The ModernPhoenix FAQ
This FAQ helps answer some common questions about
why the involvement of architects, realtors, designers, shopkeepers,
landscapers, educators, painters, craftsmen and other service providers
is crucial to the success of transforming design culture in Phoenix,
Arizona. It also helps answer some of the FAQs we receive from
the general public about locating and renovating a midcentury modern
home.
Due to the volume of personal and research
related requests received, please refer to this FAQ and check our
message boards first before writing
to the site founders.
FAQs of interest to everyone
What exactly is ModernPhoenix?
ModernPhoenix.net is
an online archive of classic midcentury modern domestic architecture
and modern contemporary designs that celebrate
what is unique about Phoenix as a place to live. We document
not just single houses in isolation, but entire
neighborhoods where modernism has survived and thrived through
the difficult temptation of bulldozing. The founding editors are not real estate
agents, architects, or any other kind of folks that have a commercial
stake in the site's success. We
are merely modernism appreciators with a documentarian twist,
and are attempting to fill a gap that mainstream media is unlikely
to cover by being inclusive of all types of Modern housing, from
the derelict to the undiscovered to the divine.
We also cover other forms of midcentury and modern
contemporary design, including interior design, furniture and fabrication
methods, graphic design, landscaping and fine art. ModernPhoenix is the internet's
only website devoted to development of the Modern lifestyle in
Arizona.
What does membership involve?
Membership is free, and puts you on our register of Modernism lovers in Phoenix.
Members enjoy interacting with
each other on our message boards, receiving quarterly e-mail updates
on what's new at the website, participation in our annual neighborhood home
tours, and where appropriate a free
listing of your business in our Modern Links section. Registered members
also receive a special icon  next
to their contributions, which links to the member's most recent contributions
to the community.
With a current average viewership of over 1118
individual visits per day and 39,600
website hits per day, being an active member is the easiest and
most inexpensive local PR and advertising you'll ever run across.
Not a
member yet? Sample some of our best Message Board discussions ever and join
up now!
FAQs from the general public
Do you know who built or designed
my house?
Hard to say without a photograph, but sometimes an address and cross streets
will help. Post your question including that information on
our message boards and someone knowledgeable might chime in. It is advised
you post the boards to ask the collective as our own personal knowledge
is still quite limited, it is only through the network we grow stronger. Please
do not pose this question to the site owners through email — they will not
answer questions best posed to the community first.
I would like to buy a modern home.
Can you help me?
Beyond the information presented on this website, no, we can't personally help. That's
the job of a real estate agent, and the best ModernPhoenix can do is refer
you to one of our members .
We encourage you to use the resources at hand at ModPhx — almost everything
we know is posted there in some form or another. You can get some of your questions
answered by joining our message
boards and posting your questions there. We
may personally answer, or someone else might chime in.
The sheer
volume of personal requests we receive for help is part of why the message
boards were developed as a community effort. It is advised that you read
both the General
Discussion of Modernism in Phoenix and the Marketplace boards
before making a post on the boards yourself — your question may have already
been answered in the recent past. There is a Search feature at the top of every message board page that will help you access topics of your interest.
The Marketplace posts the hottest known
(and unknown!) modern properties that you should check out.
I have $xxx,xxx to spend on a house.
Where should I buy?
Without knowing much about you as an individual and your lifestyle, income,
desires, needs, family, aesthetic, budget, etc, this is a
very difficult question to answer. Ask your real estate agent or the good
folks on our message boards after disclosing all the criteria above. Whomever
is available to give their opinion at that time gladly will, based on current
market conditions.
Do you have any inside tips for
any good deals right now?
Check the Marketplace section
of our message boards. Any good deal we, our members and member agents come
across is posted there.
OK, OK I get the picture. Use a
real estate agent.
Who are some real estate agents that specialize in midcentury modern?
Visit
our links page for links to modern-savvy agents in the right
hand column. Preferred agents are ModPhx members Tiffany and Shawn
Danley, The Real Estate Twins and Scott Jarson for their involvement
in our ModPhx movement online. Non-member agents are also recommended
there based on the consistent quality and range of their listings.
I know this modern neighborhood
you would love. Can I tell you about it?
Absolutely. This is the kind of mail we love. We want to hear all about
it through text and/or pictures. A great place to make sure your report is
heard by more than just one person is to post your report in the General
Discussion area of our message boards. You can also send
your photos to us and if they're sharp enough we'll make a whole web
page of them with a credit or link back to your business.
What is all the fuss about Sunnyslope?
Oh, nothing. (Psssst. Mail us for
more information if you're serious about Sunnyslope. We'll talk)
FAQs from the commercial sector
What does "active membership" mean?
An active member is a member who checks in on the message
boards and responds to the posts to exchange information and build local
design consciousness. Even if the majority of your posts are in the Marketplace
section, we welcome your active participation. If you choose not to be active,
that's okay. But active members are the lifeblood of this group -- the more
we share, the more we all gain. Active and contributing members also get listed
higher on the
Links section of our website.
We've heard what's in it for you,
which is intangible. What's in it for me?
Exposure. Credibility. Community. ModernPhoenix is your mainline to the local
audience and consumer base that wants and needs to know about your products
and services. Join ModernPhoenix and you have immediate access to over 450
members (swiftly growing, not to mention countless unregistered and international
viewers) to announce your projects, good press, sales, MLS listings, and services.
Plus, where else do you get to talk about that sweet ranch you saw on 106th
avenue that somebody should snatch up? Matching the right person with the right
home, art, installation or interior design they love is half the fun.
How do I get listed as a service on your site?
One of the fastest ways to do this is by registering to become a member and include your URL in your member profile. If your service is directly related to Modernsim you may make an introductory post in out Marketplace area. Please read the Terms of Service for that area before using it. Another area that we list links to services are our links.htm and architects.htm pages. These lists are curated by the site owners. Getting listed on these pages takes longer, as we need to review the relevance of your service to the Modern Movement. If the relevance of your service is not readily apparent (such as an ice cream shop), or marginal (such as an architectural firm that has not yet built in the Modernist spirit), we may reserve the right to not list you on our pages. For marginal listings we also assess your commitment to the community and discern if you are committed to the movement in other ways. Since signing up to be a member and using the Marketplace provide instant self-service for getting a listing, updates to our web pages currently are made only a few times a year.
How can I return the favor for this great resource?
Tell your friends, definitely. Advertise on ModernPhoenix. Link back to us on your own website. Offer
our members a 20% off printable coupon on our message boards. :-D But most
of all, the best way to show your appreciation is to participate
in the community or even contribute an article. YOU are our greatest
source of content and community knowledge.
Who are ModernPhoenix members?
You may view
the entire registered member list here, listed in order of membership signup.
(click the Next button at the bottom to view more recent members) We have a
strong Ralph Haver and Al Beadle contingent. "Al Beadle" continues
to be a top set of keyword search words that lead to our website,
and due to the sheer dearth of info out there on Al Beadle, they all end up
here. "Rick Joy", "Ralph Haver" and "midcentury modern" continue
to be popular keyword searches. A sample of a month's keyword searches can
be found here,
for the true webstat geeks.
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