Real Estate Information

I was raised in Northern California by my mother, a nurse.  My father died in a car accident while my mom was 8 months pregnant with me and had a 1 year old and 2 year old daughter at home.  Her name is Susan.  Despite the fact that my mother was heart broken and left alone to raise 3 small children, despite the fact that when I was 7 our house burned down and my oldest sister perished....despite that, I had a very happy childhood.

Now as a father of 2, I find myself thinking about what it would have been like to raise your kids alone.  I have the benefit of a spouse at home to help take the kids to baseball, band, their friends house, to help with homework and life in general.  I have a partner who can carry half of the burden.  And I still think parenthood is hard.

I admire my mom for the life she created for me and my sister and I want to honor her by helping those in her same situation.  It's my pleasure to be able to walk side-be-side with a single mom as she goes through the process of homeownership.  It's my honor to help. 

I am always touched by single moms and dads.  And I appreciate how hard it can be.

Joe~

Our past is riddled with interesting events....here are just a few.  A special note:  A big  happy birthday on December 25th to my father-in-law Joe Aimone and RE/MAX Professionals owner Nate Martinez.

December 24, 1814 The Treaty of Ghent is signed ending the War of 1812.

December 24, 1818 "Silent Night" composed by Franz Joseph Gruber; first sung next day

December 24, 1905 Howard Hughes born

December 24, 1914 World War I: The "Christmas truce" begins.

December 24, 1919 John D. Rockefeller, the world's richest man, gave away one-hundred million dollars and I missed it

December 24, 1943 FDR appoints General Eisenhower supreme commander of Allied forces

December 24, 1953 NBC's Dragnet becomes the first network-sponsored television program

December 24, 1964 Shooting begins on "The Cage" the pilot for Star Trek

December 24, 1966 Luna 13 lands on Moon

December 24, 1968 Apollo Program: The crew of Apollo 8 enters into orbit around the Moon, becoming the first humans to do so. They performed 10 lunar orbits and broadcast live TV pictures that became the famous Christmas Eve Broadcast, one of the most watched programs in history.

December 24, 1970 Walt Disney's "The Aristocats" is released

December 24, 1973 Ferryboat capsized off coast of Equador, drowning 200

December 11, 1975 : An Icelandic gunboat opens fire on unarmed British fishery support vessels in the North Atlantic Sea, as part of the ongoing COD WAR caused when Iceland extended its control over fishing rights from 50 to 200 nautical miles from its coast .

December 24, 1979 The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan to support the country's Marxist government.

December 24, 1980 Americans remembered Iran hostages by shining lights for 417 seconds

December 11, 1985 : The Unabomber kills his first victim, Hugh Scrutton who is killed in his computer store in Sacramento, California, by a mail package that explodes in his hands. The Unabomber had detonated his first bomb in May 1978 on the Chicago campus of the University of Illinois

December 24, 1989 Panama's dictator, Manual Noriega seeks asylum at the Vatican embassy

December 24, 1986 French hostage Aurel Cornea, held in Lebanon for 9 months, released

December 24, 1990 Saddam says Israel will be Iraq's main target

December 11, 1993 : One block of the Highland Towers apartment building collapses killing 48, the cause of the collapse was through structural failure caused by improper construction of the pilings. Following the collapse the other 2 towers that made up Highland Towers are closed and abandoned due to safety concerns.

December 24, 1997 The Sid El-Antri massacre (or Sidi Lamri) in Algeria kills 50-100 people.

December 24, 2000 The Texas 7 hold up a sports store in Irving, Texas. Police officer Aubrey Hawkins is shot during the robbery

December 24, 2003 The Spanish police thwart an attempt by ETA to detonate 50 kg of explosives at 3:55 p.m. inside Madrid's busy Chamartn Station.

December 24, 2009 A suicide bomb attack kills at least eight people in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

December 24, 2009 Bomb attacks in the Iraqi cities of Baghdad and Hilla leave 23 dead.

