Flagstaff Top Producers Real Estate Update

Flagstaff Named in Top 100 Cities for Youth

2011-10-23T10:44:00.001-07:00

Flag one of best cities for young people

Read this article.

Programming for local young people is being recognized with funding and plaudits.
Today, the Coconino Coalition for Children and Youth will celebrate Flagstaff being named as one of the nation's "100 Best Communities for Young People" for its attempts to keep kids and young adults engaged.
Next week, the early childhood education and welfare organization First Things First will hand over nearly $2 million for the state agency's Coconino region programs for the next fiscal year.
More than 300 applications came in from around the country for the "100 Best" honor. The Coconino Coalition for Children and Youth headed up Flagstaff's application, which contained a lengthy list of social support services and positive diversions for youth.
Ruth Ellen Suding, the Coalition's executive director, said it's important for caring adults to be friends and neighbors with youth. She said the "100 Best" title is a testament to the work of many and, it is hoped, a morale-booster.
"It's such a tough time right now for social service providers and for people who are trying to keep programs and activities going, particularly for children and youth," she said. "And with budget cuts and constraints financially I think it was a really good time to highlight all the really great things that we are doing and are able to do."
Suding recognized Nancy Tabor, a sixth-grade teacher at Sinagua Middle School, for assigning all of her students to write an essay about what makes Flagstaff a good place for youth. Suding said she appreciated the effort on the relatively small project.
"It's people like that who push our youth to be better and to be more involved that really makes a difference," she said.
COLLABORATION ON 'TRANSITION' SCHOOL
Recognizing that young people face serious crisis and more adult-like challenges, Flagstaff's application mentioned the variety of services for youth who are abused, runaways, homeless or in jail. That includes the Alternative Center and the Flagstaff Youth Shelter, Project Safe Place and outreach.
Robert Kelty works with at-risk youth as the Coconino County Superintendent of Schools. The "accommodation" school district under his supervision includes the compulsory schools for minors inside the adult and juvenile detention centers, a transition program for youth who have just been released from custody, and the alternative Ponderosa High School (and its sister school in Page, Tse'yaato' High). He said it's unique for the school district to work so closely with the county court system to provide a safety net.
This is the first year Ponderosa made "Adequate Yearly Progress," according to the federal government, and enrollment is up to between 65 and 70. Students are generally between ages 17 and 21, and they may have already dropped out, had a child, or been in jail.
Kelty has held office for about a year. In that time, he has partnered with the Ponderosa High arm and the juvenile court office to create a day program at the court and detention facility that allows recently released offenders to ease back into school.
"I think it's that type of attitude of everyone saying, 'Let's put our best ideas on the table and then implement them and then see if they're going to be successful' that really makes us stand out," he said.
LENGTHY LIST OF SERVICES
The application, at 14 pages long, included student-written essays, a nod to Paula Stefani, an Arizona Daily Sun Citizen of the Year and local child and family advocate, and a wide range of opportunities for youth of diverse backgrounds. Here's a non-exhaustive list:
-- Social, recreational and cultural outlets: the city's "Youthfest;" the YMCA and the Club 4Twelve youth center connected to Grace Fellowship Church; Big Brothers/Big Sisters; scouting; sports leagues; programming for youth through Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG); Outta Your Backpack filmmaking and social justice programs; Girls on the Run; Flagstaff Youth Theater and Theatrikos; the NAU Community School of Music and Dance; and enrichment opportunities with the Second Chance Center for Animals, the Museum of Northern Arizona, Lowell Observatory and Willow Bend Environmental Education Center.
-- Educational: robotics and Odyssey of the Mind teams at many schools; the Kinlani Dormitory that allows students from the nearby reservations to attend school in town; and opportunities for motivated high school students to take classes at Coconino Community College. Flagstaff Unified School District was mentioned for its Teenage Parent Program, Project New Start alternative school, many services for low-income families, the before and after-school FACTS care program and Camp Colton, the sixth-grade science camp.
-- Civic leadership: the city's Flagstaff Youth Advisory Council, the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association's I.A.M. Youth program, Grand Canyon Youth, Teen Court, Project Citizen (which has encouraged kids to research and advocate for real current events, such as bike lanes and school closure), and the Coconino Youth Conservation Corps.
-- Health: the county health department's traveling immunization clinics and dental varnish and fluoride treatments; low-cost checkups from North Country HealthCare and Native Americans for Community Action and Sacred Peaks; Flagstaff Medical Center's Fit Kids and Maternal Child Health programs; the city's youth bike helmet ordinance and Foodlink school gardens and nutrition lessons.
The competition was first held in 2005 and is sponsored by the America's Promise Alliance, which is dedicated to mobilizing Americans to end the high school dropout crisis and prepare young people for college and the 21st century workforce.
Flagstaff will receive a $2,500 grant, signage identifying it as one of the nation's 100 best communities for young people and access to the alliance's community development resources.
Hillary Davis can be reached at hdavis@azdailysun.com or 556-2261.
$2M to boost early childhood services
The local council of the early childhood wellness-focused First Things First is preparing to divide up its $1.9 million allocation for fiscal year 2013.
Julianne Hartzell is the council chair for the Coconino region. Next week, she will be on hand when the statewide First Things First presents the check.
First Things First is a state agency funded by a voter-approved tobacco tax, with monies having gone toward the KinderCamp kindergarten preparation program, oral health outreach, training for child care providers, childcare scholarships and in home visits to support families. The agency has regional councils, with the Coconino region covering all of Coconino County (aside from the Navajo Nation), Winslow and the Hopi, Kaibab-Paiute and Havasupai tribes. The Navajo Nation has its own council.
The agency builds in lead time - FY13 doesn't begin until next July, and revenues are being collected now for FY2014 - to make sure the money is in hand before it is disbursed. The local team, now aware of how much they have to work with for the coming year, will begin proposing how to spend it this week. The state First Things First board will review and possibly approve the plan in January or February.
Hartzell said the allocation varies every year, depending on a formula that takes into account poverty rates and number of kids in the region. The funding is slightly lower next year compared to this year.
The planning sessions for how to spend next year's money will take several meetings.
"There are so many needs out there and we have to make sure that we're doing the best we can to the best of our ability," she said.

Source: http://azdailysun.com/news/local/education/flag-one-of-best-cities-for-young-people/article_b3f39e97-7971-5c19-ade0-ef4d91e40f92.html

Owning vs Renting

2011-04-03T13:24:00.000-07:00

A substantial majority of both home owners and current renters agree that owning a home is a smart decision over the long term. That’s according to the results of a National Association of Realtors® survey of 3,793 adults conducted online by Harris Interactive. The "American Attitudes About Home Ownership" survey found that in today’s challenging economy, 95 percent of owners and 72 percent of renters believe that over a period of several years, it makes more sense to own a home. In addition, an overwhelming majority of home owners are happy with their decision to own a home – 93 percent of owners surveyed would buy again.

“Home owners and renters agree that home ownership benefits individuals and families, strengthens our communities, and is integral to our nation’s economy,” said National Association of Realtors® President Ron Phipps, broker-president of Phipps Realty in Warwick, R.I. “The results of this survey illustrate just how important issues related to home ownership are to people in this country.”

The survey uncovered some differences between home owners and renters, as well. While more than half of owners are “very” or “extremely” satisfied with the overall quality of their family life, only one-third of renters report the same levels of satisfaction. Similarly, 43 percent of home owners are very/extremely satisfied with their community life, compared with 30 percent of renters.

