Fly the Coop is a podcast with host Cari Ann Carter and her special guest Bill O'Connell. Together they discuss the incredible weather of Scottsdale, Arizona and its high-tech boom. Bill explains that driverless vehicles have recently become available and Bill Gates is investing in a smart city in the area. They delve into the deep complexity of the water rights issue, noting that the Indian reservation has given up some rights and leases them to home builders. Minnesota natives are known for having steadfast roots, but will often buy a property in a warm climate like Arizona for vacations. For those looking for new homes, Scottsdale is the place to be, with lots typically costing from 500 to 700 dollars. Bill also points out that most of the area is subject to HOA control, which might be a deterrent for some. Come and join Cari Ann and Bill as they explore the various aspects of life in Arizona.
Introducing Fly The Coop – the podcast hosted by Cari Ann Carter, your gateway to all thing's real estate! Join Cari as she dives deep into all aspects of homeownership, investments and new developments with her guests from around the US.
Today, Cari Ann Carter interviews Bill O'Connell, who hails from the beautiful town of Scottsdale, Arizona. Contrary to its hot weather, Arizona is fast becoming a hub of high-tech industry, with companies developing driverless cars and Bill Gates even looking at smart cities.
Water is also a key topic in Arizona, with the Indian reservation leasing its rights for residential construction. Despite its rooted family culture, Minnesota is increasingly looking to Arizona for warm weather retirement homes, with Casa Grande and Florence emerging as particularly popular locations.
Listen in to hear Cari and Bill discuss Scottsdale in depth, focusing particularly on its lack of HOA’s – a rarity in Arizona – and the great opportunities available to purchase properties in the center of the town with just 500 to 700 dollars.
Tune in to Fly The Coop now and expect a new episode every Friday as Cari Ann Carter provides you with inspiration and actionable advice on all thing's real estate.
Blog Post
Blog Post #1:
Are you interested in making a move to warmer climates? Check out Bill O’Connell's episode on Fly The Coop podcast, hosted by Cari Ann Carter, to learn about the perfect trifecta when it comes to making a move to more favorable weather. Whether you’re interested in a VRBO investment property, second home property, or just a move, Bill’s got you covered. Here are three tips from his episode:
1. Shop around for the perfect property. “Highly desirable, very rooted,” says Carter about moving to warmer climates. Bill will guide you through the shopping process and help you find exactly what you’re looking for.
2. Take advantage of the favorable weather. Everyone dreams of escaping the cold in Minnesota and enjoying the warmth of Arizona. Take advantage of the sunny days and all the outdoor activities warm climates provide.
3. Consider if buying property is right for you. Whether you’re interested in becoming a first-time real estate investor or just looking for a peaceful weekend getaway, Bill will provide the necessary information to determine if buying property is the right fit for you.
Listen to Bill’s episode on Fly The Coop to learn more about the perfect trifecta in making a move to warmer climates. Hear about Bill’s personal advice and unique stories related to the topic. As Carter says, “We just have so much to talk about with all of you.”
Blog Post #2:
Are you looking for a VRBO investment property, second home property, or just a move to warmer climates? Don’t miss the episode of Fly The Coop featuring Bill O’Connell. Bill brings his expertise to the episode to provide insight and advice from his many years in the real estate business. Here are three tips from the episode:
1. Research all your options. There are many advantages to moving to warm climates and Bill can provide guidance on each and every option. “Highly desirable, very rooted,” says Cari Ann Carter. Research your options and make an informed decision regarding investing in property.
2. Look into outdoor activities. Not only are warm climates ideal for escaping Minnesota weather, they also offer an array of outdoor activities to enjoy. Bill gives listeners information on the type of outdoor activities they can look into when considering a move to warmer climates.
3. Determine if buying a property is the right fit. Whether you’re considering becoming a real estate investor or looking into second home properties, determine if buying property will best suit your needs. Bill shares his personal advice and stories to provide more information about the topic.
Listen to Bill’s episode of Fly The Coop and learn about the perfect trifecta in making a move to warmer climates. Everything you need to know, including researching options and all the outdoor activities these climates offer, can be found in this episode. As Carter says, “We just have so much to talk about with all of you.”
Best Quotes
[00:00:48] "Absolutely so. Tell everybody, where are you from, Bill?"
[00:03:21] "We are now back down into the 15000 range. Wow."
