Recently I did a final walk thru with clients of mine. They love their home and the whole experience of building their home. Check it out….
Watch Trilogy Vistancia, Peoria Arizona in Celebrity Videos | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
The Active Adult Community of Trilogy Vistancia
July 21, 2010 By 1 Comment
Desert Botanical Gardens
June 29, 2010 By 3 Comments
I love our gardens. Love being a member, even if I don’t get there as often as I would like. Last year the Desert Botanical Gardens had the Dale Chihuly: Nature of Glass exhibition. Because of the exhibit, the gardens increased their revenue last year by 45%.
With so many of the museums, parks and other community facilities facing closure due to the economy and lack of funds, I am glad The Desert Botanical Gardens is doing so well.
Summer Resort Fun
June 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment
With temperatures rising, many of the visitors to our beautiful city have left, not to come back till cooler weather returns. So the resorts are offering great summer play packages.
- Millennium Resort has offers starting with $100 room, and get $100 in food and beverage, even pool side. For a bit more add in a golf package.
- Hyatt Regency Scottsdale is offering free meals, kids camp, and with their ‘water playground’ loads of fun for the family
- Stay at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort and spend the day at the spa or enjoy all of the services they offer.
Call the resort you’re interested in getting away to and find out what specials they are offering.
You don’t have to get out of town to have a vacation – summer fun is waiting in your own back yard.
New Coffee Shop in Town!
June 17, 2010 By 1 Comment
A good friend of mine, Steve Belt, recently opened up a coffee shop here in Scottsdale. Echo Coffee. At Echo, they roast their own beans, serve organic goodies for breakfast and healthy lunches too.
I was surprised to find they have different roast, depending on the type of coffee drink you order. The latte’s for example have a sweeter roast than the drip roast…
and Drip! They are serious about drip coffee. Each cup is individually made and taste – YUM, this is what coffee is supposed to taste like. So be sure to drop in while visiting Scottsdale. They are located on Thomas and 68th, just south of old town and the Valley Ho.
Get your Air Conditioning checked
June 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Your AC system needs to get a tune up twice a year. As you prepare to turn on the cool in the spring, and in the fall before you turn on your heat. For the longevity of your unit, regular maintenance is a must.
Also consider getting your ducts cleaned and checked. Cleaned for… well better air quality in your home, and checked for leaks that need repair. That can save more money. You may also qualify for a $250 rebate from APS for duct testing and repair.
Is the New Home market picking up?
June 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment
The Arizona Republic today has an article about Signs of Life in the new construction home market. Reading through the article the only real “news” is that the New Home Builders are buying up land again. The article mentioned the amount of $90 million purchased recently. This lets me know that the builders are seeing and expecting more home sales.
Hopefully they are correct, and the trend of confidence in the housing market continues.
Home prices seem to be stabilizing
June 10, 2010 By 1 Comment
After several years of home prices dropping, the stats are starting to look encouraging. As you can see from the 2009 Average Sales Price per Square Foot on a monthly average and the start of 2010′s numbers. Home sales prices are showing signs of stabilizing. This chart takes into the average, single family homes, condos, manufactured homes, and all areas of the Valley. This average price per square foot is not reflective of each individual neighborhood.
Taking a broader look at a bit more data …
The Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service Home Sales Report for the county for the month of April (the most current data available as of today);
The data for single family home sales shows us that the largest number of home sales was in the 100,000 to 160,000 price range with 2,111 sales. (total sales for single family homes in the month of April was 6,718)
There are strong sales numbers up to 400,000 with a jump in buyers at the 200-250,000 price as well.
Looking at the same data at the bottom of the page check out the financing type. Most buyers are either using FHA loan or cash to purchase.
Taking this into consideration, and what I have been hearing from others in the filed. We still have lots of investors buying up the inventory. We also have lots of primary home buyers as well.
The investors were expected to be the first to jump into the market. They have been buying up inventory for quite a while now. It is I believe the primary home buyers purchasing that is stabilizing our prices.
A great company to work with for Auto Glass Replace or Repair
May 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Arizona has a high level of auto glass repair. Much of our landscaping is done with gravel, even on the highways. One rock in the road can quickly chip and or crack your windshield. So make sure your insurance covers repair and replacement.
The insurance rule of thumb I have discovered is: if a crack is smaller than a dollar bill it can be repaired. If the crack is in line with the drivers view, the windshield gets replaced, as it is a safety hazard.
I recently had my windshield replaced. I started by calling my insurance company USAA and asked who in my area they would prefer I use. Their preferred vendor was Safelite Auto Glass. Later I called Safelite and set an appointment. (I could have done it direct thru my insurance company but a phone call interrupted and I had to call back) They took all my information and got my email so they could send the confirmation. Nothing out of the ordinary there…
Safelite Email
A bit later I received another email with the technician’s name and photo. I was super impressed, since they were replacing the windshield at my home, I now would know exactly who was expected at my door. He also called prior to arriving, letting me know a more precise time for his arrival.
It is an amazing way to inspire confidence and comfort with using their company.
Phoenix area market condition
May 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment
The numbers are starting to look a bit more encouraging. After months and months of sales prices falling the home sales prices seem to have stabilized. For the past 10 months the average home sales price has bounced between $170,000 and $180,000. Up a bit one month, then down a bit the next, I think is an indication of multi-million dollar home sales added into the mix.
As you can see from the Arizona Multiple Listing Service chart, the prices dipped as low as $159,000 and are seeming to hold steady.
This is a broad picture, looking at all of Maricopa County. Things may be different neighborhood to neighborhood and community to community. Depending on the number of foreclosures, short sales and total sales, the outlook can be different for the area you are considering purchasing a home.
To see this chart full sized, head over to the ARMLS Sold Chart
It is time for a talk about Air Conditioners and what you need to know!
May 3, 2010 By 1 Comment
It is time to think about your air conditioner, and not because summer is around the corner. There are new laws governing air conditioners. Freon systems (R22) can no longer be installed. This is due to the Clean Air Act of 1990. As of January 1, 2010 air conditioning systems that use Freon (R22) are no longer allowed to be manufactured. All new systems must be Puron (410A).
The challenge is the two cooling chemicals don’t work together. They are like oil and water; like putting regular gas in a diesel vehicle. It just won’t work. So if your compressor goes bad, you could have to replace the compressor and air handler! And that is a huge cost.
What does this mean to you? Well I had a chat with Tara Carter from Old Republic Home Protection and learned a few things. She said that there is no specific time frame for parts to be available. Depending on your AC unit, and what needs to be replaced on your unit, there could be a shortage of parts, starting right now. Parts could be found out of state, and across the country. So understand that repair times could be longer than desired. If a part is not available anywhere in the country, you will have to have the whole unit replaced. That could be a cost of 6 or 8 grand and up.
That is why if there was ever a good reason to have a home warranty, it would be now. A few things to check before you choose a Home Warranty company make sure they will cover the full replacement of your AC both the air handler and the compressor. (like Old Republic) If one or the other goes, both will have to be replaced.
If you have a newer unit, you may not need to worry. Be sure to get your unit serviced annually and keep it in good working order for as long as possible.