And another perk is getting to meet some wonderful people. Maybe I’ve been just plain lucky, but nearly everyone I’ve worked with since becoming a Realtor — clients, loan officers, escrow officers and other Realtors — have been truly delightful. One of my “new” friends is Jeanne Mohammadian, an agent with DPR Realty, who I met about 18 months ago, when we were taking GRI (Graduate REALTOR Institute) classes together. Like me, Jeanne really enjoys staging houses, but she doesn’t have the same level of interest that I have in electronic tools of our trade. So when her sister decided to sell her home in the Del Norte historic district, Jeanne gave me a gift — she invited me to come take photos. What a privilege!

The house was listed for $940,000, and I didn’t have any clients who would have been prospective buyers. But at the time, Greg and I had already begun to play with the idea of DistinctivePhoenix.com. So I had thought to build a page of photos on this site. I never did get around to it, the house went under contract, and the photos stayed dormant in my electronic scrapbook.

Then, when Greg was putting together “Distinctive Phoenix, The Movie,” I revisited pictures of my favorite houses to help feed the movie. Of course, many of those photos are from this beautiful home. Once you take a look, you’ll know what I mean … I’ve been sitting on this treasure much too long. It’s time for me to take these photos out of their drawer and share them.

Enjoy!

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Have you heard the term “Web 2.0″ (web-two-oh) yet? This is a term that describes the way people are using the internet today. In general, this means that people who surf the internet are looking for community. Wikipedia.com is a perfect example of this phenomenon. Wikipedia.com has nearly two million articles in English (millions more in other languages), written and vetted by volunteer experts. Anyone can participate in writing articles or adding to articles, but there are other people in the community, other experts, who will be double checking your work. If you are interested in the American Craftsman style movement in residential architecture, for example, Wikipedia.com is a great place to start.

Another shining example of Web 2.0 is Amazon.com. If you’re interested in a book, you can read other customers’ reviews of that book, which will help you make a decision on whether or not to buy the book. Expedia.com is another site that has done a great job of using the community’s experience to help you make decisions. Here you can shop for vacation packages and lodging on-line, and read other customers’ reviews to help you make a decision as far as whether that hotel is for you. Folks who were responsible for developing these two sites have turned their attention to real estate, to give us Zillow.com. These people are smart enough to understand that a real estate transaction is far more complicated and momentous than buying a book or making hotel reservations. But they also recognize that there is a piece of the home-purchase experience that can translate to the internet. That piece is shopping for potential homes. Right now there are 45,821 homes (excluding mobile homes) listed for sale in Maricopa County. During this past year, we have had an unprecedented number of homes available to buy, and if you’re interested in seeing whether there are any homes out there that are of interest to you, the internet is the place to start.

Anyone familiar enough with technology to read weblogs is probably already aware that you can go to Realtor.com to find any house that is listed for sale in the Realtor® associations’ Multiple Listing Service databases (MLS). Using the Advanced Search functionality you can narrow your search down fairly precisely. A word of caution, though… Realtor.com is a national aggregator of all of the local MLS databases. The hundreds of different databases that feed Realtor.com will each use database fields that make sense for their own local areas. For example, the greater Phoenix MLS, which covers Maricopa County and then some, has a field that lets you search for evaporative cooling, either so you can exclude it from homes you are interested in or so you can make sure the homes you see have evap cooling. But this isn’t a feature that exists in the MLS databases in Ohio. So you can’t look for an evaporative cooler on Realtor.com, because that’s a local feature and Realtor.com is national. You can, however, limit the houses you see when you’re shopping here to important features such as size, age of home, amenities such as swimming pools, and community features such as golf. This in addition to the standard search criteria of number of bedrooms and bathrooms and cost range will help make your shopping experience on Realtor.com more meaningful.

