Moving on up... to the mountains!

[Desert_Captain]

We have enjoyed living in the high Sonoran desert just north of Tucson fo the last 15 years. The camping in Arizona is nothing short of awesome and we often spend our summers in the mountains beating the heat. This year has set records almost daily for high temps and little to no rainfall {the Monsoon has been a no show... Grrr}. We live in a nice senior community but have to keep our Class C, cargo trailer and Rzr SXS at a nearby commercial storage facility.

I always longed to find some property where I could house my toys on site and enjoy a higher elevation in a smaller community. Yesterday I made that happen:



After researching at least 100 properties and finding virtually all of them already subject to pending offers {the real estate market for mountain property has gone off the chart since the Covid crisis} I found this gem and managed to out bid another offer and still get a smoking great deal and we will close escrow in 3 weeks.

Our new home is in Payson, a small town of 15,000 people located almost exactly at the geographic center of Arizona {76 miles north of Phoenix/Mesa} at 5,000'. The property is .57 of an acre and the smallish {1,407 square foot 3 bedroom 2 bath} house comes with two garages, a two car attached and a free standing 18' X 30" unit in back that is amply screams "Man Cave!"

The Coach and trailer are too tall for interior storage but with two separate driveways I have plenty of room to park them both with the Rzr, my truck and motorcycle residing in the new Man Cave and my brides car in the attached garage. Payson sits at the base of the Mogollon Rim and is about halfway between Phoenix and Flagstaff.

The property is nicely treed with huge pines some over 70' as well as, Oak, Juniper, Spruce and Manzanitas. A seasonal stream flows through the front yard and yet we are just a mile or so from what passes for "Downtown" Payson.

Here is a shot of my future Man Cave:



The back right hand corner of the Gazebo will be the new site of our Jacuzzi with the BBQ and bar to follow:



We are both so excited and can't believe our good fortune in being able to make this happen. Lots of work to be done to complete our relocation but looking forward to the challenges given the rewards that are sure to follow. Woo Hoo!

:B

[Desert_Captain]

OP here again...

We got moved in with the help of "Two Guys and a Truck" who did an outstanding job by the way on the 29th of September. Twelve very long, busy days later we are completely settled in and loving every minute in our new home. Had quite a bit of tree trimming to do but nothing a pole/chain saw could not handle and having a truck and trailer to carry it all to the brush pit worked well.

I have even managed to complete most of my Man Cave after more than "a little assembling" of a nice Harbor Freight workbench and rolling tool chest along with the install of a compressor with the requisite 50' hose and reel. The Man Cave handles my truck and motorcycle and most of my tools with the Rzr living in the other {attached} garage and the Motorhome on the south half of the south driveway.

Downtown "Man Cave":





Definitely one seriously HAPPY CAMPER!

:B:B:B

[Expyinflight]

We know it is not a matter of 'if'...but 'when'....it happens in Payson also.

[Dtank]

Expyinflight wrote:

Be a good neighbor and FireWise your property. They keep predicting Payson will be the next Paradise......and suffer a catastrophic fire.

Catastrophic fire / Fire Wise:
You just need to get out and "rake the forest"!..:R

BTW - "Pleasure" CA (what POTUS called it) - Paradise had a "precautionary" evacuation yesterday - which most folks don't wait for it to become "mandatory". Second one since "THE" fire.
Big box store parking lots in Chico full of folks sleeping in their cars.

.

[cptqueeg]

Good luck in your new home! It looks spectacular.

[bigorange]

Awesome...congrats again and good luck with the move! You’ll have to change your nickname to MountainCaptain LoL

[Expyinflight]

My partner and I have had our "second home" in Payson for almost 15 years. Lucky enough to have a panoramic view of the Mogollon Rim from our front porch. We go up year round. Always nice to escape the heat of the Valley during the summer. And have been snowed in for a day or two on several occasions during the winter. We have seen many changes in town over the years.
The weekend warriors can make for extremely heavy traffic every Friday-Sunday. Holidays are especially challenging. But you learn to deal with it, choosing your times to grocery shop, etc.
Congrats!! And welcome. Sounds like you made a good purchase. Home prices are rising, for sure.
Be a good neighbor and FireWise your property. They keep predicting Payson will be the next Paradise......and suffer a catastrophic fire.

