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AZ LIFESTYLE July & August 2021

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CO N T E N T S CHARCUTERIE BOARD COOKING CLASS

MARINATED ARTICHOKE RECIPE

THE RIDER ELITE TEAM

H OW TO DECLUTTER YOUR HOME TO SELL

THE SALT RIVER HORSES

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VIRTUAL COOKING CLASS Looking for something new to inspire you at home? Join us every month for our free virtual cooking classes, led by Executive Chef Jude Walker. Browse our upcoming classes here to see our full list of upcoming cuisines. Thursday, August 12th is our French-inspired cooking class featuring an updated twist on the traditional Charcuterie Board.

Our

board features an assortment of meat, various cheeses and accoutrements along with marinated artichoke hearts and olive tapenade. Ready to join in on the fun and get our full list of ingredients? Sign up here.

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MARINATED ARTICHOKES Ingredients

Instructions

14 oz can

Artichokes Canned in Water

3 each

Garlic Cloves minced

1. Open the can of artichoke hearts. Drain and rinse them.

1 tsp

Dried Oregano

1 tsp

Black Peppercorns

1 tsp

Dried Chili Flakes

½ tsp

Dried Basil Leaves

½ tsp

Dried Thyme Leaves

½ tsp

Salt or to taste

½ cup

Olive Oil

1 tbs

Balsamic Vinegar

1 tsp

Honey

¼ cup

Fresh Lemon Juice

2. Cut the hearts into quarters (if they are not already) and place them in a jar or large enough bowl to be covered by liquid. 3. In medium bowl whisk lemon juice, honey, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Whisk in garlic, dried Italian herbs, (oregano, basil and thyme) peppercorns, chili flakes, and salt. 4. Pour mixture over artichokes to cover completely. Lightly press artichokes to ensure complete coverage by liquid mixture. 5. They can be eaten right away, but will be better if you let them rest for an hour or even overnight. The Marinated Artichoke Hearts can be kept in the refrigerator, covered with oil, for up to 3 weeks.

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THE RIDER ELITE TEAM

The Rider Elite Team Ranks in RealTrends top Teams in 2021 We are honored, once again, to be recognized by RealTrends as one of the top 20 teams in the US by volume. Thank you to all of our clients that trust us with their homeownership journey! View the complete list of rankings here. Need help finding your next home? Put The Rider Elite Team’s 35+ years of experience to work for you. Give us a call at 602.600.0256 or email us at Info@RiderEliteTeam.com.

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HOW TO DECLUTTER YOUR HOME TO SELL If you are in the process of staging your home, “house cleaning, decluttering, and tidying up” are

words that likely come to mind. Staging your home helps ensures your home sells as quickly as possible. Buyers will open every cabinet, closet, and door, and dissect every detail.

Your mess needs to be minimal. Cleaning your house is one thing, but if you want someone to

look at your house and buy it, you need to clean your house as you have never cleaned it before. You need to decide on what to get rid of when decluttering, how to properly store it, and how to minimize the clutter in your home.

602.600.0256 Here are some tips to help with the process, and give you an idea of where to start.

Cleaning Up the Exterior First impressions matter. The outside of your home is the first thing buyers will see when they pull

up to the house, and it’s the place where the first impression is made. The exterior of your house and your yard are two faces of your home, and you want those faces to shine.

Keep your yard trimmed and well-manicured, make sure you don’t leave stuff lying around in

the yard. You don’t want your yard to look like a junkyard. Clean up some of your hedges if you have any, and make sure all gardens are well-groomed and free of weeds.

Pressure wash the outside of your home. While pressure washing, pay special attention to the windows, removing any residue so you can take advantage of your home’s incoming natural light.

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H O W TO DE CL UT T E R YO U R HOME T O S E L L Cleaning Up Paperwork & Letters

Getting Rid of Personal Decorations

Let’s be honest: many of us can’t work with

Buyers try to visualize themselves living in

a desk covered in paperwork. Most people

your house, so do what you can to neutralize

work best when their desk is cleared so they

the decor. Some family photos are fine—you

can focus on the task at hand with minimal

want to sell your house to a family, after all—

distractions. The same goes for your sellers.

but you want them to see themselves there, not you. As much as you love the photo of

Take some time to file away things like you

your Aunt Betty and her 97th birthday party,

should. Go around your house and pick up

your buyers will be less impressed, and they

all of the random bits of paper you have

want to imagine their family pictures there.

lying around—bills, invoices, receipts you

It may feel lifeless, and cold, but the idea

plan on saving, checklists. File those away

is to counterbalance the entire space. You

some place they belong, like the drawers of

are catering to the tastes of many different

your desk or in a filing cabinet. This will help

potential buyers when you show your house,

you immensely.

so you want to give each of them a blank canvas to project their ideas upon.

