$8,000 First-Time Buyer Tax Credit

Even if prices were to fall lower, lower mortgage rates drop or escalate, President Obama’s $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit makes this Arizona home prices so appealing, especially in a market like Arizona real estate where in some areas we have taken a beating!

If the News says it’s bad, I say it’s Good!

I can attest to you that there are some amazing deals to be had and if you are even thinking of second guessing the bottom, turn on your local news and CNN and listen to what is being said about the negative real estate markets! Well, sheesh isn’t that the time we should as home seekers taking advantage of the market? Everything I know as a home buyer, real estate professional is a definate, YES!

Great Homes to Buy in Arizona, Of course there is!

If you are looking for a Arizona vacation home, golf course property in Arizona or perhaps a primary resident or first time home in Arizona then perhaps you should take a moment and search for Arizona real estate homes for sale on my personal home search designed just for you!

If you have any questions or concerns about homes for sale in Arizona, please don’t hesitate to contact me direct with all your real estate questions!

Foreclosures in Arizona

Gilbert Foreclosed Homes for Sale

Phoenix Homes for Sale

A good local friend and Broker, Jay Thompson hit’s it on the head with investors coming to the valley and buying up foreclosures! The inventory rate has shrunk and there are less and less foreclosures to purchase! Jay states there are less than a month’s worth of Arizona inventory homes in the single family home market for foreclosures! I’m here to tell you, he is spot on!

I’ve helped a huge amount of Canadian clients picking up second homes, vacation homes and investment properties in the Queen Creek and the Mesa area and will be back to business this week with three new clients doing the same from Canada! I love my Canadian clients, they really are some amazing and kind people and make my job so much fun!

I’ve even heard speculation that come November there is going to be another wave of foreclosures coming on the market! There are still plenty of deals to be had and if you are patient and diligent about allowing a real estate professional guide you and help you find the right home, you no doubt will put yourself in a win/win situation as a new investor or seasoned investor! If you are a first time home buyer, buying now with the first time $8000 tax credit is just one of the many pluses for you by end of year!

If you are considering jumping into the investment market or looking to pick up a vacation home in Arizona then be sure to be prepared for the following:

1. Do Your Homework!

2. Prepare for a Bidding War!

Search Phoenix Single Family Foreclosures Under 200K	Search Phoenix Condo/Townhouses Foreclosures Under 200K
Search Phoenix Single Family Foreclosures Under 400K	Search Phoenix Condo/Townhouses Foreclosures Under 300K
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Search Phoenix Single Family Foreclosures Under 800K	Search All Residential Phoenix Foreclosures

Join in the three day fun filled celebration.  If you haven’t made your way to the SanTan Village Westcor mall on Williams Field Rd and SanTan Village Parkway (Greenfield Rd) then you really should treat yourself. 

View List of Stores at SanTan Village Mall in Gilbert

The outdoor environment is pretty awesome this time of year.  A must have cookie from my favorite hangout that also is my home away from home office, Paradise Bakery is conveniently up front and has easy access at the west side of the mall.

Thursday, March 19th* will be the Community Shopping Day at Macy’s.  Buy a $10 ticket at any store entrance and you’ll instantly get $10 off one purchase of $25 or more. You can also save 20% on almost every purchase you make!  Ticket sales proceeds go directly to local charities. Nothing like shopping where you live and helping out local Gilbert charities.  Oh– don’t forget to register for your chance to win $500 Macy’s shopping spree! Someone has to win, why not you!

Friday, March 20th* will be Macy’s official Grand Opening ceremony with a ribbon-cutting scheduled at 9:45am. If you are the one of the first 500 people in the doors that morning you will receive a $10 Macy’s gift card, not bad with everyone cutting back these days. I know what I can get half off in the cosmetic counter. You might want to stick around for the fashion and cooking events, musical entertainment, activities for the kids, fashion makeovers and more chances to win prizes.