A majority of renters – 63 percent – said that it was at least somewhat likely that they would purchase a home at some point in the future. Among this group, young adults (18-29 years old) have the strongest aspirations for home ownership; only 8 percent of young adults said that it was “not at all likely” that they would purchase a home at some point in the future.

In today’s market, many aspiring home owners are faced with worries about job security and creditworthiness. Among renters who are very or extremely likely to buy a home in the future, three out of five consider confidence in job security and creditworthiness to be an obstacle.

One point of agreement between renters and home owners was support of the mortgage interest deduction (MID). Seventy-four percent of owners and 62 percent of renters say it’s “extremely” or “very” important that the MID remain in place.

“At a time when the middle class is under increasing economic pressures, both home owners and renters agree that the mortgage interest deduction should not be targeted for change,” said Phipps. “Given strong public support of and aspirations toward owning a home, we need to keep policies in place that support and encourage responsible, sustainable home ownership for our future.”

This survey was conducted online within the U.S. and fielded October 6-20, 2010. A total of 3,793 adults, 18 and older were surveyed, including 1,880 home owners, 1,115 renters, and 798 young adults. All samples came from the Harris Poll online database and were weighted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income to be representative of the U.S. general population of adults 18 and older. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.

5 Mortgage and Foreclosure Myths

2011-03-16T16:10:00.000-07:00

In a mortgage market that changes as quickly as this one, today’s fact is tomorrow’s fiction. For buyers, misinformation can be the difference between qualifying for a home loan or not. Sellers and owners, knowledge is foreclosure-preventing, smart decision-making power! Without further ado, let’s correct some common mortgage misconceptions.

1. Myth: Buyers with bad credit can’t qualify for home loans. Obviously, mortgage guidelines have tightened up, big time, since the housing bubble burst, and they seem likely to tighten even further over the long-term. But just this moment, they have relaxed a bit. In the last couple of weeks, two of the nation’s largest lenders of FHA loans announced that they’ve dropped the minimum FICO score guideline from 620 (which allows for some credit imperfections) to 580, which is actually a fairly low score.

At a FICO score of 620, buyers can qualify for FHA loans at many lenders with only 3.5 percent down. With a score of 580, the lenders are looking for more like 5 to 10 percent down – they want to see you put more of your own skin in the game, and the higher down payment lowers the risk that you’ll default. However, if your credit has taken a recessionary hit, like that of so many Americans, this might create a glimmer of hope that you’ll be able to take advantage of low prices and interest rates without needing years of credit repair.

2. Myth: The Mortgage Interest Deduction isn’t long for this world. Homeowners saved over $85 billion in 2008 by deducting their mortgage interest on their income tax returns. A few months ago, the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform caused a massive wave of fear to ripple throughout the world of real estate consumers and professionals when they recommended Mortgage Interest Deduction (MID) reform, which would dramatically reduce the size of the deduction.

Fact is, the Commission made a sweeping set of deficit-busting recommendations to Congress, a few of which are likely to be adopted. Fortunately for buyers and sellers, MID reform is not one of them. Very powerful industry groups and economists have been working with Congress to plead the case that MID reform any time in the near future would only handicap the housing recovery. Congress-folk aren’t interested in stopping the stabilization of the real estate market. As such, the MID is nearly universally thought of as safe – even by those who disagree that it should be.

3. Myth: It’s just a matter of time before loan guidelines loosen up. The US Treasury Department recently recommended the elimination of industry giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. I won’t get into the eye-glazing details of it here, but the long and the short is that (a) this is highly likely to happen, and (b) it will make mortgage loans much harder and costlier to get, for both buyers and homeowners. It’s possible that loans are as easy to get as they’re going to get. So don’t expect that if you hold out, zero-down mortgages will come back into vogue anytime soon. Fortunately, Fannie and Freddie aren't likely to disappear for another 5-7 years, so you have a little time to pull your down payment and credit together. If you want to get into the market, the time to get yourself ready is now!

4. Myth: If you don’t have equity, you can’t refi. Much ado is being made about how stuck so many people are in their bad loans, because they don’t have the equity to refinance their way out of them. If you’re severely upside down (meaning you own much, much more than your home is worth), stuck may be the situation. But there are actually a couple of ways homeowners can refi their underwater home loans. If your loan is held by Fannie or Freddie, they will actually refinance it up to 125% of its current value, assuming you otherwise qualify for the loan. That means, if your home is worth $100,000, you could refinance a loan up to $125,000, despite the fact that your home can’t secure the full amount of the loan.

If your loan is not owned by Fannie or Freddie, you might be a candidate for the FHA “Short Refi” program. While most mortgage workout plans are only available to people who are behind on their loans, the Short Refi program is only available to homeowners who are current on their mortgages and need to refinance up to 115 percent of their homes’ value. So, if you owe $250,000 on your home, you can refinance via an FHA Short Refi even if your home’s value is as low as $217,000. If you think you’re a good candidate for a short refi, contact your mortgage broker, stat – there are some in Congress who think that this program is so underutilized (only 245 applications have been submitted since it rolled out in September – no typo!) that its funding should be diverted to other needy programs.

5. Myth: If you’ve lost your job and can’t make your mortgage payment, you might as well mail your keys in. Until recently, this was essentially true – virtually every loan modification and refinancing opportunity required that your economic hardship be over before you could qualify. And documenting income has always been high on the requirements checklist. But there are some new funds available in the states with the hardest hit housing and job markets, which have been designated specifically for out of work homeowners

The US Treasury Department’s Hardest Hit Fund allocated $7.6 billion to the hardest hit states, which are now using some portion of these funds to offer up to $3,000 per month for up to 36 months in mortgage payment assistance to help unemployed homeowners avoid foreclosure. Contact the state agency listed below if you need this sort of help

www.savemyhomeaz.gov

From Trulia.com

5 Tax Tips, Tricks and Traps for Homeowners

2011-03-08T08:27:00.000-08:00

Ask a roomful of homeowners what's so great about owning versus renting, and you'll hear them holler in unison: "the tax deductions!" And it's true – homeowners who itemize their taxes are able to deduct 100% of their mortgage interest and property taxes from their income tax returns.

That means that if you're in a 28% tax bracket, Uncle Sam effectively subsidizes about a third of your borrowing costs or more, making your home more affordable or allowing you to buy a larger home than you could have otherwise. Also, big chunks of your closing costs are tax deductible, and hundreds of thousands of dollars of any profit (or capital gains) that you realize when you sell your home are exempt from income taxes.

At tax time, it's critical to know what you're entitled to, so you can claim it. So, here are five essential need-to-knows about home-related income tax tips to help you get the most tax-reducing bang out of your home-owning buck – and to avoid hefty home ownership-related tax traps.

1. You Have to Itemize Your Return to Claim Your Deductions

During the recent debate on Capitol Hill about whether the mortgage interest deduction should be eliminated (it won't be, not anytime soon), it came out that nearly 40% of homeowners lose out on their major tax advantages every year when they fail to itemize their income taxes. If you own a home and otherwise have a fairly simple return, it might be tempting just to take the standard deduction – and if your mortgage, property taxes and income are low enough, the standard deduction might outweigh your homeowners' deductions. But you'll never know if you're losing out on the tax advantages of itemizing unless you try; before you grab a pen and start filling in that 1040-EZ grab those forms from your mortgage company and answer the questions on tax software like TurboTax, which will automatically do the math on whether itemizing or taking the standard deduction will result in the lowest tax bill – or the highest tax refund – for you.

