Thursday, January 31, 2008
Gilbert Searches for a New Superintendent
Today the Arizona Republic published an article stating that Gilbert residents wanted to know more about the four candidates for the Gilbert Public Schools Superintendent position that is up for grabs. Education is always important in community issues, but GPS holds one of the highest ranking school districts in the entire state. It is one of the major things that have kept our community property values high, while attracting more and more families. One would think we could trust grown, educated adults to mind their manners. However, as a realist I know that absolutely nothing gets as heated as debates about local education. Ask any school board member or PTA president. The four candidates include Dave Allison, Gayle Blanchard, Ken James and Barb VeNard. Out of the four, the I have no clue about the rest. I don't feel too bad about that as I only have a kindergartner and am not truly entrenched in the education politics yet. Here's hoping the oh-so-secret selection committee can make the right decision. Frankly I'm glad I'm not in their shoes. Labels: gilbert events, gilbert real estate, mommy news, schools
I knew they were searching for a new superintendent, but had no idea that they had narrowed down the field to four candidates. All of which have over 15 years experience in the district. This is why the district has cited that they have kept everything hush, hush. When all is said and done, only one will be picked and the other three will still have to work together. No mudslinging everyone. 
only one I know is Gayle Blanchard; she's my son's principal. I've only met her once when I toured the school, but I was very impressed with her balance of laidbackness with complete organization and total respect for the students. She's running one of the top 10 school's in the state. I think that really counts for something.
Elena Thurston, Family Realtor @ 5:38 PM
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Sunday, January 27, 2008
Why I do what I do...To Feel Something More Powerful Than Me...
My story is a short one, but very powerful for me. Awhile a One step in the home and it became clear. It was a $750,000 home that was upgraded and decorated like a $150,000 home. It was only an okay floorplan and they were asking way too much money. Most of that could be fixed so I agreed to take the listing with the agreement they would let me and my stager change almost everything and we would significantly lower the price. That was hard for them as they had a custom home of their dreams in a neighborhood with ties already, that would be done in 60 days. The bank was already leaning heavily on them as everything was mortgaged in their current equity. Their five children asked them everyday if it was time to move yet, if they could have their toys out again, what school would they be starting at? This was a desperate and emotional situation. Many prayers were being offered by this family, their friends, and their new neighbors. The pressure began to build. I wanted desperately to deliver but knew it would be a long shot. We're talking a 6,000 square foot home with 8 bedrooms, 5 baths, and no formal dining. Who in the world can I convince to buy this? The second day on the market, we had three showings. One day later, we got a call. An offer was coming in. That's always good news. But the stunner is the story behind the offer. It was a cash, full price offer and the deal closed within 21 days, much to the happiness of everyone involved. This one I refused to accept any thanks for. All I did was put the sign in the yard. Someone more powerful and more all-seeing than me found a way for these families to come together. My mom asked when I was going to hang the SOLD sign. I responded, "I wish there was a sign that said 'sold by GOD, assisted by Elena Thurston'". I am so grateful I was there to witness it. It humbled me. And I need that.
I was asked recently to write about why I do Real Estate...
go, I was able to sell a beautiful home in a short period of time. Turns out the wife's best friend had had her home on the market for almost a year without one offer. The market wasn't all that bad at the time and it didn't make much sense. Her listing contract ended and she called me.
The buyers were a family with 5 kids of their own, 3 of which were special needs and had been adopted. The prior week they got a call that the wife's parents had been killed in a car accident, and the three kids still living at home would be given to her and her husband. There was money in the trust fund earmarked for the purchase of a new house, which they of course needed asap.
Elena Thurston, Family Realtor @ 5:55 PM
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Monday, January 21, 2008
Gabriel's Angels: A Gilbert Event Not to be Missed!
Okay, I'll admit it. I am not a pet person. For one reason only, they (dogs especially) tear my little heart out. My heart is torn in enough pieces with my sweet kids so I can't do it with a pet too. However, that's the exact reason why I love to write about Gabriel's Angels. So, I am screaming the news far and wide that NOW is your chance to not only have some fun with the family, but support one of the best causes ever. Saturday March 1 at 8:30 am is the Gabriel's Angels Walk-a-Thon and Doggie Beach Party. There will be a 2 mile fun walk starting at 9:30 and Beach Party Fesitivities after that. Cosmo Dog Park is known to be the nicest dog park in the United States so this is a great excuse to check it out. Even if you don't have a pooch, it looks like a great time. Labels: gilbert events, mommy news
Gabriel's Angels started with one dog and one woman, going to the Crisis Center and visiting the children there. With each visit, came more smiles, laughter, and even a little hope for these sweet kids. Now there are over 90 teams volunteering at 80 facilities. I find that absolutely incredible.
