Update:  The 2008 Arizona spring training season is over but check back for the Surprise, Arizona 2009 schedule in January. Don't miss out on going to a spring training game at the Surprise Recreation Campus.  The games begin February 27th. Individual game tickets went on sale January 5, 2008 beginning at 8 a.m. at the Surprise Stadium Box Office, 15960 N. Bullard Avenue and at Ticketmaster outlets at Macy's, Tower Records, Fry's Marketplace and FYE (formerly The Wherehouse). Tickets will also be available through Ticketmaster on-line at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 480.784.4444 or 520.321.1000. A service charge will be applied to each ticket purchased through Ticketmaster.  Click Here to see more information & the schedule of games. Click Here to go to the new Spring Training we... 01/28/2008

Hardly!  But apparently we've had enough traffic at the intersection of Sunrise & Mountain View to warrant a traffic signal.  Personally, I'll be glad to see it.  With our winter visitors and returning "snow birds" rolling into town we'll need it.  Click Here to see the article at AZCentral.com Update 1/29/08 - The project has been started!  This morning, which happens to be broker tour day in Sun City Grand, saw massive congestion at the 4-way stop.  Each direction had the far right lane closed down for the installers to start digging the holes for the light poles.  Hope they stick to their mid-February finish time. Update 3/13/08 - The lights are up and flashing red.  Should be functional any day.  Yeah! Update 6/26/08:  The traffic light has been a welcome addition to the Sun City G... 01/26/2008

As part of my efforts to promote client listings & to provide information about the Arizona west valley active adult communities, I have accumulated a large number of Domain Names.  The average consumer may think these are all different websites when, in fact, the domains I use have just been 'pointed' to my main website.  If I am doing a general ad for homes in the Arizona retirement communities I may use AZ-Adult-Communities.comPeople around Sun City Grand, Sun City West or Arizona Traditions may have seen one of my print ads or a flyer & accessed my website via SunCityGrandListings.com, SunCityWestListings.com or ArizonaTraditionsListings.com respectively.You might be thinking... "This is really confusing and why is it even necessary?"On the internet this is important because people ... 01/26/2008

Not only is Surprise, Arizona very beautiful but it has been named one of the safest cities in the country and the safest in Arizona, according to the 14th annual "City Crime Rankings: Crime in Metropolitan America" which was released on November 19, 2007.Surprise Police Chief Dan Hughes said that a low crime rate boils down to "community partnerships." "We are extremely fortunate to have outstanding officers and a great public response to programs such as Block Watch."Surprise ranked as the 33rd safest city in America and the highest in Arizona according to the survey. If you are looking for a terrific place to live, activity oriented and very safe, try Surprise, Arizona. You won't be disappointed. 11/28/2007

Everyone loves a party and a Surprise party is always terrific. You are all invited to the 6th annual Surprise Party at the Surprise Recreation Campus in Surprise, Arizona on Friday November 30th and Saturday December 1st. The admission is free with a donation to Sanderson Ford's Operation Santa Claus.There will be Arts and Crafts, Skydivers, Balloon Glow, the second annual Classic Car Show, and interactive Kid Zone, Live Animal Shows, $1 Elephant rides, and a special guest appearance by SpongeBob SquarePants.The Surprise Recreation Campus is located in the heart of Surprise in the Northwest section of Phoenix. There will be plenty of food and fun for the entire family. The evening will be capped by a spectacular fireworks display.Come and enjoy the friendly atmosphere of the Surprise p... 11/18/2007

If you are looking to purchase a home in the beautiful community of Ashton Ranch, located in the heart of Surprise, Arizona now is the time to buy. There are currently 57 homes offered through the Arizona Multi-list Service and these homes range from $156,900 to $252,000.Now is a perfect time to look at Ashton Ranch for you family. It is only 1 mile from the Surprise Recreation Complex, Aquatic Park, DreamCatcher Park, the Westside Library and spring training home of the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals baseball teams. Ashton Ranch has three pools with hot tubs, spacious common areas with play equipment for the kids and bike paths for avid riders.For more information on the area, community or homes contact me at gthornton3@cox.net or see www.sellingedge-azre.com. 11/17/2007

