We could not write a blog post quickly enough! This home went under contract in the blink of an eye.

And who’s surprised! It’s a desert oasis: shady and quiet inside with beautifully-manicured landscaping outside.

There is not enough room in this post for all of the beautiful photos, so please check out our listings page here.

This home has been updated and cared for immaculately by the same owners since 1984.

The grounds are as beautifully laid out and maintained as a Japanese garden.

The dramatic front door greets you with stunning, custom stained glass.

The kitchen, updated about 10 years ago, is well-thought out with ingenious space-saving features, deep drawers and a custom pantry that is specifically designed for easy access.

The bedrooms are roomy. The bathrooms were updated with similar space-saving features about 8 years ago.

The home owners designed a back yard pool and patio area with inviting and warm light features. You will want to spend all your time there.

Also, don’t miss the work shop and the sewing room, which are convenient for any number of uses. Solar panels = ave. $40/mo.

Marshall Shore, the Hip Historian, and I visited the George Washington Carver Museum recently to consider it’s unique history, as well as to consider some of the vestiges of the terrible history of segregation that plagued our state and our country.

As as Realtor, I am troubled by the role that realtors played in red-lining in US history. Yet I am proud of the role that Realtors are playing today through the Realtor Code of Ethics to create opportunities for all people.

So, it is with the same concern for history, but pride for current efforts that we considered the Carver Museum, previously a school.

It was the site of segregation in Arizona. At the only segregated school, it was the only option for many African American students, who had to travel often for hours to gain education.

Yet from the school came artists and designers who have left a lasting impression on Arizona.

Watch this first video for Marshall’s quick review of the history of the school.

The museum and its board is now working to play a role, not only for the African American community, but as a beacon for understanding and community participation.

We also took this opportunity to consider how the school funding mechanisms in Arizona continue to disadvantage poor and minority students through the use of property taxes as a substantial funding source.

You can see that in the second video that we did on the topic.

In short, schools in areas where property values are higher are taxed less as a percentage of total home value and they generate more money, not only for maintenance and operations, but for school construction.

Further, the School Facilities board, which was intended to level the playing field for school construction, has never been fully funded.

Many people don’t know the basics of how school are funded, let alone about the base-level inequities in the system.

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.

In 1916, a group of Phoenicians came together and decided to establish a church following the tenets of the Congregational Church. And thus, by midsummer of the following year, the First Congregational Church of Phoenix was formalized and purchased some property on the northeast corner of Second Street and Willetta.

A church building was finally built on this property in 1923 in the Mission Revival Style. A style that was quite popular for homes and other small commercial buildings in Phoenix at that time.

The congregation grew and the church building began to feel the stress of being “crowded.” While the need to expand was there, the money was not. But that did not diminish the wishes of the members of the church nor the pastorate.

By the late 1930s, the congregation was ready to proceed; but the question of whether to expand the current building or build a new one arose. One voice, that of Dr. O.A. Smith, the pastor of the First Congregational Church in Nogales, supported a new style. He felt that a different and distinct style would attract the numerous Phoenix winter visitors and new residents, especially those from the Midwest and the East. He strongly proposed the New England or Colonial style for the building that now serves the congregation.

The membership agreed and plans were drawn by Harry Pierce, an architect from Los Angeles. The simplicity of the colonial exterior and interior features would stand in sharp contrast to the Mission Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival architecture so common in the nearby residences and commercial buildings.

Whether it was the design of the building that helped increased the size of the congregation may not be that significant, but it did grow. So, by 1952, the building was expanded without destroying its unique Colonial features under the direction of local architect, Harold Ekman.

However, what most Phoenicians do not realize is that the prominent steeple is not the original one designed by Pierce. Ekman designed this large feature which was completed in December 1953. Roger Brevoort, a local historian/preservationist explained, “The addition of the steeple…complet[ed] the architectural image of the classic New England meetinghouse with the tall spire that had been envisioned by the congregation, and Dr. Smith, in the 1930s.”

The progressive congregation hired Weaver and Drover, a Phoenix firm, to design a master plan for the rest of the site in 1956. What you see today with the courtyard, breezeway, and low midcentury education buildings arose from that plan.