December 24, 2009 Pope Benedict XVI is knocked down by a woman during a procession before the Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City. He is uninjured, but Roger Cardinal Etchegaray suffers a hip fracture. (Sky News)

December 24, 2009 The United States Senate passes a health-care bill expected to extend insurance coverage to 30 million additional Americans, in a party-line vote, 60-39.

December 24, 2009 Thousands of Christian pilgrims gather in Bethlehem in the West Bank to mark Christmas.

 We all know the importance of the month of July in America's history....but here are few other less know facts from our past.

1054 Brightest known super-nova (Crab Nebula) starts shining (23 days)

1520 La Noche Triste: Joint Mexican Indian force led by Aztecs under Cuitlhuac defeat Spanish Conquistadors under Hernn Corts.

1187 The Crusades: Battle of Hattin - Saladin defeats Guy of Lusignan, King of Jerusalem.

1712 11 slaves are executed in New York for starting an uprising that killed 9 Caucasians

1776 American Independence Day . The United States Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress declaring itself free of British rule. Signed in Philadelphia.

1776 The 13 colonies in America met in Philadelphia to sign their Declaration of Independence, declaring themselves free of British rule and taxation. 1802 US Military Academy officially opens (West Point, NY)

1777 John Paul Jones hoists first Stars and Stripes flag on Ranger at Portsmouth, NH.

1817 Construction on Erie Canal begins

1826 Former American presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson die, fifty years to the day after the adoption of the United States Declaration of Independence.

1832 "America" first sung publicly

1859 Balloon covers a record 809 miles over St Louis

1861 First public schoolhouse opens at Washington & Mason St, SF

1862 Day 7 of the 7 Days-Battle of Malvern Hill

1862 Russian State Library is founded.

1863 Battle of Gettysburg begins ending Juy 3

1881 Brooker T Washington establishes Tuskegee Institute

1885 United States terminates reciprocity and fishery agreement with Canada.

1889 Frederick Douglass named Minister to Haiti

1910 African-American boxer Jack Johnson knocks out white boxer Jim Jeffries in a heavyweight boxing match sparking race riots across the United States.

1931 Ice vending machines introduced in LA

1932 NY Gov FDR nominated for president at the Dem Convention in Chicago

1946 After 381 years of near-continuous colonial rule, the Philippines is granted full independence by the United States.

1952 Actor Dan Akroyd (Ghostbusters, Saturday Night Live) was born.

1958 The St Helena General Workers Union is formed.

1961 Jamestown Recreation Centre is opened.

1967 Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," goes #1 for 15 weeks

1968 John Lennon's first full art exhibition (You are Here)

2002 The International Criminal Court is established to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.

2007 Smoking in England is banned in all public indoor spaces. With the ban already in force in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, this means it is illegal to smoke in indoor public places anywhere in the UK.

Local RE/MAX Brokerages Merge, Creating a Win-Win for Agents and Clients

RE/MAX Professionals is excited to announce a merger with RE/MAX Integrity, which will pair elite agents and strong leadership to create one of the most successful and productive real estate brokerages in the area. The two firms combined will remain RE/MAX Professionals and will service all areas of the Valley.

RE/MAX Professionals was founded in 2001 by Owners Nate Martinez and Frank Russo, while RE/MAX Integrity has been in operation since 1992. The two combined will have over 200 professional and experienced real estate agents.

In addition to an increase in market share, this merger furthers the outstanding reputations of two premier groups offering world class service to Arizona homebuyers and sellers. Both Martinez and Russo previously worked with RE/MAX Integrity prior to founding RE/MAX Professionals 10 years ago. RE/MAX Integrity Broker/Owner Ed McCloud is a mentor and friend to both Nate and Frank, and all parties are excited for this opportunity.

“We took a long look and saw that a merger of these brokerages would create a win-win situation for all parties involved,” said Russo. “Our offices share similar philosophies and creating an even stronger alliance is in everyone’s best interest. The RE/MAX agents in both firms have provided outstanding service to their clients for years and with even more resources, we’re confident we’ll continue to build on our current success in this market.”