So, if you want to find an historic home in Phoenix with hardwood floors, a fireplace and basement plus central air, for under $500,000, Realtor.com can find all those homes that are currently available on the MLS. But be careful… you’ll also see all the houses on MLS that kinda sorta fit what you’re looking for. For example, I just ran a Realtor.com search for the house I described in the previous sentence, and the website returned 7,344 properties, 2,054 of which have more than one photo in their listings. Now of course we don’t have 7,344 fifty-plus-year-old houses in Phoenix with basements (yeah, right), hardwood floors and fireplaces for any price! But what Realtor.com does is it will show you every house that comes kinda close to the criteria you’re looking for, then it gives you an approximation of how closely that home matches what you want, by using a percentage. So in my example, the houses that are most relevant to what I wanted match only 86% of the search parameters I entered. Unfortunately, these searches don’t let you weigh the importance of your parameters. For instance, if I would like to have a basement and hardwood floors, but I would be heartbroken if I couldn’t have a fireplace, and I’d be damned to hell if I couldn’t have central air, Realtor.com can only regard all of these requirements as equal.

When you have finished refining your search, you can register with Realtor.com to save the search. This way, if you create a search that is returning the types of houses you’re interested in seeing, you can use the same search every time you go to Realtor.com to shop.

But what if your ideal home isn’t listed on the MLS? What if it’s listed for sale by owner? There are always the old-fashioned ways to find out what’s for sale: drive the neighborhood you’re interested in or look in the newspaper classified ads to see what’s for sale. But we’re talking about using the efficiencies of the internet to shop for homes. So what other electronic tools are available for you to shop on-line for homes? The Arizona Republic has digitized its classified ads, so you can go to AZCentral.com to look for houses that owners and listing agents have promoted in the Republic’s classified ads. You’ll want to use the Advanced Real Estate Search, which has several advantages: For one, you’ll be able to specify that you want to include MLS listings (Search All Listings), even those that aren’t paying for advertising in the AZ Republic, in your search. Plus, here you can specify some more detail, such as beds/baths, size and age of home, and a couple amenities to help pinpoint what you’re interested in. But you don’t get the level of detail that you have available in Realtor.com. Using the above example, I’m able to ask for only those homes that have fireplaces and basements, but there is no way to search for hardwood floors or central air. My search for these types of homes in Phoenix resulted in seven houses — all from the MLS, but none from paid advertising in the classified columns. Again, you can save your profile on this page, which will let you save your search so you don’t have to recreate it. But there’s nothing very complicated about searches on this page, so I don’t see the value of giving up my contact information if I don’t already have a profile on AZCentral.com for other reasons.

Another on-line site that is quickly becoming the preferred classified ad site of the internet savvy is CraigsList.com. The extent to which you can promote anything for sale is so much richer here than in the newspaper, that CraigsList.com has fast taken over the eyes of people who used to search newspaper classifieds. When I list a home for sale, I can give prospective buyers so much more information on CraigsList.com than I could ever publish in a newspaper.

Another advantage CraigsList.com offers over the newspapers is the ability to search for features that are important to you, and to go beyond simply saving that search… You can set up an RSS feed on that search! This way, whenever anyone adds a listing that contains the features that are important to you, such as historic and hardwood, you’ll automatically be notified that a new listing of significance to you has been posted.

Hungry for some more sites where you can shop for homes? Back to Zillow.com. This site is the brainchild of the people who started Expedia.com, and many of the people on staff to develop the site were there with Amazon.com in the beginning of its glory days. With the help of venture capital, they have developed a beautiful site that lets sellers list their houses, buyers browse through houses for sale and anyone interested in real estate ask questions and get answers from experts in the real estate business in general or even specific houses in particular. There are other “Realty.bot” start-ups out there, hoping to earn profits by figuring out a successful commercial use for the internet with respect to real estate. Trulia.com is another notable contender… a site with beautiful maps and a real sense of community. You can read more about Realty.bots in general in this Arizona Republic article, and more about Zillow.com and Trulia.com on BloodhoundBlog. The trouble with these sights is they’re so new that they don’t have enough listings to make them the go-to sites to see what all is for sale.

And finally, there are the broker sites, many of which take feeds from the the local MLS to make it easier for buyers to search for local listings, as compared to Realtor.com, which has MLS listings for the entire country.

The internet has opened windows for people window-shopping for homes. But nothing can replace the benefits of having a Realtor working for you when it comes time to buy the home of your dreams.

