susan s.

If anyone in AZ would like to give me some heads up on your area and what you love or hate about it. As well as cost of living and types of jobs. Also rental property info.

Rose Marie

I live on the west side of Phx.
It is hitting around 100 or more this week and this goes on for months.
Usually May hits the 90's then it is hot for 6 months till late Oct.
Overgrowth has ruined Phx. Lots of traffic.
Eventually water will be a big problem, the lakes that feed Phx are a 65 percent. We have been in a drought for the last 10 yrs.
Winters are perfect weather. They just go by so fast. Traffic is worst in the winter because a lot of people only live here in the winter months.
Jobs are ok but wages are lower as AZ is a right to work state.
Houseing is in a crisis right now so buying a house at this time is good.
Construction is way down so that job market is bad.
You have to have a car, Phx is really spread out and public transportation is buses, not good in hot weather.
Gas hit 3.89 this week at the cheaper stations.
The best area to live is Cave Creek, it is about 10degrees cooler but it is very expensive to buy there.
Im not sure about rents now with the housing in such a mess but it was running above 750 for the cheaper apts. You can buy thru auctions real cheap. Lots of forclosures.

susan s.

I have been looking at property over by buckeye and surprise. Do you know anything about the more northern areas! You said jobs are ok but wages are down, does that mean there are plenty of jobs just that they pay min? My husband is a carpenter but is tired of it, he wants to get out of that and build custom cabinets and furniture and toys etc. I want to sew and sell on the internet. So we are thinking with the sale of our house to try and buy as many fixer uppers as possible, I think might be able to manage three if we shop around, and then rent or sell them. sounds like the rental market is ok. May I ask how you get by? I know its hot I lived in LV for three yrs. I really do not like winter much. I also might consider NM. I hear you almost have to know spanish to get a job in Texas. How about AZ? So do you recomend it overall or not at all? :lol:

azdesertrat

Hi I live in Tucson and have for 25 years.I love it here.It is very hot in the summer,something that takes a few years to get used to,but no tornadoes,hurricanes, earthquakes,and depending on where you move to not a whole lot of snow.It does actually get pretty cold here sometimes in the winter,most people don't realize it,and the summer we have our "monsoon" rains.lots of thunder and lightning and crazy winds,usually starts in July thru August.I do love it here and wouldn't move anywhere else

SaraSewing

We live on the northern border of AZ with Utah. My husband works for the State of AZ, so I travel a lot with him throughout the state. I have a daughter in Mesa and a son in Sierra Vista (army). I really like AZ. The heat doesn't bother me at all. After living in WY for 30+ years, I am enjoying thawing out! I think that with the price of gas and inflation with food, etc, the economy is rocky in lots of places. From my experience, I sure wouldn't hesitate moving to AZ.

susan s.

I spent 3 yrs. in LV., Loved it and would not have left, except for my daughter, I didn't feel it was the best environment for a teenager.

But, I always wanted to go back to the desert. And I was actually getting ready to head to AZ when I met my hubby and got all side tracked. I guess it was for the best to end up back in MT temporarily at least as I had the property rented out by an agent, who didn't do a great job of keeping the place up. We are getting ready to tear it down. We could rebuild but, I know I want to get out of Mt. I love summer and MT has beautiful one's. But, I never did enjoy snow and cold and ice and such that comes with it. So I'd really like to get rid of the property and use the $$$ to relocate.

My Hub's afraid of snakes and I guess he thinks the desert is crawling with them :P . I see myself lounging by a pool and cooking up vats of award winning Green Chili and Margaritas in my beautiful out door kitchen. Which by the way will have been featured on HGTV! :roll: :lol:

Rose Marie

Buckeye is having a hard time politically. Lots of politicians fired and quiting. Very strange.
My daughter works for the city of Phx. and this is the first time they have actually had to fire people. Usually in hard times they just have a job freeze.
My whole family lives in different parts of Phx. One in the Cave Creek area and one in the Deer Valley area, both like where they live very much. Lots of hiking trails for winter months. My son lives in Chandler and likes it there. I live on the far west side, Avondale area. It is the cheapest area and is turning into Mexico very quickly.
Im not familiar with carpenter work but have a son in law who is a stucco contractor and having a hard time collecting from contractors who owe him for work done.
Wages have always been lower here, but some jobs pay better than others.
My daughter works for Swift trucking and the pay is not that good.
City pay is good but not hiring now.
Forget about construction it is on the way down. It crashed in the 80's from over building and it is doing the same again.
I had to move away for ten yrs while going thru hot flashes but have been back since I retired in 2000. I still do not like the heat but put up with it because of the family ties.
My family has been here since 1958 so have seen a lot of changes.

moonhoney2

Hey! For those of you near Phoenix, I know a great masseuse in that area! She's awesome with her massages and super cheap as well. She has a small operation and is just starting out with her own business rather than working for someone else.

She has a variety of services. Her regular massage is $25 for a 30min and $40 for a 60min. Around here, I'd pay $120 for a 45min massage. :shock: She does other types and has several packages available. She also does manicures and pedicures.

I have her full "menu". If anyone is interested in it, PM me.

Here is her website with her contact info. www.mygentletouch.com

Her prices and services really can't be beat. I wish I lived down there, I'd see her every week! :lol:

susan s.

This is very interesting. So I guess if we don't jump on the real estate now it should still be cheap next year? My husband can't make up is mind about the move. We are still planning to tear down the house, But he wants to investigate a loan and rebuild I would go along with that to make the property worth more.
But I have a very strong desire to go to the desert. And leave the snow behind. Gas prices here are not far behind Az. And from what I can gather the property taxes are almost as high as Seattle.

I did like the coast for the growing season. And have considered moving back to the area N. of Seattle, We did well there in the construction field But couldn't quite afford to buy. Mostly I guess I'm afraid they are due for a hurricane. My daughter lives over in Bellingham.

I am investigating NV also. I have not spent much time searching property in Tucson, Lake Havasu or Kingman. Also bullhead City is a thought It's just that the property's are higher and it seems for obvious reasons. But We are planning to work out of the home And Sq Ft. is an issue.

Oh and how are the utilities $$$ This house has an old furnace and is drafty. We had power bills all winter $250.00 and up. Water is $40.00 month. That's the flat rate but doubles from June first through Aug. I guess AZ isn't the best place to have a lawn. Are pools still allowed around Phoenix? All I need is a pool about the size of a hot tub. Or even an $11.00. plastic pool. Of course I'd need two or three so I wouldn't have to share with two hairy Labs. :D

I plan on having solar power no matter where we end up But some places are obviously better for that than other's

SaraSewing

When you find the "perfect" city, try renting a place for a few months to see if the feel of the city is right for you.