The August 2008 issue of the Surprise, Arizona Senior Center newsletter is out. Click HERE to see it. Just because the thermostat is in the triple digits doesn't mean you have to be cooped up inside.  Did all your friends leave for cooler climates?  Head out to the Surprise Senior Center and make some new friends.  In addition to your own community activities, there are many trips and activities you can participate in here. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you are in the market to buy or sell a home in one of the Phoenix west valley active retirement golf communities, please call me or visit my website http://KathyAndersonRealtor.com. Here you will find information on homes for sale in Sun City Grand Surprise Arizona, resales in Corte Bella, Sun City Festival real estate, ... 07/31/2008

The attached article is not new. The information actually came out in November of 2007 so the ranking may have changed some since then. The reason I am posting this now? I have clients that ask me all the time, "just how safe is Surprise?". So when I came across this article I decided to make it available to anyone interested. Click on the link below to take you there. http://mountaingatewest.com/pdf/surprise_safest_city.pdf ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you are in the market to buy or sell a home in one of the Phoenix west valley active retirement golf communities, please call me or visit my website http://KathyAndersonRealtor.com. Here you will find information on homes for sale in Sun City Grand Surprise Arizona, resales in Corte Bella, Sun City Festival real estate, Ar... 07/29/2008

I am the Barney Rubble of Technology therefore it just didn't happen overnight.  It took over 3 years of hard work.    Marketing strategies included a combination of daily open houses, internet advertising and print advertising.  It's been a long tough road with many obstacles however I was able to ~ Created a Client Base Referral Business Worked 10 to 12 hours Daily Responded to over 100 emails daily Successfully Negotiated Several Advertising Contracts Participated in Sun City Grand and Sun City West Community Events Obtained a Real Estate Certification Created Specialized Literature for Buyers and Sellers Learned Three New Computer Programs Frequently Updated Website       I don't mind hard work.  I am just an old-fashioned gal from the Island of Hawaii that has worked hard at whatev... 07/27/2008

Any Junior Golfers out there??  Sun City Grand is calling all Junior Golfers!  Need more golf course practice?  Want to work on your distance game?  Game Improvement Tees are being installed this week.  You are truly missing out if you haven't golfed at a Sun City Grand championship golf course located in Surprise Arizona.  The greens, fairways and hazzards that run though the community are challenging yet provide some of the most gorgeous settings in the entire Valley of the Sun.     This week's Sun City Grand Golf Advisory Committee report provided insight as to the viability and success of several new programs.  The Junior Golf Program provides junior golfers a free round of golf after 3pm at Desert Springs Golf Course.  This encourages young golfers to participate in the sport and i... 07/27/2008

Join the United States Tennis Association "Tennis On Campus" program for the 2009 USTA National Campus Championship in Surprise, Arizona, April 16-18, 2009. Click HERE for a printable brochure.  The action will be taking place at  The Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex14469 W. Paradise LaneSurprise, Arizona The new Surprise complex is one of the premier public tennis facilities in the country and expected to attract some big names in the future. Come enjoy the championship in Surprise, Arizona, and look for more to come. Click on the picture below to see the new Surprise website page featuring the tennis and racquet complex. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you are in the market to buy or sell a home in one of the Phoenix west valley active retirement golf communities, please ... 07/27/2008

I just came across this pdf file I thought would be of interest to those of you already living in the Surprise, Arizona area as well as to those of you anticipating a move.  The presentation was created in April of 2007 and shows the expected growth of the area (pages 7 & 8), US 60 (Grand Ave) improvements, and the Loop 303 Freeway corridor development (page 24 and on). It will be interesting to watch the progress.  Click the link below to take you to the file. http://www.azdot.gov/Highways/Valley_Freeways/Loop_303/North/PDF/042507_L303_Pres_GrandDemocrats.pdf ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you are in the market to buy or sell a home in one of the Phoenix west valley active retirement golf communities, please call me or visit my website http://KathyAndersonRealtor.com. Here... 07/27/2008

