Once again, it's time for our (7th) annual turkey drive! On Sunday Nov. 22nd, I will be delivering turkeys to Phoenix Rescue Mission as they prepare to feed the homeless on Thanksgiving Day.
I believe that many people have a desire to help others this time of year but find it difficult to do so because our lives are so busy. This year, the shelters need a LOT of help. If you would like to help by making a financial donation, we will do all of the work for you! I'll be purchasing frozen turkeys Sunday morning to deliver to the Phoenix Rescue Mission. (I can provide receipts from the mission if needed.) Please feel free to contact me with any questions or donations.
If you are able to donate one dollar or a hundred ( or more), I am able to purchase frozen turkeys all at once for delivery to the mission on Sunday morning. Over the years, we have found this the easiest way to help the most people. I can give you my address or I can pick up donations up until Saturday the 21st. You can always email me at nick (at) nickbastian (dot) com or call me for more info! I am out and about a LOT, so it makes picking up your donation pretty easy! :-)
Last year, with the help of my friend Rob, we were able to deliver over 875 pounds of turkey for needy families! Big thanks to Rob Sell at Sell Home Inspections for all he does. Thankfully, Rob has really stepped in to be a huge help to me in hauling all of these birds. We both have a BLAST delivering them and want to thank everyone for your donations to such a great cause.
Please help. Every single penny is GREATLY appreciated. We want to make it easy for everyone to help others this Thanksgiving. I would also like to wish you and your families a wonderful holiday season!
If you are an agent that sells homes near transit lines or that feels like living near a light rail system could be a benefit to home owners or investors, I would ask that you contact your local transit authority to get your area added to the Walk Score system.
Walk Score is a great tool we have used for quite some time to allow people to “score” a home based on it’s “walk-ability.” While I believe it is a great tool, I hadn’t really been quite as excited as one might think, mostly because their algorithm hadn’t included public transportation, mainly, light rail.
Recently, that excitement has changed slightly as I have seen several blog posts about new transportation data being used in evaluating a Walk Score. The reason I say slightly is because the Phoenix Metro area does not yet have the super cool transit functionality built into the search. ( Flagstaff has it!?!)
Getting the data necessary to add transportation to the Walk Score system is easy. There is a form we can all fillout to request our transit agency to submit a transit feed to make it happen. If you are interested in transportation or are interested in living near the light rail line, please fill out that form and let them know.
Please feel free to leave a comment here and add to the discussion BUT, please also head over to the blog post I wrote about this topic on the Rail Life blog and leave a comment there as well. I would like to get some reactions from some of the "transit geeks" that read the Rail Life blog and it would be great to have them see what some of the people from Active Rain have to say about the Walk Score information. If you are not familiar with Walk Score, you might want to check them out. It is a fun way to tell people how "walk able" their neighborhood.
Ok, who is using Google Wave? As you can see form the following blog post written by my friend Bill Risser, we are going to meet on Monday to try and dive a little deeper into some of it's features.
You are welcome to join us in person or online. If you have a Google Wave account, please feel free to connect with me so that we can chat on Monday at 10am ( AZ time) I am nickbastian@googlewave <dot>com
I have heard good things and not so good things about Google Wave which is understandable for a new product. I have nt used it much yet but see some interesting possibilities. Please feel free to join us!
OK, the title Google Wave Enclave is a bit pretentious, but I hope it caught your attention.
I'm putting a call out to anyone lucky enough to have received an invite to Google Wave. Nick Bastian (@raillife) and Paul Guenther (@mytitleguypaul) and myself are getting together next Monday, Nov 2nd at 10am in Tempe to experiment, play, and hopefully learn some of the finer points of the Wave.
Nick was lucky enough to receive an invite, and he's agreed to let us use his account for our workshop. If you have a Wave account, and would like to join us, simply leave a comment or contact me at billrisser@gmail.com. The more Wave accounts the better. This will enable us to see just how real time some of the Wave features really are and develop some user strategies.
Click here to see the video of the Google Wave Developers Conference. It's at the bottom of the linked post.
Click on the Google Card to connect with me socially...
