![]() Hi everyone! My name is Erin and I am the new intern for the Darwin Wall team! I am so excited to have this opportunity and expand my knowledge on all things real estate. I was born and raised right here in Chandler, Arizona. I went to Hamilton High School where I was on the school’s pom and dance team throughout all four years and held the position of captain my senior year. During my senior year of high school I was also a part of the Chandler Service Club’s Flower Girl program where I volunteered at numerous philanthropic events. Throughout my time as a Flower Girl, I experienced leadership opportunities, self-improvement seminars and had the opportunity to learn more about the community. After high school I continued my education at the University of Arizona (sorry to all the DW team Sun Devils!). During my time in Tucson I spent a majority of my time hanging out at my sorority house and studying to maintain my 3.9 GPA. With my major being in Communication and minor in Business Administration, I have learned an abundance of effective interpersonal communication skills and am equipped with critical thinking skills that I can apply to the real world. I am eager to put into practice what I have learned over the past three years in a classroom setting. I’m looking forward to finishing my last semester of college this upcoming fall remotely! In my free time I like to stay active whether that’s going to the gym, going for a hike with friends, or taking my new puppy for a walk. During the summertime I love staying cool by hanging by the pool or traveling to the San Diego beaches! If I were to choose three words to describe me I would pick determined, versatile, and reliable. I'm excited to learn from everyone at the DW team and more about real estate and marketing!
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Owning a home can be considered a huge milestone in a person's life. You spend years saving money, you spend a couple hours a week searching through Zillow for your dream home, you want a place where you can kick back and relax, but more importantly you want a home that truly feels like home. As Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz once said, "there's no place like home".
The developer for 2560 E Vaughn Ct built this home with pure and future intention for the next homeowners to be. Built in 2004, this traditional ranch style home has over 5,000 SF to its name and has 7 bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms. Located in the prestigious gated community of Whitewing at Wiehl Estates in Gilbert, Arizona, you'll be surrounded by friendly neighbors, a safe neighborhood, and a beautiful walking and biking path a few steps away from your backyard. Step outside to the spacious backyard and you'll find a detached garage fit for an RV and is specifically built to make it easy for any driver to enter and exit the garage with their RV. The walking path near the outskirts of the backyard lead you to a couple of different trails that are near ponds and the Eastern Canal Trail. Use a bike, horse, or your own two feet to walk through the paths that are a few feet away from your backyard. To the side, you'll find a beautiful fountain surrounded by a wall of Lady Bank Roses. A perfect location for someone to spend some tranquil time outdoors encompassing the beauty of the Mother Nature. Step back inside the home and you'll notice the grand Alder wood doors that look out to the backyard. The kitchen comes with 2 dishwashers and ovens, a brand new GE monogram fridge, and 5 burner gas monogram cooktop. The island centering the kitchen was build with the intention of adding more storage, but it also has a butcher countertop to make cooking much easier. Walk toward the front of the home and you'll find yourself in a nice little private library that has a beautifully built bookshelf with a moving ladder to help you find your favorite books to read. off to one side, you'll find a quiet room that was originally built as a piano room. The master bedroom is located on one wing of the home. Enter the double doors of the master bedroom and you'll see a private office room to the side where you can work from home and have another quiet space to get your work done in the comfort of your own home. The spacious bedroom has a nice view of the backyard fountain while the master bathroom comes with a walk-in closet, a double sink, and a built-in bathtub. A fun and unique feature to this custom built home is the basement. Not many homes in Arizona come with basements, but this specific one has plenty of space and cabinet storage. 3 additional bedrooms and a full bathroom are located downstairs as well. The extra storage was built with the purpose of being able to store your household items in a much more organized manner. This home truly has a lot of story behind it and the sellers hope that the new owners will appreciate the hard work and vision that was given to this property. We invite you to take a look at this custom luxury property to see all the amazing and carefully crafted details that bring this home to life. Follow our social media to find out when the next open house will be hosted, or reach out to any of the DW team members to schedule a private showing. Us real estate agents love being able to close on a home, whether it's from the buyer or seller's perspective. As a seller's agent, it's important to get a proper tour of the home before signing a listing agreement, making sure the prospective seller gives the agent as much information as possible regarding the property, and selling yourself to be the agent the sellers want to work with.
