Scottsdale AZ Real Estate & Lifestyle

Live Better in Scottsdale - eXp Realty

Heather Tawes Nelson

Where to Eat in Scottsdale AZ – Urban Cookies and Ollie Cake

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For this one, we are going a little south and west of Scottsdale to Phoenix, but it will certainly be worth the trip.

If you have not heard of our local Phoenix business, Ollie Cake yet, you probably will soon. I first heard about Urban Cookies and Ollie Cake when Ollie Cake won the Cupcake Wars on the Food Network channel recently. I happened to be in that area of Phoenix the next day and made a point to stop by and I am so happy I did.

The storefront itself is conveniently located on 7th Street in Phoenix, just a little bit south of Camelback. When you enter the cheerful store, you are treated to a display of delicious looking cookies and cupcakes. The person behind the counter was very friendly and helpful as I made my cupcake choices.  Sadly, I have not had a chance to try Urban Cookies yet, but they are definitely on my list for the next visit.

Needless to say, the cupcakes were very visually appealing and very tempting. And while some of the flavors offered that day were perennial favorites you would expect and want to see, there were also some extremely creative and unexpected flavors as well. Since I was headed to a small party, I made it a point to order one of each, including lemon, brown velvet cake, chocolate, vanilla and carrot cake. I also was able to get one of the winning cupcakes from Cupcake Wars. It was an Orange Olive Oil and Rosewater Cupcake and it was delicious.

As of August 30, 2011, some new flavors have been added including:
– Coconut
– Strawberry
– Banana – This one also happens to be a dairy free and vegan option

And, if you are interested in trying the winning cupcakes from Cupcake Wars, all four cupcakes are being featured and are available for sale from August 31, 2011 through September 30, 2011. These extraordinary cupcakes include:
– The previously mentioned Orange Olive Oil and Rosewater Cupcake
– Peach-Berry Shortcake Cupcake
– Orange-Scented Chocolate Campfire Cupcake
– And the savory Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Cupcake

In fact, if you want to do something special, a custom gift box featuring all four winning cupcakes is being offered for a limited time.

If you are looking for a delicious treat, be sure to stop by Urban Cookies and Ollie Cake.

More Information:
Urban Cookies and Ollie Cake
4711 N. 7th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85014
602.451.4335
https://www.urbancookies.com/
Monday through Friday 11am to 6pm
Saturday 11am to 5pm

Notable Scottsdale Businesses – Maui Play Care

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UPDATE: Maui Play Care is now Daydreams Drop-In Childcare.
Click to visit the website.

 

Sometimes moms and dads, or even grandparents, need a little break or get into a bind for childcare… In situations like these,  Maui Play Care might be the perfect solution.

What is Maui Play Care? Maui Play Care is a drop-in daycare center for 2 to 8 year olds, (although older siblings can attend with a younger sibling.) It is designed as a solution for short-term childcare needs – such as when you need to be at an appointment, need a couple of hours of free time or you simply want a date night with your spouse.

What makes Maui Play Care so special is that it is state-accredited, and all of the employees have been thoroughly screened and are trained in child development as well as emergency procedures. Security and safety are two main focuses at Maui Play Care. The other is fun for the kids.

I had the opportunity to see Maui Play Care in action last weekend at a 4 year old’s birthday party. It is really set up to maximize fun, learning and play time. There are climb-on structures, some with slides, play kitchen areas, dress-up areas, bouncy houses, a climbing wall and they also show children’s programming on a large screen. The staff was really friendly and kept a close watch on the children as they played. Needless to say, the kids loved it and were exploring everything.

Other highlights include a child-size restroom and the play area is a no-shoe zone for everyone, meaning less dirt and whatnot where the kids will be spending their recreation time.

Overall, I really liked the concept and my visit to Maui Play Care was a good one. If this sounds like a solution for your short-term childcare needs, you should stop by and take a look.

More Information:
Maui Play Care
18261 N. Pima Road, Suite E-110
Scottsdale, AZ 85255
Phone: 480-659-4423
Website: https://www.mauiplaycare.com/index.html

Hours of operation:
Monday through Thursday – 8:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Friday and Saturday – 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Sunday – 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Note: Children’s immunization records required to enroll.

– Other locations in Fountain Hills, AZ and Gilbert, AZ

Where to Shop in Scottsdale AZ – Cosmopolitan Beads

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Cosmopolitan Bead Store and Clasess Cave Creek AZ

This store is now operating as The Cave Creek Bead Mission.

