Where has modesty gone?

by Chris Butterworth February 11, 2010 Op Ed

Haven’t we crossed the line in the whole “any publicity is good publicity” thing?
Seems like every email I receive (from a salesperson), every radio ad I hear, and every website I read all claim to be “the best”, loudly and repeatedly.  I’m tired of it – more than that, I’m sick of it.  If you’re [...]

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Desert Life – Re-Thinking your Kitchen

by Chris Butterworth February 11, 2010 Op Ed

Re-Thinking your Kitchen
Yesterday we released February’s Desert Life e-newsletter, where we explore homeownership and Phoenix lifestyles, complete with lots of pictures.  This month’s is chalk-full of ideas & pictures for updating your kitchen.

Read the full article here.
Here’s our newsletter archive page, where you’ll find previous articles which might interest you.
Here’s where you can sign [...]

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Moving Stills 86 – 7233 E Butherus

by Chris Butterworth February 9, 2010 Photoblogging

The Kierland area in Scottsdale is one of my favorite places to photograph (outside of downtown & midtown Phoenix), due to the number of buildings of varying heights & styles.  I liked watching the clouds move in the reflection of the Nautilus Insurance building at Scottsdale & Butherus.
You can read the rules for a [...]

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New Distressed Listings by Month – January, 2010

by Chris Butterworth February 8, 2010 Market Analysis & Stats

Last month we heard rumblings about the REO engine revving back to life, and I was worried this month’s numbers might show a large spike upward.  Spike upward – yes.  Large spike – not so much.

Looks like we’re still hovering around the 5,000 mark; I don’t expect to see many changes this year..
Note:  I’m [...]

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Freeway construction in the NW Valley

by Chris Butterworth February 5, 2010 Lifestyle

Cheryl & I moved to Peoria shortly after the NW Corner of Loop 101 opened, and one of the first things we said was how stupid it was there wasn’t an offramp at Beardsley.  This would be the obvious exit for everyone in North Peoria.  Instead, people either exit at 75th Ave or Union Hills [...]

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Viewpoint – How Arizona’s financial woes will affect your home’s value

by Chris Butterworth February 5, 2010 Op Ed

How Arizona’s financial woes will affect your home’s value
Earlier this week we sent out our Viewpoint e-newsletter, where we break down today’s real estate market, economic environment, and current headlines in an attempt to better understand where we are and where we’re headed.
Read the full article here.
Here’s our newsletter archive page, where you’ll find previous [...]

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Banks Pull More Nonsense

by Heather February 2, 2010 Foreclosures / Short Sales

This doesn’t top some of the other nonsense we’ve discovered banks pulling, but it’s pretty nasty.
The bank selling the house our buyer fell in love with requires that the buyer’s Realtor reduce their commission (i.e. take a pay cut) if the buyer wants the seller to help pay his/her closing costs or make repairs on [...]

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All The News That’s Fit to Shock

by Heather February 1, 2010 In The News

The news media are all shouting this morning, mindlessly spewing more bad news . . .
December Existing Home Sales dropped 16.7%!
Well, yes existing home sales did fall in December. Home sales typically drop in December. December is usually kind of cold and snowy and icy, ya know? Then there’s that whole pesky holiday season which [...]

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Really Fun Volunteering Opportunity

by Heather January 28, 2010 Lifestyle

How many times have you thought you’d like to volunteer but you dread being stuck with crappy boring jobs nobody else wants to do?
(picture credit to Stock Exchange user scotsxc)
How about volunteering to receive some unconditional love from a pet who’s lost his family? What could be more fun than walking a madly wagging [...]

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Moving Stills 85 - Anthem

by Chris Butterworth January 27, 2010 Photoblogging

Located about 15 minutes north of Phoenix you’ll find Anthem by Del Webb, a master planned community.  Personally I like the neighborhood a lot, but it feels a little far away, especially during rush hours.  However, I know quite a few folks who live there & rave about their quality of life.
You can search the [...]

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The Original “Subway Tile”

by Heather January 26, 2010 Lifestyle

Everything old is new again.

This is a snapshot of a bathroom – complete with the original bathtub tile – in a house at 16th Street & Bethany Home Road. It was built in 1952.
Obviously the pedestal sink is new and so is the medicine cabinet and glass shelf. The shower curtain setup looks like it’s [...]

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Local Safeway Closing

by Chris Butterworth January 25, 2010 In The News

I’m not sure whether to file this under “a sign of the times” of “serves them right.”

The Safeway around the corner from my house has an ideal location; it’s in the center of a residential neighborhood of approx. 5,500 homes.  It has only one other competitor (Frys) nearby, another competitor (Albertsons) on the other [...]

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