The search for Burgers and Brews in Ahwatukee

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We JUST got back from a camping trip up in the woods in Pine, AZ over the last few days and we both needed two things, a great burger and a cold brew.  We have very different tastes when it comes to the cold brew, he likes sours and I like IPA's.  We enjoy eating out and have tried many places.  There are some stellar restaurants in the area and it's been a hunt for us to find a place with a finger-licking good juicy burger and our respective 'cold ones'.  

We set out in the car and started the 'So, where do you want to go?' conversation, both agreeing that we'd be adventurous and not just drive straight to our tried and true, where we absolutely hands down knew we'd get exactly what we wanted.  

We arrived at said new location and got seated.  We chose a place that advertises its specialization in 'brews'.  We got the beer menu and even asked our server for the sour choices to no avail... poor Matt.  They almost always have at least one IPA choice for me and typically Matt is stuck saying 'I'll just have water' from behind disappointed eyes.   Being very used to this, Matt ordered water and our server set out for my ice cold Lagunitas which really isn't my favorite but it will do.  

Not two minutes later the bartender runs past our table to the servers window and shouted 'Take the Lagunitas off of the menu.  We're out!" 

Imagine my face 😱

We both looked at each other and asked her to hold the waters, we are out of here!  Although the burgers looked like they could be great...

No conversation in the car.  We both knew where we were headed. 

Uncle Bears, located on Ray Road in Ahwatukee, is our absolute favorite for that perfect burger and the brew of your choice.  The service is always friendly, we hardly ever wait to be seated (even when it's super busy), the burgers are explosions of flavor and the beer that they brew in-house is perfect every single time.  They have a laid back atmosphere so you don't feel like a jerk if your kid is a little crazy.  They have an awesome kids menu and kids eat free on Wednesdays (with the purchase of an adult entree)! 

There are some really cool homes in really cool areas of Ahwatukee!  Live close to Uncle Bears 😍 Click here to take a look! 

#AllAhwatukee

Living in the Ahwatukee Foothills, The Best of Both Worlds

Living in this community for the last few months has been the most enjoyable out of any location that I have lived in since moving to Arizona from New Hampshire in 2004.  I have lived in Gilbert, East Mesa, South/West Mesa, Tempe and North Scottsdale.  There is no other area of the valley with more stunning views coupled with a convenient location, within 20 minutes of Phoenix Sky Harbor, 25 minutes of Downtown Phoenix and within 25 minutes of Scottsdale.  Restaurants, night life and shopping is plentiful and close.

Here's awesome drone footage of one particularly stunning area of the Foothills! 

 

Surrounded by miles of breathtaking landscape, the Ahwatukee Foothills has a 'small town' community feel with a convenient location and tons to do.  Enjoy hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking and street biking along with family favorites like the Ahwatukee Farmers Market and the annual Chili Cook-off that takes place each spring. 

South Mountain Park is the largest municipal park in the United States and borders the entire community to the north.  Offering amazing scenery as a stunning backdrop to many homes and neighborhoods.   

The Ahwatukee Farmers Market is every Sunday morning in the Zipps parking lot off of Warner. NW Corner of 48th St and Warner.

Moving and want to see what Ahwatukee has to offer?  View areas homes FOR SALE HERE. 

Coyotes in Ahwatukee? What to do...

I was NOT ready for that!  Working late one night I heard what sounded like babies crying.  The more I listened I realized that it wasn't babies, it was a pack of coyotes and they were in our cul-de-sac!!

Immediately I hopped onto the social media site, NextDoor, for my neighborhood and asked the neighbors about their experience with the coyotes.  Does this happen frequently?  It turns out, per the neighbors, the coyotes quite like my cul-de-sac and it's not uncommon to hear and see them.   Oh boy... that wasn't on the Seller Disclosure Statement.  😳

Since we'll likely have encounters in the future, I researched what to do:

1. Do not approach the animal and do NOT run.  It could trigger a natural reaction and the animal may chase and attack.

2. Stand your ground.  Make loud noises and stamp your feet and yell.  These actions may prevent an attack and scare the animal off. 

