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Sun City, AZ

October 6, 2011 By


Looking to buy a home in Sun City? Browse the most up to date listings for all homes for sale in Sun City. This home search is updated daily for the most current information.

Sun City, AZ is a master-planned community by Del Webb (also known as Pulte Homes), featuring Sun City Phase 1 which is located between Olive Ave and Grand Ave, Sun City Phase 2 which is found between Grand Ave and Bell Rd and Sun City Phase 3 which is situated north of Bell Rd. There is also Sun City Grand, Sun City West and Sun City Festival – most are retirement communities (at least one resident must be 55+), often for snowbirds (winterers).

Water and sewer utilities are provided by a private utility, American Water. Sanitation service is also by a private hauler, Parks & Sons of Sun City. Parks and recreation services are also controlled by private organizations that sell their services by subscription. Although independent audits have shown that the community would receive more efficient delivery of services at an ultimately lower cost by incorporation, the issue is opposed by most residents.

A one-time transfer fee of $300 sets the new owner up as a member within the community. A one-time capital preservation assessment fee of up to $3,500 (as of 2018) is imposed on the purchase of all residential property in Sun City. The annual property assessment is $420 per lot and this entitles the resident owner to full use of all recreation centers and access to golf courses and bowling centers. The approximate property tax on a Sun City, AZ home assessed at $125,000 is $700.

The cost of living in Sun City, AZ for retirees is substantially lower than virtually any other US cities and Sun City enjoys a much lower sales tax (of only 7.3%) than comparable Phoenix neighborhoods.

For more information about Sun City, AZ please consult their Visitor Center.

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Phoenix, AZ

September 27, 2011 By


Looking to buy a home in Phoenix? Browse the most up to date listings for all homes for sale in Phoenix. This home search is updated daily for the most current information.

Phoenix, AZ is the 12th largest metropolitain area by population in the United States, with more than 4.3 million people as of 2009. Phoenix has maintained a growth streak in recent years, growing by 24.2% since 2000, making it the second-fastest-growing urban area in the US. In 2008, Phoenix was one of the hardest hit by the subprime mortgage crisis and today the median home price is about $150,000 – down from the $262,000 peak in 2006. Downtown Phoenix has experienced renewed interest and growth, resulting in numerous restaurant, stores and businesses opening or relocating to central Phoenix. As with most of Arizona, Phoenix does not observe daylight saving time. The military has a significant presence in Phoenix with Luke Air Force Base located in the western suburbs.

Phoenix has a subtropical arid climate, with very hot summers and warm winters. The average summer high temperature is among the hottest of any populated area in the US and approaches those of cities in the Middle East. The temperature reaches or exceeds 100°F (38°C) an average of 110 days during the year, including most days from May through September and highs can top 110 °F (43 °C). Rainfall is sparse during a large part of the summer, but during monsoon season which runs June 15 to September 15, it raises humidity levels and can cause heavy localized precipitation and flooding occasionally. Winter months are warm, with daily high temperatures ranging from the mid-60’s to low 70’s (18-22°C) and overnight low temperatures rarely dipping below 40 °F (4 °C).

Phoenix and the surrounding metro area have several cultural activities, including the performing arts, museums and events.

  • One such venue is the Phoenix Symphony Hall, where performances from groups such as the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, Arizona Opera and Ballet Arizona often occur. Another venue is the Orpheum Theatre, which is home to the Phoenix Metropolitan Opera. Concerts also regularly make stops in the area.
  • Phoenix Art Museum is the Southwest’s largest destination for visual art from across the world. Another prominent area museum is the Heard Museum just north of downtown. Other notable museums in the city include the Arizona Science Center, Hall of Flame Firefighting Museum, Phoenix Museum of History, Phoenix Zoo and Children’s Museum of Phoenix.
  • Phoenix has long been renowned for authentic Mexican food, thanks to both the large Hispanic population and proximity to Mexico. But the recent population boom has brought people from all over the nation, and to a lesser extent from other countries, and has since influenced the local cuisine.

Phoenix is home to several professional sports franchises, including representatives of all four major professional sports leagues in the U.S.

