The weather is heating up, and the City of Chandler pools are opening for their swim season. Below is a list of all the Chandler pools and their schedules.
Arrowhead Pool:
Open May 30-31st noon - 5pm.
Open daily June 4th - July 26th.
Desert Oasis Aquatic Center:
Open weekends beginning May 16th. Open Memorial Day weekend noon - 5pm.
Open daily from May 26th - August 10th.
Folley Pool:
Open daily June 4th - July 26th
Hamilton Aquatic Center:
Open weekends beginning May 2nd. Open Memorial Day weekend noon - 5pm.
Open daily from June 4th - July 26th.
Mesquite Groves Aquatic Center:
Open daily March 9th - May 22nd.
Play pool only on weekdays from 10am - 1pm and 4 - 7pm.
Play pool on weekends from noon - 5pm.
Summer operational hours begin June 4th. Open Memorial Day weekend noon - 5pm.
West Chandler Aquatic Center:
Open weekends beginning May 2nd. Open Memorial Day weekend noon - 5pm.
Open daily from May 26th - August 3rd.
For additional information on swimming lessons, fees, facility amenities and more, click this City of Chandler link.
Spring is here, and it's the beginning of the swimming season for us here in Arizona. Those of you in other parts of the country, the thought of swimming in a pool may not be there yet, but it is coming soon. Because we are unfortunately stricken with child drownings each year, I thought I would pass along some simple ways to avoid a tragedy in your own back yard.
1. Never ever leave a child unobserved around the pool. Do not even leave the area for a minute to pull something out of the oven, or to answer a phone call, without assigning someone else observation duties.
2. Designate a water watcher who will watch anyone in or near the pool at all times. That way there is no question about thinking someone else was watching the kids.
3. Install a pool fence. Pools must have an interior barrier at least 5 feet high, and the vertical bars should be less than 4 inches apart. Also, do not leave any gap underneath the fencing, for a small child to squeeze through.
4. Install self-closing and/or self-latching hardware on all doors leading into the pool area. Check with your city, as most cities have this as a requirement.
5. Trim trees and keep furniture and toys away from the pool fence so children cannot use them to climb over the fence and into the pool.
6. Keep toys and pets away from the pool to keep kids from being attracted to going into the pool after them.
7. Keep life-saving equipment near the pool just in case.
8. Install a phone by the pool, or keep a cordless phone near the pool when outside.
9. Take a CPR class.
Let's do everything we can to avoid any child drownings this year! Please share this with anyone and everyone.
For more information regarding pool safety, contact your local fire department.
I recently read an article in the Arizona Republic, and it brought back a memory about homes in the Chandler neighborhood we live in. When we first moved into our home in 1996, we never even thought about water pressure. Well, a few years ago, we started having to replace all the gaskets and seals in our bathroom faucets. We had always had issues with our shower heads leaking shortly after being newly installed, and we also had to replace the faucet in our sink at least 3 times.
One day, we were talking with our neighbor, and this subject came up. Our neighbor informed us that he had to replace every plumbing fixture in their home. When we asked why, our neighbor explained that the water pressure was too high, and it ruined all the fixtures.
Back to the article, it said that the recommended water pressure should be at 65 PSI (pounds per inch). In order to test this, you must turn off every plumbing fixture, including the ice maker, pool filler, sprinklers, dishwasher, washing machine and evaporative cooler. Then, go to your hose bib on the outside of your home (the point where water enters your home from the city water supply) and screw in a water-pressure gauge (You can find them at any hardware store). Once attached, turn the water on at that hose bib and watch the needle on the gauge. Once the needle stops moving, read the PSI where the needle is. You should test your water pressure three times during the day; in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Again, the recommended pressure is 65 PSI. If the water pressure is higher than 65 PSI, then you should install a pressure regulator. Feel free to hire a plumber to install, as there is soldering copper involved.
So, what our neighbors discovered was that there was no pressure regulator installed on their home when it was built. After speaking with them, we discovered that there were no pressure regulators installed on any of the homes in our neighborhood, although the water pressure was reading way over 65 PSI. After discovering this, we spoke to several of our other neighbors and discovered that they also had to install a pressure regulator. Why did it take us so long to figure it out?