2. Plan Ahead and Be Strategic When Taking a Home Office Deduction

According to the Small Business Administration, the average home office deduction is $3,686 – multiply that by your tax bracket – 15%, 20%, 30% or whatever it is, and that's what you'll save on your taxes by writing off your home office. Know, though, that the space you designate as your home office cannot be exempted from capital gains tax when you sell your home later. The $250,000 (single)/ $500,000 (married filing jointly) income tax exemption for capital gains is only good on your personal residence, after all – not including any space in your home you've claimed as your tax-advantaged office. If you foresee selling your home for much more than you bought it in the future, near or far, discuss this with your tax preparer to see if the few hundred bucks you save is worth the capital gains complication later.

3. Tax Relief for Loan Modifications, Short Sales and Foreclosures Is Only Around Through 2012

While the long-term housing outlook is beginning to look up, 2011 is projected to be the peak year for foreclosures during this market cycle. Distressed homeowners who are on the brink of a short sale, loan modification or foreclosure should be aware that normally, any mortgage balance that is wiped out by one of these outcomes is taxed as what the IRS calls Cancellation of Debt Income, or CODI.

Under the Mortgage Debt Forgiveness Relief Act of 2007, the IRS is currently not charging income taxes on CODI incurred through a loan mod, short sale or foreclosure on most primary residences through 2012. But right now, banks are taking many months, or even years, to work out mortgages in all of these ways; the average foreclosure in New York state right now occurs only after 22 months of missed mortgage payments. If you foresee any of these outcomes in your future, don't put things off. Do what you can to get to closure on your distressed home and loan, ASAP, while you won't have income taxes to add as the insult on top of your significant housing injury.

4. Project the Income Tax Consequences of a Refinance or Property Tax Appeal

Homeowners everywhere are working on applying for a lower property tax bill on the basis of the last few years' decline in their home's value. Those who have equity have flocked en masse to refinance their 7% home loans into the 4% to 5% rates of the last few months. These strategies offer some of the heftiest household savings out there for the corresponding investment in time and money they take. But here's a caveat for savvy homeowners who slash these costs: remember that property taxes and mortgage interest, the very costs you're minimizing, are also the basis for the major tax benefits of being a homeowner. So plan ahead for your income tax deductions to go down along with your taxes and interest.

5. Don't Forget Those Closing Costs

If you bought or refinanced your home in 2010, you may be so focused on your mortgage interest and property tax deductions that you forget all about your closing costs. Any origination fees or discount points that were paid to your mortgage lender at closing are tax deductible on your 2010 return, get this – even if the seller paid your closing costs. If you can't figure out exactly what you paid, look for your HUD-1 settlement statement, that legal sized paper full of line item credits and debits that you should have received from your escrow provider or title attorney at, or just after, closing. Can't find it? Drop your real estate agent or mortgage broker an email; they can usually get a copy to you quickly.

Note: This post first appeared on WalletPop.com on 2.28.2011.

Johnsons head All Region Team

2011-03-02T13:27:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Tyrone and his daughter Ileana!

Arizona Daily Sun

March 2, 2011

Johnsons head All Region Team

The Flagstaff High School girls basketball program cleaned up when it comes to the 2010-11 Grand Canyon Region All Region basketball awards.

Head coach Tyrone Johnson was named the Coach of the Year after taking the Eagles to their fourth straight Class 4A Division II state semifinal game. The Eagles lost to Phoenix Thunderbird.

Senior guard Ileana Johnson was named the GCR Most Valuable Player in girls basketball, and headlined the First-Team All-Region Team.

Senior forward Sarah Mong and junior guard Amber Tso, both of the Page Sand Devils, joined Johnson on the All-Region First-Team. Michelle Blanton, a Flag High senior forward, and Jasmine Golding of Coconino were also First-Team selections.

Bill Harris, Sun Sports Editor

Adapt or Die

2011-03-01T14:58:00.000-08:00

ADAPT OR DIE

Courtesy of the Arizona Daily Sun

Feb 27, 2011

It is 20 minutes before dawn on a Tuesday morning and there is already a man barking at Valerie Caro.

The local Realtor calmly sifts through one of three stacks of papers piled up on her desk as the man offers positive, real-estate-centric tips with the subtlety of a drill instructor -- all via voicemail.

"You only have yourself to blame if you don't sell today," the man says before hanging up.

Oddly enough, Caro says the daily motivational messages from a Las Vegas-based real estate coach are one of the reasons she is having one of her best years on record as a Realtor.

Her small team sold a total of 83 homes in northern Arizona, a personal best for Caro.

She already has an ambitious goal of selling 17 more than that in 2011 -- an even 100 -- despite less-than-rosy forecasts for the national housing market.

With the overall housing sales flat, Caro will need to capture a big slice of the real estate pie to sell more houses.

REALISTIC PRICING

The centerpiece to that goal is on the corner of her desk -- a stack of expired listings that didn't sell with other Realtors.

She calls the owners, using a script to briefly introduce herself and gauge whether they still want to sell their house.

In this economy, it is often a difficult decision.

Many don't want to hear "the comps" -- what similar houses in the same neighborhood recently sold for -- after trying to sell their house for months or even years.

"I'm the doctor telling them they have cancer," she said.

The size of the price reductions vary, Caro says, because she ties the prices to what the market will bear. Some Realtors, she says, will list houses for whatever the seller wants.

She won't take the listing if the seller can't be realistic about the current value of their house.

"My business model is not to tell them something that's not true," Caro said.

It is a hard decision for many to list their houses for less than they think it is worth, but Caro reminds the seller there are other costs associated with not selling when they need to, ie, mortgages, utilities and lost opportunities to move, etc.

She said for every 10 phone messages she leaves, roughly three return her call.

Those relistings now account for roughly 60 percent of her business.

CONTINUAL SELF-IMPROVEMENT

Caro has been receiving the phone messages from a real estate coach named Mike Ferry for the last 2 1/2 years.

There have been other coaches in the 25 years she has been selling real estate in Flagstaff, but she chose to work with Ferry for his advice on how to sell more homes in less time.

Caro has always been open to improving herself and the services she offers her clients, she says, continually shifting with the ebb and flow of the local real estate market. It is why she spends $2,000 a month on real estate coaching with Ferry.

She spends several thousand more on an annual basis traveling to workshops Ferry hosts.

Ferry emphasizes pursuing expired listings and for-sale-by-owner properties using scripted cold calls in the current market.

PAYING THE HEATING BILLS

It's a stark change from five years ago, when some owners were getting multiple offers on the same day they listed their homes.

This is in addition to the usual costs: Staffing, rent and advertising.

There are different costs, too, like paying to keep bank-owned properties warm throughout the winter so that they can be shown to potential buyers.

This is another contrast with five years ago, when Caro spent part of her budget on raffles to attract crowds during the white hot real estate market when nearly everyone qualified for a house.

Today, Caro has as many as a half-a-dozen homes with utilities in her name at any given time.

She also employs "runners" to hang signs, turn on utilities and run errands.

"It is not all popsicles and ponies," she said.

The coaching has kept her motivated, helping her to make some of her first calls of the day before other Realtors get out of bed.

"People were excited to meet with me back then," she said. "It is a very hard conversation now because the home values are very different than in 2005."

LASER-LIKE FOCUS

Caro's four-person staff, including dad Joe Haughey, starts shuffling in shortly after 7 a.m. last Tuesday.

By then, she is ready to start making calls to her clients. Caro wants to be the first Realtor potential clients hear from in the morning.

She banters back and forth with a member of her staff, trying to discern which client to call and which cell number to use. It is 7:24 a.m. and she has received a cash offer for $210,000 on one of the houses she is selling.

An hour later, the sellers, a retiree and his girlfriend, are in Caro's conference room to negotiate the details.

