Vendor Reviews

Favorite Local Vendor, Sweet Republic

Lifestyle

This post by guest blogger and my good friend Pat E. I visited Sweet Republic last Saturday between soccer games with friends (Trudy and Liz) & their 14-year-old sons (Noah and Spencer). While I’ve been to SR twice and have loved it, I’m nervous  about their future because it has been empty both times. Why, [...]

3 November 2008 Read the full article →

Rainbow Donuts, a Local Favorite

Lifestyle

Wondering why a real estate blog has restaurant reviews? First, I love to eat. Second, I work with quite a few out of towners buying Phoenix real estate for the first time and they almost always ask for restaurant suggestions. Eating my way through Phoenix, just to serve! Rainbow Donuts 15834 N Cave Creek Rd, [...]

17 October 2008 Read the full article →

Favorite Local Vendor – Ductz

Homeowner Help

There’s some disagreement in the general public about whether cleaning your home’s ducts is actually worthwhile. Some say the air circulating through the ducts surely cleans them out. Others swear by duct cleaning, saying it improves overall circulation and even prevents the build up of microbes and mold inside the ducts. I won’t weigh in [...]

22 June 2008 Read the full article →

Favorite Local Vendor – Sleep America

Lifestyle

I realize that Sleep America isn’t really local in the sense I usually use the term “Favorite Local Vendor”. They have 40 locations across Arizona and I usually reserve the term for local, one-store only, Mom-and-Pop shops. Today I wanted to highlight the excellent customer service on display at the Biltmore area Sleep America. One recent hot [...]

14 June 2008 Read the full article →

Home Care Tips by Jason Farrier

Homeowner Help

From one of my favorite home inspectors, Jason Farrier of Elite Home Inspections, LLC. You can reach Jason at (602) 793-0123. Or try Jason’s custom home building skills out when you’re building your dream home. Consumerism is the name of the game in the US, and people who have been participants for any length of [...]

11 June 2008 Read the full article →

Favorite Local Vendor – Nails by Carrie Chairez

Lifestyle

Ladies, have you been looking for a great nail tech? Look no further (at least if you’re in the North Phoenix area). Carrie Chairez at Knotty Image Salon is an acrylic nail artisan. She doesn’t use a drill, ever. Carrie does it all by hand, from scratch and with an eye to detail that you just can’t [...]

10 June 2008 Read the full article →

Favorite Local Vendor – Integrity Carpet Cleaning

Homeowner Help

Travis & Angela from Integrity Cleaning Systems are my favorite carpet cleaners in town. Integrity does a bunch of other services too. Call them at 602-486-3966 if you’re in need of: Carpet Cleaning Upholstery Cleaning Tile & Grout Cleaning & Sealing Natural Stone Honing, Cleaning, Polishing & Sealing (stone counters, anyone?) Area Rug Cleaning Allergy Relief [...]

27 May 2008 Read the full article →

Tips for choosing interior paint colors

Buyer Help

My good friend Chris Butterworth has a great post about how to paint a razor-sharp straight line when you’re painting with bold colors. For several years, the interior paint trend has been sliding down the in-store color chips, towards bolder, bright, more saturated hues. Home buyers are demanding more windows, higher ceilings, and “light and [...]

18 May 2008 Read the full article →

Green Pools and Mosquito Eating Fish

Foreclosures

Once in a while, the software vendor who provides our local area MLS uses a popup window to provide Relators and others using the MLS software with what they think is critical information. The info is rarely interesting but usually useful. Today it was both. It’s probably no surprise that green pools are becoming a [...]

14 May 2008 Read the full article →

“Real Estate Beige” Explained

Homeowner Help

Choosing a beige color to paint your walls can be tricky. There’s so many to choose from! This article lists a handful of good choices in the beige color family.

7 April 2008 Read the full article →

Staging Demystified

Seller Help

Staging a home for sale is pretty close to vital these days in metro Phoenix. For most folks the professional stager’s recommendations will include de-cluttering. Here are some of the most common de-cluttering tips. Remove half of everything on bookshelves Remove half of the clothes from each closet Make sure remaining hanging closet items are [...]

1 April 2008 Read the full article →