Moving to Phoenix, Arizona? Bloodhound Realty helps you make your move...

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Your Phoenix relocation will be easier than you ever imagined when you work with Bloodhound Realty. Strarting right now and every day until you make your move to Phoenix, we'll be there with you, scouting out the path ahead. Our Realtors are experts at Arizona relocation, moving hundreds of familes to the greater Phoenix area. We'll hold up our end on the real estate problem, but moving to Phoenix entails more than just real estate. Read on to find out more.

The Phoenix/Scottsdale area is the fastest-growing major metropolitan region in the United States. Thousands of families move to Arizona every year. We work hard to make sure that those who move with us reap the absolute best of The Valley of the Sun. We'll help you find the right house in the right neighborhood – near the schools you need, with a manageable commute.

Because Arizona real estate documents can be executed by facsimile, you don't need to be in the state for every step of the home buying process.

And because BloodhoundRealty.com is so technically adept, we can effect much or even all of the home search process by 'remote control'. Obviously it's better if you can be here, on the ground, especially when it comes to making a final decision. But using digital photos and the internet, you can 'tour' homes from afar, narrowing the selection down to those few that best fit your needs.

Can this really work? We recently worked with a couple relocating to Arizona from out of state. They wanted to experience something different, so they were open as to the age, style, location and amenities of their new home. We worked with listings by email to identify the types of homes and neighborhoods they might want to see. Then, starting on a Thursday afternoon, we toured those neighborhoods and houses. We did the same thing again on Friday, so they could get a feel for the extent and variety of the Valley of the Sun. By Saturday, they knew where they wanted to end up, so we could take a careful look at about a dozen likely homes in Avondale, AZ. They made their final selection and we wrote the Purchase Contract right on the spot. By Sunday morning at 10 AM we had an accepted contract and they were able to arrange their move knowing everything was in motion for them to move-in in just over two weeks.

The home buying process in Arizona can be intricate, but we will walk you through it step-by-step. And we can help with all the other details of relocating to Phoenix: Arranging financing, school information, transferring utilities, etc. We have moved hundreds of families from all over the world. Take a moment to fill out our detailed questionnaire to find your ideal new home. When we follow-up by telephone we'll plot your particular relocation strategy.

An easy life, but a quick death...

One of the secrets to the long-term success of the Metropolitan Phoenix real estate market has been the unrelenting Chamber of Commerce-style boosterism of the area. It's all true – Phoenix is a wonderful city, a safe, sane, very suburban urban environment. It's a great place to raise kids, a great place to pursue the outdoor lifestyle, a great place to work and to play. Phoenix is absolutely the easiest major city in the United States to drive in: Our arterial streets drive like freeways and our freeways drive like the wind itself. But that's only part of the truth of life in Arizona. The other part is the perils of life here, consistently unmentioned by the Chamber of Commerce types. What are those perils? The sun, extreme heat, dehydration and dangerous desert flora and fauna.

Don't run away! It really is easy to live here, but living here requires special habits that you will have to learn and practice consistently. Desert life is the good life, virtually every day another perfect day in paradise. But if you insist on treating Arizona like Pennsylvania – Arizona will kill you. Consider this your short introduction to the dangers of the desert. If you intend to do any serious hiking or climbing in the desert, go to the library and check out every survival manual they have. How could this be a hostile environment when it's all so beautiful? It is, nevertheless, and Arizona kills 30 or so unprepared people a year. Here's how to be prepared:

The sun: Arizona gets 87% of all possible sunlight. That remaining 13% sounds like a lot, but almost all of it is accounted for by fleecy, barely-visible clouds. The rest of that sun will tan you, burn you and blister you in as little as twenty minutes. This applies even if you have dark skin. The burn may take longer, but it will be just as severe. And sunburns bring two unwelcome guests: Wrinkles, which you'll have to live with, and skin cancer, which can kill you. You must get in the habit of wearing serious sunblock every day you are here, even if you don't expect to be out in the sun. You can get a nasty burn through the windows of your air-conditioned car. In the same respect, acquire a pair of serious sunglasses and wear them. The surface of your eyes will burn just as readily as your skin.

