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Finding the Perfect Home in Sedona

[00:00:00] Well, I'm sure some people would like to know what it's like working with me. So in today's video, I'm going to be interviewing, um, a client who has become a friend and her experience and why she chose to buy a home in the Verde Valley slash Sedona. Alright, so today I am with my friend Cheryl. And I thank you in advance for being willing to do a little interview with me on my YouTube channel.

The reason that I am having Cheryl chat with us today is because she started out as a client of mine three years ago. She and I met in January of 2023. Right after the first of the year. No, on the first, oh, I'm sorry. On the first I stand corrected or sit, and I am gonna let her kind of talk about [00:01:00] how that all went initially.

'cause the weather was not fun. It was cold. And snowy. Yeah. Actually, we met on the second. I didn't mean to, I I incorrectly corrected you. It's okay because I, I flew down on January 1st of 23 to look at houses, but there was a blizzard in Utah and I was leaving from Utah, so it took me, I was supposed to get here at one in the afternoon.

I got here. And my flight, I think left like 6:00 AM there. And I ended up getting here at my flight, got in at like 10 30 'cause of Oh wow. The snow delay. Pm Yes, pm And then I got, I don't wanna say I took a, oh, I rented a car and drove up that night and I got here late. My bags weren't here and all that now.

So I met you the next morning on the first or second. Yes. Yes. So I came over and picked you up. Mm-hmm. And Cheryl and I had been talking on the phone and via email and things, so we had. Some homes that you'd already picked out? Yeah, I did a lot of internet [00:02:00] shopping for. For houses and property and to see, you know, what I might like, what the prices were.

And so we had narrowed that down to the things I wanted to look at. And of course, the prices weren't what I wanted to pay. They were significantly higher. Anything I wanted that was in my, anything that was in my price range was, you know, something that was small and then like more of an apartment or a, you know, no covered parking, no or no garage parking.

And so I ended up buying a house. So, but it all, it all worked out really, really well. But, you know, it didn't my expectations even doing all that online shopping and then looking mm-hmm. In reality. But it was, it was a lot of fun. So Judy's a lot of fun and we went, we went through my list first, and then she'd, you know, call and get things organized and do it efficiently so we could go around, you know, not going back and forth Right.

And just kind of going a loop and we'd do drivebys and I was like, Nope, this. This is not where I wanna be, so let's not even make an appointment. And that was really helpful. I never considered just doing those [00:03:00] drive-bys. Oh yeah. And the neighborhoods not bothering people. Yeah. Knowing because they really kind of get, yeah, and tell them where you were looking and what price range you were looking at, because you're saying that you're having a hard time finding something that would be what you'd even be willing to even consider.

So tell them where you were looking and the price range you were looking at. Well, I was looking Sedona and Oak Creek because I. VOC because you know, I wanted to be in the Red Rocks. I like needed something different. I was getting tired of long winters in Northern Nevada and I wanted to hike more all winter and not just Snowshoe.

And I love Red Rock Country and I ruled out anything by Zion 'cause it's due. Isolated and National Park, you know, tourist stuff. And then I also ruled out St. George because it's just a sprawling city and there it's, you know, it's still, you're driving, driving everywhere. Mm-hmm. And so I, I chose Sedona and Oak Creek because just the Red Rock and there's trails everywhere.

I mean, you, I don't right out your door, front and back. Yeah. After [00:04:00] this is, this will be my fourth winter, I still have not hit every trail. And that was my, you know, my goal. And that's why I chose this area, just so that I would have access to trails. Within minutes and not hours. Right. Or even a half an hour drive every time you wanted to go on the trails.

Like, okay. And you know that's, if there's a hundred of 'em within a half hour, that's one thing. But generally when you're doing that kind of distance, it's not. So that's why I chose these two to look at and my. Number one requirement was indoor outdoor living. I need a view, I have to feel like I don't wanna be in a box with looking at other people's stuff, even if it's gorgeous.

I just, you know. So do you have a view here? I have the, yeah, I have an amazing view and you know, I preferred, I was hoping for five or 600 and I just. It just wasn't available in Sedona or Oak Creek, you know? No, it was just so you know, I knew my upper limit was one and I came in just under that 1 million.

Yes, sorry. Okay. Yeah, I came in just under that, which was, [00:05:00] you know, that was my upper limit. I didn't wanna do it. I gulped, but it was supposed to just be, you know, a part-time, you know, get away from the winter and just hike all year and it, it's kind of reversed. Now I'm selling the big. You know, like farm property in Northern Nevada and I'll find something small there for just the summer months 'cause it's just so nice down here.