Not long ago, I came up with the term RailGating. Basically, it is a new way for people to enjoy the football games at Sun Devil Stadium while avoiding traffic and parking nightmares. Now that we have light rail available to drop people off right in front of Sun Devil Stadium, many people are using it to get to the games and a new term has been introduced to light rail riding Sun Devils. RailGating is here… Soon, it will be an art form. There is no right or wrong way to railgate, just have fun. There will be people that join existing tailgaters, people will use one of the FREE park and Ride lots and then stop at restaurants and bars near Sun Devil Stadium, downtown Phoenix students can take light rail to the game and meet up with friends, etc.
This weekend, we are gearing up for for some serious RailGating action and a Homecoming showdown with the Cal Bears on Halloween.
In fact, everyone is invited to come hang out with the cool AT&T SparkyCentral camera man before, during (if you don’t have tickets") and after the game. While there, you will have a chance to enter the “Grand Puba” contest to win a bunch of cool stuff. If you can’t make it or are not going to enter the contest, please make sure to VOTE FOR ME. <—yes, click that link and vote so that I win…
According to the AT&T Sparky Central site, these are some of the things up for grabs…
Free passes to home games.
Sideline seating.
FREE AT&T Sparky Central merchandise.
Exclusive V.I.P. Tailgating Railgating events.
More cool stuff that you can find on their site or ask em’ Saturday!
The Homecoming game against California has been picked up by ABC for a 12:30 PM kickoff. We will be there by 10:30am to hang out with friends before the game. (SparkyCentral will be there by 11:00am) The early afternoon kickoff time leaves plenty of time for RailGater’s to enjoy trick-or-treating and other Halloween festivities that evening. Be there, be loud and in gold to carry on the home field advantage for the Devil’s.
To come hang out with me and SparkyCentral, take the light rail to the station at 5th and College and head South on Forest to 6th street. At 6th street head west to where the street ends, we will be in the lot on the South side of the road at 101 E 6th Street. Here is a Google map for “RailGating” with us.
For people that are enjoying the games in Tempe, we have set up a new RailGating group on Flickr to share the experiences with friends and with the community. I'll be adding more pics from this weekend so come back and check it out. Finding ways to have fun in Tempe is what it is all about!
Well, it's mid October and the weather man (person) says we could hit 100 degrees here in Tempe this weekend. This is the same weather channel where I see a list of snow showers and 30 degree temperatures in places like Minnesota. It is no secret that we have some amazing weather from November to oh, about May... The population should begin to swell around here any time now. This reminds me of some of the great options for people that we affectionately call "snowbirds." You know who you are...you can't take the heat but know where to fly South for the winter.
While there are MANY options available here, I thought I'd point out a couple for our winter visitors.
How about a great "furnished condo" in Sunland Village East?
This GORGEOUS Laguna 12 model has been well maintained and is being sold furnished! Seriously, all you have to do is bring a toothbrush and a desire to have some fun in the Arizona sun. The home has a very open and functional floor plan, lots of nice tile, tons of cabinet and storage space, one car garage and a nice patio that you can actually enjoy any time of day. What a perfect opportunity for ''winter visitors'' to take advantage of the great lifestyle offered by Sunland Village East ( a 55 plus community ). Golf, tennis, clubhouse, tons of activities, etc. Make sure and look at the video! For just $135,000 it is a lifestyle you can truly enjoy.
Heck, when it gets hot, go back "home!" That's what a LOT of people do around here...
Not sure about where you want to spend all of your winters? You can rent something furnished, as well! Check out this GORGEOUS Scottsdale condo for just $1400.00 per month (seasonal rents- Long term rental rate is just $1,100 per month.) Probably gonna be a heck of a lot cheaper than one of the fancy resorts we have. This gorgeous 2bedroom 2 bath FURNISHED condo is spotless! Beautifully decorated, completely re-modeled and in a location that can't be beat. The unit has granite counters, stainless appliances, beautifully tiled floors, beautiful furniture and decor and is absolutely immaculate! The community boasts 2 pools, a spa, a dog park, well manicured grounds and a GREAT South Scottsdale location. Stay minutes from Old Town, the airport, Tempe Marketplace, Mill Avenue, Scottsdale Fashion Square, restaurants, shops, freeways, jobs, etc! There is even a nearby bus stop and a Trolley system to take you to Old Town Scottsdale! ** Take a look, it's gorgeous!**
To be honest, I totally understand that people might not listen to me when deciding to take the trip to Las Vegas for a conference. Tonight, I saw a video by Todd Carpenter telling us to get to REBlogWorld. In fact, he says, get in your car a drive to Vegas if you have to. The conference is jam packed with useful information. As the Social Media Manager for the National Association of Realtors, I am pretty sure Todd knows a thing or two about the subject. Heck, way before Todd took the job at NAR, most of us knew he was someone that has his finger on the puse of social media.
