Hopefully these are the first photos posted from RainCamp Prescott - Mike Jones & I met up about 4 AM today for the easy drive up to northern Arizona together. As we pulled into Prescott, we spied quite a few intriguing photo opportunities - and took a short detour to take advantage of them.  I'll let Mike share the best shots - since he had the luxury of the passenger seat!                       The location for RainCamp is the Prescott Resort & Conference Center situated on a ridge high up above the Prescott Valley:     Prescott is known for its wide-open spaces and spectacular views. Registration isn't even finished yet & look at all the people attending! Why attend conferences like this?  Learning new techniques and best practices to better help our business and our clients in more ... 08/26/2010

I am EXCITEDabout Raincamp coming to Prescott, Arizona!  I am also excited about meeting as many fellow-conservatives and TEA Partiers as possible. I will be wearing a BOLD shirt to identify myself as a Patriot. Please post comments and/or e-mail me if you want to meet.   Specifically, I am looking for people who are enthusiastic about supporting We the INFORMED People.   08/17/2010

The term "Shoot Yourself in the Foot" is appropriate here.  Growth helps to produce a healthy real estate market. To stop or slow down growth is to stifle the lifeblood of real estate. Also, The Sierra Club and other environmentalists have been using the no-growth sympathizers to further their own agenda for building their own interests and to expand control of our lives and our land. We see this played-out here in Prescott as the CWAG seeks to claim we need to save the Verde River by not drilling wells and by not building the Big Chino Pipeline. 08/15/2010

On August 24, 2010, We the INFORMED People, with the help of the Yavapai TEA Party, put on the Prescott Valley Freedom Rally. We fortunately brought in Victoria Jackson to perform. She posted this marvelous story about Prescott and her experience in visiting Prescott and participating in our rally. Prescott, AZ July 24, 2010. I find myself in a storybook Town Square. A perfect pillared 1800’s courthouse surrounded by ancient trees and a Sound Of Music gazebo. Across the street is The Palace, a famous bar that people like Wyatt Earp haunted back in the Gold Rush days. A giant poster of Junior Bonner starring Steve McQueen proves the movie was shot in this bar. I do a handstand in front of the Old West re-enactors. One of the highlights of her trip was hearing Quang Nguyen, a naturalized ... 08/15/2010

After 10 years of helping Prescott Area Home Buyers find the best deals I have often had the feeling that there was more I could do to help my buyers. I used to ignore the signs that said "For Sale By Owner" as I would drive my clients around town. One day it occurred to me that perhaps the best home for my client's was not listed on the MLS. Perhaps it was on Craigslist or not online at all, just a small sign in a yard.  So I shifted the way I help buyers to include these properties. And for the most part its not hard, just a little different. Here's how it works. If my client has a Craigslist or other FSBO property they want to see I first contact the and ask, "Mr. and Mrs. Seller if I brought you a qualified buyer and an acceptable offer, would you be willing to pay me?". I have foun... 08/11/2010

Prescott, Arizona is holding the "Prescott Film Festival" this weekend August 6-8...this festival will take Prescott's Ponderosa Pines by storm.                                                    It is held in various locations:   Elks Opera House   Mile High Middle School   Yavapai College   The films start at 9am at these various location. Official Selections for the 2010 Festival are complete!  There are some fabulous films coming to Prescott and so far 19 filmmakers are scheduled to appear!  So get ready for a glamorous opening night party at a beautiful historic building in downtown Prescott.  After the party, our first special event, the Opening Night Film will screen a few steps away in the newly remodeled Elks Opera House . Films will screen Friday, Saturday and Sunday at variou... 08/07/2010