Welcome to my Sun City Grand Real Estate Page.  Sun City Grand is a Del Webb/Pulte Master Planned Retirement Community located in Suprise, Arizona about 20 miles from downtown Phoenix as a crow flies and north of Bell Road and west of Grand Avenue.  Within this beautiful community you will find over 9000 homes ranging in size from 1000 square feet to well over 3000 square feet all on very nice sized lots.  All of these homes were built between 1998 and 2006 in 4 phases.  Property values have increased significantly over the last few years.  Upon entering this community you will be very impressed by the towering Date Palms, lush landscaping, and beautiful flowing water falls.  Sun City Grand appeals to all the senses and they spare no expense to keep it looking beautiful and colorful yea... 11/16/2007

Water is a most precious commodity in the desert. Programs to conserve and reuse water are vital to each community. The city of Surprise, Arizona has teamed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's WaterSense program to help residents conserve water and reduce costs.The Phoenix Business Journal reports that WaterSense program is "designed to decrease nonagricultural water use through simple conservation methods and the use of high efficiency products." The EPA has a criteria for efficiency in products and WaterSense-labeled product meet this strict standard.The beautiful city of Surprise also is receiving international recognition for its wastewater plan. A Swedish Company, Alfa Laval, manufacturers wastewater treatment equipment, and they are printing a story in their trade maga... 11/12/2007

The Surprise Arizona DreamCatcher Park has been honored as a "Best of the West" award given in the Service to Communities-Health category at the October 25th Westmarc awards banquet in Glendale, Arizona.The park is a real dream because it can accommodate wheelchairs and other mobility devices. This is Surprises first fully-accessible park and it features a softer, more resilient playing surface that is perfect for baseball, football or soccer.Fans can also view the games from shaded, stadium-style seating, keeping the beautiful Arizona sun from shinning down on them. Surprise is a progressive city with families and activities for all ages available. For more information go to http://www.surpriseaz.com/. 11/07/2007

Come honor those who have served our Country on Friday November 9th at the Surprise Northwest Regional Library on Bullard. The City of Surprise is inviting all veterans and the public to attend this special Veterans Day ceremony which will start at 10 AM.Patriotic displays, a police and fire honor guard, speeches and songs will be part of the hour-long event and a Mayoral Proclamation will be read in honor of all veterans.Veterans living within Surprise city limits may call for a free ride to and from the event through the city's Dial-A-Ride service. Come and join the celebration. 11/07/2007

Volunteers are always needd  at the Surprise Food Bank. If you are looking for a way to give back to the community and team-build at the same time, join the St. Mary's/Westside Food Bank Alliance as a group or an individual. The food bank can use from five to 150 volunteers and service includes packing Emergency Food Boxes, sort food from food drives and repack produce. For more information contact ElizaethWunsch at 623-344-2138. 11/05/2007

Many cities in beautiful Arizona have elections on Tuesday 11/6. Many offices are up for election and candidates need your support. Take the time to let your voice be heard by voting for the people of our choice. Don't let a few make decisions in your cities and towns by staying home because it isn't a General Election with National implications. In Surprise, Arizona we have the chance to elect a new mayor for the first time in years. You have a voice, let it be heard at the polls this coming Tuesday! 11/03/2007

Do you have kids in the Dysart School District? Are you interested in the boundaries for the coming years?The Dysart Unified School District is forming a committee to review the boundaries for the 2008-2009 school year and those parents and community members are invited to participate in the process. The meeting will be help on Thursday November 1st at 6:30 PM in the Dysart Education Center, 15802 N. Parkview Place. There are two new elementary schools opening in the district and those boundaries will be discussed as well. There will be two additional meetings open to the public as well. The next meeting after the 1st will be Thursday November 15th and the on November 29th, all at the education center. Get involved in the process and let your voice be heard! 10/31/2007

