Wind Down – Page 2 – The "Prescott Pickle Lady"

Thoughts for 2023

Another difficult year is past, and all eyes turn forward to the new year before us.  In this episode, we make our predictions for what 2023 will hold and share some thoughts about what it could mean for you.

Video Transcript

hello hello hello I am Diane this is my better half Randall yes we are correct uh we are fellow Realtors together and fighting in the trenches for you and all of our fellow buyers fellow sellers um we are with exp Realty and we are delighted to be here to help you guys and uh as you’re thinking about next chapters new chapters new chapters which brings us to 2023 New Year they’re getting better every year so probably the one of the worst was 20 20 was tough yeah yeah true this past year was not as bad not as bad it’s getting back crazy a lot of the uncertainty it’s things are starting to settle down I know people are concerned about interest rates and you know end of times and this that and the other and honestly the end of times thing is kind of people are past the end of times they understand the elections are behind us I think we’re going to start getting more on a smoother path now um we just can’t dwell on all of that we just have to keep moving forward and being happy and the wherever we are in whatever chapter you are don’t think about all this stuff we don’t honestly this is my opinion don’t have a lot of control over it yeah I can’t change uh politics I can’t change interest rates I can’t change uh what’s going to come this year I can’t change covet yeah um all I can do is the best every single day and put one foot in front of the other that’s right that’s how you that’s all any of us can do my friends right cheers I really that’s great cinnamon I I really believe that this is my prediction for 2023 I think wait who was it uh so I believe it was Calvin Kelvin Coolidge who termed the uh the word normalcy oh yeah right actually the actual word is normality but uh people say normalcy now he’s the one who that’s like strategy thanks George W injury so uh yeah and that was his strategy so normalcy so you know he’s after World War one and it’s like our return to normalcy yes and I think that is what 2023 is going to be for us I sure am hoping I think things are gonna chill out things are gonna get more and more normal and people interest rates are already starting to change again they had gotten so high but now as you can see they’re starting to drop again that’s of course could change again but I think what everyone the great fears that people had yeah I think it’s going to be okay folks yeah the whole Logistics and Supply thing is starting to iron itself out uh you know supply chain is getting normal again just things are just getting normal every day that goes by people seem to relax just a little bit more and so I I think that’s what 2023 is going to mean for us it’s it’s going to be a normal year and in the in the uh since the the couple of years that we just had that’s going to be a wonderful thing I I think I look forward to it and it’s a long waited we all deserve yeah absolutely some nice back to normalcy back to not worrying about everything and just having uh but it’s back to normal again but I think the most important thing I’d like to share with a lot of people is um there’s a lot of fear people are like well uh I I really hate where I live I hear I can’t tell you kind of makes me sad it kind of pulls up my heartstrings I’m really miserable where I live I hate everything about it I hate the taxes I hate the traffic I hate the increasing cost of living this is my point if you’re not happy where you are it’s not going to change it’s not going to get better it’s not like you reach a certain age you know the world was you were young and the world was struggling and you were part of the fight and you were going to help and you had time time was on your side that ship is salesman I mean most of our clients time is no longer on your side now is the time you need to read the reward that you’ve worked so hard your whole life 100 and if you sit around and you wait for the world or the the people out there to make the world better for you it’s not going to happen so don’t be afraid to make the move if you’re in your 60s 70s we’ve even had people in their 80s absolutely I’ve had enough of this and I want to go somewhere where I am happy yeah and I it’s scary is it scary to walk away and start over a hundred percent we did it all of our friends have done it have any of them had regrets not one person not one person has regretted making that big step and making a change so keep that in mind for new for 2023. yeah absolutely come over here for a new beginning let all that go if you’re busy the best time to make it happen is yesterday yep right it would have been easier 10 years ago when you’re that absolutely younger it will be that much harder 10 years from now oh yeah and and then the other thing to point out is we are a cheaper alternative you know we’re telling you you can have a great life here it would be different if we were trying to talk you into moving someplace that’s more expensive than where you are right this is not a lateral move this is not a lateral it’s gonna be cheaper here your property taxes will be cheaper your cost of living gasoline cost of housing is still cheaper than other places I mean all of the groceries utilities you name it you’re going to be like living a new life when is a good time to reduce your cost of living the answer is there is no best time it’s always good if the if you think the economy is going to the toilet oh okay well maybe it is maybe it isn’t but uh if it does would you be better off where you are now or someplace cheaper I mean I just that’s the million dollar question you know so my goal for you for 2023 is think positive think I’m going to make a change make a change I’m not going to live in fear of what may or may not happen yes if you’re really not happy where you are it’s time to change yeah it’s hard it’s scary but so worth it and we love it we’re so happy we did it so anyway 2023 of the year make it your your your time to shine your time to make pie be brave be brave all right so that’s our little New Year’s wishing for 2023. make it happen Captain you’ll be delighted with all your extra savings if you move here that’s it and we would love to help you and show you around our beautiful town and everything that living in Prescott has to offer you so we hope to hear from you soon you can reach us at pickle411.com that’s our free information site whether you’re a buyer seller or somewhere in between yep there’s something there waiting for you that you will adore oh that’s a pretty big promise but we hope we hope we can deliver on that absolutely all right so everyone have a beautiful day and thank you for listening and happy 2023. bye

