June 2010
First Friday Downtown Phoenix Summer Schedule
June 30, 2010 by The Urban Team · Leave a Comment
There has been a lot of confusion about the First Friday schedule this summer and the Roosevelt Row’s Phoestivals. In a nutshell, First Friday will happen as it always has on the First Friday in July, August and so one. Roosevelt Row’s Phoestival will take a vacation during the months of July and August. Below is the actual press release on the subject as well as a summary on where you can enjoy First Friday Festivities. By the way, the next First Friday is July 2nd, 2010.
Roosevelt Street Phoestival to go on hiatus in July and August
First Friday summer schedule still sizzles in Downtown neighborhoods including Grand Avenue, Melrose on 7th and Roosevelt Row
Phoenix, AZ – “Phoestival”, the Roosevelt Row CDC street festival component of downtown’s popular First Friday art walk will go on a short hiatus during the months of July and August, but will return in September.
“Due to the summer heat, Roosevelt Row will forgo hosting the Phoestival street closure for these two months,” said Jennifer Delgado of Roosevelt Row Community Development Corporation.
There will be numerous other events and venues that will continue to participate in First Friday on July 2, 2010 from 6 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. “Art lovers who live in metro Phoenix or are visiting from out-of-town can tour more than 70 galleries and other art-related venues on July 2nd,” said Sloane Burwell of Artlink.
“Since there will not be street festival vending opportunities on Roosevelt Street for First Friday during July and August, we encourage exhibiting artists and crafters to contact local art venues such as eye lounge, 515 arts, Conspire, MADE, Practical Art, Grow-op and others to exhibit work on an on-going basis,” said Greg Esser of Roosevelt Row CDC.
For July and August, artists are offered an exhibition opportunity in Heritage Park at no cost. Artists must have both City of Phoenix and Arizona privilege tax licenses to participate. For additional information, contact Artlink’s Sean Deckert at seandinaz@gmail.com.
The public is encouraged to use the Metro Light Rail to experience First Fridays. Each downtown Phoenix light rail station features exhibits and programming within easy walking distance.
“We hope that the public takes advantage of our free shuttles to explore other neighborhoods and new venues,” said Burwell. “We encourage the public to come downtown and support the galleries and businesses in Roosevelt Row, Grand Avenue and Melrose on 7th during First Fridays as well as the many other areas of downtown participating in the free monthly Artlink Phoenix First Fridays.”
A list of July’s First Friday scheduled activities can be found at www.artlinkphoenix.com or www.rooseveltrow.org. A map with the latest information, including light rail and parking options, is available at www.artlinkphoenix.com. Artlink’s First Friday map and shuttle information can also be picked up at the Phoenix Art Museum during the July 2nd First Friday. The Phoenix Art Museum serves as the Artlink Phoenix First Fridays headquarters and departure point for free shuttles that travel to the destinations list below as well as numerous others. Free parking is also available at the Phoenix Art Museum.
307 E. Verde, A Blend of Historical and Contemporary
June 28, 2010 by The Urban Team · 2 Comments
I was out showing homes this weekend and revisited a place worth of note. As Realtors, we appreciate a good remodel as we are saddened by some of the remodeling mistakes we often see… luckily 307 E. Verde in the Hacienda Historic District is not one.
The home recently received a fine updating with exceptional kitchen and bath redos. In fact, I doubt there were any surfaces left untouched including the landscaping and new garage.
Upon entering you will find well done stained concrete floors, a larger than average living room and a kitchen that will aspire you to entertain. The kitchen is well designed with sleek dark wood cabinets (a lot of them) and amenities missing in most homes. The attention to detail here is eye-catching. We’ll let the pictures tell the story.
Note the 1” tile backsplash, stunning vent hood, stacked microwave and oven and attached table for casual dining. Recessed lighting keeps the space open, yet bright… especially with the windows that open to the freshly landscaped back yard and patio.
The balance of the home has been tastefully updated as well. It looks like a few walls were moved to create a more spacious feel and add amenities such as an indoor washer/dryer nook. Both the guest and master baths have been fully modernized with tasteful accents, custom tile and vessel sinks.
The master bath features a jetted tub, dual sinks and a spacious shower. Note the narrow windows offering light and privacy as well as a mid-century feel. A nice touch many would not have added.
The only real downside to the home is its proximity to Thomas and 3rd Street. The rear of the property looks on to the McDonald Florist building. However, the owner included a stand of Oleanders in his landscaping design that will provide a nice visual block in just a year or two. Again, fine details most people miss when considering a remodel project.
Of note too is the garage. This is a new structure, yet done as to feel it belongs. It is an over-sized two car garage with plenty of room for storage, a work bench and more.
All in all, I believe they did a fine job on this project that someone is going to be happy to call home, entertain friends and enjoy the urban life.
