2007 February | The Phoenix Real Estate Guy

Looking through ARMLS (Arizona Multiple Listing Service) this morning and came across this gem. Please note, this is the PRIMARY photo — the one photo displayed with the listing info when it’s first pulled up.

Pretty compelling isn’t it?

Really highlights the home and just makes buyers and buyer agents want to line up to see the home doesn’t it?

In our MLS, you can enter up to 6 photos. In the listing agents defense, he does indeed have six photos in the listing (the majority of listings in ARMLS do not!). Why he chose this one as the primary photo is beyond me.

We can also enter captions for photos. The caption for this one is, “Citrus Trre In Front Near RV Gate”. (my emphasis)

Remarkably, this listing expired a few days ago after 96 days on the market. I guess no one really wanted to stop by and see the citrus tree in dire need of pruning. A citrus tree in say, Minnesota, might be unusual and compel people to stop by. A citrus tree in the Phoenix area is about as common as… I don’t know… a corn field in Iowa? Snow on the Rockies? A teenager with a cell phone? The Cardinals losing a football game? A fish in the ocean?. Citrus trees practically grow wild here…

Sellers - *PLEASE* review the listing your agent enters into ARMLS. You have the right to see it, and ask for it to be accurate, free of typos, and to present your home in the best light possible.

Technorati Tags: ARMLS, bad real estate photos

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So my lovely bride and I are out putting up a “For Sale” sign in Whispering Ranch last weekend.

“What?” you ask. “Don’t you just pay someone to install your signs?”

Well yes, we do. Normally. But Whispering Ranch is pretty remote, with some fairly rugged terrain (that’s me behind the wheel of the Jeep). And I’ve yet to find a sign installer willing to go out in the middle of the desert to install a sign.

Besides, I love off-roading out there. And I can write the gas and mileage off if I go out there to install a sign…

“Where the heck, and what, is a Whispering Ranch?” you may be asking yourself.

In the mid 1960’s someone bought 19,000 acres of raw, undeveloped Arizona desert northwest of Phoenix. At the time, it was in the middle of nowhere. Since it was originally subdivided into 4 - 5 acre parcels (mostly.. there are some 10 - 20 acre parcels too), Phoenix has grown significantly. What was once “the middle of nowhere” is now only 25 miles northwest of Surprise. And it lies smack dab in the path of growth — resulting in exploding land values.

It is beautiful “high desert” terrain. It’s loaded with Saguaro cactus, Palo Verde trees, Cholla and other desert vegetation. We’ve seen all kinds of critters out there — coyotes, eagles, jackrabbits, weird lizards.

But last weekend, as we rounded a corner and came up an incline, I was surprised to see a whole gaggle (well, technically I guess it was a herd) of donkeys.

Yeah, donkeys. Out there in the middle of the desert. We stopped to take a photo and they just gave us the “What the hell are these idiots doing out here?” look. So we stared back. I guess they got bored before we did, and they just wandered off to do whatever it is donkeys do.

I really never expected to see a bunch of donkeys roaming free out there. They were most definitely not starving. But what the heck do they drink? It’s just a wee bit dry out there…. (The Sonoran desert is actually a very wet desert, receiving about 10 inches of precipitation a year.)

Seriously beautiful country though. Very unique. Some great values to be had!

Those that read here regularly know I’m not a big fan of postings listings on blogs. There are plenty of places to find them. But since we’re in Whispering Ranch, I’ll break that rule for only the second time in blog history. If anyone is interested in a 4.1 acre parcel with this view, give us a shout. It’s “priced to sell” and not in a flood plain (yes, there are flood plains in the desert)