Will you join Phoenix Mayor Stanton and Shine Coffee in giving urban Phoenix more shade, a hip pocket park right off Central and Vernon?

Watch the Kickstarter Pocket Park video below and hear why Mayor Stanton, Kimber Lanning, Kirby Hoyt, Aaron Kimberlin, and myself are all supporting this pocket park and why you’ll want to join in this urban Phoenix success story.

The amazing landscape architect Kirby Hoyt is designing the park and is contributing his services for free. The fundraiser tally is below and updated in real time. It’s easy to think 10 days is like two weeks, but it’s much less: just a week and a half. Will you help them reach their goal and give Vernon Avenue a pocket park of shade, that it might inspire others in Phoenix to make pocket parks, too?

If you want to buy or sell, or you’d like to meet me at Shine Coffee for a cup a joe and a glimpse of the future pocket park made possible by your Kickstarter contribution, please give me a call at 602-456-9388 or email me at ken@getyourphx.com.

I’d like to introduce you to my friend Christy McClendon. She’s the VP of Programs for New Pathways for Youth, a non-profit organization located in the Garfield district of downtown Phoenix.

Christy is in charge of overall strategic and operational responsibility for the programs at New Pathways for Youth.  Her passion in the role comes from having been a child mentor for 8+ years. She understands the power of mentoring youth in need and the abundant opportunities to help them become their best self.

I believe that there are no bad kids.  Unfortunately, however, some youth have lesser opportunities than their more advantaged peers. Through mentoring, caring adults can transform lives by exposing youth to opportunities they  may not otherwise have to be successful in school and life.” ~ Christy McClendon

There’s over 100 Phoenix valley youth on waiting lists. They’re hoping and praying for adult mentors to enter their lives and guide them towards positive and bright futures. You remember what the years between 6^th grade and being a senior in High School were like, right? An adult like you being a consistent, dedicated, non-family member in their life can make all the difference. The flip side is also true: an energetic and wide-eyed youth looking to you for guidance and support as they make their way in the world can make a huge difference in your life as well.

 Join me on November 8^th, 2013 for the New Pathways for Youth Fundraising event: Date for a Cause, and help us raise $20,000 for this worthy cause. It will be a fun and informative evening dedicated to making a powerful impact on the future of Valley Youth, and your life as well! With programs for both elementary and high school students, wonderful youth of all ages are waiting to be matched with you. Please forward this invitation. I look forward to seeing you on Nov 8th.

Please visit the DATE FOR A CAUSE website to learn more

If you want to buy or sell your home, or ask me why I’m going to the New Pathways for Youth fundraiser on the 8th, please give me a call at 602-456-9388 or email me at ken@getyourphx.com

Ben Bethel, one of the most visionary hotel owners in the United States, has done it again. 

On the first weekend in September 20+ Phoenix artists will collide with The Clarendon Hotel to form ARTELPHX.

We’re turning The Clarendon Hotel and Spa into a living art exhibition with dozens of artists featuring performance art, building projections, a laser tunnel, dance, and the conversion of hotel rooms into art exhibits.  It’s going to be truly amazing.” ~ Ben Bethel, Owner+General Manager

Bethel knows a fair bit about innovative concepts like this. He’s been declared “America’s Most Innovative Hotelier” by Hotel Business and “One of ’10 to Watch’ ” by the International HotelWorld Conference. With preference given to artist pop-up art that includes innovative designs and multi-media installations, and with many featuring live performances, sound, and video, and exterior projections going into the mix, this is an event not to be missed.

And before you tell your friends about this great event, don’t forget to mention that in the next few weeks, The Clarendon is getting a new spa. Is this a big deal, you ask? It’s so sweet, this new spa, that Bethel is changing the Hotel’s name to The Clarendon Hotel and Spa.

The full-service spa features five treatment rooms, including three
treatment rooms large enough for romantic couples massages.  Guests
can elect to have their services performed in one of The Clarendon Hotel and Spa’s poolside cabanas, gorgeously located next to the 60 foot-wide, glass, water wall, or on the rooftop SkyDeck overlooking the city skyline and surrounding mountain ranges. Tod Miller, the founder of Beyond Massage Therapy, is their Spa Director. He’s been featured on “Shark Tank” and “The Doctors”, has competed in several dozen Triathlons and specializes in something called BodyWalking.  The Spa is open from 9am to 6pm daily, but all services are available 24 hours a day.

