Long time readers will know that I occasionally go off on a rant or three. Often about things seemingly non-real estate related (like towing scams, though I would argue that any sort of community news or happening is very much real estate related).

Anyway, looking back over the last few posts, I see a little trend of what could be perceived as just wee bit of negativity. Heck, my good friend Howard Arnoff of Charleston Real Estate said this in a comment a few days ago:

Jay, you’ve been in attack mode for a couple of days, part time agents, lack of pictures (but I couldn’t agree more).

Who or what are you going after next

And that was before the whole Mill Avenue towing thing blew up.

So today’s post will be about puppies and bunnies (literally and metaphorically). Let’s face it, you don’t get much cuter and sweeter than puppies and bunnies. Unless you’ve got a heart of stone (or the mind of a serial killer), you can’t look at that photo up above and not smile and think “Aww, how freaking cute is that?”

(Incidentally, that photo is used with permission from Warren Photographic in the UK. They have some very cool work there. Give them a visit.)

Puppies and bunnies make me smile. Real estate makes me smile most of the time. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that provide me the freedom to say what I think on this very blog – the good, the bad and the ugly – make me grin from ear to ear.

My friends and especially my family are way better than puppies and bunnies. So is a nice medium-rare steak with a frosty beer. Events like Ignite Phoenix, #EVFN and the amazing friends I’ve met in the Phoenix “social media community” pretty much blow away even puppies and bunnies. Ditto for me RE.net pals.

Wanna know another cool puppy and bunny moment? Getting emails from a Tempe police detective and the Tempe Community Relations Manager, a call from a Tempe Councilmember and the Mayor of Tempe all expressing the same frustration I have over the towing mess. Heck, even the guys at Monster’s impound lot must like puppies and bunnies as they were some pretty nice guys. There are puppies and bunnies to be found everywhere.

Let’s face it. Sometimes life sucks. Sometimes you have to deal with negative people, lousy service, general incompetence, a shitty real estate market and even getting scammed and ripped off.

Most of life though really is filled with puppies and bunnies. Those are the things you enjoy, and the things that make life worth living.

So if life’s bringing you down, if you find yourself letting the negative waves put you off, then get out there and pet a puppy and kiss a bunny or something.

Fear not. This blog isn’t changing to be some pie-in-the-sky let’s gather ‘round the campfire and sing Kumbaya kind of place. You’ll still get the straight scoop and my unadulterated opinion whether you like it or not. I ain’t sugar-coating nothing.

But today is puppy and bunny day!

So enjoy it damn it.

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Up for grabs are the seats for Mayor and two members of the Town Council.

Since Don Skousen dropped out of the Mayor’s race, John Lewis is basically running unopposed. There is a write-in candidate, Glen Spencer, and although Skousen’s name is still on the ballot, votes cast for him will not be counted (per the Town of Gilbert web site).

The two Town Council seats are a different matter.

Candidates for Council are:

Jenn Daniels
Joan Krueger
Erin Scroggins
John Sentz

The top two vote getters will take their place on the Town Council. It’s probably going to be very close.

In the four years I’ve been writing here, I’ve tried to keep politics off the blog, and I’ve never “endorsed” a specific candidate.

Well, so much for that.

I’m voting for Jenn Daniels. I’ve met her in person, and I like her. She’s smart, is honest and genuine, and she truly cares about this town. That’s good enough for me.

You, oh avid reader, are of course free to vote for whomever you see fit.

You can find polling places here. Polls are open from 6:00am – 7:00pm. If you are in line at 7:00pm, you will be permitted to cast your ballot.

If you got an early voting ballot and haven’t mailed it in yet, you can drop it off at your polling place (DON’T mail it today!). If you lost your early ballot, you can cast a provisional ballot at your polling place.

The Mayor and Town Council have more control over what happens in Gilbert than any other elected body. Turnout will probably be abysmal. I encourage everyone to exercise their civic duty today. It is important, and your vote does count!

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The rate for mailing postcards increases 4% to 28 cents.

