Breakdown by price point for single family homes is as follows:
Listed up to $50,000 = 39
Listed between 50,001 – $75,000 = 131
Listed between $75,001 – $100,000 = 329
Listed between $100,001 – $125,000 = 436
Listed between $125,001 – $150,000 = 719
Listed between $150,001 – $175,000 = 746
Listed between $175,001 – $200,000 = 760
Listed between $200,001 – $250,000 = 1,306
Listed between $250,001 – $500,000 = 3,331
Listed between $500,001 – $1,000,000 = 1,547
Listed between $1,000,001 +  = 1,182

It is a strong sellers market for homes priced under $200,000 with less than 1-2 months supply of inventory in these price ranges.

Distressed listings continue their decline in our market as well. Out of the 10,526 Single Family homes available 470 are short sale listings, 55 are HUD homes, and 686 are bank owned listings.

Want more information? Give me a call, send me a text or shoot me an e-mail.

Have a great weekend!

1) ”The Memorial Championship” Disc Golf Tournament
When:Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - Saturday, March 02, 2013. All Day Event.
Where: Fountain Park
The Memorial Championship” Disc Golf Tournament presented by the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA). Visit http://www.memorialchampionship.com/ for more information.

2) Concerts in the Park
When: Every Sunday afternoon in March. 2:30pm -4:00pm
Where: Fountain Park Amphitheater
Bring blankets, chairs, the family and friends!

3) Fountain Hills Fine Art & Wine Affaire
When: Friday, March 15, 2013 – Sunday, March 17, 2013. 10am – 5pm.
Where: Avenue of the Fountains
Presented by the Thunderbird Artists. For more information go to the Thunderbird Artists

4) St. Patrick’s Day Celebration
When:Sunday, March 17, 2013. 10am – 6pm
Where: Fountain Park
Enjoy a day of Irish fun; music, corned beef and cabbage, and a beer garden. To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day the fountain turns emerald green at noon. The event is being presented by the Town of Fountain Hills in cooperation with the Sons of AMVETS Squadron #7.

5) Eggstravaganza
When: Saturday, March 23, 2013. 8:00am – 10:00am
Where: Golden Eagle Park
Open to children up to seven years old. Children MUST be accompanied by an adult.  Be sure to bring your own basket to pick up eggs.  In the event of inclement weather or poor field conditions, this event will be rescheduled for Saturday, March 30.

6) Easter Sunrise Service
When: Sunday, March 31, 2013. 6am – 7am
Where: Fountain Park
Non-denomination service coordinated by the Fountain Hills Ministerial Association.

Snow covered mountains

If you are looking for something fun to do this weekend I suggest that you head on out to Fountain Hills and check out the Annual Great Fair. It started yesterday and runs thru tomorrow. The fair is open daily from 10am – 5pm.

There will be 480 artists and vendors from across the United States and around the globe.  There are food booths throughout the festival area featuring breakfast and lunch items and live music too.  Here’s a tip: Avoid the fair food and stop into Sofrita for great tapas and their amazing sangria. You will not be disappointed!

Admission and parking for this event is FREE so there is no excuse not to come out to Fountain Hills for this event!

The Great Fair will take place rain or shine. For the safety and consideration of others, the town asks that you please leave your pets at home.

Directions to the Festival: From the South East Valley Take 87 – (Country Club Drive) north to Shea Blvd., turn left at Shea Blvd.  At the first traffic light, turn right on to Saguaro Blvd.  Continue on Saguaro Blvd. to downtown and follow signs for parking.

From the South West Valley Take 10 East to 202 East.  Exit 202 at 87 – (Country Club Drive). Turn left at exit, heading North.  Continue for approximately 12 miles to Shea Blvd.  Turn left at Shea Blvd. At first traffic light, turn right to Saguaro Blvd.  Continue on Saguaro Blvd. to downtown and follow signs for parking.

From the North West Valley Take 101 South.  Exit at Shea Blvd. East.  Continue on Shea Blvd. for approximately 5 miles.  Turn left to Palisades Blvd.  Continue on Palisades Blvd. to downtown and follow signs for parking.