Martinez added, “This is a great day for both groups. We respect Ed (McCloud) and we have worked with the many outstanding Integrity agents over the years. We’re excited to merge the talent from both sides and serve an even greater population of homebuyers and sellers in Arizona.”

In 2010, agents from the two offices participated in a total of 4,528 closed which ranked them No. 8 nationally and No. 1 in Arizona, among all RE/MAX Affiliates, for closed transactions sides, according to the recently released Real Trends 500 report.

The new RE/MAX Professionals will consist of seven offices located in Surprise, Avondale, Glendale (2), Sun City West, Anthem, and Central Phoenix. To learn more about joining REMAX Professionals, please call or email me today!

Our history is packed with interesting and unknown facts from the month of June- here is just a few.

0575 Benedict I becomes Pope.

1215 Beijing, then under the control of the Jurchen ruler Emperor Xuanzong of Jin, is captured by the Mongols under Genghis Khan, ending the Battle of Beijing.

1495 The first written record of Scotch Whiskey appears in Exchequer Rolls of Scotland. Friar John Cor is the distiller.

1539 Hernando De Soto claims Florida for Spain.

1792 Kentucky admitted as the 15th state of the United States.

1796 Tennessee admitted as the 16th state of the United States.

1813 The mortally-wounded Captain James Lawrence, commander of the U.S. frigate Chesapeake, coins the phrase "Don't give up the ship," during a losing battle with a British frigate.

1831 James Clark Ross discovers the North Magnetic Pole.

1835 P. T. Barnum and his circus begins their first tour of the United States.  

1851 The first baseball uniforms worn. Knickerbockers wear straw hat, white shirt & blue long trousers.

1855 US adventurer Wm Walker conquers Nicaragua, reestablishes slavery.

1861 The first skirmish in the Civil War, Fairfax Court House, VA and the US & Confederacy simultaneously stop mail interchange.

1892 Macadamia nuts first planted in Hawaii.

1923 Checker Cab puts its first taxi on the streets.

1963 Soviet Space Program: Vostok 6 Mission, Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space.

1873 Ground broken on Clay St (SF) for world's first cable railroad.

1897 Mark Twain, responding to rumors that he was dead at age 61, is quoted by the New York Journal as saying: "The report of my death was an exaggeration."

1916 The National Defense Act is signed into law, increasing the size of the United States National Guard by 450,000 men.

1916 The ROTC is established by the U.S. Congress.

1918 Supreme Court rules child labor laws unconstitutional.

1925 Birthday - Tony Curtis [Bernard Schwartz] is born.

1932 New York Yankee great Lou Gehrig hits four home runs in one game against the Philadelphia Athletics. Final score 20-13 in favor of the Yankees.

1933 The first Great Lakes-to-Gulf of Mexico barge trip completed, New Orleans.

1939 Doctors reveal Lou Gehrig has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

1940 World War II: The Luftwaffe bombs Paris and Winston Churchill gives his "Finest Hour" speech.

1952 Wilfred 'Wop' May pilot, World War I air ace, died on this day.. May was being pursued by German ace Manfred von Richthofen when the Red Baron was shot down.

1957 Howard Cosell's first TV show.

1963 3,000 blacks boycott Boston public school.

1965 For 21 minutes, Edward H. White floats free outside the space vehicle Gemini IV for the first time.

1976 Apartheid: A non-violent march by 15,000 students in Soweto, South Africa turns into days of rioting when police open fire on the crowd and kill 566 children.

1980 Jimmy Carter wins enough delegates for re-nomination.

1981 The AIDS epidemic is formally recognized by medical professionals in San Francisco, California.

1982 The Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom, Shlomo Argov, is shot on a London street. He survives but is permanently paralyzed.

1989 Troops in China shoot & kill 100s of students demonstrating for democracy in Tiananmen Square, Beijing.

1989 4 golfers shoot a hole-in-one on the same hole at the US Open are made all on the 6th hole (Weaver, Wiebe, Pate & Price).

