June 2009

Real Estate Glossary – Pot Shelves

Glossary Posts

No, these are not a place to keep your stash. Or your mis-spent youth. Although they often become the reliquary of all things green. See up above the kitchen cabinets where the fake green plants sit? That’s sort of a pot shelf. Here are some more. Just to prove that it’s not only working class [...]

30 June 2009 Read the full article →

When Is It Monsoon Season in Phoenix?

Glossary Posts

A former client’s question prompted this post, so thanks Jon! According to Wikipedia: The North American Monsoon (NAM) occurs from late June or early July into September, originating over Mexico and spreading into the southwest United States by mid-July. It affects Mexico along the Sierra Madre Occidental as well as Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah,Colorado, [...]

30 June 2009 Read the full article →

Real Estate Glossary – Coffered Ceiling

Glossary Posts

Usually seen in upscale (read, expensive) homes. Encyclopedia Brittanica online uses this definition: in architecture, a square or polygonal ornamental sunken panel used in a series as decoration for a ceiling or vault. The sunken panels were sometimes also called caissons, or lacunaria, and a coffered ceiling might be referred to as lacunar. If the [...]

29 June 2009 Read the full article →

Pearls of Wisdom – my renewed love affair with my Blackberry Pearl

Op Ed

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After using a Palm organizer for a few years, and then a Treo smartphone (the big bulky kind with the fat stubby antenna) for 4 years, I finally down-sized to a Blackberry Pearl last year, and I ABSOLUTELY LOVED it!  I spent the next few months in awe at how small it was (same size [...]

26 June 2009 Read the full article →

It’s a Grind in Peoria

Lifestyle

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I need to be in Old Town Peoria this morning at 8:00, so I leave the house at my usual way-to-early time in the morning and head that way.  I like to get where I’m going before traffic gets bad, and I can always find a coffee shop to work from, right? This morning I [...]

24 June 2009 Read the full article →

Banks “Hoarding” Foreclosed Homes?

Buyer Help

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Folks in the real estate industry have been debating for months about whether or not there’s a “shadow inventory” of homes banks have already foreclosed on, but have not yet listed for sale. The theory says banks will eventually open the floodgates, list all their hoarded inventory and home prices will take another shocking nosedive. [...]

24 June 2009 Read the full article →

But It’s A Dry Heat

General Musings

“It’s a dry heat” is a ubiquitous phrase in Phoenix every summer. Like most stereotypes, it’s ever present because it’s true. To a point. “It’s a dry heat” works for me personally up to about 103 or 104. After that, it just feels hot no matter what, and my stock reply to “dry heat” is [...]

22 June 2009 Read the full article →

Summertime Sunshine

Op Ed

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I can’t remember a time, ever, when the first day of summer was actually the first day of summer.  Get ready, Phoenicians, summer’s here.  (it was bound to get here at some point.) We’ve had one of the coolest summers ever, so far.  But once it gets hot nobody remembers last week. Your prefers hot [...]

22 June 2009 Read the full article →

All About Mortgage Rate Locks

Buyer Help

Just found this document produced by HSH Financial Publishers, the nation’s largest publisher of mortgage and consumer loan information. It explains mortgage interest rate locks in plain English.  Check it out. I just found HSH’s website but am quite impressed by their Library of Articles for consumers. I especially enjoyed HSH’s article debunking the advertising that claims [...]

22 June 2009 Read the full article →

Help Around the House

Homeowner Help

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A couple of weeks ago I met with Amanda Thomas who is the head of Moxie Girl. I was really impressed with her and with Moxie Girl’s services. Moxie Girl provides all kinds of home and personal “helper” kind of services. They do the kind of stuff that fills up your days but doesn’t add any [...]

20 June 2009 Read the full article →

Phoenix is a Big Grid

Phoenix By Area

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Here’s a bit of handy introduction-to-the-Valley sort of info about Phoenix’s street system. (click to enlarge/”back” to return) Thoughtfully, our Phoenician forebears laid out our fair city on a big grid. Nearly every street is straight and major streets are 1 mile apart. Numbered streets go north & south, named streets go east-west. lost already? [...]

19 June 2009 Read the full article →

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