Phoenix Arizona East Valley Blog

Would You Let Your Buyer Purchase This House?

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:23:39 -0500

Would you let your client purchase this house?

Caution: Items on your screen are closer than they appear.

These were taken with a wide angle lens.

A little to the left…

A little to the right…

That is my car, parked in front of the subject property to get a little perspective on where the house is in relation to the scenery.

Would you like to see this in your rearview mirror every time you leave your home?

How about every time you come home, you get to see it until you pull inside the garage?

Or every time you step out your front door?

Your friends get to see it every time they visit?

What was the builder thinking????

Doreen McPherson, REALTOR^®CNE^™

Keller Williams Arizona Realty, Tempe / Scottsdale Arizona

3920 S. Rural Rd., Suite 110

Tempe, AZ 85282

Serving the Metro Phoenix and Southeast Valley

Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated

(If you would like to use any of my photos, please ask. I usually give permission for use on family friendly sites, with credit and link back. Thank you.)

Reverse Mortgage Short Sale

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 21:58:24 -0600

Reverse Mortgage Short Sale

What will happen, when a home owner has a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) (aka Reverse Mortgage) and their home is no longer worth what they borrowed?

This client needs to sell their home and they will owe around $200,000.00.

The home will probably sell for about $70,000.

Has anyone had experience with this?

What do our mortgage folks know about this?

Thanks for your input.

Speachless Sunday: Different View

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 03:26:36 -0600

Same Sunset Different View

Doreen McPherson, REALTOR^®CNE^™

Keller Williams Arizona Realty, Tempe / Scottsdale Arizona

3920 S. Rural Rd., Suite 110

Tempe, AZ 85282

Serving the Metro Phoenix and Southeast Valley

Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated

(If you would like to use any of my photos, please ask. I usually give permission for use on family friendly sites, with credit and link back. Thank you.)

Tech Conference Coming to East Valley

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 12:10:37 -0600

Tech Conference Coming to East Valley

I wanted to make sure you know about the SEVRAR / BlueRoof360.com Technology Conference taking place

January 27, 2009!

THERE IS NO CHARGE TO ATTEND!

The Conference is being held at the Mesa Convention Center in Building B and there are some FANTASTIC people lined up to speak!

I was asked by one of the organizers to pass this information on to as many as possible, so no one will miss this great opportunity! Take a look at the schedule to be thinking about what sessions you’d like to attend. There are a number of great choices.

(Click For Full Schedule with Times and Rooms)

Jack Peckham

Keynote Speaker

Founder and CEO of the Real Estate Cyberspace Society (www.RECyber.com)

Greg Tracy

REALTOR and Founder of www.BlueRoof360.com

Joeann Fossland

GRI Technology Instructor and Business and Life Coach - www.Joeann.com

Chip Lambert

LinkedIn Master Instructor from www.IntegratedAlliance.com

Bill Austin

Social Media Guru & the third most linked person in Phoenix on LinkedIn www.azhttp.com

Jay Thompson

Blogger Extraordinaire - www.PhoenixRealEstateGuy.com

Chris McKeever

NAR Center for REALTOR Technology - http://www.realtor.org/technology

Jeff Raskin

Microsoft Expert - http://technologyforrealestate.net/

Kathy Lunak

AAR Transaction Management - http://www.aaronline.com/TM/

In addition, ARMLS will be doing training all day long on the following topics

Custom Views and Q & A
Business Cards, Flyers and Q & A
Personal Preferences and Q & A
Wireless flexmls and Q & A

If that was not enough you will get the opportunity for one on one time with experts in:

Blogging
Twitter
LinkedIn & Other Social Media
Search Engine Optimization
Tablet Computers
Technology Tools
Transaction Management

PLUS - Bring your Laptop to the FREE Laptop Checkup Station where there will be technicians running FREE diagnostics!

(Click For Full Schedule with Times and Rooms)

SEVRAR Members and Non-Members planning on attending the Keynote Address should Sign up with this form so you can order lunch (the address is over the lunch hour 12:00-1:00).

