Hot weather!

With the weather heating up, we thought we would cover some items that you find in home in Arizona. These items are not always found in other parts of the country, or if you have not owned a home you might not be familiar with them.

Many homes here in the Phoenix Arizona area are equipped with Heat Pumps, according to Wikipedia:

Heat pumps have the ability to move thermal energy from one environment to another, and in either direction. This allows the heat pump to effectively bring thermal energy into an occupied space, or to take it out. In practice, this is always done in the opposite direction of a temperature gradient. A heat pump works in the same manner as an ordinary air conditioner (A/C), which itself is a type of heat pump. In the warming mode for a space, a heat pump effectively reverses a refrigeration unit so that the warm radiator is inside the space, rather than outside.

For warmer areas like Arizona they work well, not great for heating in cold weather, but great for the A/C.

Another type of cooling you can have here in Arizona is an evaporative cooler; here is what Wikipedia has to say:

An evaporative cooler (also swamp cooler, desert cooler and wet air cooler) is a device that cools air through the evaporation of water. Evaporative cooling differs from typical air conditioning systems which use vapor-compression or absorption refrigeration cycles. Evaporative cooling works by employing water's large enthalpy of vaporization. The temperature of dry air can be dropped significantly through the phase transition of liquid water to water vapor, which requires much less energy than refrigeration. In extremely dry climates, it also has the added benefit of conditioning the air with more moisture for the comfort of occupants. Unlike refrigeration, it requires a water source, and must continually consume water to operate.

This type of cooling cost next to nothing to operate, but cannot be used in the “monsoon” weather we have in the mid to late summer.  When showing homes many people ask “what is that?” when they see an evaporative cooler. There are several types of evaporative coolers, investigate the type that would be best for you. These types of coolers are great for work spaces like garages and workshops too.

Of course one of the best hot weather tools is the swimming pool. A large number of homes here in Arizona have swimming pools. There is nothing like taking a dip in a refreshing swimming pool on a hot summer night. There are many types of swimming pools, filters and accessories. Many people care for their own pools and many pool service companies offer inexpensive packages if you choose to go that route.

Our landscape can also be different, and water saving plants are a must here. We also have winter lawns and summer lawns. We have seasonal plants with flowers that thrive in the heat. Many of our winter plantings do not survive the intense heat of the summer. So as spring comes to an end its time to change the look and feel of our lawns. A trip to a local nursery can give you insight to plants that thrive either in winter or summer. It seems that the big box type home improvement stores stock plants that fit more into the country as a whole, so we recommend a local nursery to learn what types of plants to invest in.

Sun shades are another great investment for homes here in Arizona. They also come in all shapes, sizes colors and materials. They can be a big money saver in the summer months, blocking the sun’s rays from heating the interior of you home can really cut your energy cost and make for a more comfortable environment.

Ceiling fans we feel are a must. Air movement makes an otherwise stagnant area feel much cooler. For a relative small investment you can again save on energy cost. For rooms without ceiling fans, they can be installed relatively easy and at a low cost. Often you need a licensed electrician to install a ceiling junction box and fan if none are available. But many homes here are equipped with needed wiring.

Of course one option is a summer get away home in the cool pines of northern Arizona. Many people do not know that a short drive north of the Phoenix area cooler areas are abundant. Arizona has abundant forest areas. We can help you find the perfect get away too!

Contact Arizona 360 Realty to help you on the search for your Arizona home.  It might be an energy efficient home here in the Phoenix area or a vacation home or land in a cooler area. Or maybe it’s time to list your existing home and make a change. Let us help you in your search. Visit us at www.sellaz360.com.

Make buying foreclosures easier

We have talked about Home Smart before in the Blog, and now they have done something that we feel make buying a foreclosed home easier.  As of February, Home Smart has a new contract login for buyer’s brokers. How this works is when you make an offer on a Home Smart home, your broker (we hope its Arizona 360 Realty!) logs in to the Home Smart Web site and uploads your offer. Then Home Smart reviews and then submits to the listing agent.

You may be asking “why does this make buying a foreclosed home easier?” well there are many answers to this question but in our opinion it makes for fair competition. In the past the offer was submitted to the listing agent, often this was on a weekend, and as many of you have experienced the new style of listing agents don’t work on weekends. Not only does this become difficult because as a buyer’s broker we could not get answers if there were any current offers on the property. So on Monday when the listings agents’ assistant enters the offer in whatever order they feel is best, the buyers offer could be at the bottom of the pile despite the fact that it was submitted early in the weekend.  Not to mention the home could have many offers, not making for a fair submittal. With the new web based submittal as your buyer’s broker we can see how many offers and when they were submitted. And the listing broker has no control on when the offer is submitted.

We here at Arizona 360 Realty do work weekends, nights or whenever you need the job done. We have the experience and knowledge to help you with home buying. Contact us today at (480) 719-0360 or visit our website at www.sellaz360.com. We are also on Facebook, search Arizona 360 Realty.