Relocating to Arizona from East Coast.....Prescott?? (Glendale, Lake Havasu City: for sale, real estate)
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Hi! We are seriously thinking of relocating to Arizona from the east coast (Baltimore, MD) and need some helpful information.
We are an empty-nester couple ( 50’s)looking for an area where homes are around 250K, the houses are far apart and there is good scenery. We have dogs and hope to find a good dog park close by….art and music are important to us, so we need that too.
We will not be working right away, but are interested in areas that aren’t far from good food establishments for my husband’s chef career.
In June we are visiting Sedona and I’ve been researching some areas - it seems that Prescott is a bit expensive, but what about Chino Valley or Cottonwood? I’ve made notes on Jerome and Cornville too. Oh, and we are not looking for a retirement community because we are not retiring… We thought it would be a good idea to rent a place for a year to see if we like the area that we ultimately chose.
I’d like to thank the people on this forum that take the time to help people like us make better decisions!
Chino Valley is a 40 minute drive to Prescott Valley. My friend recently bought a two acre parcel in Prescott Valley that is on top of a knoll and put a mobile home on it There are houses in the area. She is only 20 minutes from all of the restaurants. I would not live in Chino Valley, it is too far of a drive. I would consider Dewey or Prescott Valley.
Prescott has a nice dog park but finding homes "far apart" for $250K might be a problem. Half the restaurants in the area are in Prescott with Prescott Valley the next best choice. PV will have better home prices and it's only 10 miles from Prescott. Dewey's a little further down the road and only has a handful of restaurants.
Water is definitely an issue and conservation is a big thing here. But we use aquifers and wells and so drought is not an immediate problem like in California.
The more I have been through Prescott area suburbs like PV, CV and Paulden the less it resonates. First few times were nice but that new car smell wears off. Driven from 69 looping to 89 umpteen times and the prices of homes in the grassland areas of PV and CV do not warrant the price tag. Prescott and Flag have the least bang for your buck unless you pull in a 6 figurr salary to get a ranch in Williamson Valley or within the city limits of Prescott which has far more trees. That heavy grassland from PV to CV is just an eyesoar especially when it is dead from nov to may. You can see Bill Williams Mt and Humphreys Peak which is a positive. Regardless....I can think of places with a better bang for your buck. Payson, cottonwood and Sierra Vista come to mind. Even Kingman. Lastly....that construction through CV can be difficult for commuters to Prescott.
If you live in Baltimore you will find the cost of housing here favorable. If you are serious there are allot of ways to search online and thorough a broker to identify housing options in your price range.
Here is a great website to use to search properties.
Just wanted to add a couple of things to the list...there are a few people who post gloom and doom nonsense but it's just that - nonsense. If you spend enough time reading the area's forums you'll begin to see who they are. They will tell you Californians have ruined Prescott for everyone, traffic is a nightmare, and of course, you can count on being raped to death by a meth addict, there's a meth house every other lot. There's a drought and we're all dehydrating in the arid zone of the southwest. They will tell you the cost of living here is insane, you won't be able to eat, there's nowhere to live...and on and on and on.
In reality, all of the above is nonsense. Either the ones who post all that are trolls, crackpots wanting to discourage people to the area, or they have mental problems and are off their meds.
Prescott and PV are both absolutely beautiful and ideal locations to make a home, a business and a life. It's just big enough to have the modern amenities and keep people out of your business but small enough it's not a crime riddled area. Crime happens everywhere but in places like Prescott, aside from drug related crime, it's next to nil on random violent crime. The traffic has increased a bit even in a few years time but if you're on the east coast, your idea of traffic and OUR idea of traffic are two entirely different things. Traffic here is a few dozen cars from light to light, unlike the snarling bumper to bumper insanity to be found in the east (or in LA).
They have their downsides of course, but those downsides shouldn't be considered dealbreakers as they're more inconveniences than full blown life wrecking issues.
Such as - looking to hang out at the lake this summer and swim? Not happening here. Can't swim in any lake around here so you'd have to plan a day trip of an hour or longer to go somewhere else. Or find a public pool (ewww)...or install one in your back yard.
That sort of thing.
The price of things has increased a bit over recent years but the area's economy is also increasing - it's more bustling around the area these days and that's a good thing. New businesses are opening up. More commerce is happening. Change is going on.
Cottonwood, to me, is awesome. It's kind of like a smaller combo of Prescott, Chino, PV all rolled up into one. It's also clean - Verde Valley in general is absolutely awesome. Unless you want to live ON a mountain (not kidding) where your driveway comes out literally on the ONLY winding two lane road up or down, I'd totally cross Jerome off your list. It's great as an artsy day visit but you don't want to live up there unless you rarely plan on leaving and don't want a car. And when it snows - because it will - good luck going up it to home or down it to town! It's scenic and awesome but much better suited for tourism than actually living. If you need to "run to Walmart" you've got a big inconvenient slow moving trek. When you arrive to visit, go check out Jerome, you'll see...
DOGS
We have a cat so this one isn't a huge help probably but there are several dog parks all around here...and if you choose Prescott Valley, go check out N Ranger Rd (google map it too to check out the are) that borders state land. There's a spot there where people regularly go to let their dogs have a field day (no pun intended), let them off the leashes to run, romp and play. That said, because it's a spot many people go you will need to either hike away enough or keep them leashed around other people/dogs to avoid scraps. We used to live on Ranger Rd (kills me we moved away!!) and I'd sit outside and watch the people with their dogs go let them run free awhile. There ARE plenty of areas for your dogs, leashed and unleashed so don't worry about that. And there are great vets here, too.
