Taking the trip of a lifetime

Normally I write this column about the real estate market in North Central but this month I would like to share with you a wonderful experience that my wife Mary Ann and our two great friends Wendell and Jan Chapman just experienced. We got to spend the past week on an incredible journey to the land of Israel. My daughter was fortunate to visit Israel last year on a program called Birthright, which is available to Jewish kids between the ages of 18- 26 and is actually free if they qualify. For the first time ever, the Birthright program invited the parents (we have to pay!), to visit Israel and experience what our kids got to see. We got to meet 84 parents from all over the country and had the adventure of our life.

We started on day one by going to the port city of Caesara and then drove along the  Mediterranean coast to the upper Galilee and saw incredible old ruins of the country. On day two we got to discover the Golan Heights on ATV off road vehicles, looked out at Syria from Mount Bental, then continued to a memorial service at the Valley of the Tears that marked 40 years since the outbreak of the Yom Kippur war, took a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee and then had dinner in Tiberias.

On days three and four we went to the magical city of Tzfat, met with a Kabbalistic artist, drove to the incredible city of Jerusalem where they had a welcoming ceremony for our group and then stayed in Jerusalem. We also went to visit the Israel Museum, which included the model of Jerusalem and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Next we went to visit the Western wall which also is known as the Wailing Wall. We then went to Ammunition Hill where we walked through the bunkers and heard about the battles for Jerusalem in the six-day war.
Over the next few days we went to Yad Vasheem, which is a historical museum depicting
the Holocaust and the children who were killed during this horrible time. We then went
to Israel's National Military Cemetery and then went shopping at the Machane Yehuda outdoor market (absolutely about as crowded as you could possibly imagine) and then went to a sound and light show at the Tower of David Museum.
The final two days we went to the Judean Desert, floated in the Dead Sea, went to Masada and relived the bitter confrontation between the Zealots and the Romans, and then got to ride camels at Kfar Hanokdim. Finally, we visited the site where Prime Minister Rabinwas killed in 1995 and visited the beaches in Tel Aviv.
The passion of the residents in Israel is incredible. It truly does not matter what religion
you practice because this is a country for everybody. The history and the surroundings
from the north all the way to the south of Israel offer a vacation and history lesson for all ages. I was a little nervous because of everything that I had read but I personally will tell you it is absolutely safe and you need to experience what we experienced. If you are interested in a tour, contact Israel Maven Tours at 866-317-9307 or the visit the website at www.Israel-Maven.com.
Have a great November.

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

MAN'S BEST FRIEND

I remember around 27 years ago playing tennis at my friend Dr Peter Nutley's home when he stopped for a few minutes to walk up to his dog and gave it a treat and started talking to him like he was human..I kept saying to myself what a wacko and then Peter went on to tell me that he took his dog hunting with him and camping..I started to worry a little about my friend that he was so attached to his dog because I had never owned a dog and did not understand. Later that year, I surprised my wife when we got back from our honeymoon with our first dog, a shar-pei named IRIE and we became hooked..Irie would sleep under our newborn Sean's bed and then 2 years later, protected Sean's sister Juliann when she was born. Irie was a great friend and we enjoyed him for many years. About 7 years later we got another shar-pei, Punam and then about 11 years we bought a weimeraner named Jakki who is still prancing around the home..Irie and Punam had passed on and we got our 3rd Shar-Pei, Shay around 9 years ago..Shay was an amazing pet. He never had a bad day and would wake me up when he was hungry and had me trained to do whatever he wanted me to do..When we bought a boxer Layla a couple of years ago, Shay would cause interference on Layla whenever Layla starting getting aggressive with Jakki and was the protective father that he needed to be.. 

 

We almost lost Shay a couple of years ago due to health issues but our vet, Dr BJ Umstead saved him with proper medications and Shay continued to give our family daily smiles. A couple of weeks ago, Shay stopped eating and although we did everything that we could we realized that his time was near. We took Shay in July 5th to the vet and made that really difficult decision to put him at peace..That choice was probably the hardest decision that I ever had to make but I just did not want to see him suffer anymore..Four days later my 2 dogs are very confused to where their pal is and additionally my wife and I are having a rough time because Shay was a huge part of our family..It has taken me 27 years to realize what Dr Nutley had exposed me to that day and that is whatever pet you have, dogs, cats, birds, gerbils, etc., they are addicting and habit forming. Any of you who have suffered the loss of a pet, I sympathize with you and I now realize that these pets are HUMAN after all! I would love to hear about your stories so you can email me at boblieb@aol.com.