So, agents... Do yourself a favor and get to REBlogWorld...
Foreclosures are a huge part of the real estate market in Arizona. For some, foreclosures are an opportunity, for others, they are a nightmare. Over the past several months, I have had many conversations with people about what happens to a tenant when an owner loses the home. We have all heard the horror stories of people coming home to an eviction notice and the terrible situation it can put them through. The National Association of Realtors "supports programs to reduce the impact of foreclosure on communities." In fact, they have talked about tenants rights quite a bit this year. From a NAR article we learn:
Under the new law, which went into effect on May 20th, tenants will have to receive 90-days notice prior to being evicted, when their rental home is foreclosed upon. In addition, tenants must be allowed to stay in the property through the end of their lease, with two exceptions: * The new owner wants to occupy the property as a personal residence, and * There is no lease (month to month), or there is a lease but state law allows the lease to be terminated at any time upon notice.
Unfortunately, not all people are aware of their rights. The fact is, most people would prefer to be notified prior to a notice being served.
After my friend Jeff called recently to ask me to look into a potential foreclosure situation for a friend of his, I called my friend, Bill Risser and also decided to meet with the guys at LemonLandlord.com to learn more about their service. Take a look at this video. If you have any questions... " Just Call Nick!"
Oktoberfest at Tempe Town Lake is this weekend! With the weather looking good and the huge list of fun things being offered, who could say no?
The Tempe Oktoberfest will be held Friday, October 2nd through Sunday, October 4th at Tempe Town Lake. Of course, the easiest way to get to all of the cool events at Town Lake ( in our opinion) is for you to take the light rail to 3rd Street and Mill. The FREE light rail park and ride lots make the trip very convenient.
This year’s event looks to have something for everyone. There will be a ton of kid-friendly activities with Kinderfest at Oktoberfest* along with non-stop music and entertainment for all. In fact, this year’s music lineup is being billed as their “best ever” with “20 bands on 4 stages.”
Other features and “Fest Facts” for the Oktoberfest include:
Six Beer Gardens
Splash Park/Rock Wall
Bungee Jump
Six Beer Gardens
Bavarian Bakery
Carnival Rides
Six Beer Gardens
Two Wine Gardens
Non-Stop Polka (whatever that means)
Six Beer Gardens
FREE admission is always good, too.
The Tempe Oktoberfest will be held:
Friday 10/2/09 from 5pm – midnight
Saturday 10/3/09 from 10am – midnight
Sunday 10/4/09 from 10am - 6pm
If you want to save a few bucks, “special family pricing allows for the purchase of 25 food / activity tickets for just $20.00 during the following hours: Friday: 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Saturday:10:00 am – 6:00 pm and Sunday: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm.” ( normally, tickets are $1.00 each )
*Kinderfest hours are slightly different than the rest of the event. Please see their web site for details.
Tempe Town Lake is located at the North end of the Mill Avenue district and is home to all kinds of cool events, festivals and concerts year round. If you want to keep up on some of the fun things to do in and around the Mill Avenue and Lake district, follow along by reading the Rail Life Blog.
This is one of those posts where I wish I didn't have to write it, but felt it was so important to my readers that I would be remiss not to at least talk about it.
Everyone out there probably knows somebody who is behind on their mortgage payments, looking for alternatives and likely also just finding out that their home's value has dipped below what their loan amount is. I know some within my own personal circles. It's a tough situation for me to advise them as a professional because it's such a personal challenge to their pride and self-worth, not to mention their plans and dreams for the family. The question we're asking is "when is this going to stop and where are we heading?"
I'm going to put up a few graphs that show the trends nationally with regards to mortgage delinquincies:
This chart is by quarter - Single-family mortgages set a new record delinquency rate in the second quarter of 2009, according to a quarterly survey by the Mortgage Bankers Association. Those of us in the real estate business see the foreclosure process (just visit the local Sheriff Sale docket to see the current numbers) but the looming delinqency-to-foreclosure issue is far, far larger.
