Is Sarah Palin High-Tailing it for the Lower 48?

BUYERS: Sarah and Todd Palin
LOCATION: Scottsdale, AZ
PRICE: $1,695,000
SIZE: 7,971 square feet, 5 bedrooms, 6.5 bathrooms

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Buckle your safety belts, butter beans, because the 2012 Republican presidential race is on. Misters Trump, Daniels and Huckabee are out out out and Newtie G., Mitt Romney, Ron Paul and Ricky Santorum are in in in. There are several others with a dark horse is the race–i.e. Ron Paul and Herman Cain–but what all the righty-tighties and social conservatives really want to know is if the Tea Party's de-facto Queen of Hearts Sarah Palin will soon throw her snow shoes into the political circus ring.

Given that it would be a logistical nightmare to run a presidential campaign from the great but remote state of Alaska, its been widely rumored for quite some time that the former governor–who famously quit her term half-way through in order to twitter like a demon and appear on her own reality program–might want a home base in the Lower 48 from where she can headquarter her as yet undeclared run for the presidency.

Last weekend a clue emerged in regards Miz Palin's potential presidential intentions; She and the Mister (allegedly) purchased dee-luxe desert digs in the far northern reaches of Scottsdale, AZ. We're not sure what exactly the Palin clan's interest in Arizona is–besides it being about 100 degrees warmer than Alaska in the winter–but around the 2010 Christmas holidays Missus and Mister Palin's eldest daughter–teen mother turned new-jawed abstinence advocate Bristol Palin–laid down $172,000 for a 3,929 square foot house in Maricopa, AZ, just south of Phoenix.

Property records show the 7,971 square foot Scottsdale mansion in question was acquired for $1,695,000 in cold hard cash through a Delaware-based entity called "Safari Investments." Missus Palin's people have yet to confirm that the newly-completed crib in Scottsdale was purchased by Missus and Mister Palin but circumstantial evidence mounts and reports of the couple's alleged purchase pile up.

The Phoenix, AZ attorney whose names appear on documents related to the property declined to comment but as it turns out Safari is the name of the Petersville, AK lake where Missus and Mister Palin own a couple of vacation cabins for which some reports indicate they've failed to pay adequate property taxes. A black mini-van with blacked out windows and Alaska plates was recently videotaped leaving and returning to the property and the driver also declined to comment and rather nicely asked the reporter(s) to vamoose.

Listing information for the walled and gated estate in an upscale enclave half-way between Scottsdale and Carefree shows it contains 5 bedrooms, 6.5 bathrooms, a 6-car garage, a gas fireplace or two (or three) and an elevator shaft.

The vast and voluminous open plan main living area has double-height ceilings, stone floors, built-in entertainment center, carved stone fireplace jammed up into the corner, dining area with buffet niche and staircase and balcony with wrought iron railings. Just off the great room an oddly-shaped and window-wrapped gourmet kitchen has a sizable center island, high-grade appliances including double under-counter ovens, hickory-colored raised panel cabinetry and black granite counter tops.

Extensive additional living and entertainment areas located in the full basement include a wine cellar, home theater with tiered seating platforms and an all-but-windowless family room with built-in wet bar.

Four of the bedrooms are located on the main floor and each has a private facility. The sprawling master suite on the second level features an acre of wall-to-wall beige carpeting, a carved stone fireplace, a gigantic walk-in closet for all of Mister Palin's flannel shirts and Missus Palin's perfectly-tailored power suits and a trellis-covered terrace with outdoor fireplace. The large voyeur-friendly pooper features a jetted tub for two separated from a multi-headed walk-in shower by a large window that makes it convenient for anyone in the shower to watch anyone in the bathtub and vice-versa.

The flat saguaro-dotted backyard has a number of loggias, unnaturally green grass patches and terraces that surround the rectangular swimming pool and nearby spa. An open-air cabana with fireplace provides a shady respite from the sizzling and scorching desert sun.

Your Mama wonders if Senator John McCain and his wife Cindy will bring out the Arizona welcome wagon for Missus and Mister Palin or if they'll leave that job to some of the state's other conservative honchos like Governor Jan Brewer and/or Maricopa County's tough-talking sheriff Joe Arpaio.

listing photos: Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage via Hot Pads

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All-Natural Pest And Weed Control For Your Garden

If you've spent time making your garden look great this spring, you'll want to spend time helping it stay that way through the summer. This brief video will teach you how to keep your yard pest- and weed-free using eco-friendly products and nature, itself -- all without the use of dangerous chemicals.