3. If you have a small pet or child with you, pick them up off of the ground.  The animal could view them as a food source. 

Here's a few tips to reduce their attraction to your home / neighborhood:

1. Install good outdoor lighting and use it nightly.

2. Keep bushes and vegetation trimmed so there isn't anything for the coyote to burrow under.

3. Secure trash and don't store any trash outside of trash containers. 

Apparently it's very uncommon to be attacked by a coyote and, per the neighbors, they aren't really what I need to watch out for. 

It's the javelina 😳

Welcome to living by the preserve, LamFam! 

Popular Ahwatukee Neighborhoods - Ahwatukee Real Estate

MOVING DAY came just as quickly as it went, thank goodness 😓 The movers arrived at the old house right on time...at 7am and they started right away.  Of course, in nervous anticipation of this moment, I had been up since 5am anyway.  We said goodbye to our home of almost 4 years that day...it was a little sad but something that I quickly forgot once I got settled into the new place.

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Our son stayed with us the whole day.  He's four so he got bored quickly and needed to be entertained. He also needed a nap.  I left the old house well before Matt did with the movers and set out to run a few errands and get the kid fed and hopefully some sort of nap.  

I needed a desk for the new house so we headed to the Potato Barn Outlet.   It's so hard to not want one of everything in that store!  We found a desk right away for $200 off the original price and scheduled the delivery for later that day!  Mission accomplished! 

After a quick lunch at Uncle Bears in Ahwatukee we set out on a little adventure.  For the next two hours, I listened to some awesome music and explored all of the amazing and popular neighborhoods in Ahwatukee while my 4 year old snored away in the back seat. 

My top three favorite Ahwatukee Neighborhoods at the moment are:

Ahwatukee Custom Estates:  Located in the Equestrian Trail and 36th Street / Knox and 36th Street area, this is my favorite Ahwatukee neighborhood for many reasons but mostly the location and jaw dropping scenery.  The custom homes in this area are typically a little bit older but have so much character and, of course, stunning views of South Mountain preserve.  A hiker or mountain bikers dream within minutes from the trailhead.  

Mountain Park Ranch:  It's huge and it's awesome.  Offering three community pools and spas, tennis courts, children’s pool and playground area, plus volleyball and picnic areas, residents barely have to leave the "bubble".  

Foothills Club West:  Heaven if you are a golfer!  Grab a bite at the Sunset Grill while you are waiting for your tee time!  The Foothills Golf Club offers a facility for weddings and banquets.  It's a pretty awesome place to be with the stunning backdrop of the Foothills. 

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This is the night we heard the coyotes for the first time... 

Ahwatukee Remodel 🏡 Top 10 Tips for Organizing a Move to a New Home

OMG any remodel is always a project...this one seemed to be a bit more taxing because it's our home, maybe?  You'd think after 300 some odd remodels we'd be numb to this but it's just different and weird when it's the home you are going to live in.  

Whilst the demo, remodel and material management is going on, we were facilitating the rental of our current home, planning the purging, packing and moving of our current home and pulling all the strings that make it come together all at the same time. 

Our top 10 tips for organizing the "big move":

1. Get rid of CRAP!  Be honest with yourself. You don't need 55 shirts and you don't need anything that you haven't used in two years.  PURGE.  It feels good and it's cheaper and easier to move when you purge the crap.

2. Schedule a free pick-up from a local charity.  Our favorite is donating to Sunshine Acres.  If you haven't been to this place, it's totally worth a visit.  It's the most incredible children's home we have ever seen and they will pick up your household donations. 

3. Set aside items that can be sold.  Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Facebook Buy/Sell/Trade groups and OfferUp are great websites to list items for sale. 

4. Hire pro movers for the big day.  If you have ever moved yourself, you need no further explanation.  They'll even reassemble your furniture.  Sleeping in your bed the first night in your new home is WAY better than not sleeping in your bed. 