Saturday, March 21st* with be set aside for Family Day. Make it a family day with the kids for kid friendly events. The first 150 people the spend $100 or more will get to pick up a few Culture Pass in the Kids department. It’s good for admission for four people to more than twelve cultural venues through the Phoenix area.

This time of year the flower beds and cool breeze through the outdoor walkways makes this even a great excuse to load up the kids and treat them to the outside kids zone.

One thought would be to live and shop in our community not only for the benefits of the revenue but to also help with the local charities! Hope you enjoy your visit.

*Events are subject to change

If you are looking to buy a foreclosure in Phoenix, Arizona then this news is for you!

The City of Phoenix will begin offering home buyers thousands of dollars toward the purchase of a foreclosed home. If you are a home buyer searching for a foreclosed single family home, townhouse or condominium within the Phoenix city limits then you could qualify for a new program that will award home buyers $15,000 dollars.

One of the criteria’s is to be able to qualify and be deemed creditworthy by FHA (Federal Housing Administration). Potential buyers must also complete a mandatory eight hour counseling session on home ownership.

There are a few catches currently known, one is that home buyers have to repay the full amount of the loan if they ever sell the home or refinance. The second catch is that there are two informational meetings about the new program that will be held this Monday, March 16, 2009 at the Phoenix City Council Chambers at 200 W Jefferson St. The two meetings will be at 2:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Some questions are left unanswered like can you buy a second home, investment home? All the answers no doubt will be answered if you attend the meetings. If you are searching for a foreclosure within the City of Phoenix and would like more information about this program, stay tuned as I find out more information as it becomes available.

Search Phoenix Single Family Foreclosures Under 200K	Search Phoenix Condo/Townhouses Foreclosures Under 200K
Search Phoenix Single Family Foreclosures Under 400K	Search Phoenix Condo/Townhouses Foreclosures Under 300K
Search Phoenix Single Family Foreclosures Under 600K	Search Phoenix Condo/Townhouses Foreclosures Under 400K
Search Phoenix Single Family Foreclosures Under 800K	Search All Residential Phoenix Foreclosures

The Concerts in the Park Series is held at the beautiful Freestone Park Amphitheater, located by the lake in Freestone
Park (Lindsay and Juniper Roads). There is no charge for these concerts, and you and your family are invited to bring a blanket or lawn chair and enjoy an evening under the stars. Food and beverages are available to purchase.

The Desert City Six
will treat audiences to authentic New Orleans style Dixieland Jazz!
Bring your lawn chairs and blankets and enjoy an evening of great music under the stars!

When:  Thursday, March 5th from 6:30-8:30pm
Location:  Freestone Park Amphitheater located by the lake at Freestone Park,
1045 E. Juniper Ave.

Parking is free and food and beverages will be available for purchase.  Wildflower Bread Company will also be handing out a delicious array of samples.

Upcoming Concerts:
Jonnie and Brookie on Thursday, April 9th from 6:30-8:30pm
Cold Shott and the Hurricane Horns on Thursday, May 7th from 7-9pm
Night Groove on Thursday, June 4th from 7-9pm

The Spring Concerts in the Park Series is produced by The Town of Gilbert Community Services Department and sponsored by The Gilbert Republic and Wildflower Bread Company.

Spring Concerts in the Park Series brochure

Obama traveled to Arizona Wednesday to share the details of a $75 billion foreclosure prevention plan created to aid millions of distressed homeowners and jolt the housing market out of its stupor.

There is lots of speculation now that the plan has been enacted on how the money will be spent, who will this help and will the money be wasted. Will this be the help for homeowners at risk of default and foreclosure?

According to what President Obama said in Mesa, AZ on Wednesday, February 18, 2009, “In the end, all of us are paying a price for this home mortgage crisis. And all of us will pay an even steeper price if we allow this crisis to continue to deepen.  But if we act boldly and swiftly to arrest this downward spiral, every American will benefit.”

It appears the plan for homeowners is organized into three categories:

1) Help for homeowners making their payments but at risk of default and foreclosure.

