Trauma Intervention Programs of AZ, Inc.



Volunteers Needed


Would you be able to give comfort to someone in their darkest hours? That’s what TIP volunteers do.


TIP, Trauma Intervention Programs of AZ, Inc., is a program where citizen volunteers respond to traumatic events, at the request of police, fire and hospital personnel. These volunteers comfort those affected by traumatic experiences, so that the first responders can continue with their jobs. TIP has hundreds of resources and dedicated instructors to work with to prepare you for such calls as natural or unexpected deaths, accidents, victims of crime, structure fires and suicides.


As you can imagine, this takes a special person to put themselves in the face of tragedy, to comfort a total stranger. “If someone who has experienced a tragedy has no one to lean on, you can really make an impact. I am honored to be allowed to share in what could be their darkest hour” states one volunteer.


TIP provides a caring presence and administers ‘emotional first aid’. They can be the information liaison between the client, medical staff, first responders, clergy and law enforcement and they are knowledgeable with county wide resources.


A TIP Training Academy begins on Thursday, April 26th in Cottonwood. For more information visit www.tipofaz.org or call 928-445-4655

THINGS THAT REALTORS® WISH THAT BUYERS KNEW UP FRONT:


1: Buying real estate today is not like the last time you bought real estate, and not like when your parents bought real estate. The rules have changed.


A majority of the reasonably priced inventory on the market today is either bank owned (a foreclosure) or a short sale (a property that we are trying to sell for less than the owner owes on it. We have to get the bank/lender’s permission to do this. This bank/lender does not often have a reliable system in place to deal with our request, which means that short sales can be frustrating, bizarre, and unpredictable.)

Understand that the bank/seller or bank/current lender in these situations does not care whether or not you buy this property. If you step away they know that somebody else will step up.


The old back-and-forth negotiation rules that we all know and love will probably lose you a deal or two. Listen to your REALTOR®’s advice – this is not their first rodeo.

2: All real estate agents are not the same.

About half of the real estate agents out there are just that – people licensed by the State of Arizona to sell real estate. The other half are REALTORS®. REALTORS® are also licensed to sell real estate.


The difference is that REALTORS® have joined the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), the Arizona Association of REALTORS® (AAR), and if you are reading this, it was given to you by a member of the Sedona Verde Valley Association of REALTORS® (SVVAR).


A REALTOR® has sworn to abide by the NAR Code of Ethics. If they have not sworn to adhere to the Code of Ethics they will not be allowed to be a member of any of these organizations. You can read the NAR Code of Ethics at http://www.realtor.org/mempolweb.nsf/pages/code


Look for that big ®. It means that you are dealing with an ethical professional. It means that your REALTOR® is highly trained and regulated, and that you now have the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and the REALTOR’S® Property Resource (RPR) at your disposal.


3: Zillow’s Zestimates (and their ilk) are not gospel. They’re usually not even very accurate. 



Zillow, Trulia, County Assessor’s property valuations – none of these tools are a reliable way to figure out what a particular property is worth. When you come to your REALTOR® and say “I want to offer the Zestimate price” you may or may not hear the snort, but I’ll bet it was there.


Zillow is an advertising site, not a property valuation site. Do you see those “Featured Partners” ads? Zillow makes money by selling those ad blocks, and they sell the ad blocks by getting people to come to Zillow hoping to get an insider’s scoop on property values.



Your REALTOR® has something better. We can pull current, accurate, targeted valuations through MLS and RPR®, using the RPR REALTOR® Valuation Model.


We know the neighborhoods and we know the properties. We can tell you what a property is worth and then we can prove it.

4: Your REALTOR® works on a commission basis.



REALTORS® do not usually get a salary. We get paid when your deal closes. We spend thousands of dollars to get licensed and thousands more in dues and continuing education. Gas, vehicle maintenance, clothes, cards, paper, ink, computers, office, MLS & SVVAR & AAR & NAR dues, all of this overhead is given to you on faith that you are real and are going to try to buy one of the properties that we show you.


People who think “It’s fun to look, and a cheap way to spend a Sunday” with no intention of buying might as well just come into our homes and steal money from our wallets and take the food off of our tables.


Also, trying to grab a piece of our commissions during the deal is tacky. It’s not “just good business” on your part.

5: Buying real estate does not have to be a fight.



Even though on paper this is an inherently adversarial process, in reality it doesn’t have to be. Some people say “Yeah, but they want to get the highest amount while I want to pay the least. Of course it’s adversarial!” I would counter with “You want to buy the property. They want you to buy the property. Your REALTOR® wants to help that to happen. Where’s the adversarial part?”