Don't be like us - take a proactive approach to the water pressure in your home. Go out and get it tested, and have a pressure regulator installed if needed. It could save you a lot of costly repairs and replacements of your plumbing fixtures in the long run.
Buyers are really starting to buy lower priced Chandler Homes, Gilbert Homes, and Phoenix Homes. Statistics show that 4,215 resale transactions were recorded this February, compared to 2,690 resale transactions recorded in 2008. This is an increase of 57%.
The median resale price for Maricopa County in February was $133,000, down almost $100,000 from the median price of $230,000 in February 2008.
The median foreclosed home value in February of 2009 was $164,470, significantly higher than the median resale price. According to Jay Butler, ASU Realty Studies Director, this is due to the higher end homes going into foreclosure while buyers are purchasing the less expensive homes.
City February 2009 February 2008 February 2009 February 2008 Foreclosure Difference Resales Resales Median Median 2009 to 2008
CHANDLER 180 190 $200,000 $250,000 +105
PHOENIX 1,370 590 $65,000 $200,000 +865
GILBERT 230 190 $200,000 $251,000 +90
Chandler Homes showed a decrease of only 10 resale home sales from February 2008 compared to February 2009, but foreclosures of chandler homes increased by 105 during that same period. The median price of Chandler homes dropped $50,000 during that same period.
From the rest of the information on the report, the cities with the lower resale prices are selling more resale homes than the cities that are maintaining a higher resale value. Cities with the higher resale value are experiencing more foreclosures than the cities with the lower resale value.
According to the Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service, the average sales price and median sales price has dropped again in Maricopa County, for at least the seventh consecutive month. Here is a breakdown of how much the sales prices have dropped during that time period:
July 2008 January 2009 Percentage Decrease
Average Sales Price $268,991 $192,519 28%
Median Sales Price $209,900 $140,000 33%
This is a drastic change in pricing in only a 7 month period. Let's hope the next 7 months returns some more positive results.
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This representation is based in whole or in part on the data supplied by Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service. Copyright ARMLS 2009. ARMLS does not guarantee nor is in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by ARMLS may not reflect all real estate activity in the market.
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It's all about quality service with us. We specialize in working with buyers and sellers in Chandler, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Phoenix & East Valley. We are here to help, advise, and answer questions.
Mia and I have lived in Chandler for 12 fantastic years. We have 2 wonderful children who make life worth living. Our daughter is 22, and is still trying to figure out what she wants to be in life. She has been going to Chandler/Gilbert Community College, and is in the process of applying for beauty school. She has been singing in Choir since I don't know when, and was singing with the Chandler/Gilbert Choi
r the past two years. Our son is 9, going on 25. He wears a men's size 9 shoe! He is your typical boy who loves to be active. He has tried everything from Gymnastics, to BMX biking, to flag football, and he is currently trying out Club Soccer to bring out the competitive side of him. We just recently had a new addition to our family, a boxer puppy. We named her Gracie. We got her this past Easter, and we love her to death.
Prior to moving to Arizona, I lived in many states throughout the country, as well as Okinawa. My father was in the military, and we lived in Florida, Idaho, and Kansas (to name a few places), before moving back to Oregon when I was in the fifth grade. I guess you could say I knew a lot about being the new kid in school. Mia had lived in Oregon her whole life. Her father was an educator, and her mother worked for the post office before they both retired. She, however, had traveled extensively, including trips to Japan and Costa Rica. We both come from households with great work ethic and good family values.
In our spare time, we love activities, whether it is riding quads or jet skiing in 
Lake Havasu, attending Broadway shows and sporting events, or visiting new places like Bisbee and Jerome, AZ. We enjoy spending time with our families, and try to get together as often as possible. I especially like to play softball, as I am too old to participate in just about any other sport (The knees are giving out on me). Mia loves to create things, as she designs her own jewelry, and can be very artistic when she has the time. She can also create a meal out of nothing in less than 10 minutes, and that's an art all in itself. Mia is also fluent in Spanish, which has come in very handy with our trips to Ensenada, Costa Rica, and Cabo San Lucas.
