The Green Cleaning Tip for January 2018 is contributed thanks to Going Green House Cleaning. We use their services for our listings and recommend them for our clients.

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Happy New Year!

The holiday season has come and gone and the time has come to embrace the new year.

The new year brings a fresh start and the opportunity to set new goals and motivations for the year ahead. Yet somehow, this fresh feeling that we “feel” doesn’t always relay in to how our lives and homes look coming out of the hectic holiday season. We may feel renewed, but our surroundings may relay a different story. So how can we make our home feel the same way we do? Well, Going GreenHouse is here to help with our first green cleaning tip of 2018 (can you believe it?!?!).

Fridge:

After tossing old holiday leftovers, wipe the shelves and door with a microfiber cloth and an all-purpose cleaner made with plant-based ingredients. Pull your fridge out from the wall and unplug it. Then use your vacuum’s brush tool to gently clean the coils. (If your fridge has a removeable grille in the front, unsnap or unscrew it to get to the coils from the front of the fridge.)

Oven:

Corrosive chemicals in oven cleaners can cause breathing difficulty or skin irritation. Fortunately, you can make a surprisingly effective oven cleaner with a paste of ½ cup of baking soda, 1 tablespoon of dish soap, and water (about the consistency of toothpaste). Rub the paste into whatever holiday leftovers are lingering on the walls and bottom of your oven. Leave it for 5 minutes, then wipe clean with a wet rag or microfiber. To reach the back of the oven, wrap the microfiber around a spatula or long-handled spoon, this will help you reach those hard-to-get areas.

Windows:

Window cleaners may contain ingredients like ammonia and  isopropyl alcohol that may irritate your lungs. To remove gunk without these ingredients, rub a dollop of mayonnaise onto sticky spots from window decals and scrape with a plastic spatula (never use a razor blade, which can scratch the glass) use a plant-based all purpose or glass cleaner on the frame, ledge, and hardware and wipe clean. Then spray the cleaner on a microfiber cloth and wipe the window top to bottom in a “Z” pattern in order to prevent streak marks and create consistency.

Vent covers:

In addition to choosing cleaners with low levels of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), cleaning your vent covers is an easy way to help protect your home’s indoor air quality. Get rid of dust bunnies and allergens by unscrewing vent covers and placing them in a sink filled with hot water and a squirt of dish soap. Wipe the covers carefully with a microfiber, dry, and replace.

Carpet:

Carpet can trap (and hold) dust, dirt, pet dander, and allergens. To freshen and deodorize your carpet, you don’t need special cleaners — just sprinkle baking soda on the entire area and let it sit for at least an hour (the longer, the better). Vacuum it up and repeat if needed.

Although keeping a clean home can seem like a never-ending task, these are a few items that will help you get the new year started on the right foot! Don’t forget, if you need an extra hand, Going GreenHouse LLC is here to be of service! Happy New Year!

As part of a larger strategic plan to raise awareness around climate change and public health, the Maricopa County Department of Public Health is launching the Climate and Health Champions Recognition Program.  They are seeking nominations for youth, individual community members, businesses, and organizations in the county, who are taking action to improve health in the face of a changing climate.

You may know some ideal candidates for these awards, and we’d love to hear about them.  The county is circulating this announcement to our existing community partners.

The Climate and Health Champion Awards recognize local youth, individuals, businesses, and organizations that are taking steps toward implementing sustainable solutions, eco-friendly practices, or policies aimed at improving health and/or improving health equity (through elimination of economic or social barriers to health) that are at risk of climate-sensitive hazards.

Climate-sensitive hazards are exposures such as poor air quality, heat, flooding, drought, wildfires, dust storms, vector-borne disease, etc. that put people’s heath at risk and are influenced by local- to global-scale climate change.