 

So I typically select a Scottsdale business for my “Where to Shop in Scottsdale” blog post. However, today I am going to talk about a wonderful little store located a little further north in Cave Creek, Arizona.

Cosmopolitan Beads is a wonderful, privately-owned bead store located in a small shopping center on the main drag in Cave Creek. The store has an amazing variety of beads for sale, from semi-precious stone or bone beads to wooden and hand-made glass beads. They also carry a large selection of seed beads in a variety of sizes and colors. Essentially, you can go as simple or as fancy as you want.

We were there with some younger folks and the store clerk could not have been more helpful. She sat them at the beading table equipped with special beading mats and handed over a huge bowl full of colored beads of different sizes, shapes and colors. From there, with a little professional assistance, the little ones crafted their own bracelets. And, since a “scoop” from the bowl of beads was only a couple of dollars, we purchased a few extra scoops to take home with us for future projects.

In addition to selling beads and beading supplies, Cosmopolitan Beads also offers a variety of educational classes and project classes. For instance, they had just had a class where participants were taught how to make a whimsical bead “fairy” pendant. Classes are not just limited to simply stringing beads. Other techniques taught include wire wrapping, Chinese knotting, bead weaving and so much more. Here is a link to Cosmopolitan Beads’ Class Schedule. On this page, you can see the wide variety of techniques that are taught via the finished products. It is amazing what can be accomplished.

So if you are looking to pick up some lovely and unique beads or want to challenge yourself with a new craft course, you will want to stop by Cosmopolitan Beads and explore their offerings.

More information:
Cosmopolitan Beads
6061 East Cave Creek Road, Suite 1
Cave Creek, AZ 85331
480.595.6644
www.cosmopolitanbeads.com
Summer Hours: Tuesday  through Saturday 10-5

 

Scottsdale Zip Code 85266 Home Sales By Type Q2 2011 – Includes Foreclosures & Short Sales

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Here is a review of the Q2 2011 home sales figures in the North Scottsdale zip code 85266.

85266 is a relatively new zip code. It covers the northwest portion of Scottsdale and is bordered by Phoenix, Carefree and Cave Creek. Because it is located higher up in the Valley, homes in 85266 can enjoy some great Valley and mountain views. A few of Scottsdale’s top golf communities can be found in 85266 including Whisper Rock, The Boulders and Terravita.

The real estate report below looks at home sales in 85266 for the second quarter of 2011. I broke home sales the activity out into three categories and they are defined as follows:
– Non-Distressed Sales – Non-distressed sales are the “normal,” “regular” or “traditional” home sales. In this type of home sale, the buyer and seller negotiate, come to an agreement on price and terms and work together until the close of escrow.
– Short Sales – Short sales are a reality of today’s market. Essentially, a short sale occurs when a home seller is trying to sell their home for less than what is owed on the home. In this scenario the lender (or lienholder) will need to approve any offers before the sale can be completed. So, even though the contract is between the buyer and seller, the lienholder has to grant approval.
– Foreclosures – Foreclosures are homes that have gone through the foreclosure process and are now the property of the lienholder. These are also referred to as “Lender-Owned” homes, “REO'” homes or “Bank-Owned” homes.

Overall Findings for the Scottsdale Zip Code 85266 Home Sales Market for Q2 2011 – Data as of July 1, 2011

  • Active Scottsdale 85266 Homes For Sale: Most of the homes for sale at the end of Q2 in 85266 were regular home sales at 84%. The remaining 16% was divided between short sales (11%) and foreclosure listings (5%.)
  • 85266 Pending Homes for Sale: We saw the numbers shift when it came to pending home sales. Pending sales of distressed homes were 34% of the inventory at the end of the quarter.
  • Q2 2011 Scottsdale 85266 Home Sales: About two thirds of home sales in Q2 were for regular home sales, about the same ratio as pending home sales. We did see foreclosures represent a higher portion of sales at 17%.
  • 85266 Home Prices: The variance between average home sale prices is closer than we have seen in other zip codes. However, if you look at the average price per square foot, you see the difference more clearly.
  • Discounts Off of List Price: Typically, we have been seeing an average discount off of asking of 10% for regular sales and 5% for distressed sales. For Q2 in 85266, we saw only an average 6% off of list price on regular sales and only 2% on foreclosures. Short sales saw a larger than average discount in Q2 with and average of 8% off of asking.

