Wow, it almost has already been a year again since I have blogged about where to celebrate Forth of July in the Phoenix Metro area.

Most of the links in last years post point to updated information, however Scottsdale’s Family Barbecue will be celebrated at the Scottsdale Stadium.

photo credit: phxpma

If you are not sure where to celebrate Independence Day in the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area and looking for another 4th of July community or special event then go check out phoenix.about.com.

The Arizona Republic has also a list of events here.

There is a very good chance that the Phoenix DUI Taskforce saturation Patrols and other law enforcement will be out and around the valley this coming holiday. Needless to say who they will be targeting…So if you are going to party make sure you have a designated driver or use public transportation. Some of yo may think there is not much public transportation action going on in the valley, however the light rail is coming very soon. Having said that, RailLife.com is a great source for learning more about the areas and venues surrounding the light rail line and Nick Bastian covers the 4th of July festivities in Tempe on the RailLife Blog.

Enjoy Independence Day 2008 and be safe!

February 1st 2008 is when tradition comes back to Scottsdale, Arizona – a day when the West’s Most Western Town deserves to be called just that. Tomorrow is the day when the Hashknife Pony Express delivers the mail at the Scottsdale Post Office.

Yes, the Pony Express still exists and is the oldest officially sanctioned Pony Express holding the longest contract with the U.S. Postal Services.

But, before the mail gets dropped off tomorrow at 12:30, the Bronze Monument “Passing the Legacy” will be unveiled at 10:30 AM at the Canal in Downtown Scottsdale.

Lately, there has been a lot of coverage of mega events like the SuperBowl, Barret-Jackson and The FBR Open. I, however, am very partial to history, art and tradition as you can tell by my previous posts and the cowboy in the video was also speaking from my heart.

Here is a video I found on YouTube:

It’s good to see that there are some people carrying on with the traditions of the Old West!

Steve Belt covered the launch of Google Street View in the Phoenix and Scottsdale Area last October. I was fascinated and, for the most part, I was thinking that Google Street Maps would be a great additional marketing tool. I was right, and Realbird.com is one of the first platforms I know of which is taking advantage Google Street View. Even without Google offering an API, Realbird.com now offers the capability of integrating Google Street Maps on their single property websites via an embeddable widget, transforming them into virtual tours of the neighborhood.

On the flip side, Steve pointed out a valid issue, that of people being concerned about their privacy:

The controversy of Street View stems from the fact that some of the images captured and stitched together include people going about their daily lives.

Until now, I was not too personally concerned with privacy issues, but that changed when I saw “The Untapped Powers of Street View on Google Maps” on the Bloodhound Blog. The Vacationeers are hilarious but their skit raised my concern about my privacy a little bit.

No, I am not too worried about aliens and I am not paranoid - but you should have seen my dads face when I told him that Google notified me that he left the trunk-lid open on his Cadillac when he was over at my house. (My dad is 74, does not speak any English and the only thing “Computer” he knows is FreeCell on a Windows 2000 machine - he thought the department of homeland security had zeroed in on him).

I I promise, the bald guy is not me.

Now, how about the guy at the bus stop up the street scarfing down a Big Mac… while picking his nose?

How about this former listing?

Darn, It looks like I have to get new license plates.

I never thought that Google Street Maps would ever be so close to home. So next time watch out for the gray van with the sci-fi looking turret cruising your neighborhood.

The Valley of the Sun is a great place for outdoor activities and sporting events all year round. This coming weekend, Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe are jointly hosting the P.F. Chang Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon.

This fun event (and I freely admit that I prefer being a spectator) is not only for endurance junkies but also for music junkies alike. Over 60 bands will turn 39.3 miles into one big street fest. There are two routes; one is a full marathon and the other is a half marathon.

On the Friday and Saturday before the marathon, near the start line at 14th Avenue and Washington in downtown Phoenix, over 100 exhibitors will be present at the Health and Fitness Expo inside the Phoenix Convention Center. The post-race concert celebration will be held at the Tempe Beach Park.

For all of you who have to go places and things to see in the Phoenix Metro Area, Be Warned!!! There are going to be a lot of road closures and so if you thought about holding an open house anywhere near the marathon routes (the full course and half course), you might want to re-think it as it will probably not be a good idea this Sunday… even though it is on the lucky 13th.

Our house is right near mile marker 22, near the end of the marathon course. We will literally be able to see a lot of the action from our front porch and a genre of R & B, Alternative Pop Rock, Christian Rock, Americana and Blue Grass is just within a short walking distance. However the question of where the beer tasting is remains open. After all, it is a healthy beverage but a driver license will be required for the sampling…

If you’ve been with me for a while, you might remember my question at the end of April: Can We Be Ready? That’s when Mignon Trice of the Scottsdale Historical Society invited us – and our house – to be on the 2007 home tour. Being invited is quite an honor, and we appreciate the opportunity to share our home, The Titus House, with others who love historic homes. Blair and I bought the historic house in 2005 and have been working to renovate the single remaining Victorian residence in Scottsdale.

