How About Those Diamondbacks!

Ashton Ranch Home Priced For You!

Charming Ashton Ranch 2 bed 2 bath close to Surprise Recreation Park, shopping and restaurants, ready for your immediate move in. The large den may be converted to a 3rd bedroom. Ashton Ranch features three pools and heated spas, with playgrounds and open areas.

Contact Gaylen at Desert Heritage Real Estate  602-578-0612 or see more at http://www.sellingedge-azre.com/.

Ashton Ranch Beauty

This charming home was just listed in Ashton Ranch and is price to sell now! This is in a terrific location and close to the Surprise Recreation Campus. Call me or see at www.sellingedge-azre.com.

This is a one owner, well kept home and the owner just got married and is moving out of state.

Surprise - Safest Place to Live

Not only is Surprise, Arizona very beautiful but it has been named one of the safest cities in the country and the safest in Arizona, according to the 14th annual "City Crime Rankings: Crime in Metropolitan America" which was released on November 19, 2007.

Surprise Police Chief Dan Hughes said that a low crime rate boils down to "community partnerships." "We are extremely fortunate to have outstanding officers and a great public response to programs such as Block Watch."

Surprise ranked as the 33rd safest city in America and the highest in Arizona according to the survey.

If you are looking for a terrific place to live, activity oriented and very safe, try Surprise, Arizona. You won't be disappointed.

Surprise Party

Everyone loves a party and a Surprise party is always terrific. You are all invited to the 6th annual Surprise Party at the Surprise Recreation Campus in Surprise, Arizona on Friday November 30th and Saturday December 1st. The admission is free with a donation to Sanderson Ford's Operation Santa Claus.

There will be Arts and Crafts, Skydivers, Balloon Glow, the second annual Classic Car Show, and interactive Kid Zone, Live Animal Shows, $1 Elephant rides, and a special guest appearance by SpongeBob SquarePants.

The Surprise Recreation Campus is located in the heart of Surprise in the Northwest section of Phoenix. There will be plenty of food and fun for the entire family. The evening will be capped by a spectacular fireworks display.

Come and enjoy the friendly atmosphere of the Surprise party.

Ashton Ranch - Surprise, Arizona

If you are looking to purchase a home in the beautiful community of Ashton Ranch, located in the heart of Surprise, Arizona now is the time to buy. There are currently 57 homes offered through the Arizona Multi-list Service and these homes range from $156,900 to $252,000.

Now is a perfect time to look at Ashton Ranch for you family. It is only 1 mile from the Surprise Recreation Complex, Aquatic Park, DreamCatcher Park, the Westside Library and spring training home of the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals baseball teams.

Ashton Ranch has three pools with hot tubs, spacious common areas with play equipment for the kids and bike paths for avid riders.

For more information on the area, community or homes contact me at gthornton3@cox.net or see www.sellingedge-azre.com.

Are you Listening?

When President Lyndon Johnson was  junior senator from Texas,he had a sign on the wall of his office that read: "You ain't learning nothing when you're doing all the talking."

As Realtors we love to talk, love to let the client know all about what we can do for them and how we can service their needs. However, do we actually know what their needs are when we are talking all the time?

It's had to be a good listener--especially when we like to talk so much ourselves. So often, we listen to part of what is being said, then ignore the speaker an think about what we intend to say next ourselves.

Have you ever found yourself thinking, " I wish they would shut up so I could talk?" Listening is an art and takes concentration and needs to be worked on everyday.

Next time you find your mind wandering stop and really concentrate on what the speaker is saying. It will help you to understand their point of view and what they really need and will make you a much better Realtor.

White Tank Mountains

For those of you who enjoy hiking, there is no better location than the beautiful White Tank Mountains just west of Surprise, Arizona. In fact the Maricopa County rangers at the park offer ranger-guided hikes and family-oriented programs. Reservations are not needed unless requested.

It is recommended that you wear sturdy, closed-toes shoes for most programs and bring plenty of drinking water. There are no fees for the programs, however entry fee to the park is a mere $5.

You can get to the White Tank Park on Olive Avenue, west of the Loop 303 in Waddell.

This is a fun way to see the gorgeous mountains and a spectacular view of the valley with your whole family.

The Key Ingredient

I fancy myself as a pretty good cook. I'm not as creative as many but I can follow recipes very well and I can get all the ingredients in there to make a pretty mean meal. Those who cook know that leaving out key ingredients can spell disaster for the meal. So it is in the Real Estate business, leave out a key ingredient and it can spell disaster.

What is the "key" ingredient in your business? The Dartnell Company put out a Salesmanship bulletin years ago and I think they hit the nail on the head when they said, "The key ingredient in business is people."

How true that is today. You work with people to list their homes, you work with people to stage a home, you work with mortgage company people and I could go on and on. Bottom line, we are in the people business, not the housing business. No matter how many homes you have listed if you don't have people to buy them........Think about it!

Water and the Desert

Water is a most precious commodity in the desert. Programs to conserve and reuse water are vital to each community. The city of Surprise, Arizona has teamed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's WaterSense program to help residents conserve water and reduce costs.

The Phoenix Business Journal reports that WaterSense program is "designed to decrease nonagricultural water use through simple conservation methods and the use of high efficiency products." The EPA has a criteria for efficiency in products and WaterSense-labeled product meet this strict standard.

The beautiful city of Surprise also is receiving international recognition for its wastewater plan. A Swedish Company, Alfa Laval, manufacturers wastewater treatment equipment, and they are printing a story in their trade magazine in Spain on how Surprise, Arizona is meeting increasing demand for wastewater services.

If you are thinking of moving to the Valley of the Sun, consider Surprise, Arizona as your new home. It is a family oriented and progress city in the northwest part of the valley. For more information on buying, selling or about the area go to www.sellingedge-azre.com or email gthornton@jroberts.com.