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| Investment group buys businesses to
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A small private investment group is making big moves in the home improvement sector.
Tempe-based RCC Holdings bought local businesses The Granite Shop of Northern Arizona, Builders Choice, which operates Carpet One, and Prescott Granite earlier this year.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
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| Backwater, backflow - it all comes back to preventing disasters |
Q: What is the difference between a backwater valve and backflow prevention?-Larry from Prescott
A: First, let's detail exactly what backwater is. Backwater is the backflow of raw sewage from blockage in a sewer line that could result in flood damage to a residential, commercial or public property. Backwater flows can be prevented by properly installing and maintaining a backwater valve.
A backwater valve is a simple and relatively inexpensive device that is installed in your private sewer service line.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
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| Be skeptical of rental-by-mail arrangements |
Kristina Houston knew the offer was too good to be true.
It was late July when Houston was searching for a place to rent on Craigs-list and came across a rental property off Willow Lake Road.
So Houston began trading e-mails with a man claiming to work as a missionary and camp director in West Africa.
(1 comments)
Thursday, August 19, 2010
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| Unlicensed contractors leave customers high and dry (or broke and wet) |
In response to a recent column, the Yavapai County Contractors Association received many calls from local residents who hired contractors that turned out to be unlicensed. In one case, the resident hired a painting contractor who quoted a verbal price for the work. The resident told him to proceed and paid him for the original work quoted for $1,800.
(1 comments)
Thursday, August 19, 2010
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| Home inspectors are not home connectors |
I, and all inspectors, have been inspecting a lot of bank-owned properties lately. Banks seem to work about as fast as a 1968 VW bus going up a steep hill (with a flat tire), so some of these homes have been vacant for some time. I have been asked several times recently (by clients, Realtors and other inspectors) if I operate the evaporative cooler. If the cooler is connected and full of water I will operate it. If the cooler is still "winterized," I will not operate it.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
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| Manufactured home sellers offer favorable pricing
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Manufactured home dealers in the tri-city said this week that business isn't that bad considering the lagging economy.
With a housing market that is very slow to recover from its free-fall over the past several years, two local dealers said business is about where it was this past year.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
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| Going green keeps the green in your wallet
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We've had several questions this week that pertain to green energy. We all have an opportunity to make a positive impact on our environment. Wikipedia says that "environment" refers to the surroundings of an object. So we, the humans, must be the objects, and we are surrounded by our natural environment, our home environment, our social environment, our work environment, our sustainable resources environment, even our desktop environment (and boy oh boy, is my desktop environment a mess!)
Thursday, August 12, 2010
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| Foreclosure activity still on the rise |
RealtyTrac reported this week that foreclosure filings rose nearly 4 percent in July over June.
The residential data aggregator reported that filings, including default notices, auctions and bank repossessions, hit more than 325,000 properties this past month, which is the 17th consecutive month with foreclosure activity surpassing 300,000 properties.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
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| Investment firm buys into Prescott Valley Pronghorn subdivision |
A New York-based investment company recently bought a number of lots in Prescott Valley. Lexin Capital bought the vacant lots in the Pronghorn subdivision in a deal that closed about a month ago.
Thursday, August 05, 2010
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| Scam fax targets local contractors |
Sarah Pacheco recently got a fax that didn't seem right to her. Pacheco, a bookkeeper for Western Sealant Co. in Prescott, received a fax purportedly from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Thursday, August 05, 2010
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| Gutters are homes' behind-the-scenes heroes |
Spikes, pipebands, zip screws, elbows, gutter sheet, zigzag elbows, butterfly clips, dog leg elbows, funnels, scuppers and sleeves. Is this hair salon jargon? Medical terminology? A list of obscure kitchen utensils? Actually, these terms are all related to a very practical, useful and nondescript home accessory that should be installed on every home: gutters!
(2 comments)
Thursday, August 05, 2010
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| News about mandatory pool inspections is erroneous |
Two weeks ago, an e-mail was sent out to all Prescott-area real estate agents and home inspectors stating that a new law was passed regarding home inspections.
Thursday, August 05, 2010
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| ACC OKs energy-efficiency rules
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The Arizona Corporation Commission Wednesday approved rules to increase the use of energy efficiency programs for homes and businesses by Arizona Public Service and other public utilities.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
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| PANT to discuss drugs in neighborhoods |
The Prescott-area group of the Arizona Real Estate Investors Association will meet from 5:30 to 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 3, at the Yavapai Title Conference Room, 1235 E. Gurley St.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
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| Using unlicensed contractors often leads to disaster |
Q: We are getting ready to interview for a builder of our retirement home in Prescott. What are some of the most important questions we should ask? -Joe and Diane, Williamson Valley, Prescott
Thursday, July 29, 2010
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| Foreclosure rate still rising in tri-city area |
New market data shows the foreclosure rate and late mortgage payments in the tri-city area continue to rise.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
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| Economy, foreclosures continue to stymie new home sector
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It was late June when a new fitness center opened in the Granville subdivision on the west side of Glassford Hill Road. Typically a feature that draws prospective homebuyers, the 1,000-square-foot center got some advertising exposure and local radio support to promote it.
"It didn't generate one sale, so that tells you a little bit what it's like," said Joe Contadino, president of Universal Homes, the developer behind he subdivision.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
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| Household ingredients can neutralize skunk odor |
Q: Help! This past winter we were invaded by a family of skunks. Six of these furry little creatures were caught in traps and removed by wildlife professionals and relocated to the woods. We have not had another invasion; however, an odor has remained inside our home. Here we are, eight months later, and the one side of our home reeks of Eau De Skunk. The odor emanates from the side of the home where the skunks were captured. When the sun shines on that side of our home, the smell begins. The smell is inside only. We have tried charcoal, baking soda, perfumes and vinegar, all to no avail. Sometimes the odor seems to come up through the bathroom sink. The only relief we are afforded is when we open the doors and let the air in. Heat, rain and air conditioning make the smell worse. Any suggestions? - E & J, Williamson Valley, Prescott
(1 comments)
Thursday, July 22, 2010
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| Buyers are hot under the collar over air conditioners |
Whew, it's getting hot out! I have to put some extra shirts in my van every Monday morning because when I come out of an attic I can literally wring out the shirt I'm wearing. My only consolation is thinking of my buddies in Phoenix. I've found attics more than 135 degrees up here. It could be 130 degrees in the garage in Phoenix, before you start up the ladder.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
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| Bike & Build riders travel the nation to help make affordable housing a reality
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Jocelyn Fults hopes to move into her new home in the coming days. It's a special event for Fults and her family members, who are set to start new lives in one of two new Prescott Area Habitat for Humanity homes.
(2 comments)
Thursday, July 15, 2010
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