As always, SEVRAR Members who don't feel they need lunch can sign up at www.SEVRAR.com

Our Keynote Address by Jack Peckham is over the Lunch Break so please DON'T FORGET TO ORDER A LUNCH when registering!

(Click For Full Schedule with Times and Rooms)

Thanks to our sponsors for keeping this event FREE to EVERYONE!

www.BlueRoof360.com
www.SendOutCards.Com
www.REALTOR.org
www.ORHP.com
www.magnustitle.com
www.DiverseSolutions.com
www.Zillow.com
www.hwahomewarranty.com
www.VisitMyLuxuryHome.com
www.mycomputerworks.com
www.ARMLS.com
www.Superlative.com
www.DynamicPageSolutions.com
American Title Agency

Speechless Sunday - South Mountain Sunset

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 22:36:59 -0600

South Mountain Sunset

Doreen McPherson, REALTOR^®CNE^™

Keller Williams Arizona Realty, Tempe / Scottsdale Arizona

3920 S. Rural Rd., Suite 110

Tempe, AZ 85282

Serving the Metro Phoenix and Southeast Valley

Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated

(If you would like to use any of my photos, please ask. I usually give permission for use on family friendly sites, with credit and link back. Thank you.)

Wordless Wednesday: December Blooms in Arizona

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:05:32 -0600

December Blooms in Arizona

Doreen McPherson, REALTOR^®CNE^™

Keller Williams Arizona Realty, Tempe / Scottsdale Arizona

3920 S. Rural Rd., Suite 110

Tempe, AZ 85282

Serving the Metro Phoenix and Southeast Valley

Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated

(If you would like to use any of my photos, please ask. I usually give permission for use on family friendly sites, with credit and link back. Thank you.)

Police Protecting Foreclosed Tempe Homes

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 23:49:45 -0600

Police Protecting Foreclosed Tempe Homes

I am thankful that the Tempe police are taking a proactive approach toward protecting vacant homes in our area. Making a priority of keeping squatters, party crews and illegal drug labs out of them, by conducting security checks, will help decrease vandalism and other crimes.

Sgt. Ken Harmon, who heads the Tempe Police Department's Crime Prevention Unit, said he passed out the list about a month ago to the beat cops so they could familiarize themselves with the homes so they will know when something is out of place.

Police recently arrested a man during one of these security checks. Tempe police found the man sleeping in the home. He had crawled in through the doggy door.

Harmon said transients have a reliable network and once one finds a vacant home, others will follow.

With the number of foreclosed homes in Tempe and the Phoenix area, I’d say the short stops to check these homes will be time well spent and have positive results for all residents of Tempe Arizona.

Of course, if you observe any suspicious activity taking place at a vacant home contact the police right away.

Thank you to the Tempe Arizona Police Department.

Read the complete East Valley Tribune article here.

Doreen McPherson, REALTOR^®CNE^™

Keller Williams Arizona Realty, Tempe / Scottsdale Arizona

3920 S. Rural Rd., Suite 110

Tempe, AZ 85282

Serving the Metro Phoenix and Southeast Valley

Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated

(If you would like to use any of my photos, please ask. I usually give permission for use on family friendly sites, with credit and link back. Thank you.)

Arizona License Plate Law Takes effect Today

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 03:20:16 -0600

Arizona License Plate Law Takes effect Today

If you have a holder or a frame on your license plate, you may want to check and make sure it complies with a new state law going into effect today. This does not affect out of state license plates.

I’ve made it a point to look at plates this week and have found there are still many who have not changed or removed the frame.

I personally would expect a grace period, but have found no mention of one in anything I’ve read. So, expect to be ticketed if you are stopped.

Suggested reading.

The fine averages about $136 here in the valley. That’s not small change, at least in my book it’s not.

Judging by the comments made on the articles appearing in the EV Tribune and the Arizona Republic, this is definitely not a popular law.

