Looking to make AZ my home in the very near future(1-4 months), but not really sure on where to go? Maybe you can help?

I want my 2A Freedoms back! Please!

Retirement communities are fine with me (60yrs old) as long I have a separate home in which to live that has a carport/garage. Don't need anything more than 1300 sqft (but willing to make an exception),  as I am a single male with no dependents and am an active leg amputee. My hopes are to find a place that I can leave to a DAV/WWV etc,etc., when I pass, who can make use of the home with whatever modifications necessary.

I am well aware of the hotter than hell summers and accept that. Extreme dry heat is better than extreme wet heat!

Not looking to spend more than $200k and home expenses don't exceed 1200 per month not including food/drinking water.

Would happily join an organized gun range as I'm just a handgun/rifle target shooter, but any where I could fish (c&r only), would be a plus.

Primarily looking at Maricopa/Yavapai counties but willing to look elsewhere.

I know there many questions left unanswered but I will answer what I can when asked.

TIA!

Hope you enjoy it here but 200k is going to be rough for Maricopa or Yavapai, at least Prescott area. We have a member from Prescott that will hopefully chime in. For your prices I’ll suggest Sierra Vista as well.

That price wont get you very far in either county really. That is mostly lot prices where I am at. Look at Zillow.

I live in the Prescott region, while we are currently having a hot spell unusual this early in the summer, generally weather much more tolerable here than the valley ( Phoenix)
Regarding cost of living, right now real estate is very hot here and you are unlikely to find anything other than a prefabricated/ mobile in the 200 or less price range.
In my neighborhood 1600 -1800 square feet runs about 300k at the lowest. Around the corner from my house they have some nice smaller 1200 or so square foot duplexes that are nice ( back up to a golf course fairway, have garages) that usually come up for sale around 200-220 and are sold in about 24 hours.
For shooting and gun ownership this is paradise for sure.
I moved from Buffalo about 5 years ago, and even 5 years ago real estate was expensive ( we got a great deal on a house we rent currently) and real estate in Buffalo was so relatively cheap we had some sticker shock. It was a new adventure for the wife and I moving and we were not sure we were going to stay long term so we rented and got lucky ( nice house great landlord nice neighborhood decent price )
As mentioned the real estate market is crazy here, with many California refugees selling Cali houses for a million plus then moving here driving up the prices in our fast browning area. It is not unusual for houses to go on market for 350 and be sold for 50-60k above asking price!

Some smaller communities ( can’t say for sure as have not researched it) may be better in regards to housing prices ( Sierra vista was mentioned) also areas like wickenburg)
A huge problem outside the major cities however especially as we get older is access to health care. Many smaller communities have few primary care providers and many are not even accepting new patients.
Some smaller hospitals don’t have a lot of specialists either.
All thoughts to ponder.
We would welcome you for sure, but affordable real estate is very difficult to find and it is only getting worse.

Take a look at San Manuel Az. It's in Pinal County, North of Tucson. Pretty conservative area, they have a good 2A supporting Sheriff. Checking on Realtor.com there seems to be some housing in your price range. You should know that we are in an exceptional drought, water is in short supply in Az. There's a possibility that some usage restrictions will be imposed in the future. I'm not sure what utilities cost there but I'd bet that eletricity is expensive there. It's proximity to Tucson gives you access to good medical care, and there is a VA medical center in Tucson.

a quick search on Zillow with a filter of 200k will
Show you quickly where you can live.and unfortunately, you might be out of luck with that range  

To be blunt; you're not buying anywhere at $200,000.  Houses that are arguably safe to be occupied in the worst parts of town or out in the desert are bringing at least that.

I gotta agree. My folks are retiring out here and escaping Kalifornia. Seeing firsthand during the house hunt, there's almost nothing available for $200k. Furthermore, anything between $200-300k in Pinal seems to evaporate in a matter of mere hours after listing.

In short, the housing market here is really cutthroat. Good luck!

The only place you are going to find with that budget in a good-nice part of town is a 55+ community with a single or double wide manufactured home.  Tons of those in AZ.

Mrs, O and I just bought in Tucson.
Our friends in Phoenix had a neighbor,  and their house sold in 3 days.
FOR $30,000 More than they were asking.

