The tournament is fast approaching! The excitement is in the air to determine the 2012 Waste Management Phoenix Open champion. Not to forget, the parties, and other events at the TPC Scottsdale, which will draw huge crowds.  Are you up for it? Are you excited? Maybe not? You don’t want to go? I totally understand.

The Phoenix Open, golf, parties, and the huge crowds are not for everyone. So, we are fortunate to have many other events besides golf that Scottsdale has to offer. Here are a few events taking place in Scottsdale during the tournament. All events are FREE!

Thursday, February 2th, 2012:

ArtBridge Thursdays  @ Marshall Way Pedestrian Bridge: 6:00 – 10:00 PM: Cost: FREE!

Docent-led Tours of SMoCA  @ Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art – 1:30 PM: Cost: FREE!

Native Trails @ Scottsdale Civic Center Park – 12:00 – 1:30 PM: Cost: FREE!

Scottsdale ArtWalk in Downtown Scottsdale – 7:00 – 9:00 PM: Cost: FREE!

Friday, February 3th, 2012:

Native American Dancing @ Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch: 5:00 PM – Cost: FREE!

Saturday, February 4th, 2012:

Native Trails @ Scottsdale Civic Center Park: 12:00 – 1:30 PM - Cost: FREE!

Old Town Farmer’s Market @ Brown Avenue & First Street: 8:30 – 1:00 PM – Cost: FREE!

Sunday, February 5th, 2012:

Real Estate Day!  If you are on the market for a home in Scottsdale, Sunday during the final round is a perfect time do view some homes. I will set you with lenders first to help you get pre-qualified! There are plenty Scottsdale Real Estate to choose from. I am your agent who will assist you in finding you a home and connecting you to the best lenders here in the valley. My number one priority is to  take care of you.

Scottsdale Real Estate For Sale:

If you are on the market for real estate in Scottsdale, here are some of the homes currently active on the market.  I am the agent with a passion to work with you!

Showing properties 1 – 10 of 500+. See more city of Scottsdale real estate.
(all data current as of 1/24/2012)

1. $399,900 : 9021 E Sharon Drive, Scottsdale
   
   4 beds, 3.00 baths

   Home size: 2,628 sq ft

   Lot size: 9,893 sq ft

   
2. $465,000 : 24552 N 116th Street, Scottsdale
   
   4 beds, 2.50 baths

   Home size: 3,042 sq ft

   Lot size: 10,019 sq ft

   
3. $1,125,000 : 10040 E Happy Valley Road, Unit 2009, Scottsdale
   
   2 beds, 2.50 baths

   Home size: 3,077 sq ft

   Lot size: 13,777 sq ft

   
4. $319,000 : 19012 N 91st Way, Scottsdale
   
   3 beds, 2.00 baths

   Home size: 1,616 sq ft

   Lot size: 5,315 sq ft

   
5. $313,500 : 8420 E San Pedro Drive, Scottsdale
   
   3 beds, 2.00 baths

   Home size: 1,997 sq ft

   Lot size: 5,743 sq ft

   
6. $2,375,000 : 10418 E Palo Brea Drive, Scottsdale
   
   4 beds, 3.50 baths

   Home size: 5,100 sq ft

   Lot size: 38,866 sq ft

   
7. $345,000 : 9119 E Davenport Drive, Scottsdale
   
   5 beds, 3.00 baths

   Home size: 2,628 sq ft

   Lot size: 8,952 sq ft

   
8. $229,000 : 19475 N Grayhawk Drive, Unit 2086, Scottsdale
   
   2 beds, 2.00 baths

   Home size: 1,275 sq ft

   Lot size: 123 sq ft

   
9. $1,325,000 : 20097 N 95th Way, Scottsdale
   
   5 beds, 4.50 baths

   Home size: 5,774 sq ft

   Lot size: 29,088 sq ft

   
10. $647,500 : 7957 E Via De Luna Drive, Scottsdale
    
    3 beds, 3.50 baths

    Home size: 3,671 sq ft

    Lot size: 18,000 sq ft

    

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.

This is a rare opportunity to pick up a 4 bedroom, 2 Bath, Single Family Home in the highly sought after Arcadia Scottsdale School District. It’s with in walking distance of Arcadia High School, Ingleside Middle School and Tavan Elementary in the coveted Scottsdale School District #48! This is a perfect home for a family. Besides being with in walking distance to some of the best Scottsdale Schools, it’s located in a quiet neighborhood with mature citrus and landscaping. it features inspirational views of Camelback Mountain from your front yard.

