March 21st, 2010 by Michael Oliver

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Moving to Tucson Arizona from another part of the country can bring with it all sorts of questions for those about to relocate. The first question that comes to many people’s mind when they are in the process of Moving to Tucson, Arizona is “Is there enough water?” It’s a very common misconception that because Tucson sits within the Sonoran Desert that there is no water or vegetation or wildlife. All are simply not true people moving to Tucson once they arrive will realize Tucson sits within a valley and the actual desert surrounding it is diverse and lush. Tucson’s desert is much more diverse then either of it’s large southwest neighbor cities such as Phoenix or Las Vegas; Tucson sits at a better elevation and receives more rainfall then either Las Vegas or Phoenix.

When moving to Tucson what else should you know?

Relocating to Tucson brings up several questions such as:

What are home prices like in Tucson and what can I get for my money compared to maybe a Los Angeles, or Chicago?

This question can be answered prety simply as Tucson is at about the national average for home prices. If your relocating or moving from a higher priced area of the US such as; Los Angeles, San Diego, San Fransisco, Seattle, Chicago, New York City, or Boston you will be able to find roughly two times as much house for your money (maybe more for those coming from NYC, or SF) for comparable areas. If your moving or relocating from an area such as Atlanta, Las Vegas, or Orlando you should see comparable home sizes and areas for the same or very close in price. The average home size in Tucson is roughly a little over 1,800sf. For those moving from the Midwest or east coast however you should realize Tucson homes do not have basements (or attics for the most part) so storage is a little harder to come by. One other thing worth mentioning is garage size is NOT included in the square footage of a home here in Tucson as in some parts of the country.

What do people in Tucson do for fun?

This is another question we get a lot, especially those from the faster paced cities of L.A. and New York City. While Tucson cannot compete with the attractions and entertainment options of those cities Tucson does have a lot to offer. Tucson as previously mentioned sits within a valley it has mountains, parks, the University of Arizona, and the regular high schools and other amenities other cities across the nation have. Tucson is known for its bike riding due to the weather and the biking community that resides here. Tucson along with being about an hour north of the US- Mexico border allows residents to make short day trips into Mexico for shopping and vacations. Tucson is also roughly 8 hours from Los Angeles, 6.5 hours from Las Vegas, and 1.5 hours from Phoenix for those with family in those cities or looking for weekend trips to them.

What are the established areas to live within Tucson? Where are the newer places people are moving?

Since I am a real estate agent a majority of the questions fielded by out of state buyers moving to Tucson are about the areas/Tucson neighborhoods and which ones are growing and which are already established. While it is against the law for an Realtor in Arizona to quote/ advise, or interpret crime stats and/or where a particular person should move/ live for whatever reason it is important for out of state buyers moving to Tucson to understand how the dynamics of its real estate market. Some people moving to Tucson want to live in a remote area, while other want to find new housing, still others want to move to where the close by amenities are.

To make it simple for those reading this to understand Tucson is a fast growing city the population is continually growing. The city keeps growing outward from downtown. The most established areas are those in central Tucson, north Tucson (The Catalina Foothills), Northeast Tucson, and the east side of Tucson.

The newer areas where you will find new homes available and new shopping as well as a suburban feel will be the areas of Northwest Tucson, Southeast Tucson, Southwest Tucson, as well as the cities of Sahuarita, Marana, Oro Valley, Vail, and Catalina.

Also generally speaking the further you go away from the city the lower the housing prices and the longer the commutes. Unlike the Phoenix area, or L.A. or the other mega metro areas of the country Tucson for the most part does not have traffic issues. While like anywhere sometimes traffic is backed up it is nothing like most of Southern California and many people moving here from a mega city enjoy the ability to get places relatively quickly.

For those interested in learning more about Tucson Arizona and its real estate market feel free to send an email or call directly as I have been selling homes in Tucson since 2002 and for the most part understand what people that are moving to Tucson from out of state are looking for and what questions they want answered. Moving from across country is not always easy or stress-free, but working with a Tucson Realtor who understands the process and the complexities of a cross-country move should make life a little bit easier on everyone involved.

Tucson Real Estate