Possibly moving to Phoenix/Scottsdale

[mallrat]

Any info would help. Wife has her interview next week and I work part time on the turf crew at a course here in Portland. Would really appreciate any info on living there in general, we have a 5 year old. Good places/areas to live and avoid. Also what is summer golf there like?

 

Thanks

[BUCKEYERBALL88]

Any info would help. Wife has her interview next week and I work part time on the turf crew at a course here in Portland. Would really appreciate any info on living there in general, we have a 5 year old. Good places/areas to live and avoid. Also what is summer golf there like?

 

Thanks

 

I recommend desert ridge, summer golf is very hot. Play early, drink lots of water. You can play wherever you want, very inexpensive.

[ferrispgm]

Not sure of your finances but Scottsdale is pretty pricey for housing...unless you are renting then it's not as bad. I prefer south Scottsdale a little more than north as you are closer to more courses or Phoenix as it's very central to a lot and you are within 30 minutes of a lot of great courses. Summer is hot but in my opinion it's tolerable up to 110/115*. Once it gets above that range, it's a little rough. If you want a precursor....set your over to 170* and put your face a few feet back. Hot but not sticky which is worse to me. It's better than the humid heat I'm used to from Michigan. Plus most outdoor places have misters and obviously you have A/C everywhere. The only bad part is parking your car in the sun.

 

There are tons of great restaurants in Scottsdale/Phoenix, great hiking, golf, you have some lakes within an hour drive, parks, the zoo is actually pretty decent, Scottsdale has a new aquarium which is nice but a little small. You can drive north 1.5 hours for some cooler weather and it has more of a Northern US feel with Pine trees, it actually snows in winter, slide rock state park, great scenery, etc.. Sedona is 1.5 hours away and is very scenic though very touristy as well. Plus for a 3 day weekend you can take a 3-5 hour drive to San Diego (big children's discounts in October I believe?), Las Vegas, Puerto Penasco/Rocky Point in Mexico (some people love it, some don't).

 

I love it out here and couldn't be happier that I moved. People do complain about the heat but I don't think it's that bad...plus the worst of it lasts about 3-4 months....vs winter which at least in Michigan could last as long as 6+ months and the spring/fall were hit or miss each year. The biggest draw back to me is housing prices if you are looking to buy as they are skyrocketing at the moment. Another thing of note and it's not a huge deal but annoying is that car registration out here is pricey...$500 or so for a new car and it gets reduced each year based on the age of the vehicle.....Also, they do emissions testing out here as well so if your car is older or not in compliance, it could be a costly fix.

[jatrain]

Moved here from the Midwest 2 years ago. I love summer golf. I typically play a couple times a month in winter, buuump that up to a couple times a week in the summer. Cheap rates, courses are empty. Yes it's hot, but I only had one round all summer over 3 hours, most I played by myself in around 2. Drink lots of water, buy a cooling towel and you're fine.

 

Great place for your kid to learn as well. The First Tee has great programs including free monthly workshops for both boy and girls. Several courses participate in Youth on Course which offers $5 (or less) tee times.

 

Lots of nice areas, I'd really say it depends on where work is. We live in South Scottsdale and love it. Easy drive for me to work in Mesa (against traffic), close to Arcadia, Old Town, Tempe for dining/entertainment and easy to get to the East Valley and downtown. We've been impressed with the schools as well (my oldest is 6).

[jhoppmann]

A big factor will be where your wife's work will be. We can get more specific on good/bad areas based on that.

[One_Putt_Blunder]

Been here 20+ years now. In general it is a great metropolitan area, but it also a very large metro area imagine a box 40 miles x 50 miles that is the majority of our population. The good is it is a fairly modern metro area and one of the best laid out traffic grids in the country because of the planning.

 

Really all is going to depend on where your wife will be working. Traffic is not as bad here as most other top 5-10 metro areas in the country but you can still do yourselves a favor by not living totally across town from work or having a reverse commute. To me living somewhere that is fairly close to freeway access is key. If I can get on a freeway within 5 minutes getting anywhere in town is not too bad.

