A Start Of Another Exciting NEW YEAR... Let's Welcome 2015

   It is hard to believe but another year has come and gone and lets welcome 2015. I really am so appreciative for all of you for hiring me to list 167 homes and sell 154 homes in 2014 making me the tope selling North Central Realtor for over the past 14 years. In 32 sales in 2014, I represented both the buyer and seller which can be delicate since that makes me a dual agent but after 24 years of selling homes, I have learned how to deal with this situation. Being a dual agent can be beneficial to the seller because I am more in control of the sale and helps to prevent delays from lack of communications.
   Approximately 4 months ago, a female real estate agent was murdered in Arkansas and the death sent a shock throughout the real estate world. Our profession can be very dangerous because we never know what strangers will show up at our open houses or sometimes what strangers we are meeting at showings. I contacted my good friend and North Central resident, US Marshall David Gonzales, who agreed to speak at 3 of our HomeSmart's regional meetings and my HomeSmart Elite meeting( we meet at North Phoenix Baptist Church) which consisted of 140 HomeSmart agents at that meeting. David made all the agents aware of that we should be careful of our surroundings and do not take things for granted. I appreciate all the time he spent with our agents. Obviously, no matter what you do for a living or how you conduct your daily lives, David reiterated that you cannot be predictable in your daily routine.
   I also was very appreciative for another North Central resident, David Karstadt, who is the owner of Karstadt Taekwon-Do, which is located at 7th Street/Rose Lane, for teaching a self defense class for our realtors and even some of the realtor's children. I asked David's son, John, who also teaches at his dad's studio, to write a bio on his dad and their company.
   Growing up in Central Phoenix, Master David Karstadt began his Taekwon-Do training in 1977. After earning his 2nd degree black belt he opened his first school in 1986. Since that time Master Karstadt has taught thousands of Phoenix area families while developing leaders in the community. He has also hosted women's self-defense seminars, works with the freshman P.E. class at Xavier College Preparatory teaching self-defense, awareness and empowerment, holds yearly fundraisers feeding families for the holidays, has donated thousands to Phoenix area schools through his after-school programs, has been coach of the U.S. Taekwon-Do Team and has produced numerous Taekwon-Do World Champions. I hope you guys will sign up for his classes which deal with all ages.. Tell him you saw this article and he will give you a discount on your classes.
   Since my dad and I owned the Jockey Club Nightclub, first located at 2110 E Highland from 1976-1985 and then a second location at 52 E Camelback from 1989-1996, which was once Navarres and now is Sweet Tomatoes, I am very partial to North Central Businesses. I am excited and proud to welcome a new location for Orangetheory Fitness, which will open at the Safeway Center, 7th Street/Glendale in January. I contacted the owner, Bobbe Ariano and asked her for a write up on her company:

Orangetheory Fitness is coming to Central Phoenix! It has been mentioned by FOX news, ABC, NBC and the New York Times as "The best one hour workout!" Orangetheory Fitness is group personal training that focuses on five zones of your heart rate. Through interval training combined with weights, men and women can burn up to 1000 calories in one hour. This workout is proven and is designed for all fitness levels from beginners to elite athletes.

The workout at Orangetheory Fitness is lead by experienced and certified personal trainers. They bring fun music and energy to every workout. The equipment used consists of TRX, Water Rowers, Treadmills, Bikes, Weights and more.  We are excited to become a part of the Central Phoenix community. Our new location will open February 1st.  Now is the time to sign up and receive the founding rate at our pre sale location. It is located at 742 E Glendale Ave, suite 172. It is on the NEC of 7th and Glendale. Pre sale rates aren't here for long, so don't miss out! Stop in and say hello.

   Thanks Bobbe..Let's make 2015 a healthy one for all of you and your loved ones.

   Please see below some of my new listings for January and new homes under construction that are not listed for sale yet.

