Eddie Perez-Ruberte asked:


After the very exciting Phoenix real estate markets we’ve had the last few years, I find myself answering the same questions over and over:

* What is the market doing?

* What do I think the market is going to do?

* Where are prices stagnant, falling or increasing?

* What’s the best place to invest in Phoenix real estate these days?

So, in an attempt at a systematic approach to answering these and other lingering questions from my clients, friends and acquaintances, I have decided to prepare a report and write this article. It is by no means a set of fixed rules the reader must follow, but rather a few guidance points that will hopefully enlighten the reader’s view of the current real estate market as well as his/her real estate investment career.

I will begin by giving the reader just some raw numbers that will hopefully help putting the rest of the analysis into perspective.

During 2006, there were 61,055 single-family-home re-sales. The average sale price throughout the year was $362,093. There was very little change throughout the year, starting at $369,000 in January and ending at $359,000 in December. This should come as no surprise, since we knew 2006 was going to be a correction year.

The rest of the analysis divided the whole Phoenix Metro are by zip codes and the main findings are summarized below:

* For an average sale price of $300K and under, Phoenix, Youngtown and Sun City topped the list of appreciating zip codes in the following order:

Zip Code City/Town % Appreciation

85020 Phoenix 38%

85021 Phoenix 24%

85363 Youngtown 16%

85009 Phoenix 15%

85373 Sun City 13%

85008 Phoenix 12%

85013 Phoenix 12%

85033 Phoenix 11%

85035 Phoenix 10%

I advise you to not start jumping up and down and putting all your money in these zip codes, however. A month-by-month analysis showed a lot of saw-tooth (peaks and valleys) behavior. You can find a more detailed chart on my full report. However, the numbers do show a steadier upward swing in sales price for these zip codes.

* For those interested in sale price of between $300K and $500K, Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale, Glendale, Surprise and Avondale made my list of highest-appreciating zip codes in the following order:

Zip Code City/Town % Appreciation

85042 Phoenix 22%

85205 Mesa 14%

85251 Scottsdale 12%

85310 Glendale 11%

85379 Surprise 10%

85257 Scottsdale 9%

85323 Avondale 9%

Again, the saw-tooth pattern was observed at this price range, but distinct upward trends can be appreciated.

* Finally, for an average sale price of between $500K and $750K, Scottsdale, Goodyear, Queen Creek and Gilbert made it here in the order below:

Zip Code City/Town % Appreciation

85259 Scottsdale 15%

85338 Goodyear 7%

85242 Queen Creek 6%

85254 Scottsdale 6%

85296 Gilbert 5%

As in the previous price points, a lot of saw-tooth behavior going on here. Appreciating trends can still be observed, but they are less marked.

So, what is the data telling you as an owner or potential buyer of single-family homes in the Phoenix area?

1. The first thing it is telling us should be no surprise to people who have been following our real estate market: 2006 was a period of transition and adjustments. The “saw-tooth” pattern observed is a dead giveaway.

However, where there opportunities and appreciating markets?

YES, THERE WERE! And THERE STILL ARE!

2. A big thing these numbers are telling us is that the bottom did NOT fall off. Even with the oscillations, average prices remained strong, either hovering around the same value at which they started or inching upward a bit.

And remember: these are average numbers. Each investor or buyer’s particular style/approach will produce different results. This is only a guideline to which you may want to refer to get an idea of how our market is behaving, how our Valley is growing and where.

To get your FREE copy of the detailed report I wrote for my clients, complete with tables, charts and my own personal pick of where the growth is and will be for the next few years, please visit



GOBEN

Francis Githinji asked:


You have been single and all over a sudden a bright idea hit you. You just discovered that you searched for a date online you will no doubt that you will get a good number of people sending you mail to tell you they are interested in you. Arizona has got many dating sites where you will find a lot of personals in Arizona. They have sites like mingles, Jlove and many others. That is why it comes as quite a shock when you get none of the mails you were expecting and you start thinking maybe you are single for a reason and that no one quite likes you. Before you start beating yourself about that, it is best to look at your profile. How did you make your profile? Is it worth taking a second look at? Would you reply to that particular profile if it were for someone else? If all your answers are no, you should know that you need to do something about it.