Deals can get blown and relationships ruined by the attitude that we must squeeze the last drop of blood out of the “other side.” We must not leave even one smidgen of crumb on the table!


Well, maybe you should leave that last crumb. Wouldn’t it be so much better after close of escrow if you felt comfortable calling up the seller and asking if they know why the trees are making that funny noise?



6. Your REALTOR® has the same fiduciary requirements to their clients that your attorney, priest, or doctor has.



That’s right – a REALTOR®’s client can expect the same level of confidentiality from their REALTOR® as you expect from your priest. Our agency relationship with a client mandates:



• Confidentiality


• Accountability


• Reasonable Care and Due Diligence


• Loyalty


• Obedience to lawful requests


• Advocating and Good Advice


• Disclosure






7: How do I become a client instead of just a customer?



Ask for, read and then sign the Buyer’s Broker employment form with your REALTOR®. If you don’t, all that you can legally expect is disclosure.




8: Yes, consensual dual agency is legal in Arizona.



Your REALTOR® is legally allowed to be both yours and “the other side’s” REALTOR®, as long as everybody involved is aware of what it means and agrees and gives written permission for them to do so by signing the Consent to Limited Dual Agency form.


What does signing this form mean to you? It means that the REALTOR® sort of sits on the fence in between both parties, refereeing. The reality is that sooner or later you will ask a question (How much will they really take for this property?) that your REALTOR® will answer with, “I’m sorry. I’m not allowed to answer that.” Rest assured that the other guy will get the same answer when he asks that same question (How much will they really pay?).



9. Your Arizona REALTOR® is allowed to write contracts.



We’re very highly trained in contract writing, and this is part of the service. If you want to run anything by your attorney, feel free. You don’t have to, but you certainly can.



If you have any question, ask your REALTOR®. They’ll be happy to explain until you’re satisfied.

I’m not supposed to say “Merry Christmas” anymore because it isn’t PC. I started to climb up on my high horse, but then realized, “Well, yeah. If we assume that to say “Merry Christmas!” means that I’m attempting to force the majority of humans into a Christian mold then they’re right and we should give it a rest.”



But what if we just accept the spirit of the thing, instead of thinking so much all of the time? But maybe that’s just easy for me to say, not really being a member of any organizational religion. I called up some of my non-Christian friends and asked them if they feel insulted or coerced or bad when somebody smiles and waves and wishes them a Merry Christmas (or Easter, or Valentine’s Day…………) Neither the Buddhist nor the Taoist nor the Jew nor the atheist nor the agnostic feel insulted at the words “Merry Christmas!” They accept the motivation and ignore the details. It’s sort of like if I was Swedish I could still enjoy the fireworks on the fourth of July, right?



Do you detect some week before Xmas punchiness? Yes, you do. I’m tired of the stress, I’m tired of the buying, I’m tired of planning, I’m tired of thinking about the money I’m spending, I’m tired of Carols and cards and thrice-accursed commercials. (I had already cursed Christmas commercials thrice by the end of October. No telling what the count is by now.) I’m tired of thinking about it and I’ll be glad when the day is over.



I’ve forgotten what Christmas is all about.



But wait a minute! When I was a kid I started counting on December 26th. “365 days until Christmas.” Seriously – I always knew exactly how many days it was until next Christmas. So what the heck? I’d better figure it out before the ghosts come and take me on some strange trips.

(I know exactly what happened, actually. I blame Christmas for things that aren’t its fault. Christmas didn’t create horrible memories – horrible people did. Chance did. Bad luck did. Crap happens and there’s a 1 in 12 chance that it will happen during The Season. If I insist on associating that song or that smell with this happening pretty soon I’ve ruined the whole thing. So then I overcompensate by buying too much stuff, trying to make up for the fact that I’d rather be in Belize.)


But what about the good memories? I’ve been on this planet for 52 Christmases. There’s gotta be something to get twinkly about, right? There’s gotta be a grin or two back there someplace! There are. I’ve just gotta pull my head out of my attitude and see it. There are lots more grins and giggles than there are icks. LOTS more. OK. Like what?

