There is so much good news, bad news and rumors floating around about the various high rise and loft buildings in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe that we decided to give you a voice on WKU.  We are adding widgets on most of our community pages that allow you to rate a particular high rise or loft community or just leave a comment (or a bit of gossip).  Currently the tool is only active on the Summit at Copper Square, Optima Biltmore, Optima Camelview, Scottsdale Waterfront, Galleries at Turney, Residence at the Grove, and Orpheum Pages.  But keep checking back as we are agressively modifying our pages to include this feature. Feel free to shoot us an e-mail and request the tool on any community you have something to say about and we'll get it done right away. Let's hear what's on your min... 08/28/2008

Almost thirty urban living enthusiasts joined us July 12th for our high rise and loft condo tour, this time touring Midtown Phoenix. We started at a fantastic modern infill condo project called MEZZO located on 12th Street just north of Osborn.  The community has very clean lines, radically contrasting materials, unexpected spaces and angles, AND a community garden.  Yes, you too can grow tomatoes and Greek aregano next to your neighbors suspicious herbs.  Construction of the condos is about 98% complete and very much worth checking out.  Call us for your personal tour. We next visited Century Plaza High Rise at Central and Osborn.  This was the tour favorite with its hip cool common areas, dramatically high 11+ foot ceilings, floor to ceiling windows and phenominal views.  The first cl... 08/28/2008

We just activated the Classified Advertisement section of WeKnowUrban last week but we are already enjoying success. Last Wednesday my wife created a WKU Classified Ad for a rental property that she owns.  The next day she received her first lead and showed the property that day.  She is currently pulling credit and a background check on the prospective renter. Now this could be a fluke or it could be because we get over 250 urban living enthusiasts visiting our site every single day.  For now, I'm going to chalk it up to the great traffic that the site generates and ride the wave of gratitude from my wife as long as I can :-) If you'd like to advertise your high rise or loft condo for free simply visit http://classifieds.weknowurban.com.  Once you're there click on "My Account" then "R... 08/28/2008

Remodeling is a great way to add value to your home.  However, you need to be careful of where you invest your hard earned money.  While the following are great projects to do if you plan on staying in your home for a while, you can't count on receiving a positive return on your investment when you go to sell it.  The four remodel projects you should avoid are: creating a home office, constructing a family room addition, doing an upscale kitchen remodel or creating an expensive master suite addition. Many people are choosing to stay at home and work.  However, transforming a bedroom into a home office space, complete with custom cabinets and desk space, will not pay off in improving the value of your home.  When it comes down to it, bedrooms sell homes...not home office space.  Keep the... 08/27/2008

With REOs on the rise, Holly Roberts & I have obtained our REO Certification and have started a team entitled PhxREOs. We are also teaming up with Empire West Default Solutions to complete our expert level of service. Our team uses advanced technology to secure and manage the REO listings and get them sold fast. We also have a long list of REO buyers to match up to Phoenix REO Homes. 08/27/2008

Register Here No Other Industry Forum Addresses Your Business Like NAHREPIf you specialize in the Hispanic market, this is THE industry event for you.   Network With Other Industry Professionals Just Like YouWorking with the Hispanic homebuyer segment is a passion for most of our members and nowhere is this more reflected than at NAHREP events. We guarantee this will be the best venue for connecting with like-minded people just like you.   Get Tips That Will Help You Generate Business In the Current MarketThis year's program covers all the topics you need to know about to thrive in this market. From FHA, Short Sales and REOs to Blogging for the Hispanic Market - guaranteed you'll take home plenty of tips you can use in your business.   More Business Deals Are Made Every Year at This Co... 08/26/2008

Collision on Wheels is a collision auto body shop on wheels, in which the repair shop travels to the customer to perform minor dent repairs and repaint the repaired area to match perfectly Phoenix, AZ--Collision on Wheels is a company who specializes in repairing minor auto dent repairs, which are bumped out and expertly painted so the vehicle appears like new.  The unique feature of this company is they come to your home or office to provide you a free estimate.  They can repair dents and paint the car on site.  The entire repair is often complete within 1 day, saving consumers the hassle of dropping their car off for up to a week or two, then picking it up again. Steven Leon, owner of Collision on Wheels in Arizona, said, "I have many customers who use their vehicles for business.  Re... 08/26/2008

A couple of weekends ago, I was able to to visit the Downtown Phoenix Public Market for the first time. It was definitely a treat. Open on Saturdays from 8AM to noon and Wednesdays 4-8PM, the non-profit Downtown Phoenix Public Market is a great place to go to get fresh, local produce and products. Plus, with the addition of frequent special events going on such as musical performances and classes, it is a worthwhile stop. On the morning I attended, there were several produce vendors offering items from onions all the way to squash blossoms. To get the best choice of produce, you will want to get there early. We were a little on the later side and many items were sold out. Other items for sale included fresh bread and bakery products, flavored olive oils, fresh goat cheese, homemade butt... 08/26/2008

It's not just in the Olympics that China is presenting real competition for our country. More than 110 million Chinese children are studying English, but only 50,000 students in U.S. schools are learning Chinese. Research shows that the best time to learn a foreign language in order to speak like a native is before 8 years of age. This is reflected in most other countries where a second language is taught at an early age. To be competitive in a global economy, graduates must leave school with a firm grasp of the three R's, high-tech experience and an understanding of different languages and cultures. Our country's workforce of tomorrow will be significantly strengthened if schools offer several foreign languages to students at an early age. The Alhambra School District is leading the wa... 08/25/2008