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What do you do when you have an impeccable little home in a friendly, blossoming historic neighborhood in the Coronado Historic District, and your home has everything going for it… brick walls, hardwood floors, claw-foot tub, except it doesn’t have a fireplace? Well the Deermers, the owners of this charming house at 1342 East Almeria Rd, shopped Wisconsin antique dealers to uncover this amazing faux hearth, fashioned from the tin ceiling of a Gay ’90s saloon.

The antique tub came from this same Wisconsin antique dealer. You can see photos of the tub and all the other wonderful touches the Deermers put into their home during their recent renovation and remodel at the custom site we built for this house.

We just listed this home for sale last weekend, and as we always do, we built the website to introduce the home to prospective buyers and to help those buyers remember all the special features the house offers. Even if you’re not in the market to buy the house, you should take a look at its website, if for no other reason than to get some great remodeling ideas. You’ll get to look at some before photos, and afters. For example, just take a peek at what the Deermers did to transform their bathroom from a tawdry, marble eyesore into this delightfully comfortable room with an historic sensibility.

Pictures certainly do tell a story, but sometimes a picture alone isn’t enough. For instance, here’s a photo of the bathroom ceiling:

But how did they get a tin ceiling into a 1950 Ranch? Well, there’s a story behind that. Most homes, especially historic homes and custom homes and luxury homes, have a story. And who better to tell that story than the owners? So, beginning with this listing, BloodhoundRealty.com agents will include a video on the home’s custom website, which interviews the owners for stories about the house. Where did that tin ceiling come from? Go to the Video Tour link to find out!

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Charles Pennington has the distinction of being the first brave soul to use the Show Us Your Home feature on this site. Actually, as magnificent as this beauty is, perhaps I’d be more precise to describe Mr. Pennington as being “proud” rather than “brave.”

You can see many more photos of Mr. Pennington’s Florida house, and read his comments here.

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Have you ever looked at an historic house and thought “I can’t even imagine how to fix that”?

I’ve seen a lot of these homes, and talked to the owners, and heard how much trouble it’s been to restore windows, especially — without making them look modern — without detracting from the home’s historic charm.

And what do you do if you want to be historically appropriate, while still being responsibly green? Can old meet new without clashing?

I’ve seen it done, beautifully, using Pella’s Doors and Windows. Pella’s Architect Series promises “Architectural flexibility for any project -

from historic renovation to contemporary new construction. The real beauty is the creative freedom to choose from virtually endless design options including unique shapes and sizes, unlimited exterior colors, standard and custom grille patterns and our new collection of woods – Mahogany, Alder, Douglas Fir and Pine.

Their windows and doors come with the following benefits for you and your home:

Energy Efficiency— most Architect Series® products with energy-saving, argon-filled, Low-E insulating glass meet ENERGY STAR® requirements.
Easy To Clean — sash moves toward the center of the frame a full 4”, wider than most competitors’ standard casements, making it a breeze to clean exterior glass from inside your home.
Low Maintenance — Pella’s EnduraClad® exteriors are beautifully durable, resist fading, chalking and corrosion to stay looking great for years to come. The wood interior may be painted or stained to match any décor.
Superior Aesthetics and Operation — Pella’s integrated crank with fold-away handle won’t interfere with window treatments and is standard on all casements. Stainless steel operating hardware resists rust and corrosion ensuring years of dependable performance.
Extra Tight Seal — Pella’s patented SureLock® system reaches out to lift and pull the sash tight against the weatherstripping to form a tight seal.

But what they can not emphasize enough is how beautiful this line is!

Pella doors and windows are carried locally by Lowe’s Home Improvement Stores. Pella also has its own store in Mesa at Baseline and Dobson.

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Maizy loves F.Q. Story, and so do I.

There are so many things to love about Phoenix’s Historic Districts, which are filled with Distinctive Phoenix Homes. And, since this weblog is dedicated to Distinctive Phoenix, be sure to keep coming back, because we’ll be writing about those homes.

