My clients are renting a 1,500 square foot townhouse at Portland 38, downtown. It is a great opportunity to live in the heart of the city and still have comforts such as a personal garage, modern appliances and new construction. Check this out!
These townhouses were built in 2007 with a great industrial style and centered around modern living. The spaces are open, fresh and clean. Check out this link to look at the listing. And, of course, give me a call at 602-456-9388 if you have questions.
Special thanks to Anna Kuttner of Haven Boutique for hosting an incredible Get Your PHX event last month. Anna gave out over $200 worth of prizes and discounted her wares for our event. Thanks also to Bob Hodge of Hob Nobs for providing food for Get Your PHX and for hosting our after-party. We had about 100 people through to celebrate Haven Boutique.
We are very excited about the June Get Your PHX at monOrchid. For those of you not new to Get Your PHX, you will recall that we visited monOrchid back in 2009. We are returning because monOrchid is undergoing a renaissance of sorts.
We have a whole cast of great characters for this next event. First, you will get to learn about monOrchid’s new push to revitalize a hub for creative industries on Roosevelt, with new pricing structures for their co-lab spaces.
“Businesses can rent creative space for as little as $250 per month and offices for as little at $550 per month,” says owner Wayne Rainey.
Second, and crucial to creating a space that is full of activity and collaboration, monOrchid is introducing the Songbird Coffee and Tea House. This next Get Your PHX event will be an exclusive look at the new downtown addition, only weeks before it opens.
According to Wayne, “With the introduction of Songbird and the array of other creative businesses sharing this space, our customers have access to unparalleled creative collaborations.”
To add a berry on the top of this ice cream sunday of pure sunshine, our own Monika Woolsey has organized for MojoTree Farms, an exotic food importer, to host the event and showcase their new import, thePichuberry. This healthy fruit is a fair trade, nutritious fruit, which MojoTree is hoping to begin growing in Arizona as a local and unique alternative. Mojo will show us how the fruit can be used in foods and, yes, even cocktails. So, you don’t want to miss that part!
monOrchid played a central and historically important role in the development of First Fridays downtown. I’m so excited about this new creative hub that I am going to have office space there as well, where I will be helping monOrchid market the new creative co-lab efforts.
Keep an eye on our Facebook Fan Page for updates. As you know, there are always surprises.
You may have seen my previous stories about the effort to put historic trollies on Grand Avenue as an economic development project. This low-cost project would help encourage new businesses along Grand Ave between Van Buren and Roosevelt –a trend that is already under way, but which could quicken and bring new income to Phoenix.
Since writing these stories, I joined the Grand Avenue Rail Project (GARP) board and we are working to get recognition of the great return on investment this represents.
It came to my attention this last week that the folks at the Trolley Museum, where they house the historic trollies which we hope to use on Grand Ave., have received a proposal from a neighboring city to take our trollies and add them to their local museum.
From what I am hearing, the Phoenix Trolley Museum folks, not getting a particularly warm feeling from City of Phoenix, are seriously considering taking this other museum up on their offer. From what I hear, some in the City really want to take back the trolley museum building at Margaret T. Hance Park so they can use it for other things. They have gone so far as to encourage the Trolly Museum to move, but they have not provided a viable place for them to go.
The sad part is that there is a very viable option, which the Museum folks and GARP founder Robert Graham have been advocating for: put the trolly museum on Grand Ave., along with an accompanying trolly line that will encourage new business on Grand.
Thus their frustration.
Here is my concern: if the Trolley Museum moves to some other city, it will be even more difficult to see the GARP idea through and it will represent yet another Phoenix stab at historic preservation. Even sadder is the fact that the city does not need to lay out much money to make this happen. They just need to partner on proposals to the federal government for transportation dollars, which can be used for this purpose.
The estimated cost to build the infrastructure, outfit a new museum on grand and operate the system: $10 million. I believe that the resulting new home sales, infill development and business starts along grand will be worth ten times that.
Please contact your city councilmen and let them know that you support the Grand Avenue Rail Project.
I’m very proud to announce a new listing that I have at the widely-
coveted Villa del Coronado.