I finally removed mine this evening. Now I'm wondering if it would have been OK to keep it since the Arizona on the plate was covered by the Arizona on the frame.

Remind your friends and neighbors.

Have a very Blessed and Prosperous New Year!

I had to scrape a few years worth of tags from the plate.

This license plate has seen better days. It's almost 12 years old and has been through a couple accidents. Next car gets a new plate.

MVD

Doreen McPherson, REALTOR^®CNE^™

Keller Williams Arizona Realty, Tempe / Scottsdale Arizona

3920 S. Rural Rd., Suite 110

Tempe, AZ 85282

Serving the Metro Phoenix and Southeast Valley

Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated

(If you would like to use any of my photos, please ask. I usually give permission for use on family friendly sites, with credit and link back. Thank you.)

Tempe Arizona Does Get Cold

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 22:08:37 -0600

Tempe Arizona Does Get Cold

At least for those of us who have lived here most of our lives, when the temperature drops to the 30’s, it gets our attention.

Some of us don’t even own ‘appropriate’ clothing!!

I’m not going to get into the statistics, but, I will say that it does not freeze here every winter. When we do have a freeze, it usually happens more in the outer parts of the valley.

Every now and then it creeps right into the middle of town.

There are a number of plants that do not withstand the low temperatures and that is how I know where it really froze.

When you drive through neighborhoods and the rubber trees and the bougainvillea are dead, it was cold.

It was freezing cold.

This photo was taken early this morning. The weather service said it was 35°.

My body said, ‘why are you standing out here?’

Doreen McPherson, REALTOR^®CNE^™

Keller Williams Arizona Realty, Tempe / Scottsdale Arizona

3920 S. Rural Rd., Suite 110

Tempe, AZ 85282

Serving the Metro Phoenix and Southeast Valley

Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated

(If you would like to use any of my photos, please ask. I usually give permission for use on family friendly sites, with credit and link back. Thank you.)

Christmas Dinner

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 19:35:06 -0600

Christmas Dinner

Before

For several years now my brother-in-law, Stan, has been frying the turkey for both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. (one of my brothers actually introduced us to this method a while ago)

If you haven’t had turkey cooked this way, I recommend you try it. (looks kind of like he's protesting his fate, doesn't it?)

See below for after.

After

Frying keeps the juices and moisture in the turkey. I don’t really care for turkey, but this is different. About all I can say is try it, you’ll like it.

(memo to self: always check contents of the large yellow bowl.)

Doreen McPherson, REALTOR^®CNE^™

Keller Williams Arizona Realty, Tempe / Scottsdale Arizona

3920 S. Rural Rd., Suite 110

Tempe, AZ 85282

Serving the Metro Phoenix and Southeast Valley

Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated

(If you would like to use any of my photos, please ask. I usually give permission for use on family friendly sites, with credit and link back. Thank you.)

Speechless Sunday - Dawn in December

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 17:18:19 -0600

Doreen McPherson, REALTOR^®CNE^™

Keller Williams Arizona Realty, Tempe / Scottsdale Arizona

3920 S. Rural Rd., Suite 110

Tempe, AZ 85282

Serving the Metro Phoenix and Southeast Valley

Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated

(If you would like to use any of my photos, please ask. I usually give permission for use on family friendly sites, with credit and link back. Thank you.)

Wordless Wednesday: What the heck is that?

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 00:07:33 -0600

Doreen McPherson, REALTOR^®CNE^™

Keller Williams Arizona Realty, Tempe / Scottsdale Arizona

3920 S. Rural Rd., Suite 110

Tempe, AZ 85282

Serving the Metro Phoenix and Southeast Valley

Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated

(If you would like to use any of my photos, please ask. I usually give permission for use on family friendly sites, with credit and link back. Thank you.)

New Arizona Law 01.01.2009

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 17:00:13 -0600

New Arizona Law 01.01.2009

A new law, prohibiting any obstruction of your Arizona license plate, goes into effect on January 1, 2009.

Failing to completely display your rear license plate will result in being fined. The fines vary by city, wth the average being $135.00.

