BlogArizona Category: Pools & SpasThis page contains all BlogArizona posts related to Pools & Spas. Read a specific post by clicking on a title below, or scroll further down the page to read through all posts in this category.Friday, August 20, 2010Arizona monsoons are bad for swimming pools!The other night, it got so windy that it blew a lawn chair in my pool. It also blew a million leaves and some of our landscaping lights in the pool. Where are my teenagers when I need them? Gotta love Arizona monsoons! Posted by Shannon Hubbard, AZ Realtor & Computer Guru on August 20, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBack Sunday, July 05, 2009Federal Reserve Keeps Interest Rates Low... No Worries About InflationI'm really sick of looking at this really old post about the Federal Reserve and interest rates so I'm posting an update! At the end of June, the Federal Reserve met and decided to keep the federal funds rate the same at 0 - 0.25%. The federal funds rate is the rate banks charge each other. This was really no big surprise, as most economists expected the Fed to leave the rate alone. It hasn't changed since December 2008 and isn't likely to increase anytime soon. The Fed says that the pace of economic contraction is slowing and there's evidence of household spending stabilizing, but inflation does not seem to be a worry to the Fed right now.
Posted by BlogArizona BlogMaster on July 5, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (5) Sunday, March 23, 2008Arizona Snowbirds in my Swimming Pool?Okay, these may not be the type of 'Arizona snowbirds' you were expecting... But early this morning, we found an Easter surprise in our swimming pool. These two ducks decided to use our pool as a free hotel. They spent a couple hours drinking, bathing and resting in our pool before continuing on their journey. I'm no bird expert, but we figure they probably needed a place to stop and rest as they were migrating home (heading back north after flying south for the winter?). My kids were hoping they were an Easter present. My cats were hoping they were dinner. And although they were kind of fun to have as guests for a couple of hours, I'm just glad they're gone! ![]() Happy Easter to you and yours!
Posted by Shannon Hubbard, AZ Realtor & Computer Guru on March 23, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack Saturday, July 21, 2007Home Maintenance and Do-It-Yourself BasicsHomeowners often make repairs and/or improvements to their home right after moving in, and prior to selling. Whether you're doing a major remodeling job or just installing new carpet or wallpaper, sometimes the most simple advice can also be the most helpful. So always remember the basics:
And last but certainly not least...an ounce of inspection is worth a pound of repair!
Posted by Scott Hubbard, Arizona Home Inspector on July 21, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack Saturday, June 16, 2007Summer Maintenance Links for Arizona HomeownersI intended to spend some time blogging this wonderful Saturday morning. However, as the real estate market picks up speed for summer, so does my schedule. So instead, I'll spend my day off doing 2 home inspections and a mold test. Oh well, that's just how life goes sometimes! So for today, I'll just post some links to maintenance information that will help to prepare you, your family and your home for this summer season. Swimming Pool Safety & Maintenance
Maintaining Your Home's Air Conditioner
Saving Energy & Keeping Your AZ Summer Electric Bill Low
Other Home Maintenance for the Arizona Summer Things to Do in Arizona During the Hot Summer
And by the way, if you're looking for something (other than the proverbial tie) to give Dad for Father's Day, here are a couple of cool ideas (Hint, Hint to my wife & kids!):
Can you tell I like airplanes? Okay, so I can dream anyway... Enjoy your Saturday!
Posted by Scott Hubbard, Arizona Home Inspector on June 16, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack Saturday, June 09, 2007Buying a Home with a Swimming Pool?
Safety - Even if you do NOT have small children yourself, safety is always a concern when you have a swimming pool. You might have friends and/or relatives with children, or you might just have to worry about a neighbor kid wandering in your backyard. Be sure to consider the cost of adding a fence if you're buying a home with an unfenced pool. Also, there's more to Arizona's Pool Barrier Laws than just having a fence, so be sure to check and comply with local rules. Financial Cost - You should expect both planned and unplanned repairs when you own a pool. Over time, pumps stop working and vacuum equipment wears out. In addition to the repair and maintenance costs, there will also be chemicals to buy, along with increased water and electric bills. Time and effort to maintain - Even a so-called 'self-cleaning' pool takes time and effort to maintain, especially during the Arizona monsoon season! So be sure you're willing to commit the time and effort necessary to properly maintain a pool. An improperly maintained swimming pool will be seen as a liability to potential buyers. Here's a more detailed article about swimming pool maintenance (written by my favorite home inspector, of course!). And if you don't have a swimming pool at home but want to cool off over the summer, most of the Valley's junior high schools have swimming pools that are open to the public during the summer. Here's a list of swimming pools at Mesa junior high schools.