2006 The union of Serbia and Montenegro comes to an end with Montenegro's formal declaration of independence.

2010 Campbell Soup Co. recalls nearly 15 million pounds of canned SpaghettiOs with meatballs because of possible under-processing.

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Matt Wimpress, Customer Service Manager

Quality Service Certification, Inc.

Matt@QualityCertified.org

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 14, 2011

 Bourland Receives Platinum Service Recognition

Joe Bourland of RE/MAX Professionals in Avondale, AZ has repeated the previous year’s achievement of being granted the highest level of service achievement in the real estate industry, Quality Service Certified® Platinum.  The award is in recognition of earning 100% client service satisfaction in 2010 as measured by Leading Research Corporation (LRC).

A Quality Service Certified (QSC) award status is the only recognition in the real estate industry based on independently validated customer satisfaction survey results.  After the conclusion of real estate transactions, clients of QSC agents receive a survey, asking them to rate the agent on various aspects of the service process.   The surveys are administered and the results are received and compiled by LRC.

Client feedback from the surveys becomes part of the agent’s credentials.  An overall satisfaction rating is displayed on a consumer website (www.QualityService.org) where sellers and buyers have the ability to select a real estate professional based upon each agent’s validated record of service satisfaction.

“Nothing is more important to a prospective client in selecting a professional than the service results achieved with past clients,” says Larry D. Romito, President and CEO of QSC.  He adds, “Consumers have greater confidence in service reliability, results and satisfaction with a Quality Service Certified real estate professional because they know that the agent’s service record has been validated by an independent third party.  100% service satisfaction record like Joe Bourland has achieved is just awesome.”

I read something very interesting the other day, something that actually surprised me a little. 

I read that Freddie Mac reports more than half of homeowners who lose their homes to foreclosure never answer their lenders' phone calls or letters. Instead, homeowners feel embarrassed about being in default, don't believe their lender can help, and erroneously assume that contacting their lender will cause them to lose their home more quickly.

Do you fit into this category of people?

My son has had a heart condition since birth and the amount of time my wife has had to spend on the phone with insurance companies is nauseating.  She often tells me of endless holds, endless transfers, of repeatedly being disconnected and when she finally gets a live person on the phone they seem extremely disinterested in actually helping her.  The simple thought of having to make a call to an insurance company gives her instant anxiety. 

Is this how you feel about talking to your lender?  Can't say as I blame you.

Having worked for years with lenders, short sales and foreclosures and having sat of the phone for hours on end trying to get through the 'gate keepers' at these banks and get to the correct person who can help .....can understandably give people anxiety.

I want you to know that I am more than willing and capable to help you in this situation.  Even if you want to talk to me about the correct questions to ask, numbers call, paperwork that you need in front of you, things not to say, etc.  I would be very willing to talk with you.

You are not alone.

Joe ~

February has been an important month in the World's history - but nothing more important than the last thing on this list......

1822 Boston is incorporated as a city.

1840 American Charles Wilkes discovers Shackleton Ice Shelf, Antarctica.

1852 Studebaker Brothers wagon company, precursor of the automobile manufacturer, is established.

1861 President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrives secretly in Washington, D.C., after an assassination attempt in Baltimore, Maryland.

1883 "Ladies Home Journal" begins publication.

1887 Congress grants Seal Rocks to San Francisco.

1904 For $10 million the United States gains control of the Panama Canal Zone.

1905 Chicago, Illinois attorney Paul Harris and three other businessmen meet for lunch to form the Rotary Club, the world's first service club.

1913 New York City's Grand Central Terminal opens as the world's largest train station.

1920 Royal Canadian Mounted Police forms as Royal Northwest Mounted Police merge with Dominion Police.

1926 Land at Broadway & Wall Street sold at a record $7 per square inch .

1938 Joe Louis KO's Nathan Mann in 3 for heavyweight boxing title.

1940 Walt Disney's 2nd feature-length movie, "Pinocchio," premieres (New York NY).

1948 Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower resigned as Army chief of staff and was succeeded by Gen. Omar Bradley.