Our kids are 8 minutes away from us in Tucson.
They bought a $300,000 house, 4 months ago.
A realtor is hounding them to sell.
Says they can get an easy 50 K profit.

We bought in a 55+ in Tucson.
An 1800 Sq. foot fixer upper.

The park is Trails West. Very nice.
As we had insight into the housing market.
We put in an offer that I thought they wouldn't accept.
Surprisingly they did.

So I can live there with my travel nurse wife.
And go travel with her on occasion.

All while the gated community protects the homestead.

As mentioned by others, you will have a tough time with that budget figure, especially with the hot housing market now.

I have seen places in that price range in Gila County, but they are definitely fixer uppers out in small towns with little or no amenities.

Thanks to everyone for their input, and there are many things I forgot to include in my original post.

I know real estate is super hot right now, and I might not get what I want within my price range. If I have to settle for less, or pay more then that's what it is. $200k is a starting point.

I've been looking at double wide mobile/mfr'd homes in a 55+ community in a decent area. I have no need for a massive amount of amenities that I would never make use of.

I will need a primary doctor for my health care. VA medical is out as I am not a Veteran.

I've never bought or owned a home before so this is all new to me.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

Payson or Williams might be worth a look.

Apache Junction.  Surely you can find something there.

A couple of people have mentioned Sierra Vista.  Once upon a time not too long ago it was easy to find a home for under $200k.  There are still some homes listed for under that amount.

Here is one example: SV Home For Sale

Did ya know you can search the entire state of Arizona in Zillow...   $200k for 1k sq ft shows decent looking homes in Kingman & Bullhead City.   Think I would rather be in that area of the country than Sierra Vista.  You are actually near Vegas and Laughlin vs. Tucson and Mexico.  

Unsure what medical is available in that area, but again not too far to Vegas.

If you like road trips, anywhere you want to go is closer to Kingman vs. Sierra Vista.  Esp. somewhere that isn't boiling hot in the summer.  Plus major flights out of Vegas.

$250k gets you Payson area which is much better and it won't get too cold in winter.  And its got a nice gun range.  Same with Show Low area, but it gets colder there and it will be a haul for medical and flights.

$300 will get you a small place in Lake Havasu. It's heaven 8 months out of the the year, and hell for 4 months. Like 128 deg's in the summer hell. But it's a great place to live, with lots of activities for retired people.

I'm in the Cottonwood area and there are several 55+ mfg home communities here that look to be pretty nice although I haven't checked into pricing.  The Verde Valley area in general is worth looking at - climate is generally cooler than the Valley by at least 10 degrees on a given day, shopping is okay and dining is surprisingly good.  Towns of Camp Verde and Rimrock are semi-rural.  There is a pretty well regarded hospital in Cottonwood and hospitals in Prescott and Prescott Valley are about an hour away.  Phoenix and Flagstaff are each about 100 miles away.  Sedona is nearby - you won't want to live there (cost, traffic, tourists) but it does provide for some nice scenic exploration. When we moved to AZ 20 years ago we rented for the first year just to make sure the whole idea wasn't a mistake and spent time exploring possible areas to buy.  Time well spent.

I also think trying to stay in Maricopa or Yavapai counties will be very difficult at your budget even with bumping it up from $200K.  At least not to be able to get a decent house with a garage.  You'd have to settle for a park model or some other type of mobile home.  I'm in what's considered the extreme east Phoenix valley but its so far southeast that its in Pinal county rather than Maricopa.  Even here you'll need $300K plus to get into any kind of a decent house these days.  Homes have only gotten that expensive recently but unfortunately that is the way things have evolved.

I think it might be best to check into Bullhead City and Kingman in the northwest part of the state. That would get into some homes at your price ranges.

Sorry, I somehow double tapped that

I don't think Payson is much of an option, nor is Williams. Too close to the valley for people wanting to escape the bad heat of summer. I would suggest looking around Vernon or Concho. Vernon is forest with ponderosa pines, where Concho is more pinyon, aligator juniper, and shaggy cedar. There are some areas that are pretty far from town, but I just did some work for a guy that a few months ago bought 40 acres that has a house, and a well on the property. Yeah, the house needs some "fluff and fold", but he paid under $100k for it.

