Flagstaff and Northern Arizona Real Estate Blog

2009-03-28T10:19:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a normal day for me in the life of a Realtor in Flagstaff, Arizona.

I met my new client at 9:00 AM at Little America, one of our Landmark Hotels in Flagstaff. She lives in Alabama and, faced with layoffs and life changes precipitated by the current economy, is interviewing for a job in Flagstaff.

Like many of my clients, she did her homework and research through my website, TheFlagstaffWebsite.com. She and I had emailed for weeks. She presented me a list of about 15 homes she wanted to see, ranked in order of preference.

She was organized, smart and very funny! We clicked.

Her price range was under $300,000, the closer to $200,000 the better. I don't know what you can get in your market for under $300,000, but I do know that almost every one of my out-of-town clients suffer something like sticker shock when they see our Flagstaff homes in this price range.

Flagstaff is a unique and beautiful area in Arizona. We have trees, mountains and gorgeous four seasons. We have an excellent hosptial, Universities and some industry. We are small and surrounded by forest, meaning we have not, and will not, expand with large developments. Between our geography, land scarcity, our amenities and our services, we truly are special.

And therefore, we aint cheap.

My client showed the common signs. As we drove up to the first home, I could tell she thought I was mistaken. She furrowed her brow, looked a little nervous, and reached for her printouts - the ones with the pictures that pretty much look nothing like the listing.

I reviewed what we were about to see - built in the 70s, partially remodeled, $264,000. And waited. She looked at me, looked, down, looked around, wiped her mouth, then blurted in the way that truthtellers blurt, (in her Southern Accent) - Hell, this would be $80,000 tops where I come from!

I nodded my head, said "I know", and escorted her gingerly to the front porch.
And so it went.

Nurturing my out of town clients through sticker shock is an art. I have to let them see, feel and absorb. I have to let them calculate in their head how much it would be back home. I nod my head, compassionately understand, and slowly and honestly explain that here in Flagstaff, Arizona, we pay for the privilige of being in Flagstaff.

And it is a privilege. Yes, you can find less expensive homes in other areas of Arizona. You can. But then, well, you see.......you have to live in those other areas. It's hotter in the Summer, or smaller, or lacking amenities. There are less trees, no hospital or no universities. If it's a second home, it's a longer drive and not as fun. As the day wears on and the out-of-towner considers these other options, she slowly understands. She relaxes. Starts to smile. She might not get the house she imagined, but yes, living here can be a privilege deeply enjoyed.

At the end of our day we saw two homes she liked. Of course they were about $150,000 more than she thought they were worth, but two possibilites are better than none! I have not yet heard how her interview went and hope she got the job. That would be one VERY important reason to move here, and after she does, I know she and her family will discover why Flagstaff is worth it!

For all Flagstaff Homes for Sale. For Flagstaff Golf Homes. For Affordable Flagstaff.

Eileen Schreiber, Realtor, Accredited Buyer's Representative, Ecobroker Certified

Russ Lyon Sotheby's International Realty

eschreiber@russlyon.com

Why is Flagstaff cooler then the majority of Arizona?

2008-01-17T11:22:00.000-08:00

Flagstaff, Arizona is know for being a wonderful place to be in the summer compared to places like Phoenix, Las Vegas and California because of the mountains, trees and TEMPERATURE. According to the Western Regional Climate Center, Flagstaff average high temperature for June, July & August are just under 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Compare this to Phoenix for the same period and the average high temperature is about 103 degrees Fahrenheit.

Why is Flagstaff so much cooler then Phoenix? One of the main reasons is Elevation. Phoenix's elevation is ~1,000 feet above sea level. Flagstaff sits just under 7,000 feet above sea level. For every 1,000 feet gained in elevation, the temperature drops about 3.2 degree Fahrenheit. According to the math, 6000 feet/1000 feet X 3.2 degrees, this makes Flagstaff about 20 degrees cooler then Phoenix on any given day. Of course other factors affect the temperature difference including local & regional weather patterns and amount of rain.

The wonderful summer temperature, the mountains and the tall ponderosa pine trees make Flagstaff one of the best places in Arizona to have a summer home. If you are interested in finding your summer dream home or getting more information about Flagstaff Real Estate, feel free to contact me anytime.

