Illegal Subdivisons in Arizona - Real Estate Agents Warned

I find this information on illegal subdivisions very valuable to any Arizona land investor or Arizona land owner. Also if you are a Realtor or real estate agent in the State of Arizona in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Maricopa, Show Low, Concho, Pinetop, Snowflake, or Tucson you need to read this information. A.R.S.§32-2165(B) designates illegal subdividing as a class 5 Felony. I just talked with a White Mountains real estate agent up in Show Low that didn't want to go to jail or prison. These real estate agents are very scared.

This was written by Bill Day and published in the State of Arizona Department of Real Estate Bulletins.

You can request an investigation with the State of Arizona Department of Real Estate. The Department is authorized to investigate and take action when someone violates real estate law or the Commissioner’s rules. On the left side bar is an option to request an investigation. You just need to fill out the forms. You can also email the real estate investigations at this email address: investigations@azre.gov

Illegal subdividers, persons assisting them, and real estate agents, beware – when ADRE finds you, we will take action – and do not expect a slap on the hand.
Editor’s Note: Mr. Day is Deputy Director of Investigations, has been with ADRE for 18 years, and is a Certified Fraud Examiner. ��

Illegal Subdividers Beware!

By Bill Day
The new ADRE administration under Commissioner Elaine Richardson has placed a high priority on combating illegal subdividing. The Commissioner has created a special unit within the ADRE’s Investigations Division to deal entirely with illegal subdividing and subdivision violations. In addition, ADRE has been working closely with Counties and other State agencies to detect illegal subdividing, assist in prosecuting illegal developers and bring the properties into compliance with state laws and county ordinances. Illegal subdividers beware–there are many eyes out there looking for you!

In order to determine whether an illegal subdivision has been or is being created, one needs to review the Statutes. The definitions related to subdividing include
A.R.S §32-2101(1), “Acting in Concert”, A.R.S. §32-2101(14), “Common Promotional Plan”, A.R.S. §32-2101(53), “Subdivider”, and A.R.S. §32-2101(54) “Subdivision”. The statutes for violations of subdivision laws A.R.S §32-2181(A)(D) and
A.R.S.§32 2183(F). In addition, A.R.S. §32-2164 specifically relates to licensees. Also, A.R.S.§32-2165(B) designates illegal subdividing as a class 5 Felony.

In A.R.S. §32-2101(16), “Contiguous “ refers to lots, parcels or fractional interests that share a common boundary or point. This relates only to properties that are not located within a subdivision development. Any properties within a subdivision development, whether they share a common boundary or point or not, are automatically deemed to be contiguous. Therefore, if one owns or has interest in more than five parcels anywhere within the development, that person is required to comply with the subdivision laws.

Even if lots or parcels are not contiguous, if they are part of a common promotional plan or parties are determined to be acting in concert, the creation of 6 or more lots or parcels would also require compliance with the subdivision laws pursuant to A.R.S. §32-2181. Acting in concert is the most prevalent method persons use to attempt to avoid the subdivision laws. To determine whether persons are acting in concert, the Department may consider any one or more of the following:
• Familial relationship between parties.
• Business relationship between parties to buy, sell
and/or divide property.
• Officers, members, managers or directors, or person owning interest in one or more business entities or partnerships, and/or partners in one or more businesses.
• Lot release provisions to enable further divisions.
• Use of same surveyor, same real estate agent, and/ or notary public by multiple parties to the transactions in question.
• Maps, drawings, or surveys of the parcel indicating further division.
• Recorded or unrecorded conditions, covenants and restrictions, or deed restrictions that may indicate development activity.
• The timing of applications for permits for septic tanks, wells or other infrastructure.
• Well-share or road maintenance agreements between or among actual or prospective lot owners.
• The number and placement of easements.
• The manner in which transactions are structured
and/or closed.

