Page 4 August 2016 Come and see our NEWLY RENOVATED PRESCHOOL... home to our ALL-NEW 3’s and EXPANDED Pre-K Programs. • Indoor and Outdoor Spaces Inspire the Imagination • Hands-On Learning Centers Teach through Play •'FWECVQTU'PEQWTCIG)TQYVJCPF%QPƂFGPEG TUESDAY & THURSDAY TOURS BY APPOINTMENT (602) 954-9088 or visit us at www.staphxschool.org & SPORTS COLLECTOR CAR CENTER Servicing Your Car Is Not Our Job, It’s Our Passion • F actory Trained Technicians Using St ate of the Art Equipment • F amil y Owned & Serving The East V alley Since 1973 • Shuttle Service, Pick Up & Delivery A v ailable at no extra cost 480.968.5000 | www.sccarcenter.com • Jaguar & Range Rover Experts • Honor Most Extended W arranties • All Service Guaranteed/ Parts & Labor * All required factory maintenance Services S E R V I C E By Amanda Goossen Up until the day my husband and I bought our Arcadia home, I had absolutely no perception of this thing called irrigation. Now, like the kids on this month’s cover, I’m knee deep in all the fun! I do, however, say that with a bit of sarcasm. Before irrigation became a way of life for our family, I drove by flooded lots and gave them little thought. It all seemed a bit of a mess, with water sometimes seeping out and large berms with overgrown grass trying to hold in the surging flow. I wondered why in the world, with the invention of lawn sprinklers in 1871, was this method of watering a lawn still used in our hip little Phoenix neighborhood. But then I moved into a home with an abundance of fruit trees, which had been completely ignored and stripped of irrigation for over nine months. Suddenly it all made sense. Our neighborhood, with its history of orchards and citrus, depended on our flooded lots. My poor little peach and fig tree were proof of this as they fought to provide their bounty and eventually gave up. Currently yielding only small buds of hard, green and inedible fruit, with the right amount of water, next summer’s harvest may fill buckets to the rim. Growing up, the only fruit I ate were peaches. I could be forced to eat an apple or an occasional vine of grapes, but peaches were something I loved. The fact that my beloved grandfather and I regularly shared one at the kitchen counter, as I was his only grandchild that shared his love for stone fruit, enhanced my enjoyment for the delicacies even more. Over the years I’ve obviously learned to embrace the texture and sweetness of a variety of other fruits, but for me, the peach still reigns supreme. The first thing I did when I learned a tree baring such fruit stood in my front yard, was purchase a perfect bowl to sit on my counter, waiting to be filled. I looked at the tree twice a day for three months. I might have become a little obsessed. And then finally, an expert informed me that my trees had been too dry for too long. My fruit depended on that darn irrigation. So, while I still haven’t gotten used to irrigation, I have learned to embrace it. I might not be jumping in the water like our adorable little August cover kids, but I do hold an entirely new respect for a front yard glistening with gallons of freshly flooded H 2 0. Not to mention that I’m looking forward to next year when I can make a few peach pies and fill jars with homemade fig jam. If you are one of the lucky locals who has a tree weighed down with figs at the moment, don’t miss this month’s cookbook article which visits the home of Katie Kohne, who not only saved her beloved backyard fig tree from being demolished during a recent home renovation, but also learned to make fig and strawberry jam in order to use up all the fruit. I recently had the chance to visit Katie’s home with writer Lisa Weisenburger and we were given a lesson on making the jam, the proper picking method, and how to know exactly when the fruit is ripe. This month we also have a variety of stories about young students with high achievements, a local mom who will soon be inducted into the Duke Athletics Hall of Fame, and the four new principals preparing to lead our Arcadia schools in the fall. Whether you spend August jumping in your swimming pool or splish-splashing around with the kids on irrigation day, I wish you all the best as we wind down the summer. Keep cool my friends! And thank you for reading Arcadia News . Keeping cool with irrigation EDITOR’S NOTES

2016 TAVAN SCHOOL DISTRICT SALES RESULTS (1/1/2016-6/30/2016) Active Homes - 98 Homes Homes Sold - 104 Homes Average Sale Price - $482,000 Average Sold $ Per SF - $230 Average Days On Market - 83 days There is currently 5 months of home inventory. (based on 2015 sales results) 2015 home sales have decreased 6% this year. (based on 2015 sales results) Home prices have increased 1% this year. (based on 2015 sales results) $ Per Square Foot prices have increased 2% this year. (based on 2015 sales results) Homes are taking 23% less time to sell this year. (based on 2015 sales results) 2015 TAVAN SCHOOL DISTRICT SALES RESULTS Active Homes - 66 Homes Homes Sold - 216 Homes Average Sale Price - $477,000 Average Sold $ Per SF - $225 Average Days On Market - 108 days 2014 TAVAN SCHOOL DISTRICT YEAR END SALES RESULTS Homes Sold - 199 Homes Average Sale Price - $451,117 Average Sold $ Per SF - $208 Average Days On Market - 78 Days Arcadia Real Estate Stats 2016 HOPI SCHOOL DISTRICT SALES RESULTS (1/1/2016-6/30/2016) Active Homes - 187 homes Homes Sold - 136 homes Average Sale Price - $1,249,000 Average Sold $ Per SF - $333 Average Days On Market - 136 days There is currently 8 months of home inventory. (based on 2015 sales results) 2015 home sales have decreased 4% this year. (based on 2015 sales results) Home prices have increased 21% this year. (based on 2015 sales results) $ Per Square Foot prices have increased 10% this year. (based on 2015 sales results) Homes are taking 21% more time to sell this year. (based on 2015 sales results) 2015 HOPI SCHOOL DISTRICT SALES RESULTS Active Homes - 144 homes Homes Sold - 291 homes Average Sale Price - $990,000 Average Sold $ Per SF - $300 Average Days On Market - 108 days 2014 HOPI SCHOOL DISTRICT YEAR END SALES RESULTS Homes Sold - 225 Homes Average Sale Price - $1,006,381 Average Sold $ Per SF - $286 Average Days On Market - 119 Days If you are buying or selling a home in Arcadia, call Tommy! visit Tommy Atkinson .com Free MLS Access • Complete list of ALL Hopi properties for sale Complete List of ALL Tavan properties for sale • Complete list of ALL Arcadia foreclosures Call today about my flexible commission plan geared to Save You Money! West USA Realty Cell: 602-625-6020 tomatkinson1@msn.com 2215 N 27th Street • $149,500 3 bedroom / 2 bath • 1,849 square feet Great Investment Opportunity 3323 N Valencia • $938,000 4 bedroom/ 3 bath • 3,001 square feet Arizona Country Club Golf Course Property I have several buyers looking for houses in Arcadia. If you don’t want to list your house but would consider selling, please call me.