Tell me about Phoenix, AZ

Doug&Julie · 02-08-2006, 01:09 PM

As some of you know, Julie and I are on a two(ish) year plan to move out to Portland, OR. To put it simply, Portland is the city we decided would best fit us. So Julie is going to finish her degree at Miami U (Ohio) and then we're just going to move out there....jobs or no. That's the plan, anyway...

I just got a call from my headhunter about a possibility in Phoenix, AZ. It's a company that also happens to have a small office in Portland, but at this time it's not big enough for a designer (that would be me), but the company is growing and there's high confidence that one might open in the next few years. In the meantime, the opportunity in Phoenix would mean an increase in pay with what looks to be a better company. Julie's current company also has an office in Scottsdale, so there's a possibility for a transfer for her, too. To top it off, Julie and I were at one time thinking Phoenix might be the place for us. Now I/we think the heat might be a bit extreme for us ultimately, but I'm sure we could deal with it for the time being, especially if it's a stepping stone to Portland. Hmm...

Anyway, I thought I'd drop a note here and ask of you Phoenixians what you think of the city and surrounding area. Be as honest as you like. We appreciate any and all opinions.

Thanks!

motion · 02-08-2006, 01:42 PM

Doug,

I don't live in Phoenix, but have been there A LOT during the last 2 years. My thoughts:

Its HOT AS HELL. Like, 105 degrees at 2 am in the summer. For 3 months out of the year, count on just staying indoors. Its really, really hot.

The real estate market is over-heated as well. If you buy, there's a very good chance you'll lose a lot of money if you sell a year or two later. Renting is the way to go now. Plenty of rentals to choose from. $1000 per month will get you a new 4 bedroom home.

Almost everyone is from California. In other words, its a highly transient town. Reminds me of Vegas.

All in all, I'm sure the weather beats Ohio, but its 180 degrees different from Portland!

FrayAdjacent911 · 02-08-2006, 01:56 PM

It's hot. It's dry. It's hot. It's sunny. It's hot.

Did I say it's hot?

I was born there, but didn't live there long. I have family there, 4 uncles, an aunt, their SOs and lots of cousins. I've visited a few times, but not in the last 2 years, I think. Yeah, it's hot. The family says there are MANY transplants from Kali. (problem is, they leave Kali because it's so bad, then try to make wherever they move TO just like Kali)

By the way, it's hot.

Doug&Julie · 02-08-2006, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by motion
The real estate market is over-heated as well. If you buy, there's a very good chance you'll lose a lot of money if you sell a year or two later. Renting is the way to go now. Plenty of rentals to choose from. $1000 per month will get you a new 4 bedroom home.

That's good to know. I would be counting on a home as a significant part of the savings. What do you think would be more of a loss....flushing $1k a month down the toilet for rent or not getting what you paid for out of a house?

motion · 02-08-2006, 02:33 PM

Flushing the rent down the toilet, for sure. That same 4BDR house is going to cost you $275k. That means around $1800 per month for PITA, and you're going to lose on it when you sell (just my hunch).

Hugh R · 02-08-2006, 02:39 PM

Don't lie to the man. Its not hot, its open oven door hot.

BlueSkyJaunte · 02-08-2006, 03:02 PM

You guys are all understating the heat thing. By a long shot.

By the way, we're in a drought, and water rationing is probably a few years away.

Lots and lots (and lots) of old people are moving out here to die. Unfortunately they're moving here faster than they die. We're drowning in blue-hairs. Too bad they're all dried up prunes or we could render them down for their water.

All of the Kalifornia fruitloops keep dumping their million-dollar 2000 sq-ft houses and moving out here, too. Serious weirdo factor.

Traffic is actually worse here than it is on the east coast.

Crime is growing, and we've got the worst red-light runners in the nation. And being by the Mexico border makes me want to get all Stromberg-y sometimes.

Did I mention it's hot?

Seriously, you don't want to move here.

turbo6bar · 02-08-2006, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Doug&Julie
That's good to know. I would be counting on a home as a significant part of the savings. What do you think would be more of a loss....flushing $1k a month down the toilet for rent or not getting what you paid for out of a house?

Pull up an amortization table for your preferred loan. In the first 2-3 years, what percentage of your monthly payment is servicing mortgage interest?

There is absolutely no way in hades you can make the numbers work for buying in Phoenix, unless you're buying 30-40% under market price.

motionman is on the mark.

pwd72s · 02-08-2006, 07:30 PM

Hmmm..l.3-4 months of HOT HOT HOT in Phoenix vs. 4-6 months of RAIN RAIN RAIN in Orygun. Your call.

motion · 02-08-2006, 07:39 PM

Actually, everyone is just being nice... its probably more like 6 months of hell in Phoenix. But the rain in Oregon doesn't sound too good either.

Type911 · 02-08-2006, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by pwd72s
Hmmm..l.3-4 months of HOT HOT HOT in Phoenix vs. 4-6 months of RAIN RAIN RAIN in Orygun. Your call.

Oct-May rain, rain, rain is a bit more than 4-6 months.
C'mon pwd tell it like it is ... I know, I did that gig for 18 yrs.