Why do persons avoid the subdivision laws? It’s simple – ignorance, money and greed. They may buy a parcel of land and proceed to divide and sell it without fully exploring the related rules and statutes. Or they try to avoid the costs of properly subdividing the property. As a result, the purchasers do not get what they are entitled to. Most purchasers think they are getting a good deal, until something goes wrong, for example, an inadequate water supply, an inadequate water supply for fire suppression, inadequate flood protection, emergency vehicles not being able to get to the residence because of inadequate roads, poor air quality due to dirt roads, roads not up to county standards, and the list goes on. Ultimately either the purchasers have to pay for the improvements or the taxpayers must pay, when the local government is forced to provide the facilities for health and safety reasons. Illegal subdividing hurts everyone.

ADRE’s mission is to protect the public — this responsibility is taken very seriously. Real estate licensees are subject to revocation of their licenses. Illegal subdividers, persons assisting them, and real estate agents, beware – when ADRE finds you, we will take action – and do not expect a slap on the hand.

Editor’s Note: Mr. Day is Deputy Director of Investigations, has been with ADRE for 18 years, and is a Certified Fraud Examiner. ��

Best Real Estate Domain Names For Realtors

If you are a Realtor or Real Estate Agent you need to have a premium domain name for your business.

What is the best real estate domain name?

Key words are very important in selecting a domain name. First of all you need to have your primary town or city in the domain. Second important item is to have your specialty in the domain name. What is it? Real estate is your specialty. End your domain name with some sort of real estate word.

Forget all that information I just told you above if you can get your hands on a geo city domain name. I think if you own the city name in one way or another this would be the best domain name. You always want to own the .com version for your business. The city domain or town domain name will get lots of traffic and is very easy to remember.

Watch the domain name auctions for domain names that you may be interested in! Many domain names expire each day and you may be able to buy it!

Whos Who of Arizona Real Estate Domain Names

Here is a short list of some of the premium Arizona real estate domain names and the ownership details.

chandlerarizonarealestate.com The Chandler Arizona real estate domain name registered owner is Name Administration Inc. This Grand Cayman Island company is owned by Frank Shilling. You can read about him in the DN Journal cover story. He also has a super blog called Seven Mile - The official Frank Schilling blog. (Open to all, but written for few). I also found out Frank owns another Arizona real estate domain name: realestatescottsdale.com!

realestatescottsdale.com The Scottsdale real estate domain name owner is Name Administration Inc.

phoenixrealestate.com The Phoenix real estate domain name registered owner is DotComCatalog.com.

maricopaarizonarealestate.com The Maricopa real estate domain name registered owner is Pete Kosednar.

scottsdalerealestate.com The Scottsdale real estate domain name registered owner is Donald A. Matheson.

tucsonrealestate.com The Tucson real estate domain name registered owner is WebQuest.com Inc.

Arizona Land and Homes For Sale in Concho

Here is a real estate market update for Arizona land and homes for sale in Concho, Arizona on December 29, 2007. Concho is located in Apache County in northern Arizona.

Single Family Homes For Sale in Concho, Arizona: 19 Concho homes are listed for sale at this time. Prices for a Concho house start at $20,000 for a 2 Bed, 1 Bath
760 Sq. Ft. on 0.34 Acres of property. The most expensive Concho property listed for sale is $599,000 and this property includes: 5 Bed, 3 Bath 4,250 Sq. Ft. and sits on 31.68 Acres.

Manufactured Homes For Sale in Concho, Arizona: 23 Mobile homes and manufactured homes are for sale in Concho, AZ at this time. The least expensive property listing in Concho is listed for $39,900 4 Bed, 2.5 Bath 1,440 Sq. Ft. on 0.68 Acres. The most expensive listing is $365,000 for a 3 Bed, 2 Bath 1,850 Sq. Ft on 37.48 Acres.

Arizona Land For Sale in Concho, Arizona: You have your choice of 307 properties of Arizona land for sale in the Concho area. Land in Concho prices start at $3,500 for 1.04 Acres.

Problems with Arizona land sales in Apache County have increased dramatically this past year. Illegal subdividing of lands are taking place in Concho, Vernon, and St. Johns. These bad land sales have put a black eye on the whole area.