The final unveiling of the Artel Phx exhibit at The Clarendon Hotel and Spa is scheduled for…

When:

Exclusive V.I.P. Preview –
Thursday, Sept 5, 2013 – 7pm to 10pm

Public Unveiling –
Friday/Saturday, Sept 6 & 7, 2013 – 7pm to 10pm.

Where

401 W Clarendon Avenue, Phoenix 85013

If you want to buy or sell, please give me a call at 602-456-9388 or email me at ken@getyourphx.com.

Special thanks to Brad and Kat Moore of Short Leash and Sit…Stay, the restaurant for hosting such a fun Get Your PHX event in August –the Dog Days of Summer. Yes, I said it.

Thanks, also to all of our Get Your PHX Free Raffle contributors: Donna Reiner, Lisa Olson of Practical Art, Har Pal Khalsa and Ben Bethel of the Clarendon Hotel and Spa.

We are all very excited about having our next Get Your PHX at The Vig Fillmore. (Can you say “Bocce Ball”?)

Its been a long-time coming, the talk of the town –and we’ve been watching with anticipation. The fact that the owners of The Vig Arcadia and The Vig Uptown are opening their third venture, The Vig Fillmore should be seen as beautiful news.

Restaurant owners typically do a great deal of research before they open. They know where the people will be, they know where the rooftops are coming. They know something that not many people know. In this case, they  know that there are plans a-plenty for new housing development in the lower Roosevelt historic district. This is going to be great for urban density and walkability.

We all know the history of this corner of 4th Ave and Fillmore. I first remember it as a garden shop. That sold and became Palette, a very popular brunch spot. That closed and became Local Breeze, which had a hard time from the very beginning.

I am excited that Jim Riley, owner of the Vig, is going to pull out all the stops on this project. Part of the problem with the previous incarnations was that they could not afford the level of renovation that was needed to make a fully-functional restaurant. I know that the historic preservationist among us (me included) will look forward to seeing how The Vig folks preserved our history as they renovated this property.

Vig General Manager Logan Purser and Executive Chef Jorge Gomez will be on hand to tell us about the process of renovation, as well as what they have planned for this menu. Will it differ from the menus at The Vig Arcadia and The Vig Uptown?

In my conversations with folks at The Vig Fillmore, I learned that they are putting a premium on being a part of the fabric of the neighborhood. I was pleased to hear that, as many of us downtown have seen what has happened to business owners who do not take an active role in their neighborhoods.

As downtown grows and becomes more dense, we know that communications become increasingly important –not only for sharing limited space, but also for defining what our future will look like.

Please spread the work on this event and come out to try the free samples of their new menu, as well as the drink specials.

Oh, and see below for more photos and don’t forget to RSVP on Facebook so our kind hosts can plan ahead.

How can you get FREE law services for your established Phoenix business if you’re unable to afford it?

The Delgado Law Group, PLC was just awarded—for the 3^rd time—the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the City of Phoenix (yep, just like in a previous post when we noted that an architectural firm won the grant for their free architectural services),if you’re within the City of Phoenix you just might qualify as one of a few firms to get their law services for free.

“The CDBG grant allows my firm to provide entrepreneurs and small businesses located in Phoenix with business legal services, including but not limited to, business formation and planning, contract drafting and compliance, commercial real estate, trademarks, employer/employee relations, and other legal services relating to day to day business operations.” ~ Jennifer Delgado

Why was the Delgado Law Group selected for this grant?

In 2009 and 2011 they were also awarded the grant to provide legal services to low/moderate income business owners through the City’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. Because of how well the Delgado Law Group provided their clients in the program with individual attention, integrity, efficiency and commitment, the City then awarded Jennifer’s firm with the Economic Development Award of Excellence in 2011.

How can you take advantage of the CDBG Grant and put these community-driven lawyers at Delgado Law Group to work for you?