.Scottsdale Homes for Sale Q2 2011 Zip Code 85266 Short Sales Foreclosures

 

If you want to see this information for the City of Scottsdale AZ, please see these previous reports:

View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type Q1 2011
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for 2010
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for 2009

Disclaimer: Due to rounding issues, not all columns will add up to 100%. Data and information were pulled from the Arizona Regional MLS (ARMLS) as of 7/1/2011 and can change at any time. The analysis looks at single-family resale homes for  sale and sales in Scottsdale AZ zip code 85266 for Q2 2011. There may be new home inventory in these figures if the developer is using the MLS to market its homes. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Copyright © 2011 Heather Tawes Nelson

Scottsdale Zip Code 85255 Home Sales By Type Q2 2011 – Includes Foreclosures & Short Sales

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The following  is an overview of Q2 2011 home sales in North Scottsdale’s zip code 85255.

Scottsdale Arizona’s 85255 zip code is located toward the north of Scottsdale and encompasses many great communities, many of them golf communities.  Some of the top golf communities that can be found in 85255 include Troon Country Club, Desert Highlands, Grayhawk, DC Ranch and Silverleaf. For non-golfers, there are plenty of options as well.  85255 is home to Pinnacle Peak and since is it is farther north, many of the homes and homesites have lovely Valley views and mountain views.

The following report covers home sales activity in 85255 for Q2 2011 and shows how the activity was distributed between the three different categories.

The three categories are defined as follows:
– Non-Distressed Sales – This is what you think of when you think of a “normal,” “regular” or “traditional” home sale. Here, the buyer and seller negotiate, come to terms and work together until the sale is complete.
– Short Sales – A short sale is when a seller is trying to sell the home for a price that is less than what is owed on the home. In a short sale, the lienholder (quite often a bank) has to give its approval for the sale. In a short sale, there can be more than one lienholder, such as when there is a second loan on the home. In this case, all parties need to approve the sale.
– Foreclosures – These are homes that have been foreclosed on and are now belong to the lienholder. You may also hear these called “Lender-Owned” homes, “REO'” homes or “Bank-Owned” homes.


Overall Findings for the Scottsdale Zip Code 85255 Home Sales Market for Q2 2011 – Data as of July 1, 2011

  • Active Scottsdale 85255 Homes For Sale: The largest portion of homes on the market, 83%, belonged to regular home sales. The remaining portion, 17%, was almost equally divided between short sales (10%) and foreclosures (7%). This allocation is more or less what we see each time the report is run.
  • 85255 Pending Homes for Sale: For pending sales, we see the demand for distressed properties. At the end of June,. 46% of the homes under contract were short sales and foreclosures, even though they represented only 17% of the active market. Regular home sales came in with the remaining 54%.
  • Q2 2011 Scottsdale 85255 Home Sales: Regular home sales went back up percentage-wise as we look at the actual home sales for Q2. 64% of the home sales were for non-distressed homes. Short sales made up 22% of the sales and foreclosures came in at 14%.
  • 85255 Home Prices: As we see each time, the highest average sales price and average cost per square foot were highest with regular home sales. Short sales and foreclosure average prices were closer than you usually see. Typically, lender-owned figures come in a bit lower than short sales.
  • Discounts Off of List Price: Historically, we have seen about an average 10% discount off of asking price for regular sales and for Q2 in 85255, this held true. We also see abut a 5% average discount on distressed properties. However, in Q2, the average discount for short sales was 4% and lender-owned was 3%. It will be interesting to see if this trend holds up in Q3.

 

85255 Zip Code Home Sales Scottsdale AZ Short Sale Foreclosure

 

If you would like to review this data for the City of Scottsdale AZ versus a single zip code, please visit these previous reports:

View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type Q1 2011
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for 2010
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for 2009

Disclaimer: Due to rounding issues, not all columns will add up to 100%. Data and information were pulled from the Arizona Regional MLS (ARMLS) as of 7/1/2011 and can change at any time. The analysis looks at single-family resale homes for  sale and sales in Scottsdale AZ zip code 85255 for Q2 2011. There may be new home inventory in these figures if the developer is using the MLS to market its homes. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Copyright © 2011 Heather Tawes Nelson

Scottsdale Zip Code 85262 Home Sales By Type Q2 2011 – Includes Foreclosures & Short Sales

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Here are the Q2 2011 results for home sales in North Scottsdale’s 85262 zip code.

If you are not familiar with Scottsdale Arizona’s 85262 zip code, 85262 is Scottsdale’s farthest north zip code and it is home to some of Scottsdale’s top luxury homes and golf communities including  Desert Mountain, Troon North, Legend Trail and Estancia. The elevation in 85262 is higher than Downtown Scottsdale and can be a little cooler in the summer months. 85262 homes can also have some incredible Phoenix Valley and mountain views.