Garrick Brooks
Bankers Real Estate
www.bankersrealestate.com
gbrooks@bankersrealestate.com
928.600.8756 cell
928.635.4404 office

Sources:
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/200112/1008024868.Es.r.html
http://www.azcommerce.com/SiteSel/Profiles/Community+Profile+Index.htm#F

2007-01-07T08:55:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

In order to follow the thread started in the last post, I will outline each neighborhood in Region 10 - North West City. All these areas have full city utilities unless other wise stated.

Linwood (100) - Located north and west of Cheshire along Hwy 180, Linwood consists of 96 lots of 1+ acre. Access is thru the Cheshire neighborhood. Most lots are heavily treed with a slope. Lot price start about $350,000 and homes start about $600,000. Linwood HOA

Cheshire/Peak View (105) - Located about 3 miles up Fort Valley Road (Hwy 180) on the west side. Only a few lots in Cheshire are heavily treed with Ponderosa Pines. Most lots are in a flat treeless meadow. Most homes were built in the 1970s and 1980s. Homes start in the $280s.

Valley Crest (110) - Across the street from Cheshire on the east side of Hwy 180, Valley Crest has 2 phases for a total of 75 lots. This is a new subdivision, developed in 1993-1994. The mid $300,000 would purchase you a home here.

Coyote Spring (112) - On the east side of Hwy 180 and across the street from the Museum of Northern Arizona, this subdivision only has 19 lots. A newer subdivision established in 1997. Still a lot of land left. Vacant land starts at $350,000.

Lockett Park (115) - Located south of Cheshire, north of the Museum of Northern Arizona, west of Hwy 180 and across the street from Coyote Springs. Developed in 2002 with 55 lots. Homes start at $650,000 and vacant land start at $350,000.

Northridge (120) - A remote and beautify area with dirt roads and many tall trees. Most lots are larger 5+ acre lots. Electricity and phone are available, but no city water or sewer. Located directly west of Coconino Estates. Vacant lots can be acquired for the low $400,000s.

Coconino Estates Area (125) - A large area consisting, many different subdivision, located north of downtown, west of Hwy 180 and south of the Museum of Northern Arizona. Most of the homes were built in the 50s and 60s. Not many vacant lots available, but homes start in the mid $200s.

Mount Elden (130) - North of Flagstaff Medical Center and just west of Buffalo Park, the city's Jay Lively Ice Arena and the Elks Lodge is located in this subdivision. Most homes were built out in the 50s and 60s. Get a home here starting in the lows $300s.

Switzer Mesa (135) - "Switzer Mesa" is located of all places on top of Switzer Mesa, east of downtown & Flagstaff Medical Center and south of Buffalo Park. This is a mixed neighborhood with apartments, town homes and single family homes. Switzer Mesa was opened up for development in the 1970s. Homes start in the low to mid $200s. Some new developments are planned in the next couple of years on top of the mesa.

Pinecrest (140) - Also known as Cherry Hill, Pinecrest is located just east of downtown at the top of Cherry Street. Alot of tall mature pine trees are atop of this hill. This subdivision was opened up in the late 1950s and built out in the 1960s and 1970s. There are somewhere around 300 homes on the Cherry Hill. $350,000 to $400,000 would get you a starter home here.

Flagstaff Townsite (145) - The current downtown area. A mixed area of commercial, town homes, single family homes and everything in between, what do you expect with over 100 years of development. A very desirable area. A small older home can be found in the high $200s to the mid $300s.

Flagstaff Old Town (150) - Flagstaff Old Town is mixed up with Flagstaff Townsite. Between these two areas the following neighborhoods are covered: Plaza de Viejo (West of S. Milton), Southside (S. of the RR track to NAU's north campus), traditional Old Town (around Old Town Springs, southern foothills of Mars Hill), and everything between Cherry Hill and Mars Hill. Like Flagstaff Townsite, A small older home can be found in the high $200s to the mid $300s.

University Meadows (155) - A group of condominiums between South Milton Commercial District, NAU and Riordan Mansion. Two types of units are available, a ground floor 1 bed/1 bath 528 sq ft unit and the second floor 2 bed/2 bath with loft 827 sq ft unit. Because of the proximity of NAU, mostly college students live here. ~$120,000+ will get you a 1 bed/1 bath unit and ~$180,000+ will purchase a 2 bed/2 bath unit.

Milton Commercial (157) - This area is on either side of South Milton. Nearly, if not all, of the properties in this area are commercial or apartments. Usually no residential properties are found in this category.