[00:04:39] "If I were to help a client right now, I'd be certain I'd be certain to be looking at the days on the market to maybe give us a little bit more leverage to buy -- Mhmm. -- and argue a, you know, a price reduction."
[00:06:28] "We are an absolute hotbed for high-tech now. We are gaining more and more momentum."
[00:07:31] "They increased it to 12000000000 dollars and now they have pushed it all the way up to 40000000000 dollars."
[00:08:00] "You can actually hop into a vehicle right now in Chandler with no driver at all. I've done it. Oh my gosh. It's super fun."
All Quotes
[00:00:48] "Absolutely so. Tell everybody, where are you from, Bill?"
[00:01:05] "You think. I don't think that's hard to do at all."
[00:01:43] "Well, thank you, Kevin, and thank you, Kerriett."
[00:01:32] "And of course, with our interest in exploring our partnerships in warm climates, it was obvious to bring you on the show today, especially now."
[00:03:21] "We are now back down into the 15000 range. Wow."
[00:03:40] "The challenge is aside from the interest rates. That's slowing things down."
[00:04:33] "There's still, you know, the average day on the market is about 60 days."
[00:04:39] "If I were to help a client right now, I'd be certain I'd be certain to be looking at the days on the market to maybe give us a little bit more leverage to buy -- Mhmm. -- and argue a, you know, a price reduction."
[00:05:04] "So in your experience, there was a little window by the way. I lived in Scottsdale back when my daughter was young because she had some allergy issues and we lived there for almost 18 months. We lived down there and were in the deep dive of the recession. Right?"
[00:06:28] "We are an absolute hotbed for high-tech now. We are gaining more and more momentum."
[00:06:37] "If I were to be coaching someone, let's just talk strictly about being an investor. Right. I would go ahead and fill you in on some of these businesses just to give you a couple examples tonight. I pulled them up, but anybody can verify any of these things."
[00:06:53] "But we are fast becoming or being looked at is going to be the number 1 chip manufacturer in the country and possibly pushing towards the world. Yeah. That was interesting. Taiwan"
[00:07:08] "That's crazy. Yeah. Yeah."
[00:07:31] "They increased it to 12000000000 dollars and now they have pushed it all the way up to 40000000000 dollars."
[00:08:00] "You can actually hop into a vehicle right now in Chandler with no driver at all. I've done it. Oh my gosh. It's super fun."
[00:09:12] "This is a way for you to actually get picked up and you jump in the band that it brings you. Now it's not in Rochester, Minnesota, but the whole idea of this is for, you know, cities like this to really become highly autonomous when it comes to the ride sharing and -- Right. -- going to the airport and things of that sort. Interesting. Wow. Yeah. Wow."
[00:09:56] "He's already purchased the land back in 2017. He spent 80000000 dollars. Wow. Again, a very bold move."
[00:10:20] "It's going to be a town about the size of Tempe. Tempe is about a hundred and 70000. This is a rough number. Right. But that'll take years. I mean, it'll be starting off small with maybe 10000 people, but it'll be skyscrapers and you know, database it, you know, industry, and it's going to be huge. It's going to be huge."
[00:10:46] "We have 2 different kinds of conversations that we'll delve into today. But as a city and estate in terms of its growth model and its attraction. What do you think the number 1 driver is? Like, what is that about? Because there's so much, I think it really yeah."
[00:11:08] "For years, I've been here since 19 89. So, I've watched a lot of changes. Yeah. It was where we were struggling to supply the high-tech industry with labor. So, the schools, ASU, UofA, they all have highly educated or, I should say, programs for people to get into the high-tech industry. Right. So now the draw is the fact that we have the labor to support these high-tech jobs. Right. And not all of them are very high-tech."
[00:13:17] "Water, I have a very good friend who I actually used to teach water rights at 1 of the local real estate schools -- Mhmm. -- stands from."
[00:13:33] "The big thing about water is that when it comes to building the home and when you are, let's say, you know, just Lunar. Okay? If you're going to build a subdivision, each and every home has to have a hundred-year guaranteed water supply. Mhmm. K?"
[00:14:11] "So today, I mean, I'm at an age where I don't know if I'll ever see it, but, you know, there may be way, way down the road, some issues. But, you know, it seems like there's a chess game going on, and I don't know I'm no water, you know, expert."
