The Gilbert library is celebrating Family Festival Month in February.  There will be puppet shows, concerts, and even an Apache family dance performance.  This library is one of my favorites because of the many story times they have for lots of different age groups.  They also have lots of computers for kids to use.  The best part is the view.  The back of the library looks out over the Riparian Preserve.  Incredibly peaceful setting for reading.     Gilbert is a great place to live, filled with friendly neighborhoods and fun activities.  Especially when you have a friend to show you all the great spots.  Let me know if I can help your family find your next home in the Phoenix area!Where Integrity is Just the Beginning,Elena Thurston 02/07/2007

The City of Gilbert is sponsoring a Dance featuring music from the 50s and 60s on February 16, 2007.  The Needham Twins will be the evening's entertainment.  Snacks and drinks will be available for purchase.  Tickets are $6 at the door.  Music starts at 7 pm and goes to 10 pm.  It will be at the Gilbert Community Center.  How fun!  It sounds like a great time.  02/07/2007

While the rest of the country is recovering from the Deep Freeze, Gilbert AZ is already thawed and ready to play.  Spring is probably my favorite season here in Gilbert, mostly because there is so much to do!  Top 5 ActivitiesBike rides.  Whether your family is big or small, you can't miss out on a great way to get out of the house and enjoy the Spring weather.  You can ride right in your neighborhood or head to the canal system by Freestone.  It's a great trail with a good chance to see some horses.  Kids love that!Feed the ducks at Freestone Park.  The ducks love it, the kids love it.  And afterwards you can play at one of the many playgrounds or take in a baseball, soccer, or rugby game.  Check out the batting cages at Freestone.  Even my 4 year old loves this.  Trust me, in two mont... 02/07/2007

As I wrote in my previous post, I am searching for the just perfect kindergarten for my son.  Last week I visited a few schools and today, I think I finished it up.  First I went to Gibert Traditional Academy, Neely Campus.  A group of friends strongly recommended this school for it's traditional, back-to-basics concepts, while being a public school without uniforms or the "weirdness" of a charter school.  Even though it is a public school, I wasn't allowed a tour under any circumstances.  I was given a DVD to watch and an invitation to email the principal with any questions.The movie explained how they teach the Spalding method for spelling, implement the Saxon Math method, and use Accelerated Reading.  After watching the DVD, I am slightly more informed but nowhere closer to being abl... 02/06/2007

I have been keeping the statistics for Gilbert throughout 2006.   In August 2006 we had about 7 1/4  months worth of inventory (# homes on the market and how many months it would take to sell them all at the current pace),  February 1st 2007 we have about 6.25 months of inventory on the books.  So it is looking a little better than it did this summer. Historically, there is always a jump in new listings in January.  People tend to put their homes on the market after the holidays.   In area 506 (an area of Gilbert) the new listings  were about 15% less in January 2007 than they were in January 2006.  Both of those statistics are good news for the Gilbert area. There are still a lot of homes selling each month. Right now there are 2146 Active Residential listings in Gilbert and there are ... 02/02/2007

Following a year of slumping sales, the Valley's new home market is expected to stabilize in 2007 as builders continue to get rid of excess inventory. "2006 activity will cause the industry to pause and recognize that housing in this market area has to be affordable," said RL Brown, publisher of the Phoenix Housing Market Letter. The dramatic run up in prices during last year's housing frenzy was not sustainable, he said. Home sellers will need to price homes according to today's market or withdraw their listings. Builders must be more realistic if they plan on staying in business, Brown added. The median price of a new home in the Valley was $285,000 in December, down 5 percent from December 2005 but up 8.5 percent from January 2006. Prices should begin to stabilize to a more tradition... 02/01/2007

An Arizona Republic article informed us today that the Arizona School Facilities Board, who are in charge of building public schools, are likely to pay for more schools basics, including for the first time, money for playground equipment and landscaping.  Because construction costs have skyrocketed in recent years, individual districts have had to ask voters to approve bonds for more than $2 billion to pay for what many people consider school basics, like trees and slides.  The meeting will be held at 10 am inside Tempe Elementary School District board room at 3205 S. Rural Rd.From what I understand, after a conversation with State Senator Farnsworth, the Facilities Board is made up of people that are nominated by my less than favorite guy, Tom Horne, our superintendent of education.  T... 02/01/2007