As a buyer's agent, it's important to ask the right questions to the selling agent, viewing the property in person with your clients, doing the due diligence of researching the property before writing an offer, and taking the time to create a solid offer that makes sense to both the buyer and seller. Regardless of what side you're representing, the goal as an agent is to protect your client at all costs. Being a real estate agent takes a lot of time, patience, negotiation, and so much more. An agent is dealing with multiple people during one transaction and has to make sure that the communication is strong and clear between everyone involved in the deal. We all wish it truly was that easy to have clear communication and transparency when working with multiple people to get the job done, but sometimes that just doesn't happen. Being a new agent can be thrilling but nerve wracking. There is a lot to learn in the beginning and it can be overwhelming at times. Once you've landed serious clients to work with you get super excited and hope for the best. Starting the process can be hard at first. What type of questions should I be asking my clients? How does showingtime work? Who do I call if there's a co-listing agent involved? What documents do I need to be looking at to create an offer? What do I ask the listing agent when it comes to knowing what offers they currently have? Will other agents be nice or rude to me? There are a ton of questions running through your head as a new agent because what you learn in school is much different from the real life experience you have to go through to make a deal happen. The last thing a new agent wants to go through is a very stressful transaction. Unfortunately things don't always go as planned, sometimes the unexpected happens and can kill a deal, you don't know what you're doing and you can't seem to figure out a solution. You might even question yourself on whether being an agent was the right career choice for you, but if you are fortunate enough to work on a team or work with a broker who's very knowledgeable, you'll eventually find the solution that best fits the situation. One other important factor to keep in mind when it comes to learning the ropes to real estate as a new agent is to take the time to find the right people to work with. That includes the right brokerage for you, a knowledgeable and professional lender, a title company that communicates well, and even external resources you can pass on to your clients. Why is all of this important? It will make your job easier and you'll get to truly learn how to manage an entire transaction on your own. Don't be afraid to ask questions either, the answer will always be no if you don't try asking. Who knew how much of an impact we could make from simply coming up with the idea of creating another meaningful event that gives back to our community. Last year, when we found out that one of our own was diagnosed with colon cancer, we all came together as a team and decided to put together a golf tournament. We wanted to help raise funds for medical expenses and whatever else was needed for the recovery process. With only a short period of time to fully plan and execute our idea, we went into this tournament with one goal in mind: to raise as much money as we can to fight against cancer. The team spent countless hours planning, asking for sponsorships and raffle items, securing a golf course in time, and getting the word out about the tournament. Our hard work truly did pay off because we were able to sell out of all foursome spots, fill each hole with a sponsor, sell as many raffle tickets as we could, and much more. The turnout was amazing and we were thankful to have raised as much money as we could that day. The success of the golf tournament made us want to do it again this year, so the Darwin Wall Real Estate Team presents to you the 2nd annual Eagles for Emily golf fundraiser! Eagles for Emily takes place on Saturday May 14th at the Springfield Golf Course in Chandler, AZ. Foursome cost is $500, which includes lunch and a chance to place in the tournament. Thankfully we have a good chunk of sponsors, but we would love to get more raffle items donated to us so we can have awesome items to raffle off. Not only are we raffling off items and awarding the top foursome of the tournament, we're also doing a hole in 1 challenge for a $25,000 cash prize! On top of that, we'll also be giving out an award for the best dressed golfer, longest putt, and closest to the pin! We're excited to be planning the 2nd annual golf fundraiser and we hope to see many of you out there. Registration link can be found by clicking here. Don't know how to golf but still want to help? You can donate here as well. We can't wait for the golf tournament and we hope that you all feel the same way we do. Our goal is to raise more money than we did last year while still having a good time at the golf course. Don't forget to sign up, and feel free to reach out to any of us on the DW team for any questions you may have. See ya on May 14th! Say hello to the newest luxury spec home in the beautiful town of Paradise Valley! 6220 E Bret Hills was developed by Sapanaro Development and is a unique home that you don't want to miss. With plenty of beautiful luxury finishes all throughout the home, to a backyard oasis that will have you hosting awesome summer parties with all of your friends and family. This home is an entertainer's paradise with an open floor plan, indoor/outdoor living, stunning views of Mummy Mountain, & guest suite that includes a kitchenette & exterior entry. This quality build boasts luxury finishes, high energy efficient systems for minimal air loss, smart home technology, and high end appliances. Top of the line custom chef's kitchen by Kings Cabinetry & butler's pantry featuring Sub-Zero, Cove & Wolf Professional grade appliances. The kitchen is crafted with Caesarstone countertops, appliance garage, built-in Coffee Maker & 60 bottle Sub Zero cooler. The dry bar is located in the dining room, and the great room comes with a beautiful Neolith fireplace. Some of the amazing features to this home include 8 Security Cameras that are installed with room for 2 more, SONOS speakers in the great room, kitchen & exercise room. The home is pre-wired for window break protection and has a self cleaning heated pool that is 5 feet deep. There is quartz floors in the entry, European White Oak engineered wood floors all throughout the home, travertine patio floors, and porcelain floors in the master bathroom with quartzite countertops. The master bathroom has push-In cabinets, a 3 person Jacuzzi sauna in the exercise room, dedicated outlets, USB outlets, and much more. We could go on and on about the details of this luxury spec home but we recommend seeing this home in person! Whether you go to our open houses or schedule a private showing with any of us on the DW team, you'll definitely want to make this home yours. A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of having Megan Rodriguez and Peter Long from iTrip Vacations to share with the DW team what it takes to own an investment property and share it on popular apps like Airbnb, VRBO, etc. Watch the video below to learn about rental properties and how you can get started on the process! Need the guidance of a trusted realtor? You've got an entire team to help you with that. ;) ![]() Natural fabrics derived from cotton and linen are both breathable, durable, eco-friendly and relatively soft. So, where do the differences lie between these materials?
