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

Congratulations to the ‘Survivors'

In addition to this column, I am going to add another column in the North Central News beginning this month titled NORTH CENTRAL SURVIVORS. This monthly article will feature up to three North Central businesses that have been around for 20 years or more, which in my opinion is a testimonial to the owners who have survived at least one difficult economic time. I have always been a true believer and supporter of any business  that chooses to operate in the Central corridor and I feel that the more successful retail and restaurants are, the more families will choose to live here.

I am here  to sell homes and I want to see more people moving to North Central. I also enjoy seeing old friends in the restaurants and stores but I don't enjoy seeing the little kids who I coached in
RAMMS for 10 years grow up to now calling me Mr Lieb. It makes me feel too old.

This month my North Central Survivors article will feature Christo’s Restaurant and The Stock Room, both which have been fixtures in North Central for more than 25 years. I hope you enjoy the article and if you know of any area businesses that have been cranking for at least 20 years, please email or call me. Congratulations to the North Central Survivors!

On to the REAL ESTATE WORLD. The rates remain incredibly low, which is allowing buyers to purchase or refinance at almost all time lows. We have been fortunate to have sold more than 70 homes in 2012 including 14 short sales, which is a great alternative to going through foreclosure and usually has a shorter impact on your credit rating than a foreclosure. Please give us an opportunity to discuss any and all real estate situations that you may have. The inventory is still very low, which helped us sell nine homes in May including 450 E Ocotillo, which was listed for $1.5 million. We also sold four homes in May the first week we listed the home.

Our North Central HomeSmart office continues to grow both in agents and space. We started off a year ago with 25 agents who mostly came from Realty Executives and now we are 83 strong. We just expanded our office to another 1,200 square feet with five private suites, three of which are spoken for. If you are looking to make a switch to the top North Central Real Estate office, give us a try. There certainly is a reason that the top realtors in town are now HomeSmart agents, which has allowed us to totally dominate our neighborhood with almost 80 percent of the market share. 
 Please give us an opportunity to meet with you when you are ready to discuss your real estate needs.

Have a safe July and stay hydrated!

Bobby Lieb

 Bobby Lieb

Associate Broker 

HomeSmart Elite Group 

602-761-4646 (office) 

602-376-1341 (mobile)

Around Town

I hope everybody had a good Passover and a happy Easter or both if you just like to eat. I have a couple of friends who celebrate both and how cool would it be to be young and get money for finding the Matzah and gathering the most Easter eggs? Growing up in Atlanta, I enjoyed getting out of school for Christmas but was confused why Chanukah did not get us any days off? 

Just a thought! I keep getting comments from sellers about the current market because they hear everything is back to 2005 prices and I let them know they are misinformed. The homes under $200,000 are seeing multiple offers but as the homes get pricier the demand is not as great unless the home is priced competitively. If you have any questions about your home's value, please give me a call and I will be glad to give you a free consultation. 

Remember, we have now done over 40 short sales so that is a great option for you. We have done around 12 short sales in 2012 and we have another eight in escrow. The banks have been more willing to short sell a home now than to foreclose. 

Congrats to my good friends Christo and Connie on their 25-year anniversary of Christo's restaurant, located on 7th Street just south of Maryland. Great food and the restaurant was remodeled throughout and has a private room that accommodates 25-50 people. Christo also has Alexi's restaurant located on Osborn and Central. 

Also, congrats to Joe and Peppy Niccoli from Niccoli's restaurant, located at 6102 N. 16th St., on their expansion. They are the hardest working couple that I have ever come across. They have great homemade Italian sandwiches and breads.  Take home their lasagna made fresh every day.

Speaking of good sandwiches, visit Maryland Deli and Liquor at 7th Street and Maryland. They also have eight gas pumps with Shell Gas. It is a family owned business and you can now place your order on line at www.Shelldeli.com. 