Please see this link for the listing information.
These condos, built in 1958 are one of the few quintessential examples of Mid-Century Modern design left in Phoenix. Did you know that one of our previous governors used to own a property here?
I use the word “coveted”, above because this community is absolutely pristine and sought-after by Mid-Century Modern buffs.
The owner of this property has renovated the bathrooms with beautiful modern features, opened up the great room. The Villa de Coronado community has two salt water pools, with one heated. It is also one of the few properties downtown with individual garage parking.
The community takes care of everything, even some maintenance for each unit. That way you can get out and explore, wether you are going across the street to the Phoenix Art Museum or to the light rail stop about 300 feet away.
These properties are co-operative condos, a rare breed in Phoenix. As such, the properties are kept in immaculate condition by people who are very particular about the type of property they own. It means that if you own one, you actually own a portion of a corporation. As such, all of your taxes, electricity, gas and other usual HOA fees are paid out of one monthly fee. It also means that these properties can only change hands by paying cash, with one exception –“seller carrybacks”. Financing is not an option.
To put it another way, because you are buying in to a corporation a lender is not likely to give you a loan.
What is a “seller carryback,” you ask? Check out this post from way back in 2010 about seller carrybacks and how they work. Basically, you can buy it directly from the owner through installments.
If you want more information about this unique opportunity, please give me a call at 602-456-9388.
Not only will we be celebrating our independence come July, but we’ll also be celebrating independents. That’s because July 1 through July 7, 2012 is the 10th anniversary of National Independents Week (or “Indie Week” if you’re cool). This is the week that everyone is encouraged to shop locally and support independent businesses.
A great place to start is by visiting Local First Arizona where you can find a directory of local business and learn how to “Shift the Way you Shop”. According to the website, for every $100 spent at a locally owned business, $73 remains in the local economy and $27 leaves . In contrast, when you shop at a business that is not locally-owned, only $43 remains in the local economy and $57 leaves.
Shopping local re-circulates your money over and over, creating more tax revenue to the state and your community. Not only do local businesses help to drive the economy, but they also support sustainability and add character and uniqueness to the community. You’ll also probably get better and more personal service.
In honor of Independents Week, Local First Arizona is offering a “Golden Coupon” where you can get 20% off at participating local establishments.
So, go ahead and take the pledge to shop locally and support your community merchants. Then head down to the farmer’s market, the Melrose District or your favorite local restaurant and help build our economic independence during Independents Week.
My clients have just listed their new property for rent at 7th St. and Portland.
These townhouses were built in 2007, have all the latest modern features, secure garage space and pool access.
You can walk to First Fridays, or any number of great downtown activities.
Only $1,400 per month for a 2br/2ba 1,548 square foot townhouse!
Please contact me at ken@getyourphx.com or 602-456-9388 for more information.
Phoenix homeowners have kept a close watch on the housing market with a certain air of disappointment. Chances are they had high hopes for their homes. For most people the idea behind home ownership is to buy a home, live there for as long as the location and characteristics of the home suit their lifestyles, and sell the home years down the line while pocketing a little extra built-up equity — or using it to buy a better home. Time is running out to short sale and avoid possible tax liability.
Prices on Downtown Phoenix homes have been steadily rising for the past year. When inventory goes down, prices go up (you probably learned that in your high school econ class) But, that’s not bound to last. Home builders are ramping up quickly. So, the rising prices will level out a little later this year. People are buying in the late spring and summer for job relocations and to close in time to get kids in to new schools, etc.
So if your looking to sell your home, now’s the time. I truly enjoy helping people make smart real estate decisions. Call today
Do you owe more than your home is worth?
Are you struggling to make payments?
Have you been thinking about short selling but don’t know where to start? 
Your chance to short sell and still seek tax relief is disappearing quickly. The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act allows you to avoid paying taxes on mortgage debt forgiven by your lender.
This relief will only last until the end of 2012.
Short selling is never ideal, but it is a lot easier than it has ever been. The average length of time to short sell has dropped and lenders are getting better about closing short sale transactions.
