About Me

My photo
Doreen Drew is a preeminent negotiator dominating by far her industry and field of expertise. As the sole principal at Coldwell Banker Daisy Mountain Real Estate, a firm that caters to the haves and wants of an international upscale clientele in the greater Phoenix, Carefree & Scottsdale areas and in particular the award winning planned community of Anthem located in North Phoenix. Ms. Drew is recognized by the real estate community, as one of its most successful and outstanding professionals.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

North Valley Regional Library in Anthem, AZ - An Incredible Resource





A gold mine in our own back yard!

Serving Anthem, New River, and Desert Hills, North Valley Regional Library (NVRL) is located on the campus of Boulder Creek High School at 40410 N. Gavilan Peak Parkway, Anthem, AZ 85086, phone 602-652-3000. See Map Here . Open Mon-Thurs 9 am – 9 pm, Fri-Sat 9 am – 5 pm, and Sundays 1-5 p.m., it is a joint-use facility serving students and the general public. Below are some of the free programs and recreational, educational, and cultural resources this state-of-the-art, 23,500 square-foot facility has to offer. Check it out!

Books and so much more . . . Anthem, Arizona's North Valley Regional Library

NVRL offers over 80,000 items to check out including: books, best-sellers, books on CD, music CDs, DVDs, and – to be read onsite – newspapers and magazines. Teens and children have their own collections. Books are renewable online from home. DVDs titles cover a wide variety of new and difficult-to-find older movies, classics, concerts, and documentaries.

Computers and Internet

NVRL has 50 computers, internet access, Microsoft Office software, and private meeting/study rooms. The library holds free classes on computer use as well as free one-on-one instruction by reservation. And check out the options for online research NVRL offers!

Digital Products and Services

Library Ideas, LLC, a privately held company, supplies digital products and websites to many libraries around the world, including NVRL. Freading is a program offering free downloads of MP3 audiobooks, eBooks, eMusic, eVideos, and games. Freegal Music offers downloadable music and RocketLanguages offers language instruction.

Programs for all ages

The library offers book clubs, Story Time for babies and toddlers and their moms, teen programs, and Game Afternoons for adults – to name just a few! Check NVRL’s Schedule of Events to find programs for adults, teens, and children, offered on a regular basis.

Maricopa County Recorder’s Kiosk

A super convenient new service for Anthem-area residents, the Maricopa County Recorder’s Kiosk allows citizens to record documents with the county – without going to downtown Phoenix to do so! Click here for more information.

Get involved!

All it takes to get involved in any of these interesting offerings is to get a Maricopa County Library Card at the library desk. The people who work there are extremely helpful and friendly every time I come in. If you want to get a little more involved, the new Friends of North Valley Regional Library holds used book sales throughout the year to support NVRL’s many programs and resources. New members are always welcome. Call 602-652-3000 to find out more!

These days when it’s difficult for many to afford entertainment or special classes, it’s nice to know Anthem’s North Valley Regional Library offers something fun for everyone... for free!

Posted by Doreen Drew

Check out Anthem's real estate market and see more of Doreen's listings.

We welcome your comments . . .

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Back Again: Multi-Generational Homes

These days, as the recession continues to affect so many, almost everyone knows someone whose living situation has changed. For many, this means multigenerational living arrangements. You might think the fiercely independent American spirit would scorn these kinds of arrangements, but as they say, necessity is the mother of invention.

Whether we want to or have to, we are finding new ways to be practical. In terms of structure, an extra bedroom might be all it takes, with kitchen and bathrooms shared. For more privacy, features such as a separate kitchen, separate wing or guest house, separate bathrooms, or a larger garage may accommodate extra family members.

Believe it or not, there can be many positives to parent and adult child, brother and sister, grandparent and grandchild living together. Finances are often a primary factor. Money is tight and people are pooling resources, significantly cutting down rental and mortgage costs while sharing the financial strain, or helping a family member temporarily out of work.