Follow these steps:

1. Contact the Delgado Law Group at (602) 821 – 7461 or reach Jennifer Delgado directly – jrd@delgadolawgroup.com
2. Give them your business address and/or household income stated on last year’s tax returns and they’ll see if you’re a qualified participant.
3. Note that you must intend to hire people and that the program is not available for non-profits or churches. However, the program is flexible and is sincerely looking for people who really need the help.
4. Delgado Law Group will give you a CDBG application.
5. Fill it out and they’ll make a determination of whether your business qualifies.
6. If approved, Delgado Law Group will provide all legal services and associated costs free of charge.

The principal of Delgado Law Group, Jennifer Delgado, received her undergraduate degree with honors from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1996, and her law degree from Boston College Law School in 2000. She is a member of both the Business Law and Real Property Law sections of the Arizona State Bar and is licensed to practice before the Arizona Supreme Court, the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Ms. Delgado sits on the Board of Directors of Roosevelt Row Community Development Corporation and is a past president of the organization.  The firm is also a charter member of Local First Arizona, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting independently owned local businesses in Arizona.

If you want to buy or sell a home, be ye a Lawyer yay or nay, please give me a call at 602-456-9388 or email me at ken@getyourphx.com.

Jump back to late 2010. At an urban infill site on the south end of downtown Phoenix, designer and visionary Vincenz Saccento has just installed three multi-units of his shiny, silver, boxes:  called V100 Modboxes. Watch this 3-min video produced at the time. Be awed. Be inspired. Be proud of these inventive Phoenicians. Then keep reading.

Did you watch the video?

Now hear this: From Get Your PHX, I bring August 2013 news of what has not been publically known until this very moment…

In the video you saw, you learned that the V100 Modbox can be constructed in just few days by people with no technical training. Well, get this. In my conversation with designer Vincenz Saccento last week, he told me something not previously announced to the public:

A full modbox can now be constructed in just 7 hours, by a single person, with no tools, and zero prior building experience!

That’s right. Seven hours. Still with no nails, screwdrivers, or hammers required. No screws, nails, or wood.  This baby is high-tech structural, aviation and aerospace materials that a school teacher or college student could build. But wait, there’s more!

That’s right, folks. When the last article about V100 Modbox was published in 2010 by Blue Vertical Media, the 2010 material for the walls was 4″ thick.

That’s the thickness of the walls in which Vincenz lives, today. They exceed the standards for LEED Platinum certification (meaning that out of 100 possible points in categories of the sustainability of the site, water efficiency, energy & atmosphere, materials & resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation in operations, the V100 Modbox far surpasses this rating).

So those 4″ walls are maybe an R35 insulation rating. He then showed me a piece of the wall for the next incarnation they’re building with today:

It’s 5/8 of one inch thick! Much less expensive. AND…

It’s like an R-zero rating. It could be 3000 degrees outside and that heat’s not getting through,” said Saccento.

The neighborhood in this hugely rundown area of town has been changing for the better since the V100 Modbox came here. Attitudes are changing. Neighbors are cleaning up outside their homes. Surprisingly, nobody has graffitied the Modboxes.

More of the same?

The “shimmery 10’x10‘x10’ boxes” are ready to go. Vincenz Saccento could have 100 of them ready in a month, if an order asked for them. But that’s not what he’s preparing to do next. He’s got his sites on a pop-up mall.

You go to an empty piece of land for 3-5 years and put in coffee, breakfast, lunch, bar, working/co-working space. Maybe it’s 40ft x 40ft x 20 ft.” ~ Vincenz

I heard last year that 2011 was the first year since the 1940s that more people moved in to urban cores than moved out. Well, I was wrong. It was the 1880s!

Check out this article from the Daily Mail about the book called The End of the Suburbs: Where the American Dream is Moving, which maintains this point.

I’ve seen this anecdotally for a while now, as I help people who want to live more centrally. They are tired of the commute, the empty neighborhoods and “lack of cultural amenities.”

It is difficult to prove that this is represented in the housing market in Phoenix, but we agents see it. Below is a little bit of information that sheds some light on what it means to live in an urban core now. Notice that two major central Phoenix zip codes lost less of their value than most other zip codes in the study.

