Hi, I visited Arizona last septembre and loved it there, Sedona in particular. I was wondering if anyone could give me info on living there? Cost of living? Job market? Homes? Neighborhoods to stay away from? Thanks, Frank
I'm not sure if you are inquiring about Sedona or major metropolitan areas? What follows is not in any way based in fact...only my opinions regarding the greater Phoenix area: Cost of living? - Up in the past few years, but still well bellow the costs of other western metro areas of greater than 3 million people. Job market? - Great, if you are not a mortgate broker, real estate agent, or work for a title company. Homes? - Homes listed or sale are at or above record numbers. >50,000 on the market. This will not last forever with 100,000 people moving here every year. Neighborhoods to stay away from? - Not many. There is even a residential push back into downtown with restoration of homes from the early 1900's next to new high rise condos.
Well, your assessment of the state seems to be in sync with the other 100,000 that move here every year. I can quote you some of the basics. Housing - Prestige Markets are North Scottsdale and Paradise Valley (condos - $300k+, homes $600k+) New/Clean/Nice Markets are Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Tempe, and Surprise (condos $200k+, homes $350k+ for nicer homes) Generally steer away from South Phoenix and Glendale. There are pockets of nice housing, but the areas have some questionable areas and will take some time to fully redevelop. Job Market - We have some of the lowest unemployment in the country, so jobs are plentiful. That being said, there are few Fortune 500 companies here, so high-paying jobs are somewhat more difficult to find than in other major cities. Solid Example - I own a rental property in Las Sendas (in Mesa, AZ). The tenant moved here from the east coast and is working at Boeing. They are buying a 4,200sf home on the golf course for around $650,000. It has a pool and 3 fire places and was built in 1997. Not a bad move for them.
Thanks for the replies... Nerd, I was inquiring about Arizona in general but I really liked Sedona and if I could move there I would definetly make the move. It's so beautiful and amazing there. I'm in IT, so no problems related to being an realestate. I make a decent/average salary so I'm not looking for huge money. In reality I just want to make a change in my life and figured I'd look into what Arizona has to offer. I guess I just want to know if this would be a viable option for me right now. Nicksta, where can I find realestate and job listings online? Even though I now own a house and work in IT, I wouldn't mine giving either or both of them up if it meant being happy and content. Thanks again, Frank
May I suggest: http://www.realtor.com/ http://www.ziprealty.com/ http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/ http://www.monster.com/ IT professionals have a big market here, everything from start-ups to huge data centers for American Express and Charles Schwab. Good luck.
It is a great time to buy IMHO a home here and the exchange rate is excellent. I moved here 3 1/2 years ago from across the pond and one thing that takes some getting used to is the long hot summers. This year it seemed that it would never end. The sunshine and winter are great.
Thanks for the links nerd. I agree that the exchange rate makes it very tempting to buy but I'd have to be certain of a steady income before being able to make that kind of decision and right now this is just something I'm thinking about. Thanks again for everyone's help. Frank
Well, rent isn't bad here either. Go to www.hpapts.com and look at research reports for advice on the housing market and rental rates.
