THERE is more to buying a property in Arizona than I had imagined: I knew there were rattlesnakes, scorpions, tarantulas, termites and cockroaches, but preventing them taking over our house turned out to be more complex than I expected — turn your back for a minute and the bugs are out in force.

My wife, Donna, and I have bought a house in Green Valley, between Tucson and the Mexican border, from my wife’s aunt. At first we wondered if we had made the right decision — we have had to take over Aunt Shirley’s bi-monthly spraying contract with Bill, the pest control man.

So why did we buy here? The cost, for one thing. When the author Barbara Kingsolver was asked why she lived in Tucson, she said: “Because I can afford to.” It is one of the few areas of the States where we had not been priced out of the market — although prices are still going up by at least 10 per cent a year. Our immaculate, three-bed, double-garage adobe home, with a fitted kitchen and a closed-in patio that we can use as an office, cost us just under $150,000 — about £78,000 then. That would be impossible in Britain.

We also love the southwestern culture, with its mix of Mexican, Spanish, Native American and Old West influences. The desert landscape is dramatic and fascinating, the food is fabulous and February temperatures of 27C (80F) also appeal. They attract, too, an increasing number of Britons, according to Anthony Thorpe, of the property company Grand Canyon Villa Investments. “The real estate market here is booming,” he says, “and it is predicted do so for the next 15 years. Some 200,000 people a year are relocating to the Phoenix metropolitan area. We’ve sold to 200 Britons in five years — and we are just one company. We used to sell maybe two luxury homes to Brits every month, and now it’s four a month and increasing. A lot moved here from Florida after the hurricanes last year. It’s better value in Arizona, you’ve still got the wonderful climate and you don’t have that awful summer humidity.”

Guaranteed sunshine is certainly a lure, although the heatwave that hit the US in July killed more than 30 people in Arizona alone; temperatures climbed as high as 43C (110F). Brent Daniels, of the estate agent Mahoney-Daniels, says that Phoenix draws buyers because of its central location. “You can drive two hours and go skiing in Flagstaff, and four hours to the Grand Canyon. Six hours, and you are in Las Vegas or Mexico. My wife says that whenever British people ask her what Arizona’s like, she says it’s like Spain without the beaches.”

It is surprisingly easy to buy in Arizona too. The day after we arrived we went to the Motor Vehicle Division with our passports, UK driving licences and $12, and were provided with Arizona ID cards. We presented these to the Title Agency next day and the house changed hands. You do not even need to go to Arizona: the contracts can be posted to England, signed and notarised by a solicitor. Of course, you would be advised to have a survey done, and a termite inspection is essential.

Leaving our Arizona home for the first time, we gave a key to the incredibly friendly neighbours who will drive our car now and then to stop the battery going flat. We love our Arizona home — we have grown to love the wildlife in our garden — and we are now better able to cope with the littler critters.

www.grandcanyonvi.com; www.mahoneydaniels.com www.timesonline.co.uk/overseasproperty

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