It is in this room where she is in her element, poring over a thick document detailing the buyer's offer.

She knows every detail of the offer: Real estate rules, banking requirements and, more importantly, her clients.

Deep into the multi-page agreement, the client changes his mind -- the fridge, the washer and the dryer, are coming with him to Prescott.

"Some of the places don't have a fridge, Valerie," says the lifelong Flagstaff resident.

She disappears for only a few minutes, the whir and clicks of the printer the only sign of life as Caro amends the contract to reflect the changes.

The ink is barely dry and the client again wants another change: He wants to keep the curtains.

Caro again disappears.

Whether it is curtains or holding out for a better offer, Caro has a laser-like focus when the client is in the room or the phone.

She is deaf to distractions like phones ringing or new mail chirps on her Blackberry.

Or holidays, apparently.

The client picks up on the fact that the bid on the house came in on Monday, i.e. Presidents Day. He thanks her, but Caro is coy.

"I didn't know it was a holiday. Nobody told me," she teased.

ADAPTING TO MARKET FORCES

Less than an hour later, Caro meets with another man who remembers her from several years ago.

At the time he didn't want to sell his house, a decision he clearly regrets now that the home value declined dramatically.

The current economy has meant the man could no longer afford to keep his house and he turned to her to sell it.

He said he remembered Caro from a chance meeting they had two or three years ago, but it was an impression that stuck.

"You seem to care," he told her before signing a thick stack of documents.

The veteran Realtor has always placed a high premium on personal, one-on-one contact, but she concedes she shifts her market focus depending on the economy.

Five years ago, for example, a major portion of her business was representing a condo-conversion project in west Flagstaff, selling converted apartments for between $100,000 and $200,0000.

Today, she represents homeowners trying to sell their houses.

The relationship with the conversion project ended several years ago when the ownership of the 300-unit development changed. She played down the change, saying it was common in the industry.

"Partnerships change all the time," she said.

The condo conversion market in Flagstaff never saw the buying frenzy of other major metro areas at the height of the housing market. Some complexes in town still have units for sale, launching in 2006 or 2007.

Many have been sold to investors, who are now renting out converted apartments.

FRESH ROUND OF CALLS

At the end of the day, Caro has made a dent in the pile of expired listings, but a fresh round of comps will be added to the pile by the end of the week.

The pile is never empty, so Caro will get up early the next day and start a fresh round of calls.

Joe Ferguson, Sun Staff Reporter

2011-02-22T14:24:00.000-08:00

We LOVE hearing from our clients:

Dear Valerie:

I am writing to thank you for your outstanding service in listing and marketing my house,
and also to openly recommend your services to others. My experience with you and
Flagstaff Top Producers was both professional and pleasant from the start. We have all
heard that customer service is a thing of the past, but not in your company.
One of the deciding factors in my choosing you as a real estate agent was your positive
attitude and obvious willingness to put every effort into selling my house, even given the
staggering decline in the market.. You never bought into the doom and gloom
atmosphere. Other Realtors I met with concentrated on the impossibility of selling homes
other than at a foreclosure sale. Instead, you used a professional photographer to take
pictures of the house, researched the market, put the property on internet listings,
produced attractive handout material, made calls to potential clients, invited other Realtors to view the house and then continued to make ,calls and show the house. I know from your efforts that you were as diligent in marketing my house as you would have been in the most promising markets. My house had the best chance of selling in your hands.
I also believe that your aggressive marketing and frequent reports, which I forwarded to
Wachovia, were a factor in Wachovia's agreement to pursue a deed-in-lieu of
foreclosure, allowing me to avoid the negative impact of foreclosure on my credit rating.
Although deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure have been almost entirely replaced by short sales,
Wachovia knew that together we had done everything possible to preserve and market the property.
You didn't make a commission to reward you for your hard work, but you did earn my
respect.. Thank you!

Warm Regards,
Sherry Golden

Thanks so much for your feedback Sherry!

Create a Home Inventory for Insurance

2011-02-14T17:13:00.000-08:00

Create a home inventory before disaster strikes to make filing an insurance claim a smoother process.Bottom of Form

Don't rely on your memory to keep track of your possessions. Create an inventory so you can know what's missing if you ever need to file a claim. Image: Jupiterimages/Getty Images

Experiencing a theft, flood, fire, or other casualty loss is devastating enough. Now imagine trying to list from memory for your insurance claim every single item that was damaged or destroyed. The task becomes less daunting if you create a home inventory in advance and keep it in a safe place.

Creating a home inventory can be done with pencil and paper alone, but a digital camera and camcorder make the job easier. Set aside enough time to review your insurance policies, dig up receipts, document your possessions, and figure out where you’ll store your records. One day should be sufficient.

A home inventory is essential

From appliances, plates, and glasses to collectibles, rugs, and furniture, the average home is packed with an array of items collected over the years. And while you may be able to list many of them in a pinch, chances are you’d miss some important possessions if you ever needed to reconstruct your home’s contents from memory, says Mark Goldwich, founder of GoldStar Adjusters, a Jacksonville, Fla., claims adjusting firm.

“Home inventories are a must no matter what the value of the home’s items are,” says Goldwich. “If you’re going to insure your property and pay for that insurance, you really should be able to document the ownership and the value of the items that you’re insuring. If you don’t have proof of the items you owned, it makes filing your claim much more difficult.”

Your job doesn’t end once you’ve compiled a home inventory, a detailed list of everything in your household. Be sure to compare estimated values to your policy’s coverage to ensure that you’ll be able to replace your belongings in case of damage or theft, says Goldwich, who is the author of “Uncovered: What Really Happens After the Storm, Flood, Earthquake or Fire.” In some cases, he says, you can purchase additional coverage if the value of your possessions exceeds the limits on your homeowners, flood, or other disaster policy.

Take photos and video of possessions

Jack Hungelmann, author of “Insurance for Dummies,” says a picture can be worth more than just a thousand words—it can add up to thousands in cash if you ever need to file an insurance claim. Hungelmann recommends using a digital camcorder or camera to take pictures of each room to document your belongings. “I recommend that people open up their cupboards and drawers. Be sure you have a record of all the things you own,” he says.

Goldwich says that creating such a home inventory might seem daunting, but digital video—you can pick up a decent camcorder for about $150—can make the task much easier.

Homeowners can literally walk from room to room and record narrative descriptions of items. You should note whether something is an antique, for example, or if it has other qualities that make it especially valuable such as the size of a television screen or the type of stones in a piece of jewelry. Get close-up shots of serial numbers on electronics, power tools, and the like.

Filling in a printed checklist with serial numbers, brands, quantities, and estimated values will prove indispensible if an insurance claim ever needs to be filed. The adjuster will likely ask for such a list, and you can use the video or photos as proof of ownership.

Keep your home inventory safe

Of course, such documentation is useless if it’s destroyed in a natural disaster, consumed by fire, or stolen along with your personal computer. Hungelmann says that using digital media allows you to store the files on online backup services like Carbonite.com or iBackup.com in case your home is destroyed.

If you’d like to save the $10 or more per month these services typically cost, you could also save the files on a USB drive that’s kept in a safe-deposit box, at a relative’s home, or in your emergency bag. The bag should include essentials your family needs in case you’re forced to flee on short notice.

It’s also a good idea to keep a file with receipts and any appraisals of valuable items you own. Store these documents off-site as well. Goldwich says that the more documentation you have to prove what you owned and what it was worth, the easier the claims process will be.

