The next wave of growth is coming, it's a solid market for many reasons - geographic location, climate, diverse employment base (ever expanding), higher education, no state sales tax, hospitality, cultural, entertainment, ...

I am in attorney review for one of those homes.It is incredibly tough with todays market climate, but you just have to be patient and be willing to wait.

Is anyone using these in this type of climate?

Tile is popular in warmer climates and where there is high humidity.

I've never lived in the Northern United States, but I would assume that their cold winters would have a higher maintenance/upkeep cost than areas with more moderate climate conditions.I doubt that there is any one state meets all of the above criteria. 

Familiarize yourself with the MLS ASAP and know how to analyze property value and your market climate.4.

On my back of a napkin analysis you might be overpriced based on the micro-climate of this specific neighborhood.

So barring the break up of America (serious), massive climate change, or simply running out of water, Phoenix looks like a safe bet for the long haul.As far as the next few years?...

I don’t have to worry about furnishing, utilities or volatility of income (great for cold weather climates like MSP).

In this climate it might be a good idea to get a couple other banks to give you term estimates as you can usually use those to get even better rates and terms!