Welcome to Prescott AZ Living… Happy 2012!
Warmest greetings from Prescott, “America’s friendliest town!” See RE/MAX Mountain Properties. We have a great inventory of active properties and/or can find you whatever you seek! Surf my links, blog or email me with your comments, questions or real estate needs. I know “you’ll enjoy the process!”
Cathi Pospisil, 24 year REALTOR® Assoc. Broker, ABR, AHWD, CRS, GRI, MRE, SFR Cell: 928-273-0538, Office: 5010 Bear Way,Prescott, AZ 86301, Email: cathi@myrebroker.com
November 2011… Pronghorn Ranch, Prescott Valley, AZ. Ask us about our AWESOME New Custom RV garage homes… Enjoy more adventure in your day to day lives! Rendering is a Serafina, elevation B.
Mandalay Homes Pronghorn Ranch RV plans: Standard length is 15’ Wide x 50’ Deep, with a 20’ Wide x 50’ Deep option available on select lots. Ask us about the RV and View lot premium prices when you call the show room sales team with your questions and future needs. (928) 227-2865
June 2011~ Introducing Mandalay Homes Inc! Build your new home in Pronghorn Ranch, Prescott Valley, AZ. You will enjoy knowing “Our standards are already UPGRADES!” See: www.mandalayhomes.com or www.pronghornresidents.com Stop in the Pronghorn 
Ranch Clubhouse Sales Center for plans, prices and lots! Open 7 days a week 10-5, Located in the PHR Clubhouse: 7051 Antelope Meadows Dr. PrescottValley, AZ 86315 ”hope to meet you soon!” (928) 227-2865
September 30th, 2011
Mandalay Homes “Turning things around in Pronghorn Ranch
| 9/29/2011 10:01:00 PM Turning things around: Home sales at Pronghorn Ranch are gaining momentum |
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It took a little while for Deanna Austin to find what she wanted. Austin got a job as a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott and began searching for a home late this past year. After a couple of strikeouts that included the mess of a foreclosure property, Austin found her dream, a 2,300-square-foot home in Prescott Valley. “I just had a feeling about Pronghorn (Ranch),” she said. “For that (foreclosure) price, I found this.”What Austin discovered was one of Mandalay Homes’ spec builds in the community. Dave Everson, president of the Phoenix-based homebuilder, said the company came into the community in late 2009 and finished construction on about 11 homes after the developer closed its doors nearly three years ago. About a year later, Mandalay acquired 138 lots and Everson said he’s building 11 to 12 homes this year. “We’re meeting (buyers’) needs and I’m encouraged,” he said. The community is going through a rebound after what happened there nearly three years ago. In an October 2008 Daily Courier story, Dave Brown, chief executive officer of Brown Family Communities, said he chose to close down the family business of more than 30 years after his lenders called on his outstanding loans. Brown said at the time that he sold about 650 homes in what were his Reunion, Reserve and Renaissance portions of the development and he sold 17 homes in the weeks leading up to making the move to pull the plug. But lenders took all of the proceeds from those closings for months, according to Brown, who said he was using a mix of company money and his own until it ran out. Realtor Cathi Pospisil, with RE/Max Mountain Properties, credits Everson’s company for the community’s turnaround. Pospisil cited Multiple Listing Service data from the Prescott Area Association of Realtors that she said proves her point about the turnaround in the subdivision. Comparing third quarter 2010 statistics, Pospisil said 15 homes sold in the community worth more than $2.94 million and they sat on the market an average of 83 days. In the third quarter of this year, Pospisil said 23 homes sold worth more than $3.97 million, with the average days on the market down nearly 20 days from the same quarter in 2010. “They’re reviving a community that has sat quiet for four years,” she said. Realtor Terri Chase, director of sales and marketing in the community, said buyers like Austin are finding affordable options from Mandalay Homes, such as two-tone paint, front landscaping, 18-inch floor tiles and quality fixtures. “We don’t sell white houses with plastic floors,” she said. “We want the client to come in and move in.” And that’s bolstering sales, according to Everson, who said prospective buyers are more serious these days. “We’re seeing a total change in behavior,” he said. |
September 4th, 2011
Happy Labor Day 2011
God bless our HEROS: Military troops, police, firemen, teachers, medics and all the great people in the USA! Take a look at this magnificent definition of “FREEDOM in Beautiful Arizona!”… See Awesome footage of a man with a jet wing strapped to his back flying over the Grand Canyon with music!