As we covered in the last market post, it looks like the market is not heading further toward “flat”, as we were thinking at the end of 2018 and the beginning of 2019.

One indicator of that is the Contract Ratio, from the Cromford Report. The ratio measures the number of completed sales contracts relative to the supply of active listings. If this number rises then it is a sign of growing contract activity and a positive signal for sellers.

In a balanced market for normal market segments, the value of the Contract Ratio is usually between 30 and 60. When it lies below 20 the market can be considered “slow” or a “cold market”. Above 60 can be considered a “hot market” and when it moves above 100 we regard this as evidence of a “buying frenzy”.

Well, compared to what we saw happening at the end of last year and the beginning of 2019, it looks like the ratio is strengthening. That’s a good sign, especially if you need to sell.

If you look closely at the chart, you will see that January, February and March of 2019 were significantly below those months in 2018.

In the case of January, it was getting dangerously close to “cold market.”

April 2019 is certainly not where April 2018 was, but we have made up a lot of lost ground in just one month.

So, what does this mean, especially since the high season in Phoenix typically ends at the end of June?

We think that, if you’ve been holding off on listing your house out of fear of a slow market, list it now! Your advantage is stronger and your chance of selling is better.

Get it on the market in time to get an offer before things begin to slow in June, as people think more about summer vacation and staying out of the heat than they do about purchasing a home.

In other words, this is about as good a definition of “opportunity window” as you can get.

Give us a call at 602-456-9388 and we can help build a strategy.

It’s been a crazy last few months. At the end of last year, we saw signs that the market was flattening out. You might recall that the Cromford Index took a bit of a dive last year, and in to the beginning of this year.

But, around about the beginning of March, it began a healthy upward climb.

For those of you who follow our analysis, you know that the Cromford Index is a great predictor of where the market is going. It tracks a list of proprietary data, which we know includes things like price drops and seller concessions.

As such, it can confidently predict whether the seller’s advantage is slipping or gaining.

So, what does that mean?

It’s a particularly interesting question when you consider that sales price per square foot ($/SF) is still flat? According to the analysts at Cromford:

“For the monthly period ending April 15, we are currently recording a sales $/SF of $171.31 averaged for all areas and types across the ARMLS database. This is down 0.3% or 57 cents from the $171.88 we now measure for March 15. Our forecast range mid-point was $170.73, with a 90% confidence range of $167.32 to $174.14. The actual result was a little higher than the mid-point but well within the 90% confidence range.”

Part of this has to do with how long it takes houses to close. The homes that went under contract while the Index was dropping are now showing up as completed sales. To quote Cromford again:

“The average $/SF has been stronger than predicted over the last 3 months, but this was largely due to the mix of homes that closed. High end homes were better represented in January through March. The average $/SF for pending listings has fallen back a little over the last 2 months as the mix reverts closer to normal. The overall price trend continues to move higher, as is normal for the spring season, but we see April and May both lower than the March reading which was exceptionally strong.”

So, what does this mean for you? Well, if you were thinking of selling and you were concerned that your advantage was weakening, it is not.

Dire predictions of a flat market (from us, as well), were premature. Just bear in mind that “summer is coming,” and if you are selling you are better off listing before people leave for cooler climates.

If you are buying, you definitely want to get in now before prices go up. This is particularly true if you are looking in CenPho. As we’ve discussed in past blogs, the maddening pace of building of apartments and the anemic construction of owner-occupied properties in this area could create a shortage-like condition.

It is almost impossible to find a home under $300,000 in Cenpho, unless it needs major renovation. There are townhouses and condos, however.

Contact us for more information and targeted market analysis at 602-456-9388.

You may have seen my blog post about how the Chinese government decided earlier this year to stop taking recyclable materials from the US and other countries. The result being that cities all over the country are scrambling to figure out what to do with our recyclable materials.

Phoenix saw the writing on the wall and jumped right in to action to find a solution. While the ideal is re-use of materials made from petroleum, Phoenix found what seems to be a temporary solution: turning low-grade plastics in to diesel fuel.

Now, before you protest, saying that burning plastics as fuel is not a great solution, consider several points.

