History is not the most exciting topic of conversation for most people, but when it comes to Sedona and the Verde Valley, its history is one of the most interesting stories you will likely ever hear!

Courtesy of the Verde Valley News there is a great article explaining the history of the area we know as the Verde Valley as it is today.

Like an elderly relative the landscape is there, willing to tell the story of its past to anyone who will listen. You just have to be prepared to peel back the layers of its past and “listen” to what unfolds!  In this case, it is a story which goes back not thousands, but millions of years.

In the case of the Verde Valley the white rock that is spread across the valley floor often fascinate many, well its origin is actually relatively easy to explain;  it is an ancient “lake!”.

The Verde Valley has been studied by countless geologists and the white rock extends 300 square miles and stretching in length from about 10 miles northwest of present day Clarkdale to about 10 miles southeast of Camp Verde. At one point it is estimated it was at least around 3125 feet thick!

The lake (dubbed Lake Verde) which covered the vast area expanded and contracted over millions of years before finally drying up around 2.5 million years ago. 

It is definitely a fascinating story! You can read more here and here in the article.

If you are relocating to the area or even just visting its a piece of history which is worth reading about while you are here.

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Realty Times poses the question: Arizona: Is Now THE Time to Invest in the Grand Canyon State? The answer seems to be a very firm – YES! If you have decided that you would like to own a home in Sedona as a full time resident or part time then contact Claudia Ault and her team in downtown Sedona.

For a complimentary search of the Sedona MLS and access to all property currently on the market in Sedona AZ, visit www.claudiaault.com. For the best in Sedona Real Estate service and knowledge, contact Claudia Ault at 928-301-3016.

What better activity to do at the weekend in Sedona than to get out doors and hike!

North and west of Sedona are a myriad of deep, meandering canyons as well as secluded forest trails that wind among towering, multihued cliffs, providing an exhilarating sense of isolation that’s tough to find on the more heavily traveled routes along Oak Creek Canyon and in the Bell Rock area.

However some hikers may find some of the canyons, such as; Fay Canyon, Boynton Canyon, Long Canyon and HS Canyon, to name a few, a little dull as they are “in and out”. So here is a great idea for this weekends hike: combine some of the canyons to create your own “Secret Canyon Loop” combining portions of different canyons and trails, for what can only be described as an exciting 5 hour 8.3 mile expedition!

Here is what Arizona Living suggests:

Start at the Secret Canyon Trailhead and hike north into the Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness. The sandy orange fairly level trail takes you through a typical Sedona landscape. Around half a mile from the from the trailhead, you’ll come to the trail into HS Canyon; stick to the Secret Canyon Trail.

About 1.8 miles from the trailhead, look for the signed junction with the David Miller Trail, which goes up and over a ridge between two canyons. This is a steep, and narrow,trail which is very scenic and only lightly used.

After crossing the ridge, the trail switchbacks rather steeply down into Bear Sign Canyon. To explore the canyon, look for the signed junction with the Bear Sign Trail and go northwest (left). The trail will get narrower, brushier and fainter as you proceed up-canyon. After about a mile or so, the trail peters out amid the brush and snags.

Return to the junction with the David Miller Trail and proceed southeast on the Bear Sign Trail. As you cross and recross the bouldery creek bed, you’ll pass a couple of shallow rock overhangs. Look for the junction with the Dry Creek Trail about 2 miles past the David Miller Trail. Bear right and continue south about three-quarters of a mile to Forest Road 152 and the Dry Creek Trailhead. Follow the road as it winds generally southwest about three-quarters of a mile back to the Secret Canyon Trailhead and back to where you parked your car.

So get out there and have some fun in Sedona! Or, if hiking is not your thing, how about mountain biking!

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Realty Times poses the question: Arizona: Is Now THE Time to Invest in the Grand Canyon State? The answer seems to be a very firm – YES!

If you have decided that you would like to own a home in Sedona as a full time resident or part time then contact Claudia Ault and her team in downtown Sedona.

For a complimentary search of the Sedona MLS and access to all property currently on the market in Sedona AZ, visit www.claudiaault.com. For the best in Sedona Real Estate service and knowledge, contact Claudia Ault at 928-301-3016.

Exciting news for the Sedona Oak Creek School District who are planning on opening a new performing arts center at a cost of $10.7 million. The project along with others listed below, are part of the $73 million bond passed by district taxpayers November 2007.

