August 2008

The 153-Acre Motorola parcel is being considered by a major Solar Manufacturing Company (similar in size and salary structure to Intel) which if they choose to settle in Chandler, would have a significant positive impact on our local economy.

Chandler is vying with Oregon to woo the company to Chandler.  Seems the decision will come down to which government will provide the greatest tax incentives (of course).

You’d think a solar manufacturing company would be drawn to a location with great “solar” opportunity.  Chandler offers around 330 days of sunshine a year! 

Come on Mr. Solar Manufacturer…Pick us…pick us!

I just heard about the Heart Attack Grill and was intrigued by the name.  Thought it might be a place my husband & I might check out. 

I’ll admit, when I go out to eat, I don’t usually order “just a salad, please”.  I like those good stick to your ribs (and your thighs) kind of meals and especially love a good burger.  BUT…The Heart Attack Grill on the corner of Ray & Kyrene in Chandler is not being added to my have- to-go-to” list. 

Why?  Well….aside from the limited menu which consists of 4 ”heart attack burgers” (from 1 patty up to 4 pattys), “flat line” fries (fried in lard), unfiltered Lucky Strikes and buckets of beer… this restaurant makes Hooter’s feel like a fine dining experience.

The mostly male clientele is probably due to the mostly busty waitresses dressed in barely there nurses costumes.  As for me, the only breasts I want to see in a restaurant are of the chicken variety, prepared on a grill and served over rice.  My husband knows this…right…honey?  Where did he go?

Saturday: Second annual Phoenix Fear Film Festival, Chandler Cinemas. New films by veteran, student and professional horror filmmakers. 480-821-1605.

Saturday thru Monday: 83rd Annual Apache Tribal Fair,White River, Rodeo, Traditional powwow, exhibits, arts & crafts, dance competition, parade, children’s rides & of course, unique native foods!  Admission $3-$5. Hours 10:00-Mindnight. 

Saturday through Monday: Moonlight Madness Shopping, Sedona. entertainment, food, sidewalk sales, street festival, bouncy castle, yo-yo demonstrations, puppets & Freddy the Fire Truck. FREE. Noon-9 pm  928-204-2390

Saturday and Sunday: Pine-Strawberry Arts and Crafts Show,

Saturday-Monday: Faire on the Square, Courthouse Plaza, Prescott. More than 150 artists, food and entertainment. 928-445-2000.

Saturday: La Fiesta de San Agustin, Armory Park, Tucson. Entertainment, speakers, art exhibits and food. 520-792-4806.

Saturday and Sunday: Native American Art Show & Dances, Grand Canyon National Park. Hoop-dance contest, open-mike show and art show. 928-638-7888.

Saturday and Sunday: Art & Crafts Festival, Charlie Clark’s Steakhouse, Pinetop. Handcrafted works by artists from throughout the Southwest. 602-789-7222.

Saturday: 43rd annual Brewery Gulch Days, downtown Bisbee. Belt-sander races, a pancake breakfast, a chili cookoff, a recycled-art show and carnival games. 520-432-3554 or 866-2BISBEE.

Saturday-Monday: 13th annual Art Barn Labor Day Festival, Art Barn, Pinetop Lakes. Arts-and-crafts show. 928-368-8696.

For more Information visit  Sun Lakes Arizona Real Estate.  This information was provided by Amy Jones, a multi-million dollar top producing Realtor with RE/MAX Elite. Amy specializes in residential, vacation homes & cabins, as well as retirement communities in the communities of Ahwatukee, Chandler, Fountain Hills, Gilbert, Maricopa, Mesa, Paradise Valley, Queen Creek, Scottsdale, Sun Lakes, Tempe and the White Mountains communities of Pinetop/Lakeside & Show Low.  Search the Arizona MLS.

The Riggs Road Worm

Every year about this time you’ll see a herd of what look like fat worms scurrying (do worm’s scurry?) in a wide marching band formation (up to 2-3 feet wide) across Riggs Rd just west of Sun Lakes.  Don’t start looking for the mother ship, this is not a sci-fi invasion.  These little creatures are actually moth Larvae (eww…let’s call them caterpillars) that morph into the largest flying insect in the desert, the Sphinx Moth which can have a wingspan between 5″-8″!

I’m not sure why these caterpillars decide to migrate from one side of the road to the other.  (I mean, why did the chicken do it?  We may never know.)  Could be the rains have flooded their neighborhood. Maybe they’re looking for new dining opportunities or maybe they’re just bored. 