 

Good places to live: NE Scottsdale SE Gilbert/Chandler/Mesa, Chandler, NE Mesa, N Phoenix/Cave Creek Far NW side of town. There are some other trendy neighborhoods popping back up in central PHX as well, but can be small pockets surrounded buy not so great spots. Where it gets tricky is if you live anywhere in the South or East Valley where you had to rely on the I-10 or US-60 to get anywhere central/north during rush hour you are going to face the worst traffic we have.

 

Personally I live in NE Scottsdale and love it. Less than a mile to the 101 freeway yet far enough away where it is quiet. <1 mile to grocery store and neighborhood pubs. 2 miles to some of the better hiking trails in town. half mile to work wife is 6 miles to work. Downside, own a condo because median home pricing in my area is $388,000 and that is a bit misleading because I am on the north end of the zip code and there are a lot of condo's in the zip. 85255 which is across the street jumps to $644,000. Up side is if we decide to move the rental value of my condo is tremendous and will be something we hang on to for the rest of our lives to possibly retire back to or continue to rent out as additional income.

 

As far as the heat goes. It is what it is. As long as it is not above 110* it is not terrible. It will take 1-3 summers to really get used to it. Having a energy efficient home is a big plus on cooling costs in summer.

[Atrayn]

I loved it but moved back to Chicago because the wife couldn't handle the heat. It's not a dry heat. It's 115+ with days of 120 mixed in for 3 months.

By 9:30 am they start bringing around the mango scented ice towels....

 

Monsoon season starts mid August so the humidity rises quite a bit. They also have stupid motorist laws for the ignorant people who drive through washes that get flooded in an instant. They have to pay all costs associated with the rescue, I believe.

 

My last electric bill was over $540. The last three exceeded $450.

 

The good news is that the prices on the great courses go down quite a bit then, so that's good....

 

I miss it because the rest of the year is perfect!

[mallrat]

She would be working right off the 101 and 17 (is that right?)

 

Did you guys notice a difference in the no taxes thing salary wise?

[Atrayn]

She would be working right off the 101 and 17 (is that right?)

 

Did you guys notice a difference in the no taxes thing salary wise?

 

What no taxes thing? Much cheaper than Illinois, but still taxed.

For single and married taxpayers filing separately:

• 2.59% on the first $10,163 of taxable income.
  
• 2.88% on taxable income between $10,164 and $25,406.
  
• 3.36% on taxable income between $25,407 and $50,812.
  
• 4.24% on taxable income between $50,813 and $152,434.
  
• 4.54% on all taxable income $152,435 and above.
  

[One_Putt_Blunder]

She would be working right off the 101 and 17 (is that right?)

 

Did you guys notice a difference in the no taxes thing salary wise?

 

If she would be working off the 101 and 17 good areas to look at housing NE Scottsdale N Phoenix North of Union Hills RD Between 7th st over to Scottsdale border (56th st) and North to Cave Creek. Reverse commute from these locations. Plus incredibly central and easy to get around from.

On the west side Arrowhead Ranch area North of the 101 around 59th-75th ave. I-17 Corridor north of the 101 Up to Anthem. Will see more commute traffic in these locations. I would highly suggest renting a place for 6 months to give yourselves a chance to explore and look at different neighborhoods that fit for your family.

 

 

As far as tax goes, property tax is pretty dang low here Think we pay ~$900 a year on a 180k condo, income tax no biggie, sales tax around 9%.

[dtm6582]

I loved it but moved back to Chicago because the wife couldn't handle the heat. It's not a dry heat. It's 115+ with days of 120 mixed in for 3 months.

By 9:30 am they start bringing around the mango scented ice towels....

 

Monsoon season starts mid August so the humidity rises quite a bit. They also have stupid motorist laws for the ignorant people who drive through washes that get flooded in an instant. They have to pay all costs associated with the rescue, I believe.

 

My last electric bill was over $540. The last three exceeded $450.

 

The good news is that the prices on the great courses go down quite a bit then, so that's good....

 

I miss it because the rest of the year is perfect!

 

The monsoon season starts the end of June and runs through September but the humidity usually shows up early July and lasts through August/early September. We get very few days each year that crest 115. I think we've broken 120 twice in the history of the city.

 

I'm no Phoenix fan but there are some seriously misleading statements here.

 

As for electric it depends a lot on the house and how cool you want to keep it. Our house is 2200 square feet with 2 thirty year old air conditioners and our worst electric bill of the year runs around $300. We get that 2 or 3 times a year, then several around $150. Winter is about $50.