I love the idea of celebrating the birthday of one of the world’s great teachers, and I really love “Peace on Earth, Good Will Towards All.” I love the children’s Winter programs. They do crack me up, those poor little kids up there on the stage. I love the tree. I love the lights. I love to give sparkly presents. (I hate to wrap them, but they’re sure pretty when they’re done.) I love the feast, and I especially love that I now have help cooking it. I love people’s attitudes this time of year - we really are nicer, I think. I love seeing the “Feed The Hungry” bins overflowing. I love the excitement on the grandchildren’s faces when they come over and see a new present under the tree. I love Ralphie.



I believe that the great leaders of all religions taught the same thing: Be nice. Be good. Do your best. Keep your priorities straight. Love another. Take care of the weak and feed the hungry. Do the right thing. We are all brothers and sisters, and what hurts one of us hurts all of us. Respect the Earth. At its best, Christmas embodies these concepts and gives us a season for embracing them.



So there’s the secret. I have to quit concentrating on the things that are nails on a blackboard to me, and make room to see and appreciate the things that are special to this time of year.



Happy Holidays!

‎"Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." (Christopher Robin to Winnie the Pooh)  A.A. Milne

bizarre

It’s weird being human. Life itself is odd, and then we increase the lunacy by choosing a profession with a structure that is inherently bizarre.



We work a job where we often don’t get paid for our time and expertise. I think that every professional in the world should work on a commission basis, just like us. Lawyer? You don’t get paid if we don’t win. President? Not a penny until everybody has something nutritious to eat. Doctor? I’ll write a check when I’m healthy. Airline? Pound sand until I’m on the ground, on time, holding unbroken luggage. Think of the difference THAT would make in the world!



If we do manage to get paid, we get paid the same amount no matter if the deal goes along slicker than a greased pig or if it takes months of blood, sweat, tears, and sleepless nights. Sometimes I make $1,000 an hour, sometimes it’s more like 10 cents an hour.



We work a job where we have no idea when we get up in the morning what’s going to happen that day. A day with a clear calendar at 8 AM might see me writing 6 different offers, we might see 6 deals go south, or I might get a nap. There’s just no predicting.


If we work with a buyer, we usually expect to get paid by the opposing side, which is weird. To explain to a buyer how it could happen that they might get to write us a check (for taking good care of their best interests and probably getting them an awesome deal) is viewed as some sort of nasty betrayal. Truly bizarre!



And then, on top of being human and a REALTOR®, we decide to practice in Arizona - the Wild West and land of Article 26. Article 26 allows a licensee to write contracts. I seem to remember being told (back in the Dark Ages at pre-licensing school) that Arizona is the only state that does allow it. Can you imagine trying to work a deal where you had to wait for an attorney to write the offer and addendums and BINSR? I don’t even want to think about it – I needed a simple letter from an attorney 2 weeks ago and finally got my hands on it last Thursday. Being totally at their mercy would make me crazier.



Sometimes I think that being a REALTOR® is like herding cats (The buyer cat, the buyer cat’s agent cat, the seller cat, me usually as the seller’s agent cat, the lender cat, the underwriter cat, sometimes the asset manager cat, the title examiner cat, the home inspector cat, and the title officer cat who is also trying to herd everybody.) through a maze of thousands of carefully arranged dominos. I want the dominos all to fall precisely at the right time, but these damn cats keep getting their own ideas and it’s illegal and probably bad business to hit them.



Or, being a REALTOR® is like riding a roller coaster. Our income depends on the above dominos falling in an orderly and controlled fashion. This requires that so many other people do their job competently, but how and when they do that job is out of my control. If just one of those people drop the ball or discover a defect in the property or the title report I go from scooting along happily looking forward to a nap straight into crisis mode, in about point-2 seconds. (And yes, I do wave my hands in the air and scream, just like on a roller coaster. It’s great therapy, and the grandchildren find it to be eminently amusing. Try it sometime.)



What about when one of those cats is totally incompetent? Or to be kind, they’re perfectly competent in their own stomping grounds but today they aren’t there? What if that incompetent cat is the agent on the other side of the deal? AND what if in the midst of doing your job and selling the property you agreed to pay him half of the commission if he would bring you a buyer?


I got an offer from just such a guy.


He didn’t include the On-Site Wastewater treatment or the well addendum, both of which were necessary. When I included them with the Counter offer he got confused and twitterpated and defensive.

He did, however, include office-generated addendums that I had never seen, insisting that I disclose an alphabet soup made up of stuff that I have never heard of. When I countered with, “Sorry. We don’t need these stinkin’ addendums” (or something along those lines) he informed me with tears in his eyes that he wouldn’t get paid if they weren’t filled out to his Broker’s satisfaction. This paperwork is necessary and required in Brokerage Far Away. He counseled his buyer to refuse to sign my counter if we wouldn’t do his very important disclosures, which did not have an “I dunno.” option.