Concho, Arizona Real Estate Public Reports

Here is a link to Apache County Public Reports issued from 1/2002 to the 12/2007.

You need to read this if you bought cheap Arizona land from a developer or a real estate agent in Concho. Many developers and land investors have issued public reports with the Arizona Real Estate Department. These subdivisions have had new public reports issued. If you bought land in any of these subdivisions. Take a look at the Arizona Department of Real Estate site. Take a look at the public report to see if your lot is listed on the public report. If your lot number is listed you should of received a copy of this public report before you bought the property.

You can get all your money back if you were not provided with a public report.

If you did not get a copy of the public report you should contact the Arizona Department of Real Estate office in Tucson.

Here is a full list of recent public reports issued for the Concho, Arizona area. Use the link above to view the public report and to see if your lot is listed.

SHOW LOW PINES UNIT FIVE
AMENDED CONCHO VALLEY UNIT 9A
CONCHO VALLEY UNIT FIVE
CONCHO VALLEY UNIT FOUR A
CONCHO VALLEY UNIT 8
CONCHO LAKELAND UNIT 3
CONCHO VALLEY UNIT THREE
CONCHO VALLEY UNIT FOUR
CONCHO VALLEY UNIT FIVE B
CONCHO LAKE LAND UNIT 1 AMENDED

How To Get All Your Money Back From Your Concho Arizona Land Purchase

I bought some land in Concho and was shocked to find my Concho lot listed on the Arizona Real Estate Department website.

A developer had issued a public report for a Concho, Arizona subdivision and my lot was listed on the public report!!

I contacted the Arizona Department of Real Estate Public Reports Office in Tucson, Arizona. I wanted to know about this public report and where is my copy of it that I never received nor was I notified by the State or the land seller.

The people in the Tucson public reports office were shocked that public reports were issued for land already sold in Concho, Arizona.

I was also very thankful of the Arizona Department of Real Estate office in Tucson. They quickly looked into the situation and started an investigation.

A public report is issued for future subdivisions and land sales.

In my experience a developer published a public report in a Concho subdivision for land already sold. He used to own it before he sold it. The land purchaser of the lot in the public report was me!

The good thing is that this developer quickly gave all my money back from my land purchase. Money from my land purchase was transferred into my Paypal account. The land seller very quickly refunded my entire purchase price of the land. I was very happy with developers customer service of this situation. I was kind of caught in the middle of this and just wanted my money back.

State Of Arizona Department Of Real Estate Investigations

The Arizona Department of Real Estate is always willing to help consumers by investigating violations of real estate law. Our friendly investigations team members are knowledgeable, efficient, and well-trained. Many have experience in law enforcement and investigation practices.

The Department is authorized to investigate and take action when someone violates real estate law or the Commissioner’s rules. Most of our complaints involve the following:

Advertising violations
Breach of Fiduciary Duties
Dishonest Dealings
Disclosures
Forgery
Illegal Subdivisions
Unlicensed Activity
And many other Rule and Statute Violations

You can reach us at investigations@azre.gov.

White Mountains Real Estate Agents Going To Prison or Jail?

A White Mountains real estate agent told me that "I don't want to go to jail or prison". This real estate agent was talking about the land sales that have been going on in the Apache County area. These real estate people are very scared on the situation going on.

The latest talk of the town is mortgage fraud in Concho, Arizona and possible illegal land sales in Concho. Land sales in and around the golf course and lake area have raised some eyebrows. Some large land loans have been recorded in Concho this past year with inflated land appraisals. One large mortgage note or land loan was in Concho Valley Unit 3 others are all around the golf course and lake.

Land Fraud Hits Concho

Concho lots, land, and acreages have gotten new land loans this past year. This is a very bad situation for the whole area. These real estate developers have built up inventory of Arizona land in Concho. Land sales in Concho, Arizona were recorded with inflated prices. The real estate developers got new land loans with the inflated land prices of the recorded land sale.

Illegal Arizona Land Sales With Financing

Apache County residents and land owners are getting letters with offers of land with financing. A local Apache County real estate business is selling Arizona land with financing and setting up illegal subdivisions within a subdivision. Yuck!

