Urban Life

The Willo Tour 2012 is going to be great

Just a last minute reminder that the Willo Tour is happening this weekend on Sunday, February 12th, 2012.

If you've never been to the Willo Historic Home Tour in downtown Phoenix, you should change that. Many people have no idea we have some very sweet historic homes in downtown Phoenix and Willo is home to a bunch of them.

Beside the historic home tour, they ahave a great street fair with music, food and lots of vendors with wonderful gifts and goodies.

We have more information including how to buy tickets and where to park for the 2012 Willo Historic home tour on our sister site.  Just click on the link below

2012 Willo Historic Tour Information, Parking and Tickets

Best to you,

Gene Urban
The Urban Team at Realty Executives
Phoenix, AZ
602-234-5777

Urban Team's Downtown Phoenix Real Estate Site Has A New Look

The web site gnomes have been very busy lately changing the theme and updating our downtown and north central real estate, home information and search site, UrbanConnectionRealty.com. 

We've been using the StudioPress Agent theme for a whiile and just updated to the latest version. It has amazing navigation tools and everyone tells us it is much easier to get to articles on the real estate subjects they care about. The best comment so far is that the new design is better than a bag of fritos.

We've added a completely new section to the site about short sales in downtown and north central Phoenix. We've collected the most asked short sale questions and written artlces to provide in-depth answers.  Here is a direct link to the short sale page with links to the answers:

Short Sale Help, Information in Downtown and North Central Phoenix AZ

In addition to the short sale section, we are continuing our journey through the 35 historic districts in downtown and midtown Phoenix. This project has turned to to be incredibly fun. We've been researching historic archieves, walking Fred the Dog though neighborhoods and taking some real quality time. Our goal is to provide new insight in these special pieces of Phoenix history rather do a cut and paste rehash of someone elses work. Here is a link to the landing page for the historic district and info section of the site:

Historic Phoenix Homes Arizona

Wow, this post got longer than intended. We hope you like the new look and ease of navigation on the UrbanConnectionRealty.com site. If you have comments or want us to add something, leave us a comment on the site. We love your input.

Best to all,

The Urban Team at Realty Executives
7600 N. 16th Street, Suite 100
Phoenix, AZ 85020
602-234-5777
602-486-4839 (text)
Gene@UrbanTeamAZ.com

Vanishing Phoenix Looks at Buildings Gone Bye

The City of Phoenix hosted a lecture by Rob Melikian yesterday. Melikian, owner of the Hotel San Carlos, recently published his second book entitled Vanishing Phoenix.

Vanishing Phoenix looks at buildings, homes and businesses that have vanished from the landscape of downtown Phoenix. For those of us who have "seen the light" and value the our historical heritage, Melikian offers a rich account of building gone bye-bye and a valuable argument for why we need historic preservation.

On our sister site, www.UrbanConnectionRealty.com, we posted an article that looks at the rise and fall of an amazing theater... The Fox West Coast Phoenix. If you would like to read this piece we have a link for you.

Urban Connection Looks at the Rise and Fall of the Fox Theater in Phoenix

We strongly urge you to pick up a copy of Vanishing Phoenix. You can stop by the Hotel San Carlos and get an autographed copy or it is available at Bard's Books and online too.

We believe you will be astounded by the architecture and design of the buildings and homes while the stories will both gladden and sadden as you read about what we had and lost. 

Gene Urban and Ron Urban
The Urban Team at Realty Executives
602-234-5777

Help The Historic Preservation Office

I attended the Historic Preservation Commission meeting last night where several members of the public spoke out against the proposed merger of HP and Development Services.

I wrote an analysis of the meeting, some memorable statements and a call to action on our sister site, www.UrbanConnectionRealty.com. I would ask all of you who love our historic neighborhoods, homes, and buildings to read the article and let your voice be heard. It is very important that we let the City of Phoenix know how important historic preservation is to the future of our city.

You can read the article about the Historic Preservation office here.

Thanks in advance for your help and input on this important issue. 

Gene Urban
The Urban Team at Realty Executives
602-234-5777

The Green Remodel Workshop in Phoenix

The folks at Green Street are putting on two Green Remodeling workshops in the Phoenix area. The first of the two workshops is being offered on April 1st for the first 24 people who sign up. 

The workshop is targeted for licensed professionals, including Architects, Contractors, Designers, Specifiers, Municipalities, Code Enforcers, Builders, Students, and anyone interested in revitalizing and making aging housing stock green and more energy efficient and they say it is not intended for the general public.

Below is an except of the Green Remodeling workshop description.

“The greenest building is the existing one”
The federal tax credits for green remodeling end energy efficient improvements have tripled to 30%. Industry research suggests that remodeling and retrofitting the nation’s older homes will have a more significant effect on reducing residential energy consumption than meeting even the most aggressive efficiency goals for new homes. Help your clients take advantage of government incentives and tax credits.

Upon completion of this session, you will be able to overcome common objections to going green, including the myth that green is too expensive, green is not durable, green is a gimmick, green materials are not easily available, and green does not make sense. The featured case study is Arizona’s first LEED certified single-family remodel, providing strong support for green remodeling. Attendees will learn common mistakes to avoid, best practices, how to design green, the cost and return on energy efficient improvements including solar, the latest in government incentives for green remodeling, green material sourcing, recycle and reuse guides, and an introduction to green rating systems including LEED and NAHB.