These caterpillers burrow underground to begin their metamorphosis into the adult Sphynx Moth and emerge from the ground in all their mothwing glory to begin the mating process.  Females can lay up to 1000 eggs on the undersides of food plants (another good reason to wash those veggies!)  Eggs hatch is just a few days and the female AND MALE moths die after their reproductive process has been completed.  How’s that for gratitude. 

So, next time you come upon the “March of the Worms”, check them out. Pick one up with a stick and put it in a large jar with holes in the lid and some leaves for it to eat and then….oh..uh…sorry, I regressed to my childhood for just a sec.   Anyway, as I was saying, these caterpillars won’t hurt you.  BUT BE WARNED…if you make them mad they’ll raise up their itty bitty horned heads and spit a thick green gunk at you.  They’re not poisonous…so go ahead…spit back!

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For more Information visit  Sun Lakes Arizona Real Estate.  This information was provided by Amy Jones, a multi-million dollar top producing Realtor with RE/MAX Elite. Amy specializes in residential, vacation homes & cabins, as well as retirement communities in the communities of Ahwatukee, Chandler, Fountain Hills, Gilbert, Maricopa, Mesa, Paradise Valley, Queen Creek, Scottsdale, Sun Lakes, Tempe and the White Mountains communities of Pinetop/Lakeside & Show Low.  Search the Arizona MLS.

A “YES” vote will stop the imposition of a new tax on your home, business or property.  This proposed transfer tax would be catastrophic for our already ailing real estate market.  Everyone (except the government) would loose.

This is a repost of a blog I posted last April.  As the election draws nearer…I thought it would be a good thing to run it again just in case you missed it…

The No New Tax On Our Homes initiative will prohibit the double taxation of your home, land, or commercial real estate in Arizona by banning a real estate transfer tax through a constitutional amendment on the November 2008 ballot.

Real estate transfer taxes would make private proprety ownership out of reach for many people.  Arizona’s ability to provide affordable housing, create small business ownership opportunities and help seniors and low-income residents keep their homes must be protected.

A real estate transfer tax creates double taxation, weakening the economy by making it harder for owners to sell their property and reducing the equity property owners have worked hard to build.

Tell your firends to vote YES (I know…that’s confusing) on the NO NEW HOME TAX BALLOT MEASURE!

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For more Information visit Chandler Arizona Real Estate.  This information was provided by Amy Jones, a multi-million dollar top producing Realtor with RE/MAX Elite. Amy specializes in residential, vacation homes & cabins, as well as retirement communities in the communities of Ahwatukee, Chandler, Fountain Hills, Gilbert, Maricopa, Mesa, Paradise Valley, Queen Creek, Scottsdale, Sun Lakes, Tempe and the White Mountainscommunities of Pinetop/Lakeside & Show Low.  Search the Arizona MLS.

As the october 1 deadline for the elimination of Seller Assistance programs approaches, FHA Buyers in the Phoenix area are scrambling to secure a home.

I’ve heard some lenders are actually sending out the word that they will write no FHA loans that require seller assistance after 9/1/2008, due to the fear of a backlog of loans awaiting funding and the risk of these loans not closing by the 10/1 deadline.

I’ve also heard many conventional loan buyers are actually waiting to purchase their home until after 10/1 because they feel many homes priced under $300,000 have been priced to include the anticipated seller contributions. They’re hoping the prices will fall after 10/1. I personally don’t think this is going to happen…but time will tell.

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Visit www.AmySellsAZ.com for complete weekly market updates on Phoenix East Valley Real Estate.

Amy Jones of the Amy Jones Group is a top producing Chandler Realtor specializing in residential, vacation homes & cabins, as well as retirement communities in the communities of Ahwatukee, Chandler, Fountain Hills, Gilbert, Maricopa, Mesa, Paradise Valley, Queen Creek, Scottsdale, Sun Lakes, Tempe and the White Mountains communities of Pinetop/Lakeside & Show Low.

Weird? Yes.  Honest? Brutally. 

 

 

Before agreeing to run the unusual obituary, the Times-Herald took the unusual step of requesting a copy of the death certificate, just to ensure that what it was being asked to publish wasn’t a hoax. It wasn’t: Dolores had passed away on August 7, 2008.” 