Elena Thurston, Family Realtor @ 3:32 PM
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Wednesday, January 16, 2008
What's the difference between Gilbert, AZ and Chandler, AZ?
This question is very common for people thinking of moving to the Phoenix-area, or even just from the West Side to the East Side. When people research good schools (which are VERY important for resale value and investment regardless of your child status), three areas generally come up. The Scottsdale/Paradise Valley area, which is generally too expensive for most families, and then the city of Chandler and city of Gilbert. Chandler and Gilbert are right next to each other and so it stands to question, "What's the difference?" I put that question to a few of my mommy friends to check their perception of the cities. Heather Vanacour, owner of Stroller Strides and mother of one, said "The feel of Gilbert, even in city management, seems to be more family oriented." I would agree with her. City of Gilbert knows that it's bread and butter is the amount of families in a Another example of that is in city planning. In Gilbert, developers are required to build in play structures within the communities per number of homes. That allieves the city of developing a ton of city parks. Chandler has some really incredible city parks, huge structures that all feel new and seem to go on forever. However in Gilbert, pretty much every child can walk to a park from his/her home. While it might not be amazing, it's accessible. Cherryl, mom of 5, said "I honestly can't think of anything except that Chandler seems to have more businesses and Gilbert use to seem to have much more residential, but i guess that has been slowly changing as well." Cheryl is spot on with her assessment. Chandler has been able to attract huge, high-tech companies such as Intel, Micro-Age, and Amkor. While those some of the employees with families do live in Chandler, there's also a huge amount of the single professional there as well. You are hard-pressed to find many singles in Gilbert. Debi, mother of 2 and former teacher said, "I grew up in Chandler but now, as you know, live in Gilbert. Honestly I don't see a real big difference between the two. I think both have good and bad areas, both have a great school district, and both have really good shopping and entertainment. The only thing I can think of is that I think Gilbert pays higher taxes." I agree with her, although I can't find anything to support that perception. I think Gilbert does pay higher property taxes. However Chandler's land will be built out by 2010, already you can see the consequence of that in higher price tags for homes. With the amount of farm land Gilbert still has to develop, Gilbert homes have a long time of being slightly more affordable than Chandler. From a real estate standpoint, I can only see one primary difference. Chandler is older than Gilbert, only slightly but still it's there. So, the not so nice areas of Chandler are a little more widespread and they have more older homes to weed through than Gilbert. I tried to find crime stats on the two areas. From the Chandler Police Department page, you find this map with After reading this, you might feel I'm being biased towards Gilbert and maybe I am, since it's where I live and raise my family. But I can think of some wonderful neighborhoods in Chandler such as Pinelake Estates, and Old Stone Ranch. Stand-out neighborhoods in Gilbert include Jake's Ranch, Agritopia, and Country Lane. Everytime I write an ending paragraph to this article, it sounds like I'm trying to bash one or the other. So I'll just say this, you need to visit both areas. Look around and get a feel for the differences. Your instinct will tell you where the right place is for your family. Labels: AZ neighborhoods, chandler real estate, gilbert real estate
nd their attraction to Gilbert. There was even a new outdoor mall built just recently, with a huge focus on families. There are multiple play areas and the sidewalks were designed so multiple strollers could walk side by side. Developers cited the desire to cater to Gilbert families. 
In the same vein, Chandler has a huge amount of golf courses per population. In Arizona, anytime you have lots of golf courses, you're also going to find lots of retirees. Which is great, I'm just pointing out the differences in population between Gilbert and Chandler. 
the info that there were 156,563 calls for service in 2006. On the City of Gilbert page you can find this map with total service calls being 57,577. That's a big difference. But as you can see, none of these local moms had the perception that one city was safer than another.
Elena Thurston, Family Realtor @ 9:39 AM
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Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Best Investments for Your Home
Labels: gilbert real estate, home improvements, selling your home
With the holiday season finally over and Spring fast approaching, the most common question I get these days is, "What kind of improvements should I make on my home?" My first response is always, if you have to go into debt to do it, it's probably not worth it. But if you have some money saved or there's a nice tax refund coming, it's nice to know which improvements you will both enjoy on a day to day basis as well as get the best return on investment.
Hands down where you get the most money out of renovation is the kitchen and the master bath, in that order. Then move to the exterior, including landscaping (hello curb appeal!), then general interior features such as windows, carpet, doors.
Kitchens
• The two most popular features are appliances and countertops. Therefore if it would make your heart happy to change to granite countertops or to have stainless steel appliances, then those are wise investments. Not only will they be highly appreciated from a buyer perspective, but you will enjoy them on a daily basis until you sell your home.