A neighborhood fixture for many years.  If you are looking for a fitness coach and a really cool private gym, contact Bobby Kelly from Results Only, located north of Chase Bank on 7th Street and Glendale. There are short-term memberships available and they have many yoga and conditioning classes daily. Contact Bobby at 602-944-0747. You also can ask for Kelly. 

Finally, thanks to Ben Green from Abernethy & Green who helped my son Sean with his speeding ticket in Yarnell. Ben also specializes in DUI and other criminal cases. Ben grew up in North Central and lives in the corridor. 

Thanks again for your continued support. We have sold 37 homes in 2012 and have 16 in escrow.  We will get your  home sold! 

Bobby Lieb 

Associate Broker 

HomeSmart Elite Group 

602-761-4646 (office) 

602-376-1341 (mobile) 

Bobby Lieb 

Looking Forward to a Good 2012!

Happy 2012 to all of you. I hope that this is a healthy and happy year for all of you! Now on to the most important issues on hand for me. My 22 year old son Sean, who is a senior at U of A
(SAE) and my 20 year old daughter Juliann, who is a sophomore at ASU (THETA), have left the
building for the holidays and are back at school, leaving my wife Mary Ann and me as empty nesters again.
Sean played football at University of Colorado and U of A last year and Juliann made the dean's list at Barrett, The Honors College, all three semesters so far! They are all ready planning for the future which makes me so proud. Sean called and asked for me to pay for his spring break trip to Cabo so he could study abroad for a week and Juliann emailed me and asked if I would pay for an apartment for her this summer so she could take summer classes because it is too far to drive from our central Phoenix house to ASU daily for four weeks, It never stops! Lastly, our third child, Jesse Milleson, who we have mentored for three years and who attended Sunnyslope High School, just received a scholarship to play football at the University of Memphis. Jesse had four schools battling for his services. Pretty cool! Check out those Tigers in 2012.
Oh yeah, about the real estate world. I am excited about the market because other than short sales, the inventory is shrinking and we are now dealing with real sellers and not the banks. I was lucky enough to have sold 94 homes in 2011 (listed 115 homes) and have already sold eight in 2012, three of which were over $1 million and 1 was over $2 million.
There are many buyers out there but let’s not fool ourselves because your home still has to be priced right. If you are interested in selling or would like a free evaluation, let me know. Our HomeSmart office, located just south of Missouri on Central, has 65 great agents to choose from. In just one year we have become North Central's top Realtors which is amazing in such a short time. We have one private office available if you are looking for great company to join and synergize with. HomeSmart has the most agents in the state and has been adding almost 75 new agents every month.
I always mention that our home values are tied to the retail market in our area and I highly recommend keeping your money in our neighborhood as much as possible. I have been placing my sports magnets in various places in North Central over the past 10 years and my thanks to the following places for allowing me to market my business: * Athleticuts * Chase Bank at 7th Street & Glendale * Du Nails *Foothills Sports * Windsor Cleaners/Tonys * Maryland Deli and Liquor * Hester * Heitel Insurance * Cabinets By Design *  The Stockroom * Scotts Generations * Tangible Fitness * Cartridge World * Lux Coffee Shop *  Salon Estique * House of Trophies *  UPS Store at 16th & Glendale * Kodi's Pet Foods * Nicolli's Deli * Barry's Hardware (formerly Koller) * La Siena Senior Living Community *
If you are interested in having me promote your business in this column, please call or email me
at boblieb@aol.com.
Thanks for all of the positive comments with this column. This paper, The North Central News, is the best thing that has happen to our neighborhood, Please read it and support the advertisers!

Thanks!
The Lieb Group
Bobby Lieb
Associate Broker
HomeSmart Elite
602-761-4646 (office)
602-376-1341 (mobile)
Bobby Lieb

Thanks to many for their support!