5. Create a master moving "to do" list and make sure all family members are on board and know their part.  

6. Schedule your utility disconnect at the old house and reconnect at the new house.  Make sure to include internet and an alarm system if applicable.  Forward the mail as well! 

7. Start packing early!  Pack decorative items, holiday items and dishes, stored items and other things that you won't need for a few weeks.  The earlier you pack the more relieved you will be once moving day gets closer.  It comes quickly and goes so much more smoothly when you are prepared. 

8. Keep an overnight bag with things that you would pack for a vacation.  You may be without all of your stuff for a few days so pack like you are heading on vacation for three or four days.  If you have too much, no big deal.  If you don't have enough, you'll sure wish you planned that better. 

9. Take pictures of the settings and connections of your electronics so you can quickly set them back up at the new house. 

10. Assemble and make up the beds first!  You could get tired quickly because moving is super exhausting so, after the movers have assembled the beds, make sure you have the box with linens handy.  

We move in 9 days.  It's unreal how much the house has come along in the last few weeks.  I'm super excited for the shiplap back splash in the kitchen and the fresh materials and paint. 

I feel good about moving mostly because we landed great tenants for our current home.  We have a few homes that we rent out and I normally am not very emotional but the one we have raised our baby in in the last few years is getting to me a bit.  I feel really good about knowing that the people that will be there will love it like I have. 

Our home was quickly rented and we were able to choose the tenants.  That was pretty cool.  I'm a real estate broker so I was able to set this up and execute it perfectly.  We allowed for 7 days marketing time and held an open house for 4 hours on a Saturday with all showing appointments scheduled during that time.  We had 19 groups through the home and several applications that weekend.  We were able to meet the tenants we chose at the open house and that made us feel much better and more confident about our choice.  The magic was definitely in the marketing.  

A Gem in Ahwatukee Foothills

We settled on a 4 bedroom home in a cul-de-sac off of 36th and Knox and inspections began right away.    It's so important to be super thorough during the due diligence period so we checked everything out.  Special thanks to Alati's Inspection Service for the radon test.  Many have no idea that Ahwatukee is an area that is known for higher radon levels and it definitely should be tested.  

We had an HVAC tech come for the A/C unit, we had a pool guy come for the pool and equipment, we had a general inspector come for a overview of all systems, etc. and we had a pest inspector for termites and infestation. 

That's when we found these...

16 scorpions were found in one night!!  Our home is really close the the preserve which means easy access to the trailhead but also means a few extra Arizona critters to deal with.  Creepy Crawly Pest Control advised us that this can be controlled and they will be sealing the house this coming week.  They have already started spraying to reduce the food supply for the scorpions and nightly hunts help as well.  

We decided to do a complete remodel.  We are replacing the flooring throughout, the cabinets and counters, the bathroom fixtures and a full interior paint job.  We closed on the 16th of March and by the 17th we no longer had a kitchen.  😳

Why Ahwatukee?

We chose a home in Ahwatukee for many reasons but these were the major ones:

We really loved the mountain views behind our home when we lived in Scottsdale.  Matt enjoys taking a bike ride here and there and family hikes are a Sunday favorite.  Living near the mountains again is really exciting. 

We love the parks and public recreation areas especially Sun Ray Park!  We have a 4 year old and the park is perfect for afternoon entertainment. He can cruise on his bike while we walk the bike trail beside him, he can run in the huge grass fields and he can hike the "little mountain" without any help from us.  It's a great park with great scenery.  

The location is great for us.  The proximity to the I10 and the 202 is a huge plus not only for work but we do like to take the jeep to the mountains and to Canyon Lake.  It's close to many of our favorite restaurants like Uncle Bears, Smokin Fins and Z'Tejas.  Phoenix Sky Harbor is 17 minutes away.  We travel and have family that visits from back East so airport proximity is important.  Chandler Fashion Center is a great shopping mall that is super close and has a Harkins Movie Theatre.

We know that we'll be on the hunt for a good school for our son in about a year.  We really like what Ahwatukee has to offer.  We did our research on the Great Schools site.