Liz Johnson, REALTOR selling AZ homes ~ Chandler, Tempe, Maricopa & Phoenix

It was 118 degrees Saturday. If you are thinking about moving to Arizona, please do not let that deter you. This is a gorgeous state and Phoenix is a great city. Over the years I've had the pleasure of helping people find their first home in the Phoenix area. Sometimes their reactions and ideas have made me giggle. Simply because I'm an Arizona girl, I've lived here all my life, and apparently some things we do here are just different. Anyways, to one client in particular I explained that in the hottest parts of the summer, sometimes the pool is even too hot. So what do we do here when the temps soar? Here's my list of the top 10 things to do in Phoenix when it gets HOT! Please feel free to add your suggestions and faves in the comments!

10. Go see houses. Just kidding! Sort of. It's totally what I was doing when the radio said it was record setting hot and it was not as bad as one would think. I would just suggest keeping it to less than 6 non-air conditioned, bank-owned houses at a time.

9. Go swimming. But as I mentioned, it may at times be too hot for this. Your pool may feel more like a warm bath than refreshing. Maybe try large blocks of ice? Or wait for the sun to go down. See #7.

8. Lay on the couch spread eagle with the ceiling fan on high, all the lights out and the windows completely covered so your house is a cave. Light=heat. I know in real estate we talk about light giving the appearance of bigger spaces, but when you aren't selling your house and it's summer in Phoenix, the more cave-like the better.

7. Become nocturnal. Today's forecast says high of 110, low of 88.

6. Go to the mall. It's nice and cool there.

5. Go to the movies. Again, a nice cool cave. But sometimes it's cold. So take a sweater. Seriously.

4. Stand in the freezer section of grocery store with the door open. Just stand there with the list looking confused pretending you can't find your particular item. Maybe you'll get less weird looks than if you stand there sighing "Ahhhhh" like my children do.

3. Drive around in the car with the air vents pointed down your sleeves. Because you made it into the car, it's cooled down now, and when you get out of the car it's sweltering hot outside, when you return the car is like an oven and maybe, just maybe it will start to cool down before you hit your next destination.

2. Go to the lake! It's fun! But take sunscreen, lots of water, and it's best if your boat has shade. See, the lake is so much fun my 3 year old wore himself out and the lake rocked him to sleep on my lap. *Sigh* Mommy heaven. :-)

1. Get outta Dodge! I mean Phoenix! Yeah, when it gets hot, I think the most popular thing to do in Phoenix is leave. Half my AZ facebook friends are in San Diego this weekend. Maybe my next post will be where we Phoenicians go when it gets hot. Because that's definitely one of the awesome things about the Phoenix area, there are lots of great places within driving distance!

What do you like to do to "beat the heat?"