[Krusty]

Congrats! Looks awesome. Good luck with the move.

[Dtank]

Looks / sounds like a great move!

Now you need to change your ID to "Mountain Captain" !!

:B

[Desert_Captain]

Op here with an update:

We closed our 18 day escrow right on time yesterday morning without any issues. Now the Herculean task of moving all of our "stuff" from Tucson to Payson is staring us in the face but everything is lining up nicely. I anticipate 3 runs up to Payson next week with my truck fully loaded and towing our cargo trailer.

The movers will arrive on the 29th for all of our furniture and the dozens of boxes we have managed to pack but there is a lot of stuff I need to get up there first {mainly tools and toys etc.}. The ride up is a little over 3 hours and the return run {empty}, goes a little quicker so it is doable with an overnight/early morning return. Our goal is to be fully "in" by October first. The old house is on the MLS under "Coming Soon" and I will release it for sale on 10/1. There has been a lot interest already as the sign is up complete with flyers and homes have been selling in just a few days.

My goal of walking away with more than we just spent still seems attainable. Film at eleven!

:B

[Desert_Captain]

pnichols wrote:
DC ... nice digs. Congrats!

Now ... if only the garage or man cave were slightly taller so your "baby" could fit inside. 😉

P.S. My "baby" has to sit outside too ... but some nearby trees help to keep the UV rays from ruining it too much.

After 7 years in the southern Arizona sun I figure parked deep in the trees at 5,000' will be a huge improvement. The Rzr and Indian will get their own garage with lots of room left over as well as my truck and brides Toyota.

Bought a nice large workbench and a rolling tool storage chest from Harbor Freight last week end... Unfortunately they are both "some assembly required". :S

[AlexCaro]

That's great. Congratz!

[pnichols]

DC ... nice digs. Congrats!

Now ... if only the garage or man cave were slightly taller so your "baby" could fit inside. 😉

P.S. My "baby" has to sit outside too ... but some nearby trees help to keep the UV rays from ruining it too much.

[C_Schomer]

NICE property and it doesn't look to be terribly hilly, so it's more useful. We were at Buckeye for 13 years and loved camping on the Rim... beautiful mtns! I also had several friends with cabins around Heber/Overgard. I retired in 15 and came back to Co. but we go back to Peoria for the late falls... the rv resorts are a lot cheaper, then, than the first 3 months of the year! Craig

[Desert_Captain]

Mayor30 wrote:
My buddy lives in Payson. It is a very nice town. They have a large dog park. We stayed at Houston Mesa in Payson and Canyon Point which is about an hour east of Payson on 260.If you haven't stayed there the sites are nicely spaced,some with electric others with no hookups. You're camping under tall pine trees.

Canyon point is one of our favorite CG's...but getting a reservation can be a challenge. They do hold a lot of non electric sites as first come first served and at 7,700' it is delightful in the warmer months but they are only open mid May through Labor day or the first snowfall. The Mogollon Rim has a number of great CG's as well but again they are subject to the relatively short season as dictated by the weather.

What we love about Payson is that it is large enough to have anything we need {Home Depot, Tractor Supply etc. and a VA clinic} and nothing we don't. I am scrambling to deal with the mountain of paperwork the two real estate sales generate... but having worked in the Title Insurance Industry for nearly 20 years I understand the process and speak the language. :C

[Mayor30]

My buddy lives in Payson. It is a very nice town. They have a large dog park. We stayed at Houston Mesa in Payson and Canyon Point which is about an hour east of Payson on 260.If you haven't stayed there the sites are nicely spaced,some with electric others with no hookups. You're camping under tall pine trees.