And so it begins...it's the January before my oldest son is due to start Kindergarten and thanks to the crazy Arizona educational system I have my pick of a plethora of schools.  Somehow I must wander through the maze and find the perfect Phoenix neighborhood school for my son, my next son and me.  No pressure or anything.  So, I decided to document the event in case others were in the same boat.  Now I am going to focus on Gilbert so the title of this article is misleading.  However, if any readers are on the same journey elsewhere in the Valley and want to write about it, I would love to post your journey as a guest author on my blog.  I think we could really help each other out with this foreboding process.Now any reader who does not live in AZ would ask "Why don't you just go to the... 01/30/2007

Thinking of hiring a Neighborhood Specialist to sell your home?by Michelle SheltonIf you are hiring a Neighborhood Specialist to sell your home, there are some things you absolutely must know! Otherwise, you could be facing the same disaster the rest of your neighbors have faced! My husband and I were eating breakfast at the Good Egg the other morning and couldn't help but over hear a fellow talking to his elderly parents about their home. It was fairly obvious that his father had a hard time hearing and the louder he talked the more I was tuning in to what he was saying. "Dad, the real estate market in Arizona is going crazy right now!" He said. "Huh?" His father grunted "THE HOMES ARE SELLING IN A MATTER OF HOURS." He said louder. "HOURS?" His father yelled almost in half a question, ... 01/29/2007

I am lucky enough to live in one of the great child friendly Phoenix neighborhoods.  One of my neighbors is a veteran mom and with one idea, essentially guaranteed that most of us young moms will not be moving from the area for some time.  She's made my life easier and my children's lives more fun.  Since the average Phoenician moves aver 4.2 years, this mom has ensured that her child's playmates will stick around for quite some time, also ensuring our Phoenix neighborhood remains child friendly.  What could this amazing idea be, you ask?  A Child-Care co-op.  There are ten moms in the neighborhood that all get along well enough and have kids around the same ages.  We all took either one morning or one afternoon.  We each started off with 20 "tickets".  Each ticket represented an hour o... 01/26/2007

Welcome to 2007!  I hope you endured the holidays, survived the Deep Freeze, and are now enjoying the real AZ sunshine with your family.  This is my favorite time of year, not only is the housing market normal again but I'm negotiating offers while watching the boys at the park.  It's a wonderful life.  I would like to welcome Robin and Ricardo Gonzales to my client family.  They bought Bridget and Derrick Stomberg's house in Laveen.  It was a wonderful transaction and both couples are happy with their new homes.It's a new year.  Take a look around your house.  How does it feel?  If it feels like something's missing, it's probably one the following:  nice paint on the walls and window treatments you can be proud of.  As someone who walks into dozens of homes a week, I can tell the those... 01/26/2007

I love, love, love to find new neighborhoods that are just teeming with kids playing outside and parents hanging out chatting. It reminds me of my childhood and it's what I dream for my kids. So far, so good. We're in Country Lane, see article below. I have found a couple of neighborhoods that fit the above description but I don't know anyone in them to interview for an in depth article. I suppose I could just knock on someone's door but that feels a bit forward. I'll have to work up my courage for that one. So, here are a few Phoenix neighborhoods that seem great for kids but I don't really know anyone there. If you are reading this and do know someone there, shoot me a line. I'd love to write a full article for the neighborhood. In no particular order:*Val Vista Lakes, particularly Th... 01/22/2007

Housing Market Report for Gilbert, AZ - Zip Code 85297 As of 12/21/2006 Number Sold in the Previous 4 Weeks 243 Median Price of Houses Sold in Previous 4 Weeks $343,206 Compared to 12/21/2005 Number Sold in the Previous 4 Weeks 185 Median Price of Houses Sold in Previous 4 Weeks $320,000 2006 over 2005 Increase (Decrease) in Houses Sold 58 31.35% Increase (Decrease) in Median Price $23,206 7.25% Market Data for Gilbert, AZ 85297 shows a significant increase in the number of sales, coupled with an increase in the median priceNeed a Market Report for your Zip Code?  Contact us and we'll forward it to you the same day! 01/14/2007