 

Cost of living generally speaking is very reasonable with Scottsdale and a few other pockets being more expensive. When you take in the full picture of AZ though it's a pretty reasonable place to live financially.

[ferrispgm]

She would be working right off the 101 and 17 (is that right?)

 

Did you guys notice a difference in the no taxes thing salary wise?

 

 

Not bad....that is the Deer Valley area...housing is more affordable there....or you could live in Surprise/Peoria/Glendale and housing is cheaper there as well. Deer Valley would be better for golf as you would be able to take the 17 south or 51 south which would help save drive tiem. most of the ones in the Peoria/Surprise area are all retirement senior living golf courses with a couple exceptions of course.

[ferrispgm]

I loved it but moved back to Chicago because the wife couldn't handle the heat. It's not a dry heat. It's 115+ with days of 120 mixed in for 3 months.

By 9:30 am they start bringing around the mango scented ice towels....

 

Monsoon season starts mid August so the humidity rises quite a bit. They also have stupid motorist laws for the ignorant people who drive through washes that get flooded in an instant. They have to pay all costs associated with the rescue, I believe.

 

My last electric bill was over $540. The last three exceeded $450.

 

The good news is that the prices on the great courses go down quite a bit then, so that's good....

 

I miss it because the rest of the year is perfect!

 

The monsoon season starts the end of June and runs through September but the humidity usually shows up early July and lasts through August/early September. We get very few days each year that crest 115. I think we've broken 120 twice in the history of the city.

 

I'm no Phoenix fan but there are some seriously misleading statements here.

 

As for electric it depends a lot on the house and how cool you want to keep it. Our house is 2200 square feet with 2 thirty year old air conditioners and our worst electric bill of the year runs around $300. We get that 2 or 3 times a year, then several around $150. Winter is about $50.

 

Cost of living generally speaking is very reasonable with Scottsdale and a few other pockets being more expensive. When you take in the full picture of AZ though it's a pretty reasonable place to live financially.

 

Just to expand on that....invest in energy efficient windows/insulation and you should be ok...Most people keep their homes in the high 70's in the summer and it's actually pretty comfortable, especially with a fan going. I live in a new apartment in downtown phoenix. It's 900sf and our highest electric bill has been $80....in one of our previous places it was about the same size and would be in the $180-$220 range for a few months so good insulation and energy efficient appliances certainly help.

 

Also, the rain "monsoon" is a little misleading....during monsoon we have higher humidity in the 30-40% range typically but the temps go down as well. This is compared to the other months where it's normally 15% or lower. Also, during that 3 month span, the actually rainfall only lasts a month or maybe 2 and it's usually later at night or early morning and it's normally done in 20 minutes....Just wanted to clarify because "Monsoon" I think gives people the impression that we get dumped on for 3 months. 1 more thing on the low humidity is that the shade and breezes make a HUGE difference in how you feel....I am genuinely slightly chilled at night when it's 75* or less because it's the sun that makes it hot...it's not so much the ambient air....Locals start wearing hoodies and sweaters around 80-85*...you may think i'm joking but that's legit lol.

 

 

Ok...i'm done now....i don't feel like working today if you can't tell.

[SilverBullets]

I loved it but moved back to Chicago because the wife couldn't handle the heat. It's not a dry heat. It's 115+ with days of 120 mixed in for 3 months.

By 9:30 am they start bringing around the mango scented ice towels....

 

Monsoon season starts mid August so the humidity rises quite a bit. They also have stupid motorist laws for the ignorant people who drive through washes that get flooded in an instant. They have to pay all costs associated with the rescue, I believe.

 

My last electric bill was over $540. The last three exceeded $450.

 

The good news is that the prices on the great courses go down quite a bit then, so that's good....

 

I miss it because the rest of the year is perfect!

 

The monsoon season starts the end of June and runs through September but the humidity usually shows up early July and lasts through August/early September. We get very few days each year that crest 115. I think we've broken 120 twice in the history of the city.

 

I'm no Phoenix fan but there are some seriously misleading statements here.

 

As for electric it depends a lot on the house and how cool you want to keep it. Our house is 2200 square feet with 2 thirty year old air conditioners and our worst electric bill of the year runs around $300. We get that 2 or 3 times a year, then several around $150. Winter is about $50.

