Searching for Senior Housing in the Valley of the Sun

When it’s time to search for senior housing, either for your loved one or for yourself, the options can be overwhelming. How does one begin to do the research and choose from the multitude of housing here in the Valley of the Sun?

s grayhawk condosThe Internet has absolutely made this often-stressful project much, much easier. Typing “senior housing” followed by the city in which you’d like to conduct your search (for example: senior housing Scottsdale) in your search engine will reveal multiple websites which list senior housing options. Using the map option on these websites, or even in the search engine main page, can be very helpful when it comes to finding senior housing within a few miles of relatives or friends, or even doctors’ offices and hospitals.

Many of these websites will also break down the types of housing into whatever is relevant to your search. For example, are you looking for housing simply for seniors age 60 and above? Or are you looking for independent senior living, or assisted living, or continuing care? There are also specific housing options for seniors coping with Alzheimer’s. Once you’ve narrowed down your search parameters to the relevant types of housing, you can sometimes read reviews of these properties, left by seniors who reside at these properties, and their friends and family members. While these reviews, like any reviews, should be taken with a grain of salt and a bit of healthy skepticism, they can be helpful in weeding out some properties that may obviously have too many issues with patient care, for example.

Some websites you may find helpful in your search include: seniorhousing.com,  boomerater.com, yelp.com. Of course, I’m also available to help you with your search for property in any senior living communities.

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Staging Your Home for Sale During the Holiday Season

As we are approaching the holiday season, you may be wondering how to handle staging your home for sale during this time.  Some schools of thought counsel against displaying holiday decorations as they may be too distracting for the buyer, while others encourage the use of holiday décor to inspire holiday cheer and goodwill.  We advise navigating a middle-of-the-road approach between these two ideas.

granite luxury kitchen photoWhen it comes to prepping the exterior of your home for sale during the holiday season, curb appeal is still very important.  So be sure your windows are sparkling clean, your driveway and front walkway have been power-washed, and your landscaping is as neat as a pin.  With regard to holiday décor on the exterior of your home, be sure to take into consideration what your neighbors are doing during this time.  Does your neighborhood generally decorate to the nines for holidays, or do HOA rules discourage such decoration?  Follow those guidelines first and foremost, but if your neighbors are celebrating the holidays with decorations, definitely join in the fun.  Be sure to choose tasteful decorations; wreaths for the front door or front gate are always appropriate, as are colored ribbons decorating planters containing seasonal plants.  Perhaps forego the giant inflatable turkey or gingerbread man this year, however.

As for the interior, you don’t need to be channeling the Grinch or Ebenezer Scrooge here either.  If you like to enjoy some holiday decorations, by all means carry on as usual.  However, be sure you are still showcasing your home’s features that will appeal to buyers.  Overcrowding corners and entryways with holiday décor will prevent the buyers from seeing what your home has to offer.  Therefore, consider paring down the decorations to your favorites, which will still set a holiday mood for you to enjoy between showings, and will accent all your home has to offer.

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Hot Air Balloon Rides

One of the most magical ways to see the beautiful vistas of the Valley of the Sun is by floating through the air in the basket of a hot air balloon.  Thankfully there are many options at your disposal for this fun mode of transportation.

hot air balloon photoRainbow Ryders–  This company features sunrise balloon rides, departing from North Phoenix, for both adults and children (ages 5 and up), as well as sunset balloon rides from November to March.  The sunset balloon ride package is 4 hours in duration and also depart from North Phoenix.

Hot Air Expeditions—Hot Air Expeditions offers various packages, all of which include viewing of the hot air balloon being inflated.  Their Balloons and Tunes package includes a 45-60 minute balloon ride, post-flight champagne and breakfast at Vincent’s on Camelback, plus a transfer to the Musical Instrument Museum.  Sunset flights include hors d’oeuvres catered by Vincent’s.  Flights depart from the Deer Valley Airport.

Aerogelic Ballooning—This company features two different launch locations.  One in North Phoenix, and one in Gilbert.  Various packages are offered from sunrise or sunset balloon rides to dawn patrol and full moon balloon experiences.

Apex Balloon Rides—Offering rides 7 days a week from October to May, Apex Balloon Rides launch daily at sunrise, and also at sunrise beginning in the cooler months of November through March.  This owner/pilot operated company aims to offer a more personal experience, and even offers hot air balloon weddings.

Scottsdale Hot Air Balloons–  This company features shared and group rides with 4-8 people, as well as private rides.

Learn about North East Valley homes and neighborhoods.

DC Ranch Open House Sunday 11/13/16 from 1-4 pm in North Scottsdale

17869-n-93rd-st-pool-view

We will be holding an Open House this weekend on Sunday 11/13/16 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.

Home Maintenance Tips

kitchen photoWhether you are in the market for a home, are enjoying your current home, or are interested in getting your home ready to sell, home maintenance is of utmost importance.  Buyers are always better off if the home they’ve fallen in love with has been treated and maintained with care and attention.  Living in your home means your safety and enjoyment of your home is of top priority.  Sellers are better off if they’ve been proactive when caring for their home while living in it as deferred home maintenance can result in the need for annoying and often expensive repairs when it comes to the home inspection.   To that end, here are some tips to consider when it comes to home maintenance. . .

Maintaining your HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) system is of utmost importance, especially here in Arizona where a malfunctioning ventilation or AC system can be an (expensive) health hazard, especially during the summer months.  Therefore, be sure to be proactive when maintaining this system by changing the HVAC filters regularly (typically it’s recommended that this be done on a quarterly basis, but check your system’s user’s guide for specific recommendations).  Having your HVAC serviced on an annual basis (and saving this paperwork) will also help you when it comes to your home inspection.

Maintaining your water heater is another important task when it comes to home maintenance.  Draining your water heater once a year is a good way to make sure it functions up to capacity, by flushing out minerals and other toxins that may clog the unit.  If the water in your area is harder than typical, a flush out may be necessary more often than annually.  Directions on how to do this are in the manual (and also online), or you may want to call a plumber to walk you through it the first time you do it on your own.  Water heaters are a major line item on home inspection checklists so being proactive will serve you well later on.

Another big item on home inspection lists is your roof.  Therefore, be sure to have a professional roofer conduct an inspection (annually is ideal), to check for issues with insulation, structure and drainage.   The flashings and gutters will need to be inspected as well, especially prior to monsoon season here in Arizona.  Being proactive with the roof will also save you money in the long run.

Taking the time to tackle these major home maintenance items will help maintain your home’s safety as well as your enjoyment of it, as well as getting it ready for a future sale.

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