When making personals in Arizona be very specific. If you want to date people from a specific area say so. There are many people registered online and some of them are interested in dating someone who is near their area. If you come from the Gilbert area in Arkansas say so. Make sure you mention it in your profile. This will help the people who are looking for a date in and around that area to find you quiet easily. You might think it is not a big deal but it could be a very big deal to someone and some people in the dating site. Make sure you mention the town you come from and the people you are interested in dating in Arkansas. Be it in the Preoria region, Phoenix or the Mesa area. Whatever place you are, making sure you tell them and you make it clear in your profile that you would like to see people in a specific area.

When drafting your personals in Arizona leave a lot to be desired. This is because people like suspense. If you are an open book there will be nothing left for the people to wonder about you. As much as you would like the people to know something about you, it is always a good idea to leave something out on your profile. It could even be one of your conversation starters when you next meet in a restaurant like Mary Elaine’s, Pisseria Bianco and Tarbell’s. If you live out what you do for a living, when you meet with them, you could start a conversation with that. Do not make the person feel like you do not have anything to talk about with you.

You can always ask your friends to look at your profile while making personals in Arizona and tell you how it sounds. You can also read it out allowed and listen to what it says and if it is interesting or not. There are also many photographers in Arizona that you can go to take pictures of you. There is the BlackMagic Studio, The Hudsons and Evoke photography that you can go to for help in terms of your photo.



BOULTER

peter carroll asked:




A sort of genius… © Peter Carroll Approx: 2240 words



Reading about history, looking at bygone photographs and trying to imagine how it was then and maybe what might have been - save for certain larger than life personalities - is clearly food for thought.

Such are my thoughts as I research the history of my home town. I wonder how it would now be in Paignton if two prominent millionaires, one from the US and the other from Liverpool had not come to live there.

Isaac Singer was determined, influential and generous with his employees and did so much to put Torbay on the map in his time. He was a man with a mission, and his womanising was renown, he probably had more mistresses than the fancy cakes and buns he put on for the kids of his employees at party time. in the ‘pavilion.’ - his beloved home known as Oldway.

The other millionaire made his mark in early part of the twentieth century. Whereas Isaac Singer was flamboyant and outgoing and lavished the high life, this man was quite the opposite, shy , quiet and a self confessed misogynist. His turning was positively birds of the feathered kind But one thing they had in common, he was stubborn, determined and certain in his mission. He had a vision which would manifold and grow, and still brings in the crowds to this day . But not without a few stumbles on the way.

When as a boy, his mother presented him with two canaries it sparked off something that would generate and grow and take over his life - something that would consume all his energy with nothing hardly left to spare for personal relationships. He started to breed and exhibit finches, Wyandotte poultry, blue and black cropper pigeons and even Dutch rabbits.

His destiny was set and without him we would surely be the poorer, for not only did he strive to protect endangered species but also the natural habitat in an area like Slapton Ley which was due to be commercialised. He stepped in, purchased the land to preserve as it was. It is still a perfect nature reserve - a credit to the man with vision.

His name was Herbert Whitley, the founder of what is now known as Paignton Zoo Environmental Park.. No doubt one of the most popular attractions in Torbay. His vision was to create a collection of flora and fauna from all over the world.

He leased, then bought Primley house, a veritable mansion with its large acreage from the Belfield family. Local people noticed wooded buildings and structures starting to appear, one resembling a racecourse stand it was heard to be said. What was it all about, the local fraternity were curious and it wouldn’t be very long before they found out.

Moving to Paignton gave Herbert the chance to purchase and breed endangered animals.. He was ecstatic to receive the first monkeys in 1910 and 1911 and the first of the Primley exotic birds, a pair of sulphur crested cockatoos which were to be the foundation of his ornithological collection.

