Looking for something a little out of the ordinary? A little more spacious? A little further from the grind of the city? A little more luxurious?

Look no further than this Continental-built masterpiece in Canyon Trails in Goodyear. Five large bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, formal dining, separate living and family rooms, a loft perfect for entertaining and a large, open kitchen are spread across more than 4,200 square feet. And the house itself sits on an oversized 1/4-acre lot.

Extra special touches abound, from the spiral staircase leading you upstairs to the backyard oasis featuring a fenced swimming pool and the kitchen with granite countertops, a double oven, stainless steel appliances, upgraded cabinets, a kitchen island with sink and a huge pantry. There's also a highly sought-after 3-car extended length garage with side entry, adding to the home's curb appeal. Add in the RV gate and there's plenty of room for all of the toys.

And the sense of space isn't limited to just the square footage. The downstairs rooms feature 10-foot ceilings, and there are nine-foot ceilings upstairs.

This stunning home, new to the market, is priced below appraisal value at $597,500 and the owner also is offering $10,000 toward buyers' closing costs and prepaid items. But you need to hurry - the owner is only leaving this one on the market for a short time before the holiday season.

For more information on this home, call me at 602-502-9693 or e-mail me at info@DaltonsAZHomes.com. Or for a full selection of homes currently available, please visit http://www.daltonsazhomes.com/index.cgi?page-armls.

(c) Jonathan Dalton, 2006 / Jonathan Dalton's Arizona Homes

Overheard in the parking lot before last night's Cirque de Soleil show at Glendale Arena: "This is why this whole thing is destined to fail."

The scenario: walking to the arena from the parking area and crossing over some dirt medians caused by the construction at the Westgate project. A resident of the East Valley (apparent from his disdain for having crossed Central Avenue for any reason) was complaining loudly about the admittedly cross-country trek to the arena.

The larger scenario: we were walking just east of Glendale Arena - a few hundred yards north of the new Cardinals Stadium, a few hundred yards south of Loews' new movie theater (a first in the Valley - the Loews portion, not the movie theater, just west of where the residential condos are being added and directly south of a building whose purpose I'm still working out.

Yep, Westgate clearly is a failure. Dork.

If you follow sports you've heard about the supposed East Coast bias in the media. If you don't follow sports, you probably can get the same experience watching presidential returns - we don't really matter much out here (see: Florida, New Mexico, 2000). In the Phoenix area, there's a severe East Valley bias because it was the East Valley that grew long before the West.

Times have changed, though not everyone in the streets (north-south roads on the east side of Central Avenue are Streets, those on the west are Avenues) seems to realize it.

With the Cardinals and the Fiesta Bowl having moved to Glendale, Tempe is left with the Insight Bowl. It's a cute bowl - I was there last year - but it's not the Fiesta Bowl. Gammage remains the primary location for full-scale Broadway productions, but if you drop one step, there's now a Broadway dinner theater in peoria to match the one in Mesa. The Coyotes left downtown for Glendale.

More and more, the places to be are either in downtown or the West Valley.

So, Westgate destined to fail? Um, probably not. For many, the time's come to take off the street-shaded sunglasses and see what has blossomed out west.

(c) Jonathan Dalton, 2006 / Jonathan Dalton's Arizona Homes

Today I'm starting a series of neighborhood profiles ... what better place to start than in my own backyard.

Daybreak (actually four separate subdivisions - Daybreak Units 2 through 5) is located on the southeast corner of Greenway Avenue and 67th Avenue in Glendale. The homes are slightly older - built in the mid- to late 1980s for the most part - but as a tradeoff sit on lots considerably larger than what you will find in many newer subdivisions. Also, the majority of the homes are block construction - another feature of the late 80s that can't be found in newer homes.

There is no HOA and many of the homes feature RV gates that are more than decorative. Mine's not among the ones used as I'm currently toy-less but I digress. Despite the lack of HOA, pride of ownership shows throughout the neighborhood and home values have appreciated nicely over the years, just as they have in much of the Valley. It's the type of neighborhood in which a beagle (who shall remain nameless) can run free and know he'll make it back home safely.

Daybreak is conveniently located - we are three blocks from Pioneer Elementary School, six blocks from Cactus High School and just over two miles from Rock Bottom (and the rest of the Arrowhead Towne Center.) The Peoria Sports Complex is five minutes away as is Pullano's, home to the best wings in the West Valley.

There are three supermarkets within a mile of the subdivision as well as numerous restaurants. Also, the Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management is only a half-mile away.

Daybreak features just over 250 homes, the majority of which are owner-occupied. I'll add some additional sales data later, but the turnover rate for the neighborhood is somewhat lower than what you'll find in other parts of Glendale. People who move to Daybreak tend to stay there for a while. Even with a Realtor (and a beagle) as a neighbor.

For more information on Daybreak or other neighborhoods in Glendale, please visit my primary website at http://www.daltonsazhomes.com.

(c) Jonathan Dalton, 2006 / Jonathan Dalton's Arizona Homes

W. Trails Drive - Glendale - $449,000

Elegance abounds in this beautiful home in Sierra Verde.  Four bedrooms, a loft, formal living and family rooms and a spacious master suite are spread across nearly 2,700 square feet in the heart of Arrowhead Ranch.

The sellers have added multiple upgrades for the new owner - travertine floors with tile inlays downstairs and in the baths, hand-tiled kitchen backsplahes, granite countertops and upgraded carpet. The master bath features double sinks, separate shower with a jacuzzi-style tub and a walk-out balcony with views of the Hedgpeth Hills in northern Glendale.

You'll also enjoy the backyard oasis, complete with a wide variety of citrus and fruit trees.

I sold this home in late April for $444,000, with close of escrow in late May.

(c) Jonathan Dalton, 2006 / Jonathan Dalton's Arizona Homes