As a busy Prescott AZ Realtor, I spend a huge number of hours on the phone. Several years ago I decided that to limit my exposure to the cell phone radiation I should get a bluetooth headset. After much research and trial and error I found Plantronics. My research showed me that Plantronics both had really good products and great customer support. Since then I have gone through 6 bluetooth headsets all made by Plantronics and that has brought me to a couple of conclusions.   1. The Voyager Pro exceeds my expectations.  Plantronics makes great products, but the smallest models don't seem to have the battery life I require. However the Plantronics Voyager Pro lasts nearly two days of near constant use and it also has better sound quality than my cell phone used alone.   2. Plantronics as ... 08/06/2010

Here is a short Book called "Opportunity is Knocking: Your Guide to the Ins and Outs of Finding a Good Deal in Today's Market" 08/02/2010

RainCamp is coming to Prescott Arizona! We have already been fortunate to have Ben Kinney from Active Rain in Belllingham teach a class on social networking here in Prescott, but now we are super fortunate to have RainCamp visiting us up close and personal:) During my 8 week BOLD training with Kelller Williams, I learned that the two most important factors in determining where a person is headed are: 1. what books are they reading, and 2. who are they hanging out with. I really enjoy reading Active Rain blog posts from our industriy's best and brightest and now I get another opportunity to spend time with the people who are shaping social networking. This is a really excitiing opportunity that should not be missed by anybody in the Real Estate industry in Arizona.   I look forward to sh... 07/27/2010

One of the things I find myself explaining frequently to buyers is "when are short sales a good idea for me?". First lets take a look at the Prescott AZ market breakdown:   Right now Bank owned or REO sales make up the lion's share at nearly half of all sales. Then retail sales come in at 42% with short sales making up only 8%. This is interesting because if you look at type of sales by listing, short sales make up between 25% to 30% of all the Yavapai County listings. So why the big discrepancy? The fact is the huge majority of short sales never close. Instead they end up as a foreclosure and any buyers who wrote offers and waited patiently ended up waisting time. There are however situations where the short sale listing is a good deal and a good idea for certain buyers.  Here is what ... 07/22/2010

When you ask residents what it is that makes the city of Prescott so likeable and attractive, they are bound to tell you that it is the historic character of the city.  Whether it is downtown or places like Pinecrest, West Prescott, Union Street and the like, they all help to preserve the city's historic character in some way. Much of Prescott's history is linked to its Old West days, and much of this Old West flavor remains in Equestrian Real Estate in Prescott, AZ.  There are still many people who keep the cowboy lifestyle alive and thriving by purchasing and maintaining horse property. These properties, some with several acres, allow horse owners to live the type of lifestyle they have always dreamed of.  At the same time, they can give the animals they love the quality of life that ... 07/21/2010

Prescott is where the Old West meets the modern world. The town offers some of the best views of the mountains and provides a serene atmosphere for residents to enjoy a pleasant lifestyle. Prescott has open spaces and lots of horse riding trails, and the town also offers some of the best equestrian properties in the region. If you are looking for Prescott Horse Property for Sale then you will be impressed to find the variety of floor plans and the lavish lifestyle that you can have by investing in such properties. Prescott is an excellent place to call home. There are a number of attractions that you can visit in the city. You can visit the Heritage Park Zoo or spend some time playing golf at one of the golf courses in the city. The Mile-High Trail System in Prescott offers 28 miles of ... 07/16/2010

Because Prescott Arizona has always been a wonderful place to live, I get a considerable number of calls an emails from people who are considering moving here from all over the U.S. and Canada. It makes sense that as a Realtor I would be the right person to ask for information about a new area. So I have developed a system for helping out of town home buyers learn about Prescott and the surrounding areas. First I ask plenty of questions about motivation. Its important for me to understand what they buyer is trying to accomplish so I can best help them.  Prescott Arizona has a warm and friendly culture and I find it important to relay that to the buyers. Next I work on understanding the type of home and neighborhood that will work best for the buyers. I do this by sending a bunch of list... 07/01/2010

Short Sales and Foreclosures benefit banks because of FDIC sweetheart deals. That's why loan modifications are impossible to get. Banks can make more money by accepting short sales.   06/29/2010

