Welcome to Worth the Wait Ranch. I'm so glad you're here. This guide covers everything you need for your stay at the Manor: how to get in, how things work, and the few rules that keep the property running smoothly for everyone.

Most questions are answered below. If something comes up that isn't, send me a text and I'll help.

Check-In and Check-Out

Check-in is at 3:00 PM and checkout is at 12:00 noon.

Getting Here

Please read this before you arrive. Some versions of Google Maps and Apple Maps send drivers to the street behind the property. That's a known mapping problem, not a mistake on your part.

Navigate to one of these pins instead. Both take you to the correct entrance: Apple Maps pin or Google Maps pin.

You're in the right place when you see:

• A Worth the Wait Ranch sign near the street
• A large white house with a big block garage
• A steel rolling gate and an enclosed parking area
• A keypad on a steel post near the street

If you find yourself on a quiet street beside a large park, you're on the wrong side of the property. Please don't enter any neighboring property. Text me and I'll guide you in.

Getting In

Everything on the property opens with a code. There are no physical keys. Your code arrives one day before check-in, once your rental agreement is signed and payment is complete. Each entry point works a little differently, so here's exactly what to do at each one.

The White Walk-In Gate

The white gate under the carport leads to the front door. Its lock is mounted directly on the gate's door handle, not on a post. Enter your code, then press the ✓ (check mark) key.

The Front Door

Enter the same code on the front door keypad, then turn the knob. There's no pound key and no check mark here.

The Steel Rolling Gate

If you need to park in the enclosed lot, the rolling gate keypad is on the steel post beside the Worth the Wait Ranch sign. Enter your code, then press #. The pound key is required on this gate.

If a keypad doesn't respond, clear it (on most keypads the bottom-right button, labeled C) and try again.

Parking

Park at the front of the house, at the roundabout and carport. The enclosed lot behind the rolling gate is also available.

• Everyone parks on the property. There's no street parking.
• The driveway and the rolling gate must stay clear at all times.
• The empty lot next door is not part of the property. Please don't park there.
• A landscaping company stores work trucks in the side parking area. Their crews pick them up at 7:00 AM every day except Sunday and bring them back in the afternoon, so you may see them coming and going.

WiFi

Network: WorthTheWaitRanch
Password: worththewait (all lowercase)

Inside the Manor

The Dual Suite (Bedrooms 1 and 2)

• Two separate king bedrooms joined by a shared living room and a shared bathroom.
• The bathroom is open-concept: the toilet room has a door and the shower has a privacy screen. The toilet has a bidet seat that works by remote; the wand cleans itself and is sanitized again at every cleaning.
• The second bedroom has its own sink, vanity, closet, bookshelf and a desk.
• The suite's private patio has an outdoor tub and shower under a mesquite tree. Leaves fall often, so please keep the tub cover on whenever the tub isn't in use. A tub left uncovered can clog the drains and bring an extra cleaning charge.
• The red sofa is very old and refurbished. Please be gentle with it.
• An extra floor fan is in the second bedroom's closet.
• Both rooms share one A/C system. The thermostat is in the second bedroom, behind the door.

Bedroom 3

A queen bed with a Twin XL bunk above, and a private bathroom.

Bedroom 4

A queen bed with a Twin XL bunk above. It shares a Jack-and-Jill bathroom with the Flex Room, with a tub and shower and a changing table.

The Flex Room (Bedroom 5)

A queen bed with a Twin XL bunk above. This is also the game room, with a Peloton Tread and Peloton Bike, a 75" TV and board games, and it opens straight into the kitchen. The Peloton access code is 3287. Please don't move the exercise equipment without asking first.

The Black Bedroom (Bedroom 6)

• A king bed with a private bathroom. The toilet has a bidet seat that works by remote.
• A kitchenette with a touch faucet: tap anywhere on it to turn the water on or off.
• A dining table, its own TV, and its own A/C, with the thermostat behind the door.
• Its own separate entrance, through the garage.

Air Mattresses

Three air mattresses with bedding are available. Tell me before you arrive where you'd like them and I'll have them set up.

Living Room, Dining Room and Gallery

• The 13-foot dining table seats 14, and there's a kitchen table for four.
• The main living room has the built-in leather sectional and an 85" TV.
• The brass circles in the floor are electrical outlets.
• The large folding glass door off the dining room only opens to its first section. Opening it further can jam it.
• The fiddle leaf fig in the corner has its own grow lights. Please leave them plugged in.
• The A/C for the living room, gallery and formal dining is to the right of the TV, on the side of the pop-out facing the fiddle leaf fig.