Concho, Arizona Land Owner is Selling its Property

Some large Concho, Arizona land owners in the area are selling off the property .... This was even news to the local realtor!!

I hope 2008 is a much better year for Concho, Arizona and Apache County!

Homes For Sale in Concho - Manufactured Homes

The quickest way for a house in the White Mountains is to purchase a brand new manufactured home or factory built home. If you are a smart shopper you can find wholesale new manufactured homes from $35,000 and up.

Cavco Industries, Inc. - A Southwest Leader of manufactured and factory built homes. many floorplans and options to choose from has a factory in downtown Phoenix.

Manufactured homes are all around the rim country of Arizona including Payson, Heber, Show Low, Snowflake, and even Greer.

I will never forget eating lunch at a Greer, Arizona restaurant and looking across a meadow and seeing a mobile home on the hillside! I asked the waitress if that was a mobile home up on the hill? She told me she doesn't see a mobile home on the hill! I guess the Greer real estate and the Greer locals do not want everyone to know that manufactured homes are in Greer!!!

Make sure to get all the proper permits from the local government and county officials.

Concho Arizona Land Video of Concho Valley Unit 6 AZ

Toured Concho, Arizona on December 26, 2007. I took 87 up from Scottsdale and drove by Fountain Hills, Payson, Heber, and Show Low. Driving in my rental car took a little under 3 hours to Show Low. Very little snow was still on the ground from the overnight snowstorm.

I filmed Concho Valley Unit 6 from corner of Osage Land and Ranch Drive. I pan over to the Town of St. Johns water tank and property. Town officials have told me at some point the water tank will be removed. At this time no water is privided in this Concho, Arizona subdivision. On the backside of Concho Valley Unit 6 St. Johns, Arizona has an active city well that provides municipal water water to St. Johns.



No luxury homes, mobile homes, or manufactured homes have been built in this subdivision yet. This Arizona Land is flat with no pine trees. Cattle roam the land at times. This is open range land. You can fence off your property to keep the wildlife and cattle away.

Talked with a few local real estate specialists. Things are real slow right now and slow for the whole White Mountains real estate market.

One of the Vernon real estate mogils was on vacation down in Tucson??? Yes Tucson.

The Windsor Valley Ranch subdivision has a nice sign along the State Route 61. I did not see anyone touring that land nor any sales people around on the property.

I also did a quick tour of the new homes for sale in Show Low. The Show Low Bluff development is one of the largest developments in the White Mountains.

In all it was a nice day trip to see the White Moutains and Concho.

Navajo Casino Near Sanders Arizona?

The #1 Newspaper in the White Mountains The Pioneer has a story titled "Navajo Nation Bringing Gambling to Sanders".

I have listened to all the talk of a possible Arizona casino in the Nahata Dzill, Chapter near Sanders, Arizona. It never happened. No new information was in The Pioneer news story.....

Now the first Navajo Nation casino is being built I think in Shiprock near the New Mexico and Arizona border.

It is interesting that no one is talking about the Zuni Tribe buying a large parcel of Arizona Land near Hunt, AZ. Hunt is located near Concho, Arizona and the Petrified National Forest. The location of the Zuni land is SEC 34, T14N, R26E. 660.47 acres were purchased by the Zuni Indians for $330,000.00 dollars. This is $500.00 dollars per acre of land. This land was purchased in a Arizona State Land Department Public Auctions on November 9, 2006. The land auction number was 53-110004.

The Arizona Department of Gaming lists the Zuni Tribe on its website.

Robert Worsley and his NZ Legacy own a large chuck of land near Hunt, AZ and he is planning a new city called Stone Axe, Arizona. Yes I did say large city. Looks like this is no Greer, Pinetop, Show Low, or Heber that he is planning.

List of cities in Arizona (by population) from Wikipedia
These are July 2005 Arizona population based on US Census Bureau estimates.