1952 The United Arab Republic (Egypt and Syria) is formed.

1954 First TV soap opera "Secret Storm" premieres.

1958 US satellite (Explorer I) launched.

1962 President Kennedy begins blockade of Cuba.

1964 Baskin-Robbins introduces Beatle Nut ice cream.

1964 Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand," first #1 hit & stays #1 for 7 weeks.

1978 Director Roman Polanski skips bail & fled to France after pleading guilty to charges of engaging in sex with a 13-year-old girl.

1978 Harriet Tubman is first black woman honored on a US postage stamp.

1979 Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Iran after 15 years in exile.

1979 Newspaper heiress Patty Hearst leaves federal prison when her sentence for bank robbery is commuted by President Jimmy Carter.

1965 US begins regular bombing & strafing of North Vietnam.

1969 Al-Fatah-leader Yasser Arafat becomes president of PLO.

1984 U.S. space shuttle astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert Stewart perform the first untethered space walk.

1985 "New York, New York" became the official anthem of New York NY.

1986 Haitian President Jean-Claude Duvalier flees, ending 28 years of rule by his family.

1986 Philippine Corazon Aquino defeats incumbent dictator Ferdinand Marcos but fraudulent returns gave the election to Marcos.

1994 Jeff Gillooly, Tonya Harding's ex-husband, pleads guilty to taking part in an attack on figure skater Nancy Kerrigan.

2001 My first son, Levi Truett Bourland was born in Phoenix, Arizona

Please do remember that I am available to you for questions or concerns that you might have, think of me as your “Real Estate Resource”.

I have set up a facebook fan page, linkedin page, twitter account and a youtube channel.

Of course you can always reach me at 623-322-8588 & www.JoeArizona.com

www.facebook.com/joearizonahomes

Ÿ  Become a fan Ÿ  I post my listings, interesting real estate articles and industry news

http://www.youtube.com/user/JoeArizonaHomes

Ÿ  You can look at videos of listed homes Ÿ  For my out of state buyers I film homes and post them for you

Ÿ  There are also videos of my kids doing kid things….a little view into my personal life

http://twitter.com/JoeArizona

Ÿ  I post my listings, interesting real estate articles and industry news

http://www.linkedin.com/in/joebourland

Ÿ  Do you have a linkedin page?  Send me a connection invite

Happy New Year!  Where has the time gone?  It feels like yesterday when the nation was concerned about Y2K.....and now it's already the end of January,  2011.  And as it goes,  it's that time of year when resolutions are made and goals are set.

The hardest part about resolutions is not making them, it’s keeping them.  I have found a website that I like to use to help keep me on track of my goals:   www.habitforge.com.  You provide the goal and they will send you a customized daily reminder to help you stay the course.

One of my resolutions this year is to better communicate to my past clients and sphere what is going on in the market place.  With the revolving lender requirements, short sales, bank owned homes and ever changing deficiency guidelines, I want to make sure you are getting the most recent information from a real estate professional who has actually worked for the past decade in the real estate industry. 

Have you seen the movie “The Perfect Storm” with George Clooney?  It’s a great movie where a combination of events, (in this case weather patterns) that when they occur individually don’t have real significance, but when they occur together produce a dramatic outcome.  Well that’s what we are in now!  A “Real Estate Perfect Storm”!  Never in my life have I seen a more perfect set of circumstances to purchase real estate.  Interest rates are at a historic low while home prices are half of what they were 4 years ago.  It simply does not get better than that.  Regardless if you are a first time buyer, investor, someone who wants to become an investor or a veteran homeowner it is a fabulous time to buy.

And I haven’t forgotten about “struggling homeowners”, you are not alone.  You really do have options, options that I can assist you with.  So give me a call.

I look forward to hearing from you in the coming year and I look forward to assisting you with your real estate needs.  Here’s to a great 2011!