Let’s face it, real estate posts are pretty boring so rather than bore you to tears with a lot of charts and stats I am going to give you a few highlights followed up with quotes from an article that was in the Phoenix Business Journal yesterday.

PRICES ARE UP/FORECLOSURE LISTINGS ARE DOWN:
“For 2012, median home prices were up by almost 34 percent and foreclosures plunged by a staggering 51 percent. In addition, cash investors who have been causing a throbbing headache for traditional buyers are apparently showing less interest in the market, the report said. With median home prices shooting 34 percent higher in 2012, prices went from $122,500 at the end of 2011 to $164,000 and the close of 2012.”

SUPPLY IS DOWN:
“Problem is that homes sales were down and the “chronic supply problem” that Orr noted Phoenix has been facing in his previous report last month is still very real. Despite an encouraging 13 percent rise in supply during the fourth quarter, the number of existing homes listed on the Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service (that were not under contract with a prospective buyer) on Jan. 1 dropped again by 6.5 percent month-over-month to 12,623 total listings. That’s the reason why we’re seeing prices surge and investor activity wane. Overall listings on Jan. 1, (19,952) were also down 6 percent year-over-year.”

HOMES LISTED UNDER $150K ARE SCARCE:
“There’s also a severe scarcity of homes in the lower price ranges, fostering a huge imbalance of more buyers than sellers. That’s because the largest bulk of those Jan. 1 listings, or 76 percent, were priced above the $150,000 threshold, while 19 percent were listed at $500,000 or more (which Orr noted is adequate to meet demand in that price range).”

SALES ARE DOWN SINCE LOWER PRICED HOMES ARE SCARCE:
“The supply problem instigated a 12 percent year-over-year drop in sales activity in December, the report said. “With prices moving substantially higher, it’s not surprising that buyer interest eased a little,” Orr said. “We still see multiple bids for many resale listings, but demand isn’t as strong as it was in spring 2012.”

INVESTOR ACTIVITY IS DOWN BUT STILL PRESENT IN AZ MARKET:
“Despite the decline in foreclosures and short sales on the market, investors are still playing a big role in the Phoenix housing market. All-cash purchases accounted for 35.5 percent of the deals in Maricopa County in December. Cash buyers remained the most prevalent in the lower price range, scooping up nearly half of all home sales priced below $150,000; they also bought about one quarter of sales in the $150,000-$500,000 range and 30 percent of sales $500,000 and above.”

TRADITIONAL HOME BUYERS/OWNER OCCUPANTS ARE LOOKING AT NEW BUILDS AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO RESALE HOME LISTINGS:
“This supply shortage and investor activity has frustrated traditional home buyers so much so that they continue to turn to the new home market, the report said.”

Phoenix Business Journal article

Michael Orr’s Phoenix December Housing Report

When: Saturday, February 9th, 2013. 2:30pm-5pm
Where: Plaza Fountainside, 12645 N Saguaro Blvd, Fountain Hills, AZ 85268
Cost: $20 per person, includes wine glass

See you there!

Toothbrush: Use a clean toothbrush to remove stray threads of silk from freshly shucked ears of corn. The bristles will lift them away quickly and efficiently.

Colander: At a party, stash ice in a colander set on top of a bucket or a bowl. Water will drain out, and guests will get only the solid stuff. Vegetable oil: Put shine on leather shoes with a bit of vegetable oil. Use a damp cloth to remove any dirt, then run a soft cloth with a drop of oil over the surface to (literally) add polish.

A giveaway shower cap: The kind you get in hotels is the perfect wrapper for shoes when traveling, preventing them from dirtying clothes packed in your suitcase.

Return address stickers: Brand anything as “yours” with a return address sticker. Use them on such items as books, binders, Tupperware, office supplies, tools, etc.

Ketchup squeeze bottle: Make no-mess pancakes with the help of an old, clean ketchup bottle. Pour in batter, then squeeze out precise portions.