Extreme heat: It gets hot here. That's a real attraction in the dead of winter, when a 72 degree afternoon is just heavenly for a game of golf. In July or August, though, the afternoon temperature can go as high as 120, and it is normal for Phoenix to have at least 100 days in a row of highs over 100.

"But it's a dry heat!" No, it isn't. The normal airflow in Phoenix is West to East, from the Pacific Ocean across the Mohave Desert into the Sonoran Desert. The late afternoon breeze is hot and dry, like standing in front of the oven door. But in the middle of the summer, the Gulf of Mexico starts to heat up. Instead of sending its airflow past Florida and up the Atlantic to New England and then across the ocean to England, the Gulfstream turns inland and sends massive amounts of moisture across Mexico, across New Mexico and into Arizona. We call this the Monsoon, and it lasts from around July 15 to around September 15. Very hot and moderately humid, 40-50%, a miserable combination. If that were not bad enough, the Monsoon brings with it huge storms – microbursts, mile-high dust storms and wind storms that can suck the roofs off of houses. Serious Monsoon damage is rare, but moderate damage is common. And every year people are killed by driving in dust storms or trying to drive through flash flood areas. When bad weather comes, keep an ear to the radio and pay attention to your neighbors. Within two or three years, you'll be an old hand, but don't assume you've seen weather like ours before.

You can help to acclimate yourself to the heat in Phoenix by taking an aspirin every day with your vitamins, or by having a glass of red wine with dinner every night. Either way, you'll be hurrying the process of thinning your blood, which will happen within three years even if you do nothing. That thick Back East, Up North blood is what will make your first summer here so miserable, so keep in mind that it will get easier. The downside is that, after three years, you will have a tough time visiting Back East, Up North – everything will seem too cold to you all the time!

Dehydration: The sun and the heat will conspire to dehydrate you all the time. In the Monsoon season, you will notice yourself sweating. But for much of the year, you may never be aware of sweat – but you will be sweating away the water of life nevertheless. If you lick your forearm at the end of a hot day, you will be amazed at the amount of salt on your skin. The desert is dry. Single-digit humidity is normal for most of the year. Even if it's humid, the heat is still draining you of water. You must get in the habit of carrying water with you at all times. A bottle of water for everyone, every time you leave the house, more if you know you'll be out for a long time. It's not a bad idea to keep two or more gallons of water in the trunk of the car, just in case. In the desert, away from the moister air of the city, you can die from dehydration in as little as half a day. Dehydration also robs your body of salt and electrolytes, and these also need to be replenished. Gatorade and other sports drinks do the job, but they're not cheap. Email us and we'll send you a recipe for a cheaper, less-sugary sports drink.

Dangerous desert life: The early settlers in Arizona had the unhappy task of reporting Back East that people were being killed by a poisonous lizard. "Nonsense," the Back East herpetologists replied. "There are no poisonous lizards." Eventually they were willing to concede that the Gila Monster is in fact poisonous, the leader of an extensive parade of reptiles, mammals, insects and plants that can either kill Arizonans or make them very ill. The deadliest dangers are in the desert, but many neighborhoods in the Phoenix-area are built into the raw desert. In those neighborhoods you should expect to see as a matter of course – and know how to deal with – scorpions and venomous snakes. Even if neighbors tell you they've never seen these critters, you must assume they are there: You are living in their habitat. Even in the fully-developed city, you need to learn how to deal with cacti – which look very pretty and will hurt you very memorably. In the utterly undeveloped desert, you can see – and be killed by – everything from Javelina to Bobcats to Mountain Lions. As a matter of religion, do not go into the desert without training, and never go into the desert alone.

Have we sacred you enough? The important thing to remember is that Arizona is dangerous only if you are unprepared. Sunscreen, sunglasses, water and a healthy respect for the desert will give you what you need to revel in this paradise on Earth...

Oh, there is one other common peril of life in Phoenix/Scottsdale: Your friends and relatives from Back East, Up North will come to visit you in the winter and then never leave! Just refer them to us. We'll get them moved into their own place in no time.

Ready to get started right now?

You can make an appointment to meet by phone or in our offices. You can fill out our detailed questionnaire to find your ideal new home. Or you can just pick up the phone and dial 602-740-7531. (Outside of Arizona? Dial 1-800-508-5430.) Either way, we're at your command, devoutly loyal, smart, frisky and eager to please...