The Scottsdale Real Estate Files: December 2007

One of the great things about the Phoenix metropolitan area is the abundance of unique weekend destinations for both food and fun. While I love all that my home city of Scottsdale has to offer during the week, I like to load the family into the car on the weekend and visit one of the many attractions that the rest of the Valley has to offer.

Previous editions of my blog have followed the Slaybaugh family to Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek and to the higher country of Sedona and Prescott. Today, we are going to pay a visit to a wonderfully bucolic landmark smack dab in the middle of Phoenix.

The Farm at South Mountain is one of my favorite spots to enjoy healthy breakfast fare which consists of fresh local produce, herbs, citrus and dairy. I wolfed down the Southwestern breakfast burrito with a medley of fresh vegetables just this morning, in fact. Located right next to the organic garden, the outdoor seating area commands instant relaxation. Even if your two year old is actively trying to stab your 9 month old with a fork.

The 12 acre expanse of The Farm includes three separate restaurants. The Morning Glory is, predictably, a breakfast cafe. The Farm Kitchen is the original restaurant, and primarily serves lunch along with morning snacks. With park bench seating under the shady branches of a pecan tree grove, you'll forget that you are in the desert while enjoying a made-from-scratch treat. The Quiessence Restaurant and Wine Bar is what you think it is: upscale dining. Phoenix Magazine tagged it as "the best restaurant in Phoenix" in January, 2007. Contemporary American farm cuisine is the moniker given to the menu. I don't know what that means, but the organic, locally produced dishes are amazing.

Other attractions on The Farm include:

• The Retreat. Straight from their website, The Retreat invites (by appointment) patrons to Deeply relax and rejuvenate with massage. hot and cold stones, shiatsu, vibrational essences, facials, tea ceremonies, intuitive readings, healing sessions and more. Check our calendar for yoga, meditation, chi gung, and creative exploration classes.

• The Artist Studio. Also according to their website, The Artist Studio at The Farm is a new cultural/educational center working to promote creativity while connecting with deeper values in the natural environs of The Farm. Visit The Cottage, home to ever changing art mediums featuring the fine art of Artist's in Residence. Relax and enjoy shopping for original gifts created by local artists. In The Studio we offer art classes, writing workshops, educational lectures, youth home school classes, field trips and staff retreats. Explore our website to discover upcoming special events and to register for classes.

• The Doctor's Office, also by appointment only, is home to a resident practitioner of naturopathic medicine.

• Maya's at The Farm is the organic garden which produces many of the fresh vegetables and herbs used by the three restaurants. Named for Maya Dailey, who tends the garden, Maya's holds a farmer's market every Saturday between 9 AM and 1 PM. In adjunct to the garden is a greenhouse and the chicken coup (my toddler's personal favorite). Watch those little ones' fingers, though, as the chicken wire enclosure is electrified!

 

The Farm is a magical place to visit for special occasions as well as laconic Sunday mornings.  I have been fortunate to enjoy birthdays, Easter brunch and just-because mornings within its friendly confines, and have never left in a bad mood.

Private parties and weddings are available for booking as well.

Whether you are new to the area, visiting for the season, or one who simply doesn't often venture outside of your comfort zone in Scottsdale or Paradise Valley, I urge you to make a trip to this special place. The coffee is good, the mimosas are great, and the setting is out of this world!

For hours, directions and upcoming events (New Year's Eve celebration), please visit The Farm at South Mountain.

What?  Did you think I would miss out on the fun?

Paul Slaybaugh with Realty Executives is your Scottsdale AZ Realtor. A Scottsdale native, Paul has been selling Scottsdale, Phoenix and Paradise Valley AZ Real Estate since 1999, and selling the virtues of Arizona living even longer. If you are looking to buy or sell Real Estate in the greater Phoenix area, or just wondering where to get a decent cup of coffee and an omelet, call Paul today at (480) 948-9450 or send him an email at paul@rayandpaul.com.