I talked to his Broker and beat him with my credentials and finally convinced him that we’re not hiding anything, we just honestly don’t know what those things are and I’m not going to allow my Seller to fill out a disclosure when I don’t know what it’s talking about. He relented and that’s all fine, but we wasted 12 days in the process and my Seller doesn’t have 12 days to waste.



In the normal world out there, we get to pick who we work with. Not REALTORS®. If an agent brings me an offer or my buyer falls with in love with a listing, I work with whatever agent I get. AND they get half of the money, whether they do a good job or whether they just keep running around lighting unnecessary fires that I have to put out. Strange.


For fans of the totally bizarre, what about the short sale that’s in escrow, ready to close, docs are being signed at title as we speak and the bank finalizes the foreclosure, literally 1 hour before the short sale would have recorded? AND then puts it back on the market for $30,000 less than they would have gotten from my buyers 6 weeks ago? Sheesh. Bizarre. And stupid, and makes me pull out and dust off my conspiracy theories in trying to make sense of it.

 REALTORS® are a strange breed, to be able to deal with this sort of uncertainty. I think back on all of the agents that I’ve known in the past 24 years. I guess that 1 out of 100 are still active. Especially lately, it’s bizarre and it’s hard, this business of ours. In spite of all that we’re making it work.


I told an agent today that 3 things are required to make it in real estate in a tough market. Success requires talent, luck, and hard work. I think that the agents without all 3 of these have washed out, and today we’re left with the cream of the crop. That’s awesome!



So give your favorite REALTOR® a pat on the back. We’re smart, we’re tough, we’re flexible, we’re brave, and we’re proud of what we do! We are the few, the strong, the REALTORS®!

Revolution

On the surface of the world right now there is war and violence and things seem dark. But calmly and quietly, at the same time, something else is happening underground. An inner revolution is taking place.



Certain individuals are being called to a higher light. It is a silent revolution. From the inside out. From the ground up. This is a Global operation... A spiritual conspiracy.



There are sleeper cells in every nation on the planet. You won't see us on the T.V. You won't read about us in the newspaper. You won't hear about us on the radio. We don't seek any glory. We don't wear any uniform.



We come in all shapes and sizes, colors and styles. Most of us work anonymously. We are quietly working behind the scenes in every country and culture of the world. Cities big and small, mountains and valleys, in farms and villages, tribes and remote islands.


You could pass by one of us on the street and not even notice. We go undercover. We remain behind the scenes. It is of no concern to us who takes the final credit, we care only that the work gets done.



Occasionally we spot each other in the street. We give a quiet nod and continue on our way. During the day many of us pretend we have normal jobs. But behind the false storefront at night is where the real work takes a place.


Some call us the 'Conscious Army'. We are slowly creating a new world with the power of our minds and hearts. We follow with passion and joy.



Our orders are from the Central Spiritual Intelligence. We are dropping soft, secret love bombs when no one is looking. Poems - Hugs - Music - Photography - Movies - Kind words - Smiles -Meditation and prayer - Dance - Social activism - Websites - Blogs -Random acts of kindness.



We each express ourselves in our own unique ways with our own unique gifts and talents. 'Be the change you want to see in the world.' That is the motto that fills our hearts. We know it is the only way real transformation takes place.


We know that quietly and humbly we have the power of all the oceans combined. Our work is slow and meticulous, like the formation of mountains - it is not even visible at first glance. And yet with it entire tectonic plates shall be moved in the centuries to come.



Love is the new religion of the 21st century. You don't have to be a highly educated person or have any exceptional knowledge to understand it. It comes from the intelligence of the heart, embedded in the timeless evolutionary pulse of all human beings. Be the change you want to see in the world. Nobody else can do it for you. We are now recruiting. Perhaps you will join us, or already have....All are welcome... The door is open.

AUTHOR UNKNOWN

It's hot out there.

It’s official. It’s hot out there. We high desert dwellers look forward to the evening when it cools off, and plan our days around avoiding the hottest hours. During the summer I get up at 5 AM and then observe the Mexican tradition of siesta. This is a good plan, unless some non-siesta-er makes the phone ring.


We who live here know about the heat and how to stay safe when it’s an oven outside, but what about our clients and guests?

I got a call this morning from some people wanting to go walk property. “Can we meet you at noon on the Hillside Drive parcels so that you can point out the corners?”


