Casa Grande AZ Homes for Sale

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January Feature Article

New Year Tradition (by Colleen Bechtel)

Our family tradition started in 2002 with a New Year’s Day hike. We have hiked Picacho Peak a few times, Table Top Mountain, South Mountain, Quartz Peak, and today we hiked Peralta Trail in the Superstition Mountains. This is one of my favorite traditions because I love to start the year feeling like I can climb any mountain!  It is an exhilarating way to start the year.

 

 

As we started our hike this year I reflected back on last year. We did not go on our hike because it was a very cold, windy day and I was out voted. It was a disappointment to break the tradition, but as I reflect back, I believe it was symbolic of the year. The winds of change were blowing strong and our traditional ways of doing business were also changed in 2008.

 

The real estate market in Casa Grande changed dramatically in 2008 with an alarming numbers of foreclosures sending bank owned properties on the market that was already headed south. The term “short sale” became an industry standard and created a new sub-industry. The oversupply of homes remained, but nowhere close to the high of 750 homes on the market at the peak in April of 2007. The year ended with 560 homes available which translates to an 8 month supply.

 

Over 800 single family homes sold in 2008 which is 140 more than in 2007. This is great news! Homes are selling because the prices have adjusted lower and are considered affordable plus interest rates remain low.

 

As I hiked with my family I became very aware of the physical toll that 2008 took on me. With a full time career and very active boys there just didn’t seem to be any time or energy leftover for exercise. So, about an hour into the hike we were hitting some steeper parts of the trail and my heart was pounding in my chest and shouting, “Hey, you don’t do this anymore!” I wasn’t sure how much farther I could go when we spotted a person in an orange shirt across the canyon just below our destination (or so we thought). It was then that I knew I could go on…I now had a goal!

 

It instantly reminded me of the professional swimmer, Florence Chadwick, who on her first attempt to swim from Catalina Island to California she swam for over 15 hours in frigid water and fog. She could not see land and begged to be pulled from the water. She was less than one mile from the shore, but could not see land…could not see the goal. She tried again a few months later and became the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel.

 

 

If I hadn’t seen the orange shirt I am not sure if I could have gone on, but I am glad I did. We reached our destination and took some pictures. Then I said, “Okay on the count of three let’s yell ‘Happy New Year’”. The boys all claim they don’t remember that part of the tradition and scattered quickly, but I yelled it anyway and it felt great!

 

 

On the trip down we took a moment and sat on some rocks by a creek. It was a shady area with beautiful mountain panoramas surrounding us. Garrett said to me, “When you get stressed mom, you can close your eyes and remember this.” I did close my eyes and listened to the sound of the water flowing, felt the cool breeze on my face, and breathed in the peaceful surroundings. That is one memory I hope will never fade.

 

It was a perfect day. One where I was reminded of the natural beauty of our state and how good it is for the soul to be out in it. How lucky we are to live in a nation that values and preserves these natural wonders. How much I love spending time with my family. How important it is to keep traditions alive. How meaningful goals can be.

 

 

Keep your eye on the “orange shirt” in 2009 and Finish Strong!