Any letters you have lying on the table, counter, nightstands, or end tables should

Since you are selling your house, anyway,

also be rounded up. See if you can invest

this is probably a good time to figure out

in an inbox for letters that you aren’t ready

what stuff you want to go ahead and try to

to throw away, and throw away old mail

store away, which ones you want to replace

(looking at you, expired coupons).

when you move, or which things deserve to be “retired.” This will relieve some stress

Letters and paperwork strewn about the

during the packing phase, as many of your

place don’t send the message of peace

accouterments will already be packed

and relaxation in your home that you want

away!

to convey. You are selling a place of rest, not a place of business. The change will be noticeable.

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HOW T O D E CL UT T E R Y OUR HOM E TO SELL

Cleaning Out the Closets & Other Storage Areas This may be the most difficult one. You know those old suits or dresses that have been hanging up for months that you can’t or won’t wear? Maybe start packing it up now. Look in the kids’ closets, pull out clothes they can’t fit in, shoes they don’t wear, and old toys. The idea here is to give the illusion that you have more space than you need. Again, buyers are going to check every inch of your house, and they want to find out if they will have enough room for storage. Opening up a wardrobe to find it stuffedfull of clothes won’t help your sale. Opening up a closet to find it open and airy might make them think, “Oh wow, this closet is spacious!” It’s all about perspective. Other storage areas need to be addressed as well! The shed in the backyard should be well-organized and free of junk. Any yard tools and equipment need to be packed away or organized so that your potential buyers see how they can utilize the space in the shed. The garage is another important place to check if you have one. Some of us use them 14

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as workspaces, some people use them as

This will help you maintain the “effortless”

the box storage area, and others use it to

cleanliness in the bathroom.

store their car. Make sure yours is spotless and void of any clutter or junk that might hinder your sale.

Clearing Up the Bathrooms The bathroom is where people spend a good amount of time. You want this room to seem as though it’s effortless to clean. As such, a minimalist style in your bathroom is a must for showing your house. First off, clean up all of your toiletries. Get rid of old bottles lying around on the counters or in cabinets. Throw out makeup that is past its expiration date. Put things away when you aren’t using them or when you know they won’t be used for some time.

Another great tip is to monitor towel storage. If your towels are stored in a cabinet where they aren’t seen at a cursory glance, make sure you organize them. If your towels are on a shelf, make sure you doll those things like your life depends on them. If you’ve never cared about folding towels, make that your new hobby. Learn the art of the folded towel, and your shelf will look beautiful! Also, clean the shower, tub, toilet, sink, countertops, and floors regularly. The goal here is to minimize smells. You want this room smelling as fresh as you can get it. You want potential buyers to feel relaxed in the only room they’ll truly be alone in.

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H O W TO DE CL UT T E R YO U R HOME T O S E L L How to Organize a Room with Too Much Stuff

is a great way to get rid of the stuff. So how do

One question many people don’t know the

eBay is a great place to sell stuff: they have a

too much stuff. Simply put, the best way to

things to buy and sell ranging from human

the room is your kitchen, store away rarely-

market for second-hand furniture and decor

you go about it?

answer to is how to decorate if a room has

thriving community, with millions of users and

organize is to remove some of the clutter. If

skulls to old Beatles’ albums. There is always a

used appliances in the pantry or cupboards.

on eBay.

If the room is a sitting room, consider putting

some of the furniture in a storage unit—or

sell it—to clear out some space. You want the

rooms to feel as big as possible, and a room

crowded with stuff gives the illusion of it being small and stuffy.

Sell things on social media. Facebook is a

great place to get rid of the things you can’t or don’t want to ship. Most of the time, if it’s in good enough condition, someone will pay you to pick up the furniture that you would

have otherwise thrown away! There is always

Your house should be a blank canvas. If

someone willing to buy stuff on Facebook

the potential buyers will have a hard time

and the right price.

you have too much furniture in one room,

deciding how they feel about a room, because they can’t visualize how they will use

the space. Have a sales-minded approach.

Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes: would you want to see a house crowded with too many items when you go to a showing?

Marketplace, it’s just finding the right person

When all else fails, just donate the things you can’t seem to sell. So many halfway houses

and donation centers will take the things you don’t want and give them to people in need.

Don’t give them to places like Goodwill or the Salvation Army. Instead, give it to a local donation center or somewhere that won’t just

Selling Household Contents

mark up your unwanted items. Give your old

So you’ve cleaned out every nook and cranny in your house, and you’ve stored away all the

things you want to keep, out of sight. Now,

you’re just left with all of the stuff you don’t

want to keep. What do you do with it? Selling it

stuff away to a family in need, and feel good about yourself in the process! Maybe the good karma will pay forward and help you sell your house!

