Flagstaff Blog - Real Estate and All Things Flagstaff: May 2007

Pictures for the Flagstaff Townsite Neighborhood

Here are some pictures from the neighborhood between Thorpe Park and downtown, at the base of Observatory Hill in Flagstaff, AZ. This is the neighbor that is on the national historic registry and for which the City is proposing a designated historic district that would create certain building restrictions.

View east from Thorpe Road down Aspen St.:

View east down Birch Street from Thorpe Park:

Typical home style in the neighborhood:

 Ann Heitland, Flagstaff AZ Real Estate

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Recollections of the Meaning of Memorial Day from Flagstaff AZ

When I was young, Memorial Day was quite different. This was after the days when everyone walked 10 miles to school no matter what the weather, but we were still in the era of black and white TV where the test pattern came on after the 10 o'clock news. Though I now live in Flagstaff, Arizona, my recollections are from Iowa, where I grew up. Somehow, I think the way things were observed in Iowa were not much different from in Flagstaff in the 1950s.

One way in which Memorial Day was different is that every adult called it Decoration Day.  Another difference is that it was not always on Monday as part of a three day weekend. It was on May 30, no matter what day of the week that happened to be. (The change to the last Monday in May happened in 1969.)  May 30 came at a convenient time of year to take a day off in Iowa since the crops were in (meaning corn and soybeans were planted) and it was usually before the first round of hay-baling (farmers tried to get three in each summer/fall in order to keep the cattle in hay during the winter).

So, everyone dressed up as though it were Sunday and got in the car and visited cemeteries. Sometimes, someone would go out to a nearby cemetery the Sunday before the actual holiday so the graves would be decorated before anyone arrived on Memorial Day - there was often a little competition about the most elaborate decoration.

In our family, Decoration Day had little to do with military honors. It was a day to remember the grandparents and others who had died by decorating their graves. By the time we finished the circuit of graveyards (first picking up an aunt and uncle or two to ride along), we may have put over 200 miles on the car at an average of 40 miles per hour on the narrow two-lane roads. We started early and got home long after dark.

Along the way, we looked forward to each cemetery to come because it meant getting out of the hot (no auto air-conditioning then!) car to run around under the shade of the big old trees surrounding the graves. We also learned a lot about our families. All the grandfathers had come directly from Germany to Iowa to claim and farm new land, and to avoid the Kaiser's military draft. One of them had been born in New York harbor and was thus a U.S. citizen though no one else in his family was. The origin of the grandmothers was a bit less clear, but at least one of them was German since that's the language she spoke at home. There were also a few of their children buried nearby - still born babies and victims of life on the plains without the miracle of antibiotics. That sort of thing was much more common in the late 19^th and early 20^th Centuries, and the evidence and history lesson was evident on the ground around us on those Memorial Days.

I was off to college by the time Congress changed Memorial Day to just one of those Uniform Holidays conveniently always located on a Monday to make a nice three-day weekend. Somehow, I think we've lost something important to gain these mini-vacations. 

Ann Heitland, Flagstaff AZ Real Estate

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Flagstaff's Country Club Neighborhood features two 18 hole golf courses (one members only, one open to the public) and two small lakes (in the midwest, at least one would be considered a pond). Here is Lake Elaine (not the pond):

The Country Club area was developed in the 1970s and then was considered "way out there on the east side." Now, especially with the opening of the 4th Street bridge, it is easily accessible and many full time residents call it home. Still many of the homes, especially the townhomes, are second residents for people who live primarily i the Phoenix area. Here is a view of the mountains from Flagstaff's Country Club neighborhood:

Ann Heitland, Flagstaff AZ Real Estate

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Another Hearing Coming Up on Flagstaff Historic District

Here's where we are on the do-over on the Flagstaff ordinance to establish an historic district in the area between Thorpe Park and the downtown business district: The Planning and Zoning Commission approved and recommended the ordinance to City Council after a full hearing last week. Councilwoman Karen Cooper, who sits on the Commission, said she has now heard the presentation so many times she could give it herself.  

For those of you following this thread, which began in February, you know that the City's legal department goofed, requiring a redo of hearings to make the ordinance valid. The proposal will impose some restrictions on building height and color in the neighborhood in order to preserve its original character. The neighborhood is already on the national registry of historic places.

The next hearing is before the City Council - work session on Monday June 4 and council meeting on Tuesday June 5.

Any thoughts? Leave them as a comment below.

Ann Heitland, Flagstaff AZ Real Estate

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Sinagua Heights is a subdivision at the border of what I would call south central and southeast Flagstaff. It is adjacent to State Trust Land that is likely to be developed in the next few years, and to Knoles Elementary School. Its very near Foxglenn Park and Sinagua High School -- the smallest of Flagstaff's three high schools. The homes were built around the turn of the century (20th to 20st) and are mostly two story because of the small size of the lots. Some, on the downslope into state land, have walk out basements. The commute to downtown is made easier by the opening of the 4th St. bridge and the commute to the NAU campus has always been swift down Butler.

