When you are out looking for homes for sale in Winfield, Scottsdale Az, it might be a challenge if you’re new to the real estate market. You can make it easier if you have a good idea of what the criteria is that you want in your home. 

Winfield, Scottsdale Current Listing

When you consider buying a new home, keep in mind that interest rates and home prices tend to move in opposite directions. Some people mistakenly believe buying a home is a bad idea when prices are up or when interest rates are high. In fact, either of those situations can create good buying opportunities. However today’s economy could hardly provide a better climate for the purchase of a home. Market prices for homes are at an historical low and interest rates are the lowest they have been in decades. Prices have actually had upward movement over the past few months. The housing market is bouncing back.

DO’S AND DON’TS FOR HOME BUYERS
Buying a home is not as simple as buying a new sweater, or even a new car. There are a lot of things you should know. Here are a few basics:

Do
• Ask a qualified REALTOR® to be your buyer’s agent. The seller pays their fee but their fiduciary responsibility is to their client buyer by agreement.
• Project your future needs, as children multiply, or get older and move out.
• Review last year’s tax and utility bills.
• Consider privacy for you and your spouse.
• Walk the property boundaries.
• Review the homeowner disclosure documents thoroughly.
• Purchase a home warranty for unforeseen breakdowns the first year.
• Keep meticulous records of home repairs once you move in for capital basis calculation once you sell.

• Get pre-qualified for a loan before you head out to find that house that meets your needs. This is a critical step to the home buying process.

Don’t
• Accept as absolute truth statements by the seller. Document everything.
• Make verbal agreements.
• Look for a home without financing pre-approval.
• Make your moving schedule too tight.
• Buy the biggest home in a neighborhood — it’s usually the hardest to sell.
• Purchase without a quality home inspection.

Finding the Right Homes for Sale in Winfield, Scottsdale Az

When shopping for homes for sale Winfield, Scottsdale AZ and you’re working be sure and ask yourself what your commute tolerance is and tell your real estate agent. If it’s 20 minutes your real estate agent needs to know so they can make that part of the search algorithm. Are schools important, easy access to shopping, medical, and recreation are all important factors to consider.

Consider the home itself as an important part of your criteria. When looking for homes for sale Winfield, Scottsdale AZ, or anywhere else, consider the absolute “must haves” that have to be part of the home, that is, number of bedrooms, baths, fireplace, garage, etc.; consider the “should haves” that is it should have a center island kitchen but if it doesn’t and everything else is good so it’s not a deal breaker; “nice to haves” that is if the house comes with something you like but it’s not on your must or should have list, it’s nice to have but you it probably does not deserve a monetary value when negotiating the sale price.

Most importantly when you’re looking for homes for sale Winfield, Scottsdale AZ, lean on your REALTOR®, they can turn your home quest from something daunting to an experience worth having.

For more information or questions call or email us. You can also visit http://www.WinfieldRealEstateArizona.com our website for Winfield, Scottsdale Az real estate.

Discover for yourself why many consider Scottsdale real estate as the buzzing city and why people from all over the country and the world are moving to Scottsdale, Arizona. Here are 7 reasons why you should choose Scottsdale Arizona.

1. People who have experienced Scottsdale Arizona are impressed by the hospitality the city embraces its residents and visitors with stunning beauty in and around what makes up Scottsdale real estate. The city has been voted as “one of the most livable cities in the United States”

2. The city features a scenic backdrop against the Sonoran Desert and the McDowell Mountain preserve.

3. Environment plays a very crucial role in this city. Amidst all the advancement, commerce and social activities, the city never fails to actively take action in preserving its rich environment they were blessed with.

4. With a low crime rate comes a greater and safer freedom. People in Scottsdale get a real feeling of comfort and security in and out of their homes.

5. Scottsdale is an affluent city in the state of Arizona where hundreds of gorgeous homes are on the market at unbelievably affordable prices. There’s no surprise why Scottsdale real estate is so popular and sought after! Take a look for yourself at these gorgeous properties.
6. Scottsdale yields strong results. Ninety eight percent of the students in Scottsdale graduate from high school, and a large percentage of that proceed to University and onto Graduate levels.
7. To add even more cherries to sweeten the amenities the weather in Scottsdale is as lovely with over 300 days of sunshine a year.

