Who has MOVED from their home state ? How difficult was it for you?

[68BabyBlue]

For myself I’ve noticed a lot of differences just in the last 2 years. I didn’t work in a physical business but I did a lot of physical things - for which I’m paying the price now Orthopedically speaking.

Just like our cars, our carcasses have parts which deteriorate with time, even with good care. My wife, always an office worker, has been a paragon of exercise and diet from the time we married. But she has a family history of arthritis, and has paid the piper with three joint replacements. I have other issues, not fixable with replacement parts. When I bailed from the corporate office over 20 years ago, we picked our current home, and town with the idea of aging in place, both in terms of home configuration, and a support network of friends and relatives.

Your home doesn't have to be the cliche first floor master bedroom ranch house by any means. I got a good feel for what works during the days as a mover I mentioned earlier. Moving a human body is remarkably like moving a triple dresser. A reefer cart and a wheelchair require the same environment to operate effectively. We have a large two story house, but it's fairly wheelchair friendly in its current form, as my wife has established post surgery multiple times.

Greg, I think you are wise to consider the family connection in your decision. If you can put that in place, with a home that won't require additional moves down the road, your life will be much easier, if my own experience is an indicator. By the way, the weather is central PA is fairly bad, but it was the price I paid for the other stuff that works.

 

[ckessel]

Family was the main reason for us moving back to the central coast. Love having 6 hours distance as a buffer to the main culprits.

 

[5.7 hemi]

Greg, if ya need some help, say, drive your Charger to Arizona, I’d be willing to help.

 

[Kern Dog]

Greg, if ya need some help, say, drive your Charger to Arizona, I’d be willing to help.

Really ??

 

[5.7 hemi]

Absolutely.

 

[68 Sport Satellite]

KD - a website I recently found with statistics by area is here - USA Location information - USA.com

Just to double-check things wherever you're looking. You can check weather, natural disasters like tornadoes, population, etc.

 

[Kern Dog]

Here we are in Arizona. We have looked at properties online since Christmas.
I’ve lived in Sacramento heat all my life and I don’t want to live anyplace warmer than this. In Arizona, if you want a cooler climate, that means higher elevations.
Today we looked at a place in Kingman. 8 acres with a nice sized place…2700 sq ft. It has a RV shop with 14’ tall doors.
The real estate agent wasn’t very knowledgeable about the place.

5943 N Bull Mountain Dr, Kingman, AZ 86409 | MLS #999215 | Zillow

The climate in Kingman is cooler than Sacramento due to the high elevation. From what I can tell, it is about 3300 above sea level.
The search continues.

 

[66 Sat]

Looks nice but no trees for any shade - would be super hot in the summer no doubt. No overhanging eaves/verandah to keep the sun out either. Not much privacy either, sparsely populated area but still with no trees/fences a bit of a goldfish bowl.
Not much gardening maintenance...

I still like it though - I love the desert landscape, not many people do.

 

[Kern Dog]

I prefer grass and trees. Desert landscape is pretty to visit but not my first pick.
This place sits close to the property line which is not ideal.
We don’t know what that neighbor intends to build or how close to the property line it would be.
This is just the beginning of our search. We looked at another place across town but packed dirt roads are common for some properties. No thanks!

 

[5.7 hemi]

That’s a friggin’ nice place!

 

[Kern Dog]

It is.
I wish the RV shop was on the other side of the house.
I am probably going to be hard to please. I want acreage, 2000 sq ft minimum house and a shop or the freedom to build one.

 

[dadsbee]

View of the large metal "industrial" building, when not yours, would suck. Seeing the property you were looking at was being used for wood working what might be going on over the property line? You can also see they fully cleared that lot well back, so what may be coming next?

 

[Kern Dog]

Yeah. That is an unknown and the agent was clueless about it. Better to pass on an unknown.

