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State of Arizona Shenanigans

I need to get something off my chest, so here it goes. My husband, Frank, who is a wonderful person, received some daunting news last week regarding his job. He is a police officer for a state agency called Capitol Police Department. For some reason, Capitol PD used to fall under the authority of the Department of Administration here in our great state of Arizona. A bill was passed earlier this year that changed that and Capitol, which is an agency of about 40 or so employees, would now be considered a division of the Department of Public Safety (DPS), a huge, statewide organization. Great! Bigger organization=more opportunities. Frank was incredibly excited and was looking forward to the transition this past month.

Before I keep going, let me give you a little bit of background on Frank. He worked at Albertson's for almost 15 years. It was his first job when he was in high school and he made his way up the ranks, became the youngest GM in the district, did his job exceptionally well. Frank elected to make a career change. He'd always dreamed of being in law enforcement and being able to make a real difference in peoples' lives. So, he attended the academy that took nine months to complete, while still working 50+ hours per week at Albertson's. He was determined to make his dream come true and I was behind him every step of the way. He graduated from the academy in August of 2009 and started as a reserve officer with Capitol and soon was offered a full-time position. Even though it meant a pay cut, I knew nothing would make him happier than working full-time as an officer, so I encouraged him to go for it.

Fast forward to last week. Frank calls me and right away the tone of his voice triggered an alarm in my brain; something was wrong. He'd just been informed that as of August 31st, he would no longer be employed. Here he was, excited to become a part of DPS, and now, stressing out. The entire Capitol Police Department had been assured that their jobs were secured, that nobody was going anywhere. Apparently, that had been a falsehood. Frank was offered the excuse that Capitol had lost a security contract with a state building and that contract had accounted for two officers' salaries. So, if the contract was gone, then they had to do away with two officers. They went after the ones with least seniority.

Here's the kicker. Two other officers are planning to leave Capitol for another agency. In essence, the money would be available for the two officers that are being let go. But, no, that would be too logical, too easy to simply use that money for the officers they plan on axing. They claim that if they use the funds that will now be available, Frank would be considered a new hire and there is still a hiring freeze on police officers in the Department of Public Safety. Seriously??? So, all that talk about Capitol now being DPS, making Frank a DPS employee, that just goes out the window? He's already DPS, how would that be considered a new hire?? For those of you that are not aware, applying for a police officer position is a lengthy process. The psych evaluations, written tests, physical agility tests, etc can take three to six months to complete. Frank's out of a job in 30 days and is so disappointed.

My husband is in his new uniform today. The badge says Department of Public Safety. How can he now wear that badge knowing this agency is not who they claimed to be? Government and politics. As long as I live, I don't think I'll ever understand them.

Lomasi Salon & Spa near 24th Street & Baseline

Have you noticed the red banner in the shopping center at 24th street and Baseline? There is a full-service salon and spa there that has just opened for business. As a long-time resident of the South Mountain area, I can tell you that this has been a long time coming. There are a few nail places, and smaller salons throughout the Baseline Corridor. But, a place that offers it all under one roof is just what we needed.

Lomasi Salon & Spa is owned by Catalina Fitzgerald, she has over 15 years salon experience. The salon offers various services: haircuts, styling, perms, color, waxing, facials, and nail services. And their prices are very competitive. I went in yesterday for a hair consultation and to have my hair cut and styled and I was very pleased with the results. Catalina did a fabulous job, I'll definitely be going back.

The salon is very beautiful and well maintained, as soon as I stepped inside, I felt instantly comfortable. If you're like me, you probably have been going to the same stylist for years. I had been going to my last hairdresser for cuts, styles and color for the past 10 years! But, I felt it was time for a change. I'm excited to have this type of salon here on our side of town. The next time you're looking for a little bit of pampering for yourself, stop on by Lomasi Salon & Spa and try them out. You'll be very happy you did.

Getting an accepted offer on your dream home

Signs of the improving real estate market are all around us here in the South Mountain area.Inventory levels have dropped, meaning there are less homes out there for buyers to write offers on. Homes that are priced well and show well are selling quickly and usually receiving multiple offers. The multiple offers have caused prices to start rising ever so slightly. This means that in order to have your offer accepted, you will need to be a little bit more aggressive with your offer.