 

Cost of living generally speaking is very reasonable with Scottsdale and a few other pockets being more expensive. When you take in the full picture of AZ though it's a pretty reasonable place to live financially.

 

This is spot on.. I live in Arcadia in a 2200 Sq ft home built in the 50’s but was fully renovated in 2015 (so it’s nkt nearly as efficient as a brand new home but it’s remolded and upgraded so it’s not bad). Our highest electric bill this summer was $315. That was the absolute max. Most of the year it’s just over $100. Our gas bill this month was $1.33. Dead serious.

 

This was my first summer and I realized it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. Mid June to mid July is the absolute worst. The humidity hasn’t hit yet so the temps can sky rocket. With that said, sky rocket was 115 for the most part. For 1 week it hovered between 115 and 120... I think it did hit 120 one day and it was the 3rd hottest day on record.

 

Once the humidity hits (and humid here is 30%... not 70% like in the Midwest) the temps stay much lower (105ish was pretty normal from mid July through Labor Day). And then by mid September it starts getting beautiful again.

 

For my wife and I, we just adjusted our time schedule. Wake up at 6am and tee off by 7am. Wake up at 7am and go for a bike ride and get home by 9. It’s still in the high 80’s at that time and isn’t too bad out. Basically, get the heck out dodge before noon and then stay out of dodge until the sun goes down. It’s 3-3 and half months of brutal heat.

 

But unlike the Midwest, you can still do everything. Just have to do it early in the morning or early in the evening. You don’t have to spend 4 months inside hibernating because it’s too cold or too snowy or too muddy or etc. to do anything. In Phoenix it’s one variable... it’s too hot... well it cools down quite a bit a night and in the AM.

 

My wife and I made the move from Columbus a year ago this past week and have no desire to move back to the Midwest. The people In Phoenix are great. There is 8 months of perfect weather and 4 months of manageable hell. Great restaurants. Depending on where you live (I’m in Arcadia) traffic is pretty much nothing compared to any other big city (if you live west in Phoenix it’s pretty bad though). And there are endless amounts of outdoor activities to do year round.

 

I highly recommend making the jump to Phoenix.

[mallrat]

Thanks for all the responses guys.

 

Couple more questions. What are some of the private clubs with good courses and what do they run?

[BUCKEYERBALL88]

Thanks for all the responses guys.

 

Couple more questions. What are some of the private clubs with good courses and what do they run?

 

So many good public courses that imho I can’t imagine joining a cc for at least a couple of years. I don’t want to give up playing public courses like troon north, we ko pa & Quintero.

 

High end:

Whisper rock

Desert mountain

Desert forest

Estancia

 

Middle:

Dc ranch

Mirabel

Wildfire

 

Affordable:

Firerock

Moon Valley

Tatum ranch

 

 

[One_Putt_Blunder]

Thanks for all the responses guys.

 

Couple more questions. What are some of the private clubs with good courses and what do they run?

 

Upper tier

Desert forest

Desert highlands

Estancia

Whisper Rock

Scottsdale National

Etc

50k-300k+ initiation then $500-$1100 a month most 700-1000

 

Mid Tier

Tatum ranch

Moon valley

Arrowhead CC

Mesa CC

0-10k+ initiation. 300-700 a month

Usually 30-35 cart fee at all clubs

 

Upper tier semi private

Grayhawk

TPC Scottsdale

One time annual charge 8k limited range usage if not playing +cart fee and bag storage fees etc.

 

 

[mallrat]

Do some of the public courses have good practice facilities. That is the biggest difference here, there are some fun public courses but most practice facilities stink.

[cbbaron]

Grayhawk has an excellent practice area

[One_Putt_Blunder]

Do some of the public courses have good practice facilities. That is the biggest difference here, there are some fun public courses but most practice facilities stink.

 

Generally speaking the ones that do are only for paid rounds or $25 day pass.

[dtm6582]

Do some of the public courses have good practice facilities. That is the biggest difference here, there are some fun public courses but most practice facilities stink.

 

Generally speaking the ones that do are only for paid rounds or $25 day pass.

 

I resigned my membership at Moon Valley about 6 months ago and access to decent practice facilities is really the only part of it I miss. And their practice facilities were just okay to good, definitely not great (short range in a weird spot with houses right behind it basically meant no hitting driver for me most days).

