What Kind of Deals Are Out There?

It seems like people are always asking us to tell them what good deals are out there in the housing market. So, since October, we have been posting a "Deal of the Week" property on our websites. These are properties which are not our listings and are not short sales. They may be bank owned properties that were foreclosed upon or owned by an individual. We look for properties that we think represent a lower price than similar properties in the same area. Others must agree with us because many of these properties have sold or are under contract. When that happens, we removed the property from the website.

Please realize that a property is only a good deal if it meets your needs. That should be your first consideration. Secondly, we look for properties that represent a good value. We do not guarantee that they are the best value available. There are lots of properties out there and we only pick one new condo/townhome or single family home each week.

So if you don't see something that sparks your interest, send us an email telling us what you are looking for and we'll do a search for you, or use the search buttons in the upper right of this blog to do your own search. (Email us at Pat@RealtySecrets.net)

See what you think of this week's deals:

Townhome - 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, 2 car garage in Tempe for $164,900

Single Family Home - 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, 2 car garage in Tempe for $184,900

Sunday is going to be HUGE

Looking for some fun this weekend? I suggest you head out to the Rock N Roll Marathon on Sunday morning. Watch 35,000 runners run from downtown Phoenix to ASU in Tempe. There's live bands about every mile on both the full marathon (26.2 miles) and the half marathon (13.1 miles). I'm doing the half this year, so look for bib #32622. Then, head on over to Glendale to either buy tickets to the game or just enjoy the atmosphere at all the bars and restaurants right outside the dome.

It's the Cardinals and Eagles fighting to be a Super Bowl team. This is a first for the Cardinals and for Arizona. Go Cardinals.

Then after the game, head back over to Tempe Town Lake to see Smashmouth. If you have a race bib, it's free. I can just see smashmouth fans begging for the race bibs at the finish line.

December 08 Real Estate Statistics

Above are graphs of local real estate statistics for the Phoenix area. Some of the East Valley cities seem to be doing better than the greater market area. Both Chandler and Gilbert saw significant reductions in the number of listings available for sale. Chandler went from 2714 in December of 07 to 2140 in December of 08. Gilbert went from 2712 in December of 2007 to 2260 in December of 08. Queen Creek has gone from about 16 months of inventory in January of 2008 to approximately 6 months of inventory in December of 2008. This was partially due to the large number of homes sold in Queen Creek in December 2008 - 346 versus 159 sold in the 12/07.

This data is supplied by the Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service. ARMLS, West USA, and Pat & Amy Monahan do not guarantee the accuracy of the data.

Baseball Exhibit at Mesa Historical Museum

Do you love spring training baseball games? The Mesa Historical Museum has a new exhibit which commemorates 100 years of professional baseball in Arizona - Play Ball: The Cactus League Experience. The exhibit will include interactive children's games and never-before-seen memorabilia. Their website - playballexperience.com - includes a history of the Cactus League. It even allows you to share your favorite Arizona spring training memory.

The Mesa Historical Museum is located at 2345 N Horne St. Call 480-835-7358 for more information.

Got Citrus?

It seems that 2008 was a good year for lemons. I can hear many of you making up jokes already. We had a bumper crop on our dwarf lemon tree. We will of course be making lemonade and perhaps lemon pie.

If you are one of the many Valley home owners with too much citrus, please consider donating it to St Mary's Food Bank Alliance. For a $10 per tree donation, volunteer gleaners will pick your citrus for donation.

For more information or to schedule a citrus pick-up call 623-344-2158.

A New Year - A Fresh Start

The Federal Housing Administration has a new website page full of information that will help you get your financial house in order. The page is titled My Money, My Home, My Future. This is for anyone wanted to review their finances and finacial plans not just home owners.

FHA - My Money, My Home, My Future