By: Gwen Moran (houselogic.com)

Cut Your Electric Bills Painlessly

2011-02-10T13:40:00.000-08:00

A few simple tricks can save you a bundle

Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) are much more efficient than incandescent bulbs and last six to 10 times longer.

When Mom told you to turn out the lights, she was thinking of saving energy dollars, not rolling blackouts and bankrupt utility companies. Rarely have Moms words of wisdom been as fitting as they are now and not just in California. Electricity rates are going up everywhere.

Besides switching off lights, there are several other painless methods to conserve energy and save money on your electric bills.

Plug ins

Look for those electronic devices, especially those with digital time and date displays that are infrequently used such as alarm clocks, TVs and VCRs in a guest room and unplug them.
Unplug devices used to recharge electronics/batteries when they're not being used.
Transformers consume energy. Consider unplugging devices like calculators that are not in use.

Appliances

Wait until you can fill up your dishwasher before running it. And if you have a heated-dry option, switch it off. Prop open the door a bit after the cycle to air dry your load.
If you have an electric cooktop, turn the burners off a few minutes before the allotted cooking time. The heating element will stay hot long enough to finish the cooking without using more electricity.

Refrigerators

Refrigerators use more power than any other appliance in the home and deserve special attention. Although rushing out to buy a new refrigerator may not be in your budget, it is important to know that new models are more efficient and use as little as half the electricity of older units.
Full refrigerators run more efficiently than ones that are only partially full. So buy more food and save some energy.
If you have two refrigerators, or an additional freezer, decide if the extra expense is really worth it. Cram as much as you can into your primary refrigerator or consider disposing of two older refrigerators and replacing them with one larger, newer and more efficient model.
Make sure the refrigerator door seals are tight. Test them by closing the door over a piece of paper or a dollar bill so it is half in and half out of the refrigerator. If you can pull the paper or bill out easily, the latch may need adjustment or the seal may need replacing.
Place food and liquids in airtight containers. Uncovered foods release moisture and make the compressor work harder.
Move the refrigerator away from the wall and vacuum its condenser coils yearly unless you have a no-clean condenser model. Refrigerators will run for shorter periods with clean coils.
Maintain a consistent temperature in the refrigerator and freezer. Recommended temperatures are 37 to 40F for the fresh food compartment of the refrigerator and 5F for the freezer section. If you have a separate freezer for long-term storage, it should be kept at 0F.

Lighting

Its obvious, but true: Turn off lights that are not being used. Consider installing timers or photo cells on some lights. And instead of constantly nagging the kids, try occupancy sensors that turn on and off automatically when someone enters or leaves a room.
Rather than brightly lighting an entire room, focus the light where you need it. For example, use fluorescent under-cabinet lighting for kitchen sinks and countertops
Consider dimmer switches and three-way lamps. These provide low light levels when bright lights are not necessary.
Use linear fluorescent and energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) in fixtures throughout your home to provide high-quality and high-efficiency lighting. Fluorescent lamps are much more efficient than incandescent bulbs and last six to ten times longer. Although fluorescent and compact fluorescent lamps are more expensive than incandescent bulbs, they pay for themselves by saving energy over their lifetime.

Market Updates

2010-09-05T11:47:00.000-07:00

With the economy constantly changing it is difficult to gauge when the right time to buy is. While no one knows exactly when the “perfect” time is, you can count on these current economic and market updates to help you in your decision making progress:

· It is important to do your research, educated consumers make smarter decisions.

· The economy is soft and the confidence among the majority of consumers remains low.

· Housing affordability has hit a generation low

· Many markets, Flagstaff included, have returned their home values to historically justifiable levels.

Contact one our agents here at Flagstaff Top Producers Real Estate and let us assist you with your buying or selling process.

Sources from NAR Research

The Psychology of Real Estate

2010-08-23T11:23:00.000-07:00

From an article from SmartMoney.com on July 20th, 2010......

Earlier this year 27 students at Old Dominion University pressed their foreheads into a padded frame and peered ahead, much like patients at an eye doctor. They scrolled through pictures of 10 on-the-market homes on a computer screen as an ocular tracking program recorded their eye movements. In some of the homes, for some of the students, the living rooms were painted pink.

The question: Would a pink room - a problem you could fix for the price of a few can of paint - make the students less likely to purchase the homes? The answer, based on preliminary results, is yes.

The study is a part of a growing body of research that is putting real estate under the microscope. Scientists are finding that psychology - everything from how a buyer perceives his agent to how a seller prices her home - plays an unexpectedly large role. "When the market was going up, these questions were mildly interesting," says Michael Seiler,a professor of real estate at Old Dominion University and the coauthor of numerous studies in the field (including the one about the pink room). Today, with the market wobbly, "they're much more relevant," and the results of such research, he and other academics say, can offer useful insights to buyers and sellers alike.

Here's a roundup of some pertinent findings.

Choose Your Words Carefully

For a seller, advertising that you've recently painted your house seems like a no-brainer. But in a study that looked at nearly 60,000 residential real estate transactions in Texas, listings that mentioned new paint, new carpet and/or roof work sold, on average, for slightly less that those that did not.

Thomas A. Thomson, the study's coauthor and the director of the Real Estate Finance and Development Program at the University of Texas at San Antonio, says that buyers aren't going to be fooled by a problem house simply because it has a fresh coat of paint. But even if there is nothing wrong with the house, an advertisement that touts new features could set off alarm bells. If a seller says everything is new, a buyer might wonder why everything needed to be replaced - and whether there are other defects lurking.

Thomson recommends sellers take the simpler route: Let potential buyers be surprised by the quality of the home instead of disappointed by how average it is compared with its description.

The Downside of Upbeat

A big part of any decision to sell a house is where a homeowner thinks prices are heading. so how do owners feel after the brutal market of the past few years? A recent survey of 479 homeowners in 20 U.S. metropolitan areas found that people were about five times more likely to say their own homes would see their prices increase in the next 12 months than they were to say their neighbors' homes would do better.

Robert Shiller, a professor at Yale University, and Karl Case, a professor at Wellesley College, survey homeowners every year to gauge how confident they are that their homes will increase in value. Only once, when the housing market was at its worst in the recent crash, did the poll results slide into the negative. In general, the average respondent figured his home was bound to jump in value in the near future. "people don't change their opinions that quickly," says Shiller.

Whether sellers will regret those opinions later, only time will tell. If his expectations are out of whack with reality, an overoptimistic seller could wind up waiting for a higher price that will never arrive. But pessimists should tread just as carefully: An overly downbeat seller could wind up dumping a house at a price far below what it could fetch a year or two later.

Let the knowledgeable real estate professionals at Flagstaff Top Producer Real Estate assist you in all your real estate needs.

Homes Will Sell If Priced Right

2010-08-04T10:15:00.000-07:00

Foreclosures Have Impact!

Sellers are discovering the cold reality of post-housing-bust prices. No matter what the seller thinks their house is worth, what matters is what buyers are willing to pay. That can be a lot less in areas where the supply of houses for sale is swollen by foreclosures and short sales, often priced 20% to 30% below the ones being sold by financially healthy owners. Nationally, such properties account for a third of all sales three years after a historic chill blew over an overheated housing market.

Nationally, 30% of the houses for sale were reduced in price in June, according to Zillow.com, an online real estate site. Plenty of sellers have trouble pricing their homes against the foreclosed houses that lenders are trying to unload.

Pricing their home is one of the hardest things for sellers to do. They have an emotional attachment to their house, and for sellers to understand how they should price, they should deeply understand their market and competition -- what's on the market now, not just what's sold. Those sellers who do that successfully don't have a problem.