This report looks at home sales activity in 85262 and how the various homes on the market and home sales were distributed between the three categories I have tracking.

The categories are defined as follows:
– Non-Distressed Sales – These home sales are the “regular” or “traditional” home sales. In this common scenario, the buyer and seller negotiate with each other throughout the transaction until the close of escrow.
– Short Sales – Short sales are sales where the homeowner is attempting to sell the home for less than what is owed  on it. Therefore, the lienholder has to grant approval for the sale to go through as they will be taking a loss on the shortfall. There can be one or more lienholders involved in a transaction and all parties need to approve the sale. You may also hear the lienholders referred to as the “lender(s).”
– Foreclosures – Foreclosures are homes that have been foreclosed upon and now are back in the possession of the lienholder or lender.  “Lender-Owned” homes, “REO'” homes or “Bank-Owned” homes are all other names for these foreclosed upon homes.


Overall Findings for the Scottsdale Zip Code 85262 Home Sales Market for Q2 2011 – Data as of July 1, 2011

  • Active Scottsdale 85262 Homes For Sale: Almost all of the homes for sale at the end of June, or 87%, in 85262 were regular home sales. Short sales (7%) and foreclosures (5%) made up the rest of the market.
  • 85262 Pending Homes for Sale: Although regular sales were dominant on the listing side, short sales and foreclosures made up a large number of the pending sales at the end of Q2. Regular sales only represented 46% of pending sales, while short sales came in at 26% and foreclosures at 28%. This really shows the demand for distressed properties in that short sales and foreclosures were only 12% of the for sale market, yet accounted for 54% of the pending home sales.
  • Q2 2011 Scottsdale 85262 Home Sales: Here we see another slight shift. Regular sales made up up the majority of Q2 sales with 60% and short sales and foreclosures made up the remaining 40% with 20% each.
  • 85262 Home Prices: As was to be expected,. the highest average sales prices and average price per square foot was seen in the regular sale category. The next highest average prices came in with short sales, followed by lender-owned homes. This is a very  typical pricing structure are foreclosures will be sold at the largest discount off of market price of the three.
  • Discounts Off of List Price: We have been seeing regular home sales coming in at about a 10% average discount off of asking price, and in Q2, the discount was pretty typical at an average of 9% off. Short sales and lender-owned are usually about 5% off on average. We saw this with short sales and an average 6% off, but foreclosures ended up selling pretty close to asking price with only a 2% average discount.

Scottsdale AZ Zip Code 85262 Homes for Sale short sales foreclosures Q2 2011
To see this same information for the entire City of Scottsdale AZ, please visit these previous reports:

View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type Q1 2011
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for 2010
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for 2009

Disclaimer: Due to rounding issues, not all columns will add up to 100%.Data and information were pulled from the Arizona Regional MLS (ARMLS) as of 7/1/2011 and can change at any time. The analysis looks at single-family resale homes for  sale and sales in Scottsdale AZ zip code 85262 for Q2 2011. There may be new home inventory in these figures if the developer is using the MLS to market its homes. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Copyright © 2011 Heather Tawes Nelson

Scottsdale AZ Q2 2011 Home Sales By Type – Includes Foreclosures & Short Sales

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Here are the figures for Scottsdale Arizona home sales for Q2 2011. To allow you to see how the data breaks out by sales type, I have segmented the sales information into three categories.

The three categories of home sales and how I am defining them are outlined below:

– Non-Distressed Sales – These are what you would call “regular” or “traditional” home sales. In this common scenario, the buyer and seller work with each other during the negotiations and throughout the transaction.
– Short Sales – Short sales are where a homeowner is trying to sell their home for less than what is owed on it. Short sales require the approval of the lienholder(s) before the home can be sold. Typically, the primary lienholder is the lender on the first mortgage and quite often you will have second position loan that also needs to approve the short sale.
– Foreclosures – This is where the foreclosure has already taken place and now the lienholder owns the home. You might also see them called “Lender-Owned” homes, “REO‘”  homes or “Bank-Owned” homes.