The Family Room

• A large sectional, floor-to-ceiling windows and a ping pong table. Board games, paddles and balls are in the robot-shaped cabinet.
• The ping pong table folds and rolls. Release the wheel locks to move it, and lock them again once it's in place.
• The street-facing window has motorized shades. On the wall control to the right of the window, press the left or right arrow until 0 shows, then the up or down arrow. You may need to stand close to the window for both shades to respond.
• The thermostat for the family room, kitchen, game room and smaller bedrooms is on the family room wall next to the north bedroom door.

The Kitchen

• The cooktop is induction, so only induction-compatible cookware will heat. All the pots and pans you need are provided.
• Cleaning supplies are under the kitchen sink.
• The pantry is locked and used for storage. Floor fans and folding chairs are in the yellow closet next to the game room.

The Laundry Room

• To start the washer or dryer, press and hold Start until the display counts down from 3. If it doesn't start, turn it off and on again.
• The ironing board is in the narrow cabinet on the far left. Spare linens and towels are in the cabinets and drawers to the left of the machines.
• The bottle filler dispenses chilled, filtered water. Hold your bottle in front of the sensor.

TVs

The TVs run Roku. Sign in to your own streaming apps and enter your checkout date, and Roku signs you out automatically after you leave. Please double-check before checkout anyway.

Outdoors

A Manor booking includes the main house, the private grass backyard, the garage recreation space, the outdoor kitchen, and the front roundabout and carport. The pool and gazebo area are not part of a Manor booking. They belong to the casitas, and casita guests may be staying on the property during your visit. If you'd like the pool and the whole property to yourselves, ask me about booking the whole Ranch.

• The outdoor kitchen has a 36" charcoal and wood chip grill, a beverage fridge, a sink and a six-foot dining table.
• There's an outdoor fireplace on the Manor patio and a fire pit in the grass yard.
• The string lights in the ficus tree in the backyard work, but they need an extension cord run to them.
• Cornhole (two full sets), bocce and XL Jenga are stored in the garage. Please put them back after use.

The Garage

The garage is a finished recreation space, not vehicle parking. It has 24-foot ceilings, string lighting, a pickleball net on a non-regulation court, and a movable basketball hoop. Use the equipment at your own risk. Parking a vehicle inside needs approval first.

The garage isn't air-conditioned. Two large exterior shades cover the glass garage doors and two industrial fans move the air, but on the hottest summer days it can still reach about 90°F. Once the weather cools, it's comfortable.

Garage Sound Rules

• The garage carries sound more than anywhere else on the property. Keep the garage doors closed whenever amplified music is playing, at any hour.
• Lower the exterior shades whenever you're running lights or music in the garage.
• Heavy bass is what neighbors hear most. Keep the bass down, point speakers toward the house, and any subwoofer on the floor must sit on an isolation pad you bring.
• After 9:00 PM, music inside may continue only with the doors closed and shades down, at a level that can't be heard from the street.

The café lights in the backyard turn on near sunset and switch off on their own at 9:00 PM. They can't be turned back on.

Good to Know

• Please report any damage you find when you arrive. Things can be missed between stays, and if it isn't reported, there's no way to tell when it happened.
• There's no doorbell or door knocker anywhere on the property. Keep that in mind for deliveries.
• Lawn care happens on Tuesdays and pool service on Fridays. Times vary. If either is a problem for your stay, let me know ahead of time.
• Sprinklers run every day around sunrise, so please don't leave anything on the grass overnight.
• The owner resides in a separate private unit on the property and does not share guest areas.

House Rules

• Quiet hours are 9:00 PM to 8:00 AM. At 9:00 PM, all outdoor amplified music and loud outdoor noise stop. You're welcome to move inside.
• Only registered guests may stay or visit. Any visitor, and any change to your guest or pet count, needs approval before it happens.
• Private gatherings and commercial use require prior written authorization, additional fees, and a signed agreement.
• No smoking or vaping indoors, anywhere, of any substance. Outside, please stay away from doors, windows and the pool. Indoor smoking is charged at the cost of remediation.
• Pets must be declared and approved before arrival. Service animals are welcome; please still let me know in advance.
• Use only the built-in fire areas, and never leave a fire unattended. Maricopa County no-burn days apply. No fireworks, sky lanterns or open flames.
• No firearms. Drones need written approval first.
• Keep doors and windows closed while the A/C is running. Leaving them open with the A/C on brings a $50 follow-up charge for each day it happens.
• Checkout is firm. If you need extra time, ask early; staying more than two hours past checkout is billed as an extra night.
• Police involvement or breaking these rules may end the stay without a refund and bring additional charges.

