Moving to Arizona.... Are we CRAZY?

[Missec]

Background: My roommate and I have been talking about a move to Arizona, a change in pace, change in life, change in jobs etc. My bf was over and we talked it over with him and he said count me in. My sister was over the next night and she and her bf said count them in. A friend of my sister said count her in. We are all going to sell our homes here and buy a large home there and all move in together. There are 7 of us moving in together. 4 are gay 3 are straight.

We had a "family" meeting and found out with all of our bills we are paying out some $8,000 a month in bills. We then figured out that moving in together our bills would drop down to $3000 a month. We are taking 2 chefs, 1 nurse, 1 accountant, 1 maintenance man, 1 computer expert, and 1 farmer.

Are we CRAZY for doing this? or are we smart, can 7 people live in the same house with out getting on each others nerves?

Any thoughts on this?

 

[Eternaldarkness]

Arizona seem to be a very nice place, quiet..but definately away from the big cities' craziness.

If you decided to move with your roomate, I think it will be so much better to have someone else to come along and help out.

Even though, I do not know if 7 people living in the same house is a good idea. Unless you are perfectly sure you guys will all get along, or, get a very very big house.

What I think is a good solution is to have you or someone moves there first. Make sure it is the place you guys all want to move. Make sure you guys can all get a job there based on your professions. Make sure the home is big enough. Just test it out first.

Then have each of them come one by one after period of time. I don't think it is a good idea to handle all of them at the same time. Moving is a very big and complicated and full of stress situation.

You and your roomate should go there first, once you guys get settled in, call in your bf. Then once he's settled in and fine, then call your sister and her bf, and so on. It doesn't have to be in that order, but you know what I mean.

Either get a home with 2 floor, ground and above level...or get a duplex. Since not all of you are gay and not all of you are straight, dividing it up that way would be better.

 

[LaloGS]

A word of caution if you haven't experienced the nearly 9 months of intolerable heat of the AZ summer, it will be a shock that a lot of people can't put up with. I grew up there, and have many stories of people seeing the state in the winter months and buying a home only to find out the heat was too oppressive for them by mid summer.

Air conditioning (electric) and water are very high there. For every degree of coolness you need, your electric bill will rise $100.

The Northern part of the state, above the rim that divides the state in half, temperatures are more tolerable, and Flagstaff is downright livable although it's a small town dominated by a large University. Not much work there that pays a living wage.

Phoenix is prosperous, and there are more job opportunities there, but you do have the heat for 9 months. I think your plan for cheaper living might be correct, but not as cheap as you think.

I grew up there, and my partner and I lived there for several years before we retired, and found it difficult. He's a retired Systems analyst, and I taught at the Art Institute of Phoenix. We did not find it cheap living. I recommend at least a quick trip f(or you all) a week or so to check out the heat in August before committing yourselves.
Good luck

 

[Horschallen]

Not as crazy as moving to California.

 

[hercsurf]

sounds a little crazy to me to be honest.. 7 adults all living together?

 

[RicanDAB]

Sounds to me like the pilot for an interesting TV show

I moved from NYC to FL with exactly that vision in mind. I got what I was looking for and I am very happy. I do now miss NYC every so often (never during the winter) but I can always visit and if I ever end up moving back there at least I had the satisfaction of having done this move that I have wanted for so long.

Only advice is to do your pre-move homework. Jobs, housing, etc. And always have a plan B in place. You never know when something you hoped for does not go the way you expected.

Good luck in whatever you do!

 

[Johnny Yen]

sounds a little crazy to me to be honest.. 7 adults all living together?

Actually, most cities have laws against more than 3 unrelated adults living together in the same dwelling.

 

[unclaimedblessing]

Unless you're all retired with good incomes, scope out the job situation first.
If all of you have lived with each other at various times in the past and know each others habits well (and they don't bother you) fine. Sometimes you just don't know people until they live with you, they could be grouchy, picky, argumentative or just plain slobs. Sometimes it can be difficult finding one compatible roomate.
Perhaps you could find a small but nice condo complex so that you'll be very near each other but not sharing the same intimate space.
If the straights decide to have children (or gays adopt) that will alter the whole scenario too. So will various work shifts and pets.
I live in Tucson and despite the horrendously hot summers I enjoy living here. We go back to NYC occasionally and when shopping find grocery costs comparable. Housing is generally cheaper here. We have a very nice 2000 sq ft home, with a separate 2 car garage and pay $750.00 a mo, my nephew in NYC pays $1200.00 a month for a tiny apt.
Although it's not as defined as it used to be, Southern Arizona basically has a higher winter economy. The best time to buy (or rent) is in the summer when the snowbirds have returned north and the university is out. There is less competition for housing.
Never make this serious of a decision until you visit (and longer than a weekend). Read the local newspaper, talk to actual residents and check out the neighborhoods.
If you decide to move, do it in phases. Let the first group get jobs and they can network and help the others. It could prove disasterous in many ways if everybody concerned was unemployed for a lengthy time.
It would be smart to write the Chamber of Commerce of various cities you're considering. They will send all sorts of informative material.
Good luck and I hope you will all find what you're looking for.