Here are some examples of what eligible projects might include:

• water collection/distribution to address high summer temperatures
• water conservation to address the potential for drought and water scarcity
• school or community garden building
• tree planting to increase shade or combat air pollution
• community cleanup/beautification to encourage walking or biking
• composting or recycling programs that reduce landfill trash
• energy conservation
• trip reduction and hybrid fleet programs
• assisting vulnerable populations (children and older adults, individuals with physical/cognitive impairment, individuals living in poverty, individuals experiencing homelessness, etc.) with adapting to climate change

2032 N Alvarado

We have four new listings coming up this month to kick off the new year.

So, this is just a teaser. We will get you the full new listings as soon as we go live on the MLS. Watch our Facebook page or our listings page on this website for announcements, as they happen.

First, we will present a 1928, 3,500 sqft estate in the Alvarado historic district. That’s between Central and 3rd St at about Monte Vista. This home has a deep history in Phoenix along with incredible details and beautiful features which we will be proud to present. It will list next week at $1,050,000.

You will definitely be hearing more about this one soon.

FQ Story Bungalow Coming Soon!

Second, we will present a 2br/2ba, 1,100 sqft charming bungalow in the FQ Story Historic Neighborhood. This 1931 home has all that you would hope from a property in FQ Story, including historic built-ins, wood floors and easy accessibility to all the fun downtown. Final list price is TBA. Watch for this listing at the end of the month.

Town Homes on 3rd for that downtown lifestyle.

Third, and also at the end of the month, we will present a beautiful 1,700 sqft, 2br/2.5ba property at Townhomes on 3rd. This development was the previous town home project completed by local developer Matt Seaman in 2015. These properties have their own garage parking, with beautiful appliances and views of downtown lights. This property is about 200 yards from the Gold Spot Market. Final list price TBA.

Last, but not least, I am listing my very own 3br/1ba, 1,362 sqft property in the Garfield neighborhood. I am specifically pricing this home for those who want to renovate their own space –rather than investors– because I believe in supporting creative, owner-occupying renovators in a neighborhood that I love.

I purchased this home in 2006 and I’ve put over $50,000 in to it since then. I updated the landscaping, paint, porch, kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms –which could use a touch up. But, I also added a new roof, blown-in insulation, tankless water heater, a foam roof over the master bedroom, historic double-hung windows and other historic touches. This property is coming on the market this week at $265,000.

The market is hopping right now. So, if you need some help finding the right property, or help selling your home, please call us at 602-456-9388.

Green Cleaning Tip for December 2017 is contributed thanks to Going Green House Cleaning. We use their services for our listing and recommend them for our clients.

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I’m dreaming of a GREEN Christmas…

The holiday season is upon us! Holiday parties have commenced, baking is in order, shoppers are shopping, and our agendas are filling up quickly. Last month we discussed how to get our homes holiday-ready and what better way to embrace the holiday hullabaloo than to discuss the topic of resourcefulness.

It is a season of abundance. An abundance of savory dishes and delectable treats. An abundance of tree lots lining the streets. An abundance of wrapping paper, ribbons, and boxes. An abundance of family and friends. Joy and cheer abound. These are all things to embrace and for which to be thankful.

Now think a little bigger. Pull back the curtains, if you will, on the topic of resourcefulness. Take a moment to think of all the boxes, bags, wrapping paper, tissue, and paper products in general that we consume during the holidays. According to a Stanford University study, Americans create an extra 1 million tons of garbage each week from thanksgiving to New Years. It is hard to fathom, isn’t it? This month we are going to step away from the cleaning side of “going green” and instead focus on what it can look like to conserve, because ‘Tis the season…right?

Wrapping paper.

We are all guilty of tearing open holiday gifts without thinking twice. I remember, as a child, watching my mother carefully popping off the tape from gifts and slowly unwrapping. At the time, the anticipation of seeing what was inside had me beside myself. Hurry, hurry, open it! Then I would watch as she carefully folded the paper and set it aside. How obserd. Or is it? You see, what she was doing was saving the paper to reuse down the road. How many rolls of half-used of wrapping paper do you have in your home? Consider this. What if we all made a point of reusing boxes, saving ribbons, and saving wrapping paper? Another way to be environmentally conscious is to purchase recycled wrapping paper or use old newspapers, for a classic twist.

