Spring Training - Cactus League

It is that time of year again - the start of baseball in Arizona - spring training. The AZ Republic had a pull out section today - Cactus League Preview. There are three teams that play in the East Valley: Oakland A's at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, Los Angeles Angeles of Anaheim at Tempe Diablo Stadium, and the Chicago Cubs at Hohokam Stadium. All told, there are 12 Major League Teams that host spring training in Arizona. Click on the team names previously listed to link to the game dates and ticket prices. Hohokam Stadium and Tempe Diablo Stadium both offer lawn seating which can be fun.

Arizona Quilter’s Guild Show – Wish Upon a Star

March 14 9:00am to 6:00pm
March 15 9:00 am to 4:00pm
ASU West, 4701 W Thunderbird Rd, Glendale, AZ

If you have never been to a quilt show, you might surmise that it would be boring. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you enjoy looking at art work, you will enjoy a good quilt show. Think of the quilts as fabric art. Luckily we have a great local show put on annually by the Arizona Quilter’s Guild. This years show theme is Wish Upon a Star. There will be quilts made to theme but also many quilts following a theme of the creators choosing. Over 400 quilts will be on display.

This year there is a featured Arizona quilter – Sharon Schamber, who is nationally known. She won the 2007 $100,000 Quilting Challenge. (no that is not at typo it is $100,000!) She will have several quilts on display. I have been fortunate enough to see some of her quilts in the past and to hear her speak. They are incredible works of art.

If you are interested in purchasing quilts, there is a small quilt auction. The silent auction runs through noon on Saturday and the live auction takes place at 1:00pm Saturday. Several of the chapters of AQG usually are selling tickets for full size opportunity quilts as well. There will also be a vendor mall with fabric, patterns, and other quilting items for sale on both days.

The quilt pictured here is one that I made. It won’t be in the show. - Amy

Due Diligence

The Arizona Association of REALTORS residential purchase contract is 9 pages long. Section 6 is about Due Diligence on the part of the buyer. Inspections, square footage, termites, sewers, swimming pool barriers, home warranties and a final walk through are all covered. It's a very important part of the contract.



The default for the inspection period is 10 days from contract acceptance. This means that the buyer has 10 days to have any inspections done (usually a whole house inspector and an Insect or termite inspection) and to submit a BINSR (Buyer's Inspection Notice and Seller's Response).



Quite often the inspection is not handled well at all, by the new or inexperienced agent. Here are the steps I think should be followed in the best interest of all parties.

First, hire a licensed home inspector that will inspect the entire home. Don't hire a roofer for the roof. A plumber for the plumbing. An A/C guy, a landscaper, a structural engineer, an electrician and so forth. Too many cooks in the kitchen. And don't hire your uncle Stu who once had a job on a construction site. A licensed home inspector looks at homes every day, knows what to look for and will advise you if you need to hire a specialist to look at a particular part of the home.

Second, know the objective of the home inspection. It's not to have everything fixed so that the home is brand spanking new. If that is what you want, then you need to buy the more expensive new home that is being sold down the street by the builder. It's not to have the home upgraded so that it meets todays code standards. It's not to fix cosmetic items like the tile that looks ugly in the hall bathroom. It's not to ask for new features to be put on the home like a ceiling fan in the basement or sunscreens on the back of the home.

The objective of a home inspection is two fold. First, it's to create a long term document for the new buyer so that they can fix, replace and upgrade their new home as time and money allow. Hopefully, when you were making an offer your agent and you discussed a fair price based on condition of the property. The buyer should have this document to refer to over the next few years. Then, they should call the inspector up and have him do a new inspection. Yes, have your home inspected every 3-4 years, regardless of your plans to sell it. Second, the home inspection should disclose safety items and any big ticket items.

Safety items are things that might cause a fire, be hazardess to your health or make the home less safe to live in (such as security locks). These items the buyer should expect to be repaired, unless the buyer knew about them going into the transaction. I've been in home where the front door did not lock. We made offers on it based on the fact that my client would need to fix this problem.