McCarthy Building Company will begin work for the center at Sedona Red Rock High School the end of May/beginning of this month. Although the price is above the $10.5 million approved by the Sedona Oak Creek School District Board in 2008,the board also approved $2.7 million for the construction of an auxiliary gym and locker room renovations, $445,000 for additional parking and $364,000 for a 1,000-seat, concrete amphitheater at the football field, for a total guaranteed maximum price of $14,278,000.

After meeting with the Performing Arts Center Committee and others in Sedona, the architects knew the building needed to blend in as it will be widely used by the community and the school district. It was designed by the Phoenix – based architect firm Orcutt Winslow, who plan for the center to give the user a sense of anticipation going through red rock canyons and that in the design, although the performing arts center is on the high school campus, it shouldn’t look exactly like the high school.

These are exciting times for Sedona and its residents. Despite being a little over budget on one part of this project, the community looks to gain a great facility that will benefit all.

If you have decided that you would like to own a home in Sedona as a full time resident or part time then contact Claudia Ault and her team in downtown Sedona.

For a complimentary search of the Sedona MLS and access to all property currently on the market in Sedona AZ, visit www.claudiaault.com. For the best in Sedona Real Estate service and knowledge, contact Claudia Ault at 928-301-3016.

Sedona is such a popular destination that it often needs no introduction, however the Los Angeles Times has written a nice travel piece on Sedona urging travellers to take advantage of the lower gas prices at the moment and to get into their cars, hit the road and head to Sedona!

The article offers advice on where to stay, where to eat and some interesting pictures of the area!

This ties in nicely with Sedona’s new Hiking Community website: www.sedonahiker.com

This website and its launch by Sedona.biz LLC shows how popular hiking is in the Sedona area. Many people look at the red rocks and the Verde Valley and think what a great place to hike. There are numerous trails and if your feet hurt a little, you can always take a pink jeep tour!

The website is designed to be a social networking site for hikers who take advantage of Sedona’s landscape. However, it also offers a great chance for those visiting to see pictures and video of the area. Whats better? Well, the site is free and easy to use!

So come one, come all! Sedona is waiting for you!

If you have decided that you would like to own a home in Sedona as a full time resident or part time then contact Claudia Ault and her team in downtown Sedona.

For a complimentary search of the Sedona MLS and access to all property currently on the market in Sedona AZ, visit www.claudiaault.com. For the best in Sedona Real Estate service and knowledge, contact Claudia Ault at 928-301-3016.

With so much to see and do in Sedona, Arizona it is no wonder that the question – where do we eat? Often comes to mind! Particularly in such a health conscious community!

Sedona is a great place to find a fabulous eatery. There is a wide selection of different foods to suit different tastes as well as costs to suit every budget.

In some ways it is a case of “which country would you like to dine at this evening” as there is the AAA Four-Diamond winner; L’Auberge Restaurant on Oak Creek or how about Thai Spices, an inexpensive local favorite that features fresh, spicy Asian food. The choice is yours!

There are a smattering of family friendly restaurants, ethnic choices, light meals or fine dining. Generally, unless a restaurant states, casual dress is acceptable in Sedona.

Arizona Central has published a great list of restaurants which can be perused online, this gives a ready reference guide to what there is in the area and is viewable by clicking here.

If you have decided that you would like to own a home in Sedona as a full time resident or part time then contact Claudia Ault and her team in downtown Sedona.

For a complimentary search of the Sedona MLS and access to all property currently on the market in Sedona AZ, visit www.claudiaault.com. For the best in Sedona Real Estate service and knowledge, contact Claudia Ault at 928-301-3016.

L’Auberge de Sedona has plans to expand and these plans were recently approved by the Sedona City Council.  The resort plans to add a new pool, a new parking garage with a roof of solar panels and 31 new lodging units.  In addition L’Auberge de Sedona will build four affordable housing units for Spector employees, School District employees and City of Sedona employees.  L’Auberge de Sedona attracts high-end guests who are looking for luxury vacations.  The expansion of L’Auberge de Sedona is seen as a commitment to Sedona and faith in Sedona remaining strong as a destination location.

Sedona Arizona is a fabulous setting for resort real estate.  If you have been considering investing in luxury real estate consider Sedona.  There couldn’t be a better time to buy real estate in Sedona, with home prices down and mortgage rates at historical lows.  Contact Claudia Ault today for a complete analysis of the Sedona Real Estate market.

For the best in Sedona Real Estate service and knowledge, contact Claudia Ault at 928-301-3016. For a complimentary search of the Sedona MLS and access to all property currently on the market in Sedona AZ, visit www.claudiaault.com.

