People move for a number of reasons. They’re moving to a new job, or away from home for the first time, or maybe they’re downsizing after the kids leave home, or retiring to Sun City or Anthem. Here we examine some elements which can make choosing your next place to move easier.
Buying or renting 'too much house' is a frequent moving mistake.
Affordability
If you can barely afford the rent or payments on that new Phoenix-area home you’re considering, take a step back. Ask yourself what would happen if you had a fiscal disaster such as a major car repair or a job loss. Most people live way closer to the fiscal edge than they know. Some potential solutions are to get a roommate, a second job, or a smaller place in the same neighborhood.
The commute
Let’s use our friend Cody the Commuter as an example. He is considering one of two places in a very central area of Phoenix, which means the traffic can be very bad. One place is ten minutes way and the other is thirty.
Twenty extra minutes each way is twenty minutes per day. By excluding weekends and the ten federal holidays, over the course of 2018, there are 251 working days. Twenty extra minutes for a commute over the course of one year translates roughly to this:
40 min= the extra time on the daily commute at 20 X 2 (minutes to work and home)
251 number of work days in 2018
10,040 minutes in traffic /60 to calculate hours=
167.33 extra hours in the car driving to and from work in 2018.
So, if Cody the Commuter doesn’t have that extra 20 minutes of commuting time, in a year, he’d save enough time to binge-watch every episode ever made of South Park and still have enough time left over to knit a hat. Every. Single. Year. That's a harsh 20 minutes.
Your people
If you need hugs and smiles and the things most of the rest of us need from others, figure out the people who give you those and make sure you’re not too far from them. Otherwise, your weekends, holidays and evenings are going to be spent doing a commute that might not hurt you as badly as the work commute previously discussed, but it will eat a chunk of your time, money and energy.
Your children and pets
Large and noisy pets find small apartments or townhomes confining.
If you have children, you'll want to consider their educational opportunities as well as the suitability of the neighborhood. The school, the play areas, and other opportunities to enrich their lives are all factors to consider. You want to avoid raising them in a place with a high crime rate, which may also actually be a factor for you to consider even if you don’t have kids for your own peace of mind.
If you have a large pet, consider the ramifications of keeping it in a tiny apartment or a place which doesn’t have a secure fence so they can do their business without you and a leash.
Your hobbies
Whether you’re a part-time college student, a season ticket holder to the Phoenix Symphony or hike the Thunderbird Conservation Park trails twice a week, consider where you spend your fun time and make sure you have access to the places which bring you joy.
Bringing it all together
Sometimes it’s difficult to juggle all of the factors when it comes to making a decision. The easiest way to find a suitable location is to get an actual physical map and put a pin or an X on each place which should be a point of consideration. Some things will get more weight in the decision, of course. Then draw a radius circle in the area which meets your needs. That’s where you want to search for housing.
This tool will help you to determine not only the crime rate, but school ratings, affordability, and a few other things which may help you make your decision.
Once you make your decision, whether you choose to live in Phoenix, Scottsdale, or somewhere else, you may just want to call an awesome Arizona moving company to help you relocate!
Aardvark Movers Inc., a Phoenix Arizona moving company, has the most experienced movers for all your residential, office or apartment relocation needs, serving Phoenix, Scottsdale, Chandler, Tempe, Mesa, Gilbert, Glendale, Cave Creek, Carefree, Surprise, Sun City, Paradise Valley, Apache Junction, Maricopa County and all of Arizona. 602-716-5555