   Thanks again for all of your support the past 24 years. We have sold almost 2000 homes in that time frame and many of the same homes 2 or 3 times! Remember I am also expanding my business to the Biltmore area, having sold over 50 homes there ranging from $200,000 to $5,850,000. My current web page is www.centralphx.com and in January, I will have a second web page, www.biltmoreazagent.com.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/money/real-estate/catherine-reagor/2015/01/13/former-phoenix-home-sen-john-mccain-sale/21716087/

This beautiful home in North Central has an amazing history. Thanks to renovations by the previous and current owner, it's even more impressive with 13 bedrooms, two guest houses, a fully-remodeled kitchen with upgraded appliances and finishes, Olympic size pool not to mention the 6-car garage on a beautifully manicured 2-acre lot - it's ideal for a car collector, large family or family who enjoys entertaining....if you or someone you know is looking for a little more living space, please contact me.

Celebrating the Holidays, a Family Tradition

   Now that Thanksgiving is over, we’re looking ahead into the holiday season. There’s a lot of fun events going on in the Valley this month and it all starts with Hanukkah!

   Hanukkah or Chanukah, begins this year at sundown on December 16th and lasts through December 24th. There are a few events across the Valley that celebrate Hanukkah including a nightly menorah lighting at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess and the Phoenician in Scottsdale.

   If you’re looking for traditional Chanukah foods, head on over to Chompie’s. For eight days, Chompie’s will offer Potato Latkes, Brisket of Beef, Matzo Ball Soup and Chanukah cookies from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

   When looking to celebrate the Christmas season, there’s no better place to get in the holiday spirit than the Arizona Biltmore. The entire hotel is decorated for the season and would make the perfect backdrop for your holiday card. Enjoy a 60-foot Christmas tree, menorah, gingerbread village and twinkling lights!

   One of the most unique holiday traditions to the Arizona Biltmore is holiday tea. It’s been a tradition there for 85 years and includes a special menu that inquires the flavors of the season. In addition to delicious tea, there are also sandwiches, pastries and desserts.

   There’s also some holiday fun for the kids at the Arizona Biltmore. There’s a letter writing station set up just for the little ones so they can write letters to Santa. Also, every Saturday evening in December, Mrs. Claus pays a visit to the Arizona Biltmore to read her favorite holiday stories, along with hot cocoa and cookies!

   If you’re not looking to cook an extravagant dinner this holiday season, you can get a delicious meal at Wright’s at the Biltmore on Christmas Eve or even Christmas Day. In fact, if your dine at Wright’s on Christmas, you’ll enjoy an extravagant five-course dinner! Be sure to check with your favorite restaurant because many of them are open for the holiday season, making your holiday meals delicious, easy, and carefree.

Thank you for 2014!