A less obvious benefit is the stronger sense of well-being these living arrangements foster… something that we Americans have lost as we’ve moved farther and farther apart over the past several decades. Schedules become less hectic and burdens ease thanks to the sharing of time and household chores. Caring for children and elderly family members right in our own homes is much more convenient. Families also get a chance to bond through activities they may not otherwise have shared.

Of course, sharing space, utilities, and other essentials with people of different generations and personalities calls for some planning... and just plain common courtesy. Some people have no problem being at the center of a beehive, but others cannot tolerate putting their lives under what feels like constant scrutiny. Agreements regarding boundaries and private time may be in order.

Sharing how dishes, laundry, cooking, and other household duties will be done can become very serious. It’s no fun when someone slacks! A written contract, even in the form of a calendar or list posted on the refrigerator, goes a long way toward fairness. Deciding things like who needs to use the bathroom first to get ready for work or school, is also important. In ironing out any of these matters, informal family meetings where everyone can be heard may contribute to a sense of shared responsibility.

This recession will pass as many of us will learn more about sharing and caring.

Posted by Doreen Drew of Coldwell Banker Daisy Mountain, Anthem, AZ
We welcome your comments...

Mars and Venus Buy a House

(from the Archives)

Men and women have always had their differences, and—let’s face it—buying a house is no exception. A 1,000-respondent omnibus phone survey by Coldwell Banker Real Estate gives us some clues as to gender similarities and differences. Are any of these true for you and your partner? First, the differences:

Decision-making speedIt is the women who make the faster decisions when it comes to buying a house. Surprised? The fairer sex is more likely to decide on a house the day they walk into it, possibly because they rely on gut feeling. Men, often more logic-oriented, need more time and more visits to make a final decision.

Proximity to job and family Women prefer to be close to extended family over their jobs, while just the opposite is true for a significantly majority of men polled. Makes sense, considering traditional caretaker/breadwinner roles make sense for many couples.

Individual financial decisionsMore men than women think they “wear the pants” when it comes to major financial decisions like buying a house, although some women so feel this way too. Curiously enough, most of the respondents—men and women—said that they, and not their partners, were the ones more likely to make major decisions. Perception is everything!

Here are some areas the sexes generally see eye-to-eye on:

Mutual financial decisionsWhether men or women think they have more decision-making power, a high percentage of couples prefer to share the responsibility and make major financial decisions together.

Use of spare roomsBoth men and women are fairly practical about how a spare room should be used—choosing bedroom, study, and den, in that order. Interestingly, men make up the majority of a small group of respondents who would convert a spare room into a recreation room, or “man cave.” It seems pool tables, darts, and pinball machines have their place!

SecurityA high percentage of both men and women would back out of a promising deal if safety becomes an issue, although this factor is more important to women than men.

What does it all mean?Each couple is unique. Pay special attention and it’s easier to understand what matters to your partner. It may sound obvious, but don’t forget to talk before you make a decision. In the end, statistics provide perspective, but nothing can replace good old-fashioned communication, especially when it comes to such an important decision as buying a home!

Posted by Doreen Drew at Coldwell Banker Daisy Mountain Real Estate

Check out Anthem's real estate market and see more of Doreen's listings.

We welcome your comments . . .

The Eye of the Beholder - Your Home's Value

(from the Archives)

What is your home worth? The best answer: whatever a typical buyer is willing to pay for it in a fair and open market. But what is it worth hypothetically speaking if you don’t plan to put it on the market anytime soon—or ever?

It depends on who is asking the question and why they are asking. The most common sources of home valuation are: real estate agents, appraisers and the lenders who typically hire them, and online sources like Zillow.

Real estate agents who want to list your home may suggest a value based on their extensive, ongoing knowledge of the local market and what they see in your home—the same sources an appraiser uses, without measurements and calculations. They tend to rely on “gut” feeling, quite a formidable source in a seasoned agent. A good realtor might come up with a more accurate number than an appraiser, especially in a changing market. That’s why lenders and other interested parties sometimes get a casual written valuation, a “broker price opinion” or BPO.