People who price their homes to the market are selling them in a reasonable amount of time, but people who cling to 2004 or 2005 prices are not. If you take into account bank-owned property pressures, you will sell pretty quickly.

Not all offers go smoothly. Even when owners find willing buyers, getting their price isn't a sure thing. Lenders generally require appraisals before giving a mortgage, and appraisers often take into account what foreclosed properties in the area sell for when determining how much a home is worth. If a home is being sold at too high a price, the sale can fall apart. Smart sellers get appraisals done before they sell the home.

Nationally, the average property takes eight to nine weeks to sell, down from 10 to 11 weeks a year ago, according to the National Association of Realtors. When homes are priced well they can and will sell - even in an anemic real estate market.

Contact the knowledgeable professionals at Flagstaff Top Producers Real Estate for all your home buying or selling needs.

Article courtesy of USA Today

FSBO Advantages and Disadvantages

2010-07-26T11:06:00.000-07:00

Many homeowners think about selling their own home but relatively few attempt it. Why? Because it's an extremely time-consuming and exhausting process, especially when you're working a full-time job! Nonetheless, we don't discourage you from putting your home on the market and attempting to sell it yourself. But before you do, We encourage you to become extremely knowledgeable about the process and aware of the advantages and disadvantages of it.

The knowledgeable agents at Flagstaff Top Producers Real Estate can answer any questions you may have about listing your home. Let our professional team help you with all your real estate needs!

What do foreclosures mean for investors?

2010-07-18T09:54:00.000-07:00

While foreclosures tend to be a very rough time for the home owner and bank involved, this time can be a huge opportunity for investors. Buying real estate in the pre-foreclosure stage is an excellent opportunity to not only make some money for yourself, but help out troubled homeowners in the process. Pre-forclosure is the brief period before the house is auctioned off. As an investor you are asking, How does this work? What risk is involved? Call our real estate experts at Flagstaff Top Producers and we would be more then happy to discuss this with you. Let us assist you with your next investment purchase!

Source: Bernie Gallerani, Realtor

Tips for First Time Home Buyers

2010-07-09T11:05:00.000-07:00

Be choosy, but realistic.
You may never find the perfect home.

Do your homework before looking at homes.
Determine exactly what features you want in a home and which are most important to you.

Get your finances in order.
Examine your credit report & be prepared for down payment or closing costs.

Get pre-approved for a mortgage.
Talk to a lender NOW - before engaging a REALTOR.

Know your move-in date.
When does your lease end?
Are you allowed to sublet?
How tight is the rental market in your area?

Think long-term.
Are you looking for a starter home, or something to stay in for a long time?
This could influence the type of home you decide to purchase, as well as the type of
mortgage terms that might best suit you.

Don't become "house poor".
Buying the biggest home you can afford may leave no money for maintenance, decor, or
renovations. Plus, it may make it hard for you to save money for other financial goals.

Don't take chances.
Obtain a professional home inspection and, if possible, a warranty from the seller to cover
any defect within the first year.

Flagstaff Top Producers Real Estate is ready to assist you in all of your real estate needs. Our top agents are professional local real estate market experts, giving you the utmost confidence in purchasing your first home.

Summer Provides Good Opportunities for Sellers

2010-07-08T09:45:00.000-07:00

There are many types of buyers out there, and couple those types with historically low interest rates and excellent values, and I expect the summer to be very busy!

Call Flagstaff Top Producers Real Estate today to get a specific market analysis for your property. I will explain specifically what I will do to get you the same results I got for my clients who sold last month. The experienced professionals at Flagstaff Top Producers Real Estate will be happy to assist you in all your real estate needs.

Sustainability Tip of the Week

2010-07-08T09:27:00.000-07:00

Why local is better, for produce.

Did you know that on average, produce in the United States is shipped 1,500 miles before being sold? And this does not include produce imported from other countries.

Most of the produce is picked 4 to 7 days before being placed on supermarket shelves.

You can reduce the fossil fuel used for transporting your produce and increase the freshness of your food by patronizing Flagstaff's local farmer's market.

In addition to being a fun way to spend a Sunday morning or Wednesday afternoon, you support independent growers and producers, as well as the local economy.

According to Local Harvest Inc., only 18 cents out of every dollar spend at a grocery store actually goes to the farmer who produced the crop.

Farmers markets allow for a greater percentage of that money to go directly to the farmer.

The Flagstaff Community Market is open Sundays from 8 a.m. to noon through Oct. 11, City Hall West Parking Lot, west of 211 West Aspen Ave.

The market will also be open on Wednesdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. July 8 through Sept. 9, St. Pius Catholic Church parking lot, 2257 E. Cedar Ave. Visit www.flagstaffmarket.com for more information.

Source: Nicole A. Woodman, city of Flagstaff Sustainability Manager

Be Un-Emotional When buying a Home!

2010-07-08T09:18:00.000-07:00

*In Order to Get the Best Value.....

Want to break your heart and bank account at the same time?

Then buy a home based on the fact that you've fallen in love with it! Needless to say, you should never do this! In some cases, when you fall in love with the "pretty face" of a house, you fail to look underneath and find problems like bad wiring, leaky roofs, bad foundations, etc. This is an extremely expensive way to buy a home.

Let the professionals at Flagstaff Top Producers Real Estate help you in all of your real estate needs. Our experienced agents can assist you in all the complexities of buying or selling your home. Give us a call today!

*Excerpt courtesy of Bernie Gallerani, Realtor

Flagstaff Home Prices Back On Rebound

2010-06-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

April's low median price of $270,000 is followed by $302,000 in May as fewer distressed houses hit the market.

By Joe Ferguson - Sun Staff Reporter - Arizona Daily Sun

Triple-digit temperatures in the Valley are always good for home sales here in greater Flagstaff.

But it was a decline in the number of distressed homes sold in May that helped increase the median price of single-family homes last month.

Home sale in Flagstaff were up slightly in May when compared to April, but the median price climbed by $30,000 to slightly more than $300,000, according to recently released sales figures from the Northern Arizona Association of Realtors.

The median price is still down from a year ago, when it stood at $320,000 - half sold for more, half for less.

Yet the size of the median-priced house is nearly the same - slightly under 2,000 square feet - meaning the price per square foot is down by $10 to $155.

Currently there are roughly 900 single family homes listed for sale in the greater Flagstaff area.

This represents a 17-month supply of homes. A healthy supply is considered by most real estate professionals to be three to six months.

Some local Realtors believe that because Flagstaff's summer months are the height of the real estate season, listings in the Northern Arizona Association of Realtors Multiple Listing Service are somewhat higher than normal.

Flagstaff Home Sales*

May '08 Mary '09 April '10 May '10
#sales 75 57 51 55
Med Price $355K $320K $270K $302K
Med size** 1,850 1,944 1,869 1,944
Price sq ft $192 $165 $144 $155
*detached single-family **square feet

Source: Northern Arizona Association of Realtor Multiple Listing Service. Figures are not certified as accurate and may not represent all sales.

The knowledgeable professionals at Flagstaff Top Producers Real Estate can help you with all of your real estate buying or selling needs. Give us a call today!

When It Comes To Home Value, It Pays To Conform!

2010-06-08T12:52:00.000-07:00

Being a "Conformist" Can Maximize Your Home Value

Have you ever gone into a neighborhood and noticed a few homes that stuck out like sore thumbs? One might be much fancier than the houses surrounding it while the other might be a "dump" in comparison to neighboring properties.

This scenario illustrates the real estate principle of "conformity." The main idea behind this principle is that a house is more likely to appreciate in value if age, size, condition and style are similar to, or conform to, other houses in the neighborhood.

