Thinking, thinking, thinking... (to move, summers, moved)

[LocoAZnative]

Where is all this Tempe is so expnsive stuff I have lived in Tempe over 30 years make a modest income. I live in a nice 4 bedroom/2 bath near Mill and Southern and pay only $900 a month. Sure if you want to live in South Tempe it's more expensive. But there are nice houses in the Older part of Tempe near ASU and it isn't all college parties and rowdy folks. After living in the core of the city I could never live on the fringes to live in some poorly built tract home.

[fcorrales80]

Originally Posted by LocoAZnative

Where is all this Tempe is so expnsive stuff I have lived in Tempe over 30 years make a modest income. I live in a nice 4 bedroom/2 bath near Mill and Southern and pay only $900 a month. Sure if you want to live in South Tempe it's more expensive. But there are nice houses in the Older part of Tempe near ASU and it isn't all college parties and rowdy folks. After living in the core of the city I could never live on the fringes to live in some poorly built tract home.

I think he said some of those houses "weren't his cup of tea." He is looking for a specific type of house and would prefer it near light rail and heavy ridership bus routes. Because of these limitations (to the OP), you'll have a hell of a time trying to find a "post 2005" cookie cutter in the the most urban of the metro Phoenix area. You're more likely to find a condo, loft, or "brownstones" as opposed to a single family home that from your description, sounds very suburban.

To find such a dwelling in the light rail corridors, etc you'll be looking at older homes (many historic) and thus rather expensive...

[adolpho]

Sounds like someone is talking about 275K homes, when in fact, they would not qualify for a loan on a home priced at 27,500. You would need an income of approx. 90K to afford a 275K house. Let us know, when you are making 9,000.

[Grannysroost]

Sounds like you are getting cold feet (wouldn't know why), go in and warm up A move as major as you are considering is life changing in more ways than a few. You are ratting around, gathering all the info you can in a few trips. It is difficult to decide where to go without being there.

For clarity, the next issue is what does this do with your parents. You are unsure and if for instance you said if you decide on San Diego they would not want to downsize, so that says they are going to buy something and live where you more or less choose? What if the house is bought somewhere and you do not want to be there anymore and the market has not changed much, or gotten a bit worse?

Maybe you really need to try this on your own to check it out for work and the living conditions you all would enjoy for a longer period of time, for a few months after school to see if you find work, check it out first hand and see what happens? The worst is you go back to MN and regroup, or move on elsewhere before the big family move and retirement investment....

[miamiman]

Originally Posted by Sarimn00

You can ask those same questions everywhere, not just in Phoenix.

Yes, you can. However people seem to let the warm weather of Phoenix overrule common sense. It's important to realize that life isn't a fairytale because it's 65 degrees in January.

[acrylic]

Originally Posted by Grannysroost

Sounds like you are getting cold feet (wouldn't know why), go in and warm up A move as major as you are considering is life changing in more ways than a few. You are ratting around, gathering all the info you can in a few trips. It is difficult to decide where to go without being there.

For clarity, the next issue is what does this do with your parents. You are unsure and if for instance you said if you decide on San Diego they would not want to downsize, so that says they are going to buy something and live where you more or less choose? What if the house is bought somewhere and you do not want to be there anymore and the market has not changed much, or gotten a bit worse?

Maybe you really need to try this on your own to check it out for work and the living conditions you all would enjoy for a longer period of time, for a few months after school to see if you find work, check it out first hand and see what happens? The worst is you go back to MN and regroup, or move on elsewhere before the big family move and retirement investment....

It's not that I'm really getting cold feet... I do want to move. But I'm just wondering if it will be the right move for me. I don't quite know as of now. I am for sure moving down in about 3 months. I'm hoping it will be a permanent one, but these days you never know.