--->Join Our Weekly Wind Downs

Asbestos

Older homes can have dangerous stuff in them... things like asbestos.  In this episode, we discuss common places where asbestos can lurk and what to do if you find it.

Video Transcript

hello hello hello hello peeps this is Randall and Diane bro here coming to you live from our little town of Prescott Arizona we are here to kind of talk about some things cut them Charlie Brown yeah you know poor Charlie Brown but anyway we are here to talk about something that you know eor-ish Charlie brownish related asbestos asbestos kind of the thing about asbestos is every year there’s less and less to talk about right asbestos has been identified as a problem since I guess the early 80s yep and uh for the most part it’s been eradicated in most homes certainly all new homes yeah uh but from time to time you have a home that dates back to the 80s no not even really it’s like 1974 earlier and maybe even I think 74 to 80 is you know because they were still using asbestos yeah some of the materials yeah yeah even though they said no more asbestos they grandfathered in existing materials so yeah so the the uh yeah so there’s no hard cut off like in lead-based pain correct our cutoff is 78 anything 70 and later you’re fine yeah that’s right and it’s a big No-No there’s no hard cut off in asbestos yeah but basically the most common uh things for asbestos sometimes they would do duct insulation uh we have yet to see that the one that is most common here and probably most common around right around the country is the dreaded popcorn ceilings yeah popcorn ceilings are notorious especially if they were put in in 1974 1975. although you were sitting in high cotton when you put up those popcorn ceilings everybody thought you were you know put the glitter in there I mean the glitter was even more that was an added step but you were pretty fancy if you were doing it along with your sunken living rooms the prince Acoustics but that’s right it does it is pretty cool but however is it fine if it just stays in place sure but boy if you try to remove that you’ve got to have that abated immediately super fine particles just floating you can’t even see it yeah if you if you are if you have a home you’re trying to sell and it has popcorn okay chances are it’s gotten asbestos nobody is going to want a popcorn ceiling nobody nobody you’re going to want to pull it down yeah even you know the people talk about oh Grandma’s gonna sell her home oh my God even grandma doesn’t want popcorn nobody wants popcorn anymore I really don’t think it’s all that bad I really don’t I mean it doesn’t really offend me but I’ve seen people accept really pretty gross stuff but popcorn ceilings for whatever reason the whole body wants popcorn so if they’re gonna buy your house they’re going to want to remove it if they’re going to remove it that’s a problem if there’s asbestos so you’re gonna have to Abate it you’re gonna have to Abate it and there are companies we can help you with every step of the way uh they will come out and take three core samples from three different locations in the home it is shipped down to Phoenix it is tested and then they give you the percentage um and they will then refer you to abatement companies of which we know you know several of them here I’m sure you ask for for popcorn sealants make sure you ask them to measure the square footage oh yes of the popcorn typically to Abate that to you know have it all scraped down if you do do have asbestos it’s about 450 a square foot a square foot yeah so keep that in mind it’s it’s not a cheap Endeavor to repair that and get it all cleared and then after it’s all scratched up that is good I should say that it is as of November 2022. that’s correct yeah that