• Homeowners with a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac loan would be eligible to refinance as long as their mortgage doesn’t exceed 105 percent of the home’s current market value. Currently owners need to have at least 20 percent equity. Potential impact: 4-5 million households.

2) Help for homeowners already in default and in need of loan modification.

• For lenders that voluntarily agree to lower a borrower’s payment so that it makes up no more than 38 percent of the borrower’s income, the government would share the cost of lowering the mortgage burden to 31 percent of income. Incentives to lenders to participate include a $1,000 payment. Borrowers can receive up to $1,000 as an incentive to stay current on their new mortgage. Still in the works is a proposed provision that would allow bankruptcy judges to require loan modification (known as a cramdown) as part of a household’s restructuring. That provision requires legislation by Congress. Estimated potential impact: 3-4 million households.

3) Doubled resources to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

• To encourage investors to buy the secondary market companies mortgage-backed securities, the government explicitly backstops them to up to $400 billion, twice the current amount.

Here’s what this plan will do: For the very first time, this plan helps those who have acted responsibly, played by the rules, and made their mortgage payments. This will help people who aren’t in trouble yet keep from getting in trouble. You can’t stay in this program unless you continue to make mortgage payments.

Here’s what this plan won’t do: It won’t help somebody trying to flip a house. It won’t bail out an investor looking to make a quick buck. It won’t help speculators that were betting on a risky market. And it is not going to help a lender who knowingly made a bad loan. And it is not going to help — as the President said in Phoenix (Mesa), it is not going to help somebody who has long ago known they were in a house they couldn’t afford. That’s why the President was very clear in saying this was not going to stop every person’s home from being foreclosed.

Here’s a few documents that will help you understand the plan, how it will work, and how it will affect you:

Executive Summary – Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan
Fact Sheet
Housing Example Sheet
Q&A

If you are looking to find some help with loan modifications and need some answers to your questions be sure ask by way of a comment or contact Justin McHood our Loan expert contributor.  You can also find some other great articles in our Mortgage FAQ section.

The 38th Annual Fiesta Bowl will be played at the University of Phoenix Stadium (formerly known as Cardinals Stadium) in Glendale, Arizona on Monday, January 5, 2009. The very first Fiesta Bowl was played on Dec. 27, 1971, and hometown favorite, Arizona State University, won the game.

The University of Phoenix Stadium is located in Glendale, Arizona and is used for a variety of events throughout the year.  University of Phoenix Stadium opened in 2006 and the main venue is to host football games.  With it’s modern flair inside and out, the fans love what it has to offer.

Did you know that Arizona claims one of a kind retractable field and roof stadium? The University of Phoenix Stadium Stadium has a retractable roof and field that is one of a kind in North America.  Be sure to check out the Youtube video to your left of the design and mechanics of the stadium.

The Arizona Cardinals of the NFL are the only tenant that uses University of Phoenix Stadium on a regular basis. However the BCS Division I College Football Tostitos Fiesta Bowl is also played at this venue each year.

University of Phoenix Stadium can accommodate 63,400 people.  But if necessary, this number can be expanded to 73,000. So even though it can be tough to get a seat to an event at University of Phoenix Stadium, if you work hard enough you should be able to find one that is perfect.

When is the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl?

The Fiesta Bowl will be played on Monday, January 5, 2009. Pre-Game is at 5:40 p.m. MST and Kick Off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.  Arizona time and the address to the University of Phoenix Stadium is 1 W Cardinals Way, Glendale, AZ 85305.

How do I find University of Phoenix Stadium? Map to the University of Phoenix Stadium, formerly known as Cardinals Stadium, is located in Glendale, Arizona just northwest of Phoenix. It is located between the Loop 101 and 91st Ave., Maryland Ave. and Bethany Home Road.  Leave plenty of time–there will be quite a crowd!