08/24/2008

Referred to as a "mini body shop on wheels," CW services save consumers time and money                                  Phoenix, AZ - Greg Longe, President of Collision on Wheels (CW), We Come to You, announced the awarding of a CW franchise in Arizona.  Local resident and former Manager at Fry's Foods, Steven Leon, will service the Metro West Valley area.   Collision on Wheels (CW), We Come to You is a national franchise company specializing in mobile paint and collision repair.  The franchise services a niche market of consumers who don't have time to take their vehicle to a body shop for small collision repairs and who are reluctant to make a claim to insurance companies.          This trend is cited in a collision industry research study conducted by the consulting firm, Frost & Sul... 08/23/2008

American Legion National Convention In Phoenix AZ American Legion Post 911 and posts from across the globe to be in attendance (San Francisco, CA) – Members from the American Legion Post 911, based in San Francisco, California, today announced plans to attend the 90th American Legion National Convention in Phoenix Arizona The annual convention will be held this year at the Phoenix Convention Center, in Phoenix, AZ from August 22-28, 2008. Hours of operation are 8 a.m.–3:30p.m. on Friday Saturday and Sunday and Monday and Tuesday from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. The public is invited to attend convention events to learn what the American Legion is doing for its veterans. Attending allows the public to interact with American Legion members from across the globe and learn about the companies that are do... 08/23/2008

Just South of Anthem lies the North Gateway to the Greater Phoenix Metro Area. The North Gateway is situated just North of I-17 & Carefree in a community called Tramonto. Tramonto provides a range of amenities and caters wonderfully to new families, retired families, single people, business people, educators, artists, professionals, firefighters, etc. The list could go on because the founders were smart about how they grew the community. Tramonto features a wonderful elementary school, a fire station, a large grocery store, a large home store, several restaurants, several banks, large expensive homes, small starter homes, middle income homes, and apartments. Since I live in the community, I have made the decision to become the REALTOR OF CHOICE for the Tramonto community. There are some... 08/21/2008

They say that patience is a virtue.  Prices for Phoenix homes have been on the decline in recent months, creating an 8.97% increase in the number of single-family homes sold in July (compared to June) and a 33.86% increase from July 2007.  Condominiums and townhomes have decreased in price as well, creating a 16.2% increase in sales compared to June 2008.  Another leading indicator that the Phoenix real estate market may be starting a bit of a correction is that the DOM has decreased in just the last month.  June's DOM for single-family homes and condos were both 127, while July's DOM for condos and townhomes decreased to 119 and single-family homes fell even lower...to 112.  DOM (Days on Market) is the average time it takes a listing to go from "new" to "pending" status.  In a buyer's ... 08/20/2008

1. A husband and wife were buying a home with me. The wife wrote a check for earnest money from their joint checking account. Both their names were on the check. The husband was the primary. The wife's name was under his. Since the wife wrote the check and was not the primary on the account, the underwriter required the husband to write up a gift letter, donating the earnest money to his wife, in order to validate the funds. What a waste of time. 2. An FHA appraiser inspected a home for one of my buyers. She crawled up into the attic (first time I've ever had an FHA appraiser ever do this) and saw a bird's nest sitting next to a truss. She reported back that the financing would not be approved until the nest was removed. I thought "why didn't you just pick it up and take it down with yo... 08/19/2008

When selling your home, the buyers will probably have a home inspection performed. This is should be expected, as it's one of the most common contingencies. Few buyers skip this. Depending on the disposition of the buyers and their inspector, your potential buyers may produce a very sizable list of repairs to request from you. I've noticed an increase in this type of activity lately. Even if this list is presented as a list of "demands", take a deep breath and realize that you don't necessarily have to make all these repairs. Many of these items are probably negotiable. Your purchase agreement probably contains language such as "all systems shall be in good condition" or "Seller shall repair any latent defects", etc. In other words, there is some wiggle room here Some buyers will make r... 08/19/2008

The real estate market (this will come as a surprise to no one) is not the same as it was a little while back. Many of us Realtors are in a downturn. Bring it on! One thing we've noticed in our industry is some decrease in the overall numbers of Realtors. This is part of the market correction. Not only are prices coming down, but the number of Realtors is coming down also. Many pros will assert that this is a good and natural part of our business. Even when business was booming, it always took skill, tenacity and a willingness to roll with the punches to rise to the top. Each year, Realtor.org publishes a "30 Under 30", showcasing an exceptional bunch of Realtors who are out there doing it and making it big. Check out this article here: http://www.realtor.org/rmomag.nsf/pages/featurejun... 08/19/2008

Dept of HUD will be attending the National NAHREP Conference in Phoenix AZ from September 27 thru October 1, 2008. They will be using the National NAHREP Conference as a launching pad to release the information for the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 since they will be there in person. The conference is falling during the date of the role out when the guidelines are scheduled to be released.  The Dept of HUD stated that they will be using our Conference to release the information in person and all the materials, too. The Dept of HUD called in the 12 largest organizations in Real Estate to take part in the design of the package. They approached NAHREP (we are the only Hispanic group that is involved with designing of this package). We were honored and proud to be taking part o... 08/18/2008

08/15/2008

Thanks to all your advice and assistance I have found myself making this jump from number 100 in Phoenix to numbe 51 in about a week. It has been through the many questions answered and advice given that I have been able to navigate AR and now find myself reaching to get closer to that number one spot, Mr Marriott, althoug he has over 100 times the activity I do, I know it will take a long time to reach him. I decided a few weeks ago to start my day on AR and have seen a nice uptick in activity and discipline. It seems that AR gets the juices flowing for me and daily updates of my status on AR allows me to keep an eye on te prize and focus on my goal of reaching higher and higher in the AR Community. Also, as you can imagine, starting the day off by seeing gains in my goalplan puts me i... 08/14/2008