First, the alternative is to spend all the money to collect the plastics (which we have to do), just to throw them in the landfill. I don’t like the idea of not having a fully renewable economy, but if we are going to reach a zero waste economy by 2050, we need to keep pushing forward, despite this set-back.

Second, there are benefits to transforming materials here to diesel fuel, rather than importing them.

Third, if we are lucky, perhaps the same policy makers at the state level who make it harder for us to collect recycling at the city level will change their minds once they see how we could be generating a massive supply of our own fleet fuels in Phoenix.

Aside from that issue, it is heartening to see that the Phoenix Public Works Department staff was agile enough to adapt to this massive change. This speaks volumes to the potential of this city to continue to build relationships with material recyclers through its Resource Innovation Campus (RIC).

Ultimately, what the China policy has shown us is that the US should have never given up its domestic recycling capacity. Until that returns and until we truly educate the public about the need for waste recycling, efforts like this will continue to push us forward.

The announcement, in its entirety is copied below.

The City of Phoenix to Begin Turning Plastics into Fuel

The city of Phoenix Public Works Department is excited to announce a new partnership with Renew Phoenix that aims to turn plastics destined for the landfill into fuel. This innovative repurposing of what’s known as “Plastics 3-7,” or low-value plastics, is the latest venture in the city’s “Reimagine Phoenix” initiative to increase its diversion rate to 40% by the end of 2020, and ultimately reach zero waste by 2050.

 “I believe in taking bold chances to make big change. The idea of making fuel with the plastics we are throwing away is certainly an ‘out of the box’ idea that I am thrilled to say will also bring jobs and revenue to our city,” said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. “During a time when cities are giving up on recycling, Phoenix is again leading the way in setting the gold standard for innovation and creativity.”

The need to find a way to re-use these materials comes on the heels of China no longer accepting certain recycled materials from the United States. This forced city leadership to think creatively to find new solutions for its recycled materials. Thanks to the foresight of the Phoenix City Council, this new project is now ready to take shape.

“The future is all about recycling, sustainability and doing our part to ensure future generations have a healthy planet,” said Councilwoman Thelda Williams, who serves as the chair of the Water, Wastewater, Infrastructure and Sustainability (WWIS) Subcommittee. “I am certain that once others see what we are doing, they will want to be part of this movement to prevent more materials from being simply thrown away.”

The plan is for Renew Phoenix, a joint venture between Generated Materials Recovery and Renewlogy, to work together to build a facility to process the materials on the city’s Resource Innovation Campus.

“I am excited for what this partnership brings to Phoenix,” said Councilman Michael Nowakowski, whose district is home to the City’s Resource Innovation Campus. “This new, innovative venture will encourage other businesses to bring-next generation technology to the Phoenix to help us reach our diversion goal of 40% by 2020.”

Renew Phoenix was selected through a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process. Their plan is to use a proprietary chemical recycling process to reverse the plastic back into its basic molecular structure, which will allow them to convert the plastic waste into fuel. Renew Phoenix will also bring as many as 15 full-time jobs to the valley, after investing more than five million dollars in capital to the project.

“Renewlogy is excited about bringing our technology to Phoenix and creating a more circular economy around plastic waste locally,” said Priyanka Bakaya, Founder and CEO of Renewlogy. “Phoenix will serve as a model for cities around the country looking for local solutions for plastic waste.”

Once at full production, the project is expected to divert ten tons per day of mixed plastic waste, which equates to 60 barrels of liquid fuel. This partnership will not only help Phoenix, but the Valley altogether. Renew Phoenix will be able to scale their production to allow regional remanufacturing of Plastics 3-7 to be processed as well.

“We are proud to continue bucking the trend and pushing forward with innovation, economic development and repurposing our waste,” said Ginger Spencer, city of Phoenix Public Works Director. “We are committed to building a circular economy and achieving our Reimagine Phoenix goals. This new venture to turn plastics into fuel is eye-opening and we hope it will serve as a model for other cities to reimagine their own recycling programs.”

