OK, I saw this video last night titled “No flyers in the flyer box” and had to share it. My friend Darin Persinger is an awesome real estate coach with a unique style all his own. By that, I mean the guy totally understands the needs of his clients. How? It’s easy, he has “been there, done that”. Darin has had a very successful real estate business and now makes sure that people learn a lot about the real estate business from him.

In the past, Darin has written that agents “can do better” with the presentation of homes. For instance, if you are not going to keep flyers in the flyer box, don’t have a box! If people drive by a home and see a box, they expect the box to be full. When it is empty, they probably assume you are not doing your job. Many of you that know me know I am not a huge fan of fliers. What I am a fan of is properly pricing a home and then doing a GREAT job in making sure people are able to easily find the home online and to get information quickly. A custom sign or a custom sign rider with a web address for that specific home, along with a “text for information” number, allows for immediate “access” 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. To me, this is a much better idea.

Obviously, there is much more to this topic than just flyers or a sign. The video and this post really stand for properly marketing a home. It’s about telling a story.  It’s about creating interest, talking about the neighborhood, giving people a feel for what it is like to live there. This type of marketing can be considered hard work and time consuming to the average agent. Guys like Darin don’t look for average agents to coach, they look for agents that go far above and beyond what is “common” in the industry.

For the past 18 years, I have been selling homes here in Arizona. In good markets and bad, one thing remains constant, the fact that I love helping people buy and sell homes. Marketing properties has changed dramatically since “the old days” and I have been fortunate to surround myself with some top notch marketing professionals so that I can continue to do the best job possible for all of my clients.

I may not pick up a guitar and sing about things any time soon, but it is good to know that some of my friends will pick up the slack.

Ok, so we had our first 100 degree day recently, big whup…. Around here, that is child’s play.

For many, the a/c has been cranking for weeks, but for some, they hold out as long as possible. I can tell you one thing, if you are selling a home right now, don’t try to “cheap out” and turn the a/c up to 85 or 90 when you leave for work in the morning. Try to keep it cool, it could help.

Last week, I was looking at homes in Tempe with a friend / client and was glad that many of them were occupied. As you know, there are many parts of town and a few price ranges where the majority of the homes are vacant. Not only are these homes vacant, they have no power on. No power means, no a/c. Ever step out of a car into the hot sun only to find the inside of a home to be hotter? Believe me, it’s not cool.

If a buyer needs to rush back to an air conditioned car with sweat dripping off of their forehead, he / she probably isn’t going to have a real fond memory of that home. Same thing when the sellers leave all of the blinds shut and the a/c up to barely bearable – it just doesn’t show as well.

From SRP we get this information that probably doesn’t have a home seller in mind:

“Q: Is it better to set the thermostat to a high temperature (85° to 90°) while at work all day and cool the house (two-story, approximately 3,200 square feet) when you get home to a comfortable temperature (approximately 80°), or to keep the thermostat just a degree or two higher during the day so that the cooling unit doesn’t have to work as hard during peak hours to cool the house?

A: You will save money anytime you can increase the temperature on your thermostat and cause the unit not to run. The old myth that says you will spend more energy bringing the temperature back down than you would have spent just leaving the thermostat alone is just that, a myth.”

So, you might save a few bucks by turning the a/c up to 90 when you leave for work, right? Well, if you are trying to sell a home, it could cost ya’ even more. If your home shows well and is priced correctly, leaving the a/c in a comfortable range during the day might just be money well spent…

For those of you that get “Nick’s News” in your snail mail box, you know that I love to eat. In fact, the “Nick’s Pick’s” portion of the newsletter is something you guys seem to find pretty interesting. Normally, I leave that small portion of our newsletter as the only place where I write ( a little bit) about restaurants that Lori and I like to visit. As with most things, there is always an exception to the rule…

This past Sunday, we were invited to attend a “sneak peak” breakfast at Joe’s Real Barbeque. Yep, I said breakfast at Joe’s Real BBQ! Come to find out, they will soon begin serving breakfast on Saturday and Sunday mornings from 8-11am. 

Lori and I took the three boys to give it a test run and I must say, we all had a great time. The usual friendly service was found along with some great breakfast items that aren’t the “same old stuff” you find at some breakfast places. I wasn’t able to resist the biscuits and gravy even though it probably wasn’t the “healthiest” of choices. To compensate for that, I ordered a fruit, yogurt and granola cup that was really, really good. That mad sense, right? Lori had a really cool egg dish called Downtown Baked Eggs and the boys had some sides of “sausage meat” ( that’s what they call any kind of sausage ) and “breakfast Jell-O”, juices, potatoes etc.

Our family did enjoy breakfast at Joe’s. Their food always seems to be good. Big thanks to Joe for allowing us to be guinea pigs and thanks to my good friend, Jay Thompson for letting me know about their preview breakfast.