Across the country tens of thousands of real estate agents are lamenting their increased costs of business as they ponder the impact of the price increases to mail out all those recipe cards, sports schedules and “I’m Your Neighborhood Expert!” postcards.

Of note, the cost of marketing and prospecting on the Internet remains unchanged.

For some reason, I find it funny that the first official stamps at the 44 cent rate feature cartoon characters – The Simpsons.

If you bought “Forever” stamps in the past at lower rates, they can still be used for mailing at the new rates. If you’ve only got “old” 42 cent stamps lying around, don’t be silly and stick two of those on one envelope. Instead get thee to a post office and buy some two-cent stamps.

You may be saying to yourself, “Why it seems like postage rates go up every year!”, and lately that has indeed been the case. Here is the postage rate increase history for the current millennium:

Postage cost on January 1, 2000 – 33 cents
Subsequent first-class postage increases:
July 1, 2001 – 34 cents
June 30, 2002 – 37 cents
January 8, 2006 – 39 cents
May 14, 2007 – 41 cents
May 12, 2008 – 42 cents
May 11, 2009 – 44 cents

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Four years ago today the first post here was published. To be honest, I had absolutely no clue what I was doing, or even why I was doing it.

Four years later, I’m still not exactly sure what I’m doing. And sometimes I wonder why.

But do it I must. Over the years, this little corner of the Internet has gone through name changes (we started out as the “Arizona Real Estate Blog”), a domain name change (I bet no one remembers that we used to be at BuyGilbertHomes.com), hosting changes and Lord knows how many theme changes and modifications.

I distinctly remember the first time TPREG got 100 visitors in a week. I wondered then why in the world almost 15 people a day would come by to see my ramblings. That over 1,000 unique individuals will stop by today still blows my mind.

And really it is for you, “Oh avid reader”, that I continue down this path. Don’t get me wrong, I love the business this thing generates. And certainly that is a large chunk of the answer to the “why do you do it?” question.

But that’s not the only reason. As corny as it sounds, this silly blog is a part of me and my life.

I can’t begin to describe how much I’ve learned in the last four years from this endeavor. For that I thank all the other bloggers, in real estate and beyond, those that comment and email, and those I laugh and share with “In Real Life”. Hopefully I’ve been able to pay a little of that knowledge forward. I’ve met so many people, and experienced so many things as a result of doing this that I can’t fathom ever giving it up.

On this fourth blogiversary, I want to express my sincere appreciation for everyone that’s ever stopped by. Ever read a post, ever left a comment, searched for a home, or ever linked to something I wrote. And of course to those that found us here and trusted us to help you buy or sell a home, you have my deepest gratitude. A lot of people have stopped by this blog and your support, contributions and readership over the last four years has made this one remarkable journey.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. And hang on, because the next four years ought to be a wild ride!

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And I’ve never regretted that day.

OK, so maybe a couple of times I thought, “what was I thinking?” Like twice in 18 years. And those thoughts lasted all of 15 seconds. 15 seconds out of 567,648,000 seconds of marriage isn’t bad (that’s 0.000002% if anyone is counting).

You are my best friend. You’re an amazing wife, mother, entrepreneur, real estate agent and most importantly, you are an incredible human being.

Why and how you put up with me may well be the only thing that one could question. You could have any man on the planet. That you chose me makes me one lucky, and thankful, guy.

Who’d have thought 18 years ago, as we stood in those beautiful gardens, sweating profusely in the Austin heat and humidity, that we’d have two wonderful kids, our own business, and too many great memories to count.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I can’t wait to see what the next 18 years bring us.

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The Child Crisis Center of Arizona is holding a fundraising effort. The grand prize in a raffle is a stunning custom home in Las Sendas (pictured above)valued at $1.5 million (or a cool million in cash, your choice).

We’ve offered up a little side bar space over there to your right to help sell tickets. Just click the “ad” there (under “Raffle for Phoenix Child Crisis Center!”) and you’ll be whisked off to the site where you can buy tickets and get more info.

