It’s only taken a little over a year and half but ‘the032.me’ just went over 2000 reads. Much appreciation to anyone and everyone who has ever read this bit of goofiness. And I really appreciate those of you that have encouraged me to keep it up. I love it. Thank you, thank you!
Thinking back to a couple years ago, it was obvious; I’d been selling houses in North Phoenix since 2005 and I had come to really love the community. Why not write about it? Why not pump the businesses, the restaurants, the parks and recreation; the community as a whole? And for awhile it gave me an excuse to drink beer with My Friend Josh in the 032. (Had to scout all the watering holes). 🙂
At roughly that same time, the 032 started an urban revitalization project. The city began repaving and lining 32nd Street with bicycle lanes as well as several other improvements. In Real Estate we call this ‘addressing the deferred maintenance.’
There has been a lot of change in this community in the last 20 years, namely state route 51. Before that, 32nd Street was the main drag from North Phoenix to Central Phoenix and the community prospered because of all the traffic. But when the 51 was built it created a de-facto bypass. This is the same story as all the small towns on Route 66, but in an urban center. 
And like ol’ Radiator Springs in “Cars” after awhile the place looked like it had seen better days. In this case, the city (not Lightning McQueen) finally came back around and began fixing up main street (urban renewal). The business have followed that lead and started reinvesting in their own places, hoping all the while people would come back and the community would have a sort of renaissance.
Fast forward to January 17. I have a client interested in buying an investment property in the 85028, just south of the 032. It had been awhile since I had shown property in North Phoenix. When selling, it’s different than just driving through. The eye tends to be a bit more critical. And while my client isn’t particularly familiar with the area, he expressed skepticism of anything inside the beltway. That said, he knows there are good investment properties in North Phoenix and felt it was worth a look.
The connection between the two zip codes, the 032 and 028, is that the 028 has a nice but modest residential area that sits just south of the 032 and butts up to Paradise Valley. It has been a haven for investors for a long time. Because of this proximity, people living there are going to patronize the business of the 032. It’s convenient. And for potential buyers, the better the 032 looks, the better the 028 looks. (Been yapping about this for awhile now eh?)
So I put my money where my mouth is and gave my client the grand tour. We first stopped for lunch at Casey Jones. Figured the ol’boy would like the trains running around the ceiling, and he did. When finished, we headed east on Bell passing the remodeled AMF Bowling Center, over to 32nd Street south. The north end of 32nd street is still mainly a hodgepodge of mom and pops, but businesses like A to Z Equipment Rental are right there, which can be handy.
As we got south of Greenway there is a nice run of parks and churches as well as a new school being built by Great Hearts Academy just north of Thunderbird. He then noticed the Original Breakfast House on the east side of the road, which he has heard good things about.”Hey, let’s grab lunch there next time” he says. Finally as we approached Cactus, the view of Piestewa Peak and the surrounding mountains are upon us. As we arrive at our destination, before seeing any properties, I turn to him and ask, “Whatya think?” (I’m nervous because of that ‘expressed skepticism.’) But he smiles and says, “Looks pretty good.”
Roger – that.
Seems there will be a new homeowner in North Phoenix very soon.
Keep on Truckin 032.
https://the032.me/2015/06/30/view-32-planned-for-north-32nd-street/
https://the032.me/2015/08/18/support-the-032/
2016 was a great year. Hoping 2017 is even better. And nothing quite says new year like driving around Cave Creek this last week seeing the influx of people. Some call’em “winter visitors,” others say “snowbirds.” My understanding is that “snowbird” has a negative connotation. Not sure why, just seems descriptive.
No matter, I call many of them “Client.” Yes sir, roger that. My residential service business is based on helping these people maintain second homes here in Cave Creek/Carefree. As a guy who has lived a few places before settling in the desert, I can appreciate the unique culture that comes with a population that only spends part of the year here. What has always stood out to me is that with so many people from other places gathering here, they tend to be open and friendly; interested in meeting new people. Makes it easy to make new friends. Think we have all had experiences in closed-off cultures, not cool.
However, that said, I do think there’s a downside. As people return each season they tend to bring “back home” with them. This can range from endless discussion of events from their home city/state to boasting about the frigid cold in the north or simply bringing extremely slow driving conditions with them. Of course we all bring our sports teams with us (can’t help that I bleed Purple).
Yeah, that’s all good, but we’re in the desert now. This is the wild west folks. Way back when Horase Greely said, ‘Go west young man.’ He meant to move forward, embrace the unknown. Leave the old-self behind and see who you become. It’s exciting and if it’s not, you should probably hitch a ride on the next stagecoach out of town.
