October 2016 - REALTORS® Chris and Cheryl Park

Mortgage Calculators

October 31, 2016/0 Comments/in Financing, For Buyers, Real Estate Market /by chrisandcherylpark

You’ve decided to purchase a home! Congratulations! Now comes the difficult part of determining how much home you can actually afford. Luckily there are several free mortgage calculators available online that will assist you with this process. You just need a few pieces of information to plug into the calculator.

Scottsdale 2 story home photo First, you need to know the price of the house you’d like to purchase. This is a great starting point for your search because you will know very quickly if the houses in this price range will work for your actual budget. Then you will need to input the amount of your down payment. This amount will likely depend on the type of loan you’d be obtaining as certain loans require certain percentages of down payments. The next step will be to input the length, or term, of the mortgage you’re seeking. This term will typically be 30 years or 15 years. Finally, you will need to know the annual interest rate of the loan. Most mortgage calculators will have today’s interest rates handy.

After inputting this information, the mortgage calculator will give you your monthly payment, as well as an amortization or payment schedule. Remember that your monthly mortgage is only part of the cost of owning your home, as homeowner’s insurance, property taxes and HOA fees in some cases will also make up this cost.

Some mortgage calculators you may want to try include the following:

www.mortgagecalculator.org

www.bankrate.com/calculators/mortgages/mortgage-calculator.aspx

www.QuickenLoans.com/Calculator

We are available to answer any questions you may have about this process. We look forward to working with you in your home search!

Click here to to browse the interactive NE Valley neighborhood map.

DC Ranch Open House Sunday 10/30/16 from 1-4 pm in North Scottsdale

October 26, 2016/0 Comments/in Open House /by chrisandcherylpark

We will be holding an Open House this weekend on Sunday 10/30/16 from 1-4 pm in North Scottsdale’s DC Ranch neighborhood at 17869 N 93RD ST, Scottsdale, AZ 85255. Call us at 480-754-9477 or 480-754-9077 if you would like more information. This gorgeous home has been completely updated. We hope to see you there.

Also, if you would like to see homes in other Scottsdale neighborhoods such as Grayhawk, McDowell Mountain Ranch, DC Ranch, Gainey Ranch, McCormick Ranch, Desert Mountain, Troon, Sonoran Hills, Desert Ridge, Terravita, etc, please let us know. We can send you listings for homes in your area of interest, preview homes for you and schedule showings for you to see any homes that you would like to see.

Happy Hour in Desert Ridge

October 24, 2016/0 Comments/in Neighborhood Info, Real Estate Market /by chrisandcherylpark

desert ridge makretplace sign Desert Ridge is one of the most popular shopping areas in north Phoenix. Desert Ridge is also bumping during happy hour thanks to its plethora of popular restaurants. Here are some from which you can choose . . .

BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse offers happy hour specials such as half-off mini deep dish pizzas, $1 drink specials (draft beer, cocktails, bottled beer, wine) and $2 off certain appetizers. Happy hour at this location is from 3:00 to 7:00 pm Monday-Friday, and 10:00 pm to close Sunday-Thursday.
California Pizza Kitchen offers various monthly happy hour specials. Details are on the restaurant website.
Islands Fine Burgers & Drinks hosts happy hour Monday-Friday from 4:00 to 7:00 pm, and features various drink specials as well as 6 appetizers under $5.
Romano’s Macaroni Grill offers $5 pizzas, 2 tapas plates for $9, $3 draft beer and house wine and $5 cocktails every day from 4:00 to 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm to close.
Majerle’s Sports Grill is one of the newer options at Desert Ridge and offers various appetizers for $5 as well as $3 draft beer, $3.50 well and house wine, $4 premium draft, $4.50 margaritas. Happy hour is Monday-Friday, 3:00 pm to close, with reverse happy hour 10 pm to close.
Nori Sushi hosts a daily happy hour Monday-Friday, 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Nori Sushi offers several sushi and small plate specials as well as sake, cocktails, beer and wine from $2-$5.
Sandbar Mexican Grill features a $6 happy hour appetizer menu, $3 domestic bottles, $4 well drinks, $5 craft beers and house wines. Happy hour is Monday-Friday 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm, and Saturday-Sunday from open to 7:00 pm.
The Keg Steakhouse and Bar features a cocktail happy hour Monday-Friday 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm, with various drink and food specials.
Yard House hosts a happy hour Monday-Friday 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm, and a late night happy hour Sunday-Thursday from 10:00 pm to close. Check their website for details on that day’s specials.

Learn more about Desert Ridge neighborhoods

Fire Safety Tips

October 17, 2016/0 Comments/in Homeowner Tips, Real Estate Market /by chrisandcherylpark

Keeping your home safe from fires is of paramount importance when it comes to safety in your residence, but it may not be something that is in the forefront of your mind.