And the weather, I don't wanna be here in the summer, so I'd rather be up north in the summer. And my first plan. Was to, I bought a trail map and I just wanted to figure out the lay of the land, right? So just hike, just to hike everything I could and figure out what was where and oh my God. So I just started highlighting if I did a trail, I'd highlight it.

So that was my goal the first winter. And, and that was fun. And then Judy said she wanted to hike, so we started hiking together a little bit here, a little bit there. And then last year we hiked a lot and we started going to the gym and swimming. And this year we're, you know, weekly hiking and. Boy, it's just, it's so fun.

You're so close to [00:06:00] Flagstaff and the Molin rim up there. There's a bunch of stuff. Once you get up in those, the Pines, they're just amazing. Exactly. I mean there's really almost limitless it, is it hiking? I mean, and it's back country too, you know, it's trails and. We like to go early in the morning. Mm-hmm.

Because we like to get out there in front of all the tourists and all of the other people. And the heat. And the heat, definitely. And, and it's, the summer hiking is tough because you have to get up really, really early to beat the heat. And I understand why you wanna go back to Nevada and be in the.

Mountains over there where it's a lot cooler. 'cause this last summer was so hot. Oh, it's green and, and you're hiking. It gets cooler as you hike and it's, you know, the water and you could swim or, you know, play in the water. Here. It's hotter and drier as you right as the season goes on and as you climb, you know, there's no water up.

So it's a reverse, but I definitely am spending a lot more time down here than my initial intent. My kind of flipped my, my season location [00:07:00] just because it's so nice. Everybody's, I love it. Everybody has a good time here. Like if you're on the trails, the people who that are on the trails, everybody's in a good mood, you know?

But whether you're a tourist or you're local, you're just happy to be here. Exactly, yeah. It's nice to be on the trails and in nature, and. I like hiking over in Sedona because it's more challenging, but also the trails have more coverage. You're not just walking on an open trail trail with the sun beating down on you.

You get to have more of that in the woods feel, and then climbing over rocks. There's a lot of rock climbing. Yeah. Crossing water and, yeah. Yeah, when, but you know, the only time that I've, I don't go to the Instagram places, you know, the, the people where, where all the people are crowding at. So you do that because you do it, you know, or you take people there who wanna go there, but for the rest of the time you can just get out and you know, really be by yourself.

And it's not like cattle trails. Following herds of people, which was gonna be a problem [00:08:00] in, you know, southern Utah in certain places. But I like this because it's a small community still. It's got that, you know, the upscale shopping, the upscale dining, it's attractive. You know, the, the neighborhoods are all pretty.

The environment is just gorgeous and everybody's in a good mood. You know, it's, and here are Oak Creek. I still, I go over to Oak Creek and hike and have a horse. I keep over there for the winter and you know, it's fun to ride. And I have a mountain bike and you know, so this you can hike and mountain bike and horseback ride, or side by side or whatever you wanna do.

To have as much adventure. Mm-hmm. You know, I'm hoping we get snow this year so I can go up the rim and do a lot of snowshoeing. But last year there was no snow up there. No. There was no snow. I mean, they got like 13 inches, which was crazy. Yeah, that was crazy. So I have a feeling with the weather when we are recording this, it's a wet, rainy, cloudy.

Weak. Yeah. And it's been like that all week and in a, we [00:09:00] desperately need the water here in Arizona. Oh yeah, for sure. Um, we always, you know, are thankful when we do see clouds and see rain, even though, you know, it's. You know, not our norm here. And I'm hoping that with some of this, that we will get some more snow, at least up in flag and in the higher elevations for this winter.

'cause we need the, you know, yeah. We need the water. And that's part of the fun thing is if you are a skier, you like the snowshoe. I see. But they have the ski resorts. Yeah. Yeah. Up in flag, which is. 45 minutes from here. Yeah, I So you can ski if you wanna ski. Yeah. I've been skiing since I was six, but I haven't skied in the last few years.

But thinking maybe I'll, if they get snow this year. Head back up there. There you go. I'm terrified. I'll break something. Oh, I did do cross country skiing earlier in my life. I actually really enjoyed that. It was really, really fun. Yeah. But I haven't done that in a really long time because just. No snow here, right?

Yeah. And I'm okay with that. Yeah. You can find it if you need it, but if not, yeah. [00:10:00] Yeah, exactly. Pretty cool. But I love that you said there's hiking, there's mountain biking, there's side by side, there's actually water. There's people, I was talking with another friend of mine and she's like, oh, we need to go kayaking.