I stand by my position that density equals security and prosperity –at least for a couple generations, I hope!

To learn more about specific neighborhoods, please give me a call at 602-456-9388.

Special thanks to Stefano Fabbri of ‘Pomo Pizzeria Napoletano for hosting the July Get Your PHX. I think Stefano and master chef/co-owner Mateo have made a huge Italian splash in downtown.

I’m excited to announce what many of you have been waiting for and probably already know —Brad and Kat Moore of Short Leash food truck have now also opened Sit…Stay, the restaurant. Whom in Phoenix hasn’t had a Short Leash hot dog? Maybe you’ve had an Igby Dog at the Willo Home Tour. Maybe you’ve had the Moki at Food Truck Fridays. Maybe, if you were really lucky, you had a Costanza Dog, which appears only once a year at Phoestivus.

So, if they are so ubiquitous, why do we need to do a Get Your PHX there? Well, we are for several reasons. First, Brad and Kat have been huge supporters of local businesses (check out the list on their website of locally-owned vendors that they buy from) and we want to thank them.

Second, they will share their story and answer questions  –how often do you get a chance to interrogate a successful local start-up like this?

Third, Brad and Kat are just great people and we at Get Your PHX believe that our city develops better when the local business owners get a chance to come out from behind the counter and build more relationships with we mere mortals.

Finally, they are going to give out samples!

For those of you who don’t know, Short Leash took to the streets three years ago when Brad and Kat, both tired of the work they had been doing previously. It was a running joke for years between Brad and Kat that they should start a restaurant. Brad had experience in Small Business Administration lending in the financial industry and Kat was known to be a great cook.

One day Brad made a serious proposal to open a restaurant and Kat scaled back his proposal to the more realistic food truck concept. We are happy they did it this way. We’ve seen so many restaurants fail, in part, because they tried to grow too quickly.

Brad and Kat will share a number of lessons they learned as they started and grew their business. I found something that Brad said particularly salient (as it is similarly true in real estate): “Many people get in to business and think they will park food truck on corner and a million people will come. You really have to get out and build those relationships and take a grass-roots philosophy.”

So, if you are thinking that you want to start a business in Phoenix, this is your opportunity to hear directly from an inspiring couple –while you eat some of their delicious food.

Don’t forget, of course, we will host the monthly Get Your PHX raffle. We already have one free night at the Clarendon Hotel on the list of raffle items you can win. If you own a business and you want to support our local business community by donating a prize to the raffle, please contact Ken at 602-456-9388.

Stay tuned on Facebook for more raffle items and updates.

You have an established business in Phoenix and you need architectural services for a new building or rehab structure, but you can’t afford it.

What do you do?

If you’re aware that the architectural firm C&H Associates—informally known as Abraham James, Patrick Hallman and Weldon Alexander—just won (for the second year in a row, mind you) the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the City of Phoenix (in conjunction with HUD), you just might qualify within the City of Phoenix, as one of a few firms to get their architectural services they need for free.

The last time C&H Associates were awarded the CDBG was in 2011, and they were able to help Jobot Coffee, the Firehouse Gallery, and the Canvas site (Pallet restaurant and the former Scratch restaurant) on Roosevelt Row.  They also worked on an auto body shop and an electrician’s office.

When Patrick, Walden, and Abraham were originally presented with the RFP and the opportunity to work with low to moderate-income clients within the city of phoenix, they knew it was perfect for them since they were basically already doing what was required to apply for the grant.

Wow, this is what we do. We have done this before, who better to do this than us. This is our clientele. ~ Abraham James

Despite eight other firms pursuing the CDBG Grant in 2011, C&H Associates were selected by the City of Phoenix as the only architectural firm in the program. Here we are in 2013, and the architects with a passion for bringing LEED certified architectural help to those who could not otherwise afford it—and a passion for urban farming, to boot—have again been selected by the City with the honor of passing on the rewards of the CDBG Grant to a few qualifying businesses.

This year, the guys expect to help [insert the number of] businesses with the funds they’ve been provided by the grant.