   Unfortunately for all of you out there in North Central land, I expanded this column for just this one month. I PROMISE I will not do this again ... but I've got lots of thanks to shout out. First and foremost, I want to thank all of my loyal clients who allowed me to sell more than 150 homes in 2014. In 35 of those sales, I represented both the buyers and the sellers, which can sometimes be a little challenging. Because I really enjoy what I do, it makes it fun even though it takes working crazy hours to be organized and to do all that is necessary to help my clients through a sale.
   I am very appreciative of the North Central sellers who trusted me to list 167 homes this year. Thanks also to Porchlight Homes for hiring me to list and sell a new gated 15-home subdivision on 7th Avenue between Bethany Home and Maryland as well as a new 10-home subdivision just near Northern and Central avenues called Sendero Villas. I am proud to say that we closed out both subdivisions and the reaction and demand for new homes was incredible.
   For many years my North Central clients have asked me expand my business into the Biltmore, whether it be North Central friends or clients who have decided to downsize, upsize or are just looking for a change and want to stay in the same general area or have family members who want to sell their Biltmore homes. I appreciate their trust and have been willing to help them. In fact, I've sold more than 50 homes in the Biltmore ranging from a $200,000 patio home to a $5.8 million dollar sale on the Biltmore Estates golf course. Thanks to your encouragement, I am excited to be making the Biltmore part of my ‘hood beginning in 2015. Take a look at my new
website that highlights the Biltmore:www.biltmoreazagent.com. I will continue to have my North Central website at www.centralphx.com. Terry and Alan Bandler, who have lived in North Central
for many years, are my first clients to support me in my business expansion. They are buying a home that I listed in The Biltmore Hillside Villas, located on Glendale/Lincoln just west of 32nd Street. The beautiful guard-gated home was owned by Mary DeConcini. Once Ms. Bandler works her her magic, the home will look brand new.Thanks also to Lisa Walker, the Bandler's family member who also decided to move from a beautiful North Central home that I sold a few years ago. She also trusted me to find her new home in The Biltmore Hillside Villas. Look for the Bandler's trophy home located on West Frier to go on the market in the first quarter of 2015.
   I also want to thank Leslie Phillips for allowing me to sell her parents’ Biltmore home, located at 5048 N 25th Place, which I sold to them nearly 14 years ago. Finally, many thanks to the Pattersons for allowing me to sell their Biltmore home at 3039 E Stella Lane. The support from my North Central friends and clients has been overwhelming as I embark on this exciting expansion opportunity!
   I want to also thank Patty Johnson of Connections Marketing & Communications for guiding and structuring the Biltmore expansion for me. Patty and her husband, former Phoenix Mayor Paul Johnson, have been longtime friends and clients of mine. She is the best person to organize the marketing of The Biltmore.
   Thanks also to the 26 North Central and Biltmore area businesses who allowed me to place my sports magnets (D-Backs, Cardinals and Suns) in their stores. We are all so lucky to have such an eclectic and supportive mix of retail, restaurants and specialty stores. Just look around. There is lots of construction and expansion of more new businesses that plan to open in 2015. Why live anywhere else? If you would like to have the magnets in your stores, please give me a ring.
   Another thank you goes to the incredible HomeSmart agents –– not only those in our Central and Biltmore offices but each of you throughout the Valley (we have nearly 5000 HomeSmart agents here). I was reminded how amazing our entire team is about three months ago when I received a call that one of our agents almost lost his wife during a scary and tragic incident. He let me know that as his wife was getting into her parked car in their own driveway, she was shockingly yanked out of the car in a car-jacking. Unfortunately, her head hit the concrete. She was in the hospital with severe brain and head injuries for weeks and although she is now back at home, she will never be physically the same again. Hearing the story, I felt the need to try to help the family defer some medical costs but the husband said all he wanted was some good old Italian food because he had been eating McDonalds for three straight weeks. With help from HomeSmart's own Carol Perry, we brought him some of his favorite Italian food and we launched a non-profit charity called We Care HomeSmart. Through We Care HomeSmart, the funds we raise help HomeSmart agents whose immediate family members have suffered a serious medical setback and the family needs a little help. At our various HomeSmart regional meetings, we collected $13,000 in just four weeks. This is an amazing testimony to the camaraderie that our HomeSmart agents and partners share. Thank you to the many good people at HomeSmart and thank you to our chairman, Matt Widdows, for matching a significant portion of our donations. Anyone who would like to donate is also welcome to participate. Just let me know.
   I certainly cannot end this year without thanking this paper, the North Central News. I have been advertising here since it was founded 15 years ago and it has been an incredible boost for my business. The circulation is 22,000 issues mailed to North Central homes and businesses and another 4,000 copies that are distributed in area news racks. There is no better vehicle to reach all of you with important community information, whether it's about the new companies, real estate or community activities. Please do not tell the North Central News how much I appreciate them or they might increase my advertising fees!  
   Finally, I want to thank my family beginning with my two dogs –– Jakki, a 13 year old Weimeraner and Layla, a 3-year old Boxer rescue. Oh yeah ... I also want to thank my 23-year-old daughter, Juliann, a Xavier High School grad, who graduated from Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University with freakin’ HONORS and just began her master’s in sports psychology, and my 25-yearold son, Sean, a Brophy grad,who recently started with one of HomeSmart's partners who help to sponsor our meetings, Homeowner's Financial Group. Sean is currently a business and marketing partner for the company and studying to be a loan originator. I hope to be able to refer him business within the next few months. Congratulations also to Jesse Milleson, who jut graduated from the University of Memphis.
   And, finally, my former disc jockey at the Jockey Club, who never listened to her boss
(ME) for five years (sometimes even cussed at me when I asked her to play certain songs or to
turn the volume down) ... my beautiful wife of 28 years, MaryAnn. She often tells me how
lucky I am for having to put up with my family for so long ... and you know? She is right!
   I also truly appreciate my assistant, Kathy Wright, who has tolerated me for 15 years. I
owe a lot of my success to her hard work.
   Thanks to my family and thanks to all of you for making 2014 such a successful and healthy year. I cannot believe another year is just around the corner. Cheers to 2015.

