There is, undoubtedly, value in sitting next to other people and being about to chat/collaborate etc. My current gig is mostly remote and I kinda look forward to my days at the office. Quad is NYC-based - did you move to AZ because you like the weather or something else?
I've worked for one of the proper proprietary firms and it's hard to understand the benefits until you actually start working there 1. Capital and leverage - if you have the Sharpe ratio, a prop firm gets insane leverage figures and can throw near-unlimited capital at you 2. Execution technology - if you are doing anything that is latency sensitive, there are many prop firms out there that will have that tech and you can hook up to it 3. Good quality data - a good firm will have all the data you need and it's hard to overstate how important that is 4. Collaboration - it's amazing how nice it is to have someone sitting next to you so you can bounce ideas off each other 5. Benefits - it's a proper employer, so you can get good health insurance, 401k etc
Don't forget catered meals. Sometimes those benefits are so good they're like handcuffs or crutches. Last place I worked ,I think the benefits were 90% of the edge.
I left a few years ago. Management raised a lot of capital and increased seats dramatically, added offices and the turnover increased. A few of us left around the same time. I'd considered raising money but went with a home office setup managing my PAs. I've had a NY apartment since 2003. My wife's family was from AZ and her mom was ill and wanted to be closer.