If you’d like to take a look at this place use the contact form below or call us. We’d be delighted to take you on a tour.
Gene Urban & Ron Urban
The Urban Connection Team
602-224-5777
connecting people to the perfect space
listing courtesy of HomeSmart
Lenders Use Deception to Get Promissory Note Signed
June 25, 2010 by The Urban Team · Leave a Comment
Many of our readers know we are very involved with people trying to sell their home by short sale. We have a dedicated short sale site, Short-Sale-Phoenix.com and have written dozens of articles on the subject including our newest about how some lenders and PMI companies use lies, mistruths and threats to intimidate homeowners into signing promissory notes. I know you are shocked a bank would do such a thing… Not.
Anyway, we just posted a real world example of the email one of our clients received from their lender. Our clients are ideal short sale candidates… they both lost their jobs, the husband’s new job pay 40% less and is 30 miles from their house, they can no longer afford their house payments, they had just one loan and they did not refinance and take money out.
We listed their home last January and a well qualified buyer was brought in by an agent. The short sale package was professionally put together by a law firm who handled the conversations between the lender and the homeowner. Five months later we finally get conditional short sale approval from the lender.
Check out what the bank had to offer after 5 months of lender red tape on our sister site, UrbanLIfe Blog.com.
Lenders and PMI Companies Use Mistruths and Intimidation
Tax Relief for Many Phoenix Historic Homeowners
June 24, 2010 by The Urban Team · Leave a Comment
Have you heard the good news? Ten Phoenix historic districts have been added to the National Registry of Historic Places. With their addition, homeowners can apply for a reduction in property taxes. YEAH… we like lower taxes especially when it can be as much as 45% less.
The new additions to the National Registry are… a drum roll please:
If you move really fast, you may be in time to get the tax break for the coming year. By fast I mean June 30th. You’ll need to fill out an application, supply photos and swear a blood oath that you’ll maintain or improve the property according to standards outlined under the State Historic Historic Property Tax Program (SPT). Below is an excerpt from their site and a link to the page. BTW… the blood oath thing may be an exaggeration… more like a cross my heart and hope to die ritual in government triplicate.
Owner Requirements
The SPT program reduces property taxes as much as 45%. (The exact figure is dependent on special assessments which are specific to your area. Questions regarding the amount of the reduction should be directed to the county assessor’s office.) As a condition of the reduced tax rate, the owner enters into a 15-year agreement with the state, consenting to maintain their property and to preserve the integrity of its historic features, materials, appearance, workmanship, and environment. If an owner plans to do any work on the property that will impact its public appearance, the SHPO must be contacted for review and comment or approval prior to project implementation. All such projects are reviewed for appropriateness according to a set of national guidelines called the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation (
112 KB PDF).
Property owners are required to submit a notarized form (furnished by the SHPO) every three years verifying that the property has been maintained according to program guidelines. This report also requires submittal of two photographs demonstrating the current condition of the property. Furthermore, the owner is required to notify the SHPO when the property ownership or property use changes. Here is a link to the SPT web site.
The SPT site has the application requirements, a way to download the application (PDF) and lots more info. So huury and save big on your next years taxes by getting your application in before June 30th.
Finally, we simply want to congratulate the homeowners, preservationists and all those who worked so hard, jumped way too many hoops, and persevered to make this happen. You’ve won this battle and we thank you!
Gene Urban & Ron Urban
The Urban Connection Team
602-234-5777
connecting people to the perfect space
Yaple Park Historic District Information
June 22, 2010 by The Urban Team · Leave a Comment
A BIT OF YAPLE PARK’S HISTORY:
Yaple Park Historic district is a history lesson of 20th century Phoenix told through houses and buildings.
Yaple Park roots date back to 1899 when James & Sue Yaple purchased about 30 acres of land below the Grand Canal between what is now 7th and 3rd Avenue. The Yaple’s were grain and citrus growers who utilized the canal system for irrigation.
Mr. Yaple passed on in 1911 leaving the operation to his wife. Sue carried on the farm until 1929 when she swung a deal with the Coggins Title Company to subdivide and develop the property. Today, we know 1929 was a very bad time to start a new project. Despite great effort, only 10 homes were built and the project laid dormant while the nation recovered from the Great Depression.
Floyd Medlock (of Medlock Historic District fame) took over the reigns in the late 30’s and was the driving force behind much of the development with 60 homes built between 1937 and 1941. The Federal Housing Authority had strong influence over the development, mandating homes that were “safe, sturdy and efficient.” It is no wonder we see so many transitional ranch style homes in the area (68%) as these conformed to the FHA lending standards many new homeowners used to finance their purchase. It is humorous today to hear that Mr. Medlock enticed buyers with promises of low taxes (Yaple Park with outside the city limits) and country living.