LeeH · 02-08-2006, 07:55 PM

We moved to Phoenix 6.5 years ago from Atlanta. Some random thoughts:

Yeah, it's hot, but you do get used to it. The other 9 months are super. I'll take 105 degrees here over 90 in Atlanta any day. Look at a map - all the streets are one mile apart on a giant grid. Makes navigation easy, but driving is boring. There's serious traffic here, but we think Atlanta was a lot worse. Housing prices seem to have stabilized. I saw some price reductions advertised in the local paper. Lot sizes are tiny and chances are your back yard will have a cinder block fence around it. Convenient for kids and pets, but there's a certain prison-like feel about it. The desert landscape is something people seem to love or hate. Personally, I'm starting to miss real trees.

Jared at Pelican Parts · 02-08-2006, 08:28 PM

Portland, all the way.

Phoenix? hope you like sitting inside with the AC on all the time. It's so hot there, I have seen the door seals on old cars melt

BlueSkyJaunte · 02-08-2006, 09:34 PM

Lee, you sold the '72!!????!!

Joeaksa · 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by motion
Actually, everyone is just being nice... its probably more like 6 months of hell in Phoenix. But the rain in Oregon doesn't sound too good either.

Richard,

Will trade you 3 months of hell AND 9 months of paradise anytime for Cali and the fruits and nuts that seem to gravitate there! There is a reason why all the people are moving from Cali to Phoenix. They are getting away from something and I hope it does not come to AZ!

Come on guys... yes, its hot in the summer but from mid-Sept we have paradise here. On Christmas day I was out in shorts and T-shirt around the pool, as it was 75 degrees in the afternoon. I ride my motorcycle or take the top off of the Targa 9 months a year, while others store their car and bike due to cold weather.

It starts to get warmer in May, then goes into the 90's in June. July until mid-Sept is just plain hot. That said, I can put up with hot a lot better than cold, ice and snow. We just drive 1 hour up into the mountains during the summer and let the valley bake.

As Blue says, we are not far from water rationing but only need to look to Vegas to see what will happen if we do not curb our demand. They will not allow a new house to be built with a grass lawn, and believe that washing cars is restricted. The idiots in Phoenix are trying to duplicate their homes in other areas (tall green trees and grass) of the country and sucking the water levels down on an hourly basis. As well the damm golf courses, which we have far too many of out here, are green year around, while we restrict development in other areas.

Its a trade off and personally after spending about 25 years in Arizona in my life, I know which one is better for me.

BlueSkyJaunte · 02-08-2006, 10:42 PM

One more thing: the "brown cloud" is absolutely disgusting. I grew up on the East Coast (hell, New Jersey) and never saw such filth in the air.

Doug&Julie · 02-09-2006, 04:09 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by BlueSkyJaunte
Lots and lots (and lots) of old people are moving out here to die. Unfortunately they're moving here faster than they die...

ROFL!!!

Well it looks like I'll be passing on this "opportunity" based on opinions here and on Rennlist and some very colorful PMs I've gotten over the past 24 hours!

FYI, it was never a decision between Portland or Phoenix...it was whether or not we do some time in Phoenix as a stepping stone to Portland or whether we just stay where we are for another couple of years before moving to Portland. Looks like the later.

Oh, and we're not afraid of rain. Rain makes it green. We love the green. Even if it's a wet green.

Thanks again all!

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

Well, I'm not discouraged! I want to move to Phoenix or Vegas and will pay another visit in July to see what real heat feels like. I cannot stand the traffic around here anymore. When I was in Phoenix a few weeks ago, I purposely went out in rush hour traffic just to see how bad it gets. It's nothing! It's hell around DC even when the weather is fine. Add rain or snow and you can just about camp in your car trying to get home. I have soooo had it with this area. We're getting lucky with a very mild winter, but I still want to be in the desert. Doug, how do I find a headhunter in Phoenix? Motion, the house I have here would cost about 1/3 as much money in Phoenix. I know folks buy houses with too much emotion, but I think it would take me a LONG time to get tired of a 3 car garage, swimming pool and big house. Maybe long enough to make money on the deal.

Doug&Julie · 02-09-2006, 05:47 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Rick Lee
Doug, how do I find a headhunter in Phoenix?

My headhunter is actually located in Florida. I work for a rather specific industry (primarily trade show exhibit design & manufacturing) and there are a couple of headhunters that specialize in this industry. I get a call from them about once a year. ..until they get a whiff of our desire to move...now I get a call about every three - four months.

And don't get me wrong, I'm not totally down on Phoenix. (..we actually have an office there!) But there are enough negatives (the real estate situation, esp.) that we've just decided it's not worth the disruption it would cause in our lives. To everything there is a balance...and ours is better here in Ohio. (..oh god, did I just say that?)

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

There's a place in Tempe called Auralog that has a lot of ads on Monster. A few of them read like they were written just for a resume like mine. I emailed them a resume and said I'd be out there in Jan. No answer. Got home, saw even more ads, emailed them again. Then some guy called me and wanted to set up a phone interview time. He never called back! I called and left him a vm the next day. Never heard back. Now they have even more ads on Monster. I guess they're having a hard time filling those jobs with blown off interviews.