My hope is that your “hi” will turn into a “howdy” and that you fall in love with the desert like I have. But remember, some of these old boys have been living out here in the hot sun for a long time. They’re working, hustling, chasing horses and they don’t much care about that Alberta clipper wreaking havoc up north.
Can you imagine walking around with a painful cavity and not taking care of it because you’re fearful it will cost too much? That was me. Remember when we were kids and they told us all the time to take really good care of our teeth? Not saying I wasn’t listening, but you know, maybe I wasn’t as diligent as I should have been. Hindsight is 20/20 eh?
Still got to deal with those pearly whites one way or another. Here lies the problem. In the era of ‘no-longer-the president-care,’ dental visits have become a luxury for some, particularly for the self-employed. Just to have ones teeth cleaned is one thing, but any dental work that needs to be performed may need to be financed. Oh and don’t worry, they can do that, “You can finance anything these days.” Says the used car salesman. My plan, ‘I’ll just try to keep my teeth real clean from here on out and see if they hold up. Maybe the pain will go away?’
Then one afternoon along comes my old neighbor Ross. Now he is old, 88 years young and going strong, but just for clarification, I call him my ‘old’ neighbor because we no longer live next to each other. Funny. Anyway, we get to talkin and he mentions he has been getting his teeth worked on. “Where?” I ask. “Midwestern University over in Glendale” he says. ‘Huh? What’s that all about I wonder?’ He begins to tell me about the Dental Training program they have for their students and how you and me, the public, can get our teeth treated by the students under the very watchful eye of the dental professionals who teach at the school. And because they are students, the cost is deeply discounted. “Well” I say, “sign me up!”
It’s been a few months since I started going to Midwestern. A couple of fantastic dentists-in-training, Alex a 4th year student and Roya a 3rd year student, have been helping me get my mouth in order. In fact, that very first visit they had to pull that painful molar. Like I said, knew there was an issue. Felt very fortunate to get it taken care of. And it wasn’t like I walked in and a couple students said, “Oh, we’re going to pull that tooth.” Everything they did, they consulted with one of their teachers/doctors. And when it came to pulling the tooth, there was a dental surgeon from Banner at hand. Really, aside from my tooth being pulled, it was the best dental care I have ever received. First class all the way.
The other good news, it was a fraction of what a dentist would have charged me. Will be meeting with Alex and Roya in the coming weeks to put together a game plan for my mouth going forward. What a relief! Attached link below for more information.
It’s been almost three weeks since my last post, boy time flies. Always rockin and rolling, slinging real estate, taking care of the mansions up on Black Mtn, and performing the occasional handy-man service when needed. Love it, doing what I am meant to do. So what about some extra-curricular activities? As my kids would say, ‘Is there time for non-work fun as well?’
The ‘Spooktacular,’ consists of a trunk-or-treat, where all the dressed up kiddos can trick-or-treat from car to car. Most of the cars are decorated with some sort of Halloween theme, scary or fun. There will also be bouncy houses, games, face painting and pizza available. This is the fourth year Genesis has sponsored the event. They always do a great job and it should be a awesome again this year. Come enjoy. And if you are interested in some ‘work-fun’ there are still opportunities to volunteer. If you are interested in helping out in anyway contact Sarah at: 
Lastly, had an interesting conversation the other day. I began working with a new client a couple weeks ago. It’s an older couple, real nice people. We just secured a contract on new home for them. In the coming week or so we will be listing their old house for sale. I have known them for a number of years, and I knew they had a relationship with another Realtor. No worries, really appreciate the business now. But I asked, “Why change Realtors? Why use me on these transactions?” The paraphrased response was this, ‘Well, we like our other Realtor fine, she works hard. Even throws parties for all her clients every few months. But we’re not real interested in that, we like that you are a ‘nuts and bolts’ kind of guy. You know houses well, and we like the way you navigate the transaction.” Hey, that’s pretty cool. “Thank you” I said, “of course I’m nuts.”
All kidding aside, it was really good feedback. I am a nuts and bolts guy. I have noticed that’s who I tend to attract as clients. Think it lends itself to good communication; “Speaking the same language” as they say. And really that’s how it should be. If someone likes the Realtor who entertains, that’s who they should work with. But if you want a no-bull approach, come find me. And hey, I entertain, “Budweisers in the garage.”
