Deanne Olivas

The place was Power Ranch in Gilbert, AZ. The day was Halloween, October 31, 2009. The excitement was a Haunted House.

The price of admission was to answer one question. "Do you want it a little scary, medium scary or real scary." Then the doorman would yell to those inside. "Medium scary for adults" or "little scary for children".

There were strange sounds coming from inside. Screams, laughter and the sound of a chain saw (that must have been the real scary part). I was standing where I could hear the comments of the people coming out. Everyone said it was really something, amazing, that alot of work had been put into it, that it was great idea.

The idea come from a 16 year old young man. A neighbor said he came to her with the plans on paper weeks ago. He recruited his Dad, his grandfather, his brother and sister, neighbors and friends. He gathered all the materials he needed. Quite an amazing sixteen year old. Perhaps he is on his way to being an successful entrepreneur or famous director of scary movies.

New Advanced MLS Home Search for Phoenix, AZ and surrounding cities allows you to search with many new options such as:

search by school or school district

search only bank/lender owned or only short sale/preforeclosure properties

search by a _% drop in price in the past _days.

The typical search criteria is also available such as city or community, price, number of bedrooms, size of home or lot and year built. The searches are real time and free with no registration. The properties are mapped for you and you can set up daily updates of new listings meeting your criteria and save your favorites.

To sucessfully purchase a home in todays fast moving market takes up to date information. The following link is your opportunity to gather information on available homes for sale in Phoenix and surrounding valley cities.

http://www.eastvalleyphoenixhomes.com/search.html

We all know home sales prices vary per city. Here is a summary of the approximate average sale price per square foot this month of homes sales in the Phoenix east valley.

Gilbert AZ $98 per sq ft

Chandler AZ $106 per sq ft

Mesa AZ $86 per sq ft

Queen Creek AZ $64 per sq ft

Scottsdale AZ $179 per sq ft

Tempe, AZ $121 per sq ft

Apache Junction AZ $74 per sq ft

Fountain Hills Az $152 per sq ft

Gold Canyon AZ $120 per sq ft

Maricopa AZ $49 per sq ft

Sun Lakes AZ $124 per sq ft

Data from The Cromford Report

If you would like information on purchasing a home in the east valley Phoenix area, I can assist you. I have experience in assisting buyers with HUD, bankowned, preforeclosure(short sale) and traditional seller purchases.

If you have ever driven 89A between Sedona and Flagstaff you know that feeling of wanting to stop and stay awhile. Well, we finally did! We were lucky enough to get 4 nights at the Forest Houses Resort on 89A, 10 miles from Sedona, 17 from Flagstaff and right down in the canyon with Oak Creek and giant Ponderosa Pine and Douglas Fir between us and the highway. It isn't easy to get reservations there because first priority goes to the people who stayed there the year before and they hardly ever decide not to come back. But with some flexibility and diligence you can get an opportunity to wind down and really enjoy the tranquility and beauty of Oak Creek and the canyon.

There are 16 1-5 bedroom houses (most are separated by pine trees and the mountain terrain although a couple are duplexes). All are unique in design and built over a period of about 40 years by the same man using materials native to the area (rocks, boulders and log beams). All are absolutely gorgeous with a flagstone patio, balcony overlooking Oak Creek, more private surroundings deeper in the forest, or a huge stone fireplace. I could not pick a favorite-loving them all for different reasons. The one we stayed in was called The Barn House.

Although it is a quick drive to Sedona or Flagstaff, there seems to be a quietness that draws you to perfer a nature walk along the creek or sitting on your patio birdwatching (we shared the grass just beyond our patio with a family of robins).

Beware- there is no TV or phone reception. Being a realtor my withdrawals lasted longer than most, maybe. But after awhile I didn't hear any more phantom rings and let myself relax knowing there were people back at the office taking care of business.

Next time you want to really relax check out www.foresthousesreort.com