[copperjeff]

Ill add my .02 .... Lived here for 10+ years, moved down from the NE.

 

The responses you've gotten that are in agreement with each other are all spot on. I will definitely second renting a place before you buy though. Since PHX is so spread out you are way better off finding where you want to be more permanently once you get here.

 

I live in the far SE valley, my only complaint is being too far from a highway. In reality once you hit the highway, outside of rush hour, you can be anywhere you want pretty quickly.

 

Summers are tolerable but hot. As others have said, you can work around them. Biggest thing is you don't realize how much you sweat, so you have to be very weary of dehydration.

 

My house is almost 2200sf and we do a little more than others I know to keep the electric bill down, but highest I've ever paid is $280.

 

Neatest thing though is not worrying about the weather. I literally cannot tell you the last time I checked what the weather was going to be. Because its going to be sunny. If it does rain, it won't be for long and usually only in the evenings/overnight.

 

 

[az2au]

Neatest thing though is not worrying about the weather. I literally cannot tell you the last time I checked what the weather was going to be. Because its going to be sunny. If it does rain, it won't be for long and usually only in the evenings/overnight.

 

I agree with pretty much your entire post but this is the part I wanted to call out. You get spoiled here with weather. Since virtually all of my golf is at clubs I belong to I never plan anything around the weather. In the handful of times I’ve been rained out over the last 20 years all of them have come as a complete shock because once you love here for a couple of years you have a 99% chance of guessing the weather simply by knowing the day. When you get rained out or even leave the house and it is raining you’re usually like, “Wow, it is raining. Who knew?” :)

 

The only thing I disagree with some people on is cost of electricity. Our house is a bit larger at a little over 4200 sq ft but in the middle of the summer our electric bills can easily hit $850+ I think the biggest this year was closer to $1100. Now, in January it’ll be $80 so it balances out but I would think ours would be lower since we’re out of town most weeks Monday-Thursday and I set the A/C to 78* when we’re not here. Also, due to elevation our house is generally 8-10* cooler than downtown during the day and much cooler than that at night.That said, my gas bill for the year might not hit $500 in total.

 

Also, it is a personal preference but I don’t mind living a bit further from the freeway. I live about 10-12 min North of OPB but don’t mind that because I love the quiet of the neighborhood and the mountains we live against. We don’t find it a hassle to do what we want and still enjoy our home here, e.g., We’re Suns season ticket holders and go to all of the games we can and don’t mind the drive back up after the games.

 

I moved here more than 21 years ago when I didn’t know a soul in my early 20’s after having an 8 hour layover and exploring the town. Loved it and moved a month later from the Midwest. At this point I have been corporately relocated to another state and lived in two other countries as part of project assignments but maintained a residence here the entire time. We also have a residence in NY but that is a legacy of my SO as she grew up there and didn’t want to give up her apartment in the city. She uses it quite a bit during the week as her office is in NYC but we may only spend 6-8 weekends there/year because even the native NYer that she is has fallen in love with AZ desert.

 

Finally, I will say that IME over the years there are very few people here without a strong opinion about PHX as a place to live. Most of the people I know love it but a few absolutely despise it. Generally those people don’t like the heat but a few other reasons are sprinkled in as well. I don’t find that in most metro areas, e.g., I spend many of my weeks in DFW and when I speak to my coworkers that live there but didn’t grow up there I find very few strong opinions on it. Mostly they say stuff like, “It’s fine.”

 

 

[Need4spd]

Neatest thing though is not worrying about the weather. I literally cannot tell you the last time I checked what the weather was going to be. Because its going to be sunny. If it does rain, it won't be for long and usually only in the evenings/overnight.

 

I agree with pretty much your entire post but this is the part I wanted to call out. You get spoiled here with weather. Since virtually all of my golf is at clubs I belong to I never plan anything around the weather. In the handful of times I’ve been rained out over the last 20 years all of them have come as a complete shock because once you love here for a couple of years you have a 99% chance of guessing the weather simply by knowing the day. When you get rained out or even leave the house and it is raining you’re usually like, “Wow, it is raining. Who knew?” :)

 

The only thing I disagree with some people on is cost of electricity. Our house is a bit larger at a little over 4200 sq ft but in the middle of the summer our electric bills can easily hit $850+ I think the biggest this year was closer to $1100. Now, in January it’ll be $80 so it balances out but I would think ours would be lower since we’re out of town most weeks Monday-Thursday and I set the A/C to 78* when we’re not here. Also, due to elevation our house is generally 8-10* cooler than downtown during the day and much cooler than that at night.That said, my gas bill for the year might not hit $500 in total.