http://www.google.com/url?sa=D&q=http://www.youtube.com/v/WgdIE2t8QkM%3F
August 10th, 2011
RE/MAX Ranks Highest in Customer Satisfaction in 2011 J.D. Power and Associates Study
Home Buyers and Sellers Prefer RE/MAX, RE/MAX Ranks Highest in Customer Satisfaction in 2011 J.D. Power and Associates Study
DENVER, CO – Results from the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Home Buyer/Seller StudySM, recognize RE/MAX for providing the highest overall consumer satisfaction for both home buyers and home sellers. In last year’s study, two different companies ranked the highest in each category, but this year home buyers and sellers both rated RE/MAX the highest. “It all comes down to professionalism and a commitment to a premier level of customer service,” said RE/MAX Chairman and Co-Founder Dave Liniger. “Because RE/MAX agents average more experience and training than other agents, they are better prepared to deal with home buyers and sellers in any kind of market. And, consumer preferences tell the story . . . nobody sells more real estate than RE/MAX.”
This is the fourth annual study of home buyer and seller satisfaction with the largest national real estate companies, conducted by J.D. Power and Associates. For the home buying experience, three factors were considered: agent/salesperson, office and a variety of additional services. Four factors were examined for the home-selling experience: agent/salesperson, marketing, office and a variety of additional services.
Details from the study indicate that on a scale of 1,000, homebuyer respondents ranked RE/MAX with a score of 805 and home sellers put RE/MAX on top at 791. The 2011 study includes more than 4,200 evaluations from 3,680 respondents who bought or sold a home in the U.S. between March 2010 and April 2011. In two other 2011 industry surveys of the country’s top real estate brokerages, RE/MAX agents averaged more transaction sides than agents at the other national franchises. The RIS Media Power Broker Survey and the REAL Trends 500 both showed that RE/MAX agents averaged over 14 transactions sides, more than double the average of many competitors.
The success of RE/MAX agents is the result of its comprehensive educational platform, RE/MAX University, which offers over 1,100 educational programs on-demand, and available online, on television, on smart phones and in classrooms around the world.
About the RE/MAX Network:
RE/MAX was founded in 1973 by Dave and Gail Liniger, real estate industry visionaries who still lead the Denver-based global franchisor today. RE/MAX is recognized as a leading real estate franchise company with the most productive sales force in the industry and a global reach of more than 80 countries. With a passion for the communities in which its agents live and work, RE/MAX is proud to have raised more than $100 million for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and other charities. Nobody in the world sells more real estate than RE/MAX. Please visit www.remax.com or www.joinremax.com.
About J.D. Power and Associates:
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, training and customer satisfaction. The company’s quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.
April 11th, 2011
Come play golf near Prescott, AZ!
Check out the RAZZ… Would you enjoy a friendly round of golf on Thursdays or Saturdays? Escape the HEAT and come play Quailwood Greens 928-772-0130, located at 12200 E. Hwy 69, in Dewey and register to play in their RAZZ every Thursday and Saturday around noon. Enter to win KP’s (closest to the pin) Skins, low Team, low individual Gross and low Net. Why just pay a Green & Cart fee, when you can win your entry fees back and then some? Posted by cathi@myrebroker.com
March 11th, 2011
Prescott area population rising despite recession
Despite the economic recession in recent years, the population of nearly all of Yavapai County’s communities grew between 2000 and 2010, except in Ash Fork, Seligman and Sedona.
Yavapai registered the third-fastest growth of Arizona’s 15 counties, increasing 26 percent to 211,033 between 2000 and 2010.
Pinal County grew at a much higher rate than any other Arizona county at 109 percent to a population of 375,770, making it the third-largest county behind Maricopa and Pima. Mohave was the second-fastest growing county at 29 percent, pushing its population into fifth place.