The Past Becomes The Future

     I just got back a few weeks ago from going to my high school reunion in Atlanta and it was really amazing to see how my old neighborhood and the surrounding areas had changed. I have written a few times in this article how changes in Central Phoenix are inevitable and the changes have increased our values and brought in new people. I grew up in an area where our apartments, which were over 40 years old but always felt like a million dollar neighborhood, were pretty amazing to our family. My parents were divorced, my dad was here in Phoenix so my brother and I lived with our mom in a threebedroom apartment surrounded by a lot of our friends. The old apartments were torn down a few years ago to make room for a new apartment complex that was ultra modern. At first seeing the new structures was very weird to me but I was proud that my old ‘hood was worthy of some developers seeing potential in it and that made me smile.
     My old public high school is located in Buckhead and even that had changed: It is now a private arts school with an astroturf football field. I found out the school was featured in the Sandra Bullock movie, The Blind Side. Yes, it was strange seeing the additions and modernizations in a 60yearold school but I realized that it was a necessary venture for survival. All the homes that surrounded the school have now tripled in price even though they look the same as they did 40 years ago. Ok, I certainly must be driving a point here–I am letting you know that it is essential for neighborhoods to change and, in the long run, we all benefit from the changes. North Central is an amazing area with new businesses, including a myriad of restaurants and stores, moving to our area in the past few years as well as many new housing developments that increase our values and bring in new families. Change not only is good for all of us but it is essential for longterm growth.
     I just listed a home that has been owned by Maryann McCullough and her husband, Bill, for many years. Ms. McCullough was a longtime math teacher at Brophy and Xavier and she wanted to hear from those of you who had her as a teacher. Please email me at boblieb@aol.com and I will forward your emails to her. My son and daughter never had the privilege of having Ms. McCullough as their teacher but I know many of you were fortunate to have learned your math skills from this incredible person.
     I am featuring local businesses in this monthly column, so if you want to be written about here, email me your information. I am very bullish on businesses that have survived the tough times and have been around for more than 20 years. This month I want to congratulate Desert Song, which specializes in yoga, massage, meditation and other healing arts for the Phoenix community. Independently owned by North Central residents Mary Beth and Vince Markus, Desert Song has always called Central Phoenix its home. They started off with a little rented space at the Phoenix School of Ballet in 1981, then moved to the Cannedy Dance Center. Next it was Campbell Crossing and eventually another space just north of the Valley Commerce Center on 7th Street and Camelback. In 2012, Desert Song found a permanent residence, which is a midcentury modern building located on 20th Street just south of Osborn. Come see for yourself what a difference Desert Song can make in your life by calling 602-265-8222 or visiting www.desertsongyoga.com.
     Have a great Turkey Day as this year starts to come to an end.