 

Also, it is a personal preference but I don’t mind living a bit further from the freeway. I live about 10-12 min North of OPB but don’t mind that because I love the quiet of the neighborhood and the mountains we live against. We don’t find it a hassle to do what we want and still enjoy our home here, e.g., We’re Suns season ticket holders and go to all of the games we can and don’t mind the drive back up after the games.

 

I moved here more than 21 years ago when I didn’t know a soul in my early 20’s after having an 8 hour layover and exploring the town. Loved it and moved a month later from the Midwest. At this point I have been corporately relocated to another state and lived in two other countries as part of project assignments but maintained a residence here the entire time. We also have a residence in NY but that is a legacy of my SO as she grew up there and didn’t want to give up her apartment in the city. She uses it quite a bit during the week as her office is in NYC but we may only spend 6-8 weekends there/year because even the native NYer that she is has fallen in love with AZ desert.

 

Finally, I will say that IME over the years there are very few people here without a strong opinion about PHX as a place to live. Most of the people I know love it but a few absolutely despise it. Generally those people don’t like the heat but a few other reasons are sprinkled in as well. I don’t find that in most metro areas, e.g., I spend many of my weeks in DFW and when I speak to my coworkers that live there but didn’t grow up there I find very few strong opinions on it. Mostly they say stuff like, “It’s fine.”

 

You, sir, are quite impressive. I'd be interested in learning more about your residence in NYC as I've read about it in a couple other threads previously. I want to stay on topic though so maybe we can discuss... Actually, I'm good. Now then...

 

Phoenix rocks. Just for the sake of context, I've been fortunate, and somewhat selective I suppose, to have lived in Houston (as a teenager), Orlando, as well as Sourthern and Northern California after growing up in the northeast, and I like it here as much as anywhere else that I've lived including San Diego. Let's all be very clear about something though, the heat sucks. Don't kid yourself. It's true that it doesn't bother some as much as it does others (I'm probably somewhere on the mid to lower end of that spectrum) and I definitely do prefer it to the humidity found in many other parts of the country. As others have pointed out, the weather is absolutely spectacular for eight months out of the year. Strangely though, I actually tend to play less golf in the winter and more in the summer.

 

Relative to other major metros the traffic here isn't horrendous, HOWEVER, the metro area in its entirety is very spread out. I'm not exaggerating when I say that it could take upwards of two hours (possibly more) to get from the southeastern end of The Valley to the northwestern end. Point being is that you should be very conciencious of that when choosing a "residence." Great suggestions have already been made here so I won't belabor the point.

 

Lastly, I think the desert is stunningly beautiful. Again, I'm from the east coast originally but after 4+ years I'm not remotely jaded. I find our landscape here every bit as beautiful as I did the first time I laid eyes on it. Some however like a bit more greenery in their lives, and I suppose I get that. We don't have a ton in The Valley but we do have tan in abundance. Lot and lots of TAN. Just an FYI. :)

 

Oh, one other thing, whenever you do decide to get out of town there is no shortage of outstanding destinations all within six hours (by car that is, less obviously by air) that offer a wide variety of different things to do and see. Flagstaff for example, albeit in the same state, doesn't even resemble Phoenix and is only a three hour drive at most.

 

Hope this helps!

[dtm6582]

I will definitely second renting a place before you buy though. Since PHX is so spread out you are way better off finding where you want to be more permanently once you get here.

 

I'll third it. Spending 6 months to a year here renting is one of the smartest things you can do. The city is so spread out you definitely want to figure out where you want to be before you buy something.

 

The only thing I disagree with some people on is cost of electricity. Our house is a bit larger at a little over 4200 sq ft but in the middle of the summer our electric bills can easily hit $850+ I think the biggest this year was closer to $1100. Now, in January it’ll be $80 so it balances out but I would think ours would be lower since we’re out of town most weeks Monday-Thursday and I set the A/C to 78* when we’re not here. Also, due to elevation our house is generally 8-10* cooler than downtown during the day and much cooler than that at night.That said, my gas bill for the year might not hit $500 in total.