About Reimagine Phoenix: Reimagine Phoenix is the city’s initiative to increase the city’s waste diversion rate to 40 percent by 2020 and to better manage its solid waste resources.To achieve this, the city is conducting community and educational outreach on the five pillars–reduce, reuse, recycle, reconsider and reimagine—in hopes to increase awareness of the importance of waste diversion and management. The city is developing the Resource Innovation Campus (RIC) as a regional circular economy hub. The RIC is home to one of the city’s two transfer stations, a composting facility, Palm Silage and the future operations of Renew Phoenix. Approximately 50 acres of the RIC will be leased to innovators with market-ready technologies and manufacturing processes that reuse or repurpose trash materials including recycled plastics, recycled paper, and recycled boxes and packing materials.

About Renew Phoenix: Renew Phoenix is a joint venture between Generated Materials Recovery (GMR) and Renewlogy. Renewlogy has the innovative technology and operational experience while GMR has the technical, operation, and local market expertise. Renew Phoenix will draw on the expertise of both companies to build a showcase facility for handling low value plastics such as #3-#7s and serve as a model for other cities around the world to follow.

About Renewlogy: Renewlogy is a plastic to fuel technology firm with facilities in the U.S. and Canada. Renewlogy was founded at MIT in 2011 and started operating its first pilot in Salt Lake City, UT in 2013. Renewlogy has been recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the Top 25 Most Audacious Companies.

About Generated Materials Recovery (GMR): Generated Materials Recovery (GMR) is a $10 million waste company established in 1998. GMR provides recycling services to manufacturing and industrial facilities in AZ, UT and CO. It currently services municipalities around the Phoenix Metro area including Mesa, Chandler, Glendale, Scottsdale, Gilbert, Tempe, and Surprise, and has a 20-year history specializing in the plastics industry.

You might have seen my rant last month about wholesale buyers. These are the people who promise that they have a buyer for your house, cash, and that they will manage the sale for just 1% commission.

In my video, which you can see here, I broke down how one couple paid effectively 9.4% to sell their house.

Don’t get me started…

I’m looking for more examples of this as I am very concerned that people are not only losing their money, but they are opening themselves up to possible future lawsuits because they did not have a realtor to protect their interests.

There are really two types of deals that are lumped in to the term “ibuyers”. The first, covered above, are the companies that buy wholesale with the promise of lower commissions, usually leaving sellers without somebody to protect their interests.

The other type is commonly referred to as “al la carte” websites. Imagine AutoTrader, but for people selling their homes. It’s a different concept. Rather than you selling (unrepresented) to a buyer through their buyer’s agent at a lower commission, these sites are kind of do-it-yourself home sales.

What they promise is that you will pay only a flat, low commission. What you get may be something else entirely.

Before I get in to it, I want to say that ibuyer sites may not be the worst thing in the world if you are selling a home under $200,000 and you’ve been educated about the most important legal aspects of buying and selling a home.

Heck, if I thought I could create a website where I could also empower you while you sell your house, I’d be tempted to make it.

Regardless, if it meets your interests and you are sure you have the knowledge to do it right, go for it.

But, for now, there are important things to keep in mind.

• What are you being charged? According to our broker, sometimes commissions from 6% to 13% can be added, as we saw above with wholesalers. Read the fine print! Here’s a summary from our broker.

• Does the ibuyer website give you important information about disclosures, your liability and your responsibility. From what I’ve seen so far, they kind of just throw the paperwork at you and say “here are some basic instructions, go at it!” On one site I saw, it just instructed you do meet federal fair housing guidelines. Well, do you know about the six protected classes and how to make certain you are not discriminating against any of them?

• Is the valuation correct? What process does the ibuying site use to value your house? Can you set your own price? Licensed realtors are trained to do comparative market analysis and take in to account local expertise, which algorithms don’t necessarily pick up.

• What services do you think you are getting and how much will it cost to get better service? The range of services goes from just listing your property with no other service, to getting you to pay for add-ons, such as photography, signage and (probably computer-driven) marketing. What will it cost if you decide that you can’t do it all yourself?

• What do you know about the agent you are assigned and how much time does he or she have for you? You will be assigned to an agent, who is probably sitting behind a desk, getting paid a lower wage and helping 20 clients all at once. At the rates the charge, the only way to make a living is through volume, which means your needs matter less. It’s kinda like those 5-minute doctor visits we all love so much. Nope! No more time for you!