I'm like, we did this summer. We did what I came down to visit even this summer, and we, we tubed inter tube, the verde. Oh, you did? How was that? It was fun. And actually I have some kayaks so we just didn't get them out 'cause I didn't have the truck with me. But we were gonna go back up and this, this next summer we're gonna figure out where we can put in and take out and just, there's that water and then up at up over Stoneman Lake or you know, if there's water in those, we're gonna do more of that.

And then we went up to Lake Powell and we kayaked from the below the dam to Lee Ferry. Okay this summer, and we went and played at Lake Powell in the jet skis, and that was, that was in July. And it's what, three and a half hours away? I mean, yeah, it's Lake Powell [00:11:00] four hours up to Paige. It's, I mean, that's the other thing about living here is that it's so close to so many things and you literally can go there for the day and maybe stay overnight.

Because you wanna play. Yeah, we did. We spent the weekend and had a lot of fun. Yeah. Or you could camp. Yeah. Camping. I'm all about the camping. There's a bunch of lakes down, like SRO Lake and down that around Phoenix, that there's still some really rugged, rough areas. Mm-hmm. The wilderness around here, I can't remember the name of the canyon, but there's some really pretty wilderness rivers.

And just, you know, really rural, not rural, but you know, in the middle of no thank you. Remote, remote, remote water that you know, you just have to go and find. And so I haven't explored everything yet. 'cause this is only my fourth winter. Right, right. Fourth season for me. Well, we kind of avoided the summers a little bit and the hot area, so Yeah.

You don't wanna be in the water now. No, but it was warm, like up until this rain happened. It was seventies and fifties. Oh. [00:12:00] It was gorgeous. So still camping and backpacking, you know, in. And then in the winter, the first winter I was here, we backpacked. In March, April, may. And then, so that's still, and when you say backpack, what does that mean for those of us that are not backpackers?

Oh yeah. You put all your stuff in a backpack and you go walk, walk into the wilderness and spend a few days and then walk out. You know, you have your water filter and all that kind of stuff, and you're camping like in a little tent and sleeping on the ground, so to speak. Okay. She's, she's, so there's, she's far more challenged.

Plenty of that adventures than I am. Plenty of that. Yeah. But there's plenty of that, or. You know, or you can car camp. We did that last weekend. We took the dogs up above Snubby Hill and found a little spot and watched the sun go down and, and then just took the truck and went boonie, stomping around the, in the trees and trying out different roads.

And so, you know, clearly I like to be outside in adventure, but that's why I bought the house here and because I didn't want to be, I didn't wanna live remote anymore 'cause I'd been kind of living in a small town. [00:13:00] I wanna be able to walk here so I can walk to yoga, I can mountain bike to the grocery store, I can walk to the grocery store, I can walk to uptown, I can walk to ak.

I wanted that central where I could just keep moving as I age. I don't want to, you know, be sedentary. And so if, if, if you have to drive everywhere, then you have less opportunities built into your day to continue to be active. True, true. And you are how old? Oh, I'll be, well I'm 59 right now. She's 59, she's gonna be 60.

And I, and I have to say this about Cheryl. Hm. She, as you hear, she's very adventurous. She likes to be active. She likes to be doing things, and she's a great motivation and inspiration to me. And she and I were doing the water, the wave, whatever the, what the heck is that? The lazy river. The lazy river, thank you.

At the community center, because she had a screwed up knee. And I had a pinched nerve in my back, so neither one of us were hiking or moving very well. Yeah, I just had my [00:14:00] knee replaced in May did, and it fell apart just before. That's why we were at the pool and not hiking, but it was good fighting the lazy river, going the opposite direction.

But the cool part is during the gym. You had your knee surgery in May. Yeah. In May. Mm-hmm. And two months later, she was hiking the mountains of Nepal. So this is a person who's very committed. You're generous. Four months later, four months later, okay. Four months later that, you know, that's, it just tells you that if you are a person who's interested in adventure and interested being outside, no matter your age, and as we age.

As you were just saying. Yeah. We need to stay active. Yeah. My chiropractor says motion is lotion, so keep moving. And to have that walkability here in Sedona. Yeah, just even in the community, not even going out on the hiking trails, but then adding the hiking, adding the, the only problem that really, that Sedona doesn't have figured out and it.

It should, as far [00:15:00] as that sort of stuff is, the biking is terrible here, that you're on the side of the highway on biking. I know. There's no good biking trails. I mean, they're mountain biking crazy. They're all good, but it's, you know, if you wanna bike over to Oak Creek, you know, you're kind of risking life and limb.

And even down 89, a 1 79, it's not, it's not great. But I, I agree. You know, you do what you can, but it's, I won't ride, I won't ride my. I would love to bike. Mm-hmm. I would love to. However, I can't do milking biking. My shoulders can't take it. But I used to street bike all the time where I came from. And I have seen, I, I've known people who've been hit by cars.