• Cabinets need to look beautiful. Sometimes that can be done as easily as a wipe-on stain, sometimes more extensive work is needed. The easiest and most affordable way to make your kitchen cabinets stunning is to finally put on those handles and knobs you’ve been wanting for years. It’s easy to do with the $15 guide Home Depot sells and it makes a huge difference for any cabinet, takes your home from typical to custom.
Master Bath
• About 75% of my female clients are “bath” women. When they see your tub, they have to be able to think “oh yeah, first night in the house, I’m getting in there”. Make the necessary changes to let that happen.
• If you still have brass fixtures in your bathroom, run don’t walk to the nearest hardware store and replace all of it. Nothing dates a home like brass. Go with chrome, brushed nickel, or oil-rubbed bronze depending on your taste and budget.
• Finally, “spa out” your master bathroom. We’re talking white terry cloth towels, robes, and rugs, one maybe two (not dozens) tasteful candles. NO fake plants. Think posh resort, very neutral, very zen. You will love it for the time being and potential buyers will go nuts.
Finally, if you need to move within the next six months also consider the following:
• Nothing says “new house” like fresh paint. And we’re talking NEUTRAL. That can be hard to find because even tan colors can lean towards green, pink, or yellow. If I have a hot listing and I need to neutralize in a hurry, I go straight to Dunn Edwards’ Inside Passage. Complements just about everything.
• Gorgeous window treatments can transform your house so quickly. I’m talking custom, not Target. I use Nicole Fuller of Custom Home Interior to do fabulous window treatments on all of my listings, she’s creative, affordable, and fast. Caution: once you have them you’ll wonder how you lived without.
• The smell of new carpet can boost the value of a home intensely for a buyer. If you’re being relocated and will leave the house empty anyway, new carpet will definitely pay off. And there are companies that will wait for payment until the house closes.
Elena Thurston, Family Realtor @ 1:32 PM
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Wednesday, January 02, 2008
This Week's "You Gotta Know"
Labels: AZ neighborhoods, family neighborhoods, gotta know, killer deal, mesa neighborhoods
As a professional Realtor, I see dozens of homes every week. I love it but it has made me cynical as to being satisfied with my own next purchase. I have been able to determine what makes a really great home and I know I won't be satisfied with less than amazing. Luckily for my husband, that time is a long way off.
Once in awhile I come across a home with the "it" factor that even I could be more than happy with. I'm talking, location, neighborhood, floorplan, upgrades, and yes, even price. This Week's "You Gotta Know" is that house.
Is this my listing? No. But I am advertising it with the permission of the listing agent. Why would I give him free advertising? Because I specialize in great homes in Family Friendly Neighborhoods and my clients wouldn't be fully served without knowing about this house.
Location: Easy driving distance to 2 freeways, 5 minutes to shopping, elementary school within walking distance. Wait, it gets better. The home is officially in Mesa, which means loooow Mesa taxes. But the nearby school is in the Gilbert School District, one of the best in the state. Doesn't get much better than that.
Neighborhood: It's a large single level home in an entire neighborhood of single level homes. I know many people that live there and they all love it. Literally entire extended families live in the neighborhood because it's that friendly. THERE IS NO HOA. (a rarity in the Phoenix area) Yet, the neighborhood is well maintained and there are even annual block parties.
Floorplan: You want to look for a house with good bones. And then a little extra somthin' somethin'. This home has it with 4 bedrooms, plus a den, PLUS A 3RD FULL BATHROOM. Imagine your guests having their own area without sharing a bathroom with the kids. It's 2400 square feet, separate formals and family room, open kitchen with corner pantry, walk in closet in the master suite, etc. Bonus: North/South exposure.
Finally my favorite part of the house (and the upgrades) is the pool. Right next to the massive covered patio you'll find the fully fenced pool with rock waterfall and lots of cool deck. Because the lot is much bigger than your typical Phoenix area homesite, there is still plenty of room in the backyard for toys, even a extra concrete for an RV or boat.
Woops, almost forgot about the pricetag. It's being offered at $339k, a pretty great deal for 2400 square feet, all single level, 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, plus a den, plus a pool, on a huge North/South lot.
If this sounds like your cup of tea, email me at info@elenathurston.com. The home is vacant so it's always ready for a showing.
Have a great day,
Elena
Elena Thurston, Family Realtor @ 3:54 PM
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Name: Elena Thurston, Family Realtor
Home: Gilbert, Arizona, United States
About Me: My passion is Family Real Estate. Families need more than just a nice house, they need a neighborhood and community where they can give and receive a feeling of home. I am one of the rare Arizona natives. I received my bachelors degree at Arizona State University and my real estate license at Arizona School of Real Estate and Business.
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