Go for a visit, see if you like it...depending on what part of AZ there is weather for everyone...southern AZ stays warm, and gets damned hot in the summer, it can be uncomfortably warm even in the early spring...but the dry heat isn't as hard on people as humidity is...the northern part of AZ, the mountains (think Flagstaff) gets snow, wind, lots of pines.

Keeping your house is a good plan, you may decide to stay in AZ for a while and if you decide you don't like it, you have a home to come back to.

Think of it as an extended vacation or a working vacation if that fits better.