Big ticket items or those that are expensive to fix - a home that needs a new roof, the a/c is shot, or a home has inadequate that electrical or plumbing systems. The last thing a buyer needs is to be told a week after moving in that something needs to be fixed and it is going to cost $5,000. When a big ticket item is discovered during the inspection, the buyer can safely say that the offer they made did not take into account this cost and can then negotiate with the seller on this item.

After the buyer has hired a licensed inspector and knows the objective of the inspection, he can then go on to the third step. Reviewing the inspection with his agent and the inspector. Deciding which items are safety related or beyond a reasonable expense and asking the seller to correct these issues. In Arizona, the buyer cannot dictate who fixes the items, just that they are fixed. A buyer cannot ask for money alone. The buyer can request that the items be fixed or a be given credit to fix the items after the purchase. For the buyer, receiving the money for the repairs might be the best outcome. Sellers sometimes will do the work on the cheap, since they will no longer be living in the home.
Finally, the buyer needs to verify the work is done. Which often times means having the inspector come out again at an additional charge to the buyer. Or, asking for receipts to show that the work is done.

This is just the first part of the Due Diligence section of the contract. We'll leave the rest for later. If you have questions about the inspection of a home purchase, feel free to leave a comment.

Home Inspections

I attended a real estate disclosure class this week, Inspection Disclosure Illuminated. It was taught by Tom Sanders of Assure Home Inspection. He covered the Arizona ASHI Standards of Practice. Not all states require home inspectors to be liscensed, but Arizona does. ASHI is the American Society of Home Inpsectors, Inc.. Arizona Standards of Practice are standards from ASHI with adjustments made for Arizona. These standards represent the minimum a home inspector is required to do.

Inspectors are required to provide their client a written report. It should include which systems and components were inspected and which were not including the reason they were not. The report is to "state any systems and components so inspected which were found to be in need of immediate major repair and any recommendations to correct, monitor or evaluate by appropriate persons". Inspectors are not required to report on the life expectany of any component or system or to provide estimates for the cost of possible repairs.

A buyer who has obtained a home inspection report on the home he is purchasing should work with his real estate agent to determine what repairs if any to request from the seller. The seller is not obligated to make repairs of all items showing on the inspection report as needing correction. The buyer can ask for repairs and the seller can respond that he will do all requested repairs, some of the requested repairs, or none of the requested repairs. The only exception to this is the warranted items listed in the contract which must be in working condition at close of escrow. Just like the contract/original offer process this process can require negotiation. Using an exprienced REALTOR® can be very helpful to a buyer or seller during negotiations.

The ASHI site offers a place to locate a home inspector in your area.

Moving Information & Lowe's Discount Coupon

Lowe's has a special website LowesMoving with information for people planning on moving. However, the information is useful for anyone planning on doing some home improvement projects. There are links to the HGTV Video Library which provide information on improving the appeal of your home to buyers if you are planning on selling as well as videos regarding updates to your home. There are tabs for home buyers, home sellers, and home improvement. You can also sign up to be emailed or mailed a 10% off coupon for Lowe's. We don't endorse Lowe's over any other home improvement store but thought that some of you might like to know about the coupon offer.

Continuing Education Requirements for Real Estate Agents

You may not realize it but in order to keep a real estate license, a real estate agent must take 24 hours of continuing education every two years. This must include at least three hours credit in each of the following subjects: Agency Law, Disclosure, Contract Law, Real Estate Legal Issues, Commissioner’s Standards, and Fair Housing. The remaining six hours can be from general courses or any of the categories previously listed. To learn more about licensing requirements for real estate agents visit the Arizona Department of Real Estate.

Tortoises as Pets

We received the following question from our previous post about our pet tortoise - "Do lots of people in the southwest keep tortoises as pets? Do you get them at a pet store? Just curious. " I'll tell you what we know.