For more information on these workshops, visit the Green Street website at: http://www.greenstreetdev.com/green-remodel-workshop/

If you go, please send us an email about the event so we can post it to our friends here at Urban Life.

Happy St. Patty's to all...

Gene Urban
The Urban Team at Realty Executives
602-234-5777

 

Phoenix Area Home Owners, New EPA Rules May Affect Remodeling Projects

Do you own a home built before 1979? Is your home considered a historic property? Do you have young children living or visiting your home? If you answered yes, be aware rules are about to change regarding the remodeling and repair of your home.

I’ve done a bit of cut and paste from the National Association of Home Builder’s web site that will give you their take on the new laws regarding renovation, repair and painting of older homes. In addition, at the end of this post is a news clip from 12 News in Phoenix offering more insight and information.

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting rule governing the work of professional remodelers in homes where there is lead-based paint was published in the Federal Register on Earth Day, April 22. The rule will take effect in April 2010.

The rule addresses remodeling and renovation projects disturbing more than six square feet of potentially contaminated painted surfaces for all residential and multifamily structures built prior to 1978 that are inhabited or frequented by pregnant women and children under the age of six.

Summary of the Rule

Review the points below for a quick summary of the new EPA lead paint rule.

1.   Training and Certification

Beginning in April 2010, firms working in pre-1978 homes will need to be certified. Along with the firm certification, an employee will also need to be certified as a Certified Renovator. This employee will be responsible for training other employees and overseeing work practices and cleaning.

2.   Work Practices

Once work starts on a pre-1978 renovation, the Certified Renovator has a number of responsibilities. Before the work starts this person will post warning signs outside the work area and supervise setting up containment to prevent spreading dust. The rule lists specific containment procedures for both interior and exterior projects. It forbids certain work practices including open flame or torch burning, use of a heat gun that exceeds 1100°F, and high-speed sanding and grinding unless the tool is equipped with a HEPA exhaust control. Once the work is completed, the regulation specifies cleaning and waste disposal procedures. Clean up procedures must be supervised by a certified renovator.

3.   Verification and Record Keeping

After clean up is complete the certified renovator must verify the cleaning by matching a cleaning cloth with an EPA verification card. If the cloth appears dirtier or darker than the card the cleaning must be repeated.

A complete file of records on the project must be kept by the certified renovator for three years. These records include, but aren't limited to: verification of owner/occupant receipt of the Renovate Right pamphlet or attempt to inform, documentation of work practices, Certified Renovator certification, and proof of worker training. NAHB believes that record keeping will be a major enforcement tool for the regulation.

4.   Exemptions

It is important to note that these work practices may be waived under these conditions:

• The home or child occupied facility was built after 1978.
• The repairs are minor, with interior work disturbing less than six square feet or exteriors disturbing less than 20 square feet being exempt.
• The homeowner may also opt out by signing a waiver if there are no children under age six frequently visiting the property, no one in the home is pregnant, or the property is not a child-occupied facility. EPA has proposed removing this opt-out from the rule.
• If the house or components test lead free by a Certified Risk Assessor, Lead Inspector or Certified Renovator

CHANNEL 12 NEWS CLIP:

We’ll try and get more information to you on this subject as it evolves… including a place to find certified renovation contractors in Arizona. Our research, thus far, has turned a blank page on such searches.

Best to you,

Gene & Ron Urban
The Urban Team at Realty Executives
602-234-5777

Our commentary is simply that, personal commentary and is not intended as legal advise.

Willo Historic District in Phoenix, a bit of history and information

I began writing articles about the various historic districts in Phoenix about a year ago. The more I research and write, the more facinated I get. Today's post is on the Willo historic district; Its character and make-up are a real lesson in Phoenix history.

Let’s begin our story with location, make up and size of Willo. Unlike most Phoenix historic districts, Willo is comprised of many subdivisions. Most writers say there are 22 whereas my research suggests 23- 24 in all. Its rough geographic boundaries are Thomas Ave to the North, McDowell to the south, 1^st Avenue to the east and 7^th street to the west.

Homes in the area have a wide range of architectural styles. This comes as no surprise since homes were designed and built here over a long period of time. Maricopa County records indicate home building began in 1905 and continued into the 1950’s with a few newer builds here and there. As you venture through the area you’ll find examples of many styles including:

• Monterey Style
• Greek Revival
• Pueblo Revival
• French Provincial
• Spanish Mission Revival
• Tudor Revival
• American Colonial Revival
• Georgian Revival
• Bungalow/Craftsman
• Ranch

 

 

Home building began in the southern parts of Willo during the early 1900's and the boom of revival style homes. The 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago and the Panama-California Exposition of 1915 in San Diego advanced the notion that revival style architecture was a good thing. The Chicago Fair is likely why we see so many Tudors revivals while the San Diego exposition is credited with the explosion of Spanish Colonial style homes and its cousins such as Spanish Mission and Monterey Revival designs.

