Arizona - a Paradise for Hikers - Phoenix, Mesa!!

30. January 2009 by Teri Ellis.

If you love to hike, you will LOVE Arizona. Right now, we are unusually warm - in the mid to high 70’s, but it’s perfect for being outdoors. For anyone that hikes or just wants to stroll along a trail, be sure to be prepared. Bring plenty of water and a cell phone.  Even when I take a stroll - because it certainly isn’t a “hike” for me, I bring water, and I’m never alone.

When those that are unfamiliar with our climate, exit the airplaine with shorts and t-shirts, (coming from the east) they’re ready to rock and roll and love our warm and sunny outdoors.

I’m providing a list of some of our hiking trails for those of you looking for a good trail.

1.  Camelback Mountain Echo Canyon Recreation Area - East McDonald Drive - Phoenix, Az 85018; Phone: 602.262-4837

2.  Piestewa Peak - 2701 East Squaw Peak Drive, Phoenix, Az 85016; Phone: 602.262-7901 (right off of the 51)

3.  Superstition Mountains at Lost Dutchman State Park - State Route 88, Apache Junction, Az; Phone: 520.982-4485

4.  Dreamy Draw Recreation Area - 2421 East Northern Avenue, Phoenix 85021; Phone: 602.262-6696

5.  Tempe Town Lake - Mill Avenue and Rio Salado, Tempe 85289; Phone: 480.350-8625

6.  Papago Park - 625 North Galvin Parkway, Phoenix 85008; Phone: 602.256-3220

7.  South Mountain Park - 10919 South Central Avenue, Phoenix 85042; Phone: 602.495-0222

8.  Shaw Butte Park - 12898 North Central Avenue, Phoenix 85020; Phone: 602.262-6696

9.  Thunderbird Park - 9170 East Thunderbird Road, Scottsdale 85260; Phone: 480.312-2771

These trails are very popular and well marked. There are others as well. Just off of I-60 heading east from Mesa into Gold Canyon, there is a nice and mild hill on the north side of the freeway. I see cars parked there daily. Enjoy your hike, but again - take plenty of water, wear good hiking shoes, and take a cell and a friend.

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Mesa, Arizona - Mountain Vista Medical Center Offers Education Events for Those 55 and Over!

20. January 2009 by Teri Ellis.

Mountain Vista Medical Center is located at Crismon and North of the 60. In July 2007, I took photos of the new medical center and shared them on a post here. The post was later commented on by the architect. Pretty cool!

Mountain Vista Medical Center is offering special education events for all of those 55 and older. I’ve posted the events and the dates and times below, but be sure to click on the link above for the Medical Center for further information.

Heart Healthy Day - Saturday February 28, 8-11 a.m.

Seminar Series - FREE health seminars are designed to help us stay healthy.

Rotator Cuff Repair - How This Can Help You Reach the Top Shelf - Tuesday, January 27, noon-1 p.m.

Varicose Veins - Causes and Treatments - Thursday January 29, 6-7 p.m.

Heel Pain - catch the Wave in New Therapies - Thursday, February 5, noon - 1 p.m.

A Woman’s Heart - What are the Differences - Tuesday, February 10, 6-7 p.m.

Pros and Cons of Hormone Therapy - Wednesday February 25, noon - 1 p.m.

This Medical Center is located in a perfect part of our Phoenix and Mesa, Arizona Valley. Many 55+ live in this part of town - including ME!

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Horse, Ranch, Irrigated 20 Acres - Goodyear, Arizona!

19. January 2009 by Teri Ellis.

Just listed, a beautiful irrigated, horse, ranch 20-acre prime piece of real estate located in the west valley of Phoenix on the border of Goodyear and Waddell, Arizona. Sitting on the property is 5000+ square feet of living including a guest house, maid’s quarters, and a vintage 1950’s decor massive home. Notice the hardwood floors, the special cotton wall covering in the formal dining room, and the wide open spaces surrounding this property. Up close views of the White Tank Mountains, this is a working ranch. Barns, stables, cows, horses and more. I’ve prepared a 90-second Real Estate Tour with just some of the photos, but I think this property speaks for itself. I plan to share the video tour of the home as well - in a separate post.