We have worked hard in the months since the invitation and yes, it is still a work in progress. But we are glad to have an opportunity to show visitors Scottsdale’s oldest residence, dating from 1892, which also happens to be our home.

The Scottsdale Historical Society 2007 home tour runs from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. this Saturday. Tickets to see all five of the homes are $25, and proceeds benefit the Scottsdale Historical Museum. You can call Sandie Place at 623-214-6897 for tickets, or purchase them Saturday outside the Paradise Valley Police Department where the tour starts. The azcentral.com did a nice story on the tour and yours truly today.

Back in April we weren’t sure we could be ready for company by this Saturday’s tour. But we are, and if you are in Scottsdale on October 27th, please join the tour and come by to see us. I’ll be glad to show you around!

On my way home I just realized how fast the first building of the SkySong Center went up. So I had to stop and take pictures.

So what is SkySong?

SkySong is a center like no other in the world. A place where business and innovation are one and the same. Where business has access to the resources of Arizona State University. SkySong is a global portal connecting the world through technology. It is a place where the architecture, lifestyle and amenities in and around the center stimulate and encourage creativity and new ideas. Where ideas and university research become new technologies and commercial enterprises. A place where imagination shapes reality.

SkySong time line, in a nutshell:

The plan or at least the “provisional schedule” has been released. I am outlining the time line of scheduled events for your perusal.

• The first building for Sky Song” is almost complete, well the outside is anyway. It looks like people will be able to move in sometime into the spring of next year (2008), but not before the its namesake “Tensile Fabric structure” is put in.

• The second building will most likely be started in late July, and it should be ready to have tenants in one year.

• The third building is a parking garage and almost 400 apartments; they should be completed in 2008 and 2009 respectively.

• It is hope that the design review board will approve the plans for the fourth building which are supposed to be reviewed by the end of the year, so that they can finish it by 2009 (or so).

It looks like things are moving right along at the Skysong Center.

I took this picture of SkySong from the south side (right off Culver Street) to capture the beautiful sky getting ready for monsoon season. Of course I could not resist having fun with my wide-angle lens and had to take a couple of shots of Los Arcos United Methodist Church. Enjoy!

Is it time to start a Photoblog?

Independence Day is a great family holiday, and we have plenty of choices for day and night fun with food and fireworks.

On Wednesday, July 4, head to Steele Indian School Park in Phoenix for the 22nd annual Fabulous Phoenix 4th from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. There you will find three stages with continuous entertainment with everything from popular local bands to Brazilian/Reggae, Dixieland, a Chinese Lion and Dance, and Traditional Mexican Youth Folklorico. The Kids World will feature juggling and stilt walking, and Teen Zone at the amphitheater by the lake will have music, games, and activities. Click here for the full schedule of fun. The climax of the evening is fireworks, of course, that start at 9:35 p.m.

The price for all this fun is right: Admission is free! There is also a free shuttle from the North Phoenix Baptist Church. Kids inflatable and carnival type rides at the event are a dollar or two, and there will be a food court.

This is a rain or shine event, so be prepared for whatever the weather is that day. Severe weather can cause changes, of course, so check the Phoenix Fabulous Fourth site on the 4th if there’s any doubt.

So bring your blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy the show and fireworks. You can bring a cooler, but no alcohol or glass. Pets have to stay home this time. For more information call 602-534-FEST or visit the website.

Scottsdale takes a more laid-back approach to the celebration of Independence Day with their Family Barbecue. From 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the North Amphitheatre in Eldorado Park, you can enjoy swimming, a watermelon eating contest, races, live music, and arts and crafts. The hot dogs are free as is admission and parking. There will be barbecue grills for you to use, and families are welcome to bring food to cook and eat at the picnic. There are no fireworks at this event, but maps of nearby fireworks locations will be available. For more information, call 480-312-2771.

For more Festiveties in the East Valley check out the The Phoenix Real Estate Guy.

Whether you like an old-fashioned picnic or the thrill of crowds and fireworks overhead, get out and celebrate Uncle Sam’s 231st birthday.

Michael explained all the features and possibilities while we were chatting on meebo on his blog. During our chat conversation Michael surprised me by offering accssess to the Altos Reports while they were betatesting- I was thrilled and offered to help during betatesting and on several occasions I helped by comparing MLS data to the Altos reports.

Finally, Altos Research Reports are available for Phoenix and I could not resist displaying the median home price charts on the blog.

Look over at the right side of this page, and scroll down until you see the Market Stats heading with a chart right under it. That chart shows you the median price of real estate. The range of prices is on the left axis, and the time span is on the bottom.

