell you could fly to LA every weekend if you really wanted to and still be better off than living there.
Saving that kind of money you could also easily have a home on a lake in Northern AZ for winter ski trips and summer getaways. I don't think I'd have any problem with this move personally, but then again I've always preferred to live in the desert by choice, not by force.
I live in an upper middles class neighborhood in LA were homes are valued from 1.2 to 2 million. I purchased my home many years ago when things were actually affordable in LA. But those days are long gone and as I get older I'm considering several options.
A few of my relatives have moved to the Phoenix area in the past 8 years and are living quite comfortably in beautiful homes with pools. Of course they miss the ocean and LA weather but have adjusted very well to their new and very affordable surroundings in Phoenix.
My options are to sell my home, make a big bundle of money and rent an apartment closer to the ocean in LA, or join my relatives in Phoenix and buy a beautiful home, with money left over to enjoy my future retirement.
Politics aside, I like Arizona, the desert is beautiful. I just don't like the four months of unbearable heat. I actually prefer the climate and desert landscape of Tucson over Phoenix, but Phoenix is a much larger city and I need that big city vibe.
How do the people who work at McDonald's, Taco-Bell, Wal-Mart, etc. afford to live in this expensive California environment?
Affordable housing is a huge issue in LA and throughout So. Cal. LA is giving tax breaks to developers who build apartment complexes and rent 10 to 15% of the unites to low income residents. Of course that still means you could be paying at least $800 for a one bedroom who's market value is actually $1,500 a month.
Last edited by Angelino19; 08-04-2018 at 08:27 PM..
I live in an upper middles class neighborhood in LA were homes are valued from 1.2 to 2 million. I purchased my home many years ago when things were actually affordable in LA. But those days are long gone and as I get older I'm considering several options.
A few of my relatives have moved to the Phoenix area in the past 8 years and are living quite comfortably in beautiful homes with pools. Of course they miss the ocean and LA weather but have adjusted very well to their new and very affordable surroundings in Phoenix.
My options are to sell my home, make a big bundle of money and rent an apartment closer to the ocean in LA, or join my relatives in Phoenix and buy a beautiful home, with money left over to enjoy my future retirement.
Politics aside, I like Arizona, the desert is beautiful. I just don't like the four months of unbearable heat. I actually prefer the climate and desert landscape of Tucson over Phoenix, but Phoenix is a much larger city and I need that big city vibe.
To be honest, if you're going to live in downtown Phoenix for the city vibe then you'll pay for it. The nice apartments for rent downtown are almost as much as living in downtown San Diego. If you love the ocean then why not look into San Diego. It's cheaper than L.A. and the downtown is manageable.
What is cheap in Phoenix is the suburbs. They run about the price as say Temecula, and further out in the Rural areas you can even get cheaper homes with pools for under 300,000. But that city vibe costs anywhere you live, unfortunately. Unless you don't mind living in a less favorable area, then you can find a deal.
Whats really less expensive here is the day to day living expenses and taxes. Although air conditioning costs do go up.
You'll spend about 20,000 less a year hear to live than L.A. So in five years you'll save 100,000 dollars.
Every so often, people need a new set of problems. I can EASILY handle a couple of weeks of brutally hot weather of freezing MN temps. But when it extends into months, year after year it will wear on you. Certainly some people can handle the rain or heat (or cold or clouds) better than others. With that said, it is fair to assume that a couple of weeks or months in the sun won't give you a true perspective on what you are in for long term.
Does a pool help you with the summers? Having a pool here makes me actually look forward to that heat. I love that you can swim without freezing. You don't even really need a towel to dry off. lol Seriously though, a pool is like a fireplace in MN. Not having one makes that summer weather harder to deal with.
How do the people who work at McDonald's, Taco-Bell, Wal-Mart, etc. afford to live in this expensive California environment?
They rent a room in a poor neighborhood like East Los Angeles. It's cheaper.
They also get government assistance which makes it easier to afford.
The people who are worse off are those who don't qualify for government assistance and make around 60,000 a year, just barely enough. They do the best moving to a place like Phoenix or Tuscon's suburbs. The poor and the rich seem to do ok in L.A.
I live in an upper middles class neighborhood in LA were homes are valued from 1.2 to 2 million. I purchased my home many years ago when things were actually affordable in LA. But those days are long gone and as I get older I'm considering several options.
A few of my relatives have moved to the Phoenix area in the past 8 years and are living quite comfortably in beautiful homes with pools. Of course they miss the ocean and LA weather but have adjusted very well to their new and very affordable surroundings in Phoenix.
My options are to sell my home, make a big bundle of money and rent an apartment closer to the ocean in LA, or join my relatives in Phoenix and buy a beautiful home, with money left over to enjoy my future retirement.
Politics aside, I like Arizona, the desert is beautiful. I just don't like the four months of unbearable heat. I actually prefer the climate and desert landscape of Tucson over Phoenix, but Phoenix is a much larger city and I need that big city vibe.