North Central is indebted to developers

I want us to flashback five or six years ago and remember the pain in our guts when our home values were at an incredible low value and about 60 percent of our home values were under water.  Unfortunately, some of our friends and family members lost their homes to the banks. There was
doubt about how long it would take to recover but the North Central area had a strong turnaround
and although  e are not back at pre-2005 prices, we have come back a long way.  We certainly are in a great location with excellent schools, tremendous restaurants and top retail stores. I feel there is a common factor as to why our home prices have almost doubled in the past 3-4 years and we owe a large thanks to the home builders/ developers who believed in our neighborhoods as much as we did. Back in the 1970s, the restaurant Willy and Guillermo's at Central and Missouri was torn down for new homes, as was the Ambassador Hotel at 4th Avenue and Maryland, which is now a luxury gated subdivision.
In the past few years, two of my clients, Porchlight Homes and Magee Builders, have built more than 30 new homes in the corridor ranging in price from $370,000 to $780,000 and increasing the per-square-foot price to close to $250. Just a few years ago we were lucky to get more than $175 per square foot but now we are creeping up to the $300 per foot prices, thanks to two incredible homes built on Central Avenue and Lamar by Starion Custom Residences, who tore down an old home that sat on an acre. I have not confirmed the exact square-foot price with the builder but I feel the masterpieces he created are worth every bit of a $300-plus-per-foot price. Another new builder in our area, CE Residential, currently has two new homes under construction on Myrtle, just east of Central Avenue, for around $1.5 million. An old home was demolished, making way for these
fabulous homes. CE Residential also built a new home at Lamar and 2nd Street that sold for $980,000.
Another project that I will be involved in will be located at 325 E Maryland, which replaced a 70-year-old home that should have been condemned many years ago. There will be three new homes, soon to be under construction, at that location. There are many new clients of mine who want new homes and are moving here from other parts of the Valley only to buy a new home. I know I mentioned in another one of my monthly articles that change is good, especially when it pertains to our Central Corridor. I will be representing more than 25 new custom homes in our area over the next 18 months. I am seeing more and more buyers moving here from Paradise Valley and Arcadia in order to be closer to work and schools. These buyers will only move here for homes in the $550,000 and higher range that are brand new or remodeled throughout.
 Please be supportive of these  developers as they take us to a newer financial level. Remember CHANGE is good for a  neighborhood and please know that these builders are building homes that have current zoning in place and they want their homes to conform to the neighborhoods in which they are being built.

The Lieb Group
Bobby Lieb
Associate Broker
HomeSmart Elite Group Manager/Founder
5225 N. Central Ave., Ste.104, Phoenix, AZ 85012
Mobile: 602-376-1341
Fax: 602-996-9141
www.centralphx.com