A shire driven yellow farm wagon was seen to pick up closely guarded crates of wild animals from Paignton station, taking several trips to deliver them to the elusive millionaire who had bought the white mansion in Primley Hill. What was afoot? Such going’s on were unheard of in the small town and of course there were those who did not like the idea one iota. “Supposing one of ‘em got away, what then?!”

His vision was starting to materialise, more fencing and wooden buildings were being erected, there was so much coming and going and there was a certain buzz in the air. It didn’t take long for the local’s to realise that a Zoo was coming .. That “Mr. Whitley is employing all sorts of people to help him.” and “he pays quite well so we mustn’t moan about it spoiling our town must we?”

And in 1923, the Torbay Herald Express reported the Zoo was opening to the public and all the hard work in preparation was about to be realised and enjoyed by a public who were simply taken aback

- most of whom had never seen a dangerous wild animal in the flesh.

But there was much still to do before Herbert’s vision was complete

All seemed to be going well until HM Customs and Excise intervened and Herbert was summoned to appear in Paignton Magistrates Court in March 1924. He was absolutory livid!

He could not believe his ears when, leading up to his summons, the tax man demanded he should pay tax on his modest gate takings, “But why?”

“It’s entertainments tax,” was the reply and seemingly there was no getting away from it. He tried though , this outwardly quiet and timid man had his moments. “Why, when London Zoo, Plymouth Aquarium and Torquay’s Natural History Museum are exempt, what is the difference? My exhibitions are as much , if not foremost of an educational nature, and like the afore mentioned should not attract entertainment tax.”

But the bench’s findings were adamant. Herbert, dressed in his work clothes, apparently stormed out of the court and promptly closed his zoo on principle. It was not a question of the money, his aim was for the public at large, those with like interests, should enjoy his valuable collection, to give everybody the opportunity to see animals they would not normally see in those days when travel for the ordinary working class was mainly local and there was no television, and wild life films were rare.

His minimal charge of 1/-d and 6d for children barely covered overheads anyway but he felt such a charge should be made in order to purvey the sense of value and quality.

Despite public outcry and numerous reports and views in the press, Herbert would not budge one iota. Although he obviously planned to reopen eventually - having realised public interest. But the closure would serve his purpose, he made good use of the three years break to build up more varied exhibits. Tradesmen were busy, busy making and building cages and modifying the landscape to meet the needs of his new exhibits. He was a stubborn man, cared not about what other zoo’s did or exhibited, he wanted to create a zoo which would be exclusive and unique according to his own expectations. He was the sort of man who trusted only that which he had built up himself. He smoked like a trooper it was reported, undoubtedly the reason for his eventual demise, from outward appearances he would seem stand offish and arrogant yet he was known to be kind and generous in many ways.

But come June 1927 the zoo was in business again. Herbert relented “in the interest of public education” announcing a charge of 1/2d including tax for adults and 6d tax free for children.

“Thank you, Mr. Whitley” was the Torbay Herald & Express’ headline and Herbert was set to share his pleasure with a host of visitors far and wide and local too. All seemed to go smoothly for a while despite a tragedy which occurred on 5th October, 1931 when a 67 year old Zoo painter Fred Gilbert, mauled by a lion sustained fatal injuries. The outcome of the inquest concluded that it was a freak accident, that Gilbert working between two caged enclosures did not see the lion approach behind, taking his arm and hand through the bars of the cage. But more stringent rules were brought in.

With the trials and tribulations incurred only a millionaire could have sustained the immense project coupled with Herbert’s sheer enthusiasm and desire to share his knowledge of the other creatures who, with us, share life on earth.

More problems arose regarding charges, tax and the over riding question of what constitutes entertainment as against education and there were comings and goings of all manner of people and the press. It seemed even a man as determined as Herbert Whitley had his breaking point when, in 1939, war was declared, the final straw he concluded, he just had to close and sell his animals once and for all.

