Subject: RE: Home buying
Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2000 09:39:47 -0700
From: Chris & Becki Ashby ashbyc@earthlink.net 
To: "'G-II Varrato'" G-II@homesinphoenix.net 
Hi Nicole!
To answer your questions, Gumbo used the same agency, Coldwell Banker
Success, but was assigned a different broker.  He seemed a bit envious of
our broker though.  I think G-II would be great no matter where you are
looking.  If you want someone who actually specializes in Palm Valley,
there is a woman who a lot of people from Misawa use.  But I will say that
in addition to being a great realtor, G-II also has connections that make
the whole VA loan process go much quicker.  Otherwise you wait 3 weeks for
some sort of approval after finding a home versus his 5 minutes.  If you
want I can find out the name of the Palm Valley agent, and I will also find
out G-II's experience in the Palm Valley area.  He is excellent about
answering questions very quickly and very thoroughly.  You cannot go wrong
by him.  I would say it is not too early to start the whole process.  You
can get preapproved over the phone with USAA Mover's Advantage, and the
loan counselor can start talking to you about that end of it all.  It would
be too early to lock into a rate, but you can get a good idea of what type
of loan you want to go with.
Gumbo came to Phoenix in November, and his house that he is building will
be ready middle of March.  That's actually a couple weeks later than it was
supposed to be.  Also, he is spending boocoo (sp?) bucks for all his
upgrades, way more than our house, plus he has a much smaller yard and no
window coverings.  I think you'll get more for your money if you don't
build.  That's just from what I can see.
If you are thinking of waiting until you get here in July/August to
actually buy, it would be really nice to have weeded through a lot of homes
you don't want to see.  We were able to do all that from Germany with G-II.
 I'm not sure if this Palm Valley lady does all that.
I'm going to forward this note to G-II, and he can get back to me with some
answers.  I'll let you write him directly if you want to get in touch.
Dillon and Taylor are adjusting very well here.  Dillon's teacher is great
and is offering him some more challenging work while still keeping him
integrated with the class room.  His behavior has improved ten-fold.  He's
starting to grow up!  He and Taylor are actually getting to be good
friends.  Taylor goes to Stepping Stones preschool where Dillon went.  It's
a lot of fun, and I might recommend it for Stephanie when she turns 3, but
it is up on Bell and 43rd.  Kind of a haul from Palm Valley.  By the way,
the area down there is really nice.  I am impressed with Gumbo's
neighborhood, and there is lots of new development as far as shopping goes.
 However, the Wigwam outlet is floundering.  Most retailers have left for
the outlet on I-17 North.
Well, I'll talk to you soon.  Let me know if there's anything more you need
to know!
See you soon!  Can't wait till you get here!
Becki  :-)
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From:   Schofieldz@aol.com[SMTP:Schofieldz@aol.com]
Sent:   Monday, January 31, 2000 4:59 PM
To:     ashbyc@earthlink.net
Subject:        Home buying
Hi Becki,
Good to hear from you and I've envious about you and your shorts!  Its
freezing here!  Oh, we'll be there soon enough.  What squadron are you
apart of there?  Do you like the assignment so far?
I wanted to ask you about Gumbo because I thought I remember you saying he
bought a home in Palm Valley.  Is that true?  Because we are looking in that
area and I thought you may know the name of his Realtor if it is different
from GII guy that you used.  If you could email any information you know
I'd appreciate it.  I have a Realtor I met with that I like but she
specializes in the Arrowhead area and I'm looking for someone more familiar
with the Palm Valley, Litchfield Park area.  How soon did you start the buying
process again?
Are the kids in school there?  Did you find a good Kindergarten for Dylan?
Taylor must be in preschool now right?  Where does she go?  What are you
doing with your time?  Well, I must dash off to the gym before Jaime heads
to work.  I'll talk to you later though.
Nicole
Another testimonial from Chris & Becki