This means no part of any lettering on a license plate - such as the word "Arizona" - a plate's numbers or registration sticker may be obstructed by plastic or metal frames that often bear a sports fan's favorite team or serves as a small billboard for an auto dealership.

The law, which passed in 2006, will affect 6.6 million registered vehicles in Arizona that require a license plate, including motorcycles and boat trailers, said Cydney DeModica, spokeswoman for the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division.

I do actually remember reading about this back then. Of course, I promptly forgot about it. Now, I need to head for the toolbox, so I can go out and remove my D-Backs frame. Yes, I admit it, I’m guilty. I am one of those who block the Arizona on the top of my plate with a frame.

Stocking stuffer idea! Pick up a replacement frame for your favorite driver. According to the article, the companies that manufacture the frames have been making them to comply with the new law, so they shouldn’t be too hard to find.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

See the complete article here.

Check out the MVD website here.

Six Year Old Boy Saves Family From Fire

Sun, 07 Dec 2008 15:06:34 -0600

Six Year Old Boy Saves Family From Fire

Talk about a clear head and calm reaction!

Six year old Ervin Rodriguez is recovering from smoke inhalation at Banner Children’s Hospital at Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa.

“He was a sick little kid when he came here,” said Lisa Hegarty, clinical manager for respiratory care. She said black soot was being suctioned out of his lungs.

The fire started in the bedroom Ervin shared with his brother. He grabbed his brother and ran to wake his parents. They were able to escape just moments before the mobile home was consumed by the fire.

“He just inhaled so much smoke, bless his heart. He was so busy trying to get his family out of the house,” Hegarty said.

No one else was injured, but this family has lost everything. For now, Ervin’s very grateful parents are staying with him in the hospital and his little brothers are with their grandmother.

An account has been set up at Bank of America # 457009020948, to collect money for clothing and furniture.

Ervin is hero!

Please read the complete article here.

Thoughts About Politics

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 08:29:56 -0500

Do away with ‘career’ politicians.

That will solve the majority of our problems.

There is no way politicians would make the laws they do if they had to live by them after a few years in office.

Put the original political process in place. People are elected to serve a term and then go back to their ‘real’ life and live with what they’ve done just like we live with it.

Politicians live by a different set of rules.

They do not suffer the consequences of the rules they require us to live by.

Make serving public office voluntary, with little or no compensation and only serious contenders would apply and the incentive to make it a lifetime venture would not exist.

This is one of my thoughts as we head down the final, albeit long, stretch to November.

Please Vote!

Politics through the eyes of a child

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 05:28:43 -0500

Politics through the eyes of a child

Back in the 90’s, during an election year, discussions about who to vote for took place on a regular basis.

Nothing new, right?

My niece had, since she was three years old, stated that she was going to be the first woman president of The United States. She was very serious about this and she discussed it on a regular basis for many years. It never crossed our minds that this would not be the case.

Her mother and I were on our way down the road and talking about voting and the candidates, who should be president, etc.

Suddenly a sweet, innocent, six year old voice from the backseat speaks,

“Aunt Doreen, are you going to vote for me when I run for president?”

Of course I can’t let this go without a little discussion…

“Well, that depends on whether you are a Democrat or a Republican.”

Her indignant response?

“I’m not a DEMA-CRACK, I’m a PUBLICAN!”

I’m glad I wasn’t driving because I totally lost it.

Whether you are a dema-crack or a publican, be sure to vote!

Oh, my niece? She graduated this year, the salutatorian of her class, and has no intention of being a politician.

I can’t say that I blame her…

images courtesy of iCLIPART.com

Curbside service

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 19:06:33 -0500

California Pizza Kitchen

Here's something I found out recently…

California Pizza Kitchen has take out food.

Not a new idea? Well, they have something even better than take out food. They have what I would call, take it out to you, food.

California Pizza Kitchen has Curbside Service.

How does that work?

Call the California Pizza Kitchen near you and ask if they have the service and then place your take out order.