You get what you pay for

I had a client last week who placed a home in escrow near 28th Street and Camelback, which
had brand new floors, counter tops and cabinets; all bathrooms remodeled; a new roof and new air
conditioning. The home was a fix and flip by an investor and seemed like a great home until...WE
HAD AN INSPECTION...that revealedthe roof was not new,the AC was not new and basically the
home was in poor condition and he canceled. I cannot tell you how many homes that I have seen like this in the past three or four years where investors,who are not licensed, put together what we call a “lipstick remodel” that looks good from the inside until you have that inspection. There are some amazing licensed contractors in our market, so be careful who you choose to remodel your home or in choosing a home that has a licensed contractor who did the remodel because they will stand behind the work.
The other problem that I have seen in the past four years is all the homes that had their roofs replaced because of hail damage. About 75 percent of these roofs were replaced by imposters who issued useless roof warranties. Most of these roofers were storm chasers who go from city to
city preying on desperate people. My take in all these stories is you get what you pay for, so be
careful!
My suggestion is to investigate the contractorseither through the Better Business Bureau or ask for references. The best overall scenario, if you can afford it, is to go with a new home where the state mandates certain warranties that builders must offer their clients, such as one year for cosmetics and two years for any structure issue, along with manufacturer warranties for appliances, roof and air conditioning. I am very fortunate to represent two incredible builders who have called North Central their home for the past two years and will continue to build here for at least two more years. One is Magee Builders, who has built or remodeled more than six North Central homes and currently has a brand-new home located at 7220 North 15th Ave., which is listed for $784,000 and sits on a half-acre lot. Magee has at least 15-18 more new North Central homes either under construction or in the planning stages. The next homes will be completed by the end of July and include 405 E. Montebello, priced around $900,000 and including 3,400 square feet on a 22,000 square-foot lot; and 5506 N. 2nd Street. priced in the mid $700s and including 3,050 square feet with a three-car garage. Magee Builders are Randy Rochford, Brian Magee and Scott McLean.
The other builder that I am representing is Porchlight Homes, which developed a 5.5 acre horse property located on 7th Avenue between Maryland and Bethany Home Road. It is a new gated subdivision, originally consisting of 15 homes which is now down to three spec homes: two at 3,500 square feet and one at 3,150 square feet. All three will be active on the market in mid July. Porchlight has a second gated 10-home subdivision located on Central Avenue just north of Northern Avenue. In just six weeks, eight of  the homes have been sold and the two remaining specs with be active the first of July. NORTH CENTRAL LOVES NEW HOMES. Go new if you can afford to.
My heavy condolences to the family of Herb Sperber, who for many years owned a tuxedo store at 7th Avenue and Campbell called Lad T Dad, which later became Tux and Tails. Herb dressed all of us for proms, weddings, premiers and special functions. I was more nervous on my wedding night, worried about my losing or tearing my tuxedo than I was about the wedding party, which consisted of 250 wild animals. Herb made all of us feel and look like a million dollars and we are all better off for having him in our lives. I still own a tux from Tux and Tails but, unfortunately, it has shrunk over the years! Thanks, Herb, for making me feel special for many a night wearing your clothes. The Valley was a better place with your presence in our lives. Additionally the name Herb is very special to my brother and me because that was our dad's name. I lost another longtime friend this month, Bob Warren, who was in my wedding party and a great customer for many years at the Jockey Club. I enjoyed Bob's company at my club for many nights and years and even playing golf with him. Bob, Mary Ann and I and all of our Jockey Club cardholders will dearly miss you.
See you guys in San Diego!


Bobby Lieb




The Lieb Group
Associate Broker
HomeSmart Elite Group Manager/Founder
5225 N. Central Ave., Ste. 104
Phoenix, AZ 85012
Mobile: 602-376-1341
Fax: 602-996-9141
www.centralphx.com

New Construction= New Families= New Businesses

I mentioned a couple of months ago how excited that I am to be involved with two builders who are helping to change the dynamics in North Central, Porchlight Homes and Magee Builders. Porchlight has a 15- home gated subdivision called Claremont Estates, located on 7th Avenue between Maryland and Bethany Home with nine sales to date. Claremont Estates currently has one home active on the market and will have three spec homes completed between June and August. Porchlight also has a second gated subdivision called Sendero Villas, located on Central Avenue just north of Northern, that consist of 10 homes. We currently have sold two homes and there are four specs under  construction. The floor plans can all be seen on my web page at centralphx.com.
Magee Builders has plans for more than 20 custom homes in North Central over the next 24 months. They currently have three spec homes under construction. The first one will be completed by May 1 and the next two will be done within the next 60-90 days. If you plan on moving to North Central over the next two to four months, you certainly have many home choices from either Porchlight or Magee Builders. You also can call me for specs and pricing.
We are no longer a sleepy little villa in North Central with all the new businesses, including restaurants, that are either relocating or moving here ... and there seems to be a daily wait time for a table. We are seeing numerous buyers from Paradise Valley and Arcadia moving to our area because of the new homes and the quality of our schools. Change is inevitable and I hear some long-time residents are not always excited to see changes. Our values, which suffered greatly for about five years, have increased considerably and the new homes as well as the remodeled homes have contributed to the higher prices. I welcome new families and businesses to our area and hope that this trend will continue. I have always been very supportive of longtime area businesses since my dad and I used to own the Jockey Club Nightclub.
This month I am featuring my friend Mark Hester of Hester, Heitel and Associates. "North Central Phoenix is the home to Hester, Heitel and Associates. We are an independent insurance agency that has been in the Valley of the Sun since 1953.The agency was founded by my father, Lynn Hester. Our agency specializes in business insurance and high-net-worth personal insurance. As a specialist in the field of high-net-worth personal insurance, we are very aware of the unique insurance exposures that accompany the highnet- worth profile. Large jewelry schedules and fine arts schedules are commonplace. There are unique coverage techniques that can save money, and simplify large  schedules of insurance, for the consumer. There are also critical liability issues to consider like excess uninsured and under-insured motorists coverage and larger limits for personal umbrella liability. We love insuring some of the most beautiful and well-maintained homes in North Central Phoenix, Paradise Valley and Scottsdale. Our personal attention to our client’s insurance needs and our convenient location at 6122 N.7th St. in Phoenix allows us to service our customers with great ease and accessibility… Our valued customers are our friends and neighbors in North Central Phoenix."
Have a happy and healthy May. Good luck to the Graduates for 2014. My daughter Juliann will graduate from Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University.