What does this mean exactly? Well, for starters, the days of submitting a ridiculously low-ball offer are coming to an end. If you are looking at a home that you feel fits your criteria enough to sit down and write an offer, odds are there is at least one more buyer out there that will also be submitting an offer on that home. If you were the seller and you received multiple offers on your property, which one would you choose? The low offer or the one that is closer to the list price?

I have found that the following tips have worked well in getting my client's offers accepted. Sending an offer as soon as possible. If you want to go home and think about writing an offer, you may lose out on that home. Write an offer as soon as possible on the property that you are interested in; if your offer is accepted, the first ten days of the contract are known as the inspection period. These 10 days allow you to do your due diligence and if something arises that would affect your decision on whether or not you wish to proceed with the purchase, you have the right to cancel the contract and your earnest money would be refunded to you.

Also, if the home has only been on the market a few days, then you should really consider writing a full price offer.Put yourself in the seller's shoes. You just put your home on the market, are you really going to accept an offer significantly lower than list price? Of course not, you'll wait and see how many other offers come in. Most importantly, time is of the essence. If you receive a counter-offer from the seller, be ready to respond as soon as possible.

If you're ready to get started on your home purchase, give me a call, 602.391.8986. Or if you have questions on how to prepare yourself for a future home purchase, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Baseline Corridor Sales

Recently, the inventory of homes in the South Mountain area has dropped. The number of available homes just isn't what it used to be. This is great news for sellers! If you're thinking of selling, right now would be a great time. Homes that are priced right and show well are receiving multiple offers because there are still so many people out there looking to buy. Some homes sell within a few days of being on the market and the multiple offer situation is causing properties to even sell above the list price.

If you're looking to sell your South Mountain home, make sure you have it in the best shape possible. Touch up the paint, de-clutter and start packing away knick knacks, keep the family pictures to a minimum. This will all make the home seem more open and thus, more inviting to potential buyers. Make sure the yard is maintained and presentable. Many buyers form a quick first impression as soon as they pull up to the house. If the first thing they see is a yard overrun with weeds, they may not even consider looking at the interior of the home.

I have quite a few buyers looking to buy in the Baseline Corridor area. The right homes for these buyers hasn't come on the market yet. Who knows, they may be a buyer for your home, so what are you waiting for? If you'd like more information on how I can assist you with the sale of your home, give me a call at 602.391.8986, or contact me via e-mail. Thank you!

Gated Communities in South Mountain & Laveen

Oftentimes I have clients looking for a home that is in a gated community.Fortunately, the South Mountain area and Laveen have an abundance of homes in gated communities. Their prices currently range from $70,000 up to $799,000. And lot sizes also range from smaller, say about 3000 square feet, to over 20,000 square feet. There are several communities that are still in the process of being built, so you could get a brand new home in a gated community with all of the upgrades that you desire. Some of these new communities are Arboleda Ranch, Desert Rose, Mountainside Estates, and Blossom Hills.

Some of the gated communities are small, just a couple of blocks, some include dozens and dozens of homes, like Dobbins Creek on Dobbins Road between 7th Street and 16th Street. That is easily one of the bigger, gated subdivisions in the area. Like other newer subdivisions, gated communities offer amenities like a clubhouse, golf course views and/or a community pool. The Pines at South Mountain and the Gardens at South Mountain offer community pools, which really come in handy during our grueling summer months.

One of my favorite gated communities is Talasera, which is at the base of South Mountain, east of 19th avenue.The homes were built by Beazer and are on oversized lots with spectacular views of South Mountain and the entire City of Phoenix. There is a hiking trail just past the entrance, so you don't even have to drive to your next hike. Another one of my favorite gated communities is Quintessa, it's on the west side of 24th street, just north of Euclid. The homes were built by Mandalay and are stunning. There are still some spec homes available there.

If you are interested in buying a new build in a new community, give me a call. I could link over a dozen list of homes throughout this blog, but it would be overwhelming. So, if you'd like information on any of the gated communities in the Baseline Corridor, please do not hesitate to contact me.