Yavapai County government officials were confident enough that the county’s official population would top 200,000 that they already are proceeding on redistricting the county from three to five supervisor districts, which state law requires for populations higher than 200,000.
Arizona was the second-fastest-growing state in the nation during the last decade, and Phoenix is the country’s sixth-largest city.
Hispanics helped fuel the state’s growth. Their numbers increased by 600,000 while their share of the population rose from 25.3 percent to 29.6 percent. The national average is 12.5 percent.
The Hispanic/Latino numbers in Yavapai County grew from 9.8 percent of the population in 2000 to 13.6 percent of the population in 2010, with nearly all of the rest of the population being white.
The Hispanic/Latino numbers also grew in the Prescott region.
As a recession gripped Arizona in recent years, the county’s vacant housing grew from 14.1 percent of the housing units in 2000 to 17.7 percent of the units in 2010. The percent of vacant housing also grew in the Prescott region.
Prescott Valley, among the fastest-growing municipalities in the state with a 65 percent increase in population during the first decade of the 21st century, also saw its percent of vacant housing more than double.
Population changes will affect redistricting efforts at the county supervisor, legislative and congressional district levels.
While Prescott’s population grew over the decade, its numbers dropped from the Census’ 2009 estimate. That means it could get a smaller share of the revenue-sharing pie from the state and federal governments.
That was the biggest surprise in his first glance at local Census numbers released Thursday, Prescott Valley planner Joe Scott said.
Yavapai County Development Services Director Steve Mauk said he also was surprised by Prescott’s numbers. Prescott officials said they had not yet reviewed the numbers.
PV numbers “held up pretty good,” Scott added.
Prescott’s population grew 17.4 percent from 33,938 in 2000 to 39,843 in 2010. The percentage of Hispanic/Latino residents grew slightly from 8.2 percent to 8.6 percent. The percent of vacant versus occupied housing units grew from 11.9 percent to 16 percent.
Prescott Valley’s population grew 65 percent from 23,535 to 38,822. The percentage of Hispanic/Latino residents grew from 11.1 percent to 16.7 percent. The share of vacant housing units grew from 5.5 percent to 12.2 percent.
Chino Valley’s population grew 38 percent, from 7,835 to 10,817. The percentage of Hispanic/Latino residents grew from 9.8 percent to 15 percent. The share of vacant homes grew from 6.9 percent to 11.5 percent.
Yavapai County and Prescott planning officials said they were having trouble viewing some of the Census numbers online Thursday afternoon.
The statistics focused on populations by race, and housing occupancy rates.
The Census has not yet released more detailed statistics that look at social and economic trends.
March 11th, 2011
The glitziest homes in America… Aspen, CO.
See the most expensive town in America… Aspen, CO my home of 17 years. 
Prescott, AZ not most expensive town in U.S.
November 24th, 2010
Happiest Thanksgiving Wishes to you!
Wow what a 2010 year… I am just wanting to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday week! I am counting my blessings and I thank my friends and customers for another wonderful year! I want to applaud all the men & women in our US armed forces for serving the greatest country in the world and keeping us safe! Cheers and God bless you all… Happy Thanksgiving! http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/Uwx1XdKPZn8drg36
October 26th, 2010
New BEST places to retire
| With its dramatic red rock cliffs and canyon rivers, Sedona is by all accounts lovely – one reason more than 400,000 tourists descend on the town every year. But for Cathy Severson, 58, everything that made Sedona a great place to visit also made it a poor choice to settle when she was looking to leave California: It was too expensive and, with 11,600 year-round residents, too small. “And there’s always a huge influx of tourists and just one main road,” Severson says.Prescott, on the other hand, just 63 miles southwest, shares Sedona’s mild climate, ample opportunities for recreation, and jaw-dropping scenery. But further from Flagstaff, and still quite a ways from Phoenix, Prescott doesn’t get the tourists – or the prices. The cost of living is about 10% lower that it is in Sedona. (Residents in both places pay low state income and local property taxes.) And there’s a vast difference in home prices: According to Trulia.com, a two-bedroom in Sedona has an average list price of $396,064, compared to $210,286 in Prescott.