• Who will have your back if you are up against a more experienced agent? Just because you are assigned an agent on the seller’s side, does not mean you can match the experience or knowledge of the agent on the other side. Some services are so trimmed down that you do all your own negotiating. Even if that over-worked agent can negotiate on your behalf, do you think he or she will really fight hard when there are so many other clients to get through in a day?

• Does the agent assigned to you have knowledge of your local market? This is a huge deal, especially in historic neighborhoods and dense urban areas. I don’t care how crafty a computer algorithm is, it probably does now know the word on the street about that big development coming in at the end of your street, etc.

What is missing in all of this is the personal connection with an agent who specializes in an area or type of home and who will spend time with you –not just some limited instructions.

Just beware. You get what you pay for.

If you have experiences with wholesalers or a la carte sites, and you are willing to share, please let give us a call at 602-456-9388.

We are excited about our new listing in the Garfield Neighborhood. See details on our listings page.

This is historic home living with two structures on the lot, and perfect for an owner who would like to have a house mate who can help with expenses.

The front house, built in 1914, is 603 sqft and the guest house is 585 sqft.

These properties are smaller, but perfect if you live downtown, and spend more time outside the house than in. We know so many people who live downtown and talk a set-up like this.

The property was lovingly renovated in 2009, and has since been spruced up with new carpeting, external and internal painting and LED lighting. The front house, in particular, had many beautiful historic details brought back to life. The guest house was outfitted with a kitchenette and. Both got tankless water heaters, which is a must in Arizona.

Compare the cost of this property to renting in those massive buildings downtown!

The current owner used it as a rental since 2009 and would really like to see this tiny beauty go to a buyer or buyers who appreciate living in a historic home, and who could offset the monthly costs with a house mate in the guest house.

As such, she is less inclined to take an offer from a property renter or a flipper. She believes in the importance of that neighborhood connection.

If you’ve been looking for that tiny home opportunity, this might be it.

Have a look at this little video that we put together for the listing and contact us at 602-456-9388 if you have a similar property that you’d like to sell, or if you are looking for something like this for your next home..

The State Historic Preservation office has just released the results of a “charrette”, which took place last year at this time in an effort to begin to plan the future of the State Fairgrounds.

You can get a copy of that report here.

There is a lot of history and background to cover if you want to understand what’s going on here and why it is important.

But, before we do that and for those of you who don’t know what a charrette is, here is a definition from the report:

“A charrette is an intensive planning session comprised of formal and informal meetings, held over a short period of time for the primary purpose of collaborating on a vision for the future. Public agencies, private citizens, design professionals and stakeholders are encouraged to collectively formulate a plan for development and/or revitalization of a facility, urban area or neighborhood.”

To put this in to context, it’s important to know that our State Fairgrounds is owned by the State of Arizona, even though it is in the city of Phoenix. So, the Arizona legislature and the governor have the power to decide what to do with it.

Unfortunately, for decades the legislature and governor have failed to fully fund historic the preservation of the fairgrounds.

This has been true of both Republican and Democratic governors, although we have not had a Democratic Legislature since the 1960s.

Still, this has had a huge impact over the years. Neighborhoods that surround the fair are greatly affected by the condition of the property, and that has an impact on people’s property values.

So, it has been frustrating over the years to see that the legislature has even periodically swept funds from the State Fairgrounds, which could have otherwise gone to historic preservation.

In 2014, after decades of neglect, this came to a head when the fairground board made the choice to knock down the historic WPA Building on McDowell. This structure has important ties to the reforms of the 1930s that were meant to bring the US out of the great depression through the Work Projects Administration.

Many of us rallied and were able to stop the bulldozers. Since then, it’s been a long road on which we are continuing to try to find funding to begin renovations on the building, from city, state and private sources. We still have some way to go on that.

And, that is only one of many historic buildings on the property.

However, that event sparked a renewed interest in the fairgrounds. As the city has become more dense, people are starting to look at ways that the historic buildings and the entire fairgrounds could be put to use more often throughout the year.