This 4 Bedroom, 3 Bath Home has been totally renovated! Granite Counter Tops, Stainless Dish Washer, micro and oven. It even includes a refrigerator, wine cooler and washer and dryer. The huge back yard and pool make this the perfect family home with tons of room to entertain under the expansive patio equipped with ceiling fans and a fire pit. Fire up the BBQ pool side and enjoy the privacy of this exceptional back yard. You can even pick a few oranges from the mature citrus.

Speaking of backyard, it’s equipped with a RV Gate and a Mini Barn with a loft so that you can store all your toys off the street and out of sight. The backyard is mostly maintenance free and the front yard has a luscious lawn and a mature ficus tree that attracts the local birds. Even the AC was replace in 2010 and has the remainder of a 10 year warranty.

Scottsdale Arcadia School District, Close to Scottsdale Fashion Square, Sky Harbor and easy access to downtown Phoenix makes this one of the most desirable homes for sale in the Arcadia District in Phoenix, AZ.

The home is vacant and ready to close. Totally Remodeled, Move in Ready. Shows like a model home.

Single Family Home in the Scottsdale Arcadia School District

4 Bedroom, 2 Baths, Pool, Single Family Home. Conventional Sale…not a short sale…not Bank Owned…just priced like it is!

4419 E Mitchell Drive

Phoenix, AZ

This 4 bedroom, 2 bath single family home is located near 44th Street and Osborn. Take 44th Street North of Osborn to Mitchell Drive. Turn East on Mitchell Dr. (Right) proceed 1 block and the home sits on the South Side of the Street (Right). Look for the eXp Realty Sign. ARMLS lockbox is on the front door.

Looking to purchase horse property in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area?  Look no further…

This beautiful 16 acres horse ranch is located at the edge of the Tonto National Forest and Garnet Mountain Park.  The property features a 4060 square feet home with Spanish Ralph Lauren tile throughout, 3 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, plus an office/den, huge laundry room, granite counters in the fabulous gourmet eat-in  kitchen, formal dining room surround sound, central air, skylights, gas fireplace and wood blinds.  The property also offers a 1 bedroom/1 bathroom guest house, heated saltwater pool and spa all over looking the 4 peaks!  This ranch is completely fenced and cross fenced with no climb fencing and a gated entry.  There is a full size roping area, 8 stalls with numerous turn outs, a round pen and miles of riding trails right out your back door.

This property is not listed on the MLS so please contact Kim Abbott at 602-540-3719 for more information or to schedule a showing!

My name is Kim Abbott and I am your Riding Realtor!  I specialize in the buying and selling of horse properties in the Phoenix, Scottsdale and Cave Creek areas.  I am a horse lover with a passion for endurance riding.  If you are looking for a reliable Realtor that understands your buying and selling needs, please contact me right away.  My phone number is 602-540-3719 and my email kim@azhorseranches.com.  You can view my featured listings or search the MLS by going to www.AZHorseRanches.com

On average, 21.2% of single family homes have received at least one Notice of Trustee Sale (the bank is letting you know that you have an auction date) since the beginning of 2006.  !!!!!

On average, 12.6% of the single family homes in Maricopa County have been foreclosed (ie the bank took them back) with a recorded Trustee Deed since the beginning of 2006.  That’s just over one in eight homes.  !!!!!  NOTE:  there are some 1,300 or so unrecorded Trustee Deeds as of December 22.

So where in the Valley has this foreclosure percentage been highest?  Here are the top 10 zip codes with the highest foreclosure rates:

1-85043 Phoenix

2-85353 Tolleson

3-85037 Phoenix

4-85335 El Mirage

5-85354 Tonopah

6-85326 Buckeye

7-85323 Avondale

8-85033 Phoenix

9-85379 Surprise

10-85031 Phoenix

All of these are in the West Valley; in fact, it isn’t until #24 that you find a property not in the West Valley (it’s in S. Phx).    There’s also evidence that foreclosure prevention attempts are not successful in these areas (or maybe not attempted?).

We see that the two types of areas least affected by foreclosures are those containing higher end homes and the 55+ communities. In many of the luxury home areas there is evidence reflecting a higher success rate in avoiding foreclosure, most frequently through a short sale (or maybe more aggressively or consistently pursued?).

It almost goes without saying that foreclosures have a direct effect on home pricing. Hence the ZIP Codes with the most foreclosures are usually those where home prices have fallen the most, while those with lesser foreclosures have fallen the least. However, the relationship is not exact.

Sun City West 85375 has the greatest preservation of $/SF across the whole valley. But then it also has had the lowest percentage of foreclosures. Again looking for anomalies we see that Chandler 85286 and 85249, Gilbert 85233 and Mesa 85205 have preserved their pricing better than would be expected based on their foreclosure rates.