Some of the tips in the video include:

• Planting flowering nectar-bearing plants to attract "beneficial" insects
• Using electronic repellents and netting to keep pests away
• Adding a bird feeder to your yard

And, of course, you'll want to use all-natural pesticides made from the extracted oils and fruits and spices which, when combined, keep weeds and bugs under control.

One thing to remember with respect to lawn care, though, is that "organic" doesn't always mean "greener". Spot-application of a chemical-based product may best for your lawn's particular needs, and you should consider using harsher, traditional pesticides when needed.

When in doubt, talk to a lawn care specialist.

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Friday Mish Mash

1.
The executor(s) of Dame Elizabeth Taylor's estate have reportedly heaved her house in Bel Air on the market with an asking price of $8,600,000. No official listing has hit the interweb but according to the Wall Street Journal Miz Taylor acquired the gated 1.2 acre estate and the approximately 7,000 square foot ranch-style house in 1981. It has previously been owned by Nancy Sinatra Sr.

The house has 5 bedrooms including a master lined with Dame Elizabeth's signature lavender, the color of her eyes, don'tcha know. The living room has a beamed ceiling and an office was fashioned from a former screening room.

The grounds include a swimming pool, koi pond, hothouse for growing orchids and a terraced English garden.

Your Mama suspects this house will be snatched up by a developer before it ever hits the open market, knocked down and replaced with something more than twice its since. Such is the residential real estate "progress" in the 90201 and 90077.

2.
Joan Collins, the lacquered lady best known as Alexis Carrington on the 1980s evening soap story Dynasty, has put her New York City apartment on the market with an asking price of $2,895,000 with monthly maintenance of $2,914.

The 1,900 square foot combination spread at The Dorchester building on E. 57th Street has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, hardwood floors throughout and a lot of 1980s day-core that includes–horror or horrors–black mini blinds in the Barbie pink-colored den, a zebra-striped sofa and ottoman in the living room and–natch–a Blackamoor statue or two.

According to the New York Post Miz Collins had a going away party at the apartment attended by a bunch of old ladies like Arlene Dahl and a gaggle of gays that included Alan Cumming and Bravo's Andy Cohen.

3.
According to the Daily Mail Victoria and David Beckham have leased an ocean front house in Malibu, CA to the monetary tune of more than $60,000 per month.

Listing information shows the newly built and boxy contemporary sits on 1.1 bluff-top acres, measures 10,180 square feet and includes a total of 7 bedrooms, 5.5 bathrooms divided between a main and guest house.

Glass panels open the house to the ocean view balconies, backyard terraces, a 50-foot long swimming pool, spa and shallow lawn the runs to the edge of the steep bluff that tumbles down to the sand.

4.
Surely His Purple Majesty Prince has had his people pay the $368,382 past due mortgage
payments for a 20-ish acre spread he owns in Chanhassen, MN, outside of Minneapolis. Right?

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Distressed Homes Now Selling At A 20 Percent Discount

The housing market recovery stalled last month. At least temporarily.

According to the National Association of REALTORS®, Existing Home Sales slipped 1 percent in April from the month prior, falling to 5.05 million units on a seasonally-adjusted, annualized basis. The reading is exactly in-line with report's 6-month average which also reads 5.05 million units.

The data may appear "average", but there's another angle to consider. 

In April, as compared to March, the supply of existing homes for sales spiked. At the current pace of home sales, it would now take 9.2 months to exhaust today's complete home inventory. This is almost one full month worse than March. It's the worst home supply reading of the year.

There are also more homes "on the market" today than at any time since September 2010.

Other noteworthy statistics in the April Existing Home Sales report include:

• 31 percent of all homes sold in April were purchased with cash
• First-time home buyers bought 36 percent of all homes in April
• Distressed properties typically sold at a 20 percent discount

This "discount", it should be noted, is a major reason why distressed properties accounted for 37 percent of the home resales in April. Home buyers are finding bargains when they're willing to consider homes in various stages of foreclosure and short sale.

Overall, the April Existing Home Sales report represents opportunity for home buyers in and around Seattle. Home sales are stagnant, supplies are rising and there's no shortage of properties from which to choose. Furthermore, mortgage rates remain low.

If you're considering a home purchase this fall, home supply may not be as ample, and financing conditions may not be as favorable, post-Labor Day. Talk to your real estate agent about what's possible today. You may want to move up your time frame.