Where I am, just 10 miles east of Show Low, we just bought another 5 acre lot for $42k. So the prices of land aren't insane yet, but a little further east one can find some land with a mobile on it for a decent price. If it doesn't have a well on it, it will be less and more available. Not too many city people want to haul water or have it delivered.

Thank you for all of your responses, and I am literally overwhelmed by your suggestions. You now have me searching most of AZ to the point of confusion. I know the best thing to do is get myself out there and do some scouting around. But that leads me to the question of.....will home prices in AZ get any cheaper in the next two years? Probably not. And if that's the case then maybe I should buy now.

There are so many 55+ communities that it's hard to tell which are good and/or bad. It doesn't help that many of them are owned by the same company.

In my initial post I said I was an active amputee which might not be accurate. I still ride my bicycle for 16-20 miles regularly, I am still an active member of the skydiving community, and I won't hesitate to get in a kayak and go paddle. My target shooting has been on hiatus due to ammo prices. But I try to keep myself occupied, weather permitting.

Is it true than Monsoon season is coming and that it brings high temps and high humidity? It would be a good test for my mild COPD.

Temps in the high desert aren’t that bad

I’d look at Sedona, there are a lot of retirees especially in the Village of Oak Creek

About Monsoon season.  Usually the heat starts around mid May and gets hotter in June through mid July.  Then the Monsoon season hits and usually the temperature cools down a bit and humidity increases.  But, humidity is still not bad.  It varies around the state.  Low desert places like Phoenix and Yuma are just hot throughout the summer.

Arizona did not really have a Monsoon season last year.

As far as 55+ communities being good or bad you will have to ask.  I only know of one such community in Sierra Vista and it is good.  However, there are a high percentage of female and male Karens in that community.

Another thing to consider in a 55+ community is that some (most? all?) will let you buy a home but continue to charge you rent on the lot.  That doesn't seem to bother everyone but it would be a deal killer for me.

If housing keeps up, 200k won’t due much. Housing in Maricopa has darn near doubled in the last 3 years. One of our properties went from 380 to 600 in two years. Honestly if you in either of those counties expect high prices and lots of Californians. I dont understand how we will make it through the next 50 years with water as it is and the massive influx. Hate to say it but this state might not be one you want to be stuck in. Unless the Californians stop moving in prices will continue to climb and gun laws will change.

Look in places like Cottonwood, big enough to have lots of amenities but cheaper than the valley.
Plus being higher equals lower summertime temps.
An acquaintance bought a place in a 55+ community in Cottonwood and he likes it except monthly fees are $300.

you should try texas

No offense, but please don't come here.

You people are just fucking locusts at this point.  Everything is ruined.

LMAO!
Never met a 'New Yoiker' that I could stand, and I spent time at Ft. Dumb.

'Tis like another world up there.  Too many assholes and not enough toilet paper to wipe them away.

I miss the ammo tax posts...

I apologize for not replying sooner. I fractured the distal end of my femur (a few more plates and screws added to my collection)on 06/24 and come to the realization that I would have no support network in AZ should something happen to me there. So any move to Arizona on my part is on off the table. For now anyway.

Thank you everyone who offered their ideas on locations of where I might look, you have all been a tremendous help!

Thanks again!

-Scott

Get well soon!

Thank you!

Folks often post questions about Shooting in AZ on forums, I often reply, I finally saved my replies so I won't have to retype everything each time. This probably gives more info than you asked for but its easy to copy/paste. latest update in Aug 2021.

Websites:
http://www.arizonashooting.org/ web group
http://www.azshootingzone.com/forums/ web group
https://arizonagunowners.com/ web group
https://www.ar15.com/forums/hometown/Arizona/13/ another web group
http://www.phoenixrodandgun.org/ A club with a range in south phoenix
http://www.rsscaz.com/ A club with a range in east Mesa
https://www.azgfd.com/shooting/basf/ A range with clubs in north phoenix.
all 3 have public ranges and competition ranges and active competition groups
http://arizona-rifleshooting.com/ my website about competition