price written in stone remember Stone but yeah as a a and to make the math easy you might want to do five dollars a square sure the other thing is to once it’s uh abated you’re gonna have to do air tests that’s to demonstrate that there’s no asbestos in the air still uh still correct and that’s probably going to run you another 12 1200 1500 and there’s a separate company that yeah that will come out and test the air quality yeah generally all very important steps yeah generally they’re two two types of companies there is the inspection company inspection and they’re not the same because you don’t want one right you’re a baby we swear it’s all clear now no you need to have somebody that’s why they do it that way right so we have uh all of those people in place if you fall in love with something there’s some great great you know Brady Bunch houses here in Prescott yeah built in the 70s I love them they’re darling no we we’ve actually we’ve gone through an abatement uh you know we uh we were representing the buyer uh we had the popcorn inspected sure enough there was asbestos uh we asked for the repair the seller agreed to do that and the abatement company came in they wear their little booties and a little you know they take care of business and they you know they do all these plastic tunnels you know the the with the plastic that they put up yeah everything it’s hardcore and uh yeah but I mean they come in they do the job yeah they get out that’s done and it’s done well it’s done well and we tested everything was fine yep so it’s not a deal killer but in general I think for most people you’re probably looking at about 10 right uh to Abate that and so you are a seller uh we would advise you if you’ve got popcorn test it if it’s you know chances are it’s going to be bad well even if it’s all right so if you’re gonna if you’re gonna take down the popcorn test it first don’t just take down the pop never take down the popcorn ruin your health okay absolutely you first have to have it tested and uh and if it’s um if it there’s no asbestos you could think about leaving it up and you would have the documentation and demonstrate that there’s no asbestos right uh but for the most part you want to take down popcorn take down take down the pop before you before I love to eat popcorn I think it’s delicious do I want it in my ceiling not really not really but so that is our tip of the day for asbestos it doesn’t necessarily mean end of times end of the world I have to walk away from this house there’s some fantastic homes with beautiful bones they just need to you know get a little you know up with the time so don’t necessarily rule it out but you should be aware of the cost you should be aware that it can be fixed but always test test test test it’s very important very important so that is our tip of the tip of the day we’ve got lots of tips for you lots of tips yeah our free tips you can find at pickle411.com whether you are a buyer seller or somewhere in between there is information there waiting for you that will Delight astound and inform you that’s that’s a lot to deliver but we sure try I’m cocky and it’s good yeah you’re feeling strong today I’m feeling strong he still had a big bill of goods here yeah but reach out to us we’d love to see you we’d love to take you around give you a tour of our lovely town and see some awesome homes absolutely I hope to hear from you soon take care bye

--->Join Our Weekly Wind Downs

Property Taxes

Are property taxes ever good news?  Well, they come pretty close in Prescott.  

If you tired of paying through the nose for services that never materialize, then this episode is for you.  We talk turkey about taxes here in Prescott and how they compare to those in other, less fortunate places.

