<p>H and I have been planning on buying a second home (a retirement home/vacation home) for a while now. Getting a bit more serious about it now. We’ve narrowed it down to Florida (Tampa) or Arizona (Phoenix). How would I go about doing more research on these places - finding good neighborhoods to live in etc? Any websites out there that offer this kind of info? I’d love to see a map of the city by neighborhoods and prices - get a feel for what is a good place to stay. Any help appreciated!</p>
<p>We have researched the Tampa area. Have spent time there looking as well. You can find books in your library about places to live. You need to decide what things are important to you- some aren’t mentioned in books/magazines. Religion is important- Bible Belt mentality, liberal/conservative, Christian/Jewish/Muslim/Hindu facilities. City size and services- you need to look at local libraries and the central one. Grocery stores- can you find the products you would like? Restaurants- ethnic variety et al that you would enjoy. Golf courses (and prices) if you want that. Local colleges/universities if you want to indulge in some extra learning. Medical care and facilities. Cost of living. Schools- relative rankings for various areas often found on Zillow, Trulia or Realtor.com- since you won’t have kids there you don’t have to worry about comparing to your present state. Malls and department stores- find your comfort zone. If Walmart and Target are convenient, Penneys/Sears et al and upscale department stores. Check out the malls in an area to see what the clientel and stores are like. A mall could be too upscale or too downscale for your regular shopping. You also need to decide which city/county limits you prefer. Online is different than driving around and seeing the actual branch library you would use and stores closest for groceries and other goods (not brands but physical condition).</p>
<p>You first have to make the major decision of Florida or Arizona desert. I personally want water freely available even if dry air could be better for joints. I dislike desert foliage and prefer flat land to dry mountains. Another consideration is overall location- distances are vast west of the Mississippi. It is a lot easier to drive up the eastern seaboard than to get to other areas in the west. A lot depends on your retirement plans. If you plan to stay around your house or travel to new places in the area. If you have already explored the east coast you may want the west. We have “been there, done that” with so much of the upper midwest- time for a radical change. Possible to drive back with plenty of places to stop in between- not so out west in our experience. Need to fly versus taking off when you feel like it in your car.</p>
<p>Back to specific cities. Look at the real estate sites- Zillow in particular. Zillow gives their (accuracy?) estimate of homes’ worth, past worth and taxes paid. You need to figure out if you want near the downtown, near the Gulf, near highways, gated/golf course communities… You will have to decide single/two story house, pool, HOA fees and amenities, parks, house size, lot size, water, conservation area…</p>
<p>[City-Data.com</a> Forum: Relocation, Moving, Local City Discussions](<a href=“http://www.city-data.com/forum/]City-Data.com”>City-Data.com Forum: Relocation, Moving, General and Local City Discussions)</p>
<p>This site is almost as addictive as CC, though the threads vary widely. Being from AZ, and having spent time in FL with ex inlaws, would take AZ in a minute, if you like spending time in the natural world.</p>
<p>I’d start with a good realtor who can give you a strong analysis along with qualitative info. Then head for Google.</p>
<p>Most people I know who have bought vacation homes begin by spending several weeks on vacation in the areas they’re considering. Rent a condo or vacation home. Spend your time there, go to grocery stores, drug stores, gyms, restaurants, places of worship - anywhere that is important to you. Get the local papers - major and minor. Talk to people who live there - make a few friends before you buy.</p>
<p>Florida and Arizona are worlds apart. You need to decide not just on areas of the city, but how you feel about the gestalt of the entire area - southwest v. southeast. I know very few people who like both equally well.</p>
<p>My friend, JIm, sold his house and bought a large RV touring the country to find their perfect retirement home. After 4 years, I don’t think they have settled yet.</p>
<p>I agree with Chedva about feet on the ground experience with the area. we bought a home in a place we frequently vacationed at; we got to know the area before we went house-hunting. Additionally, think about distance. Are both of these a plane ride from where you are now, or is one in closer distance? Our home is close enough that we drive there every weekend–it’s really more our home than the house we mostly live in–I would hate to only get there a few times a year. You may feel differently, but it’s something to think about.</p>
<p>
While I know that works for some, to me, it sounds like Dante’s seventh ring of Hell!</p>
<p>Sell first.</p>
<p>Do Not Get Caught Between The Boat And The Dock.</p>
<p>Too many homes in FL and AZ are in foreclosure because people up north thought to buy now and move later. Nice homes in nice communities in both states are now selling for 40% of what people paid to build them just 4 years ago. When the market collapsed, they simply abandoned their easy to get down-payment. Abandoned homes are all around. And no improvement in home prices is likely anytime soon. </p>
<p>Sell first.</p>
<p>Both areas rank in the top 10 of housing bubble markets and don’t show any signs of rebounding any time soon. Take your time, as it is on your side. </p>