Will the Fiesta Bowl be televised? Yes, it will be carried by Fox Sports. How much are the tickets? Well if you can find one at this time you might be paying a pretty penny.  Through a ticket broker they start around $100 and higher, again at this stage in the game they are pretty scarce and the price could be pretty inflated to get that seat.

If you get a chance to find a ticket or are holding tickets, perhaps you might want to see a seating chart for the University of Phoenix Stadium and make all of us envious!

No tickets to the game? No Problem! Hang out at the 2009 Bowl Week Football Blast at Westgate City Center.
Hang out and enjoy the festivities on the plaza with food, drinks, live music and action on the Miller Screen! Plus, visit one of Westgate’s many bars and restaurants to celebrate and spend the day.

Who is playing in the Fiesta Bowl this year?
The No. 3 Longhorns (11-1) will play No. 10 Ohio State (10-2) in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona. Ohio State will wear white jerseys and use the west bench. Texas will wear dark jerseys and use the east bench. They have met twice before, and each team one once.

Ohio State Buckeyes have come to the Fiesta Bowl 5 times, and they won the last four times. The last time they played here in the Fiesta Bowl was in 2006. The Texas Longhorns here once in 1997 and they lost.

Where should I look for a hotel room?
If you are just coming in for the game and related festivities, you’ll probably want to stay at a hotel in Glendale.

What if I have more questions about the Fiesta Bowl? You can visit Fiesta Bowl online, or call 480-350-0900.

If you are traveling to the metro Phoenix area and have some time to enjoy the desert and find you might like to see some of the real estate while in town, please feel free to call me and we can arrange showings that fit your schedule before or after the game of course!

Glendale Homes Under 500K

Glendale Homes Over 500K

Mitchell Park East and Mitchell Park West Neighborhood Associations and the theater group Childsplay will start planting at 8 a.m. on Saturday, December 6th with the Trees for Tempe program, which plans to replace those 400 trees that were ravaged by the monsoon season.  Volunteers will be planting 46 trees Saturday morning at Mitchell Park in Tempe to replace trees that were damaged or destroyed by summer’s storms.

Denise Rentschler, community outreach coordinator for Tempe’s Parks and Recreation Department, said “Everybody is really excited and they are looking forward to having abundant shade in the park again.  We’re going to provide shade for benches and playgrounds that are already there.”

Volunteers will plant 45 15-gallon trees, including thornless mesquite, ash, Chinese pistache, elm and museum paloverde trees. One 48-inch box tree and a Chinese pistache will replace the mesquite tree that once greeted parkgoers at the entrance of Mitchell Park, at Mitchell Drive and Ninth Street.

Forty of the trees were donated to Trees for Tempe by the Phoenix branch of RISO, a Tempe-based digital printing company. Earlier this year RISO joined with the Arbor Day Foundation to help plant 100,000 trees over the next four years. The other six trees were part of a 100-tree donation from Rebuilding Together Valley of the Sun, a local nonprofit that helps repair homes for low-income elderly and disabled homeowners.

Trees for Tempe was created in 2006 by Tempe orthodontist Dr. Paul Bonham, who pledged to give $40 to the city for every new patient that he received. Bonham hoped to replace trees that were damaged by strong winds and to allow Tempe residents and businesses to get involved through monetary donations and volunteer service. The program was revived after summer’s storms tore through Tempe’s trees once again. It is now expanded to include the city’s urban forest.

The surrounding neighborhoods will surely appreciate the work of the volunteers that will bring back the shade for the playgrounds and benches throughout the park. What a wonderful way to pay back your community and get involved!