'cause people don't stay in their lane. They go in the bike lane, they hit people. You're hard to see. I know somebody who's been killed. Oh my. And I'm like, you know. Much as I like to bike, I just don't wanna put my life and live at risk. And I know there's a lot of people that bike and God bless you for doing that, but it just terrifies me here.

Mm-hmm. I was following somebody home from [00:16:00] church the other day, I think it was, and the person in front of me literally was driving. In the bike lane. I've seen that and I like multiple times outta the bike lane. Yeah. And I'm like, it, it's, it's scary. But that's kind of the downside of living here, is that biking.

It's so, so pretty that, you know, people are just a gog, you know, they're looking. Around them and you know, you kind of know where your bumpers are or your, what do you call 'em when you're bowling your bumper guards. You know your gutters are, your blade gonna stay between here. That's it. And then that bike lane gives 'em a little bit more, you know?

Yeah. But you know, they're wandering on the road 'cause they're looking around. So you have to be really careful that way. Yeah. Yeah, but for mountain biking, you know, there's, the trails are great. Oh, massive. And they're, I mean, there's really challenging stuff. And the really cool thing is they have them, not all of them, but they are, they're graded.

Like ski run green. Yes, blue. I've seen that. Black. So you kind of know where you shouldn't be. You know, I learned that one the hard way. I didn't realize they were graded until I blew a couple [00:17:00] tires. Then I was like, I don't belong here. I need to go to the baby green runs out here for mountain biking. I, I can't mountain bike the way I did in my twenties and thirties.

So I, so yeah, it's a little hard on the body, you learn, but it is, it is awesome. Yeah, it was, it is. That was, that was, that's one thing that I didn't know about here that I really appreciate, that I see. You know that those are graded like that, you know, so you know. Oh yeah. Yeah, exactly. And actually the trails for a lot of the hiking are also graded.

So you can see how challenging they're gonna be. And there's apps like you have, what's the one we just put on? I have a few, but Strava is, Strava is something a lot of outdoor, or, you know, runner hike or biker type. People do. It's a way to communicate with your friends. But I usually, I use it for, you know, logging my trails.

I don't. I don't go public on that or just keep in touch with what other people are doing. Yeah, I know on all trails they do grade them, like, you know, kind of easy. [00:18:00] Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. But that's subjective. That kind of thing. Well too yeah. It, it can be very subjective. Yeah. But I don't It gives you a guideline.

It does, it does. It's nice to have that so. Yeah, I like that. And then tell me a little bit about what it was like working with me as your realtor. What was that like? So obviously we know we like each other now. Yeah. But what was it like before you really knew? You could tell that Judy's really shy, so it took a little bit of coaxing to get her to open up.

It was fun because I did the internet shopping first, and then I believe I just clicked the link. I don't know how I found you. You, you were on Redfin. That's how you came to me, was through Redfin. We're back. Yeah. Okay. So yeah, I thought that's what, there were a few houses I definitely wanted to look at and I, you know, I clicked one of those, you know, for more information.

Right, right, right. And then that's how, and then we, we lined it up. I was, I went to. Utah for a [00:19:00] show, new Year's Eve by myself. 'cause you know, I wasn't dating anybody and I was divorced and, and so I was like, well, I'm already gonna be ni be near an airport so I might as well fly down on the first. And so Judy lined up a bunch of houses and we went through and I.

It's like your eyes are bigger than your belly. You know, if when you're, you know, like if you're filling your plate, it was kind of like, you know, like, let's look at all of these houses. And she's like, well, let's just narrow this down and see what this, 'cause this is a lot of, you know, a lot of stuff on the list, but.

You know, there was some priorities that I, like I had said I had to have the indoor outdoor living, had to have a view if I didn't have it. So we went back and looked at one house, I think four times. The one in the Village of Oak Creek. Oak Creek. We did Oak Creek. I almost, yeah. You walked in the front door and it was like you could just look out.

The whole back wall of the house was windows and it was this phenomenal view. And the house was nice. The house was nice, but it needed, you know, it was still builder grade stuff and it just needed, and I [00:20:00] kept being like, well, this will work, this is fine. I can fix this because I've been renovating for, you know, 25 years.

And so it's like you just start seeing potential. Mm-hmm. And the more I thought about it, the, I was like, I don't wanna. Spend all my time in construction again. And then the house I did buy, we almost didn't see because there was a time schedule and I was exhausted at that point. I was like, you're right.

