Amazing Arizona

The real estate market has been making a shift slowly but surely in the last several months, giving economists signs of a slow recovery. Here are some local and national sources of information, gleaned from the stats and figures from our local MLS and from other sources.

If you’re at all interested in making an investment, now is the time. As I mentioned previously, buyers have said to me in the past… if only I had invested then… well, now is then! J

Homebuilders busy again in corners of metro Phoenix (AZ Central)

Phoenix area’s biggest real estate deals (AZ Central)

The Phoenix area’s most expensive homes (AZ Central)

Older workers capture more new jobs (USA Today)

Investors rescue market, but future uncertain (AZ Central)

Median Valley home prices rebound (AZ Central)

Valley home prices headed upward (AZ Central)

and just to be contrary…

Scottsdale median house price falls 5% (AZ Central)

Median Valley home prices rebound (AZ Central)

Valley home prices headed upward (AZ Central)

Phoenix housing market shows strong rebound (Phoenix Business Journal)

Phoenix, Tucson among Top 50 U-Haul destination cities (Phoenix Business Journal)

Phoenix economy among fastest-growing in U.S. (Phoenix Business Journal)

Home prices fell in most U.S. cities (AZ Central)

Fewer homes are for sale in Phoenix area; prices up (AZ Central)

Phoenix mortgage bankers seeing boost from HARP 2.0 (Phoenix Business Journal)

Scottsdale approves $40M center to host Barrett-Jackson (Phoenix Business Journal)

Signs of upturn in Phoenix’s long-suffering housing market (USA Today)

5,700 apartment units planned for Scottsdale (AZ Central)

Bank-owned homes and short sales were 23% of all 2011 sales (USA Today)

42% of 2011 Ariz. home sales distressed (AZ Central)

Nearly half of Arizona homes are ‘under water’ (Phoenix Business Journal)

State exports up $1.9B, boosted by Asian copper rebound (Phoenix Business Journal)

2nd Phoenix-Mesa Gateway-area home plan

7 great Phoenix parks cater to one and all (AZ Central)

Mesa touts readiness to develop downtown (AZ Central)

Resort plans under review (AZ Central)

Home prices, sales inch up (AZ Central)

Phoenix-area homebuyers squeezed out by investors (AZ Central)

ASU’s business grad school again among the top (AZ Central)

Midwestern University’s Phoenix economic impact tops $300M (Phoenix Business Journal)

Boost your odds of qualifying for a mortgage – Mar. 9, 2012 (MONEY.CNN.COM)

Is using a home equity loan to pay off mortgage a good idea?

Finally, mortgage relief is on the way

BofA to offer rentals as foreclosure alternative

AP TOP NEWS | MARCH 22, 2012

Positive signs at airport, home, work

Valley home prices headed upward

Happy Spring!

Alice — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 04:08:58 +0000

The best part of spring is Mother’s Day!
For all mothers, grandmothers, alternate mothers,
and just because it’s a wonderful day…

Start Your Easter Egg Hunt Here!

Alice — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 19:10:57 +0000

One of the sure signs of spring, are Easter and Passover. There are many fun and wonderful sites to explore about them. Plus some sure signs of renewal are getting organized and sprucing up your garden. Let some of these sites get you started.

Easter is not only a religious time, it also has many traditions, from the spiritual to the Easter Parade. But where did the term and tradition of Easter Eggs and the Easter Egg Hunt begin?

The Great Internet Easter Egg Hunt is about to begin on the Internet! Seek the egg and you may find it! Start your adventure here!

The history of the White House Easter Egg Roll began in 1809-1817 and this site tells you how to get one!

Tax Tips from the Net Can Help Make Filing Easier!

Alice — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 18:52:36 +0000

The lovable folks at the IRS have created The Digital Daily, a comprehensive and catchy site that includes plenty of tax information and advice, with even a handy address list of where you should file – just in case you’ve recently moved, or just forgotten.

The hundreds of websites won’t take the sting out of signing that check over to the IRS, but they can at least give you tips on how to reduce your tax burden, list common tax errors to avoid, and places on the web to pose tax questions.

The Wall St. Journal wants to remind you that there are tax reductions you should be aware of as well as MANY other helpful tips.

The Biggest Valentine of All… Arizona’s Birthday on Valentine’s Day!

Alice — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 05:06:26 +0000

February is not only the sweetheart month, but it includes a really big sweetheart’s birthday! Arizona is now 100 years old… and yes, on Valentine’s Day.

Naturally, there have been a lot of festivities going on (but we always have festivals!) and much reflection on how and why and where we’re going. The brave souls who first made the trek out west were our strong pioneers, some attracted to the prospect of gold, silver and copper. To this day, we are known as the Copper State. Our capitol dome is copper made of pennies school children collected.

Our state flag reflects the industries that created the new state 100 years ago, those 5 C’s you may have heard about. Copper, climate, citrus, cotton and cattle. Well, we’ve come a long way from that with our biotechnology, bioscience, semiconductors, aerospace, and now solar industries.

Thanks to our original individualism and rugged hard working settlers, these qualities will be our strength as we go forward recovering from the economy that has affected the country as a whole.

We’re a land of contrasts and that original C for Climate, together with the existing industries we now have has now brought us into the solar age and encouraged other industries to invest in Arizona at a significant level.

Our Phoenix Business Journal has put together a slideshow of 12 events that have shaped Arizona Business and then compiled a history of that long way 100 years ago to today’s challenges to continue to succeed.