<p>If you do find your dream home, I would research if any of your neighbors are in foreclosure or if their mortgages > value. This will keep a lid on prices and may cause them to let maintenance items lapse.</p>
<p>Trulia has emerged as my favorite site for real estate information. You can view individual properties viewed on a map, and they also have a ‘heat map’, that shows the most popular areas. Just google Trulia and you city of interest. Zillow is also good for estimates of property values, including those not for sale. Zillow also shows sales history for properties. Most areas also have crime maps on the web now. Google “crime map” and you city of interest. Finally, I agree with spending some time in a vacation rental. Either VRBO or HomeAway are great sites for finding a rental. Rental prices are likely very low in the housing bubble areas, you may find it is more economical to rent for the winter than buy!</p>
<p>great lakes mom- thanks for the above link. I just bookmarked it!</p>
<p>I spent a good chunk of time yesterday on Trulia looking at homes in the Phoenix area. There are a ton of them…but really, when I’m there I’m going out with an agent. I also need to talk to my son who will know exactly where I might want to buy something…and where I would not. I’m not in a rush. Our plan is to buy something when we are done paying THIS mortgage. We would not live in Phoenix full time…sorry…too hot. Ditto FL. We are taking our time…lots on the market, prices are decent. We don’t think that is radically going to change in the next year.</p>
<p>Remember to factor in travel expenses. If you can’t drive to the vacation home, you’ll need to deal with airline costs and rental car costs for every visit.</p>
<p>thumper, take a look at the Gilbert area of Phoenix. We had friends who lived there for a while - they are now settled in midwest :eek:. We visited them many times and really, really liked their planned neighborhood, complete with parks and shopping nearby. They both worked at ASU and said it was not that bad of a commute.</p>
<p>For me, retirement home is more than “community”, “work”, “price” and “commute”. By definition, retirement means get out of rat race, relex and enjoy. I want to live in an area that is really enjoyable to MY Taste. No more schools, no more jobs, no more commutes… Quality of life is more important, so is medical attention, social opportunities, views and equally important, friendly and secured surroundings.</p>
<p>I would think twice before I move 1000’s miles away and found out it is not a “FIT”. We are not cats, we do not have seven lives.</p>
<p>I lived in Scottsdale for nineteen years and moved to Tampa for five. I did not like Tampa. Scottsdale is pristeen compared to Tampa. The stores, restaurants and natural beauty of AZ have it all over Tampa. Men love Tampa, sports are big. Although you are surrounded by water in Tampa, so much of the bay is so built up you wouldn’t know you were close to water unless you looked up and saw a shore bird. Along the Bayshore is pretty but traffic is terrible. I think the Tampa Museum of Art is woefully inadequate for a city of Tampa’s size. The Tampa Center for the Performing Arts is a wonderful facility.
The Phoenix Museum of Art and the Heard Museum are fantastic. Both cities have good airports and low cost service. From Tampa you can hop in your car and visit Disney, from Phx, you can hop in your car and visit Sedona and the Grand Canyon.</p>
<p>" Both cities have good airports and low cost service." - A definite perk if you want visits from kids/grandkids someday.</p>
<p>I like Tampa. An easy drive to the beach- we don’t want to be too close (when asked our realtor told us our area of choice is where people would go to in case of a hurricane). We have vacationed on the beach islands- too confining for us. Easy to visit, wouldn’t want to live there. There are nice areas away from downtown in Tampa city limits. The “natural beauty” of the desert is ugly and lifeless in my opinion. I like the Apalachians with their green topped peaks so much more than the stony crags of the west. I dislike the thought of water wars and shortages. I want to be able to have greenery without guilt. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.</p>
<p>The time to buy is when you retire, now is the time to look. We can afford two houses until the northern one sells. I would not buy the second house for a future retirement while still owing on a current mortgage. We thought about many areas over the last few years but everything changes when you have the freedom to come and go ad lib instead of during specified vacations. So glad we didn’t buy back then in retrospect. We had a vacation condo within an hour’s drive years ago and found we didn’t use it as much as we thought we would. </p>
<p>Unless you can live at the winter place for months at a time it is too soon to buy. You want to be part of the neighborhood- leaving a closed up house most months won’t make you part of things. You need to decide if you want to live in a retirement area or a regular one. Will you get bored with “senior citizen” lifestyle places? How do you see yourself integrating with the locals (Tampa has plenty of transplants from up north)? Do you see yourself getting in the car and exploring the region? I can see doing that form Tampa often but not the Southwest- the distances are too vast. Car trips to DC, NYC and all along the east coast are feasible. So are mountain trips as well as the hundreds of miles within Florida. </p>
<p>I offer the above as a counterpoint to the loved Scottsdale/hated Tampa post. Pristeen can be lifeless. As you can see you have to visit each area and first determine which area best suits you. Then you narrow down your focus to communities in the region. Some like smaller towns, some find them limiting, and how often will you visit that art scene/museum/attraction until you have memorized the offerings?</p>