 

[luckotheirish]

Sounds like MTV's The Real World.

I think it would be tough to have such little privacy. It could be fun or it could be a disaster, as others have said. It all depends on the personalities and flexibilities of each housemember.

Also, the comments about the heat... take these seriously. I've been to Phoenix several times - in the months of July, August, October, January and March. A very good friend of mine moved out there from Indiana, too. Phoenix is interesting because it's so different. The heat is dry which makes it more tolerable than the steambath that is the eastern half of the country.

The thing that kept me from moving out there myself was the brown, endless brown. There are virtually no shade trees. There are a lot of palm trees and scrub trees, but no shade trees. Grass is not grass there, too. The stuff people plant in their yards there is what the rest of the country pays money to kill - weeds. It's like crabgrass. Most people don't have grass at all. The grass that you're used to is found only at malls, golf courses and random "common areas." 90+% of the houses are all the same color, tan stucco with a spanish tile roof.

Phoenix has a lot to offer. Just be sure you can get used to sharing a house with 6 other people in a place that's hot, dry, and brown.

 

[drhladnjak]

Actually, most cities have laws against more than 3 unrelated adults living together in the same dwelling.

The rules sometimes only have to do with owning property together, not so much living together. Or at least that was my understanding of it. Something about preventing unlicensed boarding houses and what not. Buying a piece of property with 7 other people can get very complicated. Even assuming you all have equal shares, what happens when somebody wants to move out? What if somebody loses their job and can't pay their share of the mortgage? These are all things you'd need to put into a contract which would almost certainly be something you'd want to hire a lawyer for. In fact, with that many people it may be better to form a co-op or other sort of corporation which would then own the property, pay the bills, etc. of which you all own shares.

Arizona seem to be a very nice place, quiet..but definately away from the big cities' craziness.

Uh, the Phoenix metropolitan area is something like the 4th largest in the US now. It's hardly a quiet place away from big city craziness. Of course, there are stretches of desert that still fit that bill, but the job market in such places is pretty much nil.

 

[Zeremonie]

It sounds a little crazy to me. I'm not a fan of the heat, so I have to look at your post and scratch my head a little. I guess I'd wonder if there was some particular draw to Arizona?? A school? a good job? Are you trying to leave an economically depressed city? How did you pick Arizona?

I rather enjoy the collection of data on city-data.com - just in case it helps.

What about Colorado or Oregon or Northern California or Washington?

 

[Smitho]

Buying a piece of property with 7 other people can get very complicated. Even assuming you all have equal shares, what happens when somebody wants to move out?

This part is what would worry me. I think the idea of moving, if you like the heat, is fine and you all sound like good friends, you have experience living with one guy already and I guess that is going well. But with 2 couples, what happens when they split up, or the owners change?

I would say try, but at least to start, rent the house you are going to live in, and then later see if one person / couple wants to buy and rent out rooms to the others? But all buying 7th shares seems fraught with future problems to me.

 

[davy]

some more unsolicited advice

i'm a native arizonan. i was born and grew up in northern arizona. i lived in phoenix (central-southern arizona) for six years while going to school. i moved to san jose about two months ago for work; but when i retire, i'm going to move back there.

northeastern arizona is mountainous with pine and kaibab forests. flagstaff is in this part of arizona. move to this part if you like small moutain towns; but be careful because the job market isn't very good. real estate can be a little pricey (by arizona standards) if you pick a place near flagstaff or the grand canyon. the city of flagstaff is little bit more liberal that rest of the area, but not by much. the gay community is small, but somewhat active. i grew up here and a house waaaaay outside flagstaff will cost you approx $150k; but i understand the price in flagstaff is DRAMATICALLY more. the other cities in this area are prescott, prescott valley, window rock, page and tuba city

northwestern arizona is arid and mountainous. it's cooler than phoenix. no major cities are there; but it does have some small cities. las vegas and laughlin, nevada are nearby. move to this part of the state if you're looking for very low cost real estate. but again, the job market is a little tough. the entire area very conservative and the gay community is non-existant. i grew up here also in this area and a 3-bedroom house will cost your approx $100k. the price increases a little when you get closer to some of the cities. the cities here are kingman, parker, bagdad, bullhead city and lake havasu

southern arizona is arid and flat. it has phoenix and tucson in it. the real estate is VERY pricey (by arizona standards); but the job market is a LOT better. particularly in the phoenix metro area.