As far as my parents buying a house, their issue is separate than mine. They want to buy a house wherever the kids end up. I just don't want them to rush anything. I need to have a talk with them about not rushing things

As far as if things don't work out in Phoenix, all I know is I don't want to go back to MN. No way. I'm sure that I want to move out of here. There's no going back to MN for me unless I run out of money completely

EDIT:

Originally Posted by adolpho

Sounds like someone is talking about 275K homes, when in fact, they would not qualify for a loan on a home priced at 27,500. You would need an income of approx. 90K to afford a 275K house. Let us know, when you are making 9,000.

Well of course I couldn't qualify for it now. I know with the job I'm planning to get, I could afford it. Obviously not for a few more years, but I do know what I'm getting into with salary ranges of careers.

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by miamiman

Yes, you can. However people seem to let the warm weather of Phoenix overrule common sense. It's important to realize that life isn't a fairytale because it's 65 degrees in January.

Coming from someone who actually lives in such a climate? Some of us hate '4 season' climates.

I too and from back east and my regret was not arriving in Arizona when I younger, (came here @ age 31) I am 52 now. Although in all fairness, I did flee Wash DC for California in 1978 prior to my 21st birthday.

[acrylic]

Originally Posted by ArizonaBear

Coming from someone who actually lives in such a climate? Some of us hate '4 season' climates.

I do agree with that. Maybe my perception is a little extreme though. I've had to deal with some of the worst weather in the contiguous 48 states my whole life. (Except for the summers, up until a couple years ago, the summers in Duluth were fantastic.)

Would I hate a 4 season climate in a place that got snow, but melted a day to a week later depending on the amounts? I don't know. I heard out west the cold feels kind of warmer due to lack of humidity in the air. Can anyone familiar with the likes of Denver or SLC (I'm unfamiliar if they have similar climates or not) confirm or deny that?

I remember when I was in Phoenix back in December. We'd get up some mornings and step outside - 45 degrees. Didn't even feel that cold. A sweatshirt was sufficient, unless the wind blew from the wrong way, where cold air would be brought...

[cmist]

Originally Posted by acrylic

I do agree with that. Maybe my perception is a little extreme though. I've had to deal with some of the worst weather in the contiguous 48 states my whole life. (Except for the summers, up until a couple years ago, the summers in Duluth were fantastic.)

Would I hate a 4 season climate in a place that got snow, but melted a day to a week later depending on the amounts? I don't know. I heard out west the cold feels kind of warmer due to lack of humidity in the air. Can anyone familiar with the likes of Denver or SLC (I'm unfamiliar if they have similar climates or not) confirm or deny that?

I remember when I was in Phoenix back in December. We'd get up some mornings and step outside - 45 degrees. Didn't even feel that cold. A sweatshirt was sufficient, unless the wind blew from the wrong way, where cold air would be brought...

After you turn into a real arizonan, 45 degrees will feel cold trust me. Once you acclimate to 115 degree summers with little relief or cooling off at night your Minnesota blood will be thinned no matter how used to -20 you are right now.

[Sarimn00]

Originally Posted by acrylic

I do agree with that. Maybe my perception is a little extreme though. I've had to deal with some of the worst weather in the contiguous 48 states my whole life. (Except for the summers, up until a couple years ago, the summers in Duluth were fantastic.)

Would I hate a 4 season climate in a place that got snow, but melted a day to a week later depending on the amounts? I don't know. I heard out west the cold feels kind of warmer due to lack of humidity in the air. Can anyone familiar with the likes of Denver or SLC (I'm unfamiliar if they have similar climates or not) confirm or deny that?

I wanted to know what the winters in Denver were like from a Minnesotan's perspective. So often on the board you see that it is cold & all it does it snow--then you find out they were originally from a place like Florida.
The people that I have talked to have grown up in MN & they say winters are very different in Denver than our state. The snow they get usually melts by the end of the day, sometimes it takes a couple days. Every once in a while, they get nailed from a snowstorm, but not as often as you think, because it is not actually in the mountains. Yesterday it was 41, today it is about thirty, & for the next week it is supposed to be in the 40s & 50s. They like it a lot better down there, b/c it is not near as extreme.