Tortoises are not an uncommon outdoor pet in Arizona. There aren't as popular as cats and dogs by far. There seem to be basically two kinds of tortises available, those that hibernate during the winter and those that don't. Our tortoise is an African Spurred Tortoise. We got him when he was very small at a pet store. He lived in an aquarium in our son's room for several years until he was big enough to move outside. At this point, we discovered that he cannot handle temperatures much below 65 degrees and that he would have to have a heated dog house. We should have done more research before we bought him. However, since he was now a part of the family we did our research and purchased a used Dogloo for him which has worked very well. We have an electric heater in it that turns on when it gets cold. We remove it around mid-spring and he is fine until mid-fall without it.

There are also desert tortoises native to Arizona that hibernate in the winter. However state law requires that you follow certain procedures if you want to adopt one of these tortoises.

Commission Order 43 prohibits taking desert tortoises from the wild. If desert tortoises are observed in the wild, it is best to let them continue on their way. Desert tortoises can be lawfully kept through state-sanctioned adoption facilities. More on AZ Desert Tortoise Management

This may be more than many of you want to know about tortoises; but, if you do want to know more, click on one of the links in this post.

How to Make A Million $

There is an interesting video clip on CNN about a man who makes $11 an hour that was able to donate more than a million dollars to charity. Millionaire on $11 an hour Video There is a book that follows this same type of concept - The Millionaire Next Door - the Suprising Secrets of Americas Wealthy by Thomas Stanley. It gives examples of middle class americans who have been able to amass a million dollars or more of assets. You may be living next door to someone like this. Chances are they are not driving a BMW or a Lexus. They have saved a portion of their income consistently throughout their lives and invested it. What this book and others like it talk about is differeniating between wants and needs. Do you need a Starbucks coffee every day or could you brew coffee at home and bring it in a thermos (you could even brew Starbucks brand coffee beans at home). You need a car to drive to work but you may want an expensive car. Paul Navone, the millionaire in the video, takes this to an extreme. He doesn't even own a phone and buys all of his clothes at thrift stores. However, most people could save more if they paused before each purchase to determine if this was something they wanted or they needed. This is not to say that there is something wrong with buying things because you want them. It is just that many people try to buy a lot of the things they want putting themselves into debt. No matter how much money you make, if you want to accumulate wealth, you need a plan to save and invest a portion of your earnings.

This is not meant to serve as financial advice, just food for thought.

A Trip to the Feed Store

Yesterday we needed to pick up food for our pet tortise, Speedy. We have discovered that it is much more economical to buy the food at feed store than a pet store. He is large and goes through a lot of food. So, we get Mazuri Tortise Diet "tortise chow". He is an african spurred tortise and lives outside year round. He does not hibernate in the winter so he has to have a heated dog house during the winter. In the summer he digs a hole and goes in it during the heat of the day.

One of the things that is different here is the presence of feed stores within the cities in the East Valley. A lot of them are on the outskirts but the one we went to is in the central part of Mesa. There are many people who have large lots and have horses or other livestock within the city. There are some neighborhoods that are geered to horse owners that have a central barn/corral for housing of horses within the neighborhood.

No Mow Grass

Is there really such a thing? I read about this in a past USA Weekend newspaper magazine and went to NoMowGrass.com to get more information. We have not yet tried this but it looks promising. They indicate that they have different types of seed for different zones and uses. Less mowing means less work but also less emissions from gas powered lawn mowers. If you have this type of grass, please leave a comment and let us know how it is working out for you. NoMowGrass also has some enivormentally friendly lawn care tips on their site as well.

What is an MLS?

MLS stands for Multiple Listing Service. MLS’s were formed as a way for brokers to share information about property listings to the benefit of their buyer and seller clients. Individual real estate agents and brokers become members or subscribers of the MLS. They pay an annual fee to the MLS in exchange for the services the MLS provides. The MLS is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of members who are brokers, owners, and/or agents.