I am thinking once again, what if - what if it hadn’t been for a certain Reginald Goddard, founder of Chessington zoo in Surrey, another man of Herbert’s true grit, a man that had started with his own pet shop to a new sort of open Zoo that was Chessington, he even had the clout to have Southern Railway build a special station about a mile away from his zoo to bring in thousands of curious Londoners. His new concept was a huge success - so he must have been gutted when, with the outbreak of war in 1939, he was obliged to close being so close to London. What would he do with his precious collection of animals and the like.

In the papers, in the news were reports of children being evacuated to the safety of the country away from the pangs of air raids. This was his cue. He knew of Herbert Whitley of course, had often visited Devon for health reasons. He had an idea which blossomed when he heard of Herbert’s decision to foreclose. His plan to evacuate his precious stock to Herbert’s zoo. But was it too late, and would Herbert go for it? …..

But Goddard was a persuasive guy, because of his knack of conversation and because he was an extrovert he had that certain way with him of which Herbert actually admired. In the nick of time Herbert cancelled the forthcoming sale and entered into a five year partnership with Goddard.

Surprisingly they seemed to hit it off well and Goddard was awash with new ideas as his animals were transported by train and road. Space was not a problem at Paignton and so busy hands made new enclosures and fencing for the new stock. He showed Herbert his ideas for a man made lake filled by the stream that meanders though the zoo, and then a miniature railway tracked around the perimeter of the lake enabling passengers to enjoy the many varieties of wildfowl and water creatures.. Dolly Widdecombe, was one of the first train drivers known for her cheerful charisma, stopping at various places enroute when a particular bird was making its presence felt, startling passengers with sounds and sight. It was all a joy to behold and proved to be very popular with visitors and Herbert too, who was most impressed and, given the versatility and exuberance of his new partner, he felt less stress and his life began to feel a lot better.

He gave 14 acres of land in Clennon Valley to Paignton Council for building a sports centre and many of his semi-tropical plants also given as a gift, still survive in the rock walk at Goodrington.

Although he had no particular leaning for women there was of course the exception, that being his late mother - and maybe another, Gladys Salter whom he had known for a lifetime, who was his chief assistant come housekeeper - but nothing more, despite the usual rumours spread by the scandal makers. She was there when he died on 15th September, 1955 aged 69. I believe he was not a misogynist at all, he was simply overcome by his shyness towards the opposite *** which remained with him all his life. But what made up for what he may have missed by way of romance in a marital relationship he was abundantly fulfilled because of his love of the natural world, perhaps he never realised his true potential, perhaps he never would no matter how long he may have lived, because he was that kind of guy, forever striving to discover and to learn.

Perhaps it was Dr Jean Delacour, eminent naturalist, explorer and president of the world peacock association - who knew Herbert well - who gave him a fitting ,simple but apt description in saying he was a sort of a genius.

My wife and I have been visiting the zoo for some thirty years and will never tire of its absolute magic. In that time we have seen changes galore - remembering how it was, when the entrance was alongside a cottage which used to be the offices in Herbert’s day and there was a small hatch at the side where you would pay and enter through some iron turntable gate. Then you would track down towards the restaurant where there were numerous cages containing a wonderful selection of birds .

In a way much of the charm has gone to make way for the modern entrance and how we care much more for the environmental issues. But all for a good cause. The aim now being to exhibit wild life in their natural habitat as much as possible and to breed endangered species .

Much has to be said for those behind the scenes who strive to keep this wonderful gem of Paignton up to the mark, right down from management to the keepers, gardeners, and many others involved in maintaining what has become one of the most popular zoo’s in Britain. And not forgetting the volunteers who have helped to make lots of money for this charitable organisation to support various projects like the recently opened Crocodile swamp.



WEATHERHOLTZ

Reg Gustin asked:


It’s amazing how fast the real estate market can change. Last year, buyers were clamoring over one another to buy a house. This year, the market has slowed down considerably; buyers actually have a chance to think about whether a house is right for them. For buyers that are looking for affordable new home communities, there’s no better place than Gilbert - and there’s no better time to buy.