Hop in your vehicle and drive over to that location… park in one of the designated parking spaces, give them a call and let them know you are there…one of their servers brings your order to your car, you pay and are on your way.

OK. So that is lazy, isn’t it? Not really.

More to follow...

Bottled Water for east valley homeless

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 02:47:11 -0500

Water. Something we take for granted almost every day.

Please consider donating water to the Mesa Hydration Donation Campaign.

The City of Mesa is collecting water donations. The water is distributed to valley shelters and agencies for the homeless, who must survive the extreme heat out doors. Water is essential for survival. We can not live without it.

Please do what you are able to help with this project.

Go here for more information, and to contact the City of Mesa Human Services Program Coordinator.

The Mesa Hydration Donation Campaign is collecting bottled water at:

• Mesa Fire Department Volunteer Center

2830 E. Adobe (located behind Fire Station 206 at Lindsay and Adobe)

24-hour drop-off in parking lot

• United Food Bank

358 E. Javelina (near U-S 60 and Mesa Drive)

7 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Friday

Collection bins will be available on weekends

• Paz de Cristo

424 W. Broadway

9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday – Friday ~ 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday – Sunday

• City of Grace Church

655 E. University

9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday – Thursday ~ 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. Saturday ~ 9 a.m. – Noon Sunday

The above addresses are all located in Mesa.

images courtesy of iCLIPART.com

Bicycle Safety in Tempe AZ

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 14:33:18 -0500

Bicycle Safety in Tempe AZ

Tempe is a bicycle friendly community. We have bike lanes on many of our streets and they are normally very easily defined.

I had to be out and about at around 4 AM this morning and had a bit of a scare.

Due to recent resurfacing on a major road here in Tempe, some of the lane lines are still missing. A large portion of this street was replaced recently and while the auto lane traffic lines have been repainted, the bicycle lane lines are not yet in place.

I was traveling below the speed limit and still missed seeing the rider until the last second. Even though I managed to swerve quickly to put some distance between us, it was still too close for comfort.

The rider was wearing dark clothing and had no lights on his bicycle, his pack, his person, none, nada, zip, zero. Not even a reflector. I don’t know if he knows how close he came to being hit…

A helmet would have been a good idea, too. (it probably would have had some type of reflector on it, too.)

I did not see him. The lanes are not marked at the moment, so I’m not sure if he was in the right place or not. None of that really matters now.

My point is, if he had a light or at least a reflector, I would have seen him in enough time to change lanes and give him lots of space.

Please be careful out there on the road.

Also see http://www.bikesafetyinstitute.com/

MACAYO’S AN ARIZONA FAVORITE

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 04:05:23 -0500

MACAYO’S AN ARIZONA FAVORITE

I’ve been eating at Macayo’s Mexican Kitchen for years!

I ate there when I lived in Tucson and have been doing the same since I moved to the Valley of The Sun in 1983.

For years, when I worked in Phoenix, we made Macayo a lunch stop on a regular basis.

We have our very own Macayo, AKA Depot Cantina, in the heart of downtown Tempe.

Don’t fret if you can’t get there from here.

If you live in east Tempe, you have the option of visiting the Macayo in west Mesa.

Or if you live in south Tempe, check out the Macayo in Ahwatukee.

As you can see, it’s pretty easy to get your Macayo fix if you live in Tempe Arizona!

Ted's Hotdogs in Tempe Arizona

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:03:00 -0500

Ted’s Hotdogs Tempe Arizona

Are you from New York?

Do you long for a ‘certain’ type of dog?

Well, we may have just what you need, right here in Tempe Arizona!

Located at the southwest corner of McClintock and Broadway you will find Ted’s Hotdogs.

What makes Ted’s unique?

The Tempe location is the only location outside of New York.

I stopped in the other day for a quick bite, had a great hotdog and the biggest order of onion rings I have ever seen. I could not finish them… that’s just not normal for me!

That orange milkshake was pretty darn good, too!