Video Transcript

hello hello hello and happy good afternoon how’s that that’s good Happy good afternoon happy good afternoon yeah you’re good and happy this is Diane and Randall bro you’re a fellow thank you for identifying yourself she’s pickling I am the pickle lady as well uh thank you for listening to our current little Vlog that we’re about to do it look at you we’re happy to have you here isn’t that a Russian name I don’t know but anyways we’re just delighted we’re with exp Realty we’re local Realtors here in Prescott here to talk to you about a lot of questions we get about property tax property taxes it weighs heavily on a lot of our out of town people who come in heavily heavily and I swear I swear on on the Holy Bible I swear whatever you need me to swear on uh we do not have a stepped up tax appreciation as you will find in other states such as California yeah uh maybe at Oregon and Washington when you buy here there might be a slight adjustment on the current property taxes on the home you’re purchasing but it will not be a dramatic increase like oh they bought this house for 200 000 and now we’re selling it for six hundred thousand so I guess the taxes are going to shoot Sky High does not happen does not happen that way so I swear yeah we had uh two back-to-back years in Prescott uh 30 appreciation during the Covenant market and during that time I think property taxes actually went down yeah they actually went down so so we have a zero-based budget approach to government here in Prescott the uh I guess it’s the county I don’t know the city the whoever mayor who the mayor he gets down he must have a meeting yeah they they figure out what their budget is and they plan to have no money left over at the end so they they put together this is how much money we need to run the place at this point this is all the property that we have and they kind of back into what they need to charge so that they break even right what’s the most important things that we need to address this year yeah and uh they take care of it it’s a very Progressive little town yeah um we don’t have potholes we don’t have roads that need work on we don’t have confidence yeah it’s pretty confident I don’t know what they’re doing they kind of know what they’re doing um things are handled here so they’re not always looking to gouge you for more money taxes they just don’t do that so I mean your taxes might go up fifty dollars yeah might go up 100 might go down 50 it just really depends on what the city is looking at and what their needs are to accomplish for the upcoming year so I know it’s hard to believe yeah we’ve been here six and a half years I think my taxes might have gone up total at the maximum two hundred dollars that’s it all right so now as we are recording this this is November of 2022. yep and let’s talk a little turkey so oh let’s say I have a home it is in Prescott Lakes uh cost of the home is 750 000 okay what’s the property tax probably going to be probably anywhere from 2100 maybe to 2500 yeah that’s per year per year that’s the other question we always get so do you mean every six months no that’s quarterly right no no it’s not quarterly it’s not semi-annually it’s once a year once a year that’s it and it won’t sell out when your property values go up that’s right some homes in here it might even be 1800 1900. uh taxes are extremely reasonable here so when you’re looking to move here think about all of that your cost of living is going to go way down think about just the savings alone on your property taxes we have some people in our car they’re paying 11 to 15 000 a year yeah I mean that’s like a fancy vacation you could take yeah yeah that’s like oh now we can that money’s freed up now I can go out and really enjoy life without sweating these huge property taxes yeah in other states and so we swear they don’t go up they don’t go up you’re not going to have a crazy stepped up tax appreciation it’s uh pretty chill here yeah we need to do another wind down on property tax but I would just give you the short version because I know that’s what you’re thinking yeah but they’re going to get me with income tax right oh yeah um I knew what you said so okay here’s the thing most of the people who are coming in they are going into retirement when you retire your income goes down so uh even though you have lots of assets you’re supposed to pay on your you know your annual income and for most people retiring that number goes down yep uh even if that’s not the case the income tax here is reasonable yes it’s really really small yeah our property taxes are lower we aren’t going to get you in the income tax yeah it is it’s still pretty reasonable that’s not like the state of Texas we used to live in Texas oh no no uh income tax no income tax yeah but we’re paying 12 000 in property tax from a home they get you in other ways for 350 000 yeah guys something like that they’ll get you another one we’ll get you yeah so um yeah add those two together yep uh and uh the both of them are very low here so taxes are a good thing so it’s a it’s a happy day and you you will be happy too when you’re going on a cruise are you taking a little John to Hawaii instead of sending it to whatever state you’re living in that’s right for your you know 30 year old home yeah yeah that’s just my opinion yeah so a little good news for you a little good news that’s a a little another tip so we got plenty of tips for you a tip from the Bro Team from the pickle lady here in Prescott Arizona we hope to hear from you soon you can check us out at pickle411.com that’s our free information site whether you are a buyer seller somewhere in between just looking for a good time I just want to know about taxes that is the place to go pick a 4-1-1 be careful on the good times I mean we’re not making all kinds of here yeah yeah you know what I’m saying within reason within reason people all the fun that the law will allow are described for you within reason yes there you go all right hope to see from see from you soon oh my God it’s a Friday and I’m tired I don’t know I didn’t even say speak it that’s right the English you speak it I speak it as well anyway hope you have a lovely day and thank you for listening to this public service announcement over and out

--->Join Our Weekly Wind Downs

Holidays in Prescott

There's a reason why Prescott is called "Arizona's Christmas City" -  it's so friggin' quaint you'll want to overdose yourself on hot mulled cider - put yourself in a cozy little coma.  