Don't forget to factor in the possibly sizable capital gains taxes you will pay. If you stay and leave it to an heir, they get a stepped up value at your date of death so no capital gains taxes. Just a thought.
I live in an upper middles class neighborhood in LA were homes are valued from 1.2 to 2 million. I purchased my home many years ago when things were actually affordable in LA. But those days are long gone and as I get older I'm considering several options.
A few of my relatives have moved to the Phoenix area in the past 8 years and are living quite comfortably in beautiful homes with pools. Of course they miss the ocean and LA weather but have adjusted very well to their new and very affordable surroundings in Phoenix.
My options are to sell my home, make a big bundle of money and rent an apartment closer to the ocean in LA, or join my relatives in Phoenix and buy a beautiful home, with money left over to enjoy my future retirement.
Politics aside, I like Arizona, the desert is beautiful. I just don't like the four months of unbearable heat. I actually prefer the climate and desert landscape of Tucson over Phoenix, but Phoenix is a much larger city and I need that big city vibe.
If I were in your position why not get a moderate/nice house in Phoenix and a second home in the high country of Arizona such as flagstaff, Prescott, Pinetop, etc? Depending on the remote work options your job has that would make for a very comfortable life and you’d be living in great temps year round. I’d be willing to bet you could pay cash for one if not both AZ houses with your profits off the house in LA.
Yes, the Tucson area gets more rain so the desert is more lush there and it’s about 1000’ higher and much smaller of a city which helps cool things down a few degrees (both the elevation and less dramatic UHI). But for me, like you, it just don’t have the amenities I like.
To be honest, if you're going to live in downtown Phoenix for the city vibe then you'll pay for it. The nice apartments for rent downtown are almost as much as living in downtown San Diego. If you love the ocean then why not look into San Diego. It's cheaper than L.A. and the downtown is manageable.
What is cheap in Phoenix is the suburbs. They run about the price as say Temecula, and further out in the Rural areas you can even get cheaper homes with pools for under 300,000. But that city vibe costs anywhere you live, unfortunately. Unless you don't mind living in a less favorable area, then you can find a deal.
Whats really less expensive here is the day to day living expenses and taxes. Although air conditioning costs do go up.
You'll spend about 20,000 less a year hear to live than L.A. So in five years you'll save 100,000 dollars.
I’m not following this at all, you can live in a nice new 1 bed/1 bath apartment downtown Phoenix for $1350 a month. Where is something comparable in San Diego?
I live in an upper middles class neighborhood in LA where homes are valued from 1.2 to 2 million. I purchased my home many years ago when things were actually affordable in LA. But those days are long gone and as I get older I'm considering several options.
A few of my relatives have moved to the Phoenix area in the past 8 years and are living quite comfortably in beautiful homes with pools. Of course they miss the ocean and LA weather but have adjusted very well to their new and very affordable surroundings in Phoenix.
My options are to sell my home, make a big bundle of money and rent an apartment closer to the ocean in LA, or join my relatives in Phoenix and buy a beautiful home, with money left over to enjoy my future retirement.
Politics aside, I like Arizona, the desert is beautiful. I just don't like the four months of unbearable heat. I actually prefer the climate and desert landscape of Tucson over Phoenix, but Phoenix is a much larger city and I need that big city vibe.
Please remember that you are going to pay a humongous capital gain tax on anything above 250K if you are single. You can boost that deduction to 500K if you are married and your spouse is on title. Everything above these numbers gets socked with 20% C.G. Federal, 13.3% C.G. California state and 3.8% Medicare surcharge on most of it if your sale pushes you above $200K income for that year (see below)---and 2 million will definitely push you above $200K. That's a grand total of 37% on taxes not counting the commission and escrow fees.
Quote:
You are only exposed to the new 3.8% Medicare tax if your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) exceeds the applicable threshold of: $200,000 if you are unmarried, $250,000 if you are a married joint-filer or qualifying widow or widower, or $125,000 if you use married filing separate status.
I was tired of the traffic In California and the wacky politics so In December 2017 I sold my property for 1.4m and bought a dream McMansion in Scottsdale. It was the best decision I made in my entire life.. until the first summer hit. To be honest, if I would had known what I was getting myself into I wouldn’t had left California.
I’v driven through the San Fernando Valley and Inland Empire when it gets 98 degrees so I assumed “no big deal, Scottsdale will just be like that but slightly hotter” but boy was I wrong. There’s something different about the desert heat.
Also I miss the feeling of just knowing the beach is around the corner even if I wasn’t going to get in the water. Sure my big pool in Scottsdale is magnificent but I don’t get the coastal breeze or nice marine layer in the mornings to wake up to. Now I’m stuck here in my mountainless view house until my employee contract ends in 5 years.
I love Arizona the rest of the year though. I’ll just keep a positive attitude, blast the AC, and he get off ice cream. No hiking for me.
Don't give up on where you are now. At least not yet. It has been less than a year. You may adjust to the summer heat or come to the conclusion it is worth putting up with.
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