Donna Reiner, a local historian and a good friend of Get Your PHX, has written many articles over the years for the Arizona Republic and others about what came before us. We use her services when we list properties of historic significance to help us tell the stories behind the homes.

We are happy that Donna is allowing us to re-publish some of her articles on a monthly basis. If you or your business ever needs a historian, let Donna know at laydeescholar “at” hotmail.com.

“I have been influenced by the needs of Phoenix and by the fact that this is home.” With that, Celora M. Stoddard who had recently been discharged from the Army after serving in France during WWI, declared his intent to build a special complex. Arizona looked promising to Stoddard after the war.

Stoddard had originally come out west from Binghamton, NY as a young boy and spent some time in Stoddard, AZ, a small copper mining community northeast of Mayer which had been named after his father. When he moved to Phoenix along with his parents, he continued working for the family company. Later he formed his own firm and focused on investments rather than copper, but still maintained his managerial position with Stoddard Mining.

One of Stoddard’s investments was The Rose Tree, an exquisite confectionery shop and tea room which opened in October 1914. It certain gave Donofrio’s some competition although it was hard for Donofrio’s to surpass The Rose Tree’s twice a week dances. Stoddard also purchased lots in newly opened subdivisions as so many other Phoenicians were doing.

In 1917, Stoddard was part of the Great Western Film Corporation whose initial aim was to establish a film studio in Phoenix (Tucson was the competing site). Yes, Stoddard dabbled in a variety of businesses and then the European war changed things. Stoddard registered for the draft, entered the army, took officer’s training, and was shipped to France.

Recognizing that many soldiers who were returning home had moved to Arizona and had no place to live, Stoddard decided to build a “modern up-to-date bungalow court” the summer of 1919. Each unit had five rooms and an individual outdoor sleeping area on the roof which would be used in the summer months. The bungalow court would be “high class,” have janitor service, and a communal garage along with plenty of shade.

Ads touted that the complex of 10-units was located “in the most exclusive residential section.” And where might that be? It was Bennett Place encompassing Central to Seventh Avenue and Roosevelt to Fillmore. Now a portion of Bennett Place is part of Roosevelt Historic District.

One quirky event related to Alexandria Court (the rather romantic sounding name) occurred when Stoddard decided to sell the complex. In fact, he traded the bungalows with Isaac Rosenzweig a local jeweler for 80 acres of farm land near Scottsdale. Apparently both parties were quite satisfied with the deal.

If you ride the light rail down 1^st Avenue today, you go right passed Alexandria Court. Now 815 N. 1^st Avenue (even the numbering has changed from the original) is offices. A far cry from Stoddard’s vision, but they have not been demolished.

As realtors, we want all people to have roofs over their heads and we hate to see families evicted from homes, regardless of whether they purchase a home or not.

That is why you’ve seen me do some postings and videos about issues of homelessness.

There are so many destructive myths about homelessness and why people are evicted from rental homes, and why it happens.

“People are lazy and don’t pay the rent.”

“People don’t take care of the property they live in and deserve to be kicked out.”

“People are not financially responsible.”

What we are learning more and more, especially by analyzing huge amounts of data from around the country, is that there are myths about eviction, just as there are myths about poverty.

Why is it important to have a clear picture of why evictions happen? Well, because we make public policy based on these myths and those policies cost us billions of taxpayer dollars. Shouldn’t we get the causes right before we recommend a treatment?

This podcast on the topic of eviction bursts some of the myths is perfect for your summer listening list. I love podcasts as company when I’m driving or working in the garden. However, these, in particular, are very well-researched and bring out things that I’ve not thought of before.

So, these come highly recommended.

If you want another great series on poverty myths, check out this one from the same team.

Over the 11 years that I’ve been in business and the 6 years that Michelle Conley and I have been working together, we hear a few misconceptions more than once. They are not major issues, but I figured it’s worth correcting the record.

These misconceptions start with, “Oh, I thought you…”

So, just in case you were wondering, here we are to correct the record.

1. “Oh, I thought you only sell houses in… <insert one>, the historic neighborhoods, or downtown or in Central Phoenix.
   
   Fact: We work all over the valley, even though we specialize in historic.
   
   Further, we have relationships with quality agents all over the state. We are also building relationships with agents in other states, so we can get you the help you need.
   
2. “Oh, I thought you didn’t have time for real estate because of your political work.”
   
   Fact: I never stopped being a full-time professional realtor, all through my recent years in office. Thank goodness for Michelle Conley, who made certain the trains ran on time on those days when the legislature ran late.
   
   Regardless, I’m not in public office now. So, we are ready to help you!
   
3. “Oh, I thought I could sell that house for 1% commission, so I did not call you.”
   
   Fact: Most times, that “1% commission” turns into much higher costs to you. Plus you won’t have somebody to protect your interests. See my short video that details how those big wholesale buyers are taking advantage of sellers.
   
4. “Oh, I thought it would be easier to just purchase a home through the website because I don’t like dealing with people.“
   
   Fact: If you don’t have somebody to protect your interests, you are increasing the chances that the sellers will take advantage of you. You’ll definitely have to deal with people when you find out that there was major damage to the property, which was not repaired before they sold the house to you.
   
   Why pit yourself against people who have bought and sold hundreds of homes without protection?
   
5. “Oh, I thought realtors don’t do much work and just make tons of money. They sell a house and buy a new Mercedes.”
   
   Fact: Some are rolling dough, but very few. Realtor income looks much like the entire population: very few gobs of money, but most earn a modest living.
   
   Further, in order to be a quality agent we must invest years in to the trade and local knowledge. Further, typically, we sell homes that look like the community we live in.
   
   Regardless, there is a great deal more work that goes in to each transaction than most people know: needs analysis, market analysis, lending advice, neighborhood knowledge, smart home searching or listing marketing, negotiations, inspections, vendor coordination, closing preparation and post-closing availability.

So, we stand ready with decades of combined experience to help you meet your needs. Call us at 602-456-9388

“So, will there be a slow-down in the market over the summer,” people ask us almost every day.

You might think that it would, since it’s hotter than a snakes butt in a wagon rut. Who wants to look at homes?

Well, the answer is that the market in the summer typically looks much like it does the rest of the year.

If the market is hot coming in to summer, it will stay relatively hot. Sure, there are fewer people out there looking and typically fewer listings. But that does not mean that the number of sales changes much.

There seem to be fewer listings going in to this summer than there were last summer. That could be good for sellers and bad for buyers, but that also depends on the quality of the inventory, as we learned last year.

According to the Cromford Report, sales prices are continuing to climb slightly every month:

“Our mid-point forecast for the average monthly sales $/SF on June 15 is $173.61, which is 0.8% above the June 15 reading.

The average $/SF has been stronger than predicted over the last 5 months, and this has been largely due to the mix of homes that closed. High end homes were better represented than expected between January through May. The average $/SF for pending listings has risen again over the last month so we are expecting another gain in average $/SF over the next 30 days.”

Interest rates are also still floating just under 4%. So, there is no panic in that regard.

The tight inventory and low rates could be why the Cromford Index is going in to the summer looking like a rocket. Sellers don’t have as much competition and there are more buyers, attracted by low interest rates.

So, what does this market mean to you? If you are a seller, make your home look great and don’t be afraid to list during the summer. If you are a buyer, you might be able to take advantage of other buyers being away; this is a strategy that may work better in other parts of the valley than in others.

If you need help building a strategy, contact us at 602-456-9388.