Bravo to them, and enjoy…

Fun Facts about Leap Year

Alice — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 05:04:40 +0000

Julius Ceasar first adopted the Leap Day concept from the Egyptians. That was a long time ago! He figured out he could make an accurate calendar by adding a day every 4 years. This accuracy enabled them to plant seeds at the right time.

There’s a one in 1,461 chance that a person will be born on Leap Day.

Leap Day babies have to be 116 before they turn 29 on the 29^th!

When a baby is born on Leap Day, physicians will often ask the parents to choose either Feb. 28^th or March 1^st for the birth certificate.

More fun facts for kids of all ages.

February 2012 Market Articles

Alice — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 05:03:01 +0000

Existing-Home Sales Rise Again in January, Inventory Down

Home sales rise, but prices may be slow to follow

Rising sales point to a stronger year for housing

Building jobs on rebound

Upbeat findings for Arizona housing market

Home builders and investors both see signs of a turn

Why housing demand defies real estate fundamentals

Small investors step up home buying

Foreclosures hit 4-year low in metro area

Lenders embrace more short sales

Lenders paying borrowers to do short sales

Banks paying delinquent borrowers to sell their homes

CNN MONEY | FEBRUARY 9, 2012

Hoping to cut their losses, banks are paying delinquent homeowners up to $35,000 in incentives to sell their homes in short sales and avoid… Read more

Questions and answers on the mortgage settlement

Homebuyers can tap into $116 million

CoreLogic: Phoenix home foreclosures on the decline

Swing into Spring with the Cactus League!

Alice — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 04:56:36 +0000

Check out the stadiums in this slideshow: The stadiums of the Cactus League, thanks to the Phoenix Business Journal.

D-Backs report to camp!

For photos of the Diamondbacks at practice: http://www.azcentral.com/photo/Sports/CactusLeague/21627 and 20 more slide shows of the Cactus League adventures.

Join the Giants as they celebrate 30 years of Scottsdale spring training

The San Francisco Giants’ first home game of the spring is Saturday, March 3, against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Tickets can be purchased at the Scottsdale Stadium box office from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays or by calling 1-877-473-4849. Tickets are also available at www.sfgiants.com. To purchase group tickets, season tickets or to reserve the press box suites, ramada or patio area, call (415) 972-2209. To purchase tickets for the Charro Lodge and Pavilion, call (480) 990-2977 or visit www.springtraining.com. For more information and a schedule of games visit www.scottsdaleaz.gov/stadium.

Last year, the Cactus League set an attendance record with 1.59 million fans pouring into the ballparks. The opening of the Salt River Fields I wrote about last season, home to the Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies, accounted for 22% of that ticket surge.

Here’s a list of the 10 ballparks and their ticket phone numbers.

Salt River Fields – 7555 N. Pima Rd. Scottsdale – (480) 362-9467 Arizona Diamondbacks & Colorado Rockies

Scottsdale Stadium – 7408 E. Osborn Rd. Scottsdale – (877) 473-4849 San Francisco Giants

Hohokum Stadium – 1235 N. Center St. Mesa – (480) 964-4467 Chicago Cubs

Tempe Diablo Stadium – 2200 W. Alameda Dr. Tempe (800) 745-3000 Los Angeles Angels

Camelback Ranch – 10710 W. Camelback Rd. Phoenix (800) 745-3000 Chicago White Socks

Peoria Sports Complex – 16101 N. 83^rd Ave. Peoria (623) 773-8720 San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners

Surprise Stadium – 15850 N. Bullard Ave. Surprise (623) 222-2222 Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers

Goodyear Recreational Complex – 1933 S. Ballpark Way Goodyear (800) 745-3000 Cincinnati Red, Cleveland Indians

Maryvale Baseball Park – 3600 N. 51^st Ave. Phoenix (800) 933-7890 Milwaukee Brewers

Insider tips – How to Do Cactus League Spring Training: http://www.azcentral.com/thingstodo/events/articles/2012/02/20/20120220how-to-cactus-league-spring-training-phoenix.html

Arizona’s Market Update as of February, 2012

Alice — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 04:54:26 +0000

Arizona’s Market Update as of February, 2012

In the last few weeks in February, articles in RisMedia, USA Today, Realtor.com, our local paper, the Arizona Republic, the Phoenix Business Journal, CNN, have all had upbeat and encouraging news about our economy, and our local economy in particular.

As any scale goes, there will be a down and an up (think stock market), but if that scale still has an upward slant to it… now that’s encouraging.

For example, here are the headlines just this month…

Existing-Home Sales Rise Again in January, Inventory Down

Home sales rise, but prices may be slow to follow

Rising sales point to a stronger year for housing

Building jobs on rebound

Upbeat findings for Arizona housing market

Home builders and investors both see signs of a turn

Why housing demand defies real estate fundamentals

Small investors step up home buying

Foreclosures hit 4-year low in metro area

Lenders embrace more short sales

Banks paying delinquent borrowers to sell their homes

Questions and answers on the mortgage settlement

Homebuyers can tap into $116 million

CoreLogic: Phoenix home foreclosures on the decline

Personally, as I interact with buyers and sellers here in the greater Phoenix area, I am surprised to see that there have been multiple offers on homes that are just 1 and 2 days on the market. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but it’s definitely different than it has been.

Another encouraging sign is that banks are actually lending again. I temper this good news with the knowledge that we still have job losses. However, even there, there have been steady news in our local media, the Phoenix Business Journal and the Arizona Republic of various companies coming here and hiring. I have a list in the next article on my blog.

If you’d like any more economic or housing market news, please just email at alice@amazingarizona.com and I’ll be happy to send you the information. You could also call at (602) 763-3874