 

That sounds about right given your house size and usage. I'm about $300 on the worst months so double it for the size and you're at $600 (plus only about half of my house has high ceilings so account for that). I don't have a pool and I don't know if you do but assuming so throw in another $50-$100 or so for the pump running. Only mentioning this so I can add that while I am not a fan of the heat, 78 is the lowest I set our thermostat to during the day. I work from home 90+% of the time and with the AC running and blowing cold air on me I get uncomfortably cold if it is set lower than that. If we leave town I usually set it to 83. I figure each degree I turn the AC down from 78 costs about $50/month. Before moving here I never would have imagined 78 being a comfortable temperature.

 

Moral of the story OP is you'll want to consider cooling costs when you rent or buy (especially coming from Portland where the weather is more moderate year round). There are a lot of variables that can influence them. I have dual pane windows, but they are original and 30 years old. I haven't gone to extremes at sealing my house. I think in my personal case having a mostly foam roof and well placed exterior plants makes a huge difference. The flip side is that when we first moved here we rented a poorly insulated condo in Scottsdale that was a little over 1000sf but our cooling bill there ran around $350. Then we moved to a much nicer newish construction condo in Phoenix that was around 1500sf and it dropped to $240.

 

Something to keep in mind when you're looking for somewhere to live is you generally want to avoid large, exposed south/southwest/west walls.

[fore_life]

We keep our 3700sq ft house at 72 all year long and our bills are sub 300, new construction. Our place in Tempe was always pushing $500 and it was only 2100sq ft.

[az2au]

 

Something to keep in mind when you're looking for somewhere to live is you generally want to avoid large, exposed south/southwest/west walls.

 

This is indeed a very important component and I can tell you there is a $100-$125k premium on the side of the street I’m on with my garage facing southwest vs the other side of the street with backyards facing southwest. It is worth every single penny and then some.

[Gh05t]

no one in Phoenix Metro lives where hey work, so traffic can suck. We lived in Scottsdale, I worked in Tempe wife worked in Scottsdale(she lucked out). but if you can deal with a commute it's a great place to be. We lived in Gilbert when we first moved there, then Scottsdale off the 101 and Raintree. In Scottsdale we were in heaven, beautifully kept and lots to do. I think it's a good trade off if your wife is going to work off the 17 and the 101. Ahwatukee/Chanlder is a nice area but would be a bit of a drive to work for her, same with Gilbert althougth Near Val Vista is a really nice area to live too. like everyone has said it's going to be hot so expect to have a higher than use to electric bill. golf in the metro is great, tons of place to play at all different price points. Currently live in Tucson and it's not much different from metro other than THERE IS NOTHING TO DO HERE! we do have Top Golf opening in a month or so, so at least there is that. Enjoy the valley, can't imagine living anywhere else(except maybe Austin/Dallas/Ft.Worth, I am a Texas boy at heart)

[DrSchteeve]

Before I began working at home, I commuted from North Scottsdale, basically at the corner of the 101 when it turns from north to west, with my office pretty much exactly where you describe your wife's would be. Super easy commute, 20-25 minutes more or less door to door, against traffic. Great area to live in, close to almost everything (not to U of Phoenix Stadium), 20-25 minutes to downtown, Tempe, lots of golf options. I would echo the recommendations to rent if that is an option, and North Scottsdale (and Scottsdale in general) have tons of rental options.

[One_Putt_Blunder]

I dont think I really stressed how much the wife and I love it here. Both from the SF area originally I've been here 20yrs her 8-9 years. We discussed moving to someplace like Nashville TN or even possibly Hawaii for a work opportunity with the restaurant she works for. Bottom line is we both love this place and it would take a lot for us to leave at this point. Falling in love with being out in the desert and taking in the beauty it offers. Sure it is not a forest full of trees but when you get out and explore you'll find a ton of beauty. Not to mention the sunsets are quite possibly better here than in Hawaii.

 

Went out for a hike this morning. Left from my place just a few miles away you are in the middle of nothing just desert and mountains. It is awesome

Overlooking my neighborhood back towards TPC Scottsdale

 

 

Did I mention the sunsets