Considering moving to Prescott; what do you NOT like the area? (Buckeye: to rent, homes)

[BriansPerspective]

I believe the comment is related to the difficulty in finding a high-paying job in this area. If you have a lot of money, you will have a cushion to tide you over while you look for employment. If you already have employment lined up or are retired, then you are good to go.

[Gretchen B]

Originally Posted by jason88

Ok, I have to ask, outside of the cost of a home, why do you say you better have money to move there? Based on the utilities, insurance, etc I have been reading about, they are comparable to most places I know. Food and eating out has gotten expensive no matter where you go as is gasoline, so just what is it that requires so much money to live in Prescott?

Originally Posted by BriansPerspective

I believe the comment is related to the difficulty in finding a high-paying job in this area. If you have a lot of money, you will have a cushion to tide you over while you look for employment. If you already have employment lined up or are retired, then you are good to go.

I agree with Brian. I've lived in the rural midwest, and frankly, the overall cost of living was much higher there relative to the wage scale, etc. However, as another poster mentioned, the Prescott area is not a mecca for high-paying jobs. In fact, job opportunities are quite limited in the area, especially in the current economic downturn. Health care seems to be about the only sector that is hiring regularly.

Housing in Prescott is higher than some other AZ cities, but it's not nearly as high as places like Sedona and Flagstaff. And Prescott Valley housing has become very reasonable this past year. (Median home price in PV is about 35% less than Prescott.)

What not to like . . . WIND during the spring months! (I know, this too shall pass in another month or two, and then I'll love the weather again.)

[Gandalara]

"What are the negatives about living there?"
They're right in the middle when it comes to property taxes. I wish they were cheaper

Property Tax on Owner-Occupied Housing, by County, Ranked by Property Taxes Paid, 2006-2008 (3-Year Average)
1st column:County
2nd column:Median Real Estate Taxes Paid
3rd column:Median Value Owner-Occupied Housing Units
4th column: Tax as % of Home Value

Apache County $138 $84,600 0.16%
La Paz County $270 $95,300 0.28%
Navajo County $385 $130,800 0.29%
Coconino County $1,124 $284,600 0.39%
Mohave County $831 $191,500 0.43%
Yavapai County (Prescott) $1,155 $247,200 0.47%
Graham County $560 $117,900 0.47%
Yuma County $739 $147,400 0.50%
Gila County $745 $148,300 0.50%
Maricopa County $1,344 $263,600 0.51%
Cochise County $905 $155,200 0.58%
(United States $1,854 $192,400 0.96%)

"What are the positives about living there?"
They're right in the middle when it comes to property taxes. I'm glad they're not the most expensive

Or maybe BriansPerspective can tell me - has this changed since 2008?

[BriansPerspective]

Originally Posted by Gandalara

Or maybe BriansPerspective can tell me - has this changed since 2008?

Property taxes have been farily stable and have even decreased on occasion. Here are taxes for a pretty typical 1900 sqft home (worth about $220K today) in an area that does not have any special assessments:

2009 $1,667.30
2008 $1,735.80
2007 $1,711.42
2006 $1,532.76
2005 $1,590.58
2004 $1,542.52

Notice that property tax actually decreased from 2005 to 2006 a 2008 to 2009, yet overall increased about 8% from 2004 to 2009.

Please understand that the assessed value from the county assessor's office does not directly relate to the actual value that you could buy or sell a house for today. The assessor estimates today for values that are taxed two years from now. So, in a declining market, assessed values are higher than actual values and in an increasing market, assessed values are lower than actual values. In any case, the property tax percent is not a constant number. The tax percentage changes from year to year based on the total assessed value of all properties. If the total assessed value goes down, the tax percent goes up. If the total assessed value goes up, the tax percent goes down. Basically, the county figures out how much money is needed and then divides that number by the total assessed values to get the tax percent.

[Gandalara]

Originally Posted by BriansPerspective

the assessed value from the county assessor's office does not directly relate to the actual value that you could buy or sell a house for today .

Tell me about it

Thanks for the info

[jason88]

The taxes are the first thing I have seen that are definitely higher than I am used to but I can deal with that. Hopefully I will move before the end of the summer.

[az_mom09]

Too many old people, mexicans, nothing to do, shopping sucks, people are very rude schools suck,

[BriansPerspective]

Originally Posted by Gandalara

Tell me about it

I bet you weren't sad about the difference between assessed value and market value in 2006!

[Townandcountrygal]

[quote=DellNec;13762707]I don't like the increased traffic in the past couple of years, due to new people moving here...



In all seriousness, my pet peeves are:



1 - The lack of good paying jobs

2 - The lack of good restaurants

3 - The lack of good shopping (I'm sorry but Gateway Mall is lame)

4 - The lack of good & accessible medical care (have to drive 100 miles to Phx to see a specialist)





Lack of good medical care in Prescott? Oh oh, that's one reason we want to move from where we are!

[Shasta7]

I don't think you have to have a lot of money to live in Prescott. Especially with the downturn in the economy. I think there are many good priced options in Prescott and Prescott Valley....with a good realtor who knows the area. As with any place, it's tough if you move without employment...Prescott doesn't have the onus on that.