Pause for a moment and you’ll see that the chart changes every couple of seconds, and scrolls through Phoenix, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, Peoria, Avondale, Surprise, and Buckeye, AZ. You’ll also see a significant difference in the charted line depending on which chart you’re looking at.

For instance, Mesa and Glendale show a steady decline, Scottsdale shows a sharp drop and steep recovery, and Paradise Valley keeps going up. Of course, you have to look at the price ranges to get a clear picture.

• That decline in Glendale is $7,000 down from a high of $300,000, or about 2.3%.
• But the range for Scottsdale is only $5,000 with a high of $799,000, which is only 0.63%.
• And in Paradise Valley that increase is $150,000 but it’s on a base of $2,825,000, so that’s 5.3%.

This is just the surface and a sample of the excellent work done by Altos Research. Their real time real estate market intelligence makes fascinating reading, even for people who are not turned on by statistics. Most important, the information can help keep you ahead of the curve whether you are a home seller, buyer, or real estate investor. Their weekly market profiles show pricing trends, and the executive summary shows not just median home price trends, but also other important measures such as days on the market and inventory. So why are Altos Reports different?

A lot of systems will provide you with an estimate of a home’s price using previously sold properties as sales comparables. While this number is nice to know, it lacks in a few critical areas. For example, the sample size of comparable sales is often too small (just a handful of homes that sold over a given time period) to draw any reasonable conclusions about what the market is doing right now. In a real estate market that may change rapidly, this information is insufficient to help you make informed decisions .

In other words, most people are too focused on recent sales data versus looking at absorption rates and the trend of asking prices when trying to predict where the market is headed.

I admit it, I love this kind of in-depth information. Thanks to Altos Research, I’m able to make it available to my blog visitors, too. Just click on the chart in the sidebar and select “Please send me the Altos Research Report” in the Required Contact Reason dropdown-box and don’t forget to include your ZIP code……

It’s part of a trend that includes helping visitors find more than just sunshine and Western style. Scottsdale is marketing the city as a Western destination with a unique past.

In a recent article in the Tribune, Laura McMurchie of the Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau said, “There are resorts and interesting shopping areas everywhere in the world, but history really grounds Scottsdale’s offering as being particularly unique.”

Walking brochures can be found in Old Town at the entrance to Civic Center Mall along with helpful and interesting tales courtesy of people like John Dant, a retiree volunteer at the visitor cart. With John’s help and knowledge of Scottsdale, one recent visitor enjoyed lunch with history at Los Olivos Mexican Patio, a restaurant that has been in Scottsdale for more than 50 years.

A sampling of historic spots on the walking tour includes:

• The “Little Red Schoolhouse:” Now the home of the Scottsdale Historical Museum, this former schoolhouse was built in 1909 with two classrooms for grades one through eight.
• Bischoff’s Shades of the West: This store stands on the site of Scottsdale’s first general store and post office, built in 1897.Rusty Spur Saloon: Ironic for a town that once prohibited alcohol, the saloon now stands where the Farmer’s State Bank of Scottsdale opened in 1921.
• Cavalliere’s Blacksmith Shop: George Cavalliere, a blacksmith, brought his family to Scottsdale around 1910. Told that he couldn’t build his shop in town, Cavalliere obeyed and moved two blocks down, outside of town boundaries.
• Old Olive Trees: Down the center of Second Street, several old olive trees exist that are as old as Scottsdale itself. They were planted in 1896 by Chaplain Winfield Scott, the founder of Scottsdale, to enclose an orange grove. The orange trees died in a drought in the late 1890s, but the olive trees survive as a symbol of Scottsdale’s beginnings.

Cultural tourism is a growing trend, and more people these days are interested in the art, architecture, and history of the places they visit. With its combination of Hispanic, Native American, and cowboy history, Scottsdale offers cultural riches for residents and visitors alike.

Many of you may know that my wife, son, and I live in the Titus House, the only remaining Victorian residence in Scottsdale. Built in 1892, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Through some wonderful luck, we were able to buy the house that my wife has loved all her life, and we moved in almost two years ago.

Now we have received an invitation to share a tour with the Scottsdale Trading Post and other historic buildings. The thing is, the house is still a project in progress, and we have to decide if we can get the house presentable for an event this important. We are still mulling that one over.

But it is nice to be asked, and we are wondering whether our unexpected visitors the other day had anything to do with the invitation. It was a bit unnerving to find strangers in our house, talking about it as if they were in a museum. We actually do not mind giving tours if we have some warning. The question is, can we be ready for The Scottsdale Historical Society House Tour by October 21? Just in case, put that date on your calendar now. It will be a great day to see historic and significant homes in Scottsdale and Paradise Valley, and if it turns out that the Titus House is one of them, we’ll be glad to show you around.

In the mean time, you can read more about our adventure of historic proportions in a modern world at the Titus House Blog.