I am particularly fond of the F.Q. Story district. This was the first district designated as “historic” in Phoenix, as result of neighbors stirred to action by the ugly slash that the I-10 made through their picturesque neighborhood. F.Q. Story has large yards and charming old homes, going back to 1921. But one more thing that makes me partial to F.Q. Story is all of the animal lovers who live there. It is so sweet to walk down Culver St. and run into one after another beloved dog being walked by his proud person.

I would like to introduce you to one of those wonderful dogs, Maizy, as a way of introducing you to Maizy’s home on Willetta.

Maizy lives in a tastefully updated 1938 Spanish Revival home at 1118 W Willetta St.

Arches are essential to Spanish Revival architect, of course. But I’m always delighted by the clever and unique ways different Spanish Revival homes in Distinctive Phoenix express their arches. The arch between Maizy’s living room and dining room is an unusual stair-stepped arch.

S.F. “Jerry” Cook III and Tina Skinner have written an inspired book, including more than 500 period photographs that explore the Spanish Revival movement of the early 20th Century in their book, Spanish Revival Architecture

There is more, so much more to this picture-perfect home, where modern comforts are gracefully introduced to antiquity. Browse the many photos of 1118 West Willetta Street to see for yourself why this home was a recent recipient of the FQ Vision Award, and featured on the neighborhood’s home tour. See how Maizy’s people have their high-end stainless steel refrigerator talking to the antique Wedgewood stove. The living room with coved ceiling, hardwood floors and a wood burning fireplace is elegantly appointed with new plantation shutters and surround sound stereo. These are just examples, as you will see. Be sure not to miss the virtual tour link on this page.

The home is currently listed by Nathalie Hotong of RE/MAX Excalibur for $399,000. Don’t worry, Maizy will be moving to another lovely F.Q. Story home.

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Did you catch Phil Gordon’s letter to the editor on Friday’s online issue of the Philadelphia Daily News? The article begins by citing claims that had apparently run in an earlier issue:

IN A SHORT article accompanying your report that Phoenix had surpassed Philadelphia as the nation’s fifth largest city, Phoenix was described as lacking cultural history, having water problems, being unfriendly to gays and lesbians and, in order to grow, “cheating” by “swallowing up its suburbs.”

Then the Mayor goes on to shred this ignorant stereotype point by point. Like

The cultural history of Phoenix is long and rich. The Hohokams flourished here dating back to the 3rd century B.C. and developed an extensive irrigation system that made (and makes) the desert habitable. Modern political leaders like Sens. Carl Hayden and Barry Goldwater continued being good stewards of our water needs by envisioning and funding the Central Arizona Project Canal.

Thanks to them and to so many other state and local leaders, we have a safe and assured water supply. Phoenix water regularly wins accolades for being both clean and healthy.

And

Tempe, Scottsdale and Glendale are also prospering. Phoenix hasn’t “swallowed” a square inch of any of them. We grow because 5,000 new residents move to Phoenix every month. That’s 60,000 every year and 600,000 between 10-year census reports. We don’t gerrymander people in. We pick them up at the airport.

They come to Phoenix because the sun shines 350 days a year; our cost of living is favorable; we invest in our own community and rely on citizen involvement to move our community forward. Our council/manager form of government is responsive, stable and free of scandal.

Opportunities are abundant – Phoenix is a job machine. As a city, Phoenix creates more jobs every year than 45 states. We are building an economy on education, science and research, and we’re doing it quickly.

You should read his entire letter, because there’s more… I get so tired of people who don’t know better trying to hang the backwater town label on Phoenix, comparing us unfavorably with the cities that developed before the automobile. We’re a new city, unlike Boston or New York or Philadelphia or San Francisco or Seattle. Phoenix developed after the organic growth of the old U.S. cities resulted in zoning laws. Phoenix is a western city, where land seemed abundant — in infinite supply, when Phoenix was young, but the ocean-cities were already mature. A single county in a western state is almost the size of New England! Rather than depicting Phoenix’s growth as avarice, the author of that article, had he bothered to learn about Phoenix at all, might have realized that our vastness comes, simply, from having so much land! But obviously that isn’t what the census was measuring when it recognized Phoenix as having overtaken Philadelphia in size. The census was talking about population. The fact that size of yard per capita in Phoenix is significantly larger is yet another bonus of living here… another reason for people to move here!