TWENTY FIVE –– It seems like an innocent number but it represents the number of years my former employee, disc jockey Mary Ann Ortiz, who made me sign a contract that my dad and I would pay her each night she worked, have been married. Amazing but true that she has put up with me for all of these years!I love you, Ms. Ortiz.
There are numerous people who deserve a big thanks as we wind down another year on the
calendar and welcome in 2012. First of all, thank you to the more than 100 clients who hired me to list their homes this year and the 94 clients who allowed me the privilege of either selling their home or helping them purchase one. I never take it for granted in this business and I do appreciate the one key word –– LOYALTY.
Thanks also to Matt Widdows, the owner of HomeSmart Realty, the largest real estate company in the state and the number 1 real estate company in North Central, for opening up a new office for me on Central Avenue.The new location and new company would not have worked without the greatest group of 35 independent realtors who joined our Central office. This group consists of the best realtors in North Central and together in just six short months, we have sold more than 200 homes and have the number 1 market share in the area. PRETTY AMAZING. You have a few choices for realtors but if you want your home sold or you want the best value, hire one of us!
A big thanks to the North Central News for all that they do for me. This paper has been the backbone for marketing my properties over the many years and it serves as a wealth of knowledge for anything that goes on in our neighborhood. Thanks for being a huge part of the North Central area. If you have a business in the area, there is not a better medium to promote your products. Speaking of the area businesses, thank you to all of you for allowing me to place my sports magnets in your stores. I feel very strongly about supporting our local restaurants and stores because they are essential to a balance for our residential neighborhood. If our Central Avenue residents don't support these businesses, they will have a difficult time surviving.
KEEP THE MONEY IN NORTH CENTRAL! If any of the area businesses are interested in
having my sports magnets in their stores, please let me know. There is no charge for your clients
to take a Suns, Cardinals or Diamondbacks schedule home with them. Ok, the catch is it also has my name on it but it is COOL.
Thanks to my good buddy and former Ramms co-coach, Mark Hester, from Hester- Heitel Insurance, for co-sponsoring this column. His company provides all kinds of insurance and they are the best. Mark also is the president of the 100 Club, which provides assistance to the families of policeman and firemen who die or are injured in the line of duty. He is part of a wonderful organization.
Finally, this has been a blessed year for my friends and family but it has been a little weird in losing my dad, Herb. I still want to call him daily and let him know how his grandkids are doing. My prayers and thoughts to any of you who have lost a good friend or relative this past year.
A toast for the new year is to a happy and healthy 2012.
Cheers!

Bobby Lieb

My Dad.... A Phoenix Icon

My dad, Herb Lieb, passed away on Feb. 24, 2011, after just celebrating his 91st birthday. Dad was born in Chicago, left to fight in WWII and actually landed on Normandy Beach. After the war, he met my mom, Sharon. They lived in several locations before they divorced. My brother Michael and I moved with our mom to Atlanta and dad moved to Phoenix in 1965. Dad became partners with Geri Kagel in Kagel's ladies’ store in Park Central Mall. In 1970, he opened Herb's Underground at Central and Clarendon avenues, which was Phoenix's first disco. He sold the Underground after three years  and then had Jerry Hassett build the Jockey Club Nightclub in 1976, which was located at 20th Street and Camelback and was the first private disco in Phoenix.  I graduated from college in 1978 with visions of playing professional baseball but instead I was hired to manage the Jockey Club at 22–and what a run it was. I met so many great people through my dad and even hired a disc jockey from another club, MaryAnn Ortiz, who worked for me (I mean I worked for her) for five years.                                                                    In 1986, MaryAnn and I got married and now we have two college- age kids, Sean and Juliann. In  1989, Burt Lewin, Mal Straus and Mike Hayes worked with dad to open another Jockey Club and we opened at Central and Camelback. Once again, I met wonderful people and we enjoyed this club until 1986 when we sold it to Sweet Tomatoes.                                                                 My dad then retired and started to enjoy his life without the burden of a business to run. Michael and I really enjoyed visiting dad twice a year when we were younger and it was truly amazing how many people my dad knew from going to Rocky's Hideaway, Bobby McGee’s (where dad had a booth  reserved for him at every location) and the other places where all the Phoenicians used to hang out. I also remember how wonderful dad's friends were to Michael and me. Instead of treating us like the little punks we were they always treated us respectfully, like we were adults.
As my dad grew older, the respect his friends had for him just grew stronger. They all had stories about dad and they all used to tell me how he always had time for them no matter what the situation was. He was like a second father to many people out there. The greatest tribute to my dad was the more than 275 people who attended his funeral and the more than 100 cards that my brother and I have received over the past four weeks. My kids and my brother’s kids, Stephanie and Jeffrey, gave eulogies about what a great grandpa dad was and there were eulogies from his friends. A special  thanks to the many people who were there the past few weeks to make my dad's last few days comfortable:
Rabbi Herring, Bill Saul, Mike Davis, Bob Sikora, Jan and Wendall Chapman, Arlene Copley, Sherri and Sandy Germaine, Shannon Lieb and his grandkids. There will never be any more stories from dad but there will be hundreds about dad for the years to come. We also have CDs of his numerous birthday roasts. Dad, I wish I could hear one last story from you but just know that I love you very much. Your legacy is the many friends that you left behind and also the wonderful family that loved you dearly.                                                                                       Guess what, dad? You now have a new captive audience to tell your many stories to.
WE MISS YOU.