[00:12:07] "Figure income for engineers and people who are at the higher end of that. So, but we have a good you know, we really lost a lot of labor years ago from the housing industry. Right. And so now these jobs that are here are really getting more and more and more where you're going to have to have some kind of education to be functional and really afford to live here."
[00:14:50] "It's kind of that chess game of who's got the rights. And who can build."
[00:15:15] "You're seeing more of that right now."
[00:15:29] "So I'm hoping not to see a lot of these big, you know, these big REITs and insurance funds come in here and start doing more and more of that because, really, at any given time, you know, they could subdivide, you know, go back to selling those homes."
[00:16:22] "The Midwest area is known for a very rooted, you know, family dynamic where they're not gonna ever leave. Like, there's always going to be a home here. However, in that -- Right. -- length of life, they will buy something in a warm climate. And Arizona is on the top 3 list. And depending on who you talk to, the number 1 list, so It always comes up. Every conversation, believe it or not. Like, what do you think about Arizona?"
[00:16:59] "I think that they're Mhmm. There's something's going to have to give because they're continuing to expand in population, and there's absolutely a drought happening in that part of the country. That's a real thing."
[00:17:51] "We are very good at having complete subdivisions with 0 skipping where it's got just cactus and very low level, low water needed for landscaping, no big, you know, lawns going in, that sort of thing."
[00:18:25] "It's part of the sacrifice. I don't want to sacrifice. It's a beautiful aesthetic, but it is part of the agreement to living in a water, lower lack of a drought tolerant environment. That's part of the game."
[00:18:56] "And the aesthetics, if you're looking and talking about aesthetics, it's not bad. It really isn't. And there's all kinds of different ways of, you know, having the lifestyle being with mother nature. Like, everybody's got their own thing. Right? So that's 1 of them for Arizona."
[00:19:13] "Embrace it. -- accept that part of that. Right? Right."
[00:19:32] "Most of the people have come down here as snowbirds or investors that you know, I mean, I sell homes to investors that they don't even ever really see the house other than pictures."
[00:19:56] "You don't want your tenant pushing them over because they're not going to do it. No. And all you're doing, all you're going to do is get fines from the away or from the city or both."
[00:20:46] "With 500 to 700, you could buy, you know, closer to the center of town, you know, overall, Phoenix."
[Unknown] "But overall, if I were to be looking to invest, we refer to these as tertiary markets."
[00:21:34] "There is a brand-new plant out there making electric cars lucid."
[00:22:24] "Not everybody does. Right. And, you know, even given that, I think that from what I'm reading and learning about electric cars, I don't have one myself. I have not pulled that trigger."
[00:23:06] "There's a hydrogen plant out in that other tertiary market, which is Florence."
[00:23:22] "Hydrogen, which is the cleanest, really the truly cleanest of, I think, all possible energy -- because it's just water. It's the end result after you're done with using hydrogen."
[00:23:59] "They do give them tax breaks -- for a limited time if they stick around. I know we've had in the past some bad actors that have taken advantage of the tax situation and they pulled out."
[00:25:15] "McCormick Ranch. Okay. Yep. Love it. You know, it's right in the center of both South Scottsdale and North Scottsdale."
[00:25:27] "It's kind of like the entire valley has been built somewhat like a tree where you've got these rings. The the inner ring is the older homes and then you've got the outer ring which is the newer homes."
[00:25:56] "Old Town, Scottsdale, where I live and was built in the sixties right after, you know, World War 2."
[00:26:22] "Your bathroom is going to be, you know, quite small. It's not going to be elaborate and so you kind of have to move, you know, further and further north to get into the more modern."
[00:26:38] "No HOA's though this is a big plus. When you come to Old Town -- Mhmm. -- we don't have to deal with the bylaws of a HOA."
[00:27:13] "It's the common thing. It's more common than not. Like, you're not the norm being in a non-HOA community. That's most of its HOA. Now -- Right. -- in there."
Topics
Exploring Arizona with Bill O'Connell from Scottsdale
The Innovation and High-Tech Booming in Arizona
The Benefits of Self-Driving Cars: Bill Gates' Smart City in Chandler, AZ
Water Rights and Access in Indigenous Communities
Retirement Migration to Arizona from Minnesota
Business Opportunities in Casa Grande and Florence Arizona
The Benefits of Living in Scottsdale, Arizona With No Homeowners Associations
Living in a Homeowners Association (HOA) Community
Episode Links
Connect with Bill O’Connell:
Connect with Cari Ann Carter:
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