We are currently in discussions with a beauty salon, a bakery, a food preparation kitchen, and doctors office about their qualifications for CDBG funding and the potential of their projects. There are so many considerations which go into a project before starting. We are looking at every material from the ground up [with the objective] in mind to have beauty, energy savings and affordability. We like to believe that by outlining a framework of those components, we are even helping those who ultimately decide to not move forward with an actual project. ~ Patrick Hallman

The CDBG program is ideal for the kind of business that is moving forward but struggling with the 5% – 10% architectural fees of their project. By example only, a $200,000 project may have architectural fees in the $10,000 to $20,000 range.

How can you take advantage of the CDBG Grant and put these community-driven architects to work for you?

• Understand:  The program is not for non-profits or churches, but small businesses.
• Now contact C&H Associates (602) 265-0660 or Abraham James (abrahamj (at) cox (dot) net)
• Give them your zip code and they’ll see if you’re in a qualified ‘HUD Red Zone’.
• Understand:  There are opportunities if you’re not in a red zone, but you must prove you’ve hired people. The program is flexible and is sincerely looking for people who really need the help.
• C&H Associates will give you a CDBG application.
• Fill it out and they’ll submit it to the City of Phoenix Neighborhood Service department.
• If approved, C&H will develop your proposal for other consultants who will be involved in your project.
• Understand:  This program provides the architectural services only. Other services, such as engineering and construction must be paid by the client.
• Once a client’s approved, C&H reviews a host of design services to help assess needs and give you a clear vision of what those needs are. This includes an understanding of what you can afford and options to lower your energy bills.

If you want to buy or sell a home, instead, please give me a call at 602-456-9388 or email me at ken@getyourphx.com.

The average website visitor reads from a screen at 180 words/minute. I’ve already used 15, so I better get to the point of the matter. Which is this:

The only thing that really affects our supply and demand of homes in Maricopa County is people going out of, and people coming in to, our County. ~ Tina Timboer, The Cromford Report

That’s right, folks. Migration.

There used to be other things that affected supply and demand (and we’ll get to those in part 2 of this market analysis) but not any more. Some of you are looking to buy. Some are looking to sell. After you hear what I have to share with you, you may want to rethink your plans. Or, you may find your plans are confirmed by what you learn.

Some of you may want evidence that what I’m about to tell you is certifiable and trustworthy. I’ll tell you. It’s because it comes from The Cromford Report. For those who’ve not been following my blog posts for long, you don’t know how much I admire this report. If The Cromford Report were touring like The Grateful Dead or Phish, I’d follow them around. If Ben & Jerry’s were looking for a new flavor, I’d suggest they call it ‘Cromford’. Don’t just take my word for it. Listen to what Tina Timboer, the absolute Guru of all things Cromford, has to say:

Prices will continue to go up in Maricopa County for the foreseeable future.

How do we know this? Because Michael Orr, the founder of The Cromford Report is an Oxford educated mathematician. Because he is the Director for the Real Estate Theory and Practice of ASU. Because he personally cleans up all the public record data for ASU’s Real Estate department. Because The Cromford Report does not buy/sell property, but is solely an analytical firm. Michael Orr puts together all the data at The Cromford Report. Nobody knows the real estate market better than Orr.

Let’s get back to supply and demand. You’ve been hearing a lot about interest rates and you want to know what the long-term trend will be? How will interest rates affect buying/selling homes? Next week, I’ll share what Tina had to say about the macro view on the issue of supply and demand here in Maricopa County and how we know that prices will continue to go up in the foreseeable future. Yes, because Michael Orr said so, but more importantly, it’s why he says so.

Trust me, you’ll nod your head and think, “That makes perfect sense. I should look at the macro view more frequently before I hear the news tell me the Case–Shiller Home Price Index says homes are selling for X amount nationwide. Which is just like saying the average temperature in the country is 76 degrees, but golly it’s 110 degrees in Phoenix!”

Exactly. Come back next week to hear what the supply and demand “temperature” really is in Phoenix and why.

To buy or sell, informed and with confidence, give me a call or email me at 602-456-9388 or email me at ken@getyourphx.com

  [migration photo:  Billtacular]