How Does this Affect Buyers?

This principle of comparison also extends to buyers. By that I mean that if you make your property more inviting than others in your neighborhood, you end up limiting potential buyers. of course, the opposite is also true - if you don't take care of our property, you'll definitely have fewer buyers looking at it.

Conformity is closely related to two other principles - progression and regression. In plain English, regression means that high-valued properties often tend to suffer when located close to lower-valued homes. Progression, on the other hand, means that lower-valued homes will often see increased value when found amongst higher-valued properties.

This formal principle leads the informal maxim: "Buy the cheapest property on the block!" The higher value of the homes around it will, in turn, make it more valuable.

As A Buyer, How Can I Use the Principle of Conformity to My Advantage?

I've already mentioned one method - buy the least expensive house in the neighborhood! Once you do that, improve it, and you'll get most 'bang for your buck' on your improvements. Of course, take caution when looking at such properties (often called "due diligence"). Spend the money on a real estate appraiser so you get an objective evaluation.

Too Many Improvements is Bad News

Avoid any homes that need major fixes such as roofs, foundations, siding, plumbing, electrical work, etc. The last thing you need is a "money pit" into which you keep investing money and get little or nothing in return. Be sure to seek out sound properties, like homes needing only minor fixes such as painting, cleaning, landscaping, carpets, new appliances, etc.

If you're a buyer interested in real estate investment, purchase a home in a neighborhood that's just beginning a revitalization cycle. That way you can be sure values will appreciate.

You can also look for 'under-improved' properties such as single family homes which can be converted to residential income or commercial use, especially is such properties lie in the "path of progress;" that is, areas experiencing positive growth.

As A Seller, How Can I Use the Principle of Conformity to My Advantage?

As a seller, simply make sure that you maintain our home and lot on par with surrounding properties. Of course, if you've already done that, then invest in low-cost improvements such as new paint inside and out, landscaping, a professional cleaning job, etc. You might also want to add new carpets and/or new appliances if they are lacking.

Do It Yourself!...if You're Good

All these actions will improve the value of the home in the eyes of potential buyers. If you're an experienced do-it-yourselfer, you should definitely tackle some improvement projects since they can cost less than half of what professional contractors charge.

However, notice that I emphasized "experienced!" An amateurish job on, say, cabinets or roofs can actually reduce the value of your home.
So, unless you're really, really good at it, leave major home remodeling projects to the professionals.

This article is attributed to Bernie Gallerani, Real Estate Agent - Hendersonville, TN

Let the real estate professionals at Flagstaff Top Producers Real Estate assist you in all you buying and selling needs. Our knowledgeable agents are ready to help you buy or sell real estate in Flagstaff, Az.

Flagstaff Home Values Continue Slide

2010-05-28T08:35:00.000-07:00

Home values in Arizona dropped more in the last year than any other state. New figures Tuesday from the Federal Housing Finance Agency show the price for an average Arizona home in the first quarter of this year is .13 percent less than the same time a year age.

What that means is that home values, on average, are now more than 20 percent below where they were at this time in 2005, while prices were going up but before the housing bubble burst.

And there is no real sign that the slide in values is slowing: The index dropped by 3.4 percent just between the last quarter of 2009 and the first quarter of this year.

In Flagstaff, the change in the last quarter was -3.48%, and the difference between the 1st quarter of 2009 and the 1st quarter of 2010 is -13.26%.

But those who have been hanging onto their houses longer term still have something to be happy about: The report shows that, even with the precipitous drop in prices, the average Arizona home is now worth almost double what it was at the beginning of 1991.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency figures are significant because the agency computes its index based on figures from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac which have the larges database of conventional mortgages going back 34 years.

That allows the agency to track prices on the same home being sold and resold. By contrast, some other indexes are based solely on whatever happens to be sold during that period.

What these figures represent is that it is a great time to buy a home in Flagstaff! Mortgage rates are at a new low, and there is a diverse selection of homes to choose from.

Let the professionals at Flagstaff Top Producers Real Estate assist you in buying or selling your home, and our knowledgable agents can help you maximize your homes' equity potential.

Thank you for the privilege!

by Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services.

Sustainability Tip of the Week

2010-05-14T10:34:00.000-07:00

Living More Sustainably

1. Focus On Being Healthy

Getting and staying fit will save you money, increase your happiness, and give you additional energy to take on more resolutions.

--Make your own meals. Despite low-sodium and low-fat labels on processed foods, nothing beats homemade food when it comes to nutrition and value. Be sure these meals include some fruits and vegetables (from local sources when possible).

-- Walk or bike to where you need to go. Flagstaff is very walker and biker friendly, with sidewalks, bike lanes and the urban trail system linking up nearly the entire city.

2. Help Build Your Community

It can be hard to feel a sense of community in today's fast-paced world, but there are simple things you can do to help build your community.

--Participate, as a member or volunteer, in local organizations and events. You'll meet your neighbors and help to improve the community.

--Invest in local businesses. Shopping at local businesses helps to create and sustain jobs, preserves the unique community character, and increases funding for city services.

3. Reduce Your Waste

The average American generates 56 tons of garbage per year and Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottle every hour.

--Always try to reduce what you consume. When buying an item, look for good quality construction and minimal packaging.

--Reuse the three B's: bags (for grocery and retail stores), beverage containers (mugs and water bottles), and batteries.

--Recycle all plastic, metal, paper/cardboard, and glass. Plastic film, including shopping bags and packaging, is recyclable at major Flagstaff grocery stores.

4. Conserve Water

Water is one of Flagstaff's most precious resources. On an annualized basis, Flagstaff citizens use about 116 gallons of water per person per day.

--Install a modern, low-flow shower head. Look for models with a flow rate less that 2.5 gallons per minute and/or with a shut-off valve to use while you're lathering up.

--Install faucet aerators at kitchen and bathroom sinks. Aerators are inexpensive and simply screw onto your existing faucets to limit water flow to 2.2 gallons per minute or less.

5. Save Energy & Fuel

--As perhaps the most obvious resolution to be more sustainable, hopefully you are already taking steps to reduce your energy and fuel consumption. Here are a few pointers to help you save even more energy, and money!

--Eliminate energy phantoms. Most entertainment and office equipment uses energy even when it isn't turned on. Plug electronics into power strips and turn the strips off when the equipment isn't in use.

--Lower the thermostat on your hot water heater to 120 F. For each 10 F reduction in water temperature, you can save between 3 percent to 5 percent in energy costs.

--Drive sensibly. Aggressive driving can reduce your fuel economy by 33 percent on the highway and 5 percent around town, and is also dangerous.

Source -- Nicole A. Woodman, city of Flagstaff Sustainability Manager.

Get Ready to Enter the 2010 Flagstaff Garden Competition

2010-05-04T11:05:00.000-07:00

Susan Lamb - local writer and naturalist - posted this in Home and Garden in the Arizona Daily Sun on 4/17/2010 --

Despite late-lingering snowbanks and being batted about by spring winds like birdies on a badminton court, Flagstaff gardeners are suddenly out in force.

Eternal optimists, they are already swarming local nurseries wearing sunhats and ferrying pots of native perennials, vegetable starts and new gardening gloves to the registers. Rakes have been fetched from garages, along with pruning shears and trowels.

Whether you are among these early enthusiasts -- or you need to wait a few weeks because of you particular location -- the Arizona Native Plant Society (ASNPS) invites you to enter its annual Flagstaff Garden Competition. The deadline for entering the contest is Aug. 4.

Judges will schedule a one-hour visit to each garden during the weekend of August 14 and 15. There will be an awards "Extravaganza" on August 25 and a public tour of all the gardens on Sunday, August 29.