3 ranges in the Tucson area:
http://www.tucsonrifleclub.org/
https://pimapistolclub.com/
https://tucsontrapandskeet.com/

orgs:
http://www.asrpa.com/ our state association they do: competition, training, education, run a range west of phoenx and civil rights advocacy.
http://www.azcdl.org/ is 100% civil rights

NRA/CMP/PRS style competition groups:
https://phoenixrodandgun.org/    (prgc)
https://www.rsscaz.com/     (rio)
http://www.desertsharpshooters.com/    (avery)
https://www.facebook.com/AZLRPRS     (cowtown)
https://www.roadrunnerrifleclub.com/     (avery or rio)
http://arizona-rifleshooting.com/

AZ has open carry and constitutional carry. Take the AZ CCW class anyway, its useful info and the permit is your proof of background check so you don't have to go thru NICS when you buy.


There are 4 or 5 nice outdoor shooting ranges in the Phoenix area. See below. (As well as several indoor ranges I don't know much about.)

I've been a member of both PRGC & RSSC for over 20 years, (and have been a volunteer, match director, coach or club officer in those years).

Both RSSC & PRGC are true member-run clubs, both lease their dirt (RSSC from AZGFD, PRGC from PHX city park).

Ben Avery is a AZGFD owned and run facility, landless clubs reserve  the various ranges and run shoots there.

A smaller range, Joe Foss range in Buckeye, an hour west of Phoenix, is run by ASRPA.

All 3 larger ranges have a public range, the 2 clubs offer membership. All 3 have lots of competition style events. Every scheduled competition or practice style event at the 2 clubs and the clubs that use Avery are open to everyone, most by walk-on, some shoots take advanced entry reservations.

Both PRGC and RSSC cost about the same to join. Each has a main range and 6 or 8 specialty ranges. RSSC faces north, PRGC faces south (low winter sun is unpleasant to shoot in) PRGC High Power range is configured properly with 1 pits and 3 firing lines, Rio is backwards, 1 firing line and 2 pits.

RSSC tries to run itself like a business, all members have to leave when the last RO clocks out, even if there are still 3 hours of sunlight remaining. All the specialty ranges (except shotgun) require a lengthy approval process to gain access. On top of that, there is a tedious process to get the after-hours pass that allows weekday shooting till 9.  RSSC has the best sporting clays field in the state, perhaps all the states. But they don't allow carry.

PRGC is much more member-friendly. members can use most (but not all) ranges without a special qual process. PRGC is very friendly for members bringing guests and allows carry.

BASF has about 80 firing points on the public range and 15 or 20 trap/skeet/clays fields and a huge archery area. The facility also has about 15 other ranges reserved by clubs for shoots including 100 firing points to 1000yds on high power, 2 silhouette ranges and about a dozen practical bays.

PRS-style shooting is monthly at a private shooting site called "Cowtown" in the west part of the valley not far from Ben Avery. And a monthly shoot at RSSC.

BLM is opening some formal maintained shooting sites in the west valley desert.

There are some nice outdoor ranges in Tucson, also near Casa Grande, Flagstaff, Payson, Kingman, Yuma and other parts of the state.

As to shooting in the Desert, BLM and National forest permit shooting most of the year. State Trust Land permits hunting but NOT target shooting.  Indian reservations do not permit anything. Check the national forest websites, Tonto NF, the one closest to phoenix, has closed off shooting on hundreds of square miles nearest town due to dirt bike infestation and bans water jugs. Steel and paper are still OK, but plan on an hour drive to find a safe legal place. During hot weather fire seasons all the NFs ban shooting, camp fires and smoking.

Hunting is by drawing for tags to hunt anything larger than a quail or coyote. But lots of public land to hunt on.
https://www.azgfd.com/



Shopping in the Phoenix area:
BassPro in Mesa
Cabela's in northwest valley
2 or 3 Sportsman's Warehouse stores
lots of Local gun Shops.

Hope this helps, welcome to AZ, shoot good!

Poole
http://arizona-rifleshooting.com/

Question.  When trying to log in, register, or get help on AZShootingZone, there's a mandatory field... "Joe and the (2 letters)"  I have absolutely no idea what that's supposed to be.  How the heck do you get in???

It turns out to be "ho" :-D

@billpoole

I have your compiled list in my files. Thank you for putting that list together!