 

[andy.caroll124]

I left KC MO in 93. moved to Houston, left there headed to Orlando. Left Orlando and moved to St Pete then Naples FL. Now I live in Dallas. All the Moves were moving forward except to Dallas. Dallas was a move for my wife. The Dallas move was the hardest. I believe as long as you are going forward it will be easier then if you are running from something

You look same to Me

 

[1KoolBee]

Beware of sellers/agents who “know nothing” and play stupid. They typically know more than they are letting on and may be hiding things. For example, what’s the water situation for that property ? I have not looked in AZ in awhile. How are prices in Flagstaff and Prescott? They are a bit cooler, 7000’ & 5200’ respectively .

 

[68 Sport Satellite]

Beware of sellers/agents who “know nothing” and play stupid. They typically know more than they are letting on and may be hiding things. For example, what’s the water situation for that property ? I have not looked in AZ in awhile. How are prices in Flagstaff and Prescott? They are a bit cooler, 7000’ & 5200’ respectively .

Snow in Flagstaff. KD says he doesn't want any snow.

 

[68 Sport Satellite]

Greg, let us know if you end up at least driving through a few of the places I texted you about outside of Phoenix.
FYI - you can plan on Phoenix area temps in summer on average are about 10-15 degrees warmer than the Sacramento area.

I've only ever driven through Kingman on road trips. It's a main pass-through place. Never considered living there.

 

[Kern Dog]

I will not live where it gets 120 in the summer or stays 90 degrees overnight.
I get really short tempered when it is too hot or too cold. I’m already annoying to some people. I’d be a miserable prick if I had to stay indoors from May to November.
This is one reason why I have stayed here this long. We get down to the 30s in the winter and the 105+ degree days cool down at night.
Ideally, I’d love something similar but I am realistic.
Any region near sea level in Arizona will be too dang hot.
Kingman is just the first step in this search.

 

[GetX'd]

I dropped AZ off my possibilities list because I simply like NOTHING about the desert. Unfortunately for me and my wife we prefer a bit on the larger size population towns. Either that or short drive access to them. I’m not a small town guy. And my wife is by no means a small town girl. She knows two places from a living standpoint - Saigon, VN and here in the OC. I could not do that to her - moving her to a small town. I have zero desire for acreage and I want what i want in a new place to call home. I will not settle. I have promised her to be w/i a two hour flight of her family here in OC. Since most of the West Coast has been destroyed that leaves few options. I’m still considering the Treasure Valley in ID. They build and have a lot of what I want - but Boise is not exactly a high vibe metropolis and it’s 6 hrs in any direction to get to one. On the other hand it offers much of the outdoor life I love - hunting, fishing, hiking, mountains etc. And we have some friends there now that have bailed from here. But aside from the friends part the outdoor thing doesn’t nothing for my wife. Zero interest in going East - I would consider the Carolinas but too far from my wife’s family.

This uprooting after so many years and relocating has gotten much, much more difficult than I ever expected. The whole country has - in a matter of speaking - been rezoned in the last twenty years making once highly desirable areas completely undesirable. Who knows in the end I just may keep this place and buy or rent someplace overseas and split time. I really don‘t know what the heck to do - But it’s always on my mind.

 

[Kern Dog]

Some people dig the city vibe. The energy, the vast food choices, the easy access to everything appeals to many.
Others may embrace a small town feel.
I’ve never lived in a city environment but I’m certain that I wouldn’t like it. I like space around me. I like people but I don’t want to be around a lot of them. I’m not interested in exotic foods, pastries, coffee or alcohol so that type of “cultural” stuff is lost on me. I want acreage so I can make noise and smells with the cars without bothering others. At the beginning of this thread and many times since, I’ve mentioned my preference for a rural setting where I can bomb around like the Duke boys when I want. That still appeals to me. I’m not taking about living with no electricity or running water.
It got me thinking though……most if not All of these remote areas in Arizona are on solar, septic and wells.
I’m new to all of this.
These rural homes in the south must have been hard on folks before solar power came along.