Gilbert has been an active community for new home developments for the last several years. Developers have taken every vacant piece of property and built new home communities: some condos, town homes, and simple affordable family homes; others are elegant high end properties.

As the real estate market slows down, these developers have a far greater inventory of new homes on their hands, far more than they’d ever intended. So buyers are in a unique position, they are finally in the position of being courted by developers - aggressively campaigning to get buyers to buy the homes in their community.

Developers have a lot of money tied up in these new homes. The longer these homes sit vacant, the more it ends up costing the builders. So it really becomes the builder’s responsibility to actively market to buyers - to try to entice them into buying. Many buyers are finding themselves being courted with lots of extra perks. Some examples include:

* No mortgage payments for the first year. * Swimming pools and spas included with home free of charge * Huge reductions in the price of the home, sometimes as much as $50,000 * Upgrades to the materials in the home, like high quality flooring, stone countertops, and high end appliances

These remarkable perks aren’t going to last forever, but for right now, buyers are in a Gilbert can find the home of their dreams, at a truly unbelievable deal. Eventually, the marketplace will balance itself out and developers won’t have the same pressure to sell.

If you’ve been waiting for the market to decline, you may have a long wait. In fact, it’s not likely that home prices will decrease, just stabilize. But even though prices may be the same in a few months, you won’t have the same opportunity to get the deal of a lifetime in perks. There hasn’t been a better time to buy a home in Gilbert, and you won’t see similar deals ever again - it’s the best time to buy.



MACHADO

Harwood E Woodpecker asked:


Sardinia’s northwest coast shelters a trio of the most attractive seaside resorts on the island, interspersed with some really spectacular coastline. The principal town on this stretch is Alghero.

Sardinia stands in sharp contrast to the Italian mainland and Sicily, and Alghero provides an even sharper contrast to Sardinia itself.

Alghero was not greatly disturbed by foreign influences in modern times until it suffered bombings during World War II. Alghero is one of those places that the Italians have been happy to keep to themselves.

Every year thousands upon thousands of main land Italians swarm to Alghero for the first two weeks of August, the traditional Italian holiday season.

Alghero has become a major package destination, yet it has retained its distinctive Catalan character - the result of intense Spanish colonisation in the fourteenth century.

Strangely given this faintly exotic tinge, it is simultaneously the most “Italian” of Sardinia’s holiday towns, its old centre a tight web of narrow lanes packed with boutiques, bars and restaurants.

The town has countless boutiques and a busy weekly market as well as a fruit, vegetable, fish and meat market held in the town centre on Monday to Friday.

Alghero is often compared to mainland resorts like Sorrento or San Remo, and if it lacks their glamorous edge, it’s also refreshingly free of their cynical hard sell. Even a short stay should be enough to get acquainted with the abundance of enticing beaches in the vicinity and to investigate the area’s most important archaeological sites, not to mention the famous Grotta di Nettuno (Neptune’s Grotto) on the point at Capo Caccia.

Outside the resort the northwest coast presents a wild and rocky aspect, sparsely populated and ideal for roaming.

Although public transport services are adequate for travelling between the main towns and villages, hiring a car gives you more freedom, while renting a bike is an enjoyable way to cover the shorter distances.

The local terrain is rewarding and challenging for walkers, with few overly strenuous tracts though they should be aware that the rough and rugged nature of the coast means that much of the alluring Alghero - Bosa stretch, for example, must be tackled on the road; fortunately, it’s free of much traffic most of the time.

Alghero is a very rare Italian phenomenon: a tourist town that is also a flourishing fishing port, giving it an economic base entirely independent of the summer hordes.

The predominant flavour here is Catalan, owing to the wholesale Hispanicisation that followed the overthrow of the Doria family by Pedro IV of Aragon in 1353 - a process so thorough that the town became known as “Barcelonetta” and is still known as Little Barcelona to the locals.