THE YAPLE PARK HISTORIC DISTRICT:
Today, Yaple Park is considered an excellent example of FHA influenced housing. Only one home, located at 615 W. Miinezona, stands from the days of the original Yaple farm. The 107 single family homes are generally modest in nature with gracious front yards and lush vegetation made possible by flood irrigation used in the area.
In addition to the dozens of transitional ranch homes, visitors to Yaple park are treated to many other styles including: Spanish Colonial Revival, French Provincial Revival, English Cottage, Monterrey Revival, Cape Cod, Pueblo Revival and fun Art Moderne.
The streets in Yaple Park are fairly wide. Large trees and rich vegetation give the neighborhood a cozy well lived feeling. It’s location, adjacent to the Grand Canal, make canal jaunts by foot or bike a popular neighborhood activity. Proximity to the light rail gives resident’s easy access to the downtown region with its art, shopping, sporting events, restaurants and more.
We give Yaple a high thumbs up for location, upkeep of the neighborhood, maturity of vegetation, historical significance and general affordability. Naturally, you won’t find the glorious revival style homes of the 20’s here, yet you will be treated to a feeling of neighborhood and history.
Below you’ll find a virtual slide-show tour of Yaple Park as well as up-to-date information about homes for sale in the area. If you want to view one of the available properties, just let us know and we’ll arrange an appointment.
Click to See What Homes Are Currently For Sale
In Yaple Park Historic District
Gene Urban & Ron Urban
The Urban Connection Real Estate Team
602-234-5777
connecting people to the perfect space
44 Monroe Future Still Unknown
June 15, 2010 by The Urban Team · Leave a Comment
44 Monroe, the exclusive condo tower in downtown Phoenix did go to trustee sale and the documents were recorded on June 1, 2010. Many wonder when 44 Monroe condo units will be available for purchase and at what price.
To be honest, no one currently knows. 186 of the 201 units were purchased by Corus Construction Venture, LLC for twenty million dollars. The remaining 15 units are privately owned. If you do the math, CCV picked up the available condos for about $107,500 each plus acquisition costs.
Many speculate Corus Construction Ventures, a subsidiary of Starwood Capital Group, will release the units soon. Personally, we believe it will be some time off. This isn’t a pessimistic belief, rather a realistic look at the facts.
- The new owner will have to file the Disclosure Report application with the Arizona Department of Real Estate prior to offering the units for sale.
- A sales brokerage will need to be selected and staffed for the project. Starwood may elect to form their own real estate brokerage or hire an existing one.
- Starwood will conduct a full market analysis to determine the potential of their investment.
- Starwood/Corus will need to find a mortgage lender willing to finance potential condo sales. As it stands, the units do not qualify for FHA or conventional financing and a partner willing to take a risk has to be found. Perhaps MetLife Home Loans will step up to the plate like they have at One Lexington.
- Perhaps the biggest question lies with Starwood’s head honcho, Barry Stenlicht. Stenlicht, in a recent New York Times interview made an interesting statement that could indicate his intentions for 44 Monroe.
Mr. Sternlicht hopes to foreclose on many of Corus’s errant borrowers, restyle their buildings and sell units for a significant profit once the real estate market recovers. He says he and his investors can afford to wait until then because the F.D.I.C. has provided them with $1.4 billion in zero-coupon financing and an additional $1 billion in low-cost loans that can be used to complete unfinished projects.
The Urban Connection team is in a wait and see on when units will be released for sale. No doubt there will be a lot of press as we expect them to hire a top advertising agency to put together a strong marketing campaign. In addition, we don’t expect super low prices; Barry Stenlicht likes to make big profits and he has deep enough assets to wait until the time is right.
Gene Urban & Ron Urban
The Urban Connection Team at Realty Executives
602-234-5777
The 4th Annual Bloonin’ Beerfest Phoenix
June 8, 2010 by The Urban Team · Leave a Comment
It’s time to get your Irish on and do what any good person from the northern island would do… drink beer and listen to good music. You can do this at the 4th Annual Bloomin’ Beerfest.
James Joyce fans know what this event is about… others should read Joyce’s Ulysses with special focus on Leopold Bloom to fully appreciate the evening.
The event is a great celebration with music, food and copious amounts of beer. Music will be provided by Seanachie and The Academy Fiddlers. Naturally there will be readings from Joyce, dancing, merriment and more.
The event is Saturday, June 12th 2010 at the alainn Irish Cultural Center located at 1106 N. Central Ave, Phoenix. Ticket are avialable online or at the door for the 1st 500 lucky souls. For online ticket orders simply use this Bloomin’ Beerfest Link. You’ll pay just $25.00 online or $35.00, the procrastinators surcharge, at the door.
