What can I get for 75, 150, 250, 350, 450 and 525 thousand dollars?

Here is a recap of homes I have been showing clients recently.

$75,000 – PICTURE BELOW. This is a 3 bed 2 bath home built in 2004.  It has 1,300 square feet. It is located in Florence, AZ which is South of Queen Creek.  It is a bank-owned foreclosure in good condition with a view fence that backs to a golf course.

$170,000 – PICTURE BELOW. This is a 3 bed 2 bath home built in 2007 that has never been lived in.  The builder went bankrupt and is selling the property AS-IS.  This home has 1,854 square feet and is a 2 bedroom with a 1 bedroom casita (seperate entrance).  It is located in Gilbert, Arizona in Higley Park at Ray & Higley.

$249,000 – This is a 2,194 square feet 4 bed 2.5 bath home built in 2004.  This home is located in the popular Spectrum neighborhood at Pecos & Lindsay in Gilbert, AZ. Picture below.

$450,000 – This is a 5 bed 3 bath home that was newly completed in Oct. 2008.  It is located in Chandler, AZ near Germann & Gilbert Rd.  This home has close to 4,000 square feet with a loft. It has beautiful upgraded cabinetry, flooring, paint, granite countertops, etc and is in a popular subdivision. Picture below.

$525,000 – This is a 3 bed 2.5 bath home built in 1984 (with lots of remodeling).  It is located in Fountain Hills, AZ (East of Scottsdale, North of Mesa).  Very private lot with panoramic mountain views. Picture below.

Let me know if you’d like more information on any of these homes, price points or areas. – Becky Wyatt

Liberty Market in Gilbert, AZ

Liberty Market, located at 230 N. Gilbert Rd in historic downtown Gilbert, is the new restaurant by Joe Johnson (Joe’s Farm & Grill, Joe’s BBQ).  I’ve eaten here 3 times since it opened in Nov. 2008.  I’m writing this post in November 2008 – so yes, I’ve been here 3 times in it’s opening month!  Liberty Market has a hip, Italian vibe to it.  I personally love paninis so each time I go I’m trying a different “pressed sandwhich”.  My favorite so far has been the Arizona Sky for $7.50.  You can find their website and menu here. Also, when you go – check out ALL the bathrooms.  Seriously, open every door…the bathrooms alone deserve a blog post! – Becky

 

Italia Panini and the Sloppy Joe (extra sloppy).

Outside patio at Liberty Market

Liberty Market in downtown Gilbert

Gilbert Family Halloween Carnival

Date and Time : Saturday, October 25th, 2008 from 5-9pm
Location: Freestone Park Softball Complex, 1045 E. Juniper Rd. 
Price: $3 for ages 4 through adults, free for ages 3 and under
Activity Ticket Packages: $5 for 5 tickets; $10 for 15 tickets; $15 for 25 tickets; $25 for 50 tickets.

Children of all ages will enjoy this night of safe and friendly Halloween fun as they visit Frankenstein’s Fishing Hole, play Ghost Bingo, decorate pumpkins and take part in a costume parade.  The event will also have a variety of games, inflatable bounces and slides, a food and beverage court, vendor booths and entertainment stages.  Special guest entertainers Jonnie and Brookie will be performing on the main stage at 7pm. 

Advance admission and activity tickets may be purchased beginning Monday, October 13 through Friday, October 24at Freestone Recreation Center, McQueen Park Activity Center, Gilbert Community Center and the Community Services Department main office. 

Gilbert Named 28th Top Place to Live

 

Gilbert made it into the top 30 of the best small cities to live in the country, according to new rankings released by Money magazine.

The town ranked 28th, with the magazine noting Gilbert’s park and shopping development, schools and attempts at “retaining the charm” of downtown Gilbert.

Of the Arizona cities on the top-100 list, Gilbert rated the highest, beating out Chandler (No. 30), Scottsdale (No. 47) and Peoria (No. 55).

Gilbert last found itself on Money’s “best places” list in 2006, coming in at No. 16.

Info: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2008.

Excerp from Mike Walbert The Arizona Republic

For Sale in Gilbert

Two Hotels Coming to Gilbert

Marriott International Inc. plans to start construction in the first quarter of 2009 on two hotels in Gilbert.

The hotels, a Courtyard by Marriott and a Residence Inn, will both be on Santan Village Parkway in the SanTan Village retail and entertainment corridor, the company said.

Brian and Paul Welker, principals of Mesa-based Sunridge Properties Inc., will own and operate the hotels.

The Marriott hotels join a Hyatt Place and Hampton Inn planned for the Main Street Commons site near Val Vista Drive. and the Santan Freeway and the Western Legacy Suites planned at Power and Warner roads.

Gilbert’s currently has one hotel, the InTown Suites, an extended stay facility near Arizona Avenue and Guadalupe Road.

David van den Berg – Jun. 12, 2008 04:05 PM The Arizona Republic

Gilbert Home Auction

Looking for a good deal?  Not interested in the outskirts of Maricopa, Buckeye, Surprise, or Queen Creek?  Consider Gilbert!  Stillbrooke builders have thrown in the towel at their Higley Park Villages community and have handed over the 17 already-built homes over to a company to auction them off to the public at a steep discount.  What type of discount you ask?  How about $89,000 opening bid for a house that was once valued at $250,000?  The smallest home (1,550 square feet) in the Higley Park Villages going to auction starting out at $69,000 (allegedly once $236,000).  The largest home (2,302 square feet) will start bidding at $109,000 (allegedly once valued at $301,000).  Higley Park Villages is a neighborhood near the crossroads of Ray and Higley!

If you’d like to see pictures, prices and floorplans of the 17 homes being auctioned, let me know and I’ll get you the information.

The Auction will be held at the Sheraton Wild Horse Resort and Spa in Chandler on Saturday, April 19th only.  You must inspect properties prior to that date.  If you’d like more details about this action, feel welcome to email me at Becky@BeckyWyattOnline.com or call me at 480-383-9209. I plan on going to observe – I’d love some company!

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

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.