Coronado Historic Home Tour

On Sunday, March 30th, 2008 the Coronado Historic District in Phoenix will be hosting a neighborhood festival and home tour.  This is a self-guided tour of a dozen or so homes that showcase history, architecture, design, gardens and decorating style.  Plus, it is simply a nice event to enjoy a warm day in a charming part of downtown Phoenix.  There will be a trolley circulating on the route as well, or you may choose to walk. Tickets are $15 on the day of event or $13 if purchased on the website prior to Sunday. Homes are open from 10am-5pm (ticket sales stop at 4pm).

There will also be a festival with music, food, and other vendors.  Visit the historic neighborhood’s website at http://www.gcna.info/hometour/default.htm to get more information.  Pick up your wrist-band ticket at Coronado Park at the intersection of 12th Street and Palm.  See you there!

Coronado Park
1717 N. 12th St.
Phoenix, 85006

Best Places to Get Foreclosure Deals

In markets where housing appears to be stabilizing, buying a foreclosure could be a very good deal.

Forbes magazine has analyzed the country’s 100 largest metro areas and then differentiated among inexpensive foreclosure markets and those that were undervalued.

For instance, there are plenty of homes going for practically nothing in Detroit, but the chances of recouping your investment are made more difficult because of the city’s economic challenges. On the other hand in a city like Raleigh, N.C., where the local economy is booming, searching for and buying a discounted foreclosed property could be a very good deal.

Forbes identified the healthiest economies and then looked at the spread between median prices and foreclosure prices, with data supplied by RealtyTrac, to determine where banks and sellers were offering the largest discounts on foreclosed properties.

Here are the top 10 cities where the magazine believes the best bargains can be found:

1. Charlotte, N.C.
2. Raleigh, N.C.
3. Nashville, Tenn.
4. Oklahoma City, Okla.
5. San Antonio, Texas
6. Albuquerque, N.M.
7. Knoxville, Tenn.
8. Seattle, Wash.
9. Indianapolis, Ind.
10. Washington, DC-Arlington-Alexandria, Va.

Source: Forbes, Matt Woolsey and Jon Bruner (03/19/08)

2002-2007 – What happened in my zip code?

Curious what today’s market means for your zip code or neighborhood? Look at this example of the Real Estate Market in Gilbert, AZ zip code 85234 (NW Gilbert).  Notice the incredible run up in prices during 2005 when supply and demand favored sellers?  Now notice the correction going on today.

If you’d like to have one of these graphs for your area, email me at Becky@BeckyWyattOnline.com or call 480-383-9209 and I’ll get one to you!

85234 – Resale Home Sales by Zip Code Data only available for years in which 50 or more homes were sold.
Year	Median Price	% Change from Prior Year	Number of Homes Sold
2007	$301,510	-7.2%	679
2006	$325,000	8.4%	879
2005	$299,900	42.8%	1,325
2004	$210,000	12.9%	1,306
2003	$186,000	9.4%	1,035
2002	$170,000	–	760

Source: Analysis by Ryan Konig of The Arizona Republic, using data from Information Market

What a Buyer’s Market Looks Like:

Good New for all Buyers, Good News for Gilbert Sellers.

Gilbert home resales rise as prices fall

Kerry Fehr-Snyder
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 11, 2008 11:40 AM

First, the good news:  The number of single-family homes resold in Gilbert increased to 265 in February from 230 the same month last year.

Now the bad news:  The town’s median, or middle, sales price fell to $254,700 from $307,500 for the February 2007.

Other Southeast Valley cities, meanwhile, saw declines in both number of homes resold and their median prices in February compared with the same month a year ago.

• Mesa’s resale market dipped to 390 homes from 460, while the median price fell to $208,750 from $238,500.

• Chandler’s resales fell to 230 from 280, and the median price fell to $244,000 from $307,500.

• Tempe recorded 80 sales and a median price of $240,000 compared with 135 sales and a $280,000 median price last year.

• Ahwatukee’s resale market fell to 65 from 85, and the median price fell to $307,700 from $373,000.

Good Sushi in Gilbert

It exists!  My husband and I have been driving 40 min to go to a great sushi restaurant – Akai Hana (also known as Mr. Sushi) in Phoenix (8041 N Black Canyon Hwy, Phoenix, AZ 85021 ).  But, finally we have found a good sushi restaurant closer to home.  Sushi Ave. is located in the NW corner of Guadalupe and Higley.  866 N. Higley Rd. #101, Gilbert, AZ 85234. 

The atmosphere is chic with low-light candles on the tables and a granite counter sushi bar.  Every hostess and sushi chef greets you when you arrive and thanks you when you leave.  I heard that the manager of Sushi Ave. used to work for RA  – an upscale and typically overpriced restaurant chain. 

My husband likes to order the Sashimi (truly raw pieces of Tuna, Salmon, Crab, Red Snapper etc.)  I prefer the rolls – often cooked.  My favorite at Sushi Ave. is the “Caterpillar Roll” that has a sweet terriaki-like sauce.  The California Rolls are also really fresh and crisp.  We also tend to order the Edamame (edible soybeans with sea salt) and the hot green tea. 

 Feel welcome to post a comment with your own review of Sushi Ave.