While Sedona is known for its galleries and museums, Prescott is no wasteland. The capital of Arizona in the late 19th century, hundreds of the town’s buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places, and local museums exhibit permanent collections of of Southwestern art, pottery and jewelry, and American Western art. The nearby Yavapai Regional Medical Center, recently added a heart center, headed by highly-rated cardiac surgeon Pierre Tibi, a founding partner of Phoenix Cardiac Surgery. |
Key Stats*Median home price (Zillow): State income tax rate: County property taxes (median, % home value): Nearest major airport: |
Photos: Sedona: John M. Scott; Prescott: Kerrick James
Read more: Prescott, Ariz.: The New Best Places to Retire – Personal Finance – Retirement – SmartMoney.com http://www.smartmoney.com/personal-finance/retirement/the-new-best-places-to-retire/?page=2#ixzz13VCxKTYy
October 17th, 2010
Second homes: Old West meets the New in Prescott, Ariz.
Prescott’s nickname has long been “Everybody’s Home Town.” For second-home owners, it could be “great hot-weather escape within driving distance.”The biggest source of second-home owners in Prescott is the Phoenix-Scottsdale area, about 90 minutes away, followed by Los Angeles and other Southern California areas, which are about five hours away by car.
Prescott is primarily a summer community that’s popular with weekenders. The rationale is simple: It’s a mile-high city at 5,347 feet, which makes it unusually cool for central Arizona.
“When it’s 105 (degrees) in Phoenix, it is 80-85 here, and people think they are in heaven,” says real estate agent John Gorden of Realty Executives of Northern Arizona. “We also have blue skies, and for the people from L.A., no smog.”
Prescott is roughly midway between Phoenix and Flagstaff. It’s largely circled by the Prescott National Forest, which makes it attractive for people interested in outdoor recreation. There’s easy access to more than 650 miles of trails, which makes hiking and mountain biking popular. They’re also attractive to equestrians, who have their own subculture. “People from Phoenix with horses move them up here for the summer to beat the heat, especially to the Williamson Valley, just northwest of the city,” Gorden says.
Golf also is a draw. There are seven courses in the immediate vicinity. It’s attractive to retirees because of relatively low real-estate prices, five colleges and a large historic downtown. CNNMoney.com recently ranked it the nation’s fourth-best place to retire.
Prescott, once a thriving 19th-century silver mining town, is surrounded by three other municipalities: Prescott Valley, Chino Valley and Dewey-Humboldt. Combined, the four are known as the “Quad Cities.” “Prescott proper is the most expensive, and it radiates out from there,” Gorden says.
Downtown Prescott is one of Arizona’s largest historic districts with more than 600 protected buildings. There are many original Victorian homes. But the majority of second-home owners opt for townhouses, condos or newer single-family houses in planned communities in and around the city.
“It’s very affordable, with condos in nice developments from around $130,000,” Gorden says. Custom homes can be found for $500,000. And, he says, “there are only a handful of $3 million homes in the entire area.”
A look at three Prescott neighborhoods
• Old Downtown Prescott. It’s a historic district built around a square, which hosts movies and dances on summer nights. It’s more expensive, though varied. “Some of the Victorians are quite large, and then there are a lot of cabins,” says area real-estate agent John Gorden. About 60 residential properties are now for sale. The vast majority are $300,00 to $500,000.
• Golf communities. At the high end are Talking Rock Ranch and Hassayampa, both private clubs. Talking Rock has custom houses from $500,000 to more than $2 million. Hassayampa still has condos from the low to mid-$200,000s, Gorden says. Less-expensive golf communities, such as Prescott Country Club and Antelope Hills, are on public courses. “Prescott Country Club has about 300 condos and townhomes from about $130,000,” Gorden says.
• Williamson Valley. The valley is about 8 miles from Prescott and is “very outdoorsy, for the more active and the horse people,” Gorden says. Crossroads Ranch, a top development, has houses on up to 100-acre lots with an average recent sales price of $442,000. Another, Granite Oaks, offers new houses on up to 3-acre lots for $300,000 to $1.5 million.