Several years ago, about 100 Date Palm trees on Cimarron Golf Course died after an infestation of palm borer beetles.  A recent article in the Daily News Sun indicated that Sun City Grand officials were going to postpone the planting 52 date palm trees on the Cimarron Golf Course.      There were over 150 homeowners in attendance at the Sun City Grand Board of Directors meeting last night.  The board unanimously approved allocating $16,000 to hire an arborist that will provide criteria and specifications for the installation and maintenance of 52 Date Palm Trees for the Cimarron Golf Course.  Evidently this is a the first of many steps before making any allocations toward the purchasing of the trees.     Many people come to Sun City Grand due to the tropical and resort like feeling.  Th... 07/25/2008

The Sun City Grand Homeowners Association Board of Directors voted a change in the architectural design requirements in Sun City Grand.   Since inception, Sun City Grand architectural design has permitted the usage of exterior retractable roll security shutters.  The recent change will prohibit any further approval for the metal roll security shutter installation.  Approximately 100 homes that presently have the shutters will be grandfathered.  Evidently most of the homes that presently have the shutters are located on the golf course.  The vote was conducted late last night after hearing comments from several homeowners.   The Architectural Review committee cited the following reasons to request having the rules changed: Location/Number:  There has been an increase of requests to have ... 07/25/2008

The city of Surprise, Arizona has posted "Monsoon Safety Tips" on their website for those of you new to the area.  As I wrote in a previous post, our monsoon season can bring some pretty Wild Weather.  People don't realize that even though we may get only an inch or two of rain, because our ground is so hard and dry the water can't be absorbed fast enough.  This can create dangerous flash flood conditions.  We also have hundreds of lightning strikes in a matter of hours and all of this is sometimes preceeded by a dust storm that severely limits visibility. Don't fool with mother nature!  And make sure you know what to do if you are caught in a monsoon storm. 07/24/2008

"Thank you and Please are two little keys that open up ..........."  I closed another transaction today.  The couple contacted me from my internet website.  They liked the ease of use of my website and because I said Mahalo. Mahalo.......If you haven't been to Hawaii, Mahalo is a very polite way of saying Thank You.  The one word that made a difference to a Canadian couple who frequently visited Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii. There were only 223 homes for sale in Sun City Grand when they began their internet search.  They frequently called to ask me about certain property features, location and upgrades.  After a few weeks of emails and telephone calls, they arrived in Sun City Grand.  They love to play golf and were especially intrigued by the palm trees on the golf courses, especia... 07/19/2008

Every month my broker, Ken Meade Realty, supports one of the area non-profit organizations and asks for the Sun Cities residents to participate as well. For the months of July & August the Ken Meade offices will be assisting the Packages From Home organization.  This is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that was formed to provide needed items to our troops at no cost to them.  Your contributions are tax deductible. Area residents can drop items off at any one of our five offices.  If you are out of the area but would still like to help out, they are in dire need of monetary contributions to help pay for the shipping of the items collected.  For a complete list of items needed as well as the address to send a check (if you'd rather), go to: http://packagesfromhome.org/things-to-donate ... 07/15/2008

First of all I want to say, this information is not limited to Sun City Grand.   Part One here is all about some of my favorite local birds and they are all birds I have seen here in Sun City Grand, but you could just as easily see them in any of the other area communities. Of course there are many more bird species than what I have listed here.  I've left out the finches, the sparrows, the wrens and yes... even the doves.  The birds I have listed here are the ones that are more apt to catch your eye because of their size, antics or uniqueness to Arizona.   We have a number of bird species that are always fun to watch.  Some of them live here year round and others migrate in and out of the area.  Sun City West has swans that live on the golf course lakes and have been named.  Unfortunat... 07/14/2008

Little by little the landscape of Surprise is changing.  Much of it is exciting (new shopping complexes constructed within the city guidelines to look like unique villages).  Some of it is sad (the farmlands just minutes away are slowly disappearing).Probably the next BIG addition to our city is the new Sam's Club that will be opening on the SE corner of Bell and the Loop-303.  Some people may not think this is a plus.  Some may wish it was a Costco.  But many will become avid customers.  I still haven't seen the projected Grand Opening date but it will no doubt be before the end of the year.  My guess is, they will want to have it open before the holiday shopping season begins in November.  They are certainly working fast now.  The parking lot has finally been poured and the lights thr... 07/13/2008