Housing Market Report for Gilbert, AZ - Zip Code 85296 As of 12/21/2006 Number Sold in the Previous 4 Weeks 154 Median Price of Houses Sold in Previous 4 Weeks $299,750 Compared to 12/21/2005 Number Sold in the Previous 4 Weeks 178 Median Price of Houses Sold in Previous 4 Weeks $315,750 2006 over 2005 Increase (Decrease) in Houses Sold (24) -13.48% Increase (Decrease) in Median Price ($16,000) -5.07% Market Data for Gilbert, AZ 85296 shows a decrease in the number of sales, coupled with a slight decrease in the median priceNeed a Market Report for your Zip Code?  Contact us and we'll forward it to you the same day! 01/14/2007

Housing Market Report for Gilbert, AZ - Zip Code 85234 As of 12/21/2006 Number Sold in the Previous 4 Weeks 67 Median Price of Houses Sold in Previous 4 Weeks $301,500 Compared to 12/21/2005 Number Sold in the Previous 4 Weeks 68 Median Price of Houses Sold in Previous 4 Weeks $298,500 2006 over 2005 Increase (Decrease) in Houses Sold (1) -1.47% Increase (Decrease) in Median Price $3,000 1.01% Market Data for Gilbert, AZ 85234 shows both the number of sales and the median price to be essentially stable.Need a Market Report for your Zip Code?  Contact us and we'll forward it to you the same day! 01/14/2007

Housing Market Report for Gilbert, AZ - Zip Code 85233 As of 12/21/2006 Number Sold in the Previous 4 Weeks 72 Median Price of Houses Sold in Previous 4 Weeks $289,100 Compared to 12/21/2005 Number Sold in the Previous 4 Weeks 93 Median Price of Houses Sold in Previous 4 Weeks $310,000 2006 over 2005 Increase (Decrease) in Houses Sold (21) -22.58% Increase (Decrease) in Median Price ($20,900) -6.74% Market Data for Gilbert, AZ 85233 shows a significant decrease in the number of sales, coupled with a slight decrease in the median priceNeed a Market Report for your Zip Code?  Contact us and we'll forward it to you the same day! 01/14/2007

Higley Groves at Morrison Ranch  From Urban Stress to Suburban Relaxation  When Eric and Terri Hirning decided to move their young family to Arizona from San Diego, they were overwhelmed at the decision before them.  Terri had put her career as director of marketing for a national wholesaler on hold once their son was born in September 2003.  On one income, San diego just proved too expensive.  They did a lot of research and decided that Gilbert would be their new home.  They made one trip out to house hunt.  When their top choice fell through, Eric was put in charge of the hunt as Terri returned to San Diego to get ready for the move.  After a thorough search and many pictures sent back to Terri, Eric found the home they live in now.  He made a great choice.The first thing you notice w... 12/15/2006

Country Lane, Gilbert, AZ Location + Affordability + Friendly Neighbors = Great community!   I realize with chagrin, that I haven't even profiled my own neighborhood! How silly is that! Luckily I feel like my neighborhood is quite family friendly and I can easily brag about it. Country Lane is a new community in the heart of Gilbert, AZ. Many of us built a home here for the top two reasons, location and affordability. We gave up some other things but it was worth it I think. The location is superb. At Lindsay and Warner in Gilbert, we have within 2 square miles: Target, Albertsons, Fry's, Home Depot, Lowe's, movie theatre, restaurants, and fabulous schools. Not to mention, Barro's Pizza, best pizza in town. :) Also about three miles away, a brand new Nordstrom-anchored mall is going in.... 12/13/2006

Here's the deal in a nutshell:  If you are a first time home buyer, or haven't owned a home for three years and you make less than $60k, and you want to buy a home in Maricopa County (Phoenix), you can't pass this up. You will get 3% for a down payment and 2% for closing costs (that usually covers them) for free in a government grant.  You could get into a home with no money!  It's great.  I know of other 1st time buyer programs as well, but this one seems to be the best.  Call me today to find out more info. 12/13/2006

While this is a pretty constant question when acquaintences find out I'm in real estate, recently it has become more intense. People are noticing that houses are staying on the market a "long" time and prices are coming down to what we now consider more "reasonable". But there is a serious fear that the market isn't done going down and buyers could lose money. I'm going on a limb and am going to say It's Time to Buy. Reasons include: In the last seven days I have had more buyer inquiries than in the last 2 months. I know this market turns on a dime, people stopped buying all at once and I think they're going to start buying all at once too. Secondly, many of you know that the CA market, especially Southern California can have a huge influence on our Phoenix market. Well, start reading t... 12/13/2006