In just the last week I’ve planted 24 trees, simply by switching my search engine to Ecosia. Seems crazy, but you can plant trees while you search the web to see what your high school sweetheart is up to or when you search for the menu at the new swanky restaurant downtown.

And, folks. We need to plant a lot of trees if we are going to mitigate climate change. Like billions and billions.

It is not the only solution. We all can do more to buy less junk, support policies that encourage green energy or choose energy efficiency.

After all, we’ve de-forested a third of the planet over the last 100 years, and more than that in the United States, alone.

We need the help of those luscious green carbon munchers to soaking up the extra CO2 we humans have let in to the atmosphere.

This short video will explain how it works. In a nutshell, Ecosia takes the pennies earned from millions of web searches, which would otherwise go to web marketing companies, and they purchase & plant trees with partners all over the world.

You load the app in to your browser and it tracks it for you. They have a counter under the search bar that tracks the millions of trees they’ve already planted.

The key in a plan like this, of course, is to make certain the trees are planted in areas where they will actually grow and, hopefully, contribute to stabilizing the soil and supporting reforestation. The Ecosia team has relationships all over the world to make certain this is done, and done right.

I heard about it and figured, “Heck. I’ve run out of room in my yard for trees. Might as well.”

Please join me on July 13th to meet the RCV team — the amazing people behind an effort to bring Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) to Arizona.

Please RSVP at this link. It is being held at The Grand in downtown Phoenix. If you’ve never been to this bar/coffee shop, you are missing out. The owner used to be a set designer for Andy Warhol, and it shows in the beautifully eccentric choices he makes.

You know me. I’m always talking about reforms that could make our great country even more responsive to its people, and that truly can help heal our divides.

This is a non-partisan. In fact, it would help increase voices of those who are not part of any political party.

If you want to know more about RCV, have a look at this blog post or even this one that I did some time ago.

There won’t be any big push for money. Just a little.

The real purpose here is to build our friends and supporters –you know, like any good movement should.

You will not only learn how RCV works, but this group’s plans to bring RCV to Arizona. We are working one small town at a time to build the support, from the ground up.

I hope to see you there!

The heat is cranking up and you are thinking of where you might escape. Before you go, have a look at our August Coming Soon. Be sure to check out our listings at this link.

Coming soon in August: Shady Condos in the Nonpareil Condo Community

We are preparing two possible listings in this well-known and regarded mid-century condo complex at 11th Ave and Osborn.

One is a 850sf, 1br/1ba condo in the shady atrium of the condo complex.

The owner is currently preparing it for sale and we expect it to be ready in mid-July.

Price is to be determined, but we are confident it will sell quickly, as there are few nice properties under $300,000 in greater Central Phoenix.

The second is a 1,108sf, 2br/1.75 ba property that over-looks the expansive grass and tree-filled grounds. We expect this property to be at or below $300,000.

Its balcony is shaded most of the year by a beautiful old tree and the interior was updated when the owners purchased the unit not too long ago.

We don’t usually alert the public until the listings are about to come on the market. (Don’t want to jinx it, you know.) But we are excited about these.

First, we’ve sold several properties in this community. I even used to own one there.

Second, there is such a shortage of affordable properties in Phoenix, that we are happy to help some deserving buyer find a place of their own.

Back on the Market. 18427 N 36th Ln, Glendale 85308. 2br/2ba, 1,283sf. $375,000

Our sellers on this property are responding to shifts in the market. They updated the flooring and paint, and it is back on the market.

It’s difficult to find a home under $400,000 these days. So, this is an affordable option in this challenging market.

It boasts a large master suite with sliding doors leading to the large covered patio. The patio will make a shady space for relaxing or gardening.

The yard is beautifully landscaped, irrigated, and includes a sliding RV gate for your fun toys. The two-car attached garage includes a plethora of additional storage cabinets, and a workbench to fix the aforementioned toys.

The home includes a newer roof and security shutters. It is close enough to the I-17 and the loop 101 to be convenient, but far enough away so that you can enjoy a quiet neighborhood.

Donna Reiner has written many articles over the years for the Arizona Republic and others about Phoenix history and memorials.  She is a regular contributor to our newsletter. This month, Donna tells us about the many bits of evidence of the various FDR public works efforts, like the WPA, hidden around the city in plain view.

During the Great Depression, FDR along with Congress created a number of programs to help put the unemployed back to work. Arizona was one of those states which received the benefits from many of those programs. You may be familiar with some of these programs or at least their products: Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC); Works Progress Administration (WPA); WPA Arts Project (WRAAP); Farm Security Administration (FSA); and, Public Works Administration (PWA). And all these initials can get confusing.