I'll let you know when I go back and check out some of the other items on the menu...

Graphics courtesy of iCLIPART.com

ARIZONA REAL ESTATE TRANSFER TAX,

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:15:25 -0500

ARIZONA REAL ESTATE TRANSFER TAX (RETT) - ONE MORE BURDEN ON TAX PAYERS

A few months ago, members of the Arizona Association of REALTORS^® (AAR) received an informational mailing titled Support the No New Home Tax Ballot Measure. Did you read it?

Since this has come up in the past, AAR wants to stop the RETT, for good this time, by adding it to the November 2008 ballot.

For those who are not familiar with this type of taxation, following is some information from the AAR flyer.

Just what is a Real Estate Transfer Tax? A state and/or local tax or fee imposed on real property that typically, is assessed according to the sales price of real estate property, when transferred. Other states transfer taxes range from .001% to 2.2% and once initiated, the rate can increase to meet future legislative enactments.

Problems listed include:

Creates Double Taxation - Governments already collect taxes on your property based on its value. A RETT would be an additional tax impacting your home or property.

Damages Equity - The overall equity earned by the seller is reduced by a tax on the total value, including the amount you owe on your mortgage(s).

Impacts Lower Incomes - Lower income households typically spend a larger percentage of their income on their home. A RETT would impose a higher tax burden on teachers, police officers, fire fighters, health care workers, etc.

This website has more information and is definitely worth reading.

I would like our status on this list to remain as is. How about you?

One last thought, this affect buyers and sellers alike. In a buyers market, like we're in right now, the seller would be forced to take the hit. In a sellers market (think 2005) the buyer could end up being forced to 'pay' the tax. So, the price of a home will be affected no matter what the market is.

I'd like to know what others in Arizona, both REALTORS^® and consumers, are thinking and feeling about the Arizona Real Estate Transfer Tax.

Also, if you are in a state or area that currently has a Real Estate Transfer Tax, please feel free to talk about what you know, think and feel about it.

Links to other articles and information about RETT.

Protectourhomes.com

http://www.rallinow.com/

Real estate Lobby Pushing for ban on transfer taxes

Initiative would bar AZ tax on home sale

FTA Bulletin

http://www.protectourhomes.com/files/shared/Key%20Points.pdf

http://www.protectourhomes.com/files/shared/Ballot-Highlights.pdf

SEVRAR members can pick up brochures at the office in Mesa.

graphics courtesy of iCLIPART

NEED FOR SPEED

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 18:19:41 -0500

I won’t go in to the details at the moment, but I am making some changes that necessitate a new way of connecting to the internet.

I am giving up the wired world of DSL for a Sprint Mobile Broadband Sierra Wireless AirCard 597E. Hmmm, that was a mouthful.

Talk about day and night! This is fast. At least way faster than what I am used to.

I also purchased the Cradlepoint MBR1000 Mobile Broadband Router. This allows me to connect my PC to the internet, along with networking my printer, scanner, etc.

Lest you think I am the tech savvy type, I must confess, I have a friend who is coaching me through all of this. I just wish he was paying for it, too! LOL!

I will not put down DSL, it is very reliable and being connected to the telephone network, there are very few problems. The only real issue is when you are on the fringes of the Central Office area, as I am, that distance causes, well, it causes slower speeds. I am sure there is technology in the works to deal with that and if you are in the original range for DSL you probably have it pretty good. If you have VDSL you have it made! At some point in the future, if I move to an area with VDSL, I would seriously consider that option. I have heard many positive reports about VDSL. People seem to love it! (I am retired from Qwest, so this would be a disclaimer)

Photos courtesy iCLIPART.com

I SEE DEAD PEOPLE

Thu, 22 May 2008 13:27:15 -0500

I SEE DEAD PEOPLE

It was a normal November midweek afternoon. My client and I were out looking at homes for sale in Phoenix, AZ.

Being somewhat discouraged by the short sale and bank owned homes we had seen so far, we were looking forward to the next house.