Like usual, the kids were the center of our morning. The gumball machine at Joe’s Real BBQ was a big hit as was the huge tractor inside of the restaurant.  The only complaint of the mornings breakfast was from the boys because they wanted to drive the tractor… “Grandpa let’s us drive HIS tractor!”

Thanks Joe, your restaurant rocks!

Welcome to the Camelot Corner in Tempe, AZ. I came up with the name of Camelot Corner recently when thinking of an area of town that I believe has a lot to offer. Basically, it’s homes from McClintock Drive on the West and the Price / 101-Freeway to the East and from Guadalupe Road South to the canal.

Within the Camelot Corner, there is a great mix of housing options within six different residential neighborhoods. Within the Camelot Corner there are two neighborhoods called Camelot Village and Camelot Park Villas, these two neighborhoods combine to take up a large portion of the homes within the area. Hence, the Camelot Corner name. The other four neighborhoods are Biscayne Bay, Legends at Tempe, Cottonwoods Tempe and Round Valley Estates. On the Western edge of the neighborhood, there is also an apartment complex called the Little Cottonwoods. If interested in the homes for sale in Camelot Corner <<—- just click that link to see the latest information or click on the green icons below for a few examples of homes for sale in the area..

Some of the things I like about this area are the lifestyle choices and diversity of the neighborhoods from beautiful single family homes on large lots to more “urban” homes in gated, low maintenance subdivisions. Most of the people living in these neighborhoods agree that the location is amazing. With great access to the 101 freeway and just minutes from the 60 freeway, people can be to most parts of town very easily. But, even without getting in to a car, the neighborhood has a LOT to offer. Stroud Park is in the area which borders a great City of Tempe walking and biking trail which can take people to places like the Ken McDonald golf course and to Kiwanis Park. There is also access to public transportation surrounding the area with bus stops on McClintock and on Guadalupe Roads.

The neighborhood shopping at McClintock and Guadalupe is very close and residents often walk to the grocery store, restaurants, bookstore, drugstore or any of the MANY area conveniences. In the map below, you will see the neighborhoods as well as many of the things that make this area such a great place to live. While the map isn’t 100% complete and businesses can change at any time, you should be able to get an idea about living in the Camelot Corner. I’ll try to add to the map and keep it updated as time permits.

View Camelot Corner Tempe AZ in a larger map

I’ll also try to add to the group of photos below. There will be pictures of Camelot Village and of all of the neighborhoods in Camelot Corner. We will also share pictures of Stroud Park and of many of the restaurants and shops in the neighborhood. If you have any questions about living in the area or would like to see any of the homes for sale, please feel free to call Nick Bastian for a tour!

Click on the photo above to begin the slide show of life in the Camelot Corner.

$260,000 :: 6510 S Hazelton Lane, Unit 111, Tempe AZ, 85283

$284,900 :: 6510 S Hazelton Lane, Unit 123, Tempe AZ, 85283

$410,000 :: 2119 E Vaughn Street, Tempe AZ, 85283

$240,000 :: 1934 E Diamond Drive, Tempe AZ, 85283

River Run is a nice, gated community in North Tempe consisting of 112 homes. These homes have 2 car garages and, according to the tax records, average approximately 1200 square feet. Within River Run, residents enjoy well kept common areas, 2 community pools, tennis courts, sand volleyball and parking for RV’s, boats, trailers etc.

Click here to see Homes For Sale in River Run. The link will take you to the actual MLS for an accurate picture of CURRENT sales activity in River Run / Gardens Tempe.

To the right of the screen, you will see an example of a home in River Run —->>

The legal description calls River Run “The Gardens Tempe” and lists the homes as being built from 1984 – 1994. There appears to be a mix of people in age ranges with students, part time residents and just about anything in between. Being near a bus stop and an Orbit system, the area is also good for people that enjoy getting around town via public transportation.

To give you a feel for the neighborhood, I have enclosed some photos of River Run and will add to them as time permits. I am also enclosing a slide show from YouTube showing some of the community features. If you would like a list of homes for sale in River Run, please let me know and we will be glad to send you the information right away.

A map of the River Run area

View River Run Tempe AZ in a larger map
]]> http://nickbastian.com/2010/03/30/river-run-homes-tempe/feed/ 0 http://nickbastian.com/2010/03/23/echo-coffee/ http://nickbastian.com/2010/03/23/echo-coffee/#comments Tue, 23 Mar 2010 13:48:06 +0000 Nick Bastian http://nickbastian.com/?p=217

The sweet sound of success. Some people hear it, some don’t. If you listen closely, you will hear my good friend Steve Belt talking about what a coffee shop should be. To be clear, I have no idea what it takes to make a great Scottsdale coffee shop but I have no doubt in my mind that Steve knows. You see, for several months, I have been fortunate to hear him talk about his passion for opening an exceptional coffee shop and I have learned more than I really ever thought I would care to know about how he will turn a shell of a building in to a place where people will come to expect great coffee in an inviting atmosphere. I have been a “taste test dummy” and have asked why in the world someone running a very successful business would decide to open a coffee shop. The answers always impressed me.