Bobby Lieb
The Lieb Group
Associate Broker
HomeSmart Elite Group Manager/Founder
5225 N. Central Ave., Ste. 104
Phoenix, AZ 85012
Mobile: 602-376-1341
Fax: 602-996-9141
www.centralphx.com

Athletic injuries in young people

I am a huge baseball fan and there is no bigger thrill for me to have the baseball season beginning soon. I played four years of college baseball and far and away it is my favorite sport. My concern with the beginning of the 2014 season is all of the major arm injuries that the teams are experiencing including the Diamondback's star pitcher, Patrick Corbin, who will be out the entire season due to “Tommy John” surgery. My belief is that our kids are throwing a lot of innings as young boys and by the time they are in their early 20s, they are paying the price with injuries.
I am guilty as a dad because my son Sean played competitive baseball beginning at age 8. I
believe he played in more than 75 baseball games that year and subsequently the same amount of
games for the next six years, (and that does not include basketball and football games). We
watched kids throwing sliders and curve balls even at age 8 with total amazement, not realizing how much impact that would have on some of these young arms when they got older. The problem we have in Arizona is that the weather is so awesome that we play sports all year round on many teams and with different coaches, some very experienced and some just there because they are the parent or the legal guardian. I am not saying what we do as parents and coaches is wrong because I coached my kids for more than 10 years. My point is to understand what has taken me a long time to realize, that these young athletes are still growing and the impact of what they are doing at a young age could impede their growth in sports later on because of serious injuries.
I asked the North Central sports guru Itamar Stern of Foothills Sports Medicine to comment on his
findings "Over my long career as a sports physical therapist, I have seen numerous injuries in the
adolescent athlete related to overwork and overuse, none more prevalent than in the throwing
athlete. The throwing motion overloads the immature musculoskeletal system, causing injuries to
tendons, ligaments and bones when the thrower is asked to throw at a high frequency.
“Another problem is general weakness of core and shoulder girdle muscles contributing to injuries
at the elbow and shoulder level. At Foothills Sports medicine PT we recommend a professionally
supervised strengthening program specific to the thrower and the pitch count, taking into consideration the amount of practice and number of games, how frequently the athlete is seen, and how many teams the athlete plays on. Every parent thinks his kid is the next Steven Strasburg but incorrect training might lead to disastrous injuries and shattered dreams.”
Have a great and healthy April. PLAY BALL

bobby Lieb

The Lieb Group
Bobby Lieb
Associate Broker
HomeSmart Elite Group Manager/Founder
5225 N. Central Ave., Ste. 104
Phoenix, AZ  85012
Mobile: 602-376-1341
Fax: 602-996-9141 www.centralphx.com

