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New Home Building around Phoenix
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I was visiting with my family in Scottsdale a few weeks ago and I was astounded at:

1. The number of new homes being built
2. The sales price for them

My neighbor moved from CA to AZ last year, purchased a 5000+ sq. ft. home for the same price of his old 2200 sq. ft home in CA. And his purchase was a beautiful home with a BIG back yard. For those of you in AZ why is this building going on? These homes aren't for retirees. Are there a lot of new businesses opening? My mind was blown to the point that I am trying to get my wife to accelerate our move out of CA.

"The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do."
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Re: New Home Building around Phoenix [jkca1] [ In reply to ]
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I don't think that I could handle the heat in Arizona.
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Re: New Home Building around Phoenix [jkca1] [ In reply to ]
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I've lived in the Phoenix valley over the past 15 years moved from Silicon Valley, Ca, and much of the growth has been due to the reasonable cost of living. Similar jobs in CA pay the same Rate as AZ yet rent/mortgage is 2-4x's higher in CA.

AZ is also working on attracting high end Tech and BioTech industries so lots of jobs on the horizon.

We've had a constant stream of CA friends move to AZ from CA.
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Re: New Home Building around Phoenix [jkca1] [ In reply to ]
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FWIW I'm a realtor here in Phoenix/Scottsdale. There's a lot of financial industries, techs, major corporations, and money throughout.

Land is fairly cheap throughout. Compared to CA prices, I am not surprised you can get 2x the home or more for the same price. We were just in Napa over the last few days and were comparing prices. I don't see how many people can live there, in SFO, San Diego, and many other places.

Property taxes are very low here, too. I'd estimate about .5% a year in general. Some areas are higher (up to 1%) but that is rare.

Yeah, the heat sucks. But you get a pool and can learn to deal with it fairly easily.

speedySTATES
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Re: New Home Building around Phoenix [jkca1] [ In reply to ]
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Forge would chime in if only he were able to do so.
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Re: New Home Building around Phoenix [jkca1] [ In reply to ]
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I think people coming out of major CA cities will find housing cheap almost anywhere. If you move to Phoenix from, say, Houston, your perspective would be different.

There's been a lot of population growth...Maricopa County was #1 in the nation last year. Subsequently, rents are fairly high relative to the cost of buying, and there are not a lot of restrictions on building new (a lot of the population growth is in the outlying areas, and a lot of the job growth as well).

The heat thing is less of a problem than, for example, snow in Denver, as far as day to day getting out and doing things. We are supposed to hit 109 today but I'll probably be outside for a grand total of 10 minutes anyway. Even in the dead of summer, you can get up early and bike ride, or run late in the day. The nice thing is that the weather is pretty predictable so you can schedule and prepare around it.
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Re: New Home Building around Phoenix [Dapper Dan] [ In reply to ]
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Dapper Dan wrote:
I think people coming out of major CA cities will find housing cheap almost anywhere. If you move to Phoenix from, say, Houston, your perspective would be different.

There's been a lot of population growth...Maricopa County was #1 in the nation last year. Subsequently, rents are fairly high relative to the cost of buying, and there are not a lot of restrictions on building new (a lot of the population growth is in the outlying areas, and a lot of the job growth as well).

The heat thing is less of a problem than, for example, snow in Denver, as far as day to day getting out and doing things. We are supposed to hit 109 today but I'll probably be outside for a grand total of 10 minutes anyway. Even in the dead of summer, you can get up early and bike ride, or run late in the day. The nice thing is that the weather is pretty predictable so you can schedule and prepare around it.

If you are only going to go outside for 10 minutes today then it seems to me that the heat thing is more of a problem than snow in Denver. I wouldn't think the typical Denver resident would stay inside for 23 hours and 50 minutes out of a day due to snow very often. Are you only going outside 10 minutes per day from now through September?
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Re: New Home Building around Phoenix [mr. mike] [ In reply to ]
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mr. mike wrote:
If you are only going to go outside for 10 minutes today then it seems to me that the heat thing is more of a problem than snow in Denver. I wouldn't think the typical Denver resident would stay inside for 23 hours and 50 minutes out of a day due to snow very often. Are you only going outside 10 minutes per day from now through September?

