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March 9, 2008
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There are many factors that will go help in the decision when you purchase your next home. Of course, location plays a major factor in most sound real estate purchases. To help find out how “walkable” a neighborhood is, you can check out this nifty web site that will give your neighborhood a “score” based on the amenities near by.My neighborhood in South Tempe scores a “decent” 66. At 70, […]
March 6, 2008
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I have always loved basketball. Combining real estate and politics isn’t something I am always able to do. So, whenI saw this story, it just kind of made me smile. One of the all time best dunks by anyone wearing a Suns uniform was Kevin Johnson going off on Hakeem Olajuwon. I always liked Kevin as he played hard, had a lot of talent and seemed like a genuinely nice […]
March 5, 2008
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We have discussed, at length, the real estate market and the fact that the media has basically been telling people NOT to buy real estate for quite some time. Just as the market had been “over-hyped” into an unhealthy frenzy a couple of years ago, I have felt the same thing has been happening over the past several months, or so.Recently, I have seen a couple of articles that have […]
February 25, 2008
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Tens of thousands of people have been getting letters informing them that their HELOC loan is no longer available or has been substantially reduced. Yep, fine print at it’s best. You may recall how these same banks offered these loans at “no-cost” and marketed them as a great tool for you to use for college, cars, home improvements and even credit card debt. It sounds like their irrational exuberance has […]
February 17, 2008
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We are getting close to having the “new and improved” version of NickBastian.com ready for your opinions. The conversion started a few weeks ago and my lovely assistant (ok, my right arm) Michelle, has been working really hard to fix some of the kinks. In the next couple of weeks, we will have better home search pages, more customization and the ability to make even more custom changes as we […]
February 10, 2008
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So, since it has been the big buzz for quite some time to “go green,” I thought I’d start a series of topics related to green living. Green living means different things to different people. I will report on some energy saving tips, green construction techniques etc in hopes that people find it interesting. While I have probably never been called a “bark biter,” I am always looking for ways […]
February 9, 2008
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I found this interesting video talking about the Arizona Association of REALTOR’S embracing the paperless transaction. Stewart’s Sureclose transaction management system should be an interesting change. Sounds pretty cool to me but I am sure there will be some challenges getting cooperating brokers, buyer’s, seller’s, escrow companies, inspection companies, appraisers etc. all on the same “page.” Granted, this shouldn’t be rocket science and it could be very beneficial to many […]
January 31, 2008
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I just watched an msnbc video talking about the “fallout” from the real estate market and mentioning that “an entire army of Realtors are struggling to get by.” They went on to say that a Fla real estate school’s enrollment is down by 50% and that many agents are “shell shocked.”The video also featured an agent that has traded real estate for roses by turning her office into a flower […]
January 24, 2008
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I’m thankful to live in a city that has a lot of cool stuff to do. Today, I read some more about the upcoming “Western Canal Project” in Tempe. I recall hearing about this last year and thinking, “how cool, that’s right by our park!” (We often take the kids to near by Stroud Park where my “mad hoop skilz” are coming back in a big way!) According to the […]