Phoenix is a vibrant city, without natural disasters or bitterly cold weather. It’s a business-friendly city. Employers like to bring their businesses here, and people can get jobs here, live where the sun shines year round… and have large yards! We should stop worrying that we’re not like Philadelphia, or New York, or Seattle, or San Francisco. Let’s love what makes us Phoenix, because with their moving vans, people from all over the world are demonstrating that Phoenix is a place worthy of calling home.

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As I mentioned the other day, Modern Phoenix is holding its 3rd Annual Modern Phoenix Expo this weekend. I hope you were more successful than I finding the time to enjoy the seminars today. Maybe better luck for me tomorrow…

Speaking of the distinctive MoPho style, did you notice the sale, reported in today’s Arizona Republic, of Chase Tower for $166.9 million?

The state’s tallest building sold this month for the highest price ever paid for an office building in metropolitan Phoenix.

This beautiful, shiny skyscraper, originally home to Valley National Bank, was built in the early ’70s, but the idea of the tower, meant to revitalize downtown Phoenix, had been envisioned for a decade before it was built.

Valley Bank Center was designed by important mid-Century modern architect, William Becket. Becket is well known for his influence on commercial LA buildings, including the Capital Records Building and Cinerama Dome. I’m personally glad that the grand building he brought to our town is one of soaring, sleek elegance rather than kitsch. Whatever flavor of Modern Phoenix you prefer, here is a building that surely makes you proud of our downtown.

A fun side-note for Modern aficionados is this reflection I found in Matt Hinrichs’ Scrubbles.net archives:

Wednesday, July 19, 2000
This is strange – from the August 1973 issue of Phoenix magazine, concept sketches of a nightclub in downtown Phoenix’s newest hotspot, the Valley Bank Center (now the Bank One building). “The Prime Interest, located at the concourse level, will feature a cocktail lounge and separate dining/dancing area.” A veritable swingers’ paradise, I’m sure. Of course, it may have never looked this exciting. When I first went there in the mid-’90s, the Eero Saarinen tables and chairs were all that remained – and they were gone within two years. The mirrored ceiling is a nice touch; very Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice.

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… This was the refrain I learned as a child growing up in Northfield, Ohio — a suburb that developed at the midpoint between two erstwhile industrial giants, Akron and Cleveland. I suppose April showers bring May flowers was a mantra made to pacify lively children, who had been forced inside too long during a bitter winter off Lake Erie, into staying inside yet another month during the dank, gray days of early spring.

But here we are, in our Phoenician paradise where we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in nearly 100° temperatures!

If like me, you’re tired of looking at your frost-damaged landscape, be patient just a little longer. The Arizona Republic warned us to “hold the shears.”

So what about getting a jump on enjoying why so many of us moved to Arizona… the beautiful weather and forever-green yards? There are some wonderful garden events coming up.

Be sure not to miss The Encanto Palmcroft Historic Home Tour and Street Fair, this Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM. Tickets are $18, on sale at Phoenix College.

That is, unless you’re taking in the Master Gardener Garden Tour, also this Saturday from 9 AM to 4 PM. This tour is of gardens in the Camelback Corridor that have been designed, planted and maintained by Master Gardeners from the University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. If you don’t already have your tickets, you can buy them the day of the tour for $20 at Squaw Peak Elementary School, where the first garden in the tour will be on display.

Or, for a taste of Mid-century Modern Phoenix, plan on attending the Third Annual Modern Phoenix Home Tour and Expo. Seminars will run all day Saturday, with a self-guided tour of Ralph Haver’s Marlen Grove from 2 to 5 PM on Sunday.

But, oh-oh:

Well, March showers can be a welcomed respite from all the heat! So I hope you’re able to take full advantage of this weekend’s annual events. And in the coming weeks, don’t forget the other events posted in the Republic. And, as the rains subside, bringing our desert into bloom, do try to make a point of visiting our incomparable Desert Botanical Garden.

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