Soon, Echo Coffee will open in South Scottsdale and will be run by a guy that I have never known to settle for second best. Come mid-April, go on over to 2902 N 68th Street in Scottsdale which is at the Northwest corner of 68th Street and Thomas Road, just 1/2 mile west of Scottsdale Road.  Echo Coffee will be open 7am-10pm, every day, except Christmas, New Years, and Thanksgiving. You really should head over and give it a try. Along with coffee, they will offer fresh pastries, sandwiches, and salads which will be made right in the shop. Free WiFi that actually works really well is also going to be available. The tag line for Echo Coffee is: “Fresh. Local. Organic.”

You might be wondering why in the heck I am writing about Steve and his coffee shop . Well, Steve and I happen to think a lot alike in many aspects of our business. Treating people right, loving what you do and having fun with life can benefit yourself and those around you. I’m looking forward to checking out Arizona’s next great coffee shop…

Follow the Echo Coffee blog for updates and grand opening information.

See ya’ there…

]]> http://nickbastian.com/2010/03/23/echo-coffee/feed/ 6 http://nickbastian.com/2010/03/08/tempe-enters-google-fiber-race/ http://nickbastian.com/2010/03/08/tempe-enters-google-fiber-race/#comments Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:56:14 +0000 Nick Bastian http://nickbastian.com/?p=194

Google Fiber has been making a lot of local and national headlines lately for a contest they are holding to bring high speed data to “one or more” communities. Tempe has decided they want to be that community.

According to a Google Fiber web page: “We plan to test ultra-high speed broadband networks in one or more trial locations across the country. Our networks will deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today, over 1 gigabit per second, fiber-to-the-home connections.”

Tempe has a ton of technology companies, an amazing research community at ASU along with a huge student population and is a very mobile community. Google Fiber seems like a great fit. I am pretty excited to have been asked to help the City of Tempe with this fun project. Please join us in helping to spread the word about the Google Fiber contest. Complete details and information on how you can help can be found on the City of Tempe’s Google Fiber page.

If you have any questions on how you can help, please feel free to give me a call!

Whole Foods in Tempe is participating in a VERY cool fundraiser today to help this year’s Tempe Leadership class raise money and awareness for their class project, Shower Power.

Here’s the deal… Shop Wednesday February 24th at Whole Foods in Tempe located at 5120 S Rural ( at Baseline ) and 5% of the proceeds will benefit Shower Power. 

Shower Power is a project that will provide showers to homeless individuals who participate in the Interfaith Homeless Emergency Lodging Program (I-HELP), which provides overnight shelter to the working homeless. Basically, it is a mobile-shower facility that will enable working homeless in our community to take showers and help them to get and retain jobs while moving towards self- sufficiency.

Learn more about the Shower Power project at the Tempe Leadership class XXV web site. Oh, and don’t miss the salad and hot food bar on sale today at the Tempe Whole Foods for just $5.99! I hope to see you there!

Deconstruction is a word making it’s rounds right now. It is a phrase being used to describe the practice of removing fixtures from a home facing foreclosure.

Recently, a local man was arrested and charged with defrauding a secure creditor and criminal damage after the deconstruction of his Chandler home.

Unfortunately, this has been a very common practice for the past couple years as the wave of foreclosures spreads throughout the valley. I see many foreclosed homes where the sinks, toilets, air conditioning units, water heaters, cabinets, counter tops, lighting and even landscaping items have been removed or vandalized. This theft and vandalism is obviously not helping the real estate market and probably effects the values of the entire neighborhood.

A quick look at Craigslist will often show ads for materials from a home and often sounds suspiciously similar to the practice of “deconstruction.” Just like any other criminal damage, police encourage homeowners to be aware of their surroundings and to watch foreclosed homes in their neighborhoods and report any suspicious activity.

Of course, if you are struggling with keeping your home and need any good resources to discuss your options, I am here to help as best we can. Short sale and foreclosures are a huge part of the real estate market right now. I am happy to discuss your situation and have some very helpful attorneys and and industry professionals that can answer your short sale or foreclosure questions for you. As always, if you have any real estate related questions, “Just Call Nick!”

]]> http://nickbastian.com/2010/02/17/deconstruction-hurts-many-homeowners/feed/ 1 http://nickbastian.com/2010/01/10/camelot-village-tempe/ http://nickbastian.com/2010/01/10/camelot-village-tempe/#comments Sun, 10 Jan 2010 13:41:47 +0000 Nick Bastian http://www.eastvalley411.com/?p=36

Click here to see the Homes For Sale in Camelot Village!