I've been living in Denver for 4 years now. If the snow here is the worst of my problems, I made the right choice moving here. It's not nearly as bad as one would think coming from a non-snowy place. The only minor annoyance is the occasional late season snow storm (like the one we got the last week of May); but even those typically melt off in a day or two.

I'm certain we'll get some crushing snow storms during my tenure here eventually, but if they aren't a regular occurrence, I'll take them over the heat and humidity of Austin (where I moved from), and I loved living in Austin.

''The enemy isn't conservatism. The enemy isn't liberalism. The enemy is bulls**t.''

—Lars-Erik Nelson
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Re: New Home Building around Phoenix [windywave] [ In reply to ]
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Forge would chime in if only he were able to do so.

Then I will, it's all due to gun rights.
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Re: New Home Building around Phoenix [mr. mike] [ In reply to ]
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I'll be outside for 2-3 hours most days. Run an hour in the morning (yeah, it still sucks even at 5:30 AM). Swim with the kids in the later morning. Maybe swim some more in the afternoon or after dinner. You have to plan accordingly but it is very manageable.

I'd rather deal with the heat than with cold and snow.

speedySTATES
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Re: New Home Building around Phoenix [fartleker] [ In reply to ]
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Heat has side effects. Phoenix is as brown as shit. Fly out from there to anywhere else and you immediately notice how green it is. Fly back and Phoenix is the color of a 2 year old's diaper.

Another thing about Phoenix is its not just hot in the summer its for 3 of the seasons.
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Re: New Home Building around Phoenix [mr. mike] [ In reply to ]
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Sorry, didn't mean to make this a Phoenix vs Denver discussion. My wife is from Denver, we go there a lot, and I'd easily take it over Phoenix if my job were there. I lived in Wisconsin for 21 years so I know what it is like to train in the winter.

The 10 minute thing is pretty common for working people with families I think, at least Monday through Friday. I usually work out in the mornings at 5am, which I can do outside any time of the year, but I most often workout indoors. Right now I'm fasting which means no water or food during daylight, so it's just easier inside. Weekends are a different story and for sure it's tough in the summer...from about 10am to about 5pm it's just baking hot so whatever your going to do you try and do it early or late. I can ride or run outside all summer but I try to be done by 9am or run after 6pm. Or else drive 2 hours to someplace cooler like Flagstaff.

Also, we hit the monsoon season pretty soon which brings more humidity but it feels a good bit cooler especially with rain once or twice a week. Early June is probably the toughest part of the year.
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Re: New Home Building around Phoenix [Dapper Dan] [ In reply to ]
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Holy crap, this thread prompted me to check the Phoenix forecast. 90 degrees at 2am? That's freakin insane.

I also can't imagine running the ac all day and night on a 5000 sq ft house.

Is this a heat wave or normal early June temps?
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Re: New Home Building around Phoenix [Triocd] [ In reply to ]
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We are a little above normal for June, although last year we hit records and were in the 115 range for the same week, fortunately I was in Wyoming at the time. But yeah its pretty much high 80's for the overnight lows through the summer, which sounds hot but one thing you notice here is that 90 degrees in the dark feels a lot different (cooler) then 90 degrees in strong sunshine. I don't mind running in 105F or so as long as the sun is not strong (end of the day). Yup, cooling a 5000 sq ft house would get expensive - maybe $700/m total electric bill during the summer I guess.
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Re: New Home Building around Phoenix [Dapper Dan] [ In reply to ]
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After 3yrs-ish in North Central Florida, I will take that dry heat anytime. El Paso was a bit cooler, but still an astounding number of consecutive days above 105F (the advantage was that at night it cools off a bit since it's at a much higher elevation).
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Re: New Home Building around Phoenix [Dapper Dan] [ In reply to ]
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Dapper Dan wrote:
Sorry, didn't mean to make this a Phoenix vs Denver discussion. My wife is from Denver, we go there a lot, and I'd easily take it over Phoenix if my job were there. I lived in Wisconsin for 21 years so I know what it is like to train in the winter.