First of all, what is cotton? Cotton is a ‘staple fiber’ produced from the cotton plant. The usable material is extracted from the inside of the cotton boll, and is made from different lengths of material. Cotton is recognized for being soft, fluffy and durable. It is often used in clothing such as fleeces for warmth. What is linen? Linen is a very strong, lightweight fabric that is made from the flax plant. It is a naturally-occurring fiber just like cotton, but can be trickier to harvest into fabric as it’s harder to weave. Linen is often used for items like towels, bedding and tablecloths. Key differences between cotton and linen
Jack Vale is a writer from Happy Writers, Co. We want to wish everyone a happy new year, we're sure many of you have been constantly hearing that since January 1st! We are very excited to be starting a new year because that means we are getting ready to break some new goals! We don't want to give away too much but here's a little sneak peek of what we have in store for 2022...
We've got a newcomer joining the DW Team and we are very excited! They'll be making their appearance soon and we can't wait to bring them along for the ride. We have our 2nd annual golf tournament coming up on May 14th at Springfield Golf Course in Chandler, AZ. Details are still being ironed out but this is another exciting event that will give back to the community. If you haven't heard, we are nearing completion on our newest luxury custom home in Paradise Valley. 6220 E Bret Hills Drive is a 5 bed, 5.5 bath home with a guest casita attached and will be ready to sell within the next couple of weeks. We'll post updates on our social media pages as well as our Paradise Valley homes page. The DW Team has plenty of more things to look forward to in 2022 but we wanted to share the most recent and upcoming news with everyone! We hope to continue to bring great quality service to our clients and make a difference in our community by hosting events that bring awareness to certain causes and organizations. We look forward to another amazing year and we hope that every single one of you reading this blog will achieve whatever you set your mind to!
Fencing might not form a large part of your daily thought process, but if you are in the market to purchase a fence, it might help to know a little about the basic history.
How and why were the first fences developed The original purpose of fencing can be discovered by tracing the etymology of the word itself. Coming from “fens”, which is a Middle English abbreviation of “defens” (defense), there is a clear indication to the original use of fencing as a protective mechanism. The very first fences might have been used to shelter important areas or property from trespass, or in agriculture to separate areas of different crop growth. In Ancient Greece and Rome, after conquering new land, people would construct fences around land to signal that it was now under their ownership. Although there is little documentation, it is generally agreed that the first fences were made from wood or stone. This makes these materials a great choice when considering a natural, traditional-looking fence that will stand the test of time. How did fences change through recent history? By the 1800s, new styles of fences were being developed. At the DeKalb County Fair in 1870 Illinois, some of the first barbed wire fencing was introduced. Originally, barbed wire was used on farms to keep cattle safe and secure. Barbed wire is created by twisting two thin pieces of metal together to create regular spikes. These can inflict discomfort and injury on any human or animal trying to scale the fence. Since initially being used in agriculture, barbed wire has become a popular modern day option for prison fences. Usually placed atop high walls, this barbed wire fence serves an extra layer of security against people moving in or out of the prison. Also frequently used in agriculture, electric fencing was developed in the 1950s. This delivers an uncomfortable but unharmful electric shock to any animals attempting to leave their fenced off area. Soon, the cattle learns to associate touching the fence with the electric shocks, so it remains inside its allocated land without issue. How are modern day fences made? Some popular materials for fences today include vinyl, iron, wood and chain link. These all offer different benefits, but vinyl makes for a particularly cost-effective synthetic fencing material. Vinyl fencing became widely used in the 1980s for keeping horses confined. Today, fences come in all shapes and sizes. From the highly-decorative structures surrounding Buckingham Palace in London, to the ancient stone making up the Great Wall of China, fences play a large part in our global culture. -- Jack Vale is a writer from Happy Writers, Co. |