Holiday cards.

It is pleasant to think that we all have boxes upon boxes of every holiday card, from every family, that we have ever received. However, the reality is that a lot of cards end up in the trash, at some point. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Keeping this in mind, consider using cards made out of recycled paper or avoiding buying cards with glossy, shiny, or foil coatings since they cannot be recycled.

Re-Gifting.

Speaking of abundance, what about the idea of re-gifting? Yes, this may sound offensive. However, think of all the gifts this year that will remain unused and untouched. Or the old clothes and toys that will be replaced and end up in the back of some closet, somewhere. Instead of allowing the clutter to build in your home, consider re-gifting or giving back to your community. Too many times old toys and clothes are simply thrown in to the trash and put to waste. Instead of giving in to convenience, be proactive and give your surplus to a local charity, thrift store, family in need, or, well, your sister-in-law for that matter. There are a myriad of ways  to give back this holiday season.

Opportunities to be resourceful are all around us. Sometimes we just need to take the opportunity and commit to doing our part in making a difference. From our Going GreenHouse to yours, Happy Holidays!

The December Market Update comes at a time when we are seeing a lot of interest in listing homes. We seem to be getting a new call or email every few days from people who want to list in the new year.

Does this mean that we are in a bubble? I don’t know. See last month’s Market Update to see why I think the market could be turning a little in 2018.

The Arizona Republic reported last week that we are definitely NOT in a housing bubble right now.

I agree.

But that does not mean that there won’t be a correction. First, we are not in a bubble because (1) we are not seeing unrestrained debt-loading like we did in 2004-2007 and (2) there is still a strong demand for new housing, especially in CenPho where there is hardly any new owner-occupied construction.

Second, a correction does not necessarily mean that the market will plummet by 30%, as it did in the last decade.

What it means is that homes are priced a little too high. Again, see last month’s analysis for more on that.

My gut tells me there could be a 2% to 5% correction in 2018.

I could be wrong. I’ll admit it if I am.

The important thing to keep in mind is that we need to look at your specific case.

For instance, if you purchased a home three years ago and you are thinking of selling, it might be a good time. If there is a market adjustment in 2018, prices could be back to 2015 levels by the end of the year. Then you may have to wait another two years to sell.

If you purchased a home in 2009, you are in a great place to sell, as prices have come so far since then.

If you are thinking of purchasing, you may want to wait –unless you are in a position that any savings you have during a slight market downturn are eaten up by further renting while you wait for that correction to bottom out.

Give us a call at 602-456-9388 to analyze your specific situation.

In my capacity as a fan-boy of the Phoenix Public Works Department’s efforts to create a circular economy, I figured it would be a good time to talk about hazardous waste.

Try to suppress that yawn. This is actually pretty cool stuff to think about.

I know, its not Game of Thrones, but its pretty interesting to see the lengths the city goes to in order to make this a cleaner place. Plus, it is super-duper important that we recycle more in Phoenix. This is especially true of hazardous waste.

For virtually zero dollars, you can recycle used computer bits and used up batteries (which have lots of rare earth metals in them), old paint (a petroleum product), CFL light bulbs (which have trace amounts of lead in them) and those nasty chemicals that have been sitting under your sink for most of your adult life.

Here’s a cool little video on how recycling computers, batteries and old phones can help reduce how much we have to mine for expensive rare earth metals in the future.

And, here’s a mostly-unrelated video on how you can reduce your carbon footprint by choosing slower shipping for those Christmas gifts you purchase on line. (I couldn’t help myself.)

The best part is that this gives you an opportunity to clear out all those drawers and cupboards that you’ve been avoiding for years.

So, its really simple to do.

First, look at this link to see when and where the next hazardous waste collection event is going to happen.

Second, fill your car with the items that can be accepted at the collection events. Here’s a link for that.

Third, grab a copy of your last water bill and go to the collection site. (I forgot my bill last time. Don’t do this. The staff looks at you with that “Really? You couldn’t remember that one thing?” if they ask you for the bill and you don’t have it.)