Southside/Brannen (160) - Southside and Flagstaff Townsite blur into each other. Southside is usually south of the RR tracks in the downtown area. Homes in this area can be listed in Flagstaff Townsite, Flagstaff Old Town or Southside/Brannen areas. Brannen is east Lone Tree Rd & NAU, and south of Bulter Avenue & the Sawmill Law Enforcement Complex (aka the County Jail). A mix of single family homes, duplexes and government/HUD housing are located here. Somewhere around $250,000 to $300,000 cash could buy you a home here.

W. Rt. 66/Industrial (165) - Mostly, if not all, the property here are commercial or industrial.

Boulder Pointe (170) - Just west of Woodlands Blvd and south of West Old Route 66. A newer subdivision of single family homes, townhouses, apartment condo conversions and apartment complexes. This area is home to a mix of NAU students and families. Town homes start in the high $200s and single family homes start in the mid $400s.

Woodlands Area (172) - This area and Boulder Pointe blur into each other. Most of the Woodlands Area consists of condo conversions. Prices start in the $120s and go up.
RR Springs/W VLG Est. (180) - A new manufactured home community north of West Old Route 66 & Boulder Point. Prices starting in the high $100s to the low $200s.

Presidio (185) - One of the newest subdivision in the City of Flagstaff and still in development. This is a mixed-use development with commercial and residential mixed together. Located east of Woody Mountain Rd, west of Boulder Point, north of Interstate 40 and south of West Old Route 66. Prices for homes start in the low to mid $300s and vacant lots start at $120,000+.

Other North West City (199) - Applies to everywhere else.

Now that you know all about Region 10 - North West City, goto http://www.northernarizonamls.com/ and click on "FIND PROPERTIES" to apply your new knowledge.

Stay tuned! Next weeks article is going to take a break from outlining the different neighborhoods and since it is tax time, we will find out how your Arizona property tax is computed.

Call or email me if you have any Northern Arizona Real Estate questions.

When you want to learn about flagstaff, remember www.flagstaff.cc

Garrick Brooks, REALTOR
http://www.bankersrealestate.com/
http://www.valle-az.com/
gbrooks@bankersrealestate.com
928.600.8756 cell / 928.635.4404 office

Sources:
Coconino County GIS website
Coconino County Assessors Office Subdivision List
Northern Arizona Association of REALTORS

2006-11-28T16:43:00.000-08:00

Hello world, my name is Garrick Brooks and I am a Real Estate Agent with Bankers Real Estate. A little about me. I grew up here in Flagstaff, AZ and plan to raise my family here in this quirky but wonderful town. Before becoming a Real Estate agent, I worked in Information Technology for almost a decade. Because of my IT background I tend to focus on the technical aspects of Real Estate.

Location, Location, Location. In order to understand Flagstaff and Northern Arizona Real Estate, you have to know the area.
Flagstaff is located in the southern part of Coconino County (the second largest county in the U.S.) and is it county seat. Almost 60,000 people live within the city of Flagstaff (2000 Census). Coconino County only has 5 1/2 cities, Flagstaff, Fredonia, Page, Tuba City, Williams, and Sedona (in both Yavapai and Coconino Counties). For more information about Flagstaff and Coconino County visit the AZ Dept of Commerce Community Profiles Page.

The Northern Arizona Association of REALTORS covers all of Coconino County and spills over in to the adjacent counties. The MLS (Multiple Listing Service) breaks the county it to 11 different regions as outlined below. These regions are centered around Flagstaff.
Region 10: North West City
Region 20: South West City
Region 30: South East City
Region 40: North East City
Region 50: East Rural
Region 60: North West Rural
Region 70: South Rural
Region 80: West Rural
Region 90: Williams Area
Region 1: Other Area
Regions 10 thru 40 split the Flagstaff into 4 quarters. Regions 50 thru 80 are outside the City of Flagstaff. Region 90 focuses on Williams (30 miles west of Flagstaff) and the Hwy 64 corridor north of Williams. Region 1 is everything else, including Ash Fork, Sedona, Winslow, Grand Canyon and more.

Over the next couple of weeks, I will drill down into each of these regions and provide you a detailed descriptions of the neighborhoods in each region. Please let me know if you have any questions about Real Estate in Northern Arizona.
Keep checking flagstaff.cc for next weeks update.

Call or email me if you have any Northern Arizona Real Estate questions.

Garrick Brooks, REALTOR
www.BankersRealEstate.com
www.Valle-AZ.com
gbrooks@bankersrealestate.com
928.600.8756 cell / 928.635.4404 office