Prior to leaving, Jon searched the Internet and compiled a
list of properties he thought we should look at. They were mostly fixer-uppers.
When we got to Vegas, we started calling real estate agents, which turned out
to be a waste of time.
Jon gave the addresses to two different agents, both of whom
said they’d map out a route and call us back with a meeting place. They never did.
A third agent said he didn’t show any properties to buyers who weren’t
pre-qualified. Since this was just a scouting trip, we didn’t see any need to
get pre-qualified. A fourth agent said he considered showing properties valued
at less than $100,000 a complete waste of his time.
We ended up just driving around neighborhoods to get a feel
for the city, but found very few for-sale signs up. Which was OK, because we
quickly decided we didn’t want to live there because of unsafe driving
conditions. Check out this post on Cheryl’s China for more details.
We took a drive north of Vegas to look over a couple of
towns, but they didn’t appeal to us. On the way back, we detoured to Bullhead
City, Arizona, and were impressed with the town. We even found some properties
we might make a return trip to look at. I’m still not convinced I can live in
the desert, because I do like my green forests and blue water. Bullhead City is on
the Colorado River, across from Laughlin, Nevada, so that at least met some of
my requirements.
We anticipate getting to leave Yuma, Arizona, where we've been since mid-January, in late May or June, so we'll have plenty more opportunity to house-hunt. Jon is also keen on checking out Missouri and northcentral Florida.
Cheryl, I'm keen on following your search for a perfect locale. Ray and I are lazily scouting around various cities. So far we haven't found anywhere we both like. (Personally, I don't love Vegas. I lived there once for 3 months and that was enough for me. But, I was in my early 20s and it may be different now.) PLEASE keep telling us about places you like or don't like. Did you look at homes in Yuma?
ReplyDeleteYes, we looked at a few homes in Yuma. I don't like it that most homes have gravel yards -- I need grass!! We've decided that Yuma is too hot in the summer, and we'd have to go north for those months. My husband is very keen now on looking at houses in the Brownsville, Texas, area. That's where we're headed if we ever get to leave Yuma.
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