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30 Rock's Jack McBrayer Buys House in the Hills

BUYER: Jack McBrayer
LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA
PRICE: $1,975,000
SIZE: 2,594 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Emmy nominated actor/comedian Jack McBrayer began exercising his southern-accented funny bone in the mid-1990s with The Second City Theatre in Chicago where he first came into contact with comedy's reigning queen Tina Fey.

In the early- to mid-naughts, long before Miz Fey's boob-toob juggernaut 30 Rock ever hit the airwaves, Mister McBrayer created and honed his bubbly, wide-eyed and simpleminded NBC page character Kenneth Parcell on The Conan O'Brien Show. Eventually that character, a quirky half-witted hillbilly who goes to New York with stars in his eyes and a bus ticket home in his pocket, wound up on Tina Fey's tour de sitcom force, a turn of showbiz events that earned him fame, fortune and legions of fervent fans. Mister McBrayer has also appeared in the films Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Forgetting Sarah Marshall as well as on a number of tee-vee programs including Arrested Development and Phineas and Ferb.

Given that 30 Rock tapes in New York City it seems strange that the Macon, Georgia-born Mister McBrayer would want or need a multi-million dollar house in Tinseltown but, according to our eerily well-informed celebrity real estate whistle blower Lucy Spillerguts, Mister McBrayer recently plunked down $1,975,000 for a fully-rehabbed residence in the Hollywood Hills above the historic and charming Beachwood Canyon neighborhood.

The "contemporary" but architecturally unremarkable residence, according to listing information we cajoled from the interweb, measures 2,594 square feet over two floors and includes 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. The nearly one-third acre hillside property recently underwent an extensive two-year overhaul during which the hillside at the back of the house was re-engineered and a large retaining wall added that created a flat promontory with million dollar views of the surrounding canyons, the Hollywood Sign, Griffith Observatory and downtown. Say what you will about Los Angeles but living in Lala Land with a view like this house has is akin to living in Chicago with a view of the lake or in Brooklyn with a distant view on Manhattan.

A front-facing two-car garage dominates the narrow street frontage. The somewhat awkward entry to the house is around the side through a see-through gate that swings opens to staggering views and a wide terrace that continues past the front door and wraps around the back of the house. Iffin Your Mama were to have overhauled this house we would have done this front area differently with a walled courtyard entry that would not only provide additional semi-private outdoor space but also a gratifying sense of drama and anticipation as the eye is drawn through the courtyard to the front door and the dynamic and iconic views.

The main living space, a glass-lined living/dining room with powerful city views, connects to the updated and upgraded kitchen through a wide doorway. The honey-colored hardwood floors in the living/dining room run into the cozy but well-arranged kitchen that includes a vintage range, built-in wine fridge, pantry storage, a center work island and flat-fronted cabinets with nipple-like knobs. A day-dreamy corner window that allows the dishwasher to ponder the iconic Hollywood sign as they scrub the devil out of the frying pan.

A bank of cabinets perfect for storing bongs and board games surrounds the staircase to the lower level where a celebrity-sized master suite has a hookah lounge-sized sitting area wrapped in windows with panoramic views. Mister McBrayer's new boo-dwar includes a walk-in closet and bathroom with double sinks, separate soaking tub, frameless glass shower with multiple shower heads and a separate cubby for the terlit. The walls into which the sinks are sunk in the master bathroom are papered with a shiny silver wall covering printed with over-scaled white flowers. Nobody loves shiny like Your Mama loves shiny so, in theory, silver wallpaper makes us pee with decorative glee. However this particular choice of wallpaper feels a little forced and trendy, particularly when paired with that snippet of electric apple green paint that surrounds the doorway into the closet.

Thankfully, a spiral staircase connects the second level living spaces with the lower level backyard, otherwise Mister McBrayer's pool party guests would be required to traipse through his private quaters in order to get from the kitchen to the pool and spa. A shallow covered patio directly off the master bedroom's sitting area looks like it barely provides any real shade. Pity that because it's damn sunny in Southern California and shade is a desirable feature for all but the most viciously over-tanned. The concrete patio extends halfway around the amoebic glass tiled swimming pool where it abruptly ends and becomes a narrow strip of lawn large enough only for small to mid-size pooches to do their dirty bizness. The strip of grass wraps around the remainder of the pool and the raised circular spa that can both be light in a variety of theatrical colors including lavender. To be honest, puppies, Your Mama isn't entirely positive that the spa is not at least partially visible from a couple of the nearby houses so it may not be the best place for Mister McBrayer to get romantic with whomever it is he gets romantic with. However, if your idea of relaxation is wallowing in a vat of near boiling water like you're a damn carrot in a stew than this is probably a perfectly impressive and glittery spa in which to do it.