Simply entering the Flagstaff Garden Competition can liberate the imagination and fire up a lot of energy. Then the reality of showing your garden to strangers sinks in, determination surfaces and creativity flows.

Long-neglected "issues" such as a pile of old plastic pots or the overdue need to prune a dogwood are suddenly resolved. What at first seems like a lark undertaken because a neighbor says you really should becomes a closer observation of the weather, a more attentive nurturing of plants and a greater clarity about what you know and don't yet know. If you remain unconvinced about entering, Dorothy Lamm's lovely exhibit on the Garden Competition -- on display at the main Flagstaff Public Library through April -- may convince you to take an active part in this delightful annual event.

This year, the Flagstaff Garden Competition's two categories are Native Plant Gardens and Edible Landscapes (vegetables, herbs and other edibles). Of course, the former should have a good majority of plants native to Northern Arizona. Native plant gardens should also be pollinator friendly, with lots of flowers appropriately placed in sun and shade and absolutely no use of pesticides.

Judges will also consider color and form, hardscaping and paths, and special features such as ponds and sculptures. Edible landscapes should produce food for many weeks and employ water conservation strategies such as runoff catchments and mulch. In fact, judges will look for water-wise techniques in all gardens as well as designs that are appropriate to their sites' exposure to sun, shade and wind.

The Flagstaff Garden Awards Extravaganza will take place in Rees Hall at the Federated Church on Wednesday, August 25. After a potluck and a slide show of all the gardens, winners will receive gift certificates from local nurseries, and there will be a raffle of one of the latest books on native plants as well as memberships in plant-related organizations.

The grand finale is a tour of all the gardens on August 29. Donations for the tour will be gratefully accepted. The tour is a feast for the eye but also the heart. Gardeners can see how others succeed in circumstances similar to their own, from the banana belt below Mount Elden to the frost-prone fields of Baderville. With such a variety of mini-climates in Flagstaff and its environs, we often get the best ideas about successful gardening from those who've succeeded in locations similar to our own.

But that Sunday is also a day of stories -- of a helpful neighbor, of a source of cuttings or flagstone, of chronic frost or a sudden onslaught of grasshoppers and the inspired strategies to cope with them. Some gardeners also speak joyfully of the healing and happiness they have found in their gardens.

This year, the Flagstaff garden competition is sponsored by the Arboretum at Flagstaff, the Arizona Native Plant Society,the Ecological Restoration Institute at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff Native Plant and Seed, and Warner's Nursery.

Again, the deadline for entries is Wednesday, August 4. To enter, e-mail Jessa Fisher at nightbloomingcactus@yahoo.com (preferred) or give her a call at (928) 814-2644.

The knowledgeable agents at Flagstaff Top Producers Real Estate are available to assist you in all your real estate needs. If you are thinking about buying or selling, the professionals at Flagstaff Top Producers Real Estate welcome your call.

Easy Fixes for 4 Household Problems

2010-04-29T10:01:00.000-07:00

Problems like squeaky stairs and oil stains on the garage floor can be quick turnoffs to buyers. But these common household troubles need not hold your listing back - particularly if they're relatively easy for a do-it-yourselfer to fix.

Lynda Lyday - carpenter, professional contractor, and a featured expert on the DIY cable network- provides dozens of simple fixes for common household problems in The Homeowner's Manual (Que Publishing, 2006).

While it's always best to bring in an expert to correct big problems, Lyday provides these tips for capable home owners who want to try their own hand at a solution.

Problem: Oil Stains On Garage Floor

Lyday's solution: "You can remove most of a stubborn stain with a bit of elbow grease and scrubbing. First, remove the surface oil by sprinkling some cat litter on it to soak it up. Then clear away the cat litter and focus on the stain. Make a paste of hot water and dry dish or laundry detergent. Use a stiff bristle scrub brush to scrub the area with the paste. Hose the area and let it dry. Another method is to use a product such as Spray 'n Wash on the stain for 10 minutes, along with a dry detergent. Your last option is to spray on some oven cleaner. Use this sparingly, wash it down thoroughly, and keep children and pets away from it."

Problem: Leaky Faucets

Lyday's solution: "Most faucet leaks can easily be fixed with a rubber washer, an 0-ring, or seals - depending on what type of faucet it is. By fixing the problem yourself, you can save a good bit of money since plumbers can be expensive and will charge you a standard fee even if it takes only 10 minutes to fix the problem."

Problem: Nail Pops

Lyday's solution: "Nail pops are a problem across the country. The term comes from the nails that hold the drywall to the studs actually popping out through the face of the drywall. This is from either a house settling or the wood studs drying out over time, squeezing the nail out of the wood and pushing it through the drywall. The fix for this isn't terribly hard, but it's tedious because there are up to 32 nails in a 4-foot by 8-foot sheet of drywall. My suggestion is to pound the nail through the drywall to the stud. Then, just above it, place a drywall screw to hold the drywall to the stud, and finish it off with a few coats of spackle or joint compound. Finally, seal and paint it. Most home-improvement stores also sell nail pop kits that can make this job easier."

Problem: Squeaky Stairs

Lyday's solution: "The most common problems that occur in a staircase are the treads (horizontal surface of the steps) coming loose, which causes squeaking. Also common are the spindles or balusters coming loose. If you can get underneath the staircase, fixing the treads is easy. You will need to attach an L bracket from the underside of the tread to the stringer (the long piece of wood that connects the treads and runs diagonally up the wall). If you can't get underneath the staircase, you'll have to make the repair from above. Squeaky stair kits are available that allow you to make this fix even through carpet. Otherwise, you can secure the tread to the stringer with a trim screw."

Adapted from The Homeowner's Manual (Que Publishing, 2006)

Call the experienced Real Estate Professionals at Flagstaff Top Producers Real Estate when you are ready to list your home. Our knowledgable agents will be happy to assist you in all your real estate needs!

Sustainability Tip of the Week: Making better soil, naturally

2010-04-20T10:48:00.000-07:00

Nichole A. Woodman, City of Flagstaff Sustainability Manager writes:

Composting is nature's way of recycling organic material back into the soil. The billions of living organisms in healthy soil transform dead plants into vital nutrients for new plant growth.

Since healthy plants come from healthy soil, one of the best ways you can build healthy soil in your garden and lawn is by using compost.

You can easily make compost with landscape trimmings and food scraps in your own backyard. With a small investment in time, you can improve the health and appearance of your yard, save money on fertilizers and mulch, all while preserving natural resources and protecting the health of your family and pets.

Here are some great reasons to compost:

It's earth-friendly. Food scraps and yard wast make up 2-30 percent of the waste stream. Making compost keeps these materials out of landfills, where they take up precious space.
It benefits your yard. Compost improves soil structure and texture, increases the soil's ability to hold both water and air, improves soil fertility and stimulates healthy root development in plants.
It's easy. You can start with just leaves and yard clippings, then work your way toward composting your food scraps.
It saves money. Adding compost to your garden can reduce or eliminate the need to buy chemical fertilizers or compost. If you pay for the amount of trash hauled, composting can also cut down on your trash costs.

If you want to learn more about composting, the City of Flagstaff is hosting free backyard composting workshops on May 19 and May 20 from 5 to 6 p.m. at the New Start Garden, 320 N. Aztec Street, Flagstaff, AZ 86001.

If you want to learn more about buying or selling your home, call the knowledgeable professionals at Flagstaff Top Producers Real Estate. Valerie Caro's experienced team of agents are available to assist you in all your real estate needs.