Those changes get us to the Charrette. After some initial calls to the public for ideas, and fears that the governor’s office was thinking of selling the fairground land, the governor’s office began working primarily with the State Historic Preservation Office to generate ideas of what could come.

It is worth a few minutes to skim the report, as some of the ideas that came out of that weekend a year ago are very inventive. There is very little money to work with, and these creative community leaders came up with some great concepts.

In the end, we are left with two major directions we could take: move the fair or keep the fair.

If we move the fair, which people have spoken about for years, then it is in the best interest of neighborhoods in Central Phoenix to have some voice about what will happen to the space. Right up front, we need to protect the historic buildings.

After that, we will want to make certain that the space is complementary to the neighborhoods. For instance, I have been told by developers that the only way they could make the space work would be to build large apartment complexes there.

This would be a non-starter for many people, especially those in the homes right next to the fair. Many apartments are over three stories and would look down on the neighbors’ back yards, which carries many privacy concerns. Furthermore, many apartment buildings tend to lose their luster in only a decade or so. This could cause problems for the neighbors.

While we need more owner-occupied and affordable housing downtown, we would not be likely to get both, were this land to go to developers of condos.

They would likely be higher priced condos, packed on to the acreage of the old fairground, which would exclude many people who need affordable housing the most.

And, none of that addresses what would happen to the colosseum.

The best approach would be to prepare for the exit of the fair with an empowered working group of thinkers from the city, the state, the county, ASU, the historic coalition, developers, historic preservation experts and housing experts.

This is a decision that deserves visionary thinking.

Were the fair to stay in place, then many of these same interests should still convene to consider what that looks like, while improving and re-purposing some of the buildings.

Under this scenario –and perhaps even the first one– the many historic buildings could be re-purposed in a way that re-invigorates the state fairgrounds as a point of community pride.

One developer made a suggestion that I thought was powerful: turn the fairgrounds in to a Phoenix version of Millennial Park. This would require taking over the west 9 holes of the Encanto Golf course.

Regardless, the charrette report will give you a great insight in to the various challenges and opportunities of the fairgrounds.

It’s worth a read while you are waiting for the next episode of Game of Thrones to come on.

 Parking

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@hotmail.com.

Phoenicians are in love with their cars until……they have to find a parking spot. Is there a free place? Do I have enough coins for the meter or will it take a credit card? Where’s the nearest parking garage or lot and will I have to walk far to my destination? And during the hot summer months, if I have to use a lot or street, is there any shade? All of these questions take serious consideration when Phoenicians begin the parking spot patrol.

While these are modern day “worries,” what was it like back in the day?  First there were not as many cars, and many people went downtown by trolley and later by bus. Believe it or not, parking meters “sprouted” along Phoenix downtown streets as early as September 1937 with a one-hour limit (for a nickel). And yes, Phoenicians were not too happy about this new fangled device. It certainly spoiled the pleasure of parking downtown all day for free.

But after the end of World War II, things began to change. More families had cars and disposable money. Women liked to browse and shop. And kids wanted to go to the movies or hang out at one of the many places that had soda fountains. And eventually we had shopping centers.

A few old buildings had rather small parking areas in their basements, but they simply could not meet the new demands of the car driving public. And then, one business owner stepped up.

George Luhrs decided to build a garage on 1^st Avenue and Madison to accommodate the tenants in his various buildings, but also to provide some public parking. Opening in late November 1957, the Luhrs Parking Center provided space for over 400 cars PLUS a two-pump Texaco Gas Station. Several other small lots opened around the same time and the downtown merchants touted the simplicity to find a parking spot during their January Park and Shop Plan. This turned out to be only a small relief to growing parking issues.

Most people have driven in downtown Phoenix today. The streets are still narrow and have limited parking. And not much has changed over the years. Much of the parking before was parallel. Now it’s a mix of parallel and diagonal, but still not much to go around (and trying to figure out the number of allowable hours one can use on the meter is another issue). Parking at a mall especially during seasonal shopping days can be more of a question as to “Where did I park?” after you complete your spending spree. An app to show available spots can be helpful, but will it save that spot before you get there?

Donna Reiner is the co-author of three books on Phoenix history.