Phoenix among top cities for millennial migration (Prescott: real estate, homes)

[goolsbyjazz]

Originally Posted by Tia616

I just wanted to throw my two cents into this conversation, because people who don't live here or haven't lived here don't understand that the Phoenix area really isn't all that appealing and I wish I have never moved here. But there is nothing I can do about it, I made my bed and now I must pay in it. If you don't have a career or college degrees, living here is going to be very difficult because cost of living has gone up a lot since I moved here 5 years ago! I mean, I work in retail and my apartment complex doesn't want to renew our lease and we can't afford more than $ 800 maybe a little over... And I called this company that specializes in helping people like me, and the guy told me "that budget is not realistic for a 2 bedroom apartment in the Phoenix area, for a 2 bedroom apartment realistically it will cost you $850 to $900" and he didn't want to waste my time so he didn't even bother to help me!! And I can't find anything anywhere here. So if you're someone like me, then I suggest you do not move here which is part of the problem with the cost of living going up as well as increasing the minimum wages.

Tia, sorry to hear about your struggles and dislike of living in Arizona. I agree that the COL has increased and it's not as cheap to live here as it was. However, I would like to suggest maybe viewing this as a possible opportunity to move elsewhere? I know there is a lot more involved in moving besides the inability to find an affordable living space, but since you're unhappy you may want to consider counting your losses and making a move?

[fluffythewondercat]

Originally Posted by Tia616

I just wanted to throw my two cents into this conversation, because people who don't live here or haven't lived here don't understand that the Phoenix area really isn't all that appealing and I wish I have never moved here. But there is nothing I can do about it, I made my bed and now I must pay in it. If you don't have a career or college degrees, living here is going to be very difficult because cost of living has gone up a lot since I moved here 5 years ago!

If the cost of living goes up, that means it's a desirable place to live. People want to move there, which drives up housing prices and eventually the price of almost everything else. A prime example is Silicon Valley, where ordinary homes for go over $1 million because so many people want to live there.

Unfortunately it also means some people get priced out.

I mean, I work in retail and my apartment complex doesn't want to renew our lease and we can't afford more than $ 800 maybe a little over... And I called this company that specializes in helping people like me, and the guy told me "that budget is not realistic for a 2 bedroom apartment in the Phoenix area, for a 2 bedroom apartment realistically it will cost you $850 to $900" and he didn't want to waste my time so he didn't even bother to help me!! And I can't find anything anywhere here. So if you're someone like me, then I suggest you do not move here which is part of the problem with the cost of living going up as well as increasing the minimum wages.

Did you try the RV parks? Some have park models they rent out. If you can't leave the area, that might be a viable option.

[Tia616]

Originally Posted by goolsbyjazz

Tia, sorry to hear about your struggles and dislike of living in Arizona. I agree that the COL has increased and it's not as cheap to live here as it was. However, I would like to suggest maybe viewing this as a possible opportunity to move elsewhere? I know there is a lot more involved in moving besides the inability to find an affordable living space, but since you're unhappy you may want to consider counting your losses and making a move?

Thank you, and I appreciate what you said and trust me I do want to move out of state but I don't have enough money to do that or I would! And we will probably do it next year...

[Tia616]

Originally Posted by fluffythewondercat

Did you try the RV parks? Some have park models they rent out. If you can't leave the area, that might be a viable option.

No, because I don't have an RV but I'll look into that as well. Thank you for the suggestion!

[fluffythewondercat]

Originally Posted by Tia616

No, because I don't have an RV but I'll look into that as well. Thank you for the suggestion!

You don't need an RV. There's a dwelling there already.


Good luck. Stay dry in this pelting-down rain.

[grad_student200]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

You're absolutely correct on this assessment. Phoenix is definitely lacking when it comes to being the HQs of national/global companies, and white collar jobs with competitive pay. I doubt that Phoenix's "nothingness" a long time ago has anything to do with it. We had substantial growth after WWII, as did many other cities in the West & Sunbelt areas, but places like Atlanta, Houston, L.A. area, and the Silicon Valley have great opportunities for high paying jobs. Atlanta & Houston have many Fortune 500 & Fortune 1,000 firms based there.

Another thing: what few Fortune 500/Fortune 1,000 HQs are in the Phoenix area are located in suburban office parks, which can make commuting a nightmare depending on what part of the Valley you reside. At least in other cities, many of their large firms are based downtown or in a more centralized location where they should be. This is one reason why the Phoenix skyline is small compared to many other cities our size & smaller. It's also why traffic can be bad on practically all the streets & freeways during rush hour, even in the suburban areas.

I've said for a long time that Phoenix's main problem is it wants to be in the big leagues as far as population, but still seems to want to promote itself as a mid sized resort town with seasonal tourism. You can't have it both ways. In order for Phoenix to truly be a big league, world class metro area, we have to behave like it. A city this size can't expect to attract the major corporations as long as we keep promoting things like sunshine, cactus, and mountain views, or cater largely to snowbirds & retirees.

The Phoenix area is growing massively with opportunities in software and computer engineering. As a realist, I have to put that in the caveat of "we are not in a recession" like in 2001. However, for other fields of engineering it is not as strong. California is better for the hardware-based medical device jobs. So is the midwest or northeast. Miami, FL is also stronger. It depends on which industry. But software, computer and electrical engineering are in very high demand right now. To be fair, it may not be that way in five years. I got driven out of Phoenix back in the recession of 2001-2002. It was horrible. I did not come back until 2017. But so far it's been great.

[FirebirdCamaro1220]

Originally Posted by Tia616

Thank you, and I appreciate what you said and trust me I do want to move out of state but I don't have enough money to do that or I would! And we will probably do it next year...

There's an apartment complex off the 17 and Glenrosa that is advertising 2 bedrooms for $750/month. I would never live there, but it's a 2 bedroom in your budget....

[Burkmere]

Originally Posted by SFBayBoomer

From your article: "Joint Venture Silicon Valley found that slightly more people are moving out than moving in."

"Slightly more" is not exactly an exodus.

No one I know personally has moved to Texas or Arizona, though a City-Data poster, fluffythewondercat, did buy a house in Arizona in November.

Nearly everyone I know has stayed not only in California, but the SF Bay Area, and the two who did leave just moved further north due to the SF Bay Area cost of living (retirees).

I have a few friends who moved out of state, though they all moved to cooler climates.

I retired as a well off retiree who receives a very generous CA pension (thank you CA residents) and moved to an affluence AZ city and I have met about 20 such folks who are similar to me in the few months I have lived here. I guess you don't get out much.

[Burning Madolf]

Originally Posted by Burkmere

I retired as a well off retiree who receives a very generous CA pension (thank you CA residents) and moved to an affluence AZ city and I have met about 20 such folks who are similar to me in the few months I have lived here. I guess you don't get out much.

I think I've seen you write that before and it still makes me smile (right up until the point where we all end up bailing out insolvent state pension and medical promises).

[Burkmere]

Originally Posted by Burning Madolf

I think I've seen you write that before and it still makes me smile (right up until the point where we all end up bailing out insolvent state pension and medical promises).

It would only be Californians that would be bailing me out. I'm diversified and even if the pension is reduced, I'd be ok. Now if it goes to zero, we'd all be in trouble because that'd most likely mean the end off the world or close to it.