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Final Thoughts The process of cleaning up your house for showings can be a difficult one: like cleaning, but worse. No one likes it, and it is never fun, but it is necessary. Once

you get done with it, your house will look so much better and you will sell it that

much faster. Selling it faster will put money in your pocket, and help ease your future endeavors. What’s a little bit of cleaning and elbow grease compared to financial freedom, and a sizable down-payment on your next house?

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THE SALT RIVER HORSES Where Can I See the Salt River Horses? Roaming the banks of the Salt River in the Tonto Forest area is a majestic herd of native horses that are now under protection by the State of Arizona. These horses, part of the rich religious and native history of the region, are dwindling in numbers, yet beloved by nature and animal enthusiasts, and remain popular creatures to see when people visit or move to the Phoenix Area.

According to the January 25th, 1890 edition of the Arizona Champion Newspaper, the Salt River Wild Horses in Arizona were considered “native stock,” even then. At this time, the wild horses in Arizona would have had to be around in the area for at least five generations— around 100-150 years—for this classification to be open to them. This proves their life in the region back at least to 1790.

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T H E SA LT RIVE R H O RSE S Historical records trace the lineage of these

Because of their rarity, they have become

horses to Father Eusebio Kino, who, in 1687,

helped develop many different missions

conservationists, and ecologists. As such, it is

& stockyards all over the Tonto Forest and

common for people to search online for “Wild

Sonora, depositing hundreds of the majestic

Horses Near Me” or “Where to See Wild Horses”

horses across his creations. As the years went

in the Tonto Forest area. There are several

by, the number of horses grew exponentially,

places to go to see these majestic creatures.

as animals do when they are left unmonitored. The numbers grew so much that explorers told stories of herds of “wild horses” that dwarfed even the herds of native bison roaming the land. These herds continued to grow and

popular

attraction

for

nature-lovers,

They are so named because of their habitat: they tend to confine themselves to the Salt River Valley, which stretches for nearly 200 miles and touches about 20 cities in the area.

stories traveled until about 1850.

Here, the horses make their beds.

Around 1850, the Salt River Horses became

One of the best places to see the horses is Coon

the target of a massive killing spree, along with many other wildlife species all across the continental United States. Water buffalo, bison, and horses were hunted down, shot, poisoned, and killed simply because they took up space for cattle and aggressive, urban

Bluff, a recreational area 17 miles northeast of Mesa. Here, the grass has withered due to a complete lack of rainfall in the area, so trucks come and dump hay for the horses each day at around 5 pm. The horses are used to this feeding cycle, so they tend to start gathering

expansion.

here around 4 pm, which is the best time to

In 2016, the Governor of Arizona signed a bill

fight for food, and do all the things that these

declaring them a protected species and

untamed mustangs are wont to do.

come see the wild horses. They jump, play,

“not-stray livestock.” Today, about 500 horses remain in the area, and the state wants to preserve their numbers and keep them from dwindling further.

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THE SALT RIVER HORSES After that, it might be more fun to see the horses swimming or playing in the river, so you might wait until after the feeding to catch them along the river banks near Pebble Beach or try to catch them before the feeding frenzy. You could also take a trip down to Granite Reef to go inner tubing, fishing, kayaking, or hiking. All of these locations are well-known areas within the greater Salt River Recreation Area— part of the greater Tonto National Forest—and as such, a map from the national park can lead you safely and properly there, so long as you can follow the roads and trails. Each of these areas has functioning restrooms, though not all have water stations for public access, and if you plan on hiking or exploring outside of your vehicle, you will need to purchase a Tonto Pass. If you’re lucky and bring your camera, you may catch some stunning photos of the horses at play or grazing on the hay. You might catch them wading into the waters of the Salt River, or lunging at one another across the banks. Take and treasure your photos of these beautiful equine specimens, before they become endangered. Always remember to observe the horses from a respectful distance. Stay back and marvel at nature from afar. Take it all in and respect the horses, and they—like any animal—respect you.

ARIZONA lifestyle

AZ LIFESTYLE Home. No matter who you are or where you are from, that one Les repudi torionsequae ommolup adword que verorro word carries weight to it,etmore thanitatempos any other on Earth. Home is where you lay your head down at night. It is where minveliae nectasperior sunt. you are most comfortable. Your home is where you invite your friends and family and share your life. It is possibly the most Peribus important part of your physical life.que Thisnat understanding Otae. ut aut dollace atestrum culles exerro tem es-is what drives The Rider Elite Team. We have helped clients find tiis atus, omnihilles dusapis aceaque volorem idi rest, cusaepudam the right homes for over 35 years, and our care and concern for our clients has been provensoloratusae time and time by our libus dolupiet magnatur, nobis again at. continued dedication to serving buyers and sellers alike across the Phoenix Metro area, and beyond! We take time to know and study the market because we are the best.

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