the cheapest real estate in the phoenix metro area is goodyear, buckeye or litchfield park (aka the west valley); but it's also considered to be the less desirable part of down. apache junction and queen creek are in the east valley and more desirable; but costs a little bit more. cave creek/scottsdale/paradise valley (also in the east valley) is the most expensive part of town; but it's also where the most of the high paying jobs are at. the metro area is politically conservative. the gay community is large, but not very active. the gay part of town is located just north of downtown phoenix. i used to live in queen creek and a 3-bedroom housed costed approx $250k

the cheapest real estate in tucson is in south tucson; but again, it is considered to be the less desirable part of town. marana or sahuarita are more desirable and again costs a little bit more. oro valley and northern tucson are the high price areas. the job market in tucson isn't as good a phoenix; but it isn't bad. the city of tucson itself is politically more liberal; but the surrounding suburbs are as conservative as phoenix. the gay community is small, but very active.

 

[TCburnout]

Is your "BF" your Best Friend or Boyfriend?

 

[metta]

Not as crazy as moving to California.

I love California. If you can afford it, it is a great place to live. But then...I have to admit that I am crazy....but I kind of like being crazy! It keeps life interesting at a very fast pace. No time for bordom here.

Arizona, you can get big homes for not a lot of money, with the exception of the most beautiful areas of the State...sedona is probably more expensive than a lot of real estate in LA but it is so beautiful. I have neighbors that moved from arizona to LA and they told me that they could not take the weather any longer. I guess it can get pretty humid which really surprised me. I have also heard that the wearther can vary considerably depending on what part of the state you live in.

If I was going to live with that many people, I would have to get a really big home, at least 7,000 to 10,000 square feet. But I like elbow room. I like to know that there is enough room for privacy when I want it. It is much easier to live with people when you don't feel like you are living in a can of sardines.

 

[gideon]

If you are gonig to do it do in AZ! i ahve lived here for about 11 years and I can honestly tellyou it is thee best place i have ever lived. Any thing you want is with in four hours drive, a foriegn country, the ocean, snow, forests......the summers are tough but they only last for six months the other six are AWESOME.

 

[cocktales]

I would use caution if you ALL are going to just quit your jobs, sell your homes, etc and do it ALL at one time.....

Make a reconnaisance run/trip there first like mentioned; otherwise the shock will kill you when the heat comes....

That many different people is more difficult than you can imagine....It's like Big Brother; but worse, cause you ALL know one another very well and can easily push the right buttons to cause distress if needed to! LOL

I say check out Northern Arizona too, for it's just really nice with all the trees, nice temps (snows in winter); but jobs are more scarce too...

Good luck and remember, you only live once!

 

[Missec]

I want to thank each and everyone of you for replying to this thread.

I would love to reply to each one that has posted, but dont have the time.

5 out of the 7 have lived together before and we did just fine with no fighting.
We all have taken vacations together. We are all friends have have been for over 5 years or more. We all like the same games and we all read alot of books.

BF is my Boy Friend.

We are trying to leave the snow behind, I am the only one out of the bunch that has visited Arizona, and I loved the heat, I was there in July with the temp at 116, I was in a sweat suit most of the time out side and was in heaven. I am extreamly cold natured. Most of us have allergies and want to get away from it.

As far as the jobs, 5 of us are transfering to jobs there, the rest have to find jobs.

We are sending a "search party" down to scope out the area to see what they can find as far as Houses. One is staying there and the other is coming back to share the information.

We have a contract for all of us to sign, that says we will live in the house for a least 2 years. If someone wants to move out they must still pay the bills.

We are looking into the Phoenix area. But not in town, maybe a smaller town outside of this area.

 

[unclaimedblessing]

Our Arizona heat can be oppressive, but there are many homes and complexes with pools and for the most part we go from airconditioned homes, stores, malls to airconditioned cars.
I can't imagine many folks in Maine or Montana spend a lot of rec time outside in the winter either; and they go from heated places to other heated places in heated cars (weather permitting).
Some people see the desert as brown. It took me a year or more to truly appreciate the serene beauty of the desert. We have some unique flora and fauna as well. We also are famous for dynamic sunrises and sunsets.
Probably issue for issue there are trade offs, but my primary concern is that I never want to walk or drive in ice or snow ever again.

 

[davy]

... Actuall a few months ago we got snow in Phoenix, but a tiny bit. ...

tell me about it. i went camping nearby tortilla flats that day

the one time i actually try to go camping and the freak storm of the century hits.