It's the end of the month, so that means it's time for my monthly McCormick Ranch Real Estate Market Report. In keeping with the spirit of the holidays, let's see who was naughty and who was nice this month. The evidence does not come in the form of presents nor stockings filled with coal, but rather consummated home sales and expired listings.

• There are currently 132 active single family homes for sale in McCormick Ranch. These properties average 2498 square feet, a list price of $730,822 and 129 cumulative days on the market. The average price per square foot for these listings is $292.56.

• There are currently 5 pending sales (contract has been successfully negotiated, but has not closed escrow yet) in McCormick Ranch. These properties average 2440 square feet, a list price of $623,800 and 71 cumulative days on the market. The average list price per square foot is $255.66. The eventual sales prices of these properties will not be known until the transactions close escrow.

• There have been 6 successfully closed sales in McCormick Ranch in December. These properties averaged 2596 square feet, a list price of $584,750, a sales price of $552,167 and 138 cumulative days on the market. The average sale price per foot for these properties was $212.70.

• There were 9 listings that were cancelled in December in McCormick Ranch. These homes averaged 2767 square feet, a list price of $698,861 and 163 cumulative days on the market. The average list price per square foot was $252.57.

• December also saw 5 listings expire in McCormick Ranch. These properties averaged 2337 square feet, a list price of $572,800 and 210 cumulative days on the market. The average price per square foot for these properties which did not sell was $245.10.

So what do these statistics mean to you? Without context they are just figures on a piece of paper. There is a wide variety in the properties that constitute McCormick Ranch Real Estate. In a community which features homes that are typically 20-35 years old, there are vast differences in the level of maintenance and improvements from house to house. There are numerous builders in McCormick Ranch whose products varied from smaller homes with flat ceilings to larger home with vaulted ceilings and Spanish tile roofs. There are two different school districts in the Ranch (Saguaro and Chaparral High Schools) which affect values. McCormick Ranch includes very high end properties which boast lake and/or golf view lots.

In other words, a proper evaluation of your home's worth and desirability to the current market cannot be found through a computer screen. The above statistics are meant to serve as a guide to the current forces at play in the McCormick Ranch Real Estate market, but by no means should be used to derive an opinion of value. For a proper opinion of value, or any other matter that pertains to Real Estate, call your local experts.

The calendar on the wall tells me that it is December 27^th, so that can only mean one thing. Actually, that can mean many things, but let's focus on the agenda at hand.

I have already laid out a paradigm shift that I will employ in my personal life for the coming year, and now it is time to address the additional goals and changes that are in store for yours truly.

• 2008 will be the year that I employ dramatic pratfalls while showing my listings. The object is to keep the buyer in the house as long as possible, right? We'll be there for an extra half hour as they wait for me to regain consciousness from the Triple Lindy I perform in the foyer.

• I will shave my head and join the local Hare Krishna chapter before spending another dime on fruitless newspaper advertising in 2008. If I am going to light my money on fire, I would at least like to enjoy the pretty flame.

• I will not fall for the banana in the tailpipe.

• I will continue to ignore the expert Real Estate analysis that is provided by the likes of shrieking red-faced, future stroke victims on CNBC who pick stocks for a living.

 

• I will listen attentively to the sellers who provide an hour long explanation of what they need to sell their house for before politely telling them that the market doesn't care.

• I will spice up my open houses with B-list celebrity participation. Come on, are you telling me you wouldn't stop by if Isaac from The Love Boat was serving mimosas?

 

• I will remember to pick up the dry cleaning ... from 2006.

• I move another year closer to being able to use the long-awaited slogan "2010: The Year We Make Contract."

• I resolve to have two of the six slots in my car's CD changer loaded with Bryan Adams and a "various artists" compilation of "O Canada" renditions. Our neighbors to the North will be buying a lot of Scottsdale Real Estate this year!

