Ken Spencer

Verrado, nestled at the base of the White Tank Mountains 25 miles west of Phoenix, boasts a culture reminiscent of home town USA. An Informal lifestyle, likeable neighbors, and a very friendly environment sets it apart from other communities in the valley. All of the homes in Verradoare no more than a stone's throw from a beautiful park. Fifty parks to be exact, plan fully designed for maximum enjoyment and strategically placed throughout the community.

A new place just opened on Verrado's downtown Main Street. It's a coffee shop called "Park 51" to take on the status of the 51^st park in Verrado. Previously called Mokarabia Coffee Shop, Park 51, offers a new look and a new feel. The lounge and seating area has increased in size offering twice the space for customers to sit around, read, enjoy a latte, talk with neighbors, surf the net using the free wireless system or just pass the time. A full range of beverage selections, both hot and cold meals, along with retail items are offered with prices reduced substantially (by 25%) from that of the previous coffee shop. The manager, Christina Dubas, said that further conveniences for the customers are coming shortly such as the ability to order ahead by email, texting or their website which is under development. An expanded menu selection is also in the process of being pulled together.

Whether you live in Verrado, passing through Buckeye, Arizona or curious about why this can be a perfect place to relax, stop by and check it out. As a real estate professional, I find this to be the ideal place to meet my fellow realtors, compare notes and social network with people I love being around.

The Verrado development, in the west valley, 25 miles from downtown Phoenix, will be getting a state-of-the-art fire station. The new location, on Verrado Way and Thomas Road will serve to protect the 1600 home community (14,000 homes projected at build out) along with the I-10 corridor, future businesses and the newly planned Banner Hospital and medical complex. The Verrado community is in the City of Buckeye which received a $3.5 million dollar federal grant to build the new fire station. The expected cost is $4.4 million dollars. DMB Inc. , the Verrado developer, will contribute around $900,000 to complete the cost requirement to construct the new facility.

Unlike a number of cities, The Town of Buckeye continues to see stakeholders as an essential piece of assuring the success of town expansion. Recent examples of this are how it enlists the community at large to provide input by way of its We Are Buckeye community-driven planning process. The new Verrado Fire Station was but another example of that philosophy. The plan and project was developed and written inhouse through hardwork and dedication by Captain Ringeisen and the firefighters. City Fire Chief Bob Costello attributed teamwork and mission focus as key in moving the project ahead. Construction is due to begin as soon as possible with completion by 2010.

How difficult is it , or easy is it, depending on where you are in the country, to sell a property with poltergeists or supernatural beings lurking about the home? It sure gets your attention when your client describes to you on your listing appointment that one of the "reasons for selling" are related to an unexplainable occurrence in a room involving a spirit of some kind. If the name of your client is Sookie Stackhouse of southern vampire fame and the key character of HBO's award winning "True Blood" , it's no big deal. Perhaps if you need help after getting the listing, you might enlist the assistance of Ghost Whisperer Melinda Gordon (Jennifer Love Hewitt) to identify the culprit and help them see the light and cross over. Another option is to co-list with real estate professional Delia Banks (Camryn Manheim) , Melinda's employee who seems to have experience listing homes with intense ghostly activities.

With Halloween just around the corner, my curiosity got the best of me. A couple of weeks ago I talked to an experienced 35 year veteran of our industry. I asked him if he ever ran across homes with strange entities running amuck. I couldn't stop him from describing his experiences. Extremely interesting and entertaining stuff. I guess it's not as unusual as I thought.

Now I find myself interested in hearing from you about what you might have run across when listing a property or taking buyers on a home preview.

Distressedamania .... I don't think it's a real word. As a matter fact I know it's not. You can't find it in a dictionary or Wikipedia but it does exist. I define it as a condition caused by the overly active, highly aggressive, center focused buyer seeking distressed properties at an incredibly high value for an incredibly low price. Here in the west valley of Phoenix, Buckeye in particular, I believe it's spreading at an unimaginable rate. It's like the "best kept secret of our time". Homes selling for $70,000 to $80,000 with swimming pools, on golf courses that not too long ago sold for $200,000 or more. Cost per square foot averaging $56.91/square foot this year in Buckeye, compared with $91.26/square foot a year ago as reported by The Cromford Report www.cromfordreport.com for single family homes. It has literally brought people out of the woodwork from all points of the compass. First home buyers, investors and second home buyers from all over the country.

It's not paradise or a cake walk by any means. The Wall Street Journal today answered a very interesting question in it's article titled Are Distressed Properties Worth It? . It's a question that many have to answer for themselves but for the most part, my clients are saying it is. Their patience is stretched and frustration levels are often tested beyond belief but the final reward seems to please them all.

No it has nothing to do with a football team or a company that will convert your Harley into a three wheel trike type motorcycle but a process launched around 10 months ago to help create a strategic plan for the city of Buckeye, Arizona .

I attended the third of six meetings being held throughout the city at the Raven in Verrado. I was impressed, not only from the standpoint of a resident but as a real estate professional working primarily in the west valley. Not often have I had the opportunity to be a part of a community-driven planning process where residents, business owners, and educators are working together with their city to come up with a plan for the future. This gives me great comfort in a career where helping people find the best place to live is a big part of my job.

Prior to the meeting, hundreds of interviews were conducted that culminated into 8 topical areas deemed important by the stakeholders. Attendees to the meeting were asked to prioritize what they thought was the most important. Enhanced economic well-being was at the top of the list. Not too surprising with what’s been happening with all of us recently. My hat goes off to Town Council Member Dave Rioux of District 6, who hosted the meeting, and the volunteers of the We are Buckeye Group who facilitated the meeting .