Lights, music, and good cheer abound.  In this episode, we cover what the Holiday Season is like in our little town (which extends well into January, by the way).

Video Transcript

people eaters you yes understand what you were saying I got it I got it this is Diana Randall bro coming here to you this morning from the lovely Prescott Arizona she’s special lady I am the pickle lady when you come here to visit you’ll find that why I will give you a jar of my delicious Cajun pickles very good uh yeah the Beloved pickles yes anyway good time to come is the holiday season always always wow no bad time to come true uh if you if you’re thinking about spending time the holiday season taking a little trip risky might be a good choice yeah if you want to do something kind of different like you know what kind of in between Thanksgiving and Christmas head on up here and visit Prescott yeah we will have over a hundred thousand lights and all of the trees around our beautiful Courthouse Square lights in the Square uh it’s so ridiculously Charming as I tell everyone when I take them in and they come to visit we could be in a Hallmark movie or a Hallmark card whatever anything Hallmark related you know what I’m talking about when it’s sweet pretty yeah it’s pretty open it’s darling never just absolutely it’s like something out of the 50s it really a parade it’s so nice so it’s just a small town small town at its finest yeah and Prescott is so freaking Charming that it has even been labeled Arizona’s Christmas City yeah that’s the whole state it’s it’s in our little Hamburg ER three off you thought I was gonna say little town how about a hamlet Hamlet said Hamburg I did it’s a mac oh hamburgers edit that out what no it should be maybe it started off that way now and now I sound dumb that’s not where hamburgers come from but you can get a hamburger here for the holidays or otherwise that’s right but it’s very Charming lots of beautiful shopping to do around the square and all of our nice little individual stores and boutiques and yeah for uh acronite so I think we did another video on at night uh so just briefly it’s a very special night here that’s Christmas related uh this year it is December 9th I think it is it’s like a Friday they’ll light up the tree the Christmas tree and it becomes official all the stores around the square will stay open late it’s a great charity uh charitable event and you can travel from store to store and make a donation and they’ll have live music and it all benefits uh musicians and young students uh needing musical it’s a great idea yeah great event every year yeah and uh the lights and everything all the decorations stay up into January they have a long time yeah it stays up a while so if you can’t make it for the holidays proper uh because I still have some time in the early January mid-January uh something to see for New Year’s Eve we have uh our own answer to the ball drop yep we have the boot drop the boot drop it’s a big cowboy boot we don’t do the disco ball the little ball we do a boot we do and for the early birders which there are quite a few here uh they’ll drop the boot at 10 because it’s midnight on the East Coast so exciting with the ball and Time Square if you are one of the people like to stay up later they’ll drop it again at midnight and make it truly official you stand around and wait for the other shoe to drop how long have you waited for that joke that was a good one yeah well anyway we’d love to see you we’d love to share with the Christmas spirit the holiday spirit is all about in beautiful beautiful spirit a couple of weeks in January it doesn’t matter it’s a great time it doesn’t matter come see us we’ll have a good time yeah so and maybe we’ll see you around the square we’ll you know cheer cheers into the new 2023 amen God willing we’ll all be there a couple warned cider with you that’s right so don’t miss it and come see why Prescott is called Arizona’s Christmas City not to be me that’s to be missed uh so if you uh or want to learn more about holidays in Prescott mm-hmm uh along with other tips you can check out our free information site you can reach it at pickle411.com uh we have information there about acronite and the boot drop and all kinds of stuff stuff about real estate stuff about life all highly entertaining informative and infusions usually entertaining I can’t I can’t make you know all promises it depends on your sense of humor it depends on your sense yeah because informative nonetheless but you should really come see it what it’s all about it’s beautiful and so we hope to see you floating around and give us a call we’d love to take you on your own personal Christmas tour if you’d like Holiday Tour Holiday Tour we’re here absolutely there’s a little bite in the air Winter’s in the air great time to visit hope to see you soon take care bye

--->Join Our Weekly Wind Downs

Cover Bands

Prescott is a hot scene for good cover bands.  Whatever your taste in music, there is a cover band waiting at one of our local theaters to delight and entertain you.  With plenty of nearby dinner options, great music, small performance venues, and audiences that like to get up and dance - cover band nights in Prescott are do-not-miss events.