The information in the MLS stated the price was low because the owners had moved to their new home and were ready to "get on with their lives".

We're thinking cool! No science experiments in the frig, no campfires in the middle of the living room carpet, the house will be clean and empty, the pool...

We arrive and find they've decided to "get on with their lives", minus some of their belongings. Lots of boxes of stuff, a vacuum, an aquarium, other odd and assorted items. Looking at the boxes and things left behind, there's evidence of teenage boys in the home.

We wander around checking out the inside and then head out to the back yard, passing a life size cardboard Indiana Jones. Oops, excuse us, we didn't know anyone was home.

Disappointed when we find the pool is full of murky green water, we check out the side yard and find more ‘left behind' stuff.

Passing by the pool on a piece of cool deck about two feet wide, my client disappears around the other side of the house.

I stay where I am, sure the slimy green stuff might suck itself up into a giant creature and pull me right in.

I waited a bit, but she didn't come back. I decided it was time to go in after her. I edged past the green expanse and made it around the corner.

There she was, bent over with her arms across her stomach, like she was sick. "Are you sick?" She shakes her head, but no sound. "What's wrong? Are you OK?" Yes, she nods, still bent over shaking like crazy. "Are you crying?" Another no. Still no sound, just hunched over and shaking.

I'm about to panic thinking something terrible is happening. "Are you sure you're OK?" More nodding.

I decide to ask, "Are you laughing?" Yes. She's hysterical! I look around, nothing even remotely humorous in sight. "What, where?"

She points to a door. Looks like a storage room. "Open it," she's barely able to speak.

That pool water is moving, I'm sure of it. "No, way!"

By now she's laughing so hard she is crying, she keeps telling me to open the door.

I don't know why, maybe it was the thick green sludge a few feet away, but I just can't bring myself to open that door. I want to finish looking at the house, mostly I want a wall or at least more distance between me and the creature from the black lagoon.

Telling me she was joking to herself, thinking ‘what if there's a dead body behind the door?' She steps over, opens the door to reveal

Top photos courtesy of iCLIPART, bottom photo courtesy of my client.

ARIZONA REAL ESTATE BLOGGING NETWORK

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 09:40:00 -0500

"Reach Your Dreams While Helping Others Reach Theirs!"

"AZ REAL ESTATE BLOGGING NETWORK" is Candace's latest project to help other bloggers like herself (or want to be bloggers) with building their online presence online through a blogging forum!

"For me blogging has become a major part of my business and success for my future. I have so much yet to learn and still learning on a daily basis, thus the reason to start a network, that will help me ‘Reach My Dreams While Helping Others Reach Theirs'!" Candace Robinson

Don't be left out in the cold!

This is your reminder to RSVP for our first meeting.

We will be meeting at 9:00 AM, Thursday, April 24, 2008, at Paradise Bakery located at the San Tan Village Mall in Gilbert Arizona. For further details and directions click please here.

DON'T MISS THIS MONTHS FEATURED SPEAKERS

This is a wonderful opportunity to meet and network, with other Arizona Real Estate Professionals, as we learn from each other how to maximize our business with the internet.

"You can have everything in life that you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” Zig Ziglar

I want to stress that this group is open to ALL real estate professionals, not just agents. This is about sharing what we know to help each other grow both our business and ourselves. The speakers are all bloggers with the experience and talent they are willing to share with all who are willing to learn.

So, Stagers, Inspectors, Appraisers, Loan Officers, Escrow, Title and who ever you are, if you are a Real Estate Professional, this is for you! Please join us as we share ideas and what works with each other.

I'm looking forward to meeting and hearing from the witty Paul 'j' Slaybaugh, 'Lady in Red' Teri Ellis, 'Guru' Shailesh Ghimire and our own Cowboy Mike Jones, just in from the round up!

Jay Thompson will also be a member and contributor to our group, so we are getting off to a grand start! I look forward to seeing you there!

Doreen McPherson, REALTOR^®

Phoenix and East Valley

480.820.6688

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