Phoenix - 1,512,986
Tucson - 518,956
Mesa - 447,541
Glendale - 246,531
Chandler - 240,595
Scottsdale - 231,127
Gilbert - 191,517
Tempe - 169,712
Peoria - 142,024
Show Low - 9,885
Pinetop-Lakeside - 4,165
Snowflake - 4,935
St. Johns - 3,865

Hey I wouldn't mind living in a nice well designed Northern Arizona city! The local newspapers are writing about future growth projections for the White Mountains. Wonder if all these new residents will be moving up to Stone Axe near Hunt, AZ.

Expired Domain Names

Looks like another Concho, Arizona domain name will go up for auction maybe??

Real estate Domain Names can be goood investments.

A good place to find quality expired domain names is at the domain name auctions!

Currently the busiest real estate activity in Concho, Arizona is the weeds growing in Concho Lake!

Sunrise Park Resort - Trail Maps

Take a good look at the many different trails at Sunrise before you start your ski day. The trail map for Sunrise Park Resort in Arizona is very detailed.



Enjoy your retirement in Concho, Arizona!

Snowcat Ride Sunrise Park Resort Arizona

A nice snowcat ride at the Arizona's Sunrise Park Resort on December 10, 2007. The snowcat driver is Bill London. Bill is the Sunrise Ski Area Mountain Manager.

The video was filmed by Ned Ganz. Ned also skied the first tracks of 2007! He filmed this ski run going down one of the ski trails at the resort.

This ski run took place 4 days before the mountain opened to the public.

Two-Bit Thief

The Arizona Republic has a nice quote from Special Prosecutor Grant Woods: "This sheriff, for all the good he did, ended up being a two-bit thief, day after day, month after month,"

Ousted Apache County Sheriff Brian Hounshell was sentenced to three years probation and one year deferred jail sentence in Maricopa County Superior Court on Friday. A deferred jail sentence means that the defendant has a grace period in which to demonstrate that he should not be incarcerated-in Hounshell's case six months.

Hounshell, 41, who was Apache County sheriff from 1999 until his recent resignation as part of a plea agreement, was originally charged with multiple counts, including conspiracy, fraudulent schemes and theft. In September, he was allowed to plead guilty to one count of solicitation for misuse of public monies. Source: Arizona Republic Newspaper

Apache County occupies the North East corner of Arizona covering 11,127 square miles. Apache County is larger than some states and is the third largest of 15 counties in Arizona.

Under the leadership of Sheriff David G. Murray, the Apache County Sheriff's Office is responsible for the full time Law Enforcement duties in Apache County including unincorporated towns and housing sub-divisions. Source: Apache County Sheriff's Office

Winter Storm Hits Arizona White Mountains

A major winter storm has hit Northern Arizona this weekend with heavy snows. Here's the latest storm totals from the National Weather Service.

PRELIMINARY SNOWFALL TOTALS FROM FRIDAY THROUGH 1100 AM SATURDAY
AFTERNOON INCLUDE:

SNOWFALL AMOUNTS IN INCHES

ALPINE 5-6.
BELLEMONT TRACE-1.
CLINTS WELL 2.
FLAGSTAFF AIRPORT TRACE-1.
FOREST LAKES 5.
GREER 4.
JACOB LAKE 4-5.
KOHLS RANCH 3.
MCNARY 2N 4.
SNOWBOWL (9500 FEET) 5.
SNOWBOWL (10800 FEET) 7.
SUNRISE 10.
WINDOW ROCK 2-3.



This picture was from the Mountain Pine Ranch, Concho, Arizona webcam at around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday December 8, 2007.



The White Mountain Country Club web cam has a nice holiday treat. Fresh Snow! I have been keeping an eye on this Pinetop webcam all day.



Checking out the Sunrise Ski Resort webcam. Sunrise has been dumped on all day today. The folks have not updated any snow reports or total snowfall yet. I have seen a bunch of activity nears the ski lifts. These are people who work at the ski resort that are getting the ski area ready to open up.

December 2007 Market Update

Here is the December 8, 2007 real estate market update for Concho, Arizona land, homes, and commercial property. Concho, AZ is located just 30 minutes away from Show Low. Nearby communities include: Snowflake, St. Johns, Greer, Pinetop, Vernon, and Linden.

