6 APRIL 2017 ARCAD A NEWS By Katie Mayer Q: Tell us about your upbringing and how that led you down the path to real estate. A: I was born in Detroit, Michigan and lived there until I came to college at Arizona State University. I’ve always been an entrepreneur and I’ve had my own businesses since I was in high school. My love for real estate began in college and has continued to intensify from there. When I was young, I used to sell blue jeans on street corners. I’d buy them for $8 a pair and sell them for $10 dollars. Before that, I started a company called Sunbag. It was a Sunday breakfast delivery service which may not sound like a big deal today, but in the 70s there were very few things you could get delivered to your doorstep. It was innovative. I would take orders from people for bagels, deli food and anything else they wanted and deliver it by 9 a.m. on Sunday morning with juice and the New York Times . Ultimately, I sold the business. At Arizona State, I studied business administration with an emphasis on real estate. I got my real estate license and bought my first home (in Sunnyslope) my sophomore year and rehabbed it. I graduated in 1986, and about two weeks later, I met a guy who had a company inside Fiesta Mall. Essentially, he was marketing all the new home builders in town. You could view all the floor plans in one location. I said, “This is a great idea, but why don’t we turn it into a real estate company and actually let me sell the houses?” The builders paid a monthly fee be in the mall, so I said, “Listen, you don’t need to pay us anything. You can have all this exposure, and you will only pay if we sell one of your homes.” They accepted and I eventually grew the business to seven stores in the Valley, three in Salt Lake City and three in Las Vegas. It was called New Home Concepts and by the time I sold the company in 1999, we were selling 1,700 homes a year, just in Phoenix alone. Q: What brought you to Arcadia? A: I’ve lived in Arcadia since 1991 with my wife, Amy. Our son, Adam, was just born and Amy came to me and said she found the perfect neighborhood to raise our family. I had no idea about Arcadia at the time, but once I saw it, it didn’t take much convincing. When we sold New Home Concepts, we weren’t sure what was next for us, so we rehabbed a house in the neighborhood and I moved my office into that house. I decided that was the perfect way to build a business, running the office in an empty home until it sells and then moving on to the next. At that time, agents weren’t doing open houses every day and sellers were impressed that was I willing to. That, coupled with very targeted marketing and advertising led to listing after listing and buyer after buyer in Arcadia. Q: What do you like about living and working in Arcadia? A: It’s very nice to work where you live. I know the people here, and I think I understand their values. I know the teachers, the coaches, the small businesses and the restaurants. I have an enormous amount of pride in this neighborhood. I drive the streets and it makes me happy. My sons, Adam and Jonah, went through all three Arcadia schools and my wife was extremely active in the various PTOs for many years. She still volunteers, even when our sons are long past school age. We just feel a deep sense of love and responsibility to this community. Q: Describe how Arcadia has evolved? Why do you think it became the incredible family-friendly, small business hub and popular community it is today? A: When I first moved here, the neighborhood was full of beautiful single-story ranch homes and it was ready for another generational turn over. The builders slowly discovered the opportunity and started knocking down homes and building the latest and greatest. The key, however, was keeping the area’s character. That’s what people want, new homes that have charm and personality. Additionally, you can’t beat this location. Camelback Mountain isn’t moving and there is a finite amount of real estate surrounding it. It makes perfect sense that we are loaded with the best restaurants and shopping, because we can support it. Combine this with the family-friendly environment and front yard play, and you have an area that has resonated with people. When they move here, they can’t imagine leaving. That’s why properties sell at a premium. Q: What do you think is in store for Arcadia real estate for the future? A: I think prices are getting to a point where it’s a little scary. I believe lot values are so high that we’re starting to price builders out. It’s the builders that have fueled this market based on people’s appetite for new product, and I think there’s going to be a slowdown unless knockdown and lot prices come down