Change is good

I was honored to be chosen by Local Einsteins Books as one of 15 agents in the Valley to write a
chapter for their book on “What to Know Before Buying or selling a Home.” They picked the top agent in each part of the Valley and I wrote about “Understanding the Real Estate Market of North Central Phoenix.” I was fortunate to list 158 homes in 2013 (13 homes per month) and sold 126 homes this year (10 homes per month). We sold almost 75 homes just in North  Central.
 I was asked recently why I chose to live in North Central with all the beautiful homes that I see throughout the Valley and my simple answer is that is the area my dad lived in and I feel so comfortable here. My parents got divorced in 1965 and I moved to Atlanta, Ga., with my mom and brother and dad moved to Phoenix to buy a ladies dress shop called Kagels at Park Central Mall
with his business partner Gerry Aron. Dad first moved into the Moroccan Apartments on 3rd Avenue and Maryland, which were torn down a few years ago and replaced by Herro Park Townhomes (these were built out and finished by Porchlight Homes). My dad then rented at Executive Towers at 3rd Avenue and Clarendon. Those were then converted into condos, where he lived for more than 20 years. Finally he moved into Crystal Point Condos, located on Osborn and 13th Street, before he passed away a couple of years ago.
I would visit Phoenix twice a year until I moved out here permanently in 1978 to work with dad at the Jockey Club Nightclub, which he owned and was built by Jerry Hassett. We had a second location for seven years at Central and Camelback, which was formerly Navares and now is Sweet Tomatoes. I enjoyed seeing the early Phoenix from 1965 to 1980 but, like all cities and neighborhoods, it must change in order to attract new families and keep the old ones here. I used to go with my dad to Rocky's Hideaway in the Ambassador Hotel on 4th Avenue and Maryland, which is now a gated subdivision of 20 homes called North Central Estate West. The cook at Rocky’s was Gregory Andro, who was Rocky's nephew and later opened many wonderful restaurants called Gregory's Penthouse. One of Greg's best customers was a former star softball player named Rose Mofford, who went on to greater fame as one of our finest governors. Rose, hope you are feeling better because we miss seeing you at Sierra Bonita. also had the very first disco in Phoenix called Herb's Underground, located across the street from the Del Webb Townhouse on Clarendon and Central in 1970. He used to take me to Willie andGuillermos Nightclub and Restaurant on Central Avenue Missouri, where people used to stand in linesfor hours to get in. That was torn down and estate housesare now in its place.
What is my point with this month's article? First of all, that I am very grateful that my dad chose this area to live in for more than 50 years and introduced me and my family to North Central. Second, I get a little upset when I hear people say that our area should always remain the same and never change and that is just not practical. Properties get run down and become a blight to the neighborhood and a seller has the right to sell to whoever they want to for the most money they can. If the new buyer happens to be a developer who is not needing a variance and is keeping the current zoning in place, then that is a positive change and brings new people to our area who want new homes and will pay more money for these homes, which drive our prices up. We sold three
new homes for Magee Builders in 2013 between $740k and $805k and the buyers moved in these because they only wanted new homes and their kids all went to our neighborhood schools. Magee is building another 24 custom homes in North Central the next 24 months and I am proud to be their exclusive agent. Porchlight Homes, another local developer, bought a 5.5 acre old horse property on 7th avenue and Claremont and we have sold 7 homes priced between $625k-$800k and there will be a total of 15 homes in this gated subdivision. Five of the buyers are North Central homeowners who wanted new and gated (two of those five are moving from 5,000-square-foot North Central Homes and want to downsize and stay in the area) and are proud to call this their new home. Porchlight also is building 10 new homes on Central Avenue just north of Northern, which should start selling in January. I am also honored to be Porchlight's exclusive broker.
I understand that not all of you want to see changes to our area and I respect that opinion. Please respect the fact that there are many new people who are moving in to our neighborhood, as well as long time area residents who want to move here and buy new or remodeled homes. I literally have a waiting list of buyers who want homes in our area and that is why I sold more than 20 homes out of 126 home sales in 2013 to clients who bought my listings before they even went in to MLS. There is also a reason that new restaurants and businesses are locating in our area. CHANGE IS GOOD!
Have a great and healthy 2014

The Lieb Group

Bobby Lieb
Associate Broker
HomeSmart Elite Group Manager/Founder
5225 N. Central Ave., Ste. 104
Phoenix, AZ 85012
Mobile: 602-376-1341
Fax: 602-996-9141
www.centralphx.com