Had an adventure on Monday. Flew to the Midwest on an errand for a client and then returned home that night. All day in the airport. Not a big deal. But for a guy who spends most of his time in his truck making stops in and around Cave Creek/Carefree it was a significant departure from my normal routine. Think the experience was punctuated by the fact that I haven’t flown anywhere in 3+ years. Things have changed.
Believe the airport is a magnification of society. Get a better snapshot of life when it’s moving faster. With that, the cultural addiction/dependence on technology was most apparent. At the gate there was a bar and not only did every seat at the bar have a tablet/ipad (can’t tell the difference?), but almost the entire waiting/seating area was equipped with them as well, for a price of course. Also this bar area contained 4-5 other gates. At one point, there was maybe 400 or so people waiting to board flights and at least 95% of eyes were glued to smart phones. Just standing back, it was quite a sight. ‘Haven’t seen this before?’ Will admit at this point in life I am a bit of a country bum-kin. But just eye-ball’n the situation, doesn’t seem sustainable.
I understand that some of you are asking ‘What’s the big deal T? Things have been this way for awhile.’ Here’s the big deal. This is a huge departure from us as social beings. Human’s glued to screens, obsessively. Businesses catering to humans glued to screens. I’m not putting technology down. And I’m not saying things were better back in the day (things were better back in the day). But I am asking this, “What is the latent or unintended consequence of a generation of people burying their heads in technology?” There is no precedent for this. We used to hear all the time that we should limit our television time to a hour or two a day. In modern times, I have heard parents talk about limiting their children’s “screen time.” But what about adults? Who’s monitoring your screen time?
As far as ‘unintended consequences, ‘ it’s been my experience that when publicly someone has their head buried in a screen and then looks up at someone passing by, they tend to give the blank ‘look-em up and down’ and then return their head to screen. Happens all the time. It’s lame. It makes for a lame culture.
With the monsoon in our rear-view mirror, we embark on our next season. Critter season. After all the rain, the sun continues to shine and the bugs like to come out. Maybe you already noticed a few extra spiders. In the last couple weeks I’ve come across a multitude of spiders and three or four scorpions. (Keep in mind I’m in and out of 10 or so properties a week.) One scorpion I thought was dead, wasn’t. Tried to vacuum him up, he quickly scurried away.
Also came across a momma bobcat and her babies. Bobcat’s will almost always run off, pretty harmless. But in the case of a momma, I left her alone, she seemed pretty protective. Within a couple weeks though the babies were big enough to begin their adventurous life and she was gone. Also came across some active termites, which also tend to come along with the monsoon. If any wood is exposed and gets wet, it will be a haven for them.
Go to your local hardware store and check out what they have. It’s been my experience if you keep up with spraying quarterly or at least every spring and fall you should be able to keep the bugs under control.
Enough about bugs eh? On another note, want to support all those out there hustling, ‘the movers and shakers.’ Want to give a quick shout out to my friend Patty in the 023. She is co-hosting an “Aesthetic & Medical” open house on Thursday Sept.22 from 4-6 pm @ 10900 N. Scottsdale Road. Suite 501.
Lastly, my friend Josh in the 032 and I attended the unveiling of my new advertising at Casey Jones last week. Actually we just met for dinner and it was on our table, but still kind of fun. If you happen by the joint, stop in and snap a picture and shoot it my way. Will give you a shout out in the next blog.
Update 4:34pm. Just saw this guy. Think he is sleeping. shhhh!
The beginning of football season is upon us. What an exciting time of year. Have stated before I bleed Purple, Viking Purple. And that’s it, that’s the deal. I don’t play fantasy football, I don’t gamble and I don’t hate on other teams. Not much to say when your a Viking fan. 
Been 50 some-odd years of misery, and hell, I’m only 43. Started sufferin before I was even born. No matter, I watch the Vikings on Sunday. It’s ’bout the only thing me, my brothers and my Pops ever agreed on.
One thing I feel has been sorely overlooked however, is the fact that while not only beefing up their offensive line this offseason, they added quite a bit of coaching talent. Former head coaches Pat Shurmur and Tony Sporano have joined Coach Mike Zimmer’s staff. I do realize they don’t actually suit up and play. But here is a reality, the Cardinals have become one of the better franchises in all of pro football, and much of it is due to Bruce Arians demand when he was hired that he be able to assemble a first-rate staff, something the Cardinals had never allowed a previous head coach to do. Hey they were the Cardinals and if there was an area to save money, they did. Bill Bidwell’s son Michael now runs the show. He recognizes even at the professional level, you got to ‘coach’em up.’ 