Overall Findings for the Q2 2011 Scottsdale Single-Family Home Market – Data As of  July 1, 2011

  • Scottsdale Homes for Sale: The majority of homes on the market at the end of Q2 2011 were regular, non-distressed sales. The remaining 20% was comprised of short sales (12%) and foreclosures (8%.)
  • Scottsdale Pending Home Sales: We see these numbers shift a bit when we look at pending home sales. Now, the regular sales are only 52% and short sales jumps up to 30% of the inventory. Foreclosures, with only 8% of the for sale market make up 18% of the pending sales inventory.
  • 2010 Scottsdale Home Sales: The home sales numbers for Q2 2011 stay somewhat similar to the pending sales. However, we do see foreclosures capture a larger segment with 25% of all home sales.
  • Home Prices: As would be expected, non-distressed home sales had the highest average sales price and highest average cost per square foot, coming in at just over $600K and $178.75/sq. ft.  Short sale prices and foreclosure prices were considerably lower in  both sales price and the average price per square foot. In Q2 2011, there was over a $58 per square foot difference between regular sales and foreclosure sales.
  • Days on Market: The fewest days on market was seen with foreclosures, which makes sense as demand for them is very high. Regular sales came in next at just over 4.6 months and short sales, the most drawn out sales, came in with an average of 6.2 months.
  • Discounts Off of List Price: As we have been seeing every quarter, the largest discount off of asking prices was seen with regular sales. For Q2 2011, it was an average of 8%. Historically, we were seeing 10% off for this segment. Short sales saw an average discount of 5% and foreclosures only saw an average discount of 3%.

Scottsdale AZ Home Sales Short Sales and Foreclosures Second Quarter 2011

If you are interested, you can browse through the previous reports for Scottsdale home sales:
View Scottsdale Home Sale by Type for Q1 2011
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for 2010
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for Q4 2010
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for Q3 2010
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for Q2 2010
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for Q1 2010

 

Disclaimer: Due to rounding issues, not all columns will add up to a perfect 100%.  Data and information were pulled from the Arizona Regional MLS (ARMLS) as of 7/1/2011 and can change at any time. The analysis looks at single-family resale homes for sale and sales in Scottsdale AZ over the last 12 months. There may be new home inventory in these figures if the developer is using the MLS to market its homes. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Copyright © 2011 Heather Tawes Nelson

Things to Do in Scottsdale AZ: Visit Singh Farms

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Singh Farms Scottsdale AZ Farmers Market

 

UPDATE 1/23/17: The Scottsdale location of Singh Farms has closed and moved locations. You will now find the farm, farmers’ market and more in Tempe at Singh Meadows. The Tempe location is much larger and opened this past weekend. Welcome back!

New Address: 
Singh Meadows
1490 E Weber Dr
Tempe, AZ 85281

Tucked just off of the 101 Freeway in Scottsdale, Singh Farms is a little slice of paradise and fresh produce and grocery items.

We had seen some of Singh Farms items noted on menus throughout town and hard about them again when we were at a cooking demonstration. After that, we decided it was time to make the trip down and see what it was all about.

As you get off of the 101 at Thomas heading east, you will notice what looks like an oasis on the north side of the road. Once you spot the wood chips lining the driveway, you know you have arrived.

Prior to making any purchases, we took a stroll over the grounds. We could see lots of produce growing everywhere and it was fun to try and identify it all. The grounds are also home to a log cabin, a huge tee-pee and a fun chicken coop with lots of “residents” to watch. We also saw a beautiful peacock strolling around.Signh Farms Farmers Market Fresh Produce Scottsdale AZ

Once we had a chance to look around, we went back to the entrance area where there the fresh produce and other items were being sold. All items are seasonal and that day we purchased some delicious grape tomatoes, fresh hummus, mini apples and some greens. We also saw some amazing looking bread, homemade dips and spreads, melons, squash and honey.

There was also a woman making the freshest, ice-cold lemonade served in jelly jars. We got a couple of glasses that disappeared quickly in the Scottsdale heat. And, the best part is that the proceeds from the lemonade sales go to charity.

Singh Farms Scottsdale AZ Tee Pee and Farmers MarketAnother facet of Singh Farms which is a boon for local gardeners is that it sells compost for your plant beds. The pick up area is located to your left when you come into the parking lot.

Singh Farms also offers a variety of Gardening, Landscape and Cooking Workshops. For Fall 2011, some of the courses include Veggie Gardening Basics, a Desert Wildflower course, several herb classes including growing, them cooking them and preserving them as well as a Composting class. If you would like more information, simply email them or visit their Facebook page. 

Tip: Singh Farms is only open a couple of days per week since it is a working farm, so you will want to call ahead for days and times.

More Information:
Singh Farms- THIS LOCATION NOW CLOSED
NW Corner of Loop 101 and Thomas Road
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Call for Days/Hours: (480) 225-7199

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