When you get there, you will see a huge array of city staff directing cars, pulling things out of cars and separating out different hazardous items. Its odd at first, because you are not supposed to get out of your car. They want to just pick up the items out of your trunk, or wherever.

Its like a valet service for all those old items you did not know what to do with since George Bush was president.

So, there you go. Its easy to do on the way to a Saturday hike. Plus, it makes you feel all warm inside for doing your duty to family, city and the environment.

New to the Get Your PHX website is an instant CMA for your home, or Comparable Market Analysis.

It is simple. Just put in your address and we will do a real analysis for you (no automated, impersonal robots here). Then we can get together and refine that Comparable Market Analysis to account for specifics of your property and your neighborhood.

This is a good time to add a note about the estimates that you can get from those mega sites like Zillow, Realtor.com and Trulia.

They are wildly inaccurate in my experience. Let’s just put it on the table. Because these sites don’t have access to every Multi-Listing Service around the country, they depend on assessor records and property tax records. Property taxes are a reflection of assessors estimates of values, not of sales information.

In fact, there is an on-going debate about what impact these estimates are having on home owners. Here’s an article on the issue from a couple years ago.

Fun fact: Zillow calls them “zestimates” because they can’t legally call it an estimate. We agents can’t even call it an estimate. Unless I am an appraiser, I can only give you a comparative market analysis, or a “comp.” If you want more accurate analysis, let us do a Comparable Market Analysis for you, which is based on the actual Multi-listing Service in Phoenix –not some algorithm based on property tax records.

Another fun fact: Zillow, Realtor.com and Trulia are not in business to help you find a home or sell a home. They are in business to sell realtors like me ad space for folks like you to see while you are on their websites.

Call us at 602-456-9388 for quality analysis and more fun facts.

Here’s some news about a Grand Canyon University Buyer Closing Cost Discount.

We work with many mortgage brokers and we have a handful who are our favorites.

While we always encourage you to shop around, even among our favorite brokers, we wanted to share the following program from one of them, Matt Smith of Wallack and Volk.

Here’s the deal. If you have ever worked at, are currently enrolled at or are an alumnus from GCU, you may qualify for this program, which could save you a couple thousand dollars on closing costs when you purchase a home.

If you have any friends or family members who are affiliated with GCU, you may also qualify for it as well by merely knowing that person who is connected to GCU.

This program offers substantial Mortgage and Real Estate discounts to employees, students and alumni along with their extended families and friends, when using the services of Wallick & Volk Mortgage Bank as well as the program’s selected Real Estate Agents and Title Providers.  These discounts can be used when purchasing, selling or refinancing a home.

DISCOUNTS OFFERED TO AFFILIATES OF GCU

**MORTGAGE DISCOUNTS**

When working with MATT SMITH of Wallick & Volk Mortgage Bank, borrowers will receive a $1,295 credit covering processing and underwriting fees.  *When using a down payment assistance program, the buyer will receive either the lender credit of $1,295 or the down payment assistance grant (whichever is of greater value).

**REAL ESTATE DISCOUNTS**

When working with Ken Clark and Michelle Conley of the Get Your PHX Team, a buyer or seller will receive a discount paid at the closing from their commission of between $700 to $1,000 to be used towards their closing costs when purchasing or selling a home.  Ken and Michelle will provide the discount in the following way:

*For homes priced at $150,000 or below, Ken and Michelle will pay $700 from their commission toward the closing costs.

*For homes from $150,001 – $199,999, Ken and Michelle will pay $800 from their commission toward closing costs.

*For homes priced at $200,000 and above, Ken and Michelle will pay $1,000 from their commission toward closing costs.

**TITLE DISCOUNTS**

With our chosen title company, a buyer or seller will receive a special negotiated rate, which allows a 20% discount off the standard escrow rates.  *We cannot guarantee that this chosen title company will be used in all purchase transactions. 

NOTE: We tell all of our favorite brokers that we encourage our clients to speak with at least three brokers before choosing one. For a list of our favorite brokers, please call Ken at 602-456-9388.