Meet Our Members: How Caryn Used Landing to Confirm Phoenix Was ‘Forever Home’ Material

/coluBuying a home can be a complicated (and costly!) process and can be particularly intimidating if you aren’t entirely positive you want to commit to a certain area without spending time there first. Fortunately, many people have been turning to flexible living options like Landing to test out their new home in advance so they can feel confident in any long-term decision they make. 

Landing member Caryn Siegel was kind enough to sit down with us to talk about how she started living with Landing to test out Phoenix before buying her own house there. Here’s her story! 

How did you come to start living with Landing?

I have lived in Atlanta for over 43 years and I just wanted something different. I was trying to figure out if I wanted to move to a given area but wasn’t sure where I wanted to go.

I went and visited a couple of places where I have family and really liked Phoenix. I figured I’d hang there for a little while, and if I liked it, I would stay.

I made arrangements to rent a Landing in Phoenix. When I first started talking about moving, I was just going to move into an apartment or with my cousin. When I saw the concept of Landing and saw that I didn’t have to move all of my stuff across the country without being sure, it seemed like a really good fit and a good way to do it. I liked the flexibility! 

What was it like exploring Phoenix once you arrived? 

I had no idea when I came here where everything was or what area of town I wanted to be centered in, so it was a really good place to get acclimated to what was going on. I wanted something different, and it doesn’t get more different than Phoenix! It was a culture shock coming from the East Coast, but I really like it. It’s beautiful out here. 

I’ve hiked a lot since I got out here. One of the things that drew me here is I’m a retired band director, and they have the Musical Instrument Museum out here. That’s my mecca! My daughter came and we spent three days there. We went horseback riding, went up to Sedona and Flagstaff a few times, and just got out and saw everything out here.

What was your experience like living with Landing? 

I stayed in my Landing for a total of three or four months, then ended up renting my own apartment and eventually buying my own house in Surprise, Arizona. I thought it was a cool experience. Any issues I had were handled very quickly, and everybody was super nice. The apartment was really cute and it was nice having someone come and check me in. 

I’m still a Landing member even though I bought a house—I thought it would be a neat idea for traveling during retirement! 

Thinking about moving somewhere new but want to test it out beforehand? Learn more about what a Landing membership can do for you, and learn about other Landing members’ stories in our blog post, “How Flexible Living Is Enabling Prospective Homebuyers to Test New Cities.”