Arizona Home Talk

City of Phoenix $15,000 downpayment grant program

Here is the scoop about a program I get asked about a lot.  Many mortgage lenders and real estate agents will tell you this program isn’t a viable option.  Two main reasons seem to prevent it from happening - 1) banks won’t accept offers 1% below appraised value 2) the 8 hour class the buyer must [...]

Morrison Ranch-Higley Groves in Gilbert

Morrison Ranch is a popular community located in Gilbert, Arizona near Higley and Elliot Rd. Morrison Ranch is a 2,000 acre master planned community with shopping, parks and home’s ranging from $150,000-1 million. Most of the homes are $300,000-$500,000. The community is known for it’s lush landscaping including green lawns and mature [...]

Avg. Sale Price getting higher?

This graph shows the average SOLD price over time.  Do you see the low dip and now the slow rise in selling prices? Does this act as evidence a bottom has already happened? Do you think the market has stabalized? Leave a comment and let me know! Also interesting is the Days on Market (DOM).  The [...]

Phoenix Market Snapshot

What is REALLY going on with Phoenix area real estate?  Here are the statistics as of 8/17/2009 - Properties For Sale in Phoenix-Metro area: 31,383 (it had been as high as 58,000 in ‘07/’08!) Lender Owned (foreclosures) for sale: 4,631 Short Sales for sale: 7,364 Properties under contract: 12,602 - 18,641 if you count those still in their inspection period. ACTIVE (for sale) listings [...]

They Took Everything. A Stripped House.

People often ask me if all foreclosures are in horrible condition. The answer is no. I’ve seen perfectly fine bank-owned houses. The former owners are NOT supposed to take ceilings fans, light fixtures and appliances - but those are the 3 items that most commonly disappear with the former-owners. But this house was [...]

Agritopia in Gilbert

Agritopia is a popular family neighborhood located off the San Tan 202 in the NW corner of Higley & Ray Roads in Gilbert, AZ. Click on the map below to check out the homes that are currently for sale. From their website: The Agritopia Project is an effort to design and build a neighborly community around an [...]

Ugly House Award

I went to see this bank-owned house for sale for one reason - I thought it was a great deal. IF you can get over how ugly it is from the exterior. To see the “bird eye view” map of this house and amazing lot - click here. $369,900 (117 price per square foot) 3,159 square feet [...]

Lake, Preserve, Farm - oh my!

This weekend I did 3 fun things: 1 - Took the Desert Belle paddleboat cruise on Saguaro Lake 2 - Walked around the Riparian Preserve 3 - Picked organic Peaches on Schnepf Farm I highly recommend them all!   The boat cruise began at 12:30pm and lasted 90 min.  It was narrated with fun facts about Arizona and the lake [...]

Southeast Valley Foreclosures $100-200,000

Curious what $100,000-$200,000 can buy you in Tempe, Chandler, Mesa or Gilbert? Looking for a real steal? Check out these foreclosures (AKA bank-owned, repo, REO) properties on the map below. Also, while you’re here, you may want to read my post on the pros and cons of buying a foreclosure. - Becky

Go Play AT Saguaro Lake, AZ

I recently took a little day trip to Saguaro Lake.  You’ll find a quick video I took below (forgot to add music, so you get wind-on-mic sound). Saguaro Lake is only a 30 min drive from my house in Gilbert.  The lake is about 40 miles East of central Phoenix. I can’t believe I’ve never [...]