Oh my gosh, this is so much work. And we went to lunch and we had fun. And so she showed me some of the really cool restaurants around and we just chatted and you know, so like now it's just easy to, easy to communicate and a lot of fun. We did actually, we went and had lunch and then saw this house and as soon as I walked in I was like, oh my God, this is it.

You know? So then your stomach goes in your throat 'cause you're like. Oh, I think I found it, you know? Mm-hmm. And the more you walked through and I was like, this is the one I loved online. Love, love, love. I wasn't thrilled with the location. [00:21:00] 'cause it's one street away from 89 a. Mm-hmm. And but in the house here, you can't hear the, no, you can't hear it.

But I didn't. I didn't know. I didn't want that, you know, at all. And so I almost didn't look at it for that reason. Mm-hmm. But it was checking every box, you know, I felt there was a lot of things that were on my list. The view was number one, the price was, uh, too high. But, you know, I worked out a deal with the seller and I left everything.

Yeah. I bought it turnkey, which was part of the. Um, part of the deal. It's a HOA, there's no yard, you know, so I had issues with, I needed a yard and a fence for dogs. Can't put on a fence, but my dogs are old and so, you know, there's a time limit on that part. But I just, I love my neighborhood. My neighbors are really good.

I love the dark sky community 'cause I love to sleep outside and look at the stars. So, you know, I'd done some work to the house to make it mine inside, you know, slowly went. Got mostly rotated the furniture out to mean my kids got a lot and I kept some of the basics, you know, and, um, added your own [00:22:00] decor.

Well, yeah, you have to do that. But I put in a patio and a little water feature and, you know, the HHOA was you take a picture of that, you have it on the. Slideshow because No, you don't want it. No, it's so beautiful. We'll see. We'll see. Uh, but yeah, not today. It's raining. Cheryl's very hence we're doing an audio interview and you're not getting all the information.

She's very private. But I appreciate again that, that you're willing to at least do the interview. No, this is, I'm happy to help out. I wouldn't do it if I was like, I have nothing nice to say about you, so I can't say anything at all. Yeah, she just. Suffers through those hiking trips with me. She's so patient, I have to say, because Cheryl is a retired search and rescue person.

Mm. And so she knows all kinds of things about outdoor hiking and safety and trail reading and just things that I'm totally clueless on. And so she's been really gracious in tolerating my in. Ness in ness and my beginner ness [00:23:00] and tree teaching me how to read the trail mans. Oh, but that's, that's fun. All that.

Yeah. That's fun. You know? Yeah. And when we did the last hike. What happened on my last ball, she called it a four pointer, a four point turn. I was like, oh shit. Before she landed. Then she hit her side. Then she rolled on her back, and then she kind of ended up on her belly. I was like, a nice four pointer. I was like, what the hell?

It was at the end of a very long hike. It was a good one. Yeah, it was a great hike. I loved every minute of it, but. For whatever reason, my whole body just said, I was like, all right, you're gonna use my hiking sticks and you're gonna have some electrolytes and some fuel, because I think you're gonna, I have bruises on my knees from that.

It's like, but you know, she's a good sport about it. And I, you know, every time we've hiked. I've gotten a little better. Yeah, a hundred percent better over the three years. And not, like, not, you weren't terrible or anything, but it's just like you're going faster, you're going longer, you're talking more, you know, during, you know, not sucking, [00:24:00] sucking wind.

And so she was talking. Because I was sucking head when I did the four point ball. I, I gotta turn, I gotta turn. Gotta get her tired so I can talk. Otherwise, she's, we kind of dominates the conversation. Oh. Oh really? I don't think so. I think we're pretty good at both having our turns. For sure. For sure.

Clearly. I'm joking, but yeah. Fine. We do go out and have bites to eat now and then and things and busy. It's not busy. Just about the hiking. Like I said, we do the community center and did the pool, which was really good, and it got me back into the community center and it's, I didn't even know that was there.

So, you know, there's other things in the neighborhood that, or you know, when I say neighborhood, the Verde Valley is the neighborhood, right? Yeah. Verde Valley is our neighborhood. Absolutely. Yeah. There's, you know, I didn't even know that. That rec center was there in Cottonwood. Now it's a great deal. Like it's got the gym and mm-hmm.

All sorts of stuff. So, you know, I was like, so just, you know, also not just the selling of the houses, but you know, here's what the community offers and you know, here's how to get involved If you're wanting to. [00:25:00] Do other things. So the local knowledge is really important. It's not like I'm done selling you the house, leave me alone.

You know? And, um, the title company recommendations on that and the inspector, you know, I, the whole inspector Yeah. Knowing all of that. Yeah. Having those, the, the links are the relationships with the ones who are gonna do a good job for you. And, and even the home inspector was like, Hey, anytime, you know, I know I'm, we're done.

