Autism Speaks

My cousin sent this email to me today and it really made me think.. I am so fortunate to have healthy children.. So, as she asked me to do in the email, I am passing this along to my friends and family.. Please take a look..

The band, Five for Fighting, is generously donating $0.40 to Autism
Speaks for *each time* the video is viewed the funding goes toward research studies to help find a cure. When you have a moment, please visit the link below to watch the video and pass it along to your friends and family.
Click Here for the What Kind of World video.

Nick's Annual Cancer Climb

Once again, I have sponsored a team for the annual "Climb to Conquer Cancer" that is held at South Mountain. I hope that you can join me and participate in this very fun event that will be held on Saturday, February 23rd. The "climb" is actually a walk up the mountain and is a great way to raise money and awareness for the American Cancer Society. The cost to participate is $35.00 and includes registration, t-shirt, food, drinks and lot's of fun. I will be glad to register you and pick up/deliver your t-shirt so that all you have to do is show up the day of the event and have fun! If I register or donate for you, you don't get on any more mailing lists. :-)

Another option is to join "Georges Team" which is a team our family sponsors in memory of my father in law who lost a very courageous battle with Cancer last February. To join or to donate online, click here.

I am sure that all of us have been effected by cancer, either by a friend, family member or co-worker. Together, we can help! If you are not able to participate but would like to make a donation, please let me know and I'll be glad to help with that! Please feel free to contact me for any information. I have registration forms, information packets etc, that I can deliver or email to you. If you have any questions, just give me a call or leave a comment here on the blog..

Thanks so much!
Nick

Maricopa County Home & Garden Show

Since we have a Home Improvements and Helpful Hints link on our web site, I thought it would be a good idea to add some information about the Maricopa County Home & Garden Shows that occur a few times a year at the Fairgrounds and at the U of P Stadium. According to their web site, this years schedule is as follows.

January 11, 12, 13, 2008 - Arizona State Fairgrounds
April 25, 26, 27, 2008 - Arizona State Fairgrounds
August 1, 2, 3, 2008 - University of Phoenix Stadium
September 26, 27, 28, 2008 - Arizona State Fairgrounds

You can always get a lot of good information and ideas at these shows. Home Improvements and re-modeling are big business as many people are deciding to invest in their properties in many different ways. It might be a park-like back yard, a gourmet kitchen or anything else.
You can talk to all kinds of industry experts for your home improvement ideas and should also be able to come away with some very helpful hints.
Of course, you can always stay tuned to my blog and to the web site as we promise to add a lot more info in the future.

Sensationalism,The Media and McDonalds

Last week, I saw at least five different articles mentioning the closure of Re/Max 2000. The blogs on az central have had a bunch of comments and they love that stuff. The fact is, the poor decisions and media nightmare for this guy (Kline) effect a very small percentage of people in real estate. I know that there were (are) many very good agents that work(ed) at Re/Max 2000. Much of the public doesn't realize that each of these offices are independently owned and that, Re/Max as a whole is NOT closing down. Yesterday, I met with some clients to go over some things pertaining to our transaction. It just so happens that the buyer's agent works for Re/Max so "mrs. seller" asks if "we" should be concerned. Once I explained that (most) agents are independent contractors and that many offices are franchised, they got a better picture of the situation. Funny thing, she compared him to a McDonalds employee! :-)
I personally know brokers and agents from the company and have a lot of respect for some of them. You see, agents have a license and unless they choose to be a broker, their license must be "under" a broker to practice real estate.
If this is all clear as mud and you want to know anything about the real estate industry or about the market in your area.. "Just Call Nick!" - I'd be glad to help..

Home Maintenance - A couple more ideas

Home ownership, in my opinion, is a great idea. With the responsibility of owning a home, or just about any other asset, there are things you can do to protect your investment. We will add to the list often so be sure to follow along. :-)
A couple of important and routine things you can do are:

1. Replace your batteries (do it today!) in your smoke detectors. This should be done at least once a year. Yes, I know that most of them have the little annoying "chirp" when the batteries are low but, it is better to be safe than sorry.

2. Replace the filter in your heat pump / air conditioner. This should be done monthly but many people in AZ forget it in the winter time. Saves wear and tear on the unit, helps the system to work more efficiently.

For more Home Maintenance and Home Improvement tips, you can always visit this link on our web site..