Parents, you had better behave or instead of tears…your children may just share the last laugh~

 Dolores Aguilar 1929 - Aug. 7, 2008

Dolores Aguilar, born in 1929 in New Mexico, left us on August 7, 2008. She will be met in the afterlife by her husband, Raymond, her son, Paul Jr.,and daughter, Ruby. She is survived by her daughters Marietta, Mitzi, Stella, Beatrice, Virginia and Ramona, and son Billy; grandchildren, Donnelle, Joe, Mitzie, Maria, Mario, Marty, Tynette, Tania, Leta, Alexandria, Tommy, Billy, Mathew, Raymond, Kenny, Javier, Lisa, Ashlie and Michael; great-grandchildren, Brendan, Joseph, Karissa, Jacob, Delaney, Shawn, Cienna, Bailey, Christian, Andre Jr.,Andrea, Keith, Saeed, Nujaymah, Salma, Merissa, Emily, Jayci, Isabella, Samantha and Emily. I apologize if I missed anyone.

Dolores had no hobbies, made no contribution to society and rarely shared a kind word or deed in her life. I speak for the majority of her family when I say her presence will not be missed by many, very few tears will be shed and there will be no lamenting over her passing. Her family will remember Dolores and amongst ourselves we will remember her in our own way, which were mostly sad and troubling times throughout the years. We may have some fond memories of her and perhaps we will think of those times too. But I truly believe at the end of the day ALL of us will really only miss what we never had, a good and kind mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. I hope she is finally at peace with herself.

As for the rest of us left behind, I hope this is the beginning of a time of healing and learning to be a family again. There will be no service, no prayers and no closure for the family she spent a lifetime tearing apart. We cannot come together in the end to see to it that her grandchildren and great-grandchildren can say their goodbyes. So I say here for all of us, GOOD BYE, MOM.

When you hear Arizona, your mind conjures images of cactus and red rock, but some of Arizona’s most beautiful attractions are it’s waterfalls.  Most Arizona waterfalls are seasonal and run during the spring snow melt and fade to just a trickle in the summer heat.  However, there are several waterfalls in the state that are fed by rivers and streams and are active year round, especially magnificent during the monsoon rains.  Unfortunately, those monsoon rains have caused flooding in the area and the falls areas have been evacuated.  So make sure you check the website for updates if you’re planning on visiting.

Here is one of the most beautiful collections of waterfalls in the state.

HAVASU FALLS

Havasu Falls consists of 5 waterfalls on the Havasupai Indian Reservation near Grand Canyon National Park.  It’s a little tricky to find as there are no roads leading to Supai Village which is the starting point known as “Waterfall Row”  The only way to get to the village is on foot or by mule on the Havasu Trail.  Camping is available north of the village at Havasu Campground. 

Located about 350 miles northwest of Phoenix. Take Interstate 40 west from Flagstaff to exit 123 in Seligman.  Follow old Rte 66 northwest for 33 miles to Indian Route 18 (between mileposts 110 & 111).  Follow Rte 18 for 63 miles to the trailhead at Hualapai Hilltop…Note…the last services are in Seligman.

Reservations and permits are required and pets are not allowed.  For more info visit www.havasupaitribe.com

Visit www.AmySellsAZ.com for complete weekly market updates on Phoenix East Valley Real Estate.

Amy Jones of the Amy Jones Group specializes in residential, vacation homes & cabins, as well as retirement communities in the communities of Ahwatukee, Chandler, Fountain Hills, Gilbert, Maricopa, Mesa, Paradise Valley, Queen Creek, Scottsdale, Sun Lakes, Tempe and the White Mountains communities of Pinetop/Lakeside & Show Low.

Where have all the cows gone?  Chandler, AZ, which has grown from less than 30,000 residents in 1980 to more than 250,000 this year, is no longer a sleepy little farming town.  Recently released governmental studies predict “exploding” job growth and higher density housing in the Chandler city center.

Really?  It’s hard to even picture high density housing in the “city center”.  Where exactly is the “city center”? 

The Price Road Corridor, Chandler Airport area and West Chandler are considered the city’s main employment areas where acres of land have been set aside as half of Chandler’s land filled with homes.  Apparently a plan that has paid off as construction and job growth is expected to “explode” over the next 20 years.

The best news is the predicted rise in Chandler property values as people tire of living on the outskirts spending hours behind the wheel of their car driving to work every day and homes in Chandler become a more desirable commodity.

Promising news for Chandler…but I still miss the cows.