  • The first major franchise was the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA), which started play in 1968.
  • The Arizona Cardinals moved to Phoenix from St. Louis, Missouri in 1988 and currently play in the Western Division of the NFL’s National Football Conference.
  • The Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League moved to the area in 1996; they were formerly the Winnipeg Jets franchise.
  • The Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (National League West Division) began play as an expansion team in 1998.
  • The Phoenix International Raceway is a major venue for two NASCAR auto racing events per season. Boat racing, drag racing, and road course racing are also held at Firebird International Raceway.

Public education in the Phoenix area is provided by over 30 school districts and the Phoenix Union High School District operates most of the public high schools in the city of Phoenix. Arizona State University is the main institution of higher education in the region, with campuses located in Tempe, Northwest Phoenix, Downtown Phoenix and Mesa. There are also small satellite offices for the University of Arizona (based in Tucson) and Northern Arizona University (based in Flagstaff) located in Phoenix.

Phoenix is served by Sky Harbor International Airport, which is centrally located in the metro area near several major freeway interchanges east of downtown Phoenix. Sky Harbor is the 9th busiest airport in the US and 17th in the world for passenger traffic, handling more than 42 million travelers in 2007. The airport serves more than 100 cities with non-stop flights.

For more information about Phoenix, AZ please visit Wikipedia.

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Glendale, AZ

September 17, 2011 By


Looking to buy a home in Glendale AZ? Browse the most up to date listings for all homes for sale in Glendale AZ. This home search is updated daily for the most current information.

Glendale, AZ bills itself as “Arizona’s Antique Capital,” with support for its claim from both Sunset Magazine (2004) and a 1998 article in USA Today. Glendale is home to the popular Arrowhead Towne Center mall in the northwest part of the city and is home to Midwestern University, metro Phoenix’s first medical school. According to the 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is almost 250,000.

Also in Glendale is the new University of Phoenix Stadium, home of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals and the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. In 2008, Super Bowl XLII was played there. Both venues are part of the Westgate City Center development plan, meant to spur growth in the sparsely inhabited Yucca district. The Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB) both moved to Glendale and share a spring training facility.

Jobing.com Arena opened in 2003 (formerly Glendale Arena) adjacent to University of Phoenix Stadium and is the home of the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Glendale plays host to a variety of events throughout the year that attracts thousands, including:

  • Glendale Chocolate Festival (February every year)
  • Glendale Glitters (December every year)
  • Annual Glendale Jazz and Blues Festival

Many school districts serve the city of Glendale: Deer Valley Unified School District, Dysart Unified School District and Peoria Unified School District.

Glendale high schools: Glendale Union High, Phoenix Union High, Tolleson Union High.

Glendale elementary schools: Alhambra Elementary, Glendale Elementary, Pendergast Elementary, Washington Elementary.

For more information about Glendale, AZ please visit Wikipedia.

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Taking Good House Pictures

September 13, 2011 By

Taking better house pictures The following photography tips are primarily geared for an SLR (single lens reflective) camera, though most of these settings can also be controlled with compact cameras. If you are curious about an SLR camera, you can find a good entry-level one for about $500, including the lens. It is best to refer to your owner’s manual to see how to adjust these settings, which will likely change with every environment. Trial and error is the best way to learn what looks good and how to remember to change the settings.

1. Make sure the battery is charged and you have a memory card in the camera. It’s easy to forget where you may have left the card after transferring photos from it. Before taking a picture, always check your lens and only wipe it with a microfiber lens cleaning cloth if needed.

2. Adjust the image size to the largest setting available for your camera. Fortunately, this is just a one-time setting that your camera will store. This will let you take the biggest photos possible, which is better for resizing (shrinking) or cropping (cutting) in post-production. Keep in mind that the bigger the pictures, the more memory they will take on your card so be prepared.

3. Adjust the white balance using a plain white sheet of paper (or just use camera’s auto setting if you prefer). This tells your camera what is pure white, so you can avoid taking pictures that have blue/green tints to them or where everything comes out looking “brassy”.

4. Adjust the ISO to 800 or even 1600 for naturally brighter pictures. This is crucial to avoid having to lighten the images in post-production. However, be aware that higher ISOs also have some drawbacks. In camera-speak, image noise is referred to as the amount of “graininess” in the photo. Consider the following guide:
ISO 100 for brightly lit places or sunlight outside – no noise
ISO 200 for overcast and cloudy – only a tiny bit of noise
ISO 400 for indoor with or without flash – some noise can be seen
ISO 800 for SLR cameras – most shots taken like this with a compact camera will be very noisy

5. My belief is unless you are using professional softboxes for room lighting, you should always use a flash indoors. You can control the camera’s flash intensity if needed for smaller rooms, by decreasing the burst of flash to avoid “washing out” the subject. Conversely for large open indoor spaces, you can increase the flash strength to get ample lighting. If you choose not to use a flash indoors or for dimly lit rooms, use a tripod for a steady shot. The slow shutter speed in low light situations will make it virtually impossible to hold the camera steady long enough.