“Yeahhhh……No. Temperatures are getting to over 100 degrees by 10 AM, so I’m sorry, but until September I will only walk properties before 8 AM or after 7:00 PM. I will point at the corners from the road, but if you want to walk it will have to be either early or late.”


They had never thought about the heat. They don’t come from here, so what was second nature to me is something that never occurred to them.


What about the foreclosures and other vacant houses? Many of them are buttoned up tight with no cooling going, so walking into them is like opening your oven door when the biscuits are done.


We want to make a living, so we do end up showing property to people who don’t have a history with heat and dehydration. They don’t get that these human bodies of ours can start to shut down after just a few minutes in intense heat.


Since some of us don’t really understand, we need to watch out for each other. How do we do that?


We start by being aware, and by being smart.


The warning signs of possible trouble are: nausea, vomiting, fatigue, weakness, headache, muscle cramps, and dizziness. Signs of BIG TROUBLE are: skin hot to the touch, flushing and redness, absence of sweating, rapid pulse, difficulty breathing, strange behavior, hallucinations, confusion, agitation, disorientation, seizure, and coma. (Well, great. Three quarters of the signs of heat stroke and heat exhaustion are behaviors that I see my clients exhibit every day when they’re considering buying or selling real estate. I guess we’ll have to rely on absence of sweating, right?)


If you see any of these signs in yourself or others, this is not the time to dither around making a judgment call. Dial 911 immediately. My son the paramedic explained to me something that I did not know. There is often no charge for an ambulance call. If you are taken care of by one of the municipalities’ or the County ambulances, the charge is paid by your tax dollars at work. (No, I’m not sure about Sedona.) It’s only if you get one of the private companies that the patient is responsible for paying. No matter - if there’s a possibility of a problem, get help and don’t haggle about which ambulance shows up. These things can go from “maybe I should be worried” to life-threatening very quickly, and for somebody to die or be damaged over an ambulance charge is ludicrous.


So how do we avoid this nice day in Arizona suddenly turning into one of the worst days of your life?


Always have a cooler in your vehicle filled with ice packs and lots of water. (I met a REALTOR® in Ehrenberg who handed out frozen washcloths – that was Heaven.) If somebody is in trouble you will need to cool them down while you wait for the medics. Get them into the A/C or shade immediately, and then slap some ice packs on the groin and armpits. (Snort. Every guy that read this just flinched. Maybe I should say “Gently place some ice packs………?”) Get their shirt wet and have somebody fan them. DO NOT dump a cooler of ice water over their heads – that could put them into shock. The key is tepid to cool water, not freezing cold water.



Dehydration is also big trouble, just as big as heat problems. The two often go hand in hand because if we don’t drink enough water then we don’t sweat and then we get too hot. ALWAYS bring plenty of water and make people drink it – they might not know to do so. (There’s that cooler again.) If you’re drinking beer or coffee or tea or some of the energy monster drinks, know that these do not qualify as liquids. Alcohol and caffeine are diuretics, which eliminate moisture from the body – these drinks add to the problem rather than alleviate it.


Since I’ve lived in this country all of my life, I have gotten overheated and I have been dehydrated. I knew when I was too hot because I felt, well, too hot. The mistake that I made was in thinking that if I ignored it it would go away. No, I should have dealt with it the second I realized, but I was stubborn (Mike had told me that it was stupid to take that hike.) and pretty soon I was in trouble. If you want to read the story it’s at


http://realestateaccordingtocarolanne.blogspot.com/2009/08/yesterday-was-mikes-and-my-6-th.html


I don’t know if it’s true or if it’s an old wive’s tale that if you get heatstroke once you’re more susceptible to it in the future. I am certainly more aware and reactive, but I don’t know if I’m more susceptible.


A doctor once told me that if you’re feeling even slightly thirsty you’re already in the first stage of dehydration. The day that I got dehydrated, at first I didn’t really know what was going on. I was taking my Broker classes in Phoenix during the summer, operating on the thinnest of shoestrings. I forgot my water bottle and didn’t want to pay a buck for water out of the vending machines, so I just sat there in class thirsty and thirstier. I felt suddenly very crappy, and it just kept getting worse. Now that I know what being dehydrated feels like I slam lots of water immediately. I always improve amazingly quickly.


Please, my friends. Be aware, be the voice of reason, be the bearer of water, and be the dialer to 911 if necessary. Let’s take care of each other and let’s be careful out there.