Here I am, just another complainer in the Phoenix area (Mesa: attorney, houses)

[jenol]

we too are tired of the heat
we have also looked into NC
i don't mind the growth
of course people are going to move to the nicer areas
besides being from phx - i am a city girl
so what are your pros and cons of NC?

[hsc64]

Originally Posted by TeacherGuyMi

NOTE: This post was written with a TON of sarcasm.
You can come to Michigan.... Houses that are priced tens of thousands of dollars below their value are sitting on the market for a year or two at time. Everyone and their brother is either unemployed or working for the auto industry (which means that they'll soon be unemployed). College tuition has risen 30-something percent the past 4 years and the weather sucks ass! A two year old could do a better job running our pro football team. And, to top it all off, the newly re-elected governor projects our state budget deficit to be somewhere around $800-$900 million dollars. To all my future Phoenix friends. The next time that you starting to feel an ounce of self pity about how 'dreadful' things are down there, just think to yourself 'You could be stuck in Michigan'.

I love your message! I an new user and have been checking out these forums for awhile now as I want to get out of Michigan desperately to move to Arizona. Everything you wrote is 100% true. Not to mention the weather is absolutely awful from Nov-April and I haven't see the sun in over a week!

[Steve-o]

Sad to see MI in such shape, its a beautiful state, those coastlines are to die for, more so on the west side of the state. I hope it turns around soon, thats sad.

As for the sun, be prepared for LOTS of HOT sun in AZ, I mean, REALLY HOT. The sun down there is not like ours, you cant be in it for hours, youll end up like charcoal. LOL Not that you be in the sun for hours anyways, but if you absolutely have to, sunscreen and lots of water is a must. The skin cancer rates in AZ are the highest in the world, just be careful.

[jvielke]

Come to Seattle ,WA and releave us a little bit from continuous rain.Ha,Ha.

[hsc64]

I have no problem with the heat. I've been to Vegas and Tucson in middle of August with temps over 100 and loved it. My favorite months in Michigan is July and August and I never complain when it gets too hot or humid! And it's beautiful in the west with the mountains all around. I guess to get a full appreciation for living in the west is to come spend Nov thru thru April in Michigan.

[LookingAhead]

We actually live about an hour west of Raleigh in a smaller town. I grew up in Raleigh and have seen it really grow in the last 20 years (especially last 5 or so).

The one thing I don't like about NC is the heat... I'm not sure how it would compare to your heat in Phoenix, though I have visited Phoenix several times it's hard for me to judge without being there for a long period of time. I will say that this part of NC can become pretty unbearable (IMO) during late June through August.... many 90+ degree days with very high humidity.

On the other hand Autumn is wonderful here and I look forward to it every year.

It sounds like homes are def. more affordable than ones there in Phoenix. We bought our home (1200 sq ft with 1 acre of land) for 115K 7 years ago and before we built our garage last year, it was appraised at just 140K. I'm continually searching on realtor.com and have found homes in the Raleigh/Cary area not much more for the same sq footage but with 1/4 of the land.

The economy and job market here is great and a lot of people work in RTP area that is booming. Many excellent universities, though it does seem the public schools are hit and miss depending on the particular district.

Hope that helps a bit about the Raleigh area... you might want to visit the NC forum to get more help.

Good luck.

[nevercoldcall]

Originally Posted by MG1

Problem is, this country is in trouble everywhere. Real estate is still out of control for much of the country, Phoenix included. Nobody will ever be able to convince me that the three bedroom house my parents live in here is worth $280,000. No way.

Now the unspoken rule in Phoenix is that everyone keeps quiet about the intolerable, horrible, inhumane heat. Don't talk about it. And if someone does make a mistake and bring it up, make sure that it is announced quickly that IT'S A DRY HEAT (as if that is supposed to help, since an oven is also technically a dry heat).

Whoa, a 3-bedroom for $280k? Where?? Trust me, it's gotten even more expensive since you last checked! More like $400k for a 3-bed in a good area now.

As for the "Dry Heat" nonsense, there is no dry heat. From mid-July to late August or early September, the humidity hovers upwards of 60% making it impossible to even breathe, not to mention the endless monsoon thunderstorms. I lived in Las Vegas for 5 years - THAT is a true dry heat and is very, very comfortable. Not so in Phoenix.

[nevercoldcall]

Originally Posted by NanawaleJulie

I miss nice people as I live amongst the rich jerks in Scottsdale and they make me want to go postal on a daily basis. Peace to you and good luck!

You actually still believe they're rich??? Rich people live in Arcadia and Paradise Valley. Scottsdale is the land of 3 mortgages and massive credit card debt. Also, I know lots of genuinely rich people, and they're very very nice. It's the phonies in Scottsdale who act rude in their efforts to pretend to be rich.

[ajgranda]

Why all these negative posts about Scottsdale? I don't think you've ever said one good thing about the city. I'm sure if it was half as bad as you say people wouldnt be building/buying multi-million dollar homes there.

Originally Posted by nevercoldcall

You actually still believe they're rich??? Rich people live in Arcadia and Paradise Valley. Scottsdale is the land of 3 mortgages and massive credit card debt. Also, I know lots of genuinely rich people, and they're very very nice. It's the phonies in Scottsdale who act rude in their efforts to pretend to be rich.

[aj661]

Originally Posted by ajgranda

Why all these negative posts about Scottsdale? I don't think you've ever said one good thing about the city. I'm sure if it was half as bad as you say people wouldnt be building/buying multi-million dollar homes there.

People here (in the valley) have been putting down Scottsdale for years. I used to get snide comments from people when I said I was from there. I grew up in the "old" Scottsdale, the area of Granite Reef and McDowell. It was a great middle class neighborhood. My parents bought a new Cox home there for $18k in 1962 and if I could have bought out my siblings when our mom died in 1999, I'd be living there today.

I guess that didn't answer your question. For some reason, people equate Scottsdale with rich snobs. I don't know if it's because they dislike them or they're just jealous they can't be one of them.