Believe it or not, there have not always been multiple listing services in the United States. Before the advent of the MLS a buyer would have to visit individual brokerage offices in the area to discover what each had for sale. If a real estate agent wanted to show a property that was listed by another broker, his broker would have to call and arrange a cooperative agreement before a showing could take place. In the 1950’s local MLS’s began to be created. Some of you may remember books of listings that were published regularly and used by real estate agents to assist consumers in the sale and purchase of real estate. Thankfully, the books have been replaced by computer systems.

Each region has its own MLS. In the Greater Phoenix area, it is the Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service (ARMLS). ARMLS provides several services including: an internet based multiple listing system, a lockbox system, management of the forms used to collect listing information, and enforcement of rules and regulations.

Each broker determines whether or not he wants information for his listings to be available to share with the public through broker and agent websites. Most but not all brokers choose to do this. The MLS then determines which information will be available to the public in this way. This limited property information is then available through sites such as REALTOR.com, broker sites, or agent sites. Real estate agents participating in the MLS have access to more detailed information than is available to the general public. So, if you would like a more detailed search of property done for you, just give us a call at 480-917-1922.

Browse properties from the MLS at our websites: http://www.townhomesonly.com/ and http://www.realtysecrets.net/.

Sources of additional information about MLS’s:
Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service
National Association of REALTORS®

Pests around the desert

Occassionally, people moving to the desert will ask about scorpions, rattlesnakes and black widows. Yes, we have them but not in all homes. I've lived in Arizona for over 12 years now and I've never seen a live scorpion in a home. I have only seen one rattlesnake in the wild and it was on a desert road. And, I've seen a black widow in a backyard about 8 years ago.

If you are buying real estate anywhere, you should be aware of pests for that area. It might be field mice or pigeons. It might be termites or cockroaches. Arizona Exterminating has a list of 28 pests to be aware of here in the valley. Let your REALTOR know if any of these pests are unacceptable. The 'Seller's Property Disclosure Statement' (SPDS) asks the seller if there are any pests, but I never see pigeons listed and they are pests. So, relying on the SPDS is not a good plan. If you cannot live with scorpions, the question about their existance has to be made separately and directly.

If you need the correct verbage on an addendum asking about pests, email me and we can send it out to you.

And remember, wherever you call home, there are pests living with you.

Lowest Gas Prices

Did you know that there is a website where you can find low gas prices? It is PhoenixGasPrices.com . Scroll down the left side of the home page and you can do a search by city and type of gas. The prices are reported by members so they don't include all stations. But, with prices as high as they are, it might be worthwhile to find the cheapest gas near your home or on your way to work.

Field of Dreams

2008 brings us some new softball / baseball fields in the east valley. It's called Big League Dreams and it truly is. When you're driving near the intersection of Power and Elliot Roads you see this large complex with huge walls. You park and see the entrance with baseball sculptures and the ticket office. Go see your friends or kids play here and you pay to get in. $3 gets you entrance and a $1 coupon for food or drink.


Once inside you notice why people are going to love playing here. The fields are manicured to a tee. The seating behind home is stadium seating. But, what people love the most are the walls. Click on the photos to enlarge and leave a comment on what you think of "Big League Dreams"

This field is a replica of the Big A in Anahiem.
I'm sure Angels fans will love seeing this.











Boston fans will recognize the Green Monster right away. Yankee stadium is right next to it, too.













If you lived in St. Louis way back when, you might recall Sportsman's Park. Here it is back to life. This is a view from the right field wall. The fans you see are photo on board. From a distance you can tell what it is, but you'll still love it.







This is the Sportsman's Park infield. Do you remember where The Polo Grounds werer? You can even play in a replica of that grand old park.












And for Chicago Cubs fans, here's Wrigley Field. The only thing missing is the ivy on the walls.

In the middle of the park is the clubhouse with all kinds of food to eat and a large indoor soccer field.

This is just another reason to love living in the east valley.

Welcome to the Neighborhood.

Ice-T from Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and his wife CoCo, a model just moved into south Chandler. Right down the street from our clients Janet, James and Yoshiko.

There model is the Shea Laguna and is approximately 2400 square feet with a beautiful pool in the back.

Maricopa County Records show they paid $435,000 for their new digs.