Diane Brennan

Did You Know Chase Has 2 Homeowner Centers in the Phoenix Area?

Chase Home Loans has 2 Homeownership Centers in the Phoenix Area - one in Phoenix at 25th Ave. and Dunlap, and one in Tempe on Broadway Road. I attended a Chase Seminar this morning focusing on Chase's programs to assist their homeowners - loan modifications, deeds in lieu of foreclosure, short sales, etc. Anthony Jones of Chase explained he is the V.P. in charge of the 25th Ave. and Dunlap location and their focus is on loan modifications to assist Chase homeowners to keep their homes.

If your first loan is with Chase Home Loans and you are, like many of us, either having trouble making payments, or anticipate you will have trouble making payments, contacting the Homeownership Center can be an important first step in obtaining answers. The Dunlap Ave. location phone number is 602/943-7013. The hours at the Centers are 8 am. to 8 pm Monday through Thursday, 9 am to 5 pm on Friday and 9 am to 1 pm on Saturday. At the Center, you will speak face to face, one on one, with a counselor who can guide you through Chase's process, explain some scenarios, and give you some answers. As of November 1, there will also be an underwriter sitting in this branch. For those of you who have experienced the loan modification review process, it typically bogs down in the underwriter phase. Having an underwriter in the next cubicle should cut down the time and get homeowners the answer - up or down - within days, rather than weeks and months.

Chase also has a list assist program for those homeowners who either cannot continue making the trial loan modification payments, or do not fit the loan modification guidelines. The List Assist program is a short sale program which has a listing price guideline for the owner and the Realtor, so there is little guesswork as to list price of the home.

For more information on the Homeownership Centers or the List Assist program, please call me or email me.

Diane Brennan

Channel 3TV Phoenix 10K Race

Sunday, November 6th, is the 36th year of Channel 3TV's Phoenix 10K race. As it has in the past, this race raises funds and awareness for non-profits throughout the Valley. This year, the race will benefit the Mollen Foundation Preventing Childhood Obesity.

On November 6th, Central Ave. will be closed to traffic from Jefferson St. to the South to Osborn Road, to the North, from 7 am to 11 am. Going out that day? 7th St. and 7th Ave. will be open for both northbound and southbound traffic. Since the Race ends at Osborn Road, Indian School Road will carry traffic in both directions. To the South, Lincoln Street will be open as well, carrying traffic in both directions.

For information about street closures, please contact Sgt. Phillip Haler at 602/495-7814. For race information, please contact Paige Mollen at 602/738-7883.

Diane Brennan

G-Team and Crisis Nursery Team Up

Crisis Nursery, a non-profit organization which helps children and families in the Phoenix area, has teamed with G-Team, the philanthropic part of Groupon, to launch a fund raising campaign for Crisis Nursery. Tomorrow, Tuesday, September 27th, Groupon will be announcing an opportunity for the general public to make a donation to assist Crisis Nursery in its mission to 'break the cycle of abuse and neglect.'

What is required? Be a subscriber to Groupon. That's easy: go to Groupon and complete the member information. Then, Tuesday, when the Groupon email it sent, look for the Crisis Nursery logo at the bottom right of the page. Click on the logo and make your contribution. It couldn't be easier.

For more information, go to www.crisisnurseryphx.org or call me for more information.

Let's make this a great fund raising experience for Crisis Nursery.

Diane Brennan

Volcanoes in Arizona?

Approximately 15 miles from downtown Flagstaff, in the piney woods, is the remnants of a volcano, Sunset Crater. I recently spent a few days camping in Flagstaff and visited Sunset Crater, my first time. As I drove up the road and looked to my left, there was a 'frozen' lava flow. I felt like I was in Hawaii!! How extraordinary to see chunks of volcanic rock strewn alongside the road. The climb to the Crater was 300 feet straight up and paved with loose cinder rocks. I climbed about halfway up and took a picture - it's below. I felt as though I'd stepped back in time to an ancient past - which is what this crater resembles.

Arizona has such extraordinary landscapes - from forest to desert; from the Grand Canyon to the Colorado River - and everything in between. I enjoy exploring these landscapes, especially when it's so hot in Phoenix, because Flagstaff is set in the mountains and is about 20 degrees cooler than Phoenix.

I hope you enjoy this picture.

Diane Brennan

Mayoral Voting Ends Today

If you have not yet voted, no worries. The Voting Centers will be open today, Tuesday, August 30th, from 6 am to 7 pm. Phoenix has decided to have voting center locations rather than the traditional polling places. The Voting Centers were open on Saturday, August 27th, Monday, August 29th and Tuesday, August 30th.

I voted yesterday at the Burton Barr Library and it was a simple, uncomplicated process. It was really no different than voting at the local school or the local church, except that the locations are open for 3 days to allow Phoenix voters to case their ballots either on the weekend or during the workweek at a location close to work.

In Central Phoenix, there are 3 Voting Centers: Burton Barr Library, 1221 N. Central (Central below McDowell Road); Phoenix City Hall, 200 W. Washington (3rd Ave. & Washington); and Sunnyslope Community Center, 802 E. Vogel (7th St. and Hatcher).

You still have time to vote in this important election.

Diane Brennan