About Navajo County, AZ

Funny how you can get a perception of someone by what you hear or read about them.

Two years ago in February, my oldest daughter, Andrea, got married to a wonderful young man, Greg. We had a combined family Thanksgiving in November before the wedding to meet the in-laws and other family members.

During the wedding shower, Patty (son-in-law's mom) said to me, "You know, you're not at all what I expected!". Apparently, Andrea and Greg had told them all about where we live and the house we built (see the Homesteading Blog Posts), and the garden, etc. She fully expected to meet a very "granola" me. You know, the Birkenstock sandals, long hair gone grey (not!), long skirts, no make-up... the whole bit. Anyone who knows me would get a good laugh out of that!

Clearly, I'm not that person, and don't want to be. In fact, one of our new friends out here told me he never thought I'd make it in this life style because I was just too "girlie". Sigh... can't win.

We've all been guilty of it. I guess the moral of the story here is, don't be too quick to pass judgment on someone, their character, or their abilities, just by what you see or hear. Remember the old adage, never "assume". My 10^th grade English teacher taught us how to spell it this way: Assume - makes an ass out of u and me.

To all you Desert Folks, I was going to say rats but figured someone might be offended, is it hot down there in the flat lands yet? If it is, remember, the high country and cooler temps are only a few short hours away and we have lots of property for sale just waiting for you. Pricing in 2009 is outstanding, the best we have seen in years. Yes, we do have a few REO properties but they aren't where you find the best buys here, just sellers who need to sell. So if you have ever considered a High Country Summer Place, come on up this year, we have plenty to choose from. Sandra Paulow, Dreamscape Realty & Investment LLC, Lakeside, Arizona (928) 242-0300 or check out our website and start your own search: www.whitemtnsazrealestate.com

During our first Great Depression, many families, and middle-aged or retired people took on boarders to help pay their expenses. That time may again be upon us. In fact, a recent article described the trend of Boomers aged 50 and up, using home-share organizations for just such purpose. Unlike their parents and grandparents, most Boomers did not "save" for retirement, but rather, they invested for it, and with the world markets (including housing) going bust, much of their retirement funds have been lost.

(http://www.alternet.org/workplace/130361/is_the_future_going_down_the_drain_baby_boomers_going_bust/)

From Chicago, to Atlanta, and Vermont, there has been a dramatic increase in Boomers seeking roommates and or rooms to rent with younger families. The article even talks about several Boomer couples sharing in the purchase of a large home in order to avoid the whole nursing home scene. This would enable them to be with good friends rather than strangers, and have the ability to hire a nurse to take care of them for much less than the $4000 per month that some assisted living or nursing homes would charge.

Communal living is making a comeback... and it's not just for Boomers. Young families are also in need of assistance. I remember watching a news story years ago about families in Boulder, Colorado buying homes together because housing was too expensive for one family to purchase it alone (even with both couples working). So, they found a way to share the home.

There are many homes and properties out there conducive to this type of sharing. The 36-Acre Ranchettes, St. Johns, Arizona is a perfect example. These properties can be legally split into five parcels. While the asking price of $69,000 may be too big of a chunk for one family to afford, $13,800 may not be. There is an owner carry option on these properties as well, with no qualifying. How about just splitting the payment five ways? I've even got a vacation property listed in Greer, Arizona (www.greerloghome.com ) that would be perfect for "sharing". I would never have thought of marketing it in that way until after I read the article linked above. My sister-in-law and her husband shared a rental house that had two living rooms with her best friend and husband. They were able to pool their resources in order to make it work.

Apparently, there are homes in the Detroit area selling for as little as $1.00 in some instances. What a great way to start an artists colony... start building up the community again. I'm sure there are neighborhoods across the country where this type of scenario could apply.

Solutions, not problems... remember that old Bank One motto? I believe that we, in this Real Estate industry can find the solutions, and maybe, just maybe some of these ideas will work. All of the bail-outs in the world aren't going to fix this problem. Hey, we're a pretty smart group of people, professionals in our field after all. It's not just about moving properties, it's about finding solutions. If anyone can think outside the box, it's gotta be us. So let's do it!

Remember that excitement you felt when you first got your Real Estate license? I do. I remember it very well. I took the required 90 hours for Arizona in 9 days at the local community college. Talk about a brain-fry! As I got to know some of the other students, I discovered that there were quite a few in my class taking the whole course again, because they failed the test, two, three, five times. OH MY GOSH!

Needless to say, I was pretty freaked out about the prospect of taking the test. What if I failed? Deep breath, I went in and took the tests. The first one was the national test. I was given 1 hr and 45 min to complete it. It took me 35 minutes. Uh, oh. Why? What did I do wrong? I reviewed every question again two more times, took a deep breath and finally hit "send". The results came in minutes. The nice lady on the other side of the counter pushed the paper across to me and said (with no emotion), "You passed." "I passed?" "WOO HOO!!!!" I got the same results with the State exam, and she received the same reaction from me (as did all of the other people in the waiting room looking at me as though I were a crazy lady).

How many of us wake up each morning with that same excitement. That "Woo Hoo! I get to practice Real Estate today!" excitement we felt when we first got our licenses. If not, why not? Do we feel privileged to be in this business? If not, why not? Are you having fun? If not, why not? Think about what made you excited then, what's different today? Okay, the economy is bad... real bad. We can't change it. But we can choose the way in which we deal with it. Years ago, I found a great quote: Adversity doesn't build character, it exposes it. That quote has kept me in check on more than one occasion.

Practicing real estate is the most fun I've had working, ever. That's the truth. This business beats working in corporate America hands down. I have the privilege of meeting and getting to know lot of people, from all over the country! I have fun bouncing around on those country dirt roads looking for property, or showing homes. I get excited when I can help a client find that dream home or parcel of land. Several of my Buyers are now my friends! Sure I wish I were busier, and that loans were easier, and that there were more qualified buyers, but I can't control that. I can only control how I choose to deal with it.

What ever it was that made you love this business when you first started, find it again. Life's hard these days, but that doesn't mean we can't love our jobs!

Richard Weisser posted a great idea earlier about an "accountability" measure for listing agents when it comes to submitting offers. Others commented on that and suggested that it be extended to house showings as well. Both are great ideas.

Just a refresher, I live and work in the White Mountains of Arizona. Plenty of beautiful homes for sale here, but we also have lots of land. Not all of this land is easy to find. Just look at the road map, some might say. Easy enough... if one existed! Which brings me to the point of this post.

"Contact listing office for map", is a very common phrase typed in to the "directions" section on our MLS for rural/remote listings. The problem with that is that many of my clients just show up out of the blue. They'll come in on a weekend and ‘contacting' that listing agent is either impossible or very inconvenient (must wait for them to fax the map to you while you pray that it is legible when it comes through). I've even had helpful agents in the same office check the file only to find there is no map there! It must be that listing agents are either too lazy to type in the directions, or they just want to know when someone is showing the property. (A simple, "please call with feedback" usually takes care of that.) Honestly, directions should be required. If you feel the directions are too long or complicated, scan your map on to the listing. Say... now there's an idea! Don't have a scanner? Take a good picture of it with your digital camera and put it in that way.

In today's market it seems inexcusable not to provide good directions, or be accessible. In fact, I've gotten more business from clients who say, "We called two or three other agents and you're the only one who answered the phone." What? I dunno... is it just me?