6. Get creative with camera angles and use zoom to frame the shot (say to cut out ceilings or avoid bright windows). It’s best to stick with horizontal pics for the MLS but experiment with different angles, using zoom to showcase fixtures, flooring or textures can be very effective.

7. Always take way more pictures of each room or setting than you will ever need. What may look very clear on your camera’s LCD might not look so good at 3888 x 2592 frame size for example. Plus it’s nice to have a bunch of similar images to choose from when previewing them later on your computer. After all, taking 10 or 100 doesn’t cost any more.

Check out another agent’s dark and blurry listing pictures (possibly snapped with a camera phone) of the identical model house to the one I recently sold for my client… if you had just listed your house with this agent, wouldn’t you be totally insulted by their poor picture quality? Photos are the first thing buyers see online and impressions are made within seconds.

Using bright, clean photos doesn’t cost any more and I did not alter or retouch these images in any way. Witness the two pictures from my own listings on the right… can see you see the difference? On the left are another agent’s photos for the EXACT same home model in both examples. Now remember, these are actual pictures from my own listings compared to what other agents would use to market your property!

Who would you trust with the sale of your home?

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Peoria, AZ

September 13, 2011 By

City of Peoria AZ
Looking to buy a home in Peoria AZ? Browse the most up to date listings for all homes for sale in Peoria AZ. This home search is updated daily for the most current information.

Peoria is currently the 4th largest city in the state of Arizona in terms of land area and the 9th largest city in the state in terms of population. The city was named after Peoria, Illinois. It is the Major League Baseball spring training home of the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners, who share the Peoria Sports Complex.

Peoria, AZ continues to grow successfully. In 1999 most of the land around Lake Pleasant Regional Park was annexed into the city. Peoria has gained a world-class educational and cultural destination: the Challenger Space Center of Arizona. In 2007, the city completed the Peoria Center for the Performing Arts. Today, most of the city’s growth is taking place in North Peoria but the city is also moving forward with some detailed plans to help revitalize the city’s historic center.

In 2003, the city created a Drought Contingency Plan and the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) awarded Peoria as having a 100-year Assured Water Supply. Additionally, Peoria became the first city in Arizona to use water availability rather than land mass for growth projections. Through separate development agreements, the city has managed to designate over 4,000 acres of mountain preserves and open space to be enjoyed by all of Peoria.

Between 1990 and 2000, Peoria was the 5th fastest growing city in the United States, with a population of over 100,000 – increasing in population by 114%. In 2004, Peoria was home to over 130,000 residents spread out over 170 square miles.

Peoria’s identity is more related to resort and leisure living, as that lifestyle migrates from the Northeast Valley to Peoria. Peoria’s economic plan focuses on establishing the new Loop 303 freeway corridor as an industrial, commercial, mixed development use, and less on traditional residential development. In July 2008, Money Magazine listed Peoria AZ in the Top 100 Places to Live.

Peoria city limits lie mainly in the Peoria Unified School District, however some portions of the northern end of the city lie within the Deer Valley Unified School District. Peoria has 4 high schools within the city limits, including:

  • Peoria High School
  • Centennial High School
  • Sunrise Mountain High School
  • Liberty High School

Peoria Unified School District (PUSD) elementary schools within the city limits are: Alta Loma, Apache, Cheyenne, Cotton Boll, Country Meadows, Coyote Hills, Desert Harbor, Frontier, Ira Murphy, Lake Pleasant, Oakwood, Oasis, Parkridge, Paseo Verde, Peoria, Santa Fe, Sky View, Sun Valley, Sundance, Vistancia and Zuni Hills.

Deer Valley Unified School District (DVSD) elementary schools within the city limits are: Terramar and West Wing.

For more information about Peoria, AZ please visit Wikipedia.

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Andrew Robb - RE/MAX Fine Properties, 21020 N Pima Rd, Scottsdale AZ 85255