But he's like, anytime you have questions about the house, let me know. 'cause mm-hmm. You know, I mean. He, he'd been in the walls and the ceilings and the, you know, and so I'm not gonna do that unless I have to. And if I have to, I'm gonna be like, what? You know, help me, help me. Yeah. What, what am I looking for in here?

Why am I, you know, so, but I haven't had to, 'cause it's, the house is in great shape. I mean, it's, it's really well maintained and, and the bones are great and the inside are really nice, you know? Mm-hmm. I'm just doing a couple things on my own, but I know you don't love this floor. I'm sorry. I'm looking at her floor and it, it, it's.

Got ridges. It's like that wavy. Yeah, it [00:26:00] mahogany or something. It's, it looks so gorgeous. You know, it's, it's pretty but hard to clean, I'm sure. Keeping in between ridges. Yeah. The, you know, you can't just like Swiffer it, but you know, it's, the wood is. It's, it's fine. I mean, it's fine. It's, it's holding, it's gonna hold up.

It's, it's a great floor. And so if I wanna do anything, I can just have it drum sanded down to get rid of the ridges. Oh. And then do whatever kind of varnish or stain I want. It's hard wood. No, I was gonna say, it's not all super rigid, and it's not that you could definitely say that, Don. No, it's, um, yeah, it's, and it's hardwood, you know, so it's, it's gonna last forever.

Mm-hmm. And it, it's nice. It's, it's throughout the house except for the living in the bathroom. There's some carpet in the living room. But yeah, I mean, I just, the paint. The paint was fine. When I moved in, for the most part, there were some dings and holes in the wall, and so I had all that all done. But every year, just a little bit, something different, you know?

Mm-hmm. So making it more yours, just settling in. Yeah. Moving stuff down from, from Nevada that I, [00:27:00] that I will need here or I won't need there as I scale down there. So, 'cause you're selling your house in Nevada? It's, yeah, it's under contract, but, so I'm gonna. Find something small or build something small.

I really don't wanna build, but I will find something small that will suit me. That's just easy to come and go from for the summer season. Mm-hmm. Versus, but I won't do anything unless the right house falls on my left. Or it becomes available there. I'm not gonna do anything for a year. I'm gonna wait, wait and kind of see how good idea life changes again.

And a whole new chapter. It always, Cheryl, version 59.8, you know that is Oh, it November exactly was of May. Yes. Yeah. For 59.66 months in. But yeah, so it's great. You never know. Okay. Yeah, you never know. And anything else? I mean, it's been great, you know, working with you. You were easy to work with as a client.

You were super easy actually. You were very good about being concise about what you [00:28:00] wanted. Yeah. So it helped me to really direct you onto where to look and what to look. Yeah. And we were definitely just in Sedona and the Village Be Creek. We aren't looking at any other parts of the Verde Valley. No, I, which helps.

Because when people are really more clear about where they want to be, right? And. Some of the things that you mentioned about ex outdoor activities mm-hmm. And things like that. And just what's in the community and knowing that is gonna help people know where they want to look. There's, you know, there's like game clubs and you know, things that you can do if you know other ways to keep your mind busy.

I haven't done any art classes, but I really would like to. Start doing some painting or something. My neighbors do pottery and there's Yes. You know, I was just gonna say pottery. Yeah. Went to the Pottery festival last weekend. Yes. And found out, which was awesome that they have pottery classes at the Yavapai Community College right up behind me in, I guess it's Clarkdale, where there addresses Nice.

Yeah. So there's plenty of things to do, you know, for all [00:29:00] sorts of things. You know, there's volunteers, organ op, you know, opportunities everywhere. But, and then, you know, creative pursuits and. A stay away. If you're bored, it's because you're not trying to find anything to do. Yeah. You gotta grow what you're planted.

But you know, I, I looked at the reason I knew what I wanted. It was because I've been, this wasn't a rash decision, you know, I'd been thinking for about five years, where did I wanna go and what kind of lifestyle did I want? I knew I wanted activity. I thought about Maine. I went and looked at houses there.

That was too much winter. I thought about the Pacific Northwest, but that's too dreary for me. Even getting closer to the dry side on Washington versus the wet side. Mm-hmm. You know, I just, I need sunshine, sunshine's my battery. So further south in Arizona is a little scrappier desert. I like the green here.

So it's green all year long. You know, you have some deciduous trees, which make fall and spring light nice. With the flowering trees. But you know, the, the green all year long is [00:30:00] really nice. Mm-hmm. And the red, and you know, then you get some snow. And so I knew, I knew what I was looking for because I thought about it for a long time.