Monitoring

• Exterior cameras cover the entrances and all outdoor areas, including patios and the pool.
• The Manor's private outdoor tub and shower are not covered by any camera.
• There are no cameras inside any living space.
• Noise and occupancy sensors measure sound levels and motion. They never record audio.

Trash

Trash bins are on the south side of the property, outside the garage. Please bag everything and put it in the bins, including trash from the patios and pool area. Loose trash outdoors attracts pests.

Collection is on Mondays, and staff take the bins to the curb, so there's nothing you need to do. Recycling bins are there too, but any bin can be used for trash.

Contact and Emergencies

Tony (owner): text (480) 420-4451. I handle everything in writing, so please text rather than call. Messaging through your booking platform works too.

• Life-threatening emergency: call 911.
• Urgent but not life-threatening: the nearest emergency room is Abrazo Scottsdale Campus, 3929 E Bell Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85032, open 24 hours.

Please Reach Out If

• There's an emergency affecting anyone's safety or the property
• Power, water or A/C is out for more than a short while
• A lock or code isn't letting you in
• Something is significantly damaged during your stay
• You have a question about visitors, pets or using the property
• Anything stops you from using the property safely or reasonably

Please Don't Text For

• How-to questions this guide already answers
• Small cosmetic issues that don't affect safety or use
• Weather, heat, wind, leaves or bugs
• Pool temperature or normal outdoor debris
• Anything that can wait until after checkout

Messages are monitored during reasonable daytime hours. Please save late-night texts for urgent issues.

Local Recommendations

For my favorite nearby restaurants, activities and sights, see my guidebook on Airbnb.

The History of the Ranch

Worth the Wait Ranch sits in historic Robinhood Acres, which began as a working cattle ranch in the early 1900s. The original owner bought several officer quarters from a decommissioned Army base and moved them here to house his ranch hands. The main house is one of only two of those buildings still standing. It was built in 1918 and is believed to be the oldest home in North Phoenix. It once matched the small house directly across the street.

When I bought the property in 2018, I chose to build around the original house rather than tear it down. Its original exterior walls and truss system are still inside it today. The Manor was transformed between 2019 and 2023, and in 2023 the two guest casitas, TeeBox and Smurf Haus, were added at the back of the property, built from shipping containers.

Every addition was made for the same reason the property has always existed: bringing people together.

Design Easter Eggs

The Manor was designed to reward curiosity. Many details are easy to miss unless you slow down and look.

• The sectional. The oversized leather sectional in the main living room is custom-built and layered for different seating depths. The corner piece is upholstered in a custom XAWD fabric.
• Hidden hardware. Most ceiling fixtures have no visible canopy. The mounting hardware is recessed into the ceiling to keep the lines clean.
• Arches with a purpose. The arches in the gallery and main living spaces were designed to hide built-in roller shades. The shades don't currently work, but the arches keep their original intent.
• Soft geometry. In the family room and the Dual Suite, the ceilings curve gently into the walls instead of ending at a sharp corner.
• Salvaged stone. All the stone in the house was salvaged. The Dual Suite sinks sit on solid onyx slabs that continue through the wall, so each vanity looks carved from a single block. In the Black Bedroom, the stone headboard doubles as a shower shelf and combines more than ten kinds of stone.
• The Jack-and-Jill tub. The tub fills from a floating shelf above it. Turn it on and watch.
• A house inside a house. The original 1918 structure is still inside. The kitchen and family room walls were its exterior walls, and its pitched roof is hidden inside the parapet above.
• The piano. The upright piano is said to have belonged to songwriter Sammy Cahn, who wrote Come Fly With Me, Let It Snow and All the Way. It's a fun story rather than a certified one. It's tuned about once a year, so enjoy it mostly as a character piece.
• The red sofa. The sofa in the Dual Suite is covered in a custom XAWD textile. Look closely at the texture.
• The chandelier. The brass chandelier in the gallery was salvaged from an early-1900s church in Pennsylvania. Its bends and irregularities are part of its story.
• Living plants. Most of the large plants are real, and some have their own grow lights. Please leave those plugged in.
• Wallpaper breadcrumbs. A wallpaper sample book may be hiding somewhere in the house. Find it and you've unlocked a bonus detail.

This home wasn't designed to shout. It was designed to be discovered.

Checking Out

Checkout is at 12:00 noon. Before you head out, please:

• Sign out of any streaming apps you used on the TVs
• Put any moved furniture back where it was
• Bag all trash, including from outdoors, and put it in the bins
• Close the doors and gates behind you

If you'd like to come back, or have questions about longer stays or returning, just ask. Safe travels, and I hope to host you again.