Here’s a little more background: Since 2007, the Mortgage Debt Relief Act has allowed owners selling their homes through a short sale to do so without having to pay tax on the amount their mortgage holders forgave them. In previous days the money that the bank forgave on the loan would have been considered by the IRS as some sort of income on which you must pay taxes!
That will end December 31, 2012, giving homeowners until the end of this year to get out from under their debt without facing tax consequences.
Real estate brokers and agents specializing in the listing and sale of short sales have become the busiest in the industry. The moral here is that if you are going to do a short sale, do it now. While most short sales take 3-4 months, some can take longer. You do not want to be sweating out a December 31st closing.
Call us today at 602-456-9388 and we can make it happen for you!
We’ve reached a critical point as a city. Now in our hundredth year, the city of Phoenix has a terrible habit of demolishing it’s own history. Most of our historic properties are gone. As a city we need to constantly work to preserve historic properties in Phoenix.
The Lugo Bakery and W.L. Bobo House are two historic sites, built between 1910 and 1920 looking for investors to save the structures from disrepair. Written assessments have been done on both structures, but they need willing buyers to rescue them.
The Luis Lugo Bakery known originally as the La Pantellera was constructed in 1917. It’s a 2,000 square foot commercial structure, complete with a basement, 1,300 square foot addition, and vacant lot for possible parking. Overall, the Lugo Bakery is in poor condition.
Poor design, haphazard construction techniques,weathering, neglect, and unsympathetic renovations have not been kind to certain exterior building elements which require immediate attention to prevent further deterioration and/or lost of historic fabric. This building is in need 
of some serious TLC, ranging just under $400,000 according to the Building Condition Assessment Report.
The building has strong potential as an office, art gallery, sandwich/coffee shop, or bakery (duh). The bakery and grocery store was in continuous use for
nearly 50 years. The Luis Lugo Bakery is a rare example of an early Hispanic commercial
property in downtown Phoenix and should be saved
The property has a two story private residence attached, which is also in disrepair. This update is estimated around $170,000
The W.L. Bobo House is in the McKinley Park subdivision. The W. L. Bobo House, a charming Craftsman
bungalow at the southwest corner of 13th & Roosevelt Streets, is threatened with demolition. It’s on a double lot and has a porte cochere on the 13th Street side and a detached garage at the rear. The house has numerous architectural features that set it apart as an unique design. Character-defining features include:
It’s a true fixer upper, but the building is in pretty good shape considering it’s from 1912. The house needs new roofing, the foundation needs repair, and some window fixes and a fresh coat of paint would do it some good. The interior needs all new plumbing, heating, electric, and replacement woodwork. Most of the fixes are minor, and according to the Building Condition Assessment Report the total updates would cost approximately $143,240. This residence could have a future at a single family home or a business/art gallery depending on the buyer.
Despite the cost , rehabilitating the residence would undoubtedly broaden the historical setting of the Lugo Bakery and Bobo House and add charm to the street scape. Historic Properties like these are priceless to our community’s history and future.
16th Street Should Not Be Ignored
That is the message of Por Vida Gallery. Our January 2011 Get Your PHX was a celebration of 16th St. and we are going back to see what’s new.
Por Vida owners Pablo Luna, Thomas “Breeze” Marcus, and Lalo Cota have a foothold and a new statement that they want to share with you.
Lalo Cota tells us that 16th is the next logical step in art in Phoenix. First Friday, he says, can’t be about just 3rd and Roosevelt anymore. He tells us that space has become too much about food and artists are struggling. So it is time to expand.
Come see if the leading edge of art in Phoenix truly is making a move east and see Douglas Miles’ transfixing =Apacheria= show in which Miles challenges cliché images of Native American life through mixed media.
This will be the most engaging Get Your PHX that we’ve hosted for some time. So, don’t miss it!
Special sponsors to be announced soon!
Please join us and RSVP at our Facebook Fan Page.
March Get Your PHX
Thursday, March 22nd from 5:30 to 7:30pm.
2800 N. 16th St
Phoenix, AZ 85006 Map Here