Okay. So see that's important. It was easy. Plus I to think about it. If you have the time. Think about your lifestyle, not just the house. And I think that some people forget about the lifestyle part, and it's like they're just thinking, I need a house that's this many square feet, this many bedrooms. Yeah.

And for this much, and it's like. You have to look at where you're gonna be living because the neighborhood mm-hmm. The community itself. Outside of that, yeah. Are the things that you use every day? The shopping? Yeah, the groceries, the restaurants, the entertainment, the medical, all of that. Parking. All parking, all of that.

All street parking. Is your neighborhood gonna be, right. Do you need a garage or is a carport sufficient? And I think that. Those are things that I try to help people evaluate if they haven't already. Right. And [00:31:00] for you, obviously, you put a lot of time and energy into thinking about and evaluating and trying different places.

Yeah. Before you committed. To Sedona. She was very committed. Like we, we looked and we knocked this out in what, A week? No, two, two days. Did you come back? Yeah. It was like she came and we started on the second. We looked on the second. We looked on the third. I signed the contract on the fourth. Fourth. Okay.

'cause we were like, she's like, I have this much time. I'm gonna do this now. The funny thing is I had just got over COVID when you came. Mm-hmm. My second round with me and COVID. Right. Anyway. So I was like, oh dear Lord, please let me be healthy 'cause I can't give her what I have. And so I was very glad that you were like, very concise.

We're gonna do this. Yeah. We looked at a lot of houses. I know it. I don't like we didn't just look at one or two. No. We looked at a lot of houses. Yeah. And I, but the view, I mean, that really reduced everything to have that I need indoor outdoor living period. You know, so if, if [00:32:00] there's beautiful homes, but you know.

They, if they just don't have the view or the indoor outdoor living, I, you know, it's tough. Part of being a grownup is, you know, you're gonna have to wait sometimes. And I didn't, fortunately I didn't have to, but the one in Oak Creek was, I almost, almost did that. And then we walked in here, and then we went back the next morning to both of 'em.

That one and this one. So it wasn't about Sedona over Oak Creek, it was that house and this house right where, you know, both communities offered everything I wanted. They did, they were great, both great communities and uh, but I just didn't wanna put a lot of work into. That house and this one was finished and I was able to get it turnkey, so.

Right. Well the price point was very comparable as well. He wanted more for what they, yeah, yeah. For what? What you were gonna have to do to that house to make it work for you and Yeah. You know, the yard. Point it. That one had a fence. It had a, it had the yard, had the hot tub. I think it had the, it had a, had a water feature.

It had the water, but it had a fence. It had a yard. That would've [00:33:00] been better for the dogs. Where? This one, I'm walking them, but it, you know, it's, it was work. You know, it wasn't a flash in the pan. It was still a panic attack, you know, and you spend that kind of money and you're like, oh, had a little mini panic attack that afternoon.

I'm like, I gotta go be by myself for a while. Like now I took a quick hike. Yeah. And then, yeah, so it was funny because you mentioned the, the snow we closed early. Oh God, I forgot about the blizzard. You know the blizzard that got me here and then. Then the, the day I came and took possession of the house and finished closing that had snowed that morning, and the previous owner, their tire tracks were going down the driveway and their footprints were going down the driveway in the snow.

So when I got here. Those tire tracks going down and the footprint's going down, and I parked in the road and my footprints were walking up in the snow. It was really just kind of poignant, you know, the end of that era and the start of this, just that minor overlapping and then the snow melted in the house was mine, [00:34:00] you know, it was really kind of cool.

What a nice visual. It was really nice. Yeah. Did you take a picture by chance? I would've, I don't believe I did. I know, but in your mind you have it so that that's cool. I do. It's in my mind. Yeah. That's cool. And the, the, yeah, so it was really, it, it was, um, very, yeah, it was, it was very, very nice, very snowy, challenging the weather that day that you closed was not good.

It was the most snow that we've had in Sedona. We have not had that much snow since then. In that January, it was wet and heavy. Yeah, and the highway was closed. I had to go through Prescott and drive down that crazy Jerome. Road from Prescott through Jerome to get here because 17 was closed because of a tractor.

Yeah. Semi thing. Yeah. And, um, had to do the same. And I was like, oh my God. And that, that that road was covered in snow, you know, and there was all these little cars, people who don't know how to drive in snow, like squirrely on that little. Two Lane Mountain Road and I was like, oh, okay, well if it does get some snow here, you know?

Yes it [00:35:00] does. And there were a lot of people in the ditch that day, but we made it. You made it all the way here. Worked pretty good. You got your house, you got your keys. I did. It was awesome. Did the clothes and it was awesome. Yeah. Wow. It was, it was, it was a really good experience overall. I wouldn't have done it if, you know, if I ran into obstacles that were, you know, you know, sometimes you don't want to climb a wall 'cause.