Video Transcript

good morning to all of our fellow pickle peeps out there hope that uh you guys are making it through and survive the holiday season holiday season it’s uh well well underway yes it is so we’re still busy busy busy here it’s unbelievable um despite all the craziness that’s going on out there in the world uh things are still rolling here in Prescott so moving on So today we’re going to talk about this is one of the top things that we love about Prescott we have so much fun yeah um there’s a lot of bands that will come here and play at the Elks Theater sometimes you have a pie Community Center yes um all over yeah and uh they’re great yeah they are now we do get real bands we do most of those uh play at the Finley Center in Nebraska Valley is a big big arena uh but what’s nice about the cover bands is it’s a smaller venue uh so uh generally they’re in the Elks Theater uh audiences you know 400 people maybe yeah something like that uh beautiful historic building and the cover bands generally are good they’re very good I mean astonishingly good yeah we just went to go see a cover band for Janice Joplin yeah Janice Joplin amazing she was good it was good uh we saw the Eagles the Eagles cover band they don’t call themselves The Eagles then I would call it like we saw it like Carol King was tapestry yeah yeah yeah you know we also saw Carol King that was another good one she was amazing yeah I thought she and her group were amazing the Eagles were really really good really good though our oldest daughter was like really we’re gonna see Eagles he’s like no yeah adjust your aren’t one of those guys did he was all excited but excited after she saw the show she was equally as excited we had a good time Dancing Yeah up in the balcony yeah which we’re not supposed to yeah I was corrected after I was severely reprimanded you’re not allowed to dance in the in the upper balcony only the lower yeah unless you have a walker I guess I’m falling over the side I don’t know but we had a good time anyway they seem to be having a really good time yes so uh but anyway you can also dance on the bottom floor and they do and part of the part of the presentation part of the entertainment is the audience yep a few great dancers yeah some great dancers some Usual Suspects there’s a a couple that will go out they are obviously very well trained yeah and beautiful dancers oh yeah yeah uh there’s a guy who just kind of hangs on the edge of the uh that’s right the stage and just kind of stares he likes to have fun yeah that’s what he does I like to dance uh yeah you know especially after a lot of wine I think I’m the greatest dancer in the world after video footage I realize I’m not but in the moment I have a good time I hate that yeah anyway yeah we have fun yeah great tickets good time go out and have a nice dinner before at any of the restaurants really surround round in the square and then you can walk right over to the Elks and have some good live music and dancing really good so we have a great time we love it we love it we love it highly enough of the cover bands yeah we’ve got really good luck with that travel here to Prescott yeah so we hope to see you there maybe one day One Day concert there all right so that’s our tip for today if you want more tips whether it’s about living in Prescott or real estate or anything really anything to do with breastfeed life in general you want to chit chat you wanna just Chit Chat go to pickle411.com that is our free information site lots of good tips there uh very informative and entertaining and just astounding people from all over the world they just you know love our love our lovers all over the world all over the world I don’t know about that I don’t know there might be one or two I think so I don’t think we introduced ourselves in the beginning yeah we’re Randall and Diane she’s a pickle like that’s right in case we didn’t do that yes we didn’t do that this is Randall and Diane bro live here in Prescott yeah no editing Here I Am the pickle lady we are with exp Realty and we are excited to share our beautiful Hometown with you and possibly help you find your new home here all right go see a cover Batman or go see a cover band with you yeah either way just let us know we’re easy we’re fun we’re open cheers have a great day thanks for listening bye bye

--->Join Our Weekly Wind Downs