 

On to Real Estate..We have now sold 70 homes and have 12 in escrow for 2013. Thanks to all of you for helping me be ranked by The Phoenix Business Journal the number 6 realtor in Phoenix for 2012 with over $50 million in sales and over 110 home sales. I will never take anything for granted and I have been fortunate to have sold over 1000 North Central homes over the past 20 years, some of them even 2 or 3 times. North Central is my speciality area and I think this is the best area to live and work anywhere in the valley. This is why all the new restaurants and businesses are opening here because the retail world realizes what a great area we live in, as well as all of the new construction.. Have you seen the long lines at these places?..Even in 110 degree weather!!

 

Have a great August..Be safe with kids going back to school and remember my parting words for this month..Love those PETS because they love you!!

 

Bobby Lieb
 Bobby Lieb
Associate Broker
HomeSmart Elite Group
602-761-4646 (office)
602-376-1341 (mobile)
boblieb@aol.com 

  

The True Mentors

I know by now we are all sickened by what happened at Penn State with the Jerry Sandusky situation but my family has had nothing but great coaching mentors who have influenced our lives.
My wife, Mary Ann, played basketball in the Police Athletic Leagues (PAL) in Cleveland and played one year at Cleveland State. I played baseball for Coach Jim Brock at Arizona State, then transferred to Coastal Carolina in South Carolina and played in the NAIA World Series in 1978.
My daughter, Juliann, played for Coach Ami Beiringer at All Saints, who my daughter said nourished her strength and intelligence on and off the court. Moving into high school, Juliann played for Coach Amber LaTarte on club teams, who was all about the team concept that can win championships and life-long friendships. At Xavier, Coach Kelly Fitzgerald took a volleyball/softball/basketball player and molded her into the second-ranked discus thrower in the state and the current school record holder.
Both Juliann and my son, Sean, played RAMMS for many years where they got tired of their parents coaching them in everything. Coach Craig Maggi played a key role in Sean's baseball acumen and at All-Saints, Coach Mark Wagner was an amazing influence in coaching and teaching Sean about what to expect at Brophy and was all about discipline. At Brophy, Sean played baseball and basketball. Beginning in his sophomore year, he was fortunate to be mentored by Coach Scooter Mollander and was part of the 2008 State Championship team for which he had four touchdowns in the final game, which is still a school record.
In college, Sean played at Colorado and then transferred to Phoenix College, where he played for Land Jacobsen (Coach Jake), who then helped Sean get on the University of Arizona football team in 2011 that went to the Alamo Bowl. Coach Jake was like many coaches who coach for the love of the game and not the notoriety or money. Unfortunately, Coach Jake was murdered on July 19. Our family will forever be indebted for everything that he did to get Sean to the next level. We loved you, Coach!
All of these coaches have had an amazing influence on our family and I can guarantee their training will help our kids become leaders, learn to become part of a team, never be content with anything less than 100 percent, and really helped give our kids the confidence that they will use for the rest of their professional and personal lives. There certainly are bad people out there but there are far more great people who are willing to help our kids get to that next level. Thanks to all of you parents and coaches who take the time to teach and mold our kids.I have a new sponsor for this column–– Phil's Home Maintenance, owned by Brenda Barella, whose father was Phil. I have been working with Brenda for almost 20 years with my own house and also on homes that need work before and after the home inspection is done in order to close. They deal with roofs, AC, electrical, plumbing, painting, pools and even changing light bulbs for this writer, who is mechanically challenged. Phil’s prices are very competitive but the best part for myself and for my clients, is that they stand behind their work. There is a reason that I have used Phil’s Home Maintenance for more than 500 jobs the past 20 years. Brenda can be reached at 623-979-5995.
Once again, I want to thank all of my past and current clients for their confidence in allowing me to sell almost 90 homes this year and more than 1,000 homes in 18 years. This newspaper, the North Central News, is nothing short of amazing in helping me with my business. If you are a business owner in the North Central area, advertising in this paper is critical to your success.

The Lieb Group
Bobby Lieb
Associate Broker
HomeSmart Elite Group
602-761-4646 (office)
602-376-1341 (mobile)
boblieb@aol.com
centralpx.com
Bobby Lieb