If you are thinking of moving or relocating to Arizona, especially Phoenix, here are the top 7 things you should know! I’m a Phonecian, a native from Phoenix, which around here is sort of rare. Most Phoenix residents move from somewhere cold because the weather is top notch here, you don’t have to shovel snow and there’s plenty to do in the Phoenix area. I love Phoenix and most things about it! The summers aren’t awesome, but then you just hop in your pool!
Top Housing Market
Phoenix is one of the Top 20 Real Estate markets in the country. It’s #19 to be exact. It has seen growth of 41% in the last 3 years, some of which was because we had such a decrease in housing prices in 2008-2010. Just the same, housing is booming here.
Median House Price
The median home price in all of Maricopa County (this is the Phoenix Metro area) is $182,500. This is super affordable, a monthly payment for a median priced home is less than $1,000 a month. Don’t forget you will have property taxes and homeowners insurance.
Here’s what a $182,500 house looks like:
Home in Gilbert, AZ for $182,500
Phoenix is HUGE
Phoenix is 517 square miles! A car is a must in Phoenix, many Phonecians commute from a suburb of Phoenix to work most days on our amazing freeways! Lanes are wide, although there is traffic (not Los Angeles traffic, but traffic). I prefer the East side suburbs of Tempe (home of Arizona State University), Ahwatukee (giant cul-de-sac, on the south side of South Mountain), Chandler (my office is in Chandler) and Scottsdale (I live in Scottsdale).
East vs. West Side of Town
Phoenix’s streets are a grid, which makes navigating a new city pretty easy. East of Central Avenue are the streets, west of Central are the avenues. This has long been a debate between east siders and west siders. The upside of the east valley is if you work in downtown Phoenix, you aren’t looking at the sun on the way to and from work. The upside of the west side of town is the homes are maybe a bit newer. The was city built toward the east first, then west. The west side of town has the new Cardinals footbal stadium. I will get to sports later in the post.
Summer is HOT
Summers are just plain hot, but we have plenty of pools & air conditioning everywhere! You have to make sure you have covered parking and good air conditioning in your car and you will be just fine. Most people that relocate from a cold climate (most people that relocate to Phoenix) say it’s easier to get cool, than stay warm in snow. I don’t personally know this to be true, since I’m a native of Phoenix, but I’ve been told.
No Snow in the Winter
There is no shoveling snow, no warming the car. The winter is pretty idyllic, in March, you will likely have an 80 degree day! You can keep your windows open most of the winter and will rarely use your heat. Occasionally you have to cover your plants and trees becuase of an overnight low temperature (maybe 4 times all winter).
Close to the Beach, Vegas & snow (in the winter)
Phoenix is only 170 to Mexico, the beach in Puerto Penasco. Vegas is within a 5 hour drive and in the winter snow is 2.5 hours away in Snow Bowl. The worst part of the weather is the summer, but in the winter if you choose to leave, you have plenty of options for a weekend getaway.
4 hour drive to the beach from Phoenix
#8 Sports, Sports & more Sports
I know this is the top 7 list, but I couldn’t write this post without mentioning all the sports that we have, here in Phoenix. We have a professional baseball team, the Arizona Diamondbacks, with their stadium downtown, which is easy to access from anywhere in town. Along with two professional basketball teams, the Phoenix Suns and the Phoenix Mercury, both downtown as well. A professional football team, the Arizona Cardinals, with their stadium in Glendale, on the west side of town. Not to mention that MLB spring training is here in town, there are 10 spring training stadiums here in the Phoenix Metro area.
This list is just the tip of the iceberg for things to know about moving or relocating to the Phoenix area. If you are thinking of moving to the Phoenix area, don’t hesitate to contact me for information about real estate, here in the Phoenix Metro area.
This post made me think of so many other Phoenix topics I could write about, I will have to cover those in future posts. Best kid friendly stuff to do (which I’m still investigating all the time), top reasons to move to Phoenix, top Phoenix attractions, I could keep going.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Charlie Allred is a Phoenix area real estate broker, designated broker for Secure Real Estate and an online marketing expert. She works primarily in the east valley of Phoenix, which includes Scottsdale, Tempe, Ahwatukee, Chandler & Gilbert.She helps her home seller’s homes be found everywhere online. As well as helping her homebuyer clients find their perfect home in the Phoenix area. She is also a Pinterest expert teaching other real agents how to gain more leads, followers & clients by using Pinterest. She is the mother of twin daughters. If you are thinking of moving to the Phoenix area, contact Charlie today at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 480-220-9979 to learn more about the Phoenix real estate market.