Don’t miss the Old Time Fiddlers on January 10th at the Canyon Moon Theatre in Sedona Arizona.  The Old Time Fiddlers will play fiddles, banjos, mandolins, guitars, and the piano.  The group will have a member from one of its youth programs, a ten year old who is  ready to fiddle her heart out.  Come down to the Canyon Moon Theatre and enjoy some foot stomping, great music on January 10th.  For more information call (928) 284-5478 or visit www.canyonmoontheatre.org.

There is always something happening in Sedona Arizona and there could not be a better time to invest in Sedona real estate.  Sedona will always be a desirable place to call home and whether you are looking for a second home or a home to relocate to, contact Claudia Ault today.  Resort real estate is a great investment and Sedona offers a fantastic opportunity to put your money.  No one can match Claudia Ault’s knowledge and experience when it comes to Sedona Real Estate.

For a complimentary search of the Sedona MLS and access to all property currently on the market in Sedona AZ, visit www.claudiaault.com. For the best in Sedona Real Estate service and knowledge, contact Claudia Ault at 928-301-3016.

If you still have some holiday shopping to do come to the Bell Rocks Arts and Craft Show this Saturday and Sunday at the Bell Rock Plaza.  The Bell Rock Plaza is located in the Village of Oak Creek, an upscale Sedona community filled with beautiful homes and high-end shopping.  The Arts and Craft show will feature a wide variety of wares, from jewelry and pottery to hand-knit items and paintings.  Food will also be available.  This is an event not to be missed.  Come enjoy the talents of local artists and buy something unique for that special someone on your list.

Oak Creek offers some of the finest real estate in Sedona and no one has better knowledge of the Sedona Luxury Real Estate market than Claudia Ault.  As a Sotheby’s representative Claudia Ault has access to the finest homes available on the market today.

For a complimentary search of the Sedona MLS and access to all property currently on the market in Sedona AZ, visit www.claudiaault.com. For the best in Sedona Real Estate service and knowledge, contact Claudia Ault at 928-301-3016.

Condo’s and their market trends are being closely watched at the moment. Currently, there is a great number of condominiums for sale and a great selection for buyers. However it is often wondered, with an aging population and higher energy costs, what is the future for condos?

Well, condo’s are generally smaller than single family homes, they generally have lower energy costs and if you are tired of the yard work, there is often a management association that takes care of that for you (for a fee of course!). However, this is a somewhat outdated view of condo’s being small, crampt units as the “future is coming”. Trends show that Condo’s are getting larger – enough to rival some single family homes, and with inventory starting to fall with buyers snapping them up, and demand increasing there may be a chance to see some real gains on condominiums purchased at todays prices. As well as future developments being larger and pricier to begin with!

In Sedona, Condo’s are an excellent way of having a second home in the area without the running costs of a single family home.

If you are looking for a desert condominium in Sedona and the surrounding area – such as this one in Oak Creek - then please contact Claudia Ault and her team in Sedona Arizona for more information and professional real estate advice in the Verde Valley area.

US Property is extremely attractive for buyers right now, with a large selection of properties available it is no wonder that buyers are snapping up the bargains. However, imagine if there were buyers out there who took advantage of an automatic discount due to their strong currency, could obtain financing based on their local credit and are accustomed to putting 20-25% down? Well, there are buyers who fit all these criteria. They are the Canadians, who are coming to the US by the plane load looking to stock up on US Real Estate.

Sedona, with is favorable climate, beautiful golf courses and resorts is a natural draw for them and a huge number of Canadians are looking at buying in the area right now. The Canadian Dollar has rallied against the US Dollar in the last 8 years and is roughly at parity, meaning it is the most attractive time for Canadians to invest in the US for decades!

Eager to invest based on currency, a strong Canadian Stock Market as well as a robust real estate market, eagle eyed investors are staring at the US real estate market in the same way a child drools over candy in a grocery store.

Canadians are drawn to the US real estate market, particularly in the sunbelt states to give them a chance to escape the harsh winters in Canada. Sedona really does cater for the snow birds and Claudia Ault and her team can help you put your Canadian Loonie’s to work in a great property deal.

If you are considering purchasing a property in Sedona Arizona or the surrounding Verde Valley area to take advantage of the great property deals on offer then please contact Claudia Ault for professional Real Estate advice in the region. You can visit her and her team in their offices in Sedona or of course by visiting their website: www.claudiaault.com where you will also find a complementary MLS search capability.