Question for those living in Phoenix and Las Vegas

[jsottile]

I soon will have to choose a location for relocation with my potential future job. Two of the choices I will be seriously considering are Phoenix and Las Vegas. I know that houses can be purchased for very reasonable prices right now in both cities. My questions are (for reference, I will be relocating from a very rural town in Pennsylvania):

1. It seems like like the deals are for houses in developments. Do all developments have unreasonable restrictions (can't park on the street, can't do this or that, etc.)? Also, what are the association fees like?
2. The bigger problem, I have 6 cars that I need to relocate. What are the chances of being able to build a 24'x36' garage in either of these cities? I wouldn't mind driving (say 45 mintues) into either city. However, it appears that the best home deals are for ones in developments near the city. I would venture to guess that based on the lot sizes and the zoning restrictions, I would be impossible to build a garage the size I need. Any advice?

Any help would be appreciated.

Also, if anyone can chime in on their experience with living in Salt Lake City, Alberque, NM; and Dallas, TX.

 

[Coz]

The key is to buy a house that doesn't have a home owners association, but is still in an area where the residents take care of the property.

Home owners associations can be a major pain in the ass with restictions on no cars parked in the street over night, too many in driveways and what you can and can't do on your own property. Living in a division that has a home owners association can be like living in Nazi Germany. Been there and done that. never again.

In Arizona, the key is to buy a property that has property open space. There is a calculation of how much sq footage you can add as another structure based on the sq footage of the entire property deminsions and the structure already there for living.

Not to mention if you buy open property like an acre or more, most do not have home owners associations and you can pretty much do what you want.