 

20-Acre Ranch in Goodyear, Arizona

 

3900 North Citrus Road, Goodyear, AZ 85395 View Map

Prepare to be amazed at this fabulous property. Home is set back at the end of an 80 foot+ concrete driveway on 20+ acres of spectacular acreage. Built in the early 50’s with updates throughout, this home boasts:

Main house with two master bedrooms, updated 2.5 baths, maid quarters, family sized formal dining room with fabric wall coverings with views of the front of the home and the back with french doors into a large Arizona room, large eat-in kitchen with mountain views and views from front of home, large laundry room, huge family room with built in custom bookshelves, fireplace with a front custom door.LOTS of closets and shelving throughout.

Adjacent to the main house is a roomy guest suite with its own bedroom and bathroom.

Around the other side of the main house is a separate guest house with bedroom and bath - presently used as an office.

Oh, and check out the little play house as you enter the property. Plenty of parking including a three-car covered garage, and a huge RV/shop building as well as covered parking along the right side of the home.

Many citrus trees, mature cacti and myriad flowers and plants. Views of the White Tank mountains are stellar, and it feels like you are in a world of your own.

This is a farm, thus there is is a large covered shed to the side of the home, horse stalls, cattle, hay, machinery, etc. Located on a hard corner with property zoned commercial across from this home.

 

 

 

Details

 

Asking Price:

2,990,000

 

MLS:

4043338

 

 

Sq. Feet:

4800

 

Lot Size:

20 acres

 

Bedrooms:

5

 

Bathrooms:

6

 

# of Floors:

1

 

Garage Size:

3+

 

Subdivision:

Brooks Farms

 

Year Built:

1951

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Buyers, Sellers, Homeowners - Energy Savings Tips for Winter!

17. January 2009 by Teri Ellis.

Mesa and Phoenix, Arizona - Essential Energy Savings Tips For the Winter!

Some Arizona Energy Saving Tips!

Those of us who live year round in Arizona, are fairly energy efficient during the summer months because of our higher electric bills; however, during the winter, we need be equally as diligent in exercising care. Just a few small tips will save us the money we would prefer spending on food, clothing, and necessities:

1.  Set your thermostat between 66-68 degrees (health permitting) - and at night, turn your thermostat off….stay warm under comforters and blankets. We wear longer sleeved shirts, and flannels around the house during the day to stay comfortable.

2.  Keeping our window blinds open during the day with the sun shining in, and closed as it cools down.

3.  Change our heater/furnace filters regularly.

4.  Weatherize your home including caulking and weather stripping around drafty doors and windows.

5.  Install a digital thermostat which enables you to program it to turn down or off while away or in the late evening.

This is just a small sampling of ideas - it does get cold, even in Arizona!

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Buckeye, Arizona Office Building for Sale!

17. January 2009 by Teri Ellis.

If you’ve been looking for a new place to set up your office, here is a prime piece of commercial real estate available for purchase. Located on the main street in Buckeye, Arizona, the office has been completely restored and brought up to code. New paint, flooring, air conditioning, roof, electrical, doors, hardware, security lighting, private and public restrooms, conference room, reception room, showroom, security gate - you name it. It is ready to go.

Hard to believe, but this is a 1938 structure with the adobe, flat roof….territorial and southwest look. Very nice, and located next to other businesses.

Check out the photos and the tour below:

 

Buckeye, Arizona Office Building - $195,000

 

305 East Monroe Avenue, Buckeye,, AZ 85326 View Map

Downtown Buckeye office/retail building available for lease or for sale - on the main street through town. Completely restored and brought up to code. Building has new HVAC, electrical, doors/hardware, sprinklers, flooring, plumbing fixtures, roof AND is ADA accessible. Nothing has been overlooked, and this is truly a find.

Perfect for a real estate office on the main street in Buckeye, or???

For more information or to view the building, call Bing at: 602.370-1382

 

 

Details

 

Asking Price:

195,000

 

MLS:

4088426

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Mesa and Phoenix, Arizona - Suggestions for Tenants to Protect Yourselves!