I suspect that the most familiar agency and its works is the WPA. Who hasn’t seen sidewalks marked WPA and a date while walking in Phoenix or a lot of other communities across the country? You can also find them on the curbs. Be sure to look the next time you are walking in say Coronado Historic District or along east Van Buren.

But the WPA also was instrumental in development of some of the infrastructure of our parks. For instances, the WPA built the bathhouse for the pool at Coronado Park and the bandshell and the clubhouse at Encanto Park. Upgrades were also made to Grant Park and Eastlake Park.

Perhaps South Mountain Park, though, received the most attention in the area of parks. The CCC went into action building roads and trails, ramadas, lookout shelters, and erosion control structures. The next time you visit the park, notice the rock entrance station. And did you know that there was a CCC campsite in the park?

Government buildings arose too. Which ones? The 1938 addition to the Arizona Capitol, the Post Office at Central and Fillmore, the grandstand at the State Fairgrounds, and the old adobe National Guard Arsenal in Papago Park. Many of these buildings also sport some beautiful art work. Then there were schools such as Phoenix College buildings on the new campus and North High School to meet the needs of the exploding enrollment at Phoenix Union High School, and improvements for Alhambra School.

But there are two projects that most Phoenicians do not know: Phoenix Homesteads and Camelback Farms. Only one still exists.

Phoenix Homesteads, sponsored by the Resettlement Administration, was a type of public housing on lots which were large enough that they allowed the residents to have gardens and small farm animals that could feed the residents making them self-sufficient. Today Phoenix Homesteads, a unique historic district with 45 homes between 26^th – 28^th streets and Thomas and Osborn roads, appears as an oasis in our desert environment.

About a half-mile north of Phoenix Homesteads was Camelback Farms along Indian School Road and 27^th Street. The 84-acre property sponsored by the Farm Security Administration (FSA) was operated as a co-op and training facility with 35 homes and a community center. There were several other such FSA co-ops in the valley. Camelback Farms had a dairy. But all things come to an end. In April 1945, the acreage went up for sale and today it is covered with houses.

The following link will help you discover other places throughout the state.

Y’all know I’m not prone to hyperbole when it comes to market analysis. So, when I say “sell now if you can,” I’m not exaggerating.

I’m tempted to do build one of those click bait lists, like “5 reasons why you should sell now.”

But, that’s about as much my style about as sporting a purple mohawks.

Without over-stating the issue, however, there are some well-considered reasons why this is a good time.

First, we’ve not seen a steep plunge in the Cromford Index since 2005, just before the Great Recession.

Have a look at this chart. It was created in 2018, so it does not show the current trend. But, the key thing to look at is that time in 2004-05 when the Cromford Index was tanking, but home prices were still going up.

And, it was starting to go back up in 2007, even while home prices were going down. Then down again in 2013.

The Index is the best predictor of market activity that I’ve ever seen.

Have a look at where we sit now.

What you are seeing here is inventory going up and prices stabilizing. Given low consumer confidence, raising interest rates and the role of faceless investors in the market, prices are more likely to go down next.

Second, sell now or chase prices downward.

Chasing prices downward happens when buyers back out or don’t even make offers because they think prices are doing down.

I’m not convinced that a recession is inevitable. But it almost does not matter if the public thinks it’s coming. Buyers are holding out and waiting. We are hearing more about sellers who have dropped their prices. Some are even beginning to chase the market downward, having priced too high when they listed.

The real estate market changes direction more akin to an aircraft carrier than a stock market. So, while the Cromford Index may tank, it will take a couple months for prices to flatten and drop. That’s your window to sell, because it takes at least 30 days to sell a home –even if you price wisely for the market and get a buyer right away.

And, don’t forget: we are probably going to see another interest rate increase soon.

Third, we don’t know how long this will last.

That same aircraft carrier analogy applies here. Look at that long-term graph again. After a market drop, it can take a while for the market to find equilibrium again.

So, if you don’t sell now and price aggressively you may be carrying the cost of that property for another two or three years.

Fourth, the market needs your property.

If you are holding an investment property, consider for a moment that we have dropping rates of home ownership for reasons I’ve covered here. There are a lot of families out there who are aching for the opportunity to build their own long-term wealth and stability through home ownership. That’s good for all of us.

Your property could be that hope for somebody.

Call us if you’d like to build a strategy at 602-456-9388.