First and foremost, do you have a home fire safety
evacuation plan? Does every member of your family know what to do when there’s a fire? Are there are two ways out of every room? And does each member of the family know where they are? Can all windows be easily opened? Can the window screens be removed quickly? Does everyone know how to check doors to see if they are hot, and if so, how to find another way out? Fire safety experts recommend using towels if they are handy, for handling, touching or grabbing items to avoid burns, and also they can be used as a cover to protect faces and cover mouths.

If you have a second floor, do you have an escape (rope) ladder in a central location, near windows? And does every family member know where it is, and how to use it if there is a fire? Also, have you designated a meeting spot outside of the home where everyone can meet if there’s a fire? Everyone needs to understand that once they exit the home, they can’t go back inside for any reason (even if there are pets inside). Finally, do the adults have a plan to find and transport any pets in the home if there is a fire?

Another fire safety tip, while a bit more obvious, is to make sure all smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors in your home are in full working order. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends that you change batteries in these devices at least once a year. If you have children or older individuals in your own, you may want to change these batteries twice a year. Following a replacement schedule is the easiest way to remember to do this (ie, on New Year’s Day and on Fourth of July, every calendar year).

However, changing the batteries alone isn’t sufficient. Setting a monthly schedule to test each detector is also critical. (You can write it on your family calendar to remind yourself). Oftentimes, fire departments discover that fires occur in homes with smoke detectors that weren’t operational, either because the battery wasn’t working, or because they were disconnected temporarily (ie, after a smoky cooking incident).

We hope you find these tips to be useful!

Contact Chris and Cheryl Park

Popular Halloween Haunted House Attractions-2016

October 12, 2016/0 Comments/in Activities, Real Estate Market /by chrisandcherylpark

happy-halloween clip art Can you believe it’s already October? While the chill of fall may not quite be in the air, the time for ghosts, goblins and glittery princesses will be here before you know it. To that end, here are some upcoming Halloween haunted houses that will be around the Valley of the Sun this year.

First up is AZ Field of Screams, a maze in a haunted corn field, which was planted over an old cemetery. Children under the age of 15 must be accompanied by an adult, and this attraction is not recommended for children under 10 years old.

Next, is Fear Farm, which features 30 acres showcasing 5 different haunted experiences, including: Mouth of Madness, Legends: Goatman, Undead, Slaughterhouse and The Bunker. This year there is also a Haunted Hayride attraction. This is considered a PG-13 attraction, so is not recommended for small children. (Located at 2209 N. 99th Avenue in Phoenix, beginning September 23.)

The Crypt offers a trio of haunted attractions: The Asylum, Chaos Maze and The Crypt. These are not recommended for children under 10. (Located at Fiesta Mall, 1445 W. Southern Avenue in Mesa, beginning September 23.)

Consider checking out 13^th Floor Haunted House, with two attractions spread out over 60,000 square feet. This haunted house is not recommended for small general, and sports a PG-13 general guideline. (Located at 2814 W. Bell Road, beginning September 23).

Scarizona Scaregrounds is home to two different haunted houses: Epic Fear and Slayer’s Slaughter House. An interactive paintball attraction, Operation Zombie Storm, features 16-passenger military trucks which are driven through a wave of zombies. Scaregrounds also hosts live music on the weekends, as well as a beer garden and other entertainment. (Located at 1901 N. Alma School Road in Mesa, beginning September 23.)

Jack and Jill’s Haunted Hill is an indoor, two-story live interactive experience, with parental discretion advised. (Located at 3401 W. Greenway Road, beginning September 30).

The Gauntlet at Golfland Fright Nights features a terrifying maze, and a multi-level haunted house featuring animatronics and skilled actors, all mostly indoors. This attraction isn’t recommended for children under 13 years old. Children may enjoy Spooktacular Golf, a miniature 18-hole golf course full of spooky and festive decorations. (Located at Golfland, Mesa, beginning September 30).

Finally, Zombie WarZ is a zombie apocalypse where you fight off zombies in a Zombie Assault Vehicle using “flesh-eating” Zombie paint slugs This attraction is recommended for adults and teens, but parents may choose to bring younger children (minimum age is 5). (Located near Rawhide in Chandler. GPS directions given on the website).

Map of East Valley Neighborhoods

Grayhawk Open Houses Saturday 10/8/16 & Sunday 10/9/16 from 1-4 pm both days in North Scottsdale

October 5, 2016/0 Comments/in Open House /by chrisandcherylpark

We will be holding Open Houses this weekend on Saturday 10/8/16 and Sunday 10/9/16 from 1-4 pm both days in North Scottsdale’s Grayhawk neighborhood at 20728 N 74th St, Scottsdale, AZ 85255. Call us at 480-754-9477 or 480-754-9077 if you would like more information. This gorgeous home has been completely updated. We hope to see you there.