No, it isn’t cheap ($150/ticket, 3-pack for $400 or a 10-pack for $1,250) but what a great cause. And with only 20,000 tickets being sold you’re odds of winning one of 100+ prizes are 1 in 200. You might win a house, you will make a difference in a child’s life.

The home is magnificent. Las Sendas is a gorgeous Master Planned Community in northeast Mesa with a world-class Robert Trent Jones golf course, mountain views and amenities galore. Homes range in list price from the $170K to $5M, so there is something there for nearly everyone. Look for a “drive by video” soon!

Full disclosure: The marketing company that asked me to advertise the drawing is offering me a $10 payment for every ticket sold by clicking through from here. I will donate all of that back directly to the Child Crisis Center.

If you want to search all the currently listed homes in Las Sendas, use the embedded search below. Or grab the Las Sendas RSS feed!

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Dear Mr. Jackman -

On April 14, you announced on Twitter that you would donate $100K to someone’s favorite non-profit organization.

What a fantastic gesture, and a nice way to use the power of social media. I’ve been reading your Twitter stream and it looks like there has been a tremendous response from some very worthy organizations.

I’ve sent you a couple of the requisite Tweets imploring you to give your generous donation to an organization called Mothers Fighting for Others (#MFFO). And yep, I’m breaking the rules now as this letter is quite obviously well beyond the 140 character Twitter limit.

It’s impossible to describe the good this organization does in 140 characters.

From the MFFO.org About page:

Our Mission is Simple

Mothers Fighting For Others is dedicated to providing orphans and vulnerable children with opportunities their parents would have provided, if they only could; a loving and nurturing environment and a quality education, so they can learn, thrive and achieve their highest potential.

Right now, Rocky Turner (@headmutha), the amazing founder of MFFO is in Kenya, looking for land to begin the “Inspire the Child” program. But she’s doing more than that.

Since I don’t have the vocabulary to adequately describe what the Mothers Fighting for Others organization is doing, I’ll leave it to photos to convey the work they do.

They are:

Passing out needed supplies. Things we take for granted. Like pencils.

And underwear (kids will be kids!)

Helping Kenyan women who are victims of sexual abuse get to the hospital.

Improving living conditions like this:

And providing love to a child that desperately needs it.

So Mr. Jackman, I’m begging you to open up that big heart you so obviously have and consider granting your donation to Mothers Fighting for Others.

Sincerely,

Jay Thompson

PS: These are just a few of my favorite photos. More are here.

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And for those reading this that don’t quite have the resources of a Hugh Jackman, you can still help. Just think of the good that could be done if everyone reading this donated $1, $5 or $10 to MFFO. Five bucks, it’s a cup of Starbucks…

Read more about “MFFO” and hit the donate page by clicking on the image below!

On April 24, Jackman announced that he decided to split the $100K donation between two charities.

Operation of Hope, a not-for-profit medical foundation that donates surgical procedures to children in developing countries born with facial deformities.

Charity:Water, a New York-based initiative that brings clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations.

Mashable has more on Jackman’s announcement.

Both sound like great causes. It would have been amazing for MFFO to get a donation, but you know what? 10,000 people donating just $10 each is just as much money as Hugh Jackman donating $100K…

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I don’t know why things like this bother me, or why I waste my time responding to asinine comments left here. I know that (sadly) the world is full of jerks and bitter people and that if you blog long enough, they will show up on your blog and leave some ridiculous comment.

For most, I just brush them off and consider the source – realizing that their pathetic lives really leave them no choice but to demean others, that their own lack of integrity leads them to question others motives.

Others are far more difficult for me to ignore.

Some readers will remember back in November when one of my daughter’s high school band mates was killed by a drunk driver. Kelly Tracy was 16 years old and was murdered at 6:30 in the morning by a man previously convicted multiple times of drunk driving.

Earlier today, someone commenting under the name of “Windows 7 Tips” left a comment on this post. It read:

I have been very impressed with all the band members. They have been strong and supportive for each other.I hope you have made a contribution to our friends besides using this tragedy to draw more leads to your website.