• Obtain first place position on Google for Scottsdale AZ Real Estate, Phoenix AZ Real Estate, Paradise Valley AZ Real Estate and McCormick Ranch Real Estate. Now how's that for shameless keyword insertion!  I'm one step closer already!

• Learn all there is to know about the human spleen.

• Make it through a full day without uttering a quote from Glory at some point . "Some day they're gonna let the fifty fourth in it." Darn.

 

• Return all of the pens, appointment books, refrigerator magnets, bagels and cream cheese that lenders, title companies and home inspectors bestow upon me to solicit my business. How about one single, solitary referral instead?

 

• Finally determine who let the dogs out so The Baha Men can rest in peace.

• Attend each and every Scottsdale City Council meeting for the sole purpose of publicly expressing just how terrible of a youth soccer coach Councilman Littlefield was.

 

• Arrive for home inspections 15 minutes early to cue up "The Imperial March" (Darth Vader's Theme) from Star Wars on the home theater. Crank it all the way up, and blast that puppy as the inspector walks through the front door.

• When representing a buyer, insert the following language next to the "offer rejected by seller box" on all of my contracts: "I like you. Do you like me? If so, do not check this box!"

 

• I will stop buying every new gadget for business that comes on the market. I'll just use this stylus to make a note of that.

• With a straight face, I will tell the next person who asks, How's Real Estate? "Stable. We don't get many earthquakes here in Scottsdale."

 

• I will demand that my father requires others to address him in the form of a question in 2008. To this day, he has not adequately proven to me that he is not, in fact, Alex Trebek.

                                                             "I'll take Scottsdale Real Estate for 1000, Ray!"

With my goals clearly defined for the coming year, it is truly going to be one for the books. Best of luck to everyone in 2008, in both your personal and professional lives. Scott Baio, Ralph Macchio, Corey Haim and I look forward to seeing you at my open houses!

Yes, you read that right.  I did not misplace any nouns.  2008 will mark the year that I endeavor to treat my family like clients.

Oh, the things my wife puts up with being married to a Realtor.  She did agree to love, honor and watch me wander away in mid-conversation when the cell phone rings, but she most likely assumed the minister was kidding.  If anything, Pastor Ron was underselling.

Odd hours, interrupted dinners, last minute scrapping of plans ... we've run the gamut.  I won't complain, as the hectic life of a Real Estate family has provided us much.  I won't shortchange the sacrifices that my family makes for me either, however.

Who hasn't used the old cliche about treating clients like family?  I know I certainly have.  I still do as a matter of fact.  I mean it when I say it, but I have come to find it inaccurate in it's insufficiency.

I treat my clients better than I treat my own loved ones.  There, I said it.  Clients get the best of me, and my family collects whatever is left at the end of the day. 

Imagine if we really did treat our clients like family. 

• Would we ever leave a listing appointment abruptly to take our children to the park? 
• Would we ever walk out of a signing to field an urgent "Hi Daddy!" call from our toddlers? 
• Would we ever impatiently wave off an inquisitive client while our spouse regales us with a phone report of the day's events?
• Would we ever take out our frustrations at home on our clients?

No, we wouldn't.  This is an in-demand business, and our clients warrant our full attention. 

Flip the script, however, and I will tell you unabashedly that my family often gets put on the backburner when business calls.  I justify the diversions as the sole means of putting food on our collective table, and rightfully so.  Yet I can't help but feel ashamed for putting the needs of strangers before those of my own family.  Financial needs are only part of the equation in a happy, healthy household. While I am often present, I'm not all there.  Undivided attention is what I owe, and that balance is spiraling out of control. 

It's time to pay down my debt.

It is far too easy to take loved ones for granted.  You see them every day.  You can make up for a lack of attention today with something else tomorrow.  Or the day after that.  Perhaps next week sometime.

No more of that.