substantially. The market still has legs, but we’re in a situation where the older homes have become very difficult to sell. Everyone wants new. Q: What do you do in your free time? A: I love working out and I play a lot of hockey. Hockey is my passion. My absolute favorite thing is spending time with friends at our home in Munds Park. Amy and I love to travel as well. We are fortunate enough to get to do that more and more now that we’re empty nesters, and I’ve got such an amazing team behind me. We are a very cohesive supportive group and you can’t run this type of business without an incredible staff. I’ve got some of the best in the business supporting me in every way so I can enjoy my free time and my business doesn’t skip a beat. Q&A with Arcadia Realtor Robert Joffe “My love for real estate began in college and has continued to intensify from there.” Publisher’s Note: We are fortunate to live and work in an area that is in perpetual high demand. Readers sometimes tell me they check out the real estate ads as much as the stories, which I understand. It’s part of living in the neighborhood – we all want to know what’s going on with the real estate market in Arcadia. For this special anniversary edition, Arcadia News writer Katie Mayer interviewed well-known Realtor Robert Joffe to find out a little more about the market and the man himself. Robert and Amy Joffe. FAMILY PHOTO Arcadia News 25 th Anniversary Feature

7 APRIL 2017 Arc A d A News Mirabella at Arizona State University is a nonprofit, resident-centered community developed in partnership with Pacific Retirement Services and Arizona State University. Equal housing opportunity. Big things are happening in your backyard. Join us at one of our upcoming events to learn more about this incredible opportunity. Four dates to choose from: April 10, 12, 17 or 21 at 10 am Located at SkySong, the ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center 1365 N. Scottsdale Rd. Scottsdale, AZ Continental breakfast will be served. Complimentary garage parking. www.mirabellaASU.com 300 E. University Drive, 5th Floor Tempe, AZ 85281 Introducing Mirabella at Arizona State University, a brand-new Life Plan Community on the campus of one of the most dynamic research universities in the country, just steps from the historic ASU Gammage theater. Offering a wealth of programs and activities, Mirabella aims to help you make the next chapters of your life the best chapters of your life. And with three penthouse restaurants and more than 250 of the largest view residences in the valley, it is high-rise urban living at its finest. RSVP today: 480-965-9295 Thank you to Arcadia Realtor Tommy Atkinson for the details and information. HOPI TAVAN HOPI TAVAN HOPI TAVAN 2000 221 145 $505,000 $199,000 $165 $108 2001 189 157 $449,000 $207,000 $166 $114 2002 213 197 $544,000 $231,000 $177 $123 2003 256 197 $559,000 $270,000 $186 $137 2004 303 264 $744,000 $308,000 $230 $154 2005 284 225 $917,000 $421,000 $294 $214 2006 189 155 $1,044,000 $489,000 $345* $240 2007 149 147 $1,087,000 $485,000 $345 $237 2008 121 107 $982,000 $413, 000 $305 $203 2009 140 136 $754,006 $321, 000 $239 $155 2010 202 145 $670,142 $294,278 $200 $142 2011 238 203 $625,344 $265,505 $197 $128 2012 282 207 $777,607 $326,316 $235 $158 2013 305* 217 $854,430 $403, 875 $282 $189 2014 225 199 $1,006,381 $451,117 $286 $208 2015 291 216 $990,000 $477,000 $300 $225 2016 278 219 $1,210,000 $527,000 $328 $235 AVERAGE SOLD $ PER SF AVERAGE SALE PRICE # HOMES SOLD 305* $345* Most number of homes sold in one year. Highest single year price per square foot. HOUSING TRENDS THROUGH THE YEARS 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 $1,400,000 $1,200,000 $1,000,000 $800,000 $600,000 $400,000 $200,000 0 in just four years between 2002 and 2006, the average sales price and the average price per square foot nearly doubled in both of these districts (92% in Hopi and 112% in Tavan). Publisher’s Note: We thought it would be interesting to see how the market has changed over the years, with price per square foot and average sales price. We asked Realtor Tommy Atkinson to provide us with pertinent ARMLS data for the area, since he has been a librarian of sorts for these numbers, collecting and putting them in his ad every month. He was able to supply data from 2000 through 2016. The data sets are most easily defined as “Hopi District” and “Tavan District” as they are loosely based on the school district definitions. There are some jagged edges that make up the boundaries, but for a general idea: 40th Street to the west and 68th Street to the east. “Hopi” is north of Indian School Road (up Camelback Mountain) and “Tavan” is south (to about Thomas Road). $ HOPI TAVAN