Great Deals in the ‘Hood

Here is this week’s updated list of the best deals in the ‘hood.

1) This expertly updated ranch in CenPho is walking distance from Light Rail and convenient to all the CenPho attractions. You should see the upgrades: triple-pane Pella windows in the living room, a block addition to the master bedroom, with [...]

A Big Ol’ Grain of Salt

The Arizona Republic reported this morning that housing prices are due to drop again by 10%; such that they could be cheaper next summer than they are today.

Now, I can’t read tea leaves any more than Lady GaGa would be seen wearing a polyester polo shirt from WalMart.

But there [...]

Speaking of Short Sales

There has been a lot of talk recently about how short sales are getting closed with greater success. The data is mixed on that.

On the whole: if you are buying a home on and considering making an offer on a short sale, talk with me first. The speed of your closing depends on who is [...]

HAFA Great Day

For those of you who are thinking you might short sale your home, you need to know about HAFA, Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives.

This is another attempt by the Obama administration to stem the tide of foreclosures, thus far with poor results.

Basically, the program will give the home owner $3,000 to encourage them to stay in [...]

A Note on the Tax Credit and Foreclosures

You may have heard in the news about an extension of the tax credit for first time home buyers. I’ve not really covered this because it really only applies to people who are in escrow.

I don’t think the media was clear enough about this: the only thing they were extending was the time you have [...]

Mid-June Market Memo

It is a bit too early to see if there has been a massive drop in prices, as predicted by some of our more speculative and sloppy reporters.

But we can see a couple other trends that your might find interesting:

#1 The Number of Foreclosures in the Market is Starting to Drop. According to this article [...]

Several Bits of Good News

They are coming in fast and furious now, so I want to share them with you. This might be why I’m getting more calls now from folks wanting to get out and find a house.

1) From a May 25th AZ Central Article

Foreclosures did not dominate sales of existing homes in the Valley for the [...]

Believe Me, No Kidding

My friend in the real estate industry was commenting to me on Tuesday that it is difficult these days to be taken at our word.

He said, “People I talk to expect me to say that now is the best time to buy, so they discount what I’m saying. But, really rates have not been this [...]

Home Prices Up!

Average prices are going up again.

I’ve been saying it for a while, but it is official when ASU says it. Check out this article about how home prices have gone up 5.5% since January of this year.

It reminds me of when I sold my home in Woodlea/Melrose in 2006. I just waited until I [...]

The Skinny on Condos

Renovated Condos are Big Right Now

There are 1,134 condos, town homes or patio homes in Maricopa County right now that are at least 2 bedroom, 2 bath and under $100,000!

That is astounding. There are about 171 in Central Phoenix (depending on your definition of “Central”). About 75 of those are under $60,000. 34 are [...]