Think Jim Harbaugh has proven this point several times now. Every group he has inherited has improved dramatically in his first season. Love Jim Harbaugh. Also a quick nod to my former high school coach Jerry Miller. Broke me down and built me up. Got the most out of this scrawny, angry, little outside linebacker. RIP Coach. You were the best, I love ya.
After scouring the trucks in the Valley, I headed to South Tucson and purchased a 2010 GMC Sierra HD from a very polite military man who had taken very good care of this truck. Still working on a name. Kids and I like Uncle Jesse or just ‘Jesse’ as a nod to Uncle Jesse’s white truck from “Dukes of Hazzard.” Will see if it sticks, eh?
The change in vehicles allows me to pull my trailer, which makes my residential service business a little easier. (I don’t have to climb in and out of the bed of the truck. Amen to that.) In fact, speaking of uncles, ‘Uncle Louie’ of “Uncle Louie the Restaurant” in North Scottsdale contacted me about saving some of his wooden gates at his home. Most of the big territorial homes such as Louie’s have gates around the property, but about 15 or so years ago most of the builders began using metal instead of wood. For obvious reasons the switch made sense. But Louie likes his wooden gates and thought if they could be salvaged, he would like to keep them. So I said, “I’m the guy, let’s do it.” 
But setting up my tools in my shop and cranking some Son Volt and Johnny Cash stokes my soul like nothing else. Wood is forgiving, malleable, and when brought back to life, very rewarding. Hope everyone has passion for something of this earth. 100 years ago the average person used to be much more capable with raw resources than we are today. I consider wood a gift from God. What about you? What fires you up?
Have had a couple conversations of late with some friends/clients who are currently renting the home they live in. In both cases they are paying between 1600-1800/month. I asked, “Why not buy right now? You can get a nice home with a sizably lower monthly mortgage.”
Hey, I hear ya. Nothing wrong with liking where you live. And certainly there’s nothing wrong with wanting too keep things consistent for the fam. Have nothing but respect for that. However (you knew that was coming), lets make sure everyone understands the time we are living in. Interest rates are at their lowest point ever. They have been incredibly low for 7 or so years now. It’s been great. Low interest rates have helped our great country rally back to economic stability and dare I say prosperity? And most of the housing values have returned, particularly under the 500K level.
Now I’m not an economist, but I understand some basic principals. Because we have had such low interest rates, we have avoided inflation. Once the Fed starts to raise the rate, isn’t it likely that inflation will begin to kick in? Hasn’t inflation been about as historically consistent as the rising and setting of the sun? With that, one of the best ways to make money on your next home is to be holding real estate when the inflation kicks.
Think back to the 70’s. My folks bought the house we grew up in in 1972 for 25K. Sold it in 92 for 170K. Now the hitch is that in the late 70’s they were paying as much as 14% on their loan. Good thing it was 14% on only the 15K they owed and not the value it had inflated too. Because by 78-79 that house was worth closer 80K. By then the combination of high interest rates and higher values made it difficult for first-time home buyers to afford a house.
What I’m saying is, be careful. You might want to buy in a couple of years. But the interest rate is likely going to be closer to 6%, maybe higher, certainly not the 3.5% currently being offered. And you might be paying 400K for a house that was 300K just a year or two before. Now I’m not a mathematician either, but one would be looking at an interest payment of 2000/month on 6% of 400K. In contrast, at 3.5% of 300K, one would be looking at an interest payment of only 875/month.
Went to Tombstone so my kids could watch ‘the shootout,’ and if you don’t know what ‘the shootout’ in Tombstone is, go look it up. This is my second time visiting the town that calls itself ‘Too tough to die.’ I love it. My kids now love it too. The shootout is as exciting as it was the first time. The town folk dress in authentic 1880’s garb and remain as sassy as ever. For me, it provides a peek into old-west life. But after a couple hours, I have my fill and get in my truck and roll. Will say, it is a money grab. Every vendor in every shop is pushing hard for sales. Aint nothing cheap. Best way to enjoy, keep on moving.
Have to say, both Tombstone and Sierra Vista are surrounded by incredible mountain scenery. Was captivated by the views the whole time. Kinda had a lost day in SV, waiting for the wedding. Not a whole lot to do. If I were to return, think the best way to enjoy would be to do some camping and hiking. Btw, wedding was awesome, wish my cousin and her man all the best!
Son Volt Properties 602.791.8347 