I would like to start off by introducing my self.My name is Micah Schisel, I have been working in the Real Estate business for 7 years now, and originally started working for Realty Experts here in Prescott AZ, and I just recently switched companies to Keller Williams Check Realty.I specialize in Residential homes and Commercial properties, and mainly deal with buyers, but I will never turn down a good listing to ad to my sold portfolio. From what I have seen, the Real Estate market here in Prescott has been surprisingly strong in comparison with the rest of the western states. As we all know the Phoenix market is so soft right now that you can purchase a very nice home in a very nice area for around $50,000. But the Prescott market is different, our supply and demand is not as nearly u... 06/28/2010

I am featuring two great neighborhoods in Williamson Valley north of Prescott, Arizona. Glensandra Rd is at the southern edge of these neighborhoods and is about 6.6 miles from the junction of Williamson Valley Road with Iron Springs Road. Both neighborhoods are somewhat rural in nature, as most of the lots are 70,000 sq-ft. The lots marked in green in Granite Oaks were made legal for horses in specific mention in the CC&Rs. Granite Oaks is served by a private water company, so there is no need for each property owner to drill a private well.  Here is a map of the neighborhoods. Get an Adobe Acrobat version of this map. 06/27/2010

Note:  I hired a young writer from Prescott, Arizona that I know, Andrew McIntire, to write an article as a ghost writer. I want to give him full credit for his work. I firmly believe that all of us are responsible for the financial demise of our country and the way we use credit is largely to blame. Much has changed in America over the last one hundred years. Corporations have come and gone, Wall Street has had its ups and downs, and every year brings us a new standard for fashion in clothing. Additionally, the American mentality has shifted on almost every level from diet to finances. Most Americans have evolved in their philosophy of money and how they handle it. But is it a good evolution? Are we climbing the so-called evolutionary ladder, or are we getting caught up in harmful muta... 06/12/2010

I was excited to hear about this story of the release of a rehabilitated bald eagle at one of our City of Prescott Lakes. Bob Fox of Wild at Heart raptor rehab in Cave Creek allows “Dugas,” a rehabilitated bald eagle, to stretch his wings before release Monday at Watson Lake. TribPhoto/Heidi Dahms Foster Those who attended the release of a rehabilitated bald eagle Monday at Watson Lake got a real thrill out of seeing the magnificent bird up close and then witnessing it fly, healthy and free, into the wild. A rancher discovered the bird on the Dugas Road near Mayer in March, and called Game & Fish. The eagle was not able to fly, and appeared ill, so Game & Fish officials took it to Wild at Heart, a raptor rehabilitation center in Cave Creek. Directors Bob and wife, Sam Fox named him Duga... 06/09/2010

Luckily for those of us in Prescott, Arizona, the foreclosure market  in the Prescott community has not been as serious as Phoenix's foreclosure market.  Phoenix was number 2 on the list only to Las Vegas, Nevada! Homes in Prescott, Arizona are still selling and Prescott has remained "Everybody's Home Town".  Prescott Arizona has been the backdrop for several movies . . . if not for the cars and paved streets, it could still be one of the bustling towns of the old west. Whiskey Row, in our downtown historic district, is full of tourists visiting our local businesses and taking advantage of our many great restaurants.  With summer quickly approaching, the World's Oldest Rodeo is just around the corner and will sell out every day of the event over the July 4th holiday.  We hope that you'l... 05/15/2010

Its taken me almost 10 years, but I have finally reached the point in my business where I have more clients then I can effectively work with. So I have been prioritizing buyer's from the beginning with excellent results. During my first meeting with a new buyer client I ask the question, "What priority buyer are you?" An "A" buyer is one who has only a short time to get into a home before potentially becoming homeless, is ready, willing and able to purchase today. This buyer has all the most important issues already dealt with, but needs a good agent to help find the best home for their needs and to walk them through the selection, offer and escrow process. The "B" buyer is one with most of the required issues dealt with, but not all. For instance they may need to  complete the qualific... 04/25/2010