Concho Homes For Sale: 38 Concho homes for sale right now. Home prices start at $20,000 and go up to $699,900. Mike Loomis with Concho Realty is the listing agent for the lowest price area house.

Concho Land For Sale: 342 Concho land, acreage, and lots are listed for sale right now. Local Concho land prices start at $3,500 for a 1.04 acre property.

Windsor Valley Ranch is also selling property located in Concho. They don't list the land on the MLS. FYI - Windsor Valley Ranch is located in Concho, Arizona. The Windsor Valley Ranch property is located 30 minutes away from Show Low.

Concho Commercial Property For Sale: 1 Concho commercial property is listed for sale right now. The commercial listing is listed for sale with Vernon Realty and LYNNDA BEDWAY is the listing agent. Business W/Real Property on .94 acres of land.

This list of property for sale includes the Concho area including Concho Valley, Old Concho, Concho, Show Low Pines, and Park Show Low areas.

Source: White Mountain Association of Realtors

Sunrise Park Ski Resort

Powder hounds get your skis and snowboards ready because Sunrise Ski Resort is getting pounded with snow right now. Sunrise is one of the largest ski resorts in the southwest and it really rocks.

This ski flick was filmed out at Sunrise and it is wild and crazy. I love the scene with the snowplows clearing the highway!

Van Slyke Productions Presents Sunrise



Check out the Van Slyke Productions YouTube channel!

Sunrise Ski Resort Lifts:

Funland Mighty-Mite 350' - 50' vert.
Cyclone Mighty-Mite 350'-50' vert.
I. High Speed Quad 6800'-1400'vert.
II. Pony Double Chairlift 1600'-219' vert.
III. Rustler Quad Chairlift 3950'-875' vert.
IV. Fort Apache Triple Chairlift 5180'-620' vert.
V. Geronimo Triple Chairlift 4505'-1000' vert.
VI. Cyclone Triple Chairlift 8000'-1165' vert.
VII. Eagle Feather Triple Chairlift 4000'-690' vert.
VIII. Spirit Ridge Quad Chairlift 3900'-551' vert.

16,000 skiers per hour uphill lift capacity. 1800' vertical elevation. Lifts operate 9:00am to 4:00pm daily

Sunrise Park Resort
PO Box 117
Greer, Arizona 85927
Phone Numbers: (928) 735-7669 (800) 772-7669

Development Fizzles

Recap on whats going on in the Concho, Arizona Real Estate area: nothing, zip, and zero.

This past 3 years or so I have seen 4 or 5 grand openings published in the local newspapers for land sales, new homes, and or developments.

What a joke! I think the money dried up along with the get rich frenzy that took over the Arizona real estate market.

Arizona Department of Real Estate

Here is the Arizona Department of Real Estate website link if you have had any problems with Arizona land or real estate. You can find links on the site to file a complaint with them.

$5,000 Concho Lots Listed For Sale For $50,000!

The market is flooded with people trying to sell $50,000 1/2 acre lots around the golf course that are only assessed for $6,000 or so. These people bought these lots for $5,000 and jacked up the prices to $50,000! LOL! I watched this going on this past year and I feel sorry for the people that paid inflated prices for Concho land.

Some sellers of local White Mountains land and real estate this past year were telling people that they were running out of land to sell in Concho! Oh brother.

Motivated Seller in Soft Market

Here's confirmation on the status of the current real estate market in Concho. A motivated seller has these two words in its advertising in the local newspapers: "sacrifice sale"!

I first started seeing ads for the local ranch property in the local papers and got excited. Then I quickly noticed that the sales info did not say anything about that it was located in Concho, Arizona. LOL - this is just nuts. With all the stuff going on in the real estate market you would think they would advertise the correct location of this land they are selling. Its not located in Show Low, Arizona! Concho is 30 minutes outside of Show Low.

Concho, Arizona Waterfall



Cool waterfall in Concho. I have not gone to this local water feature yet!