Posted by Shannon Hubbard, AZ Realtor & Computer Guru on June 9, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack Friday, April 13, 2007BlogArizona.com Welcomes the Arizona Mortgage Guru!Those who read BlogArizona.com regularly have probably noticed that I myself have been a blog mute over the past few months! To the many people who read BlogArizona.com each day, I sincerely apologize for my absence. Of course, there's no excuse to neglect your blog :) But I will say (in my defense and in defense of the AZ real estate market in general) that I've been crazy busy lately! No matter what the newspaper or other media may say, BUYERS ARE BACK TO THE ARIZONA REAL ESTATE MARKET! That's why I haven't blogged lately! Now that we've established that the Arizona "real estate bubble" is still not bursting, I want to welcome Shailesh Ghimire to BlogArizona.com. Shailesh is the Arizona Mortgage Guru and a local Home Loan Expert. Shailesh and his wife Aimee are a team at CTX Mortgage, serving the Greater Phoenix area. If you've read Shailesh's first BlogArizona post or visited his blog, I think you'll agree that Shailesh will make a great addition to BlogArizona.com. I have no doubt that his posts will add interesting and current content that BlogArizona readers will enjoy. I also want to say that while I haven't posted much lately, I have been working on some new upgrades/features for BlogArizona. These improvements will be added over time, and that's all I'm saying so you'll have to keep checking back to find out what they are! BlogArizona.com is also looking to add new Contributors. Here's more information if you or someone you know is interested.
Posted by Shannon Hubbard, AZ Realtor & Computer Guru on April 13, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack Thursday, October 26, 2006Construction ePay - Escrow Service for RemodelsHave you ever heard of something new and thought to yourself, "That's a great idea, why didn't someone think of that sooner?". Well that's exactly what I thought when I heard of this new company called Construction ePay. They are basically an escrow service for homeowners and contractors to use during remodels, repairs and other home projects. Construction ePay helps to keep things fair for everyone involved by acting as a neutral third party during home remodeling projects, much like an escrow or title company does during the purchase of a home. So if you needed a new roof put on your home, instead of trusting some roofer you found in the yellow pages with an upfront payment of several thousand dollars, you would pay Construction ePay instead. They hold the money for safe keeping and disburse it to the contractor of your choice as work is completed. If there are problems, you can freeze your payment until the problem is resolved. They even offer mediation services if necessary. Construction ePay charges the contractor a 2% fee, or a 5% fee if the customer pays by credit card. For the homeowner, Construction ePay offers protection against fraudulent contractors as well as unfinished and sub-standard work. Construction ePay is also beneficial to the contractor because it keeps him from having to chase down payments and even allows him to accept credit cards if he does not already. And since Construction ePay will provide customers with a list of contractors who are willing to use their service, contractors might even find some new clients by being on that list. Knowing that this service exists, I cannot think of any reason why a homeowner would NOT use it when hiring a contractor - at least for major jobs. And the fact that the fee is paid by the contractor makes this service even more of a no-brainer! In response to the problems that often arise between homeowners and contractors, my home inspection company, Homewerx Home Inspections offers what's called a Dispute Resolution Inspection. This type of inspection is just what it sounds like - an inspection by a third party to help resolve a dispute. We also offer what's called a Remodeling Inspection, which is performed during and/or after remodeling or other home repairs. Having a Certified Home Inspector on your side can often help persuade a contractor to do quality work. But it cannot protect the homeowner from a contractor that's just plain crooked - and believe me they're out there. Just the other day, my inspection company did an inspection and some mold tests for this poor older lady who was left without a roof by a fraudulent contractor. She paid him to replace her roof, but instead he disappeared right after he removed the old roof. Of course, it rained while the roof was off so not only did she have to pay for her new roof twice, but now she has mold growing all over her house too. The inspection and mold tests were necessary after the fact. But she could have avoided the whole ordeal if she had used Construction ePay in the first place! Construction ePay has a great idea and I'll be very interested to see how well this idea catches on.
Posted by Shannon Hubbard, AZ Realtor & Computer Guru on October 26, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack Monday, September 04, 2006Arizona Monsoon Storms Can Be Pretty!For me, this Labor Day weekend was a nice, relaxing few days in the Valley! As an added bonus, the evening monsoon storms created some of the coolest looking desert skies I've seen in awhile. But a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are some photos taken from my house in North Mesa over the weekend. None of these photos were altered in any way. Enjoy!
Hope you enjoyed your Labor Day weekend as much as I enjoyed mine! Here are some links to learn more about Home Maintenance for the Arizona Monsoon Season, Inspecting Your Arizona Home After a Monsoon Storm, Arizona Roof Maintenance and the Exterior of Your Home.
Posted by Shannon Hubbard, AZ Realtor & Computer Guru on September 4, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack Saturday, June 03, 2006Keep the Kids Cool at Local Jr. High SchoolsSummer is here and if you have kids, they will soon be bored out of their minds! As a parent, this can make you crazy! So to keep your kids busy this summer, check out your local Parks & Recreation Department. Most local cities have a variety of classes, sports and other activities you can enroll your kids in for the summer. Also, most of the junior high schools have swimming pools that become public pools during the summer months. Even if you have your own swimming pool, your kids can still enjoy hanging out at one of the city pools. Some of them have big water slides that the kids love (see Aquatic Complexes below), and of course, there are always tons of other kids there! For those who live in Mesa, here is a list of swimming pools where you can take your kids (for a small fee, of course):
Fees are as follows: Mesa also offers swimming lessons, competitve swimming and special pool events. For more information, call (480) 644-4950 or visit the City of Mesa's website.
Posted by Shannon Hubbard, AZ Realtor & Computer Guru on June 3, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack |
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