The Wall Street Journal on 8/3/09 reported the following quote: “While subprime mortgages sparked the first round of housing problems two years ago, now "troubles are lurking further up the food chain," says Joshua Shapiro, chief U.S. economist at MFR Inc. White-collar job losses have accelerated while more adjustable-rate loans to prime borrowers are resetting to higher payments. ‘You put all that together, it leads me to believe that the next leg down on home prices is going to come from the top,’ he says.”
The first objection someone may have would be to say "yes, but historically those who are delinqent usually get their act together and come current on the mortgage after a while". That WAS true, but not anymore! We call that the "Cure Rate", that is the rate of delinquencies that go back to current. The Wall Street Journal reported on 8/24/09 about a Fitch analysis that found that the Cure Rate from 2000-2006 was 45% (which means about half of people fix their delinquency). However, as of July 2009 the rate had dropped to just 6.6%! That means that over 90% of delinquent customers are going to foreclosure. Take a look again at the above chart...
The next thing someone will say is "well, that's the 'sand states' and not my area". Here's the chart for all 50 states showing the same breakdown of delinquencies and foreclosures. Guess what - most states have a significant problem, especially compared to historical figures.
Now the next thing someone may say is "aren't those loans going to get 'fixed' by a loan modification?" I know several people right now who are applying for a Lancaster County loan modification but are waiting and waiting. I hope it works out for them...
In reality, loan modifications are hardly making a dent. To me, that's a burning question. Why arent banks being more aggressive in giving customers the option to extend their loan and/or reset to a lower rate? Why are they being SO difficult? The people I know don't want to be foreclosed. They CAN make payments. They just need the terms redrawn to allow them to catch & keep up. Loan modifications are not helping us get this crisis under control.
What are the causes of all these delinquencies? Here's a chart that is enlightening:
Keep in mind, this post is not intended to give us "good news". You may be experiencing good things in your market and that's great. My intent is to get us thinking about the challenges that aren't going away and how we're going to address them as homeowners, agents and professionals. I'd love to hear your ideas!
Fortunately, I already have my tickets and hotel arrangements for REBlogworld. In fact, I suggest anyone even remotely related to the real estate business should do the same. When I saw that was Matt asking for help to get to REBlogworld in Las Vegas, I thought it was a great idea. Heck, if you are an agent, lender, title rep, home warranty vendor etc. you really should be doing all you can do to find a way to go.
You may have noticed before, but it's a fact, I love to blog about real estate. It's good for my business, but I actually find it enjoyable too. In that vein, I would like to make it to this year's Blogworld and New Media Expo (including REBlogworld). Of course, these things cost money and there are expenses...blah blah blah. However, Alltop is sponsoring a contest to allow 3 lucky winners to attend this year's event.
I entered, but I need your help. First of all, I misread a rule, which has seriously put me behind the curve. I thought I was doing okay, but realized that the rule was rather specific and I needed to get moving - so I turn to you, the ActiveRain community for help.
The grand prize for the contest is entrance to the conference as well as hotel accommodations. With those two paid for, I can deal with the flights and food for the three days. I need to win this. Imagine how many blogs I'll churn out when I get back with all the new info I've acquired. Think of me as your Blogworld corespondent. I will report back to you - all you have to do is get me to the top! I don't know what it will take to get me there (I don't even know who's in the lead), but with the power of the ActiveRain and Twitter community, I'm willing to bet (Las Vegas - get it?) that I can win this!
Imagine how this will benefit the ActiveRain community as well! Having the power of 160K+ members pushing to help me accomplish this goal will certainly make people think that ActiveRain is the place to be.
Here's what I need:
First, reblog this post if you can. By spreading the word, there will be more opportunity for more people to act upon it. Put it in every category you can think of and make sure everyone of ActiveRain's members see it! I could care less about the points gained from the reblogs, so ActiveRain can pull the points - this is about getting me to Blogworld and REBlogworld.
Second, you need to retweet the information necessary in order for me to be counted. Visit MyAlltop page and at the bottom you will see a "retweet" button:
Click the retweet button. Click it whenever you have a few free seconds. Tell your friends to click it. Please don't sit there and click it 100 times in a row. I don't want to get the boot for "stuffing the ballot box." The contest ends at 8:00 am Pacific Time on October 1, 2009, so I need your clicks up until then. Let's get as many as we can and show everyone the power of ActiveRain, get me to Vegas, and let me bring back and share all that I have learned!
Please use the retweet button and have everyone you know retweet it too! This would be huge for me and I appreciate all the help I can get!
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
Not long ago, I came up with the term 
;)
;)