According to some, Alghero’s name is derived from the Arabic, al-ghar, meaning cave or cavern, possibly a reference to the celebrated Grotta di Nettuno nearby, still Alghero’s largest tourist attraction. To access the caves you can either take a boat trip or a drive along the coast.

The boat stops at the entrance to the caves, the drives involves a rather energetic walk down approximately 750 very steep steps. The views are amazing on the walk down, just bear in mind that you’ll have to climb the 750 very steep steps after touring the caves with only the rock face to look at!

Others suggest that its original name was S’Alighem (L’Alguer in Catalan) meaning “seaweedy” or “place of algae”, though there’s little evidence of this today in the clear blue seas, although the Lido beach in the town does get rather a lot of seaweed accumulating on it’s shoreline.

In fact, it is the purity of the water together with the spectacular coast that have helped to put the town on the map in recent times Tour operators homed in on Alghero in the post-war holiday boom, which gave birth to the boom of hotels and restaurants that exist today, catering to a constant influx of mostly British and German tourists.

As you might expect, the choice of accommodation is extensive, but booking is essential at any time. Although over the past forty years hotels have sprung up all along the coastline the Alghero town council still has very strict building laws for the area to stop the coastline from becoming a skyline of high rise hotels.

Thankfully, the resort has escaped the fate of many other Mediterranean holiday spots and resisted the lure of tweeness and commercial saturation.

Instead, it remains a fairly easygoing place, with a sharp but good-humoured population, who themselves like nothing better than a good night out in a trattoria or a stroll along the passagiata, a one and a half mile promenade. In fact the quality of Alghero’s restaurants is generally impressive - the presence of the fishing port ensures a regular supply of the freshest seafood, and the varied local cuisine also makes good use of the Catalan culinary tradition.

The town is additionally blessed by its proximity to some of Sardinia’s most famous vine yards, producing eminently quaffable wines, most notably Sella & Mosca. As well as wonderful local Sardinian food it’s possible to find some wonderful Pizzeria’s in the town, one of the best and most popular being Passaparola Pizza on Via Gilbert Ferret.

However the real attraction of Alghero is its atmospheric old town centre, an intricate mesh of mainly car-free lanes at the heart of which Via Carlo Alberto, Via Principe Umberto and Via Roma have most of the bars and shops.

The old town’s finest architecture dates from the sixteenth century, built in a congenial Catalan-Gothic style; a walkabout should also take in the series of seven towers which dominate Alghero’s centre and the stout girdle of walls that encompass it.

The Spanish connection is never far away: the street names are all in the Catalan dialect - carrer for “via”, placa for “piazza”, iglesia for “chiesa and palau for “palazzo” (though, they’re also in Italian which is what most of the locals use). Beyond this historic core, the new town’s grid of parallel streets In little of interest beyond its restaurants and hotels.

The drive out to the north of Alghero will take you through the low-key resort of Fertilia, an alternative place to stay if Alghero is full. If you do stay in Fertillia be sure to check out the old Roman bridge that still stands acrocc the river.

Fertillia was built during the 1940’s as one of Mussolini’s land reclamation projects, there are a few bars and trattoria’s here but only enough to keep you amused for a day. Close by is the area’s most important nuraghic complex, Nuraghe di Palmavera, not to mention some fine beaches such as La Bombardi, Lazzaretto and Mugoni. Inland, you could drop into another archaeological site belonging to an earlier era, the necropolis at Anghelu Ruju, set amidst the endless vineyards that produce Sardinia’s excellent Cannonau wine.

Further a field, the undeveloped coast south of Alghero is a jagged and dramatic interplay of rock and sea, with a few select beaches tucked out of sight, There are no habitations here, not until you climb to the village of Villanova Monteleone, situated inland amidst a bare mountainous terrain.

In the opposite direction, the country north of Alghero is much flatter, but there are a couple of places worth exploring: Lago di Baratz, harbouring protected wildlife, and the abandoned mining centre of Argentiera, dominated by the eighteenth-century workings of a once flourishing industry.



MUTCH