Do you want to go fishing but not travel a long distance. Right here in Surprise, Arizona is the Surprise Lake, just between the County library and the new tennis complex. It is stocked with a variety of fish and the limits are posted for your convenience. Walk around the lovely lake or picnic at one of the large pavilions that surround the lush lawn and play ground for the kids. The entire Surprise Recreation Campus is 180 acres and is home to the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals the 5 acre fishing lake, a dog park Arizona's largest playground, the Aquatic Center and the region library.Surprise, Arizona is one of the most family friendly communities in the State of Arizona. Come and check out all the amenities that Surprise offers, you won't be disappointed in making it you home. 10/23/2007

A new 49,000 square foot Bashas Grocery Store is now open in Surprise, Arizona at the southeast corner of Waddell and Reems Roads. Bashas is the anchor store in the Marley Park Plaza which will also be home to a variety of retailers, restaurants and service-oriented businesses.Surprise is a beautiful community in the Northwest area of the Valley of the Sun. Surprise reached the 100,000 population level just last year and is a clean and vibrant community. Take the time to visit and enjoy all the amenities Surprise has to offer. 10/22/2007

I read the following post http://activerain.com/blogsview/134449/Property-Managers-Help-Meand wanted to respond to Sara on her property management quandary. I find many landlords have the same questions and lack of understanding on property management.I would be confused by the answers her "interviewed" property managers gave to her as well. My experience with "most" property management/managers is a lack of knowledge (to be kind) and/or professionalism. Property management takes a separate set of skills apart from listing or selling a home. May I suggest some qualities to look for in a property manager for your valuable income property.First, what are your expectations of the property manager? Do you want them to list your home, find renters, do background checks and make certain the p... 10/21/2007

Foreclosure! What a terrible word to deal with in today's housing market. Homeowners facing foreclosure have several options available to them. One option is to consider an auction to unload the property quickly. Another viable option for owners to work out a payment arrangement and schedule with their lender, rather than just waiting for foreclosure. Lenders do NOT want to have a stable of houses and in many cases will work with a homeowner. Some lenders won't work out an arrangement but it doesn't hurt to ask.If this is the case then the borrower could give the lender the title to the property, bypassing the legal fees that get racked up by foreclosure.Then there is the short sale which seem to be in abundance these days. Be sure to use a Realtor experienced in short sales to make the... 10/21/2007

   The frustration you are feeling right now is nothing strange.  Your hopes and plans do not have to end simply because your home did not sell...the first time.  My partner, Christine, and I specialize in helping sellers sell, who for whatever reason, were not able to the first or second time around.  We have a LIST of homes that had expired that we were able to re-list and sell.       Our plan is simple.  We have one!  We know exactly what we are going to do in order to get our homes sold.  We leave nothing to guess work.  Our marketing strategy is laid out, it is proven and it works.  You will not be left in the dark as far as what we are going to do to sell your home.  You will know exactly what is going to happen.    As far as expireds go, usually we can tell you why your home did ... 10/19/2007

The City of Surprise, Arizona city council has approved a new rental accountability ordinance and will be hiring two new employees whose soul responsibility will be o deal with potential problems. The first "specialist" will be on board by the end of November. Although the employee will not be looking strictly at rental properties in the city, it is expected that the majority of the two employees duties will revolve around rental units. The housing boom in Surprise has resulted in an increase in rental properties within the city. The city wants the neighborhoods to be maintained and preserved and the new ordinance is designed to accomplish that goal.Not everyone is happy with the new ordinance and council member Joe Johnson said that this blames the property owners for everything and he... 10/18/2007

Hello,   I just wanted to give all Countryside residents an update on what has happened and what is happening recently.     Currently there are 33 homes for sale in Countryside.  There are 3 homes that are pending.  From 10/1-10/15 -- 3 homes have sold.  This is actually good.  Valley wide 1 in 18 homes sold last month.  So far this month, one in 11 have sold in Countryside.  If the 3 that are pending go through that would make it 1 in 5.5 for Countryside!! -- We will have to watch and see.       Hope this helps!!   Shayne   www.theoasisteam.com 10/16/2007