Based on a few short minutes of entirely unscientific research and a leg up from a New York City-based editor, Your Mama is pretty sure that Mister McBrayer's New York City crib, a one bedroom and one bathroom condo in a fairly new and architecturally undistinguished building near Lincoln Center, was purchased in August of 2008 for $1,350,000.

listing photos: Everett Fenton Gidley for Teles Properties

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Real Estate Essentials: Choosing the Right Location

When undertaking the experience of purchasing a home, there are lots of important decisions to make. For instance, if you want a detached home or a community lifestyle, how many rooms, what are you willing to spend? The first and most important question any buyer or investor should ask is what locality do I want to be in.


You hear real estate professionals stress this factor often, location, location, location! It truly is the single most important factor on any real estate purchase. If you put the exact same house on two different lots in different areas of town, they will hold different values. How do you decide what vicinity is the best for you?

Economic Factors

Does this city have a high percentage of unemployment? Are there a large number of foreclosures? This is a shaky topic for a lot of Americans right now. Many people have unfortunately been let go of their jobs and are forced to default on loans and are not finding work easily. However if an area’s unemployment rate is increasing, that means more people are struggling and home values decrease with them. Foreclosures have a direct impact on comparatives sales in an area used to appraise your homes value. When looking for a new home, examine these factors and ask a real estate professional to help you compile past data to support your home buying decision.

Education

School systems are always important to consider. If you already have children or plan to in the future, the explanation is not needed, you want the best education for your kids. Even if you don’t use the school system, they can affect your sales potential when you go to resell, always keep this in mind when viewing real estate.

Condition of Homes and Businesses

It is very important to examine the surrounding homes, businesses, and overall condition on surrounding area. This is a time to see yard maintenance of neighbors (this will affect home values), back streets and alleys, and also look for empty businesses in the area. All of these factors reflect the health of the neighborhood. Real estate values are subject to all the factors of a given area and appearance plays a big role!

Entertainment and Recreation

What entertainment options are important to you? Do you want to be near parks and reservation areas? Is shopping and restaurants a high priority to you? Do you enjoy the arts culture? All of these questions might seem minor compared to previous factors to define a district but in the long term, they will be a blessing or a curse depending on what you prefer to do in your spare time.

Here in Tampa Florida, SI Real Estate has experts in the local community. He can highlight some of the best areas for your desired needs and budget. We encourage you to look at New Tampa or Brandon and Riverview for some high demand communities. SI Real Estate utilizes our vast real estate experience and extensive Tampa Bay area knowledge to meet the needs of buyers, sellers, investors, landlords, tenants, and relocations. Contact SI Real Estate today to find your perfect location at (813)631-5144 or email us at Yourhome@SIRealEstateInvestments.com.

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Fed Minutes Put The Heat On Mortgage Rates To Rise

The Federal Reserve released its April 2011 Federal Open Market Committee meeting minutes Wednesday. In the hours since, mortgage markets have worsened; rates in WA are higher by 1/8 percent this morning, at least.

The "Fed Minutes" is published 8 times annually, three week after each scheduled FOMC meeting. The minutes are the Federal Reserve's official recap of the conversations and debates that shaped the prior FOMC session.

Another way to consider the Fed Minutes is as the companion piece to the more well-known FOMC press release. The press release is issued on the day of adjournment, and is brief, narrow, and high-level. The statement makes broad comments on the economy and outlines new monetary policy.

By contrast, the Fed Minutes is delayed, lengthy, and rife with details. The minutes highlights arguments and discussion points between Fed members, and digs deep into underlying economic issues.

The FOMC press release is measured in paragraphs. The Fed Minutes is measured in pages.

Here is some of what the Fed discussed last month:

• On inflation : Higher levels are "transitory"; will level-off with commodity prices
• On housing : The market remains depressed. "Vacant properties" are harming construction.
• On stimulus : The Fed will stick to its $600 billion support plan

In addition, at its meeting, the Federal Reserve discussed an exit strategy for its market support. The details are undecided, but the debate shows that the Fed is anticipated a change in policy sometime soon. 

Wall Street estimates that a gradual economic tightening will begin within 12 months.

Mortgage rates have been fading since mid-April. The Fed Minutes may be the catalyst of a reversal. The Federal Reserve expects growth in the U.S. economy and growth tends to boost stock markets at the expense of bonds.

As bond markets fall, mortgage rates in Kent rise.

Currently, Freddie Mac reports the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate as 4.63% -- the lowest of the year.

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