Profile for shanon61

My Background:

Hi, my name is Shanon. I moved into the neighborhood in 1996. I grew up in a farming family and have a background in cattle production. I graduated from the UofA and am a member of AXO and BNB. I taught at the university for 12 years, and had a split appointment with Arizona 4-H Youth Development. Currently I teach adult education and a money management workshop.

In My Spare Time:

I enjoy learning about wine, and my collection leans towards hoarding different reds. Most of my bottles originate from the Russian River Valley since I judge at The Sonoma Harvest Fair once in a while. If you like wine, I would encourage you to go to the event (early October). I stay busy by working on my house, reading up on money management, and going to various fund raisiers with friends; most of us have a background assisting local childrens' charities with events like silent auctions.

Thoughts on Our Neighborhood:

I strongly believe that our neighborhood has one of the best locations in the city; while our home prices have risen steadily, they have not reached their potential. Many residences have been converted back into rentals - these properties are generally not improved much. Before they are sold, improvements made are generally not good enough to attract buyers who have the cash to make additional improvements (on the average it takes people about 10 years to invest in the exterior of their homes). I would like to encourage people to make home ownership a priority - it is by far the best investment return we each can make. By making home and courtyard improvements we create more sense of community and decrease crime in the area; this means increased home values which is critical for us all. An investment in your home is by far the best thing you can do with a spare dollar. I regularly show people how to find spare money and teach them how to save more; if I can do it on a teacher's income, other people can as well. I would like more people, in all neighborhoods, to reach their financial goals.