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We first came to this area in 2009 and initially I took one look at Prescott Valley and couldn't stop humming "Little Boxes"...I rejected it immediately. We found a cute rental in Chino Valley across from state land which was ideal on paper...but I was CONSTANTLY sweeping up the red sand/dirt off everything. It was so windy I wondered if I was back in Lake Havasu City. There were all kinds of insect critters, including black widows and centipedes constantly getting in the house...and after about 4 months I'd had enough. I couldn't even relax so I moved to an apartment complex in Prescott Valley and later upgraded to a rental house, also bordering state land...and PV ended up being the most ideal place I've ever lived. It was spacious and roomy, unlike Prescott which - to me feels cramped and suffocating sometimes - and everything I need is in one spot. The homes/neighborhoods are nice and roomy with yards.
(Though be warned, "yards" here is not the same as "yards" in the east. You know that little strip of grass between the sidewalks and curb of the street? Yeah? That's literally the side of an Arizona yard...and chances are about 98% it's rocks instead of grass...)
Prescott is great though, old vintage and piney loveliness and there are plenty of locations that are tucked on the mountain um hill, and back in the woods.
It's also a clean place. People ARE friendly and outgoing, fun natured. You will notice a difference for sure...it's a visual one. Notice how people in cramped, rain riddled places are full of wrinkles and furrowed brows and frowns - that's due to lack of proper sunlight. People here don't look like that, demeanors are more pleasant and relaxed. People are tan and love the sunlight. It literally juices people up with vitamin D and triggers all that testosterone life blood! People have room to move and enjoy and relax without someone constantly running up on them, either walking, driving or living.
People are happier out here, even the ones without much money still manage to have positive outlooks.
For many years I thought Page was my ideal spot but when I came here I found it was much like the boys I was head over in love with in my 20s...the ONE(s)...never again will I find this kind of love. Then you grow up and actually meet the one with true substance, the full course meal instead of the passionate indulgence. Kinda like that.
I love PV but when we buy our forever home, it's almost certainly going to be in the Verde Valley/Cottonwood area and we can zip into Prescott/PV for bigger events. Otherwise, we'll be calling Cottonwood home.
I don't know what your personal goals and needs are so I can't say you'll love it here but I will say this is a beautiful, safe, clean, inviting place to live and those responses are the sincere ones. The responses forecasting your death the second you step into town - those people are nuts, not sure what their motives are as I mentioned but please ignore them - none of what they're saying is reality here. Just mute them.
And if you decide to make this place your new home, welcome! Friend me and I'll try to help answer your other questions if I can. Safe travels.
Last edited by LexiPrice; 04-25-2015 at 02:01 PM..
PS- as for housing costs, you can get a veritable mansion here for 250-300k...that would be a shack on the east coast. It's sold now but there was this absolutely jaw dropping Victorian for sale a year or so back, had a ton of rooms, perched up on a hill overlooking state land, manicured grounds, covered walkway to a "mother in law" attached place - for 240k and it kept dropping. Google it, Mustang Cr Prescott Valley, check it out. Also check out Ranger Rd Prescott Valley 86314 and look at the area mentioned for the dogs...they'd go nuts. The homes alone there would be in the high 100k range for comparison purposes, maybe just into 200k given the upsurge lately. And for the record, the google map of the area looks all parched and bland but the area is beautiful and greens up in the spring/summer. Oh, ETA - I have photos of our spot on Ranger when we lived there in 2010 in my gallery. Check that too, if it will help.
So while there are overpriced slummy houses here, by and large, the homes in your preferred range will be quality, gorgeous places AND you will have...sit down...CLOSET SPACE!!!!! Yes, more than one closet at that!
Last edited by LexiPrice; 04-25-2015 at 02:09 PM..
There are a lot of opinions on this sight as you may already know, and they run the gamut: from the total cool-aide drinkers (everything here is perfect and wonderful) to the Tin foil hat types (everything here sucks and is going to hell).
Moving to another state is a huge decision both financially and emotionally so it is important to get it right the first time. If I were you I would listen to both sides because they offer perspective neither being totally correct, anytime one sees gross exaggeration either way should be forewarned. If you are serious about this you should be willing to visit here for several days to a week and look at the properties inside and out with a realtor get a feel for the areas and judge for yourself.
The trip may seem expensive, but it is nothing compared to making a bad decision. Come see it for yourself don't go by opinions or the internet they can be misleading.
Thank you Lexiprice. You answered a lot of my questions and put my mind at ease a bit. My Husband and I are thinking of relocating around the Cottonwood area in the near future. We own a small business here in Sheridan, Wy with my Husband's Sisters. Family has been in business for 47 years and we are SO READY for a change! I have family that live in Glendale Az, and my Niece had told me about Cottonwood and how much she loves it. So this Summer that is one of the places we are going to check out. My Husband also talked about Lake Havasu. Also we are wanting to check out St. George, Utah. We also are not ready to retire and would have to work soon after we locate. Meth unfortunately is everywhere, even in our small town of 17,000. Beautiful town in a Valley but it is getting more and more expensive to live here and like the show Cheers...everybody knows your name lol. Thank you for the info.
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Safe travels.
Beautiful town in a Valley but it is getting more and more expensive to live here and like the show Cheers...everybody knows your name lol. Thank you for the info.
