Seriously ?
I don’t think a Coastal SoCal native would be able to survive Phoenix regardless of the lot,

In the summer it is like 90 degrees at midnight in September.

I talked to people who were so happy just to get back to TV after the bust. (Let that sink in a little).

Most front yards are just dirt, no trees, no green anything.

[quote=sdsurfer]I think he said North Phoenix…is that the epicenter of the dump of unpleasantness? Maybe everyone that moved there expected more and ended up with a nice quarter acre lot on the sun so they are unhappy about it?[/quote]

North Phoenix is California east. Phoenix area in general has a real problem with Californians coming and bringing the California nuttery they want away from with them.
Arizona versus Cali:
Housing, cheaper, way cheaper.
IncomeTaxes, cheaper, top marginal rate is like 4.5%
Sales tax, cheaper, 6% versus 8%
Property taxes, a bit higher.
Electricity, about 25% cheaper, but you use more so closer to a wash. No solar rebates, foot the bill yourself, it’ll pay.
GDP, lower overall but higher per Capita. They have 1/6th our population and 1/4th our GDP
Gas, lower, about 10%
Food, higher, about 10% Meat is shockingly expensive in Phoenix for some reason.
Wages anywhere from 25% less to on par depending on skill.

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=United+States&city1=San+Diego%2C+CA&country2=United+States&city2=Phoenix%2C+AZ

I don’t know — when I went shopping with a friend in Phoenix, some food (not only meat, some fruits and veggies) was actually more than I paid in NYC.

I am the friend and here is some of the reasoning.
1) Housing cost- For $350k I can purchase a newer home with 4-5 bdrms, and 3 plus baths, with a pool and a 3 car garage for my boat 😉
2)Even if I find something in my price range here there is a slim chance I will get it, it will be similar to the house in South Park where I was told I can’t even look at it unless I submit an offer.
3) This house Arizona would be in a high end neighborhood with premier schools while here for that I would get a condo in a low end neighborhood with poor schools take (10 out of 10 versus 5 out of ten using south park as an example).
4)This brings us to education…California has 500 plus million in unfunded teacher pensions and no plan how to pay for it, unless the genius Browns magic bullet train is the first train to be profitable.
5) Longterm Goals- it is difficult to plan for college tuition, retirement and gain equity when my wife has the best paying job she has ever had and we are living paycheck to paycheck in a 1000sq. ft rental for 2k/mo.

Maybe its hot, of Course I will miss surfing but its seems like a smart move even though some may disagree.

[quote=spdrun]So your argument mainly has to do with real estate costs. Why not just stay in CA and buy rentals in an area that has a more favorable buy-to-rent ratio, using the income from them to finance a better lifestyle in CA?[/quote]

Probably because he’s struggling to pay rent now. That’s the pay-check to pay-check line and $2000/rental. You can’t get financing for a rental purchase if your debt to expense ratio on living is already too high. They won’t count rental income until it’s established. So buying to back fill his living expenses isn’t likely an option.

So I have a friend that left seven years ago, still happy.

Do your pro-con to moving.

To be honest, since you don’t own a home now, the only con I see to trying the move is the age of your children and potential distance then to family.

Go, decide if you like it and stay, decide you don’t like it, move back. A 1000sf place packs easily into a U-haul.

[quote=spdrun]You LIE. Take the job in Phoenix, buy something that’s suitable as a rental, get yourself fired, then rent it out and hightail it the hell back to CA. (And yes, you’ll pay a higher rate to get that flexibility, but it’s worth it.)

Also, if he can buy $350k of property in Phoenix, he can do the same in Escondildo or Visduh. Rent expense doesn’t count if you’re officially buying a primary.[/quote]

So you’re saying what I said. Go, try it. Decide you like it or not.

And yes, he could buy a $350K place here too. He said that. I think he implied $350K isnt’ that great. Or yea, he could move to Visduh. Now what’s the real difference between Visduh and Phoenix?

IMHO, if you don’t live within bike riding distance of the beach, the reality is most people are lucky to go once or twice a year. Surfers included, it’s amazing how many surfboards you see in garages East of I5 versus how many you see driving down to the beach from east of the I5…

And call me old fashion, I try to minimize my options that start out “you LIE” 🙂