Appraisals are required by lending institutions to establish that the loan amount for a sale or refinance is worth their risk, or has an acceptable “loan-to-value” ratio. A full appraisal is based on an inspection and measurement of the home including its interior and exterior amenities and upgrades as well as site, location, and environmental factors. This in-depth picture of the property is then compared point-by-point to similar properties, or “comps” in a market analysis. An appraisal is considered to be a solid, conservative indicator of the property’s value as of a particular date.

In this post-recession market, heavily influenced by bank owned foreclosures and short sales, appraisers and realtors look at both “distress” sales and “retail” or conventional sales to determine value. The lending industry has impacted the market in an interesting way by modifying some but not all distressed loans and by dealing directly with parties to a short sale transaction to determine sale price, creating a category of sales not determined by fair market forces. In most areas, value probably falls somewhere in between.

Zillow and other online valuation services are snazzy and fun and instantaneous. But most agents consider Zillow too broad-spectrum to provide any real guidance on value. Based on computer algorithms, Zillow values are great for a quick overview, but they do not account for the wild fluctuations in value often seen in one neighborhood or even one block—caused by luxury homes or other exceptional properties alongside foreclosures, short sales, and conventional sales.

It’s only human nature to place your own property’s value at the high end of a cluster of Zillow sales. It’s also human nature to consider your lender’s appraisal far too conservative for all the work you’ve put into your house. Often, a home’s true value lies somewhere in the middle… or, short sales aside, at exactly what the highest bidder in an open market pays!

Posted by Doreen Drew
We welcome your comments...

When you're ready for your dream home in Arizona contact Doreen Drew at 623 879-3277 or email her at doreen.drew@coldwellbanker.com. Also visit her website.

Click "like" below to get the latest home listings from Anthem Arizona from Facebook...

http://www.daisymountainrealestate.com/

Click "like" below to get the latest home listings from Anthem Arizona from Facebook...

Depute Sheriff William Coleman, Rest in Peace

(From the Archives)

Deputy Coleman, we thank you for your courage, dedication, and service to our community.

Our hearts go out to the family, co-workers, and friends of Deputy Coleman, who gave his life in the service of our community. He was tragically shot and killed in the early hours of Sunday morning, January 8, while responding to a burglary call in Anthem. Coleman is survived by his wife, Beth and four children, his father, as well as extended family. He would have turned 51 next week.

As reported yesterday at azcentral.com, family members remember Coleman as “a devoted father and friend who loved fishing, hunting and working.” He was known as “a tough guy on the outside but a teddy bear on the inside.”

“Bill would always make you laugh and would always help anyone out. Bill has touched many lives; he will be missed but not forgotten," Beth Coleman said in a statement she issued yesterday. Coleman had completed 20 years of service. "Bill sacrificed everything to protect us and our community,” she said.

Beth thanked the community for their support. “The love… from the community is helping [the family] cope as they work through the many emotions of this senseless crime.”

How You Can Participate

The public visitation for Deputy William Coleman is Thursday, January 12, at North Phoenix Baptist Church on Central Avenue and Bethany Home Road from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The funeral service will be Friday, also at the Baptist Church.

You may donate to the Deputy William Coleman Memorial Fund at Desert Schools Federal Credit Union, account number: 6000123586.

This Thursday, January 12, from 2 to 10 p.m., Hands Across Anthem will hold a fundraiser at Wendy’s in Anthem, which will donate 20% of purchases made between 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. to Hands Across America in honor of Deputy Coleman.

Hands Across Anthem will also hold a Community Walk to honor Deputy Coleman, forming a human chain by joining hands. Meet at the corner of Anthem Way and Gavilan Peak Sunday, January 22, between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Signatures and condolences will be collected for a special album to be given to Deputy Coleman’s family. Donations and proceeds collected from t-shirt sales will also go to support Coleman’s family.

Leave a reflection on the Officer Down Memorial Page.

(Read JJ Hensley’s full article on the family’s remembrances.)