Mitchell Park East	Mitchell Park West
West 9th Street 315 Households Built: 1930′s – 1950′s Boundaries: University-13th St Roosevelt-Farmer Schools: Holdeman Elementary School Gililland Middle School Tempe High School (TU)	West 11th Street 274 Households Built: 1940′s – 1960′s Boundaries: University-13th St Hardy-Roosevelt Schools: Holdeman Elementary School Gililland Middle School Tempe High School (TU)

Available Single Family Homes in the Holdeman Elementary and Gililand Middle School districts. Feel free to search the area homes available in this Tempe real estate market below:

The Big Pour festival comes to Hohokam Stadium on November 22, 2008 in Mesa, the spring training facility of the Chicago Cubs. Benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale, The Big Pour will feature over 75 local, regional, national and international breweries – plus a wide range of educational and recreational components. These include live music, entertainment pavilions with pool, darts, foosball and ping pong, an “Ask the Brewer” area, and displays on home brewing, beer history and culture. Join a lot of your friends in sampling 100+ brands of beer.

The Big Pour features two sessions: 12pm – 4pm & 5pm – 9pm. General Admission is $35.00, VIP is $50.00, Super VIP is $75.00 and the Designated Driver is $15.00. It appears the Super VIP is the best deal which includes all the food and beer. The Super VIP Lounge, also located on the concourse level, which will feature a Mexican buffet for which there is no charge.  Plus an invitation to the Brewers Bash on Friday Night, November 21.

Proceeds from The Big Pour benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale.

If you are traveling from out town or just want to enjoy the weekend, here are some hotels near the Stadium for your convenience:

Best Western Dobson Ranch
Official Site
1666 S. Dobson Road
Mesa, AZ 85202-5699
Tel: 1-480-831-7000

Best Western Mezona Inn
Official Site
250 West Main Street
Mesa, Arizona, 85201
Tel: 1-800-528-8299
Fax : 1-480-844-7920

Hilton Phoenix East Mesa
Official Site
1011 West Holmes Avenue
Mesa, Arizona
Tel: 1-480-833-5555
Fax: 1-480-649-1886

Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites
Official Site
Phoenix-Mesa/Chandler
1600 S. Country Club Drive
Mesa, AZ 85210 United States
Tel: 1-800-315-2605

Marriot Phoenix, Mesa
Official Site
200 N Centennial Way
Mesa, AZ 85201
Tel: 1-480-898-8300

As for the  weekend Freeway Restrictions in the Phoenix Valley you might want to just simply keep the car parked all the way around! Depending on your Halloween travel requirements – you may want to consider that as a scary hot tip for this weekend . . . because the way it looks- it’s simply not safe for a ghoul or goblin out there!

Remembering the areas affected by the new installation of DPS speed enforcement cameras . . . after these are installed and working, I bet a number of us will wish that we could disappear like a ghost!  The following areas are targeted for this weekend, so you will need to find alternative routes for these affected areas (closures range from 10 pm Friday to Sunday at 5 am):

• Northbound Loop 101 (Agua Fria Freeway) closed between Glendale and Northern Avenues

• Southbound 1-17 closed between the I-10 “Stack” and 24th Street
• Eastbound I-10 closed between 59th and 19th avenues

In addition, ADOT road closures will pop up in other areas of the valley as well.  This witches brew of construction activity includes closing a section of Northbound Loop 101 between Warner Road and Southern Avenue throughout the weekend for carpool lane construction and closing Westbound I-10 between State Route 143 (Hohokam Expressway) and I-10/I-17 “Split” from midnight to 7 a.m. Saturday.

Image via Wikipedia

Now the work in the other affected areas of the valley will result in the “watch out/slow down” lane restriction variety (narrowing the freeway to one or two lanes), however, in most cases the restrictions will last throughout the weekend.  Areas affected include (see map or details below for exact areas):

• I-10 (Westside of town near Dysart Road)
• Southbound Loop 101 (Scottsdale area/Loop 202)
• State Route 51 (North side of town near Greenway)
• US 60 (Tempe near I-10)

As you can tell, many areas will be under some type of closure and/or lane restrictions this weekend.  Your options might be better if you fire up your broom and take it for a spin and avoid the street traffic, but if you must. . . check out the best possible route beforehand and identify alternatives routes as well, just in case.   As always, buckle up and drive safely! Have a Happy Halloween too!