It's there for a reason, but this was like all systems go. Everything worked out. I found what I wanted that first visit seller was easy, very cooperative. Took care of everything that needed to be taken care of, was real happy, which was almost nothing. Yeah, exactly. He was. He was awesome. And the, his agent was great to work with.

I've worked with him several times. Yeah. The whole, it was, it was all very smooth. And actually the seller left me flowers and Judy brought me flowers, so I walked into fresh. Yeah, that, I don't remember that. It must not have lasted very long. Flowers lasted longer. Was close to Valentine's Day by the time we got it all done.

That's right. I remember that. [00:36:00] So I was like, I'm gonna bring you some chocolate and flowers. That's right. Yeah. I remember that. That was, that was pretty fun. But yeah, you know, so it all was. The, he left me a, a nice letter, you know, about their time here in Sedona, and, and it was funny. He's like, okay, and now the neighbors, here's neighbors, here's the dirt on the neighbors.

There is no dirt. They're good people, you know? Good, good. So that was nice too. I was like, oh, dirt on the neighbors uhoh. I'm like, but good to know. And then he is like, there is no dirt. You know, that was so, that was that good. That was really kind. I was sweet too. I like that. I like that. Having that letter to come into and, you know, pay it forward and then, you know, as I'm selling the other place, you know, follow the, a bit of a, I've been in that one for almost 30 years, so Wow.

You know, modeling what I enjoyed about getting. Into this one. Oh. For the people who are moving into mine, you know, modeling some of that, what was so nice about the purchase, the process, you know? Mm-hmm. The things that made the process easy for me, I'll be able to make easy for them. [00:37:00] That's good. Yeah. I like that.

Yeah, that's, that's good. You learned from your experience what felt good to you as a buyer. Yeah. And as a seller, now you're wanting to. Do. Yeah. You want those feelings, you want that feeling. I might end up being neighbors with the people who buy my house. So there is that. It's like, I really have that too.

There's that little self self, you know, self motivated part. Yes, exactly. Yeah, exactly. Oh, and all it's, it's been really good. I like it here. Judy was easy and she wanted me to do video. I'm like, Nope, sorry. Not gonna do. But I will do the, the voice part. She did, and that's awesome and I appreciate it. Any final things you'd like to share before we No, I really, I just really like sad down.

It's, uh. It's, it fits my needs. It's, you know, can't do anything about the traffic. When it's crazy traffic. Sometimes it's not, sometimes it's just smooth sailing and then you're like, you have to be patient. Well, yeah, but other than that, that's the, that's the biggest problem. Really, the biggest problem with Sedona is the traffic.

When it's [00:38:00] crazy. When it's, when it's during the touristy time. Yeah. Like we, because the roundabouts and there's, it's the y you know? Yeah. But other than that, I mean, there's no, it's just not a problem. The weather's great. If I leave in the hot heat of the summer, it's green. It's pretty, there's, you know, the river always has water in it, you know, ice cold, you could swim, but it's, there's always water in it.

And. That's a million trails. There's a million ways to be outdoorsy here, and you know. No excuses. No really, really. You know, you can be outdoorsy by just sitting on your patio even, you know, if you're not, not somebody who's physically able. Just enjoy, enjoy the views and nature and yeah, and this Jeep people, the side-by-sides, there's ways to get back out, you know, off the main roads without beating up your car if you wanna explore.

And Phoenix is not far, you know, that's a nice place to get to also. Grand Canyon's, like right there. Also, I know, I know. Centrally located. It's just, it suits all my, my needs and checks all my [00:39:00] boxes and yeah. And I, I do, I love my neighborhood. I love my view, I love the, all the people and my realtor's a you know, my first really good friend here, which I think is really cool.

Yes, it's awesome. I love it. It's been great getting to spend time with you after the sale. Yeah, right. And doing some of the local things and have fun. Build that friendship. So thank you for that. Appreciate that. You're welcome. Yeah. Good luck with your, uh, YouTube stuff. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Thank you so much, Cheryl, for sharing your experiences working with me. That really means a lot to me and also for sharing your experiences living here and what you love about living here and why you chose to live here. So if you are looking. At where should I live that has a lot of outdoor activities, a lot of things to explore, um, that we're close to pretty much everything.

Um, [00:40:00] comment, let me know. I'm happy to help you. I'm happy to work with you. Um, I cannot say enough about how wonderful it is to work with my clients. And help them move to a place that they can really pursue the lifestyle that's near and dear to their hearts.