We are very civic minded individuals as well, and at one time or another have both worked for County and/or City Government. Mia has also been on the Board for the school PTO, as well as a volunteer for the Special Olympics, and Hands Across The Border. I have been a youth sports coach and official for so many years, I can't remember how many. We have also served on Youth Councils, the Little League Board, volunteered for the United Way and the City of Chandler Youth Enhancement Program. We believe in giving back to our community, and that it really does take a village to raise great children.
We are Residential Real Estate experts in the East Valley, and we focus on neighborhoods in Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Queen Creek, Tempe, Scottsdale, as well as other cities within Maricopa County. My wife and I have been in Real Estate for over 7 years, and we enjoy the opportunity we have to work together to help others. Whether it is buying your first home, investing, or helping you sell your home so you can move, we are here to help, and available 24/7.
I have an additional 15 years experience in finance and accounting (including 3 years as a Loan Officer), and Mia has 10 years in corporate business, and another 10 in the public sector. Mia, at an earlier time in her life was an EMT4, riding around in Ambulances saving people's lives. Mia is fluent in Spanish as mentioned above. We are all about service, and together our experience and skill set are second to none.
We got into the Real Estate industry to help people. There have been many ups and downs in the real estate market (as to be expected), and we have stayed true to ourselves and our clients. Whether it is a buyers market or a sellers market, we do what's best for our clients, and we always offer our dedication, expertise, and full service.
Mia and I hold memberships with NAR, National Association of REALTORS®, AAR, Arizona Association of REALTORS®, and SEVRAR, South East Valley Association of REALTORS®, and are members of the Chandler Chamber of Commerce. Please visit our websites at http://troyandmiaerickson.point2agent.com and www.arizonarealestatehometeam.com. We are in the process of enhancing our websites, so please stay tuned.
Sheila Kofahl is our Designated Broker for Terra Solis Realty, LLC. She has over 13 years in the industry, is part of our team, and she holds the prestigious CRS, Certified Residential Specialist, the GRI, Graduate REALTOR® Institute, the ABR, Accredited Buyer Representative designation, and the e-PRO certification.
In addition to this, we only work with the best in the industry when it comes to home inspectors, lenders, appraisers, title companies, and home warranty companies. We want to work only with businesses that have the same integrity, values and morals that we have, and people who are the best at what they do.
Just a note of thanks for all of your hard work and patience. I know that it wasn't easy to get us into a house, but your efforts have made us feel that you care about what's best for us and not your respective careers. If you continue to do your jobs this way - there is no doubt you will find great success. Thanks Again! - Mark & Elaine Foster
Troy Erickson handled my mortgage refinance loan and provided very good service. Upon learning of my desires to refinance, he kept me posted on interest rate levels. I compared his rates against a few other banks and mortgage brokers, and found them to be quite competitive. Troy made himself available at all times to answer my questions and was very quick to follow up. He is an extremely honest individual whom I can trust, and he goes to great length to deliver good service. - Shari Fujii
Hello we are Daniel Maples and Brianna Joyner. Let us start out by saying that we love our new home and you could too! We were desperate to find a house in less than a month and received a number through a close friend. Our friend had told us these guys were great, just give them a call. This number that was given to us was the number for Troy and Mia Erickson. We needed a house fast, so we called them and they told us they could get it done. We gave them our criteria for what we were looking for in our new house. They were very thorough in their search for our perfect home! We were given a list of homes to pick what we would like to go and look at with them. We made a selection and shortly after we went to look at them....and found this big beauty. It was exactly what were wanted and so much more. We were told that Troy and Mia were great realtors, and now we can say that they are GREAT realtors! You can rely and trust them in the stressful situations while moving. You have plenty of things that you need to worry about when moving, let them help you by taking the most important thing off your shoulders...finding your new home! - Daniel Maples & Brianna Joyner
More references and testimonials available upon request.
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