Pigeons take over Phoenix mansion

Mary's Funny Phoenix Real Estate Stories -Pigeons take over mansion
Wow! What a steal! MLS stated $400,000 house needed finishing, which was an understaement to say the least. Previous owner had torn down 3 houses to build this mansion, but according to internet stories & the neighbors, had been sent to jail for mortgage fraus a couple of years ago, leaving his dream home unfinished.
Most impressive was the size-- likley 10,000 sq ft, and the front doors, which were heavy black & gold metal & glass, with a two foot medallion/knocker in the center of each. Neighbor told us each door (3 in all) cost $20,000. But the house had been abandoned at framing stage, & had been open to elements & critters for years. There was pigeon poop everywhere (& I mean everywhere) along with a few dead birds here and there. Smelled disgusting.
You could see the design was exquisite & would have been a showplace if it had ever been finished off.
Figured the house would need at least another million to finish, but after being open to elements for a couple of years, would likely have to be demolished, so no sale.
Maxiemize knowledge!
www.marymaxie.com

Bugs Everywhere- how not to sell a house

Bugs, bugs everywhere-- how not to sell a house in Arizona:
Mary's funny Real Estate Stories: 3 houses, same subdivision, full of crawling bugs. My bug expert said they were either flying ants, or termites. In either case, couldn't wait to get out. Funny part was when listing agent called to get feedback on the houses, WOULD NOT believe HER houses had bugs! Told me I must be mistaken, or that I didn't have the right address of HER listings. I suggested that if she checked her listings once a week, she might see the bugs herself.
Same subdivision also had 2 houses, which were being treated for Africanized or Killer Bees! Would you want to show a house where the MLS listing said there were Killer Bees present? Neither would I. My bug expert says that 65% of bees they treat in Arizona nowadays are Africanized Killer Bee hybrids, as the original Killer bees have now mated with the regular bees.
The swarms love all the abandoned or bank owned houses, where they can live unmolested for months. They get inside the walls of houses, and you have to tear the drywall off, and sometimes the outside siding or stucco to get at the hives & honeycombs. Some banks just send in someone to smoke bomb the bees, which kills them, but leaves the hives/homeycombs intact. Other bees can smell the honey from up to 4 miles away, and new bees will just head on over and take over the hives/homeycombs left behind. To truly get rid of them you have to get rid of all traces of the hives.
And it's cricket season here in Arizona. Mostly crickets are harmless. They don't bite, birds like them for food, and a monthly spray of the house & yard keeps them down. But they do eat holes in clothing, just like moths. And if you've ever tried to get to sleep when one of them is 'singing' in your bedroom, they are very annoying!
We get lots of other kinds of bugs, but these are the ones I ran into this week!
Maxiemize Lifestyle in Arizona, but Minimize Bugs!
www.marymaxie.com

Boating in Arizona

Boating and fun at the lakes in Arizona. Bet you didn't know we had such nice lakes so close by! And did you know there are more boats in Arizona per capita than there are in California?
http://www.azcentral.com/travel/articles/2010/08/10/20100810bartlett-lake-boating-skiing-fishing.html

Maxiemize Fun!
www.marymaxie.com