Ann Heitland, Flagstaff AZ Real Estate

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Old News on Housing Market - What Does It Mean for Flagstaff?

The numbers for existing home sales nationally in April it the newspapers this a.m. See Wall Street Journal: Existing-Home Sales Fell in April As Subprime Lending Drops Off. This news, always three weeks post-mortem, is always kind of a ho-hum for me. First, there really is no "national" market - all real estate really is local. Second, we've know what went on in our market in April since the beginning of May. See my market report for Flagstaff's April results. Indeed, we've got an early read on May in Flagstaff.

So what is the importance of the April national real estate numbers? They can tell us something about the overall health of the U.S. economy. And if they are down, it's one indicator that the economy is slowing (or maybe has been slow - have you been following the reports of inaccuracies in government reporting about the economy??). Eventually, a slow economy will effect our market - as it has for the last 18 months by slowing the rise in prices. Yes, our prices are still rising overall. But not at the red-hot pace of 2004 and 2005, and for how long only time will tell.

Ann Heitland, Team Heitland at RE/MAX Peak Properties, Flagstaff AZ

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Memorial Day Weekend in Downtown Flagstaff

The weather may be cool, but there will be hot nights in the old town this weekend:

Friday May 25th:
Sunset
Movies on the Square Presents:  Shrek

Saturday May 26th:
2-4pm
Heritage Square Trust's Summer Concert Series Presents:
Traditional Blend

Sunday May 27th:
2-4pm
Heritage Square Trust's Summer Concert Series Presents:
The Gypsy Chicks

Monday May 28th:
2-4pm
Heritage Square Trust's Summer Concert Series Presents:
Burnett Family Bluegrass

For a full schedule of events at Heritage Square in Downtown Flagstaff

Ann Heitland, Team Heitland at RE/MAX Peak Properties, Flagstaff AZ

Foxglenn Park in Flagstaff Arizona

Foxglenn Park is a City of Flagstaff Regional Park on what many refer to as the "east side" but which is actually fairly central. It occupies over 28 acres of city-owned property and connects to the Flagstaff urban trail. It is near Sinagua High School and Knoles Elementary School, the Foxglenn, Elk Run, Fox Lair, Sinagua Heights and Country Club neighborhoods.

Facilities at Foxglenn Park include: Playground, 1 + ½ basketball court, 2 soccer fields, 1 youth baseball field, 1 youth softball field, 3 picnic ramadas, permanent restrooms, and 1 skate track. Reservations are generally required through the City Parks and Recreation Department.

Intersection of Butler and Foxglenn roads - view of Mt. Elden and the San Francisco Peaks as see from the entrance to Foxglenn Park. The townhomes across the intersection are the Spring Meadows group.

Ann Heitland, Flagstaff AZ

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Flagstaff Historic Walk -- Sunday, May 27, 2007

This Sunday presents a great opportunity to learn some Flagstaff history and take a stroll during a quiet time in historic downtown Flagstaff.

Local historians Richard and Sherry Mangum, dressed in period costumes, will lead a free 90 minute Historic Walking Tour of downtown. Reservations are required.

Yes, these are the authors of Flagstaff Hikes and Sedona Hikes - in their many editions. These are the best hiking books because they give a realistic picture of the difficulty of hikes with great maps. Richard Mangum was a lawyer and judge in Flagstaff for many years until he "retired" to his true calling of introducing the beauties of his hometown to all of us Flagstaff newbies.

The details:

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 Ann Heitland, Flagstaff AZ Real Estate

www.bestflagstaffhomes.com

If mortgage debt is good debt, why are so many borrowers having such a bad time?

 Jonathan Clements poses an nteresting question today in his Wall Street Journal column. He discusses why leveraging using a  mortage can be your best investment move. Or could turn into more than a giant headache. Read the column here:

GETTING GOING By JONATHAN CLEMENTS

My own view is that its always best to use your home equity if you are going to leverage your investments for the simple reason that this is the lowest interest rate you'll get anywhere. Don't put your investments in little boxes and try to make each of them cash flow. Look at the big picture. If your rental home is not quite cash flowing, but its got good appreciation potential, go for it. Rather than pay the higher rate on mortgage loans secured by investment property, use your home equity (or some combination) to make the purchase. Look at the big picture and make sure that picture shows that your cash flow from all sources will cover your living expenses -- from your career, your real estate investments, and your other investments. I'm not sure that borrowing money to stick it in the stock market (401ks) makes sense. Probably not. But paying down a 5.5% home mortgage when your income increases rather than putting money in 401ks probably does not make sense either. Think it through!