From realsimple.com

1) Fountain Hills Thrills Disc Golf Tournament. Warm-up tournament for Arizona disc golfers before the PDGA Memorial Championship.
Where: Fountain Park
When: Saturday and Sunday, February 2-3, 2013. 8:00 a.m.—3:00 p.m.
http://www.spinnersdiscgolf.com/azdgc.html for more information or to register.

2) Love in the Hills. Wedding Vow Renewal Ceremony. Pre-registration required. http://www.samifinejewelry.com/
Where: Fountain Park
When: Thursday, February 14. Arrive at 4:00 p.m.— Vow Renewal Ceremony at 5:00 p.m.

3) Annual Fountain Hills Great Fair. Coordinated by the Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce. The fair is held the last full weekend of February. This three day juried art fair features attracts 500 artists and artisans from across the United States and around the globe, and attracts 200,000+ visitors. http://fountainhillschamber.com/ArtFairsEvents/GreatFairFeb/tabid/690/Default.aspx
Where: Downtown Fountain Hills
When: Friday-Sunday, February 22-24, 2013. 10:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m. daily

4) Ragnar Relay del Sol. Cheer on the runners as they pass through Fountain Hills from Rio Verde to Scottsdale during the morning hours. http://www.ragnarrelay.com/race/delsol
When: Saturday, February 23, 2013

5) “The Memorial” Championship Disc Golf Tour-nament presented by Discraft. http://www.memorialchampionship.com/
Where: Fountain Park
When: Wed.—Sat., February 27—March 2, 2013

Come on out and see what our great town has to offer!!

Additional information about Fountain Hills can be found at: http://fountainhillschamber.com/

The 1st report is the STAT report. It provides the most current market statistics. It is published monthly. In this issue read about the pricing upswing, reduced inventory, properties in the pending pool inside MLS, trending in Days on Market and more.

The 2nd report is the ARMLS Pending Price Index™ (ARMLS PPI). This report predicts the direction of the market three months into the future based on pending sales in flexmls. The PPI Supplement focuses on new pending properties added each month to the MLS system and includes analysis and $/SQ FT at various price points.

Click the following link to access the July issue of STAT

Click the following link to access the July issue of ARMLS PPI™

Current and back issues of STAT and ARMLS PPI™ are available on the ARMLS website at: STAT Library

The 1st report is the STAT report. It provides the most current market statistics. It is published monthly. In this issue read about the pricing upswing, reduced inventory, properties in the pending pool inside MLS, trending in Days on Market and more.

The 2nd report is the ARMLS Pending Price Index™ (ARMLS PPI). This report predicts the direction of the market three months into the future based on pending sales in flexmls. The PPI Supplement focuses on new pending properties added each month to the MLS system and includes analysis and $/SQ FT at various price points.

Click the following link to access the June issue of STAT

Click the following link to access the June issue of ARMLS PPI™

Current and back issues of STAT and ARMLS PPI™ are available on the ARMLS website at: STAT Library

1. Accelerate your payments. You may think it impossible to make more payments on your mortgage, but you would be surprised at what a little sacrifice will do to shrink your mortgage. If you are allowed to, then consider using your tax refund or job bonus to make a few extra payments. Just paid off a car? Great! Pretend like you haven’t and continue making a few of those would be car payments go to your mortgage. Or better yet, plan into your budget a few times a year to make an extra payment or two. By adding these extra payments, you will cut years from the time it takes to pay off your mortgage inevitably saving you thousands of dollars in interest.

2. Eliminate debt elsewhere. Budget a payment plan to pay off large amounts of debt elsewhere, like credit cards, or auto debt. Once you’ve paid those off, use the new savings to make larger payments each month on your mortgage. Since the money has already been budgeted into your finances, you aren’t really sacrificing anything, and still paying off your mortgage sooner. This is saving you money in the long run by paying off your principle faster so you don’t end up paying as much interest.

3. Refinance. You can lower your interest rate saving you money in the long run. You can also opt to keep your monthly payments the same or a little higher. With current record breaking numbers when it comes to foreclosures a lender, such as LegacyLendingGroup.com, would rather give you a lower interest rate than risk not getting paid. This will save you thousands on interest and help you pay down the principle much faster.