Countless exciting activities await you in Scottsdale! Whether it be a Southwestern family-fun afternoon extravaganza in the many parks and recreational areas around the city or a lavish, hip night out with some friends. All that and more, in Scottsdale Arizona. Start your year by enjoying the many opportunities to own a piece of Scottsdale real estate.

View this Video by Scottsdale Convention and Visitor’s Bureau

• Not everyone celebrates the new year eve on the 31^st of December. The Chinese celebrate new year at the second new moon after the winter solstice.
• The first New Year’s Eve ball dropped in Times Square on December 31, 1907 
  

  Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012!

• Sydney, Australia has one of the largest annual New Year’s Eve celebrations.
• Over 80,000 fireworks are set off from the Sydney Harbour Bridge?
• The centenary clock is lowered at 23:59:48 on new years eve in Madrid, Spain
• The most popular New Year’s resolution is to lose weight.
• The most popular New Year’s Day parade is held in Pasadena, California – the Tournament of Roses, better known as the Rose Parade
• In Arizona, a pine cone dropped on New Year’s eve
• In Seattle, the countdown is done with an elevator
• It is in Argentina, Brazil, Germany, the Philippines and Venezuela where New Year’s eve is a public non-working holiday.
• The Chinese New Year is also known as the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival
• Thailand celebrates New Year from April 13 to 15 by throwing water.
• New Year began on March 1 in the ancient Roman calendar.
• The first new year holiday was observed 4,000 years ago in Ancient Babylon
• In around 600 BC, the New Year tradition of using a baby began to signify a new year.

As and ode to a year that we are all about to bid adieu, let us all welcome 2012 full of love and hopes from the Luxury Valley Homes team. May God Bless us all and the United States of America.

Welcoming the new year with grand fireworks display is as epic and iconic as it comes in New York’s Time Square or in Sydney’s Harbor Bridge. The gorgeous display of lights never fails to enthrall anyone – of course, from a safe and comfortable distance. These light shows are more than just spectacles, they have become a tradition. 

Welcome the New Year in Style at Scottsdale, Arizona

Fireworks were first invented in 7th century China and was used for entertainment as well as for warfare. Fourteen thousand years later and fireworks are still being used more or less the same way but only better and safer.

The Chinese believed that the loud noises the fireworks made drove away the evil spirits, bad luck and ill fates. So welcoming the upcoming year with fireworks meant driving away the misfortunes and bringing in good luck.

Celebrate and dance your way through the night at various New Year’s eve parties in Scottsdale, Arizona. Before the clock strikes midnight, make sure to find a good spot, count your way down to 1 and witness the spectacular fireworks display. Welcome in the new year full of love and hope. Ring in 2012 with all the fun and amusements in and around Downtown Scottsdale and Scottsdale real estate.

Then top the night off with nice cold sparkling champagne to cheer on for the coming year.

Wishing you all a prosperous 2012 from the Luxury Valley Homes.

Success in a child’s years to come is greatly influenced by the groundwork laid during the formative preschoolyears. Significant to the success of the child in academics and life is the balancing of the mental, emotional and social education and development during the years of infancy to age five. 

Things to Remember When Choosing a Preschool for Day Care

Parents naturally want to find that their children have the needed reading and writing skills for kindergarten and 1st grade after years in preschool, but the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child has found in their studies that the contentedness and self-assurance that comes from stable human relationships are significant as well. The preschool program can make the difference in the whole development in children, harmonizing positive social relations and emotional happiness with academics that prepares the young students for further schooling and future life.

Because of the critical development that takes place in the young life before kindergarten age, parents should take special care in selecting preschool programs. They should look for schools that apply a curriculum that incorporates imaginative play with valuable and age appropriate academics. Such schools should have teachers that are caring and qualified. Evidence should be found that the teachers provide an environment that fosters the growth of the vital social and emotional sides of learning.