The various revival style homes have a sence of playfulness about them. This matches the era, 1890-1928, that included the Roaring 20's, dawn of air travel, a boom stock market and so much more.

Most home building came to a halt when the Great Depression hit. Many of the newer subdivisions fell into financial ruin and land-lots were left unbuilt while people went into survival mode. Does this strike you as similar to Phoenix today as we struggle to emerge from the housing boom and bust of 2003-2010? (I think this will be a topic of a future post.)

Building began again as the Federal Housing Authority brought hope and access to financing,  they also brought new construction standards to the table. The FHA liked building projects that were mass produced and lower priced such as ranch, stripped down French Provincial and Spanish/Monterey style homes. This is evidence in subdivisions such as Lou Mar and Loma Vista where such styles are more prevalent.

I invite you to explore the Willo district and take a step back into our City and Country’s history. Take notice of the difference between the home styles south of Encanto and those to the north west where FHA and post WWII buying trends had a significant influence on style and construction techniques.

For more information about the various Phoenix historic districts, please visit our main site: www.UrbanTeamAZ.com.

Gene Urban
The Urban Team at Realty Executives
602-234-5777

CLICK HERE TO GET TICKETS AND INFORMATION ABOUT THE ANNUAL WILLOW HISTORIC TOUR AND FAIR.  

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2010 Willo Historic Home Tour Information

We are getting close to the 22nd annual Willo Historic District Home Tour. YEAH!  Once a year the residents of Willo, between Thomas & McDowell and Central & 7th Ave, open several homes to the public.

If you have never been, you will want to add this to your Valentine's Day festivities. What better way to celebrate love than to walk hand-in-hand with your dearest and visit homes that also show a lot of love.

The Willo home tour is this Sunday, February 14th, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Besides the charming homes, there is a cheerful street fair to enjoy. Does it get any better than this?...well maybe a beach in the Bahamas. However, if you are not winging your way to some exotic place, come join the festivities at Willo.

Tickets and information can be found on the official Willo Historic District Web Site.

By the way, if you find you want to learn more about the historic neighborhoods of Phoenix, visit our main site's historic homes in Phoenix, AZ info page.

A little tour of the Willo Historic Disctrict...

 

La Hacienda Historic District in Central Phoenix Arizona

Welcome as we explore another of the 35 historic districts in Phoenix, AZ. Today we look at La Hacienda Historic District.

La Hacienda Historic District, northeast of Thomas and 3^rd St. is a special mix of predominantly revival and ranch style homes. The district is comprised of two 1920’s subdivisions, La Hacienda and Mayfair, roughly bounded by 3^rd & 7^th streets and Verde Ln. & Catalina Dr.

Las Hacienda subdivision was the creation of Maurice and Ruth Obear and established in July of 1926. Their goal, according to historic records, was to create a neighborhood that would complement the nearby Phoenix Country Club and attract well heeled home owners.

The Obear’s contracted renowned architect Herbert Green to design some of the initial homes. Green, also the architect of record for nearly half the Phoenix County Club homes, was noted for his passion for the Spanish and Monterey revival style. Green’s influence is clearly evident throughout Las Hacienda.

Mayfair is the second subdivision that comprises Las Hacienda historic district. It begins at 3^rd street and ends at 5^th street.

John and Dorothy Bonds plated this neighborhood in 1928 creating 48 home lots. The lots were smaller than La Hacienda’s and sold for a fair amount less. Records state you could buy a lot in Mayfair for $840-$1140 in 1928, whereas Las Hacienda lots sold for $1500-$1750 during the same period.

Homeowners in the area describe the neighborhood as warm and friendly. Many use the light rail and biking to downtown restaurants and activities is common. The hardest thing is finding one of these home for sale, especially in the original La Hacienda subdivision. That, in itself, speaks volumes for the neighborhood.

Architectural styles represented in La Hacienda historic district include:

• Spanish Colonial Revival
• Monterey Revival
• Mediterranean Revival
• Pueblo Revival
• Cap Cod Revival
• Transitional and Modified Ranch
• Mid-Century

If you would like to see a virtual tour of La Hacienda Historic District, visit our primatry web site's La Hacienda page. We also have information on the homes currently on the market in La Hacienda.

Best to you,

Gene Urban
The Urban Team at Realty Executives
602-234-5777

FQ Story Historic District a look at revival homes in Phoenix, AZ

We just completed an article about the FQ Story Historic District in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. You'll find the complete text on our main web site, UrbanTeamAZ.com.

FQ Story is one of the sweetest historic districts in all of Phoenix and well worth taking a walking tour through. I like to catch a bite at the Original Hamburger Works and park at the 7th Ave and Lynwood entrance. Water in hand you'll be on your way to a wonder walking adventure. Afterwards, you may want to pop by SideBar for a cool refreshment... its a great locals hangout.

Rather than re-post the article on our main web site, just follow the link... UrbanTeamAZ.com. We have a bit of neighborhood history, a virtual tour and a look at the various homes currently looking for a new owner.

Enjoy,

Gene Urban
The Urban Team at Realty Executives
602-234-5777