16. January 2009 by Teri Ellis.

I’ve posted an article or two warning potential tenants in and around the Phoenix Valley and Mesa, Arizona that some of the landlords are upside down - thereby creating foreclosure proceedings. One of the unintended victims: the tenant. I have been searching for a way for the tenant to protect themselves in this situation. I’ve listed four ideas below:

1. Try and find out just when the home was purchased. Sometimes you can do this through a Realtor or the title company, or on line with the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office. Finding out the year (2004-2006) could be a red flag. Better yet, if you can find out what the mortgage amount is, that will help as well. True, it is difficult, but being diligent in this regard can save stress down the line.
2. Have a clause written in the Lease that will allow you, the tenant, to be given notice or permission to check with the lender to make sure the owner is keeping up with the payments.
3. Record your lease with the County Recorder, thereby getting faster notice of pending problems. Notices of Trustee’s Sales are typically sent to everyone with a recorded document.
4. Always deal with a management firm, because deposits will likely be kept in an escrow account that’s off limits to the owner.

These are just a few precautionary steps to take when leasing a home. Otherwise, unbeknown to the tenant, a Trustee’s Sale could be in the works, and the tenant isn’t informed until perhaps 30 days or less before they are required to vacate the premises.

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Mesa and Phoenix, Arizona - Attention Buyers and Sellers! House Swapping - a Realtor’s Point of View!

14. January 2009 by Teri Ellis.

A few months back, I posted a blog about a house swap that my client and another seller/buyer had consummated here in Mesa, Arizona. It was a wonderful experience. There were no problems, and the other agent and I worked seamlessly with one another. As in many instances, my client was looking for a larger home, and the other a smaller home. They loved each other’s homes, financed through their own lenders, and closed on time.

Last night I heard on the news that many homeowners are swapping homes, that it’s the new rage! Could it be they are swapping homes without the benefit of a Realtor! Wow, does that sound scary to anyone else but me? The news was focusing on a homeowner here in town who was hoping to swap with someone else from out of town since his home was not selling or even getting visitors to his home. I can understand sellers wanting to do SOMETHING to sell his/her home, but I am concerned for many reasons. We’ve had so much treachery and thievery in the housing market that I can only imagine how the crooks will get involved with this idea. ALL the more reason, that if you, as a seller, or a buyer, are even thinking about a SWAP - get your Realtors involved - PLEASE! There are too many opportunities for the sale to fall through, and buyers and sellers are simply not equipped to deal with these unknowns.

This is, of course, is my two cents. Though I wrote this article about the happenings in Phoenix and Mesa, Arizona valley, I know this has to be happening across the country. There are absolutely myriad problems that could occur. Please use a Realtor!

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Four Reasons Why Online Buyers Need a Realtor!

13. January 2009 by Teri Ellis.

Home shopping online has become a mainstream way for the public. But going shopping alone – without the help of a professional – can become a huge handicap for home buyers.

Here are four reasons why home-shoppers need the help of a real estate professional.

• Searching only online means shoppers can miss some of the best alternatives. Shoppers who limit themselves to only looking at real estate Web sites will overlook some very good properties, possibly one that is perfect for them, and they won’t get up-to-the minute information.

• Lookout for fake listings. People trying to collect page views so they can pump up their advertising returns can waste the time of real home shoppers. Using a professional to vet properties before spending a lot of time trying to track down these decoys will save time and ultimately money.

• Home value Web sites only go so far. Sites like Zillow.com and Cyberhomes.com put prices out there that may or may not be an accurate reflection of neighborhood or housing value. Working with a professional means the buyer gets the benefit of a broader range of knowledgeable resources.

• Understanding the process. Once they’ve found a property, working with a pro means they’ll follow the right path to close the deal. For anyone–but experienced investors–going it totally alone can be risky.

Source: US News & World Report, Matthew Badyk (01/07/09)

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ReTweet - Following me on Twitter

13. January 2009 by Teri Ellis.

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Phoenix, Arizona - P. F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon - January 18!

12. January 2009 by Teri Ellis.

I like to keep my readers in the Phoenix and Mesa, Arizona Valley apprised of what is going on and when and where. The P. F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon and 1/2 Marathon returns to Phoenix on Sunday, January 18!Several streets will be closed, so here are the details for those either planning to participate or planning to be anywhere near these events:

The two races will be run on separate courses, both of which will start at the State Capitol on 17th Avenue and Washington and Jefferson streets and run through central and east Phoenix to Tempe.

The streets surrounding the routes will be closed between 5:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., so plan ahead and expect delays. Visit the marathon’s link for great information, including how much fun it will be. Hopefully those of you participating are getting fit so you can endure and finish either race.

On another note, I’m not participating this year - so you all can relax…;-) AND now that the light rail is up and running, maybe plan on taking a ride into town…….

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