Obviously, helping children to learn to count and to know their ABC’s is important. Then, elements of life are also crucial like compassion and sharing, friendship and truthfulness along with inner-confidence and kindness. The National Research Council reported in the year 2000 that infants come into the world in a learning mode. They are born ready to absorb all they can from their environment. The report was titled, “From Neurons to Neighborhoods.” The swift learning and mental growth that happens until the child is five years old is phenomenal, and educators should be mindful of the part they play in encouraging the character qualities that prepare them to be balanced human beings as well as good students.

Preschools should be staffed with teachers who love their work, who understand the needs of balanced education at the early ages of their students. A quality curriculum combined with top criteria and caring professionals have the potential to help children be their best and reach their highest potential. Children can achieve amazing accomplishments given the right setting. From those who take care of infants to those who are teaching the five-year-olds, every teacher should nurture the balance of healthy physical, mental and emotional growth.

Preschool days should be filled with a mix of imaginative child-play and teacher-guided learning. Children should also receive frequent evaluation to note individual progress so that the program can be adjusted and modified to meet the needs of the individual students. Evaluations help teachers form a guideline for structured, purposeful and consequential teaching and learning. The potentials and heights that children can reach far exceed any expectations when placed in a positive and balanced learning environment.

Submitted by Dan Gilbert on behalf of Primrose Schools. Primrose’s BalancedLearning® daycare have low student-to-teacher ratios, ensuring that each child receives personal attention and loving care. Dan has written a number of articles on topics varying from bilingual learning to teaching the importance of volunteering.

Image by: Casey West

As many rush to malls, haggle their way to get the best buys amidst all the chaos of the busy crowd from the Christmas shopping, let us not forget the true meaning of Christmas. Indeed this yuletide season is the time to give. 

A Blessed Merry Christmas from the Luxury Valley Homes

We exchange presents and dine with friends, family and familiar faces, but how about making this year a little different from all the others by adding a new person to the list – a stranger.

Open up to the vast world around and discover that life is not a bowl of cherries. Many of our brothers and sisters in impoverished communities may not have even a single bulb to illuminate the Christmas tree, let alone a tree.

Many of us are painfully aware of the recent tragedy that has befallen our brothers and sisters in the southern part of the Philippines. While we are thankful that the typhoon has already left the country, we must not disregard that they have lost everything they own.

It’s difficult to imagine what it would be to lose everything, to suffer such a loss and to also have to deal with not having the most basic of necessities, such as food, shelter, dry clothing and even drinking water. Some of their losses simply will not be able to be replaced.

Our deepest and heartfelt sympathy and prayers go out to all who have almost nothing for this holiday season. May their lives be blessed and we hope that all of us will do what we can to bring blessings to those who have lost so much.

Celebrate Christmas with a heart, and for another heart. Touch lives, and heal.

We wish you all a Blessed Christmas from the Luxury Valley Homes!

Carefree Arizona Christmas Festival

As part of the fourth annual Carefree Arizona Christmas Festival, Foothills Animal Rescue  will be hosting the Holiday Dog Walk. There will be prizes for best Christmas-dressed dogs. There will be first, second, and third  place prizes for the best Christmas-dressed pooch, so dress them in their Christmas best and prance them into downtown Carefree!  All proceeds from the auction will go to FAR’s new, no-kill facility.

The festival offers a multitude of free holiday events for the entire family and promises to bring good cheer with a weekend long celebration featuring an electric light parade and fireworks display.

Live music, dance and entertainment, visits from Santa and a chance to experience 25 tons of real snow take place throughout the entire weekend. Other highlights include the Nutcracker ballet excerpts, Cactus Shadows Honors Choir performances, pet events including a dog walk, pet adoptions, “Doggies of the North Pole” comedic canines, and much more.

An outdoor Carefree Christmas Marketplace by Magic Bird featuring 75 vendors will offer holiday gift shopping, along with seasonal food and drink favorites including hot chocolate, spiced cider and roasted chestnuts. Dance to your favorite swing tunes at our open-air concert, or simply spend time browsing the stores until late in the evening.