This was the second comment on that post along similar lines. The first commenter apologized and I appreciate that. I responded in the comments to “Windows” but for whatever reason just couldn’t let it go.  I suspect it’s because Kelly’s death had such a profound impact on me. The pain has lessened over the passing months, and bullshit like this just stirs it all back up again.

So I composed an email to “Windows" and now I share it with you. I think there is a lesson in here somewhere. Maybe it’s as simple as “don’t be an ass”. Throwing off judgmental and baseless comments really serves no purpose.

My email to “Windows 7 Tips”

On Fri, Apr 3, 2009 at 12:31 PM, Jay Thompson - The Phoenix Real Estate Guy <jay@thompsonsrealty.com> wrote:

I responded to your insensitive and inappropriate comment on my blog. But I feel compelled to say more. Why is beyond me.

My daughter was Kelly’s band mate and was devastated when she was killed. My wife and I were volunteer "band parents" that day and were in the room when the kids were told Kelly had died. Regardless of what you think my motives were, I can assure you that being in that room had a profound impact on me. Clearly not to the extent that day had on the Tracy family, but how dare you say I wrote those posts to draw leads to my site.

I don’t need to write posts like that to get traffic or leads or clients. I wrote that series of posts to try to help the kids, to try to help the Tracy family, and to try to bring awareness to the tragedy that can arise from drunk drivers. And selfishly, I wrote those posts in a futile effort to help me heal.
 
Although it’s none of your business what-so-ever, yes I contributed time and money to the Kelly Tracy Fund. Did you? Did we work together at the Highland fund raising car wash? Did you drive to every other East Valley fund raising car wash and personally thank the parents and kids there and share memories of Kelly? Did you, and your friends, go to Serrano’s the night they were donating some of the proceeds to the Tracy family? Did you drive to the bank every couple of days to deposit money others contributed to the fund? Did you go to the impromptu memorial to Kelly at the school and cry and replace and relight the candles? Did you hold a teenager you’d never personally met in your arms as they wept in shock and grief that day (and in passing days)?

Do me a favor please, and don’t ever read or comment on my blog again.

===================
Jay Thompson
Designated Broker
Thompson’s Realty
Office: 480-621-8280
Cell: 480-235-4447
Fax: 480-372-1236
Email: jay@ThompsonsRealty.com
Web: http://www.ThompsonsRealty.com
Blog: http://www.PhoenixRealEstateGuy.com

For the dozens that left heartfelt comments, called, sent emails, contributed to the fund and said prayers for Kelly, her family and friends, I appreciate that from the bottom of my heart. I know for a fact the Tracy family appreciated it. I don’t want this one idiots comment to take anything away from everything you guys did. I know I should have just let it go, but some things need to be said.

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Win The Dip! Time’s a Wastin’!

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Here are what the scales looked like for me on December 5:

And here is what I saw today:

That’s a loss of 13.5 pounds (or 5.63% of my initial weight– the contest winner is determined by whoever has the largest percentage weight loss, not total pounds). Not too shabby.  The weight loss has slowed in the last couple of weeks, but the inches are still coming off. Apparently this old body is losing fat and gaining muscle mass. That’s a cool combination!

All of the participants have to donate $50 to the winners charity of choice. While I won’t win the contest, I’ve won something far more important.

I’ve won a lifestyle change. My intent isn’t to stop here and start eating and lounging my way back to 240 and beyond. I eat in a far healthier manner than I used to and  I joined a gym and exercise regularly.  I feel better and have more energy than I’ve had in a long, long time. I’m in this thing for the long haul and my goal is to get to, and maintain, a weight of 185.

Regular exercise works folks. When I first started going to the gym, I was lucky to get five minutes in on the elliptical or stationary bike. Today I regularly do 40 minutes. I’m also getting stronger as I can lift heavier weights with more reps than when I started.

The Real Estate’s Biggest Loser Challenge has been terrific. I appreciate the encouragement of everyone and the occasional smack talk. It’s very motivating.

If you’ve been participating, please go to the wiki loss tracking page and enter your final weight or percentage weight loss. We need to declare a winner and gets those checks out to charity.

And I hope you’ll join me in continuing our journey.

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