For years before moving here I heard about the Arizona monsoon season from my sister-in-law.  She would tell me about the atmospheric pressure building up, the rising humidity levels, and the lightning.  She'd also tell me about the dust storms that would most often preceed the rains.  Then she explained that you wanted the rain because that would cool things off and the "pressure" would be relieved.  And last but not least, she would end her musings with how much she enjoyed the monsoon season. Living in Seattle, and not having experienced an Arizona monsoon storm first hand, I really had no concept of what to expect after moving here.. Before this year (2008), the beginning of the monsoon season was determined by having three consecutive days with dew points of at least 55 degrees.  (... 07/13/2008

When gas prices started to rise, minimization of gas usage became a priority.      I periodically check for the lowest gas prices in the area, at www.gaspricewatch.com.  I have found that the Diamond Shamrock located at 13908 W Bell Rd in Surprise most frequently has the lowest priced gas in the area - especially if you live in Sun City West, Sun City Grand or in Surprise. There are other alternatives to minimize gas usage.  Of course, if you live in Sun City, Sun City West or in Sun City Grand you can just drive a golf cart. But there are times that golf carts or motorcycles will not do, especially since driving a golf cart on Bell Road is not an option. Carpooling, using the bus or mass transit systems will help in saving gas.  As Realtors®, we need to use our vehicles in performing o... 07/12/2008

  GEM Golf Cart For Sale SOLD Less than 300 miles on the odometerOrignal purchase price of $10,000 This golf cart has been sold Every time I see one of these golf cartson the road it makes me smile.In fact...doesn't it look like the cartis smiling back? p>                                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To see homes in the Phoenix Arizona area retirement communities of Sun City Grand, Sun City festival, Sun City West, Corte Bella & more, click on my name below: 07/12/2008

Sun City                                       Active Listings   731      Pending   75 (City-Sun City, Subdivision-Sun City)           Sun City West                               Active            521       Pending   48 (City-Sun City West)                                   Sun City Grand                            Active             232        Pending  32 (City-Surprise, Subdivision-Sun City Grand)  07/09/2008

Lunch, dinner, wine tastings, music.  Sounds like a great place to hang out.  Dennis and Melissa Minchella, owners of Kokopelli Winery & Bistro are proud to announce the Grand Opening of their latest venture in Surprise, on July 15th. Some of you may have seen my recent post, We Need to Support the Little Guys!!!  Here is an opportunity to do just that.  The new Kokopelli Winery & Bistro is located at 14719 W. Grand Ave. and will start serving dinner at 5:00 the evening of the 15th.  See you there!   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you are in the market to buy or sell a home in one of the Phoenix west valley active retirement golf communities, please call me or visit my website http://KathyAndersonRealtor.com. Here you will find information on homes for sale in Sun City Gran... 07/09/2008

As I was driving to the office this morning I decided a large non-fat latte (with sugar free hazelnut) was in order. Now... having moved from the Seattle area AND having been in the specialty food business when the big "S" really started taking off I knew there were any number of locations I could get my poison.But I decided that instead of going to the most obvious choice for my morning coffee habit, I would support the "little guy", Toshi's Roast. It wasn't meant to be this morning though, because as I started to pull up I saw the "closed" sign on the door. My hope is that Randy and his family just took a nice 4th of July weekend trip. But who knows? A couple of the businesses around him have disappeared and the last time I spoke to him he told me it had surprised him how much his bus... 07/06/2008

There are so many restaurants in the Surprise Arizona area that I decided to break them down into two maps. The first map gives you more of the fine dining options. Most of these are national chain restaurants but there are a few in the mix by local entrepreneurs. In some cases I've used the term "fine dining" loosely. Some of these restaurants are more like a Denny's, offering a wide variety of dishes. The second map shows you most all of the areas fast food restaurants and pizza joints. If you click on the link to take you to a larger map, it will list out all the restaurants. If you click on the corresponding balloon you have the option of getting directions if you are not familiar with the location. I'm sure these maps are by no means complete but they should give you more than enou... 07/05/2008