It's official - I'm moving to Phoenix by Apr. 1
 

Boss finally gave me a firm date today after we interviewed a scorching hottie to take my place here. I will be working from home, so I don't need to be near anything. Wife hasn't found a job there yet and I don't want her to have a tough commute. She got her employment authorization document (EAD) last week, so now she can work anywhere without an H1 sponsor. FWIW, this immigration process really hasn't been all that bad. Something like 70 days from filing to getting the EAD in the mail. Anyway, I have no idea where I want to live. All I know is I want some space, not too much traffic and would prefer whichever area is a few degrees cooler than the rest of the area. Believe me, traffic in Phoenix is nothing compared to what we have here, so what you may consider bad, I probably consider to be nothing. I'm guessing I will need to travel a lot, and so maybe not too far from the airport. I will want to shoot a lot, so maybe not too far from Ben Avery Range. And I'll want to be able to make a quick escape from the city to go riding out in the desert. Ideal would be for the wife to telecommute too, but that's a wild card now. Where should I look? I hope to come out in 3-4 weeks to start scouting.

Cool! If you need away to get the 993 to AZ.... :D

I'm considering a call for 993 volunteer drivers. But I think it'd be cheaper to ship it in a truck than pay for driving it out, gas, hotels and a return flight for the driver.

For shooting info check-out http://www.arizonashooting.com/forums/

Scottsdale gun club is a nice place also to shoot and they will rent you class 3 guns also .

Take some time and see all the different areas before buying . Also look at traffic during peak times in areas you like . That could make them deal breakers .

SxS

PS Nice time of year right now , wouldn't want to move there in summer .

I won't be buying for at least a year. Renting is fine. But a big garage and pool are high on my list. Is it really any hotter than Vegas? I've been to Vegas in July and late May and it really didn't bother me.

April 1st, eh?

Will the "scorching hottie" be taking your place on here??;):D

If you had not mentioned the Ben Avery shooting range in far north Phoenix at I-17 & Carefree Hwy., I would have suggested the Awatukee Foothills area. Close to airport, freeways, easy access to desert. I looked at Fairfax, VA on Zillow.com and price wise both areas are close. After you have been here a couple of years and have discarded all heavy clothing, you will sell and move again.

If you want something near Ben Avery and a few degrees cooler than PHX, look at a map starting at I-17 and the Loop 101 area and north until you get to Anthem. Since you do not have to commute---I-17 is a parking lot during commute-Anthem is a desired area and very reasonable homes since it seems every one bought two and now many are on the market. Living here allows you to drive North at 75mph ++ and ski at Flagstaff. The down side it the airport is 75 minutes away on a good day.

Choice 3-zip 85331

Good Luck
John_AZ

LeeH also mentioned Awatukee to me and I will check it out. Searching Craigslist now, I can't get past all the damn Superbowl rentals. Geeze! If the wifey had a job lined up, we'd nail down a location like pronto. I just don't want her to have a tough commute, if she ends up commuting. I don't think anything out there compares with Fairfax in terms of traffic or how little bang for the buck you get in housing costs. For what I pay for my shoebox condo here, I can get easily twice the sq. footage, three times the garage space and a pool in Phoenix. I can't wait! I will never ever move back east and I haven't even left yet.

Depending on your wifes background but quessing she is computer savy, USAA has a big campus in N PHX at I-17 and Happy Vally RD. http://www.usaa.apply2jobs.com/default.htm. I've heard good things about them. Area is near I-17 and 101. Ok area to rent for a while.

John_AZ

Sent ya a PM :)

Sweet!

Welcome to Phoenix - L.A.'s newest suburb. :)

Jeff, I will definitely be in your neck of the woods on business in the coming months. We must grab a beer.

Eric, PM replied to.

John, I am a USAA member and yes, they are excellent. No bus. analyst jobs on their AZ site at the moment, but I'll keep an eye out. I hear Amex is pretty big there too.

Heck yea! I might even have my 911 operable by then. . .

Sorry I missed meeting up with you guys the last time you were out this way. It'll be cool to have another "regular" Pelicanhead more-or-less local. My office does work out that way occasionally too, so there's a chance I might be able to pop out on occasion. Naturally you're always welcome to visit out here too.

Going to PHX Sunday for the big game (no, I don't have tickets but I don't care - I'll deal with that once I'm there. If I get in, fine. If not, fine). Should be fun!

AZ Pelicans, please explain this vehicle licensing tax to me. We have an annual personal property tax in VA that's based on the Blue Book value of your car. Looks like AZ collects something similar upfront when you register at DMV. But I can't understand their formula. Do they use MSRP at the time the car was new? KBB? I bought all of my vehicles in different states and they were used at the time. None were ever in AZ. VA says my 993 is worth $27k, which would be insulting, except that it keeps my tax bill low. What am I looking at in AZ?

FWIW:
Amex is a big employer and I may have some connections there. Wyndham Worldwide is another employer but I don't know if the Phoenix based data center is in need of BAs (There headquarters are here in NJ). If so I can make a call for you.

Rick Lee,
IMO our property taxes and vehicle fees are very reasonable if not cheap. PS-you will find professional wages are low here (+-) due to ample supply of skilled workers tired of the frost belt and California ;). Oh, this might help...

Title and Registration

2) How much does it cost to title and register my vehicle?
It varies depending on the vehicle. There is a $4.00 title fee; an $8.00 registration fee; plus an air quality research fee of $1.50; and a vehicle license tax (VLT) assessed in place of a personal property tax charged by other states. There may also be a weight fee for commercial vehicles and other fees. The VLT is based on an assessed value of 60% of the manufacturer's base retail price reduced by 16.25% for each year since the vehicle was first registered in Arizona (15% before 8/1/98). Then, as of the Dec 1, 2000 reduction, the rate is calculated as $2.80 (new vehicles)/$2.89 (used vehicles) for each $100 of the assessed value. For example, for a new vehicle that costs $25,000, the first year assessed value would be $15,000 and the VLT would be $420.00. The second year the assessed value would be $12,562.50 and the VLT would be $363.06.

From: http://www.azdot.gov/index.asp

Good luck,
John_AZ

"It's official - I'm moving to Phoenix..."

Isn't that a Glenn Campbell song??

Thanks John, but I've read that explanation over and over and still don't get it. If my 993 was never registered in AZ before, does that mean they assess it at the MSRP from 1996? That's outrageous. Can't be true. What do they use to assess it? Purchase price? MSRP? KBB? It's very unclear.

Thanks RickM. I'm sticking with my job for a while. But my wife really needs a job there. She's a business analyst and has applied a few times on the Amex site. No response yet.

Rick Lee,
Example Porsche 1988 924S-(from 2007).
List Price $24,935.00
AZ MVD assessed value=$588 or $1081 for 2 years
Vehicle license, registration, air quality for 2 years= $42.90
OR
1998 Jeep Cherokee 2D/4WD (from 2007)
List price $16,955
Assessed value $2,062 or $3789 for 2 years
Vehicle license, registration, air quality for 2 years=$121.15

John_AZ