We can also see that many parts of the Southeast Valley, particularly Tempe, Ahwatukee and South Chandler have preserved their pricing much better than Maricopa County as a whole. This is also true of most of the Northeast Valley.

It is true that foreclosures cause home prices to fall, but it is a vicious cycle since it is also true that falling home prices cause foreclosures – they cause more homes to go underwater and their owners to feel less motivated to maintain their loan payments.

What does this mean to you? It depends from what angle you’re looking.  If you’re looking to short sell, we should look at the trends in your neighborhood and act accordingly.  If you’re looking to buy, ‘a deal’ isn’t necessarily found in a neighborhood with high foreclosures.  A deal is a good price on a home you love in a neighborhood you’re excited about.

Please contact me to discuss your specific situation and needs.

“Casting about in MLS data for signs of a market bottom and subsequent recovery has proved elusive over 2009 and 2010,” the report concludes. “The one-step-forward-two-steps-back phenomenon has become all too familiar in our fragile recovery.”

• The PPI predicts that the median sales price of a home in November will be about $120,000, relatively unchanged from October. The median is expected to drop in December to $117,000, rise in January back to $120,000 and then drop once again in February fairly dramatically to $105,000.  The median is the number in the middle, so there are as many houses priced below the median as above the median.
• Average sales prices are projected to rise slightly in December but to fall in both January and February. The estimate is for the average price to be about $161,200 in November and drop to $145,800 in February.
• New inventory declined in October, but total inventory increased.
• October listings represent nearly seven months of supply making this a buyer’s market. A seller’s market is a four to five month supply.
• Pending foreclosures have been trending downward slightly for the past 12 months.
• Distressed sales, short sales and lender owned sales peaked in September representing 74 percent of total transactions. In October distressed sales represented 65 percent of the total.

For guidance on your specific needs, please contact me at 602-741-1325.  Happy holidays!

Earlier this year she moved to a new company. Cherry Creek Mortgage Company (CCMC). Owner Kelly Zitlow, in conjunction with Colorado based Cherry Creek Mortgage, created a beautiful working environment for some of the most professional lenders in the industry.

In recent months, since her move CCMC, I have had several clients choose Gina as the lender they trusted to help them with financing. Not only has she performed very professionally, but, honestly…there have been a couple of deals that I was not sure at all she could get done. Not because of her skill and expertise…but because the lending environment is BRUTAL! Many folks are running into BIG hurdles when attempting to get a loan.

But…she pulled it off! I am thinking part of this is due to the fact that she has aligned herself with a top notch company. They are HUMAN…not just a computer or paper pushers. Of course…they have guidelines just like every lender…but they are able to actually look at a specific person’s situation and assess the situation. Gina and I have had a few bumps in the road with getting our clients qualified over the years. But given the current REALLY TIGHT lending guidelines…I have to say we still to seem to be making it work.

I recently attended the Grand Opening event for their new Scottsdale based office. It was interesting to see some old friends there. Many people I have crossed paths with in the past (title people and fellow agents mainly) were there to help celebrate.

And they did it right! It was a very fun party and I want to say THANKS. To Gina, Kelly…and all the Cherry Creek folks! A good time was had by all. 

You can reach Gina at 602-505-2688 if you need assistance with financing.

As always… if you are looking for a GREAT agent to help with your real estate needs please e-mail me at Adele@GreaterPhoenixHomes.com or give me a call (or text) at 602-504-3898 or 888-897-7821 x 114. Plus, I have a GREAT search tool on my web site that gives you the ability to search the entire MLS…just like agents do. Very COOL! Go to Metro Phoenix Homes and check it out! YOU can create and save as many searches as you would like.

THIS IS THE BEST MOST ACCURATE SEARCH OF OUR LOCAL MLS WHERE YOU CAN SEARCH JUST LIKE AGENTS DO

Sales volume was down 6% from August while average pricing is also down 2.5% (price per square foot down 3%).  If you look at sales from Septeber ’09, sales were down 13% and pendings down 22% from last year.  Although this sounds bad, month to month pendings have been increasing about 4% so it seems buyer activity is keeping somewhat dependable and this will positively keep inventory moving if it can be sustained.  The supply on the market increased 2.7% from August, primarily by properties <$200k.  With this price range being attractive for investors, both for flipping and buy&hold, we could see an increase in buying activity by this sector of our market and since inventory is increasing, prices should remain favorable for quite some time.  Foreclosure notices are holding steady, which would which lends to increasing inventory (and hence maintaining favorable buying prices).

For my full Market Trends Report, please go to www.BethAHickey.com for a request.  I will not contact you outside of this report unless requested.