Top of the morning to you,
Gene Urban
The Urban Connection Team
Connecting you to the perfect space downtown
Vanishing Phoenix and Downtown’s Fox Theater
June 3, 2010 by The Urban Team · 3 Comments
Robert Melikian, owner of the San Carlos Hotel, offered a presentation yesterday of his new book Vanishing Phoenix. The talk, hosted by the City of Phoenix, gathered a standing room only crowd as Melikian took us on a tour of great buildings and homes lost over the years.
Rob’s talk was an amazing history lesson and it was very sad. Many epic places are gone forever and some of what replaced them is anomic.
For me, the most awful loss is the Fox Theater once located on the SE corner of Washington and 2nd Street in downtown Phoenix. The Fox Theater was built in the early 1930’s and featured an Art Deco design by famed theater architect S. Charles Lee.
Most experts suggest the Fox Theater Phoenix was Lee’s most outstanding work… no small statement when you look at the breadth of his achievements. Below is an excerpt from Cinema Treasures that describes some of the interior:
A special feature in its lobby was the row of streetlights alongside the staircase, topped with glass disks and spun in silver globes on the end of 15-foot uprights, outlined by the delicate filigree of the metal railing.
In the auditorium, a metallic sunburst spread across the ceiling from the radiating acoustic frames of the proscenium arch. The organ grills were silver leafed with gold highlights. 0n the side wall an archer takes aim at a gazelle, while birds fly overhead.
If you talk to some long-term-Phoenix native you’ll hear many stories about an evening out at the Fox Theater. It was the first building to have air-conditioning and they would let people put their groceries in the refrigerators while they watched a film.
Alas, the economic downturn of the downtown Phoenix region and competition from new theaters like the Cine Capri cast a large shadow on the Fox Theater economically. In its later years it was home to a variety of retail shops and home to Dr. Please, a well known dentist.
The Fox Theater met its demise in 1975 when the City purchased the building and land to make room for a city bus terminal. Is that sad or what? To add insult to injury, the bus terminal didn’t survive as the property that once housed one of America’s great theaters is now a parking lot.
We are working on obtaining rights to show more pictures of the Fox Theater and will post these when and if that comes about.
In the meantime, we highly recommend you pick up a copy of Vanishing Phoenix. You can buy an autographed copy at the San Carlos Hotel or at booksellers around the valley and online. You find lots more information about the Fox Theater as well as numerous other grand buildings and homes that have vanished from downtown Phoenix.
Gene Urban and Ron Urban
The Urban Connection Team
602-234-5777
connecting people to the perfect space
Search For Homes, Condos, Rentals
June 1, 2010 by The Urban Team · 1 Comment
We like to think our downtown Phoenix home search tool is second to none. It offers map based searches and allows you to search based on a variety of features and benefits including “walk score.” We have set up the search engine to provide several niche searches for your convenience.
The information is real-time and provided by ARMLS, the MLS system used by Realtors in the Greater Phoenix Area. If you have questions about a property, call or toss us an email and we’ll do our best to get you answers.
NOTES ABOUT SEARCHING:
When you click on one of the links a map will be displayed. At the top is a zoom button. Click to zoom in and you will see a number of green icons show up. These are the listings for your particular search. If you move your mouse over the green icon it will show you basic info about the property. If you click on the icon a detail page will open with lots of info, pictures and other data.
You can customize the search as much as you want. Just change the search criteria such as price, number of bedrooms and size. We also have a help guide that will give you instructions on how to utilize the additional features this property search tool offers.
Search For Single Family Homes In Downtown, Midtown and Central Phoenix
Search for Condos and Lofts in the Downtown, Midtown and Central Phoenix
Search for Rental Properties in Downtown, Midtown and Central Phoenix
Search for Historic Homes in Downtown, Midtown and Central Phoenix
Search for Commercial Properties in Downtown, Midtown and Central Phoenix
Search for all types of properties throughout Greater Phoenix
Endangered Historic Homes and Places Listed
June 1, 2010 by The Urban Team · Leave a Comment
The Phoenix Historic Coalition has named 12 properties to their new Endangered Places list. The LIST was developed to bring focus and attention to historic properties that need community help. As Steve Procaccini, Coalition board president says:
Despite significant progress in the recent past, Phoenicians, native-born and new-to-town, need to understand our heritage is still threatened by collapse, demolition, or destruction. By highlighting landmarks in danger, we can show people and work to save what we might never see again except in photographs. After all, once they’re gone, they’re gone forever.
Among the properties listed is the former home of Senator Carl Hayden located in Country Club Place. The Hayden House is an adobe home built in 1921. Adobe was a common building material in Country Club Place due to the clay soils in the area. Bricks were formed on-site for many of the area homes. The Hayden House was purchased on May 24, 2010 by Stuart Adair who I am told is planning a renovation of this fine historic property.
If you would like to see the entire list, please visit the Historic Coalition site with the link provided.
Best to you…
Gene Urban & Ron Urban
The Urban Connection Team
602-234-5777
connecting people to the perfect space