The video below demonstrates some of the activities associated with the Carefree Arizona Christmas Festival.  Is it any wonder why Carefree real estate is so popular. You can find out more about the availability of homes at Carefree Estates.  http://www.CarefreeEstates.com

If a magical train stops in front of your home, with an enchanting conductor asking you to board the Whimsical Polar Express, would you? Of course, this doesn’t happen in real life, but it would be great if it did.

Grand Canyon Railway Polar Express

In the spirit of yuletide season, every child and the child at heart embrace the magic of Christmas. Adapted from the famous novel by Chris Van Allsburg, Polar Express has captivated everyone from all ages. With the popularity of the tale, many cities and railways have brought to life the magical train ride of the Polar Express.

Considered to be one of the best Polar Express train rides in the country, the Grand Canyon Railway offers a unique Christmas experience on its journey to “The North Pole”. Enjoy the ride as the train glides through panoramic views of the Grand Canyon that is sure to mesmerize every passenger.

The train departs from Williams Depot and off it goes on its way to “The North Pole” as Father Christmas and his reindeers board the train and hands each child a present. Get lost in the magical experience and wonder with hot chocolate and cookies that are being served.

Make this event a family holiday tradition! For more information on the Grand Canyon Railway Polar Express and the beautiful cities in Arizona such as that of the Valley of the Sun, visit the Luxury Valley Homes today. 

Grand Canyon Railway Polar Express

The story of Pearl Harbor is more than a love story depicted on film, brought to life by the big names of Ben Affleck and Kate Beckinsale. It is, however, a story of love that came out of hate.

Pearl Harbor 70th Anniversary - Bravery in Adversity

It’s been 70 years since that infamous Sunday morning of the 7^th of December 1941 at a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii – Famously known as Pearl Harbor. Around 84,000 uniformed American military officers and personnel were on Oahu on that day. What seems to be a normal, peaceful Sunday morning turned into horror.

At around 6 in the morning, the Japanese carriers launched the first wave of dive and horizontal bombers, and fighters. The assault crippled American ships and military installations just minutes before the clock struck 8. A second wave of 170 Japanese aircrafts followed. This was the first deliberate attack on the United States of America.

Pearl Harbor Memorial

What happened that morning will forever be remembered. The attack claimed some 2,403 lives, most of which are of our brothers and sisters from the military, including 68 civilians. Sadly, most of the Pearl Harbor survivors now are in their late 80s and 90s – but their stories are never forgotten. Friends and family retell their forefathers’ stories and vow to pass it on to the next generations.

Fast forward 70 years, only few survivors are left today with a few documentaries retelling the stories. It’s sad to fathom that the youth today might forget about what happened at Pearl Harbor, or perhaps never knowing it happened.

That fateful Sunday morning will forever be in our hearts. What started as hate that caused the attack and brought the US to war eventually turned to love as we forgave those who have wronged us and whom we have wronged in war.

Remembering Pearl Harbor and the brave men and women who faced it.

“Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime.”

~Ernest Hemingway

Thanksgiving has been a much celebrated and embraced holiday in the country. It is the time to be grateful for the many blessing life has brought us. Forget about the negativity and misfortunes just for one day. However, the best time to be thankful for is every day and every moment of our existence.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Luxury Valley Homes Team

We should also acknowledge that not all of us seem to have a lot to be thankful for. Instead of sitting on the usual well-adorned table with the gorgeously dressed turkey, graciously reminiscing on the prosperous year we have had, how about doing something out of our usual Thanksgiving? Why not adopt a family and celebrate the holiday with them? You could contact your local community or church, ask and know if they do programs of meeting families with little means. Perhaps giving them another reason to be thankful for can give you a great deal of satisfaction. Not to forget the opportunity to meet some new friends along the way.

On this Thanksgiving 2011, we are thankful most especially for our family, friends and good health. Lest we forget our brave brothers and sisters away from their families and loved ones serving the military.

A Blessed Thanksgiving to everyone from the Luxury Valley Homes Team