Citizens owning a residence or small business south of Indian Bend Road in Scottsdale will have an opportunity to get a free energy audit.  Thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, $230,000 has been allocated to Scottsdale for the Community Energy Audit program.  The audit will provide recommendations on how to make homes or businesses more energy efficient.   Audits will include air leakage testing, heating and cooling system evaluations and a review of a property’s last 12 months of utility bills.

Program participants will receive a  report summarizing audit findings and outlining recommendations and incentives for making energy efficiency improvements.

Residents and business owners will be financially responsible for making improvements should they choose to implement the auditor’s recommendations. 

For specific information about the program or to fill out an application, visit www.ScottsdaleAz.gov/greenbuilding/energyaudits or call (480) 312-4309.

Photo Credit: Randy Son Of Robert

By the way, all Scottsdale homes are not serviced by the City of Scottsdale.  The American Water serves a band of homes in the area surrounding McDonald Drive.  Another small percentage of homes in North Scottsdale are either on wells, or have water hauled in by truck and stored on the property.

As a Scottsdale home seller, you are obligated to share this information in the Residential Seller’s Property Disclosure Statement you complete when you list your house.

Of the 4,462 homes on the market in Scottsdale today, 4% have water sources other than the city, so while the number is few, you would definite want to know the quality, availability, and cost of water before completing your hyome purchase.  If you do buy a bank-owned home, or the seller disclosure is not provided for some other reason, BE SURE to do your research ahead of time.

See the two trimmers up in in trees on the left and right.   Homeowners, when you hire someone to trim your palms, please be sure that they are insured. 

I’ve been a LifeLock subscriber for several years and have felt secure that my ID is safe, but now to read that I need to check and make sure I still own my home, to verify that someone hasn’t lifted my house, is really kind of creepy.

As Realtor, I’m in the tax record database on a regular basis and know how to keep an eye on my home’s records, but some of you may need to know that you can check county records easily, and for yourself. 

The Maricopa County Tax map is an excellent tool where you can check the title on your house and also the status of your tax bill.  Even though your lender may be the one paying your property tax bill, it’s always a good idea to make sure that you are up-to-date on your payments.  Loans do get sold, and problems can occur. 

The second web site to check is the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office.  Here you can search on your name and view legal transactions that have occurred in your name.  You should find the mortgage and deed of trust to purchase your house, and if your home has been sold, you will (or should) also see a mortgage release.  

So in this day and age of information, please take the time to protect yourself against ID theft.  It’s a smart thing to do.

Yesterday, I received a letter from an insurance carrier for a condo that I currently have listed for sale.  In many cases, the insurance history letter simply states that there were no claims in the past five years, but in this letter there was a claim for “Broken Front Door”, where the insurance company paid nothing. 

I asked the owner’s son if he could explain this one to me, since I knew I’d be asked.  His reply was that when his mother had her fall, the fire department had to break the door down to get in and help her.  The cost of replacing / repairing the front door was the same as the deductible, so no claim was filed, but it was noted on the home’s insurance history.

Which brings me to the point of this post, the Scottsdale Area Association of REALTORS®, in conjunction with the Scottsdale Police Department, Scottsdale Fire Department, and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office will provide emergency lock boxes to Seniors. If the Senior’s income is under $25,000 per year, the lockbox is free. Otherwise, the charge is $25, a very small price to pay for the security of knowing emergency help could easily get to you or your loved one, without having to break into the home, in an already traumatic situation.

This lockbox program is available to Scottsdale and Fountain Hill residents. Call 1-877-229-5042 for more information.