I will strive to make 2008 a year in which my family is afforded the same focus, attentiveness and good humor as my business.  My clients will get the same level of service that they have come to expect from me.  The long and odd hours will not change.  What will change is my increased scheduling of family time in the form of ironclad appointments.  Tuesday afternoon from 2-3 PM at the Railroad Park will go into the calendar with the rest of my business appointments.  Thursday mornings from 6-8 AM with the boys will as well.  I will schedule the dreaded date night with my wife.  God, that makes me feel old, but I'm doing it! 

These appointments will be cast in stone, just like everything else in my book.

I will continue to work weekends.  I will continue to work evenings.  I will continue to work whenever I am called.

Unless I have an appointment with a very demanding client at the choo-choo park.

  Top Priority Clients for 2008!

Paul Slaybaugh is your Scottsdale AZ Real Estate Professional.  Serving Scottsdale, Phoenix and Paradise Valley AZ home buyers and sellers since 1999.

On the First Day of Mischief, my toddler gave to me:  

A perfectly devious smile!

On the Second Day of Mischief, my toddler gave to me: 

Two inoperable showers and a perfectly devious smile!

On the Third Day of Mischief, my toddler gave to me: 

Three sticky messes, two inoperable showers, and a perfectly devious smile!

On the Fourth Day of Mischief, my toddler gave to me: 

Four drywall patches, three sticky messes, two inoperable showers and a perfectly devious smile!

On the Fifth Day of Mischief, my toddler gave to me: 

FIVE AM WAKE-UP CALLS!  Four drywall patches, Three sticky messes, Two inoperable showers and a perfectly devious smile!

On the Sixth Day of Mischief, my toddler gave to me:

Six trikes a stolen, FIVE AM WAKE-UP CALLS!  Four drywall patches, Three sticky messes, Two inoperable showers and a perfectly devious smile!

On the 7th Day of Mischief, my toddler gave to me:

Seven sneak attacks, six trikes a stolen, FIVE AM WAKE-UP CALLS!  Four drywall patches, three sticky messes, two inoperable showers and a perfectly devious smile!

On the Eighth Day of Mischief, my toddler gave to me:

Eight bumps & bruises, seven sneak attacks, six trikes a stolen, FIVE AM WAKE-UP CALLS!  Four drywall patches, three sticky messes, two inoperable showers and a perfectly devious smile!

On the Ninth Day of Mischief, my toddler gave to me:

Nine needs for napping, eight bumps & bruises, seven sneak attacks, six trikes a stolen, FIVE AM WAKE-UP CALLS!  Four drywall patches, three sticky messes, two inoperable showers and a perfectly devious smile!

On the Tenth Day of Mischief, my toddler gave to me:

Ten tech toys a breaking, nine needs for napping, eight bumps and bruises, seven sneak attacks, six trikes a stolen, FIVE AM WAKE-UP CALLS!  Four drywall patches, three sticky messes, two inoperable showers and a perfectly devious smile!

On the Eleventh Day of Mischief, my toddler gave to me:

Eleven Police Patrolmen, ten tech toys a breaking, nine needs for napping, eight bumps and bruises, seven sneak attacks, six trikes a stolen, FIVE AM WAKE-UP CALLS!  Four drywall patches, three sticky messes, two inoperable showers and a perfectly devious smile!

On the Twelfth Day of Mischief, my toddler gave to me:

Twelve feet of ceiling missing, eleven police patrolmen, ten tech toys a breaking, nine needs for napping, eight bumps & bruises, seven sneak attacks, six trikes a stolen, FIVE AM WAKE-UP CALLS!  Four drywall patches, three sticky messes, two inoperable showers ...

... AND A PERFECTLY DEVIOUS SMILE! 

(Oh no, it's another mischievous toddler in the making!)

A very Merry Christmas from the Slaybaugh household to yours!

Paul Slaybaugh is your Scottsdale AZ Real Estate agent.  Serving Valley home buyers and sellers since 1999.