The 10 minute thing is pretty common for working people with families I think, at least Monday through Friday. I usually work out in the mornings at 5am, which I can do outside any time of the year, but I most often workout indoors. Right now I'm fasting which means no water or food during daylight, so it's just easier inside. Weekends are a different story and for sure it's tough in the summer...from about 10am to about 5pm it's just baking hot so whatever your going to do you try and do it early or late. I can ride or run outside all summer but I try to be done by 9am or run after 6pm. Or else drive 2 hours to someplace cooler like Flagstaff.

Also, we hit the monsoon season pretty soon which brings more humidity but it feels a good bit cooler especially with rain once or twice a week. Early June is probably the toughest part of the year.

are you Muslim?
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Re: New Home Building around Phoenix [Francois] [ In reply to ]
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Francois wrote:
After 3yrs-ish in North Central Florida, I will take that dry heat anytime. El Paso was a bit cooler, but still an astounding number of consecutive days above 105F (the advantage was that at night it cools off a bit since it's at a much higher elevation).

The climate of high elevation southern Arizona, southern New Mexico and El Paso is perfect.

Phoenix, on the other hand, is hellish from June to October.

Key difference.
Average night time low July:
El Paso: 70
Lordsburg: 64
Bisbee: 65
Phoenix: 84

Tucson (where I live) is half way between "perfect" and "hell" in the summer our July low- 74.
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Re: New Home Building around Phoenix [Velocibuddha] [ In reply to ]
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I challenge you to move to Lordsburg ;-)
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Re: New Home Building around Phoenix [Francois] [ In reply to ]
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I lived in Houston for 7 years which is very high humidity also. Between Phoenix and Houston I really couldn't say one is tougher than the other...maybe Phoenix if I was pressed as at least in Houston there is a possibility of shade and you don't dehydrate as quickly, but Houston may feel worse.

Mr Mike: Yeah i was raised Catholic and converted to Islam about 7 years ago.
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Re: New Home Building around Phoenix [Triocd] [ In reply to ]
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We are 2800 sq ft and our summer bill is around $375. That's for the 3 or 4 bad months. It is only $150 in the winter though. No gas heat, all electric. I think it evens out no matter where you go.

Mornings are definitely the worst. It was 81 or 82 this morning at 5:15. All runs can turn into slog fests. But it is a dry heat....

speedySTATES
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Re: New Home Building around Phoenix [fartleker] [ In reply to ]
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fartleker wrote:
We are 2800 sq ft and our summer bill is around $375. That's for the 3 or 4 bad months. It is only $150 in the winter though. No gas heat, all electric. I think it evens out no matter where you go.

Mornings are definitely the worst. It was 81 or 82 this morning at 5:15. All runs can turn into slog fests. But it is a dry heat....

Do you know anyone that is running solar? Is it a standard with any of the builders you know of? Your summer prices match what I see here in the Sacramento area. We typically don't have a day below 90 until September and nights are in the 60's.

"The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do."
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Re: New Home Building around Phoenix [jkca1] [ In reply to ]
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I don't know of any builders that offer it. Lots of companies here will install it though.

Leasing is a joke and doesn't make money for anyone except the solar company.

We know a few people that have purchased them outright. The payback seems to be 7-10 years. That's fairly reasonable to me and may make it worthwhile.

speedySTATES
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Re: New Home Building around Phoenix [fartleker] [ In reply to ]
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fartleker wrote:
I don't know of any builders that offer it. Lots of companies here will install it though.

Leasing is a joke and doesn't make money for anyone except the solar company.

We know a few people that have purchased them outright. The payback seems to be 7-10 years. That's fairly reasonable to me and may make it worthwhile.

I would expect it to be on the low end of that in AZ. I'm in Nashville and about 3 years into solar, and my payback is looking like around 11-12 years. I would think you get a helluvalot more sun than here.
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