Summer is Busy at New Office!

I am trying to think of words of wisdom for this month's column but I find myself very tired. Long days of working? No...it is three nights in a row having my wife Mary Ann wake me up at 2 a.m. while I am in a deep coma to tell me my son is still not home yet. I thought it was our son but not in this instance. I pretended I did not feel the hits on my arm nor hear the yelling but to no avail. I  assume I am not the only dad who has experienced college kids adjusting to parental control again after being away for 9 months. Anyway, belated Happy Father's Day to everyone.                I have now been part of North Central's newest Real Estate company, HomeSmart, for more than three months now. Our office consists of more than 30 seasoned veterans who have had incredible success over the past 10 years-plus and our particular group is called HomeSmart Elite. I have never been part of such a consistently strong group of people.
Our first month we had Mayor Phil Gordon cut the ribbon for our office and welcome us to North Central. The next month City Councilman Sal Diccicio spoke to our group. Recently, we had the director of admissions at All Saints and Xavier as well as Jeff Glosser, from Brophy, who is the assistant vice principal, as well as the activities director. I even exposed Jeff's previous career as stunt double for Michael J. Fox in Teen Wolf, in which he was a former gymnast at LMU and did the basketball dunking scene. Sorry, Jeff, to expose your checkered past!! In addition we had three mayorial candidates speak and our residential appraiser guru, John Fournier, talked about the new requirements for his industry.
Our company, HomeSmart Elite, is the number-one selling and listing real estate company in the North Central area in just three months. No matter who is hired from our office, the other agents will do whatever we can to help each other sell their listing. Our office will tour the new listings and give our opinions and we advertise in the North Central News. Every agent in our office has had long-term experience and the benefit to the buyers and sellers is beyond belief. HomeSmart Elite will get the job done for you.
I am thankful to the buyers who have purchased more than 50 homes from me in 2011 and the more-than 60 homes that we have listed so far this year. It may be a slow market but we will work every day to get your home sold. Besides advertising in three pages in this paper, I have a huge advantage in that HomeSmart places our listings in more than 200 web sites. Our new president, who just came to us from Vienna, places our listings on his social media pages all over the world. This is why I changed offices after 17 years of being at Realty Executives and made the move to HomeSmart. Our company is far and away light years ahead of our competitors.
Now I am going back to sleep because my son just got home at the crack of 3 a.m. The good news is that he will be fully rested to go to work at the Brophy Sports camp in three hours...oh, to be young again.The good news is I can sleep for a few hours until I get beat up again waiting for my son to come home. By the way, only a few more months until college starts again. Have a safe summer.

Bobby Lieb
Associate Broker
HomeSmart Elite
602-761-4646 (office)
602-376-1341 (mobile)