Weekend Freeway Restrictions in Phoenix Area (Oct. 31-Nov. 3)

PHOENIX —Several projects to add new lanes and make other improvements along Phoenix area freeways will require closures or lane restrictions this weekend (Oct. 31-Nov. 3). The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) recommends drivers use alternate routes and allow extra travel time.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety has recently begun a project to install speed-enforcement cameras on freeways around metro Phoenix . While the Arizona Department of Transportation does not operate this program, ADOT is working with DPS to create safe work zones while crews install the cameras.

To facilitate the safe work zones, occasional restrictions and closures may be necessary to install the camera hardware on freeway shoulders, and to embed sensors into the freeway pavement. ADOT will make every effort to keep the public informed when these installation activities affect freeway traffic.

The following closures and restrictions are for freeway construction work:

• Northbound Loop 101 (Price Freeway) closed between Warner Road and Southern Avenue from 11 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday (Nov. 3) for carpool lane construction. US 60 ramps to northbound Loop 101 also closed. DETOUR: Northbound traffic will detour along frontage road.

• Westbound I-10 closed between State Route 143 (Hohokam Expressway) and I-10/I-17 “Split” from midnight to 7 a.m. Saturday (Nov. 1) for freeway maintenance. DETOUR: I-10 traffic can use northbound SR 143 to westbound Loop 202 to reach I-10.

• US 60 (Superstition Freeway) narrowed to two lanes between I-10 and McClintock Drive for start of widening project. Eastbound US 60 narrowed from 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. Saturday (Nov. 1). Westbound US 60 narrowed from 11 p.m. Saturday to 9 a.m. Sunday (Nov. 2). DETOUR: Be prepared to slow down and merge safely in the work zone.

• State Route 51 narrowed to two lanes between Greenway Road and Loop 101 (Pima Freeway) for carpool lane construction. Northbound SR 51 narrowed from 10 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday (Nov. 1). Southbound SR 51 narrowed from 10 p.m. Saturday to 4 a.m. Sunday (Nov. 2). Westbound Loop 101 ramp to southbound SR 51 also closed during Saturday night restriction. DETOUR: Be prepared to slow down and merge safely in the work zone.

• Southbound Loop 101 (Pima Freeway) narrowed to two lanes between Via De Ventura and Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday (Nov. 3) for lane striping. DETOUR: Please slow down and merge safely in the work zone.

• I-10 narrowed to one lane in each direction between Dysart Road and Avondale Boulevard from 9 p.m. Sunday to 4 a.m. Monday (Nov. 3) for freeway widening work. DETOUR: Please slow down and merge safely in the work zone.

The following closures are for DPS photo enforcement camera installation this weekend:

• Northbound Loop 101 (Agua Fria Freeway) closed between Glendale and Northern avenues from 11 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday (Nov. 1). DETOUR: Traffic will exit at Glendale Avenue and take 91st or 99th avenues north to Northern Avenue .

• Southbound 1-17 closed between the I-10 “Stack” and 24th Street from 10 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday (Nov. 1). DETOUR: I-17 traffic can detour on eastbound I-10 through the Deck Park Tunnel.

• Eastbound I-10 closed between 59th and 19th avenues from 10 p.m. Saturday to 9 a.m. Sunday (Nov. 2). DETOUR: Traffic can detour south to Buckeye Road to 19th Avenue to reconnect with I-10.

For a complete listing of freeway and highway closures or restrictions across Arizona visit ADOT’s Travel Information site at www.az511.gov or call 5-1-1.

The Arizona Department of Transportation is coordinating freeway improvements throughout the Phoenix area.  These projects, including new freeways, additional lanes and interchanges, quiet rubberized asphalt, new landscaping and more, are included in the 20-year Regional Transportation Plan for Maricopa County .  More than $15 billion in comprehensive, diverse transportation improvements are funded in the plan through a voter-approved sales tax.  More information about ADOT’s work as part of the Regional Transportation Plan is available at www.ValleyFreeways.com.