Phoenix AZ Urban

December 29, 2009

Phoenix Urban Real Estate 2010

Filed under: Home Values,Phoenix Urban Properties — Tags: , , , , — Chris F Campbell @ 3:49 pm

2009 is slowly moving into history as a year of one of the toughest real estate markets on record, especially in the Metro Phoenix area.  Many experts told us we’d hit the bottom of the market by the end of 2008 and 2009 we’d be coming out of the recession.  Now that we’re at the end of 2009, we know that wasn’t true.  Luckily, there are better signs now that we are nearing or at the bottom of the market and prices have stabilized for the most part.

            As good as that sounds, there are still communities that you need to be careful buying in.  The first thing you need to know is what reason you’re buying an Urban Condo.  Are you going to live in it or are you going to buy it as an investment property and rent it?  The next question is, how long do you plan on owning the property?  And the third question is, are you financing or paying cash?

Once you have these important questions answered, you can start to look.  Some properties are a good investment for cash buyers but may not be good for buyers needing to finance while others are good for a 5 year ownership plan and others might require a little longer time. 

RooPho Realty is very experienced in the Phoenix condo market and has been successfully helping many investors, owner occupied buyers and first time home buyers purchase the right property. 

Once you are ready to start the buying process, check out the many Metro Phoenix Urban properties on our website and then give us a call.  We’ll help you with the rest.  Our thorough understanding of the market conditions as well as the properties will help you make the right decision for you.   If you want a single family urban home, historic home or a condo or a townhouse, we have been working this market for 7 years and have extensive experience in everything in the Phoenix Urban market.

December 23, 2009

New Home Sales are Down in November

Filed under: Home Values,Phoenix Urban Properties,Tax Credits — Tags: , , , , — Chris F Campbell @ 8:43 am

While existing home sales were up in November over October by 7.4%, new home sales were down 11.3% according the Census Bureau.  They had expected new homes sales to go up in November but this could be an affect of the First Time Home buyers Federal Tax Credit.  To qualify for the tax credit you have to have closed on the purchase by November 30th.  New homes can take 3 to 4 months to build and close so it would appear many First Time Home Buyers went to the existing market for low prices and to qualify for the tax credit.  As nice as a new home can be there are many existing homes on the market that may need a little work and the tax credit can certainly help that.  Also, many new homes in the Phoenix area are out in the suburbs and many people are moving back into the city.

December 22, 2009

Homes Sales up in November.

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , — Chris F Campbell @ 12:52 pm

Home sales were up on November up 7.4% over October sales according to the National Association of Realtors.  This was due in part by the first time home buyers tax credit that was scheduled to end at the end of November but was extended through June.   Home sales have been up nationwide and even in the Phoenix market.  Phoenix once again has many homes that are priced so low the investors can’t stop themselves from buying and the first time home buyers are getting in on the action in part because of the Federal Tax Credit and also because the near record low interest rates.  There are many great Phoenix condos on the market at very good prices.  It’s not hard right now to find a nice 2 bedroom condo for under $100k.  With FHA financing you can get it for as little as 3% down.  Phoenix Historic homes are also back in play again with good prices.  There are many historic areas near Downtown and walking distance to the Phoenix Light Rail.  With Urban Living coming back into fashion in Phoenix and historic homes have been very desirable for years, it’s great to live in a home with character and be able to walk to a Light Rail stop.

Downtown Phoenix

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , — Chris F Campbell @ 11:00 am

Downtown Phoenix has made some real improvements since 2000.  The boom of the real estate market really helped and although the decline may have stopped many projects from getting off the ground, it also become more affordable with prices coming down.  The Downtown Phoenix Partnership has great information about the successes of Downtown Phoenix.  Check out the successes of Downtown Phoenix.

Phoenix Home Prices

Filed under: Home Values,Phoenix Urban Properties,Tax Credits — Tags: , , , , , — Chris F Campbell @ 10:34 am

Phoenix home prices went up over 50% in the boom of the market and now they are down about the same.  With interst rates still very low and federal tax credits, it’s a great time to buy.  There are news reports all the time in the last 12 to 18 months saying lenders are not lending but I have many clients that didn’t have a problem with many different lenders.  Try Legacy Home Mortgage, they do great work.  Then, check out some of the great properties around the Phoenix Metro area.  There are many great values all over town.  Some of the best values under $100k will be in the Phoenix condo market.  There are some nice Pheonix single family homes just under $100k but if you get down to $50k they normally need a lot of work.

December 21, 2009

What’s good in 2010 Phoenix Condo Real Estate?

Filed under: Home Values,Phoenix Urban Properties — Tags: , — Chris F Campbell @ 12:53 pm

There’s a lot changing in the real estate market although not as fast an many would like.  Many experts are expecting the market to bottom out in many areas of the United States but not all.  Phoenix is one of those places that always seems to do OK but this recession has certainly given us a challenge.  There are 3 new high profile Phoenix Downtown Condo projects that are still in trouble.  The Summit at Copper Square, 44 Monroe, The Chateaux on Central and Century Plaza.  All four projects are in bankrupcy in one form or another.  There are also other apartment condo conversion projects that have problems because they didn’t sell all the units when times were good so now they are converting the unsold units back to apartments.  This can be good or bad depending on your situation.  Investors are picking the forclosed condos up for much less in some communities.  Communities that turn unsold units back to apartments are hard to get a loan on so they become attractive to investors, although I have sold a couple of these to owner occupied buyers too.  Some of these communites are Citi on Camelback, Biltmore Square, The Dakota, La Terraza and Solaris.  Keep your eyes on these communites or go to www.phoenixazurban.com and we’ll help you determine if they are a good buy for you.

December 16, 2009

First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit Expanded

Filed under: Tax Credits — Tags: , , , — Chris F Campbell @ 11:15 am

The First Time Home buyers tax credit was not only extended but it has been expanded to include people who want to buy a home or second home.  The income minimum has been raised from $75k to $125k for a single person.  You must be in a contract by April 30th, 2010.  This can really help home sales.  There are great buys right now all over the valley.  Tempe has Bridgeview that over looks the Tempe Town Lake and has some really good prices.  

Bridgeview at Hayden Ferry Lakeside condominiums offers 104 luxury condominiums in an elegant 12-story tower all to be located on Tempe Town Lake. Enjoy the view of Tempe Bridge and downtown Phoenix skyline at sunset while you relax on your balcony of your condo at Bridgeview at Hayden Ferry Lakeside on Tempe Town Lake. Bridgeview at Hayden Ferry Lakeside condominiums has one, two, and three bedroom units, all with a private patio or balcony. Relax at the heated pool, spa or workout at the on-site fitness center at Bridgeview at Hayden Ferry Lakeside condominiums. Nearby Bridgeview is downtown Phoenix, Sky Harbor Airport, ASU, downtown Tempe, Mill Avenue, great clubs, restaurants, and ASU Sun Devil Stadium.

The Biltmore Area has the Biltmore Jewel which is another great community at good prices.  

Biltmore Jewel condominiums offers European styled architecture in a gated community located in the Biltmore Phoenix area. The builders of the Biltmore Jewel paid much attention to craftsmanship and design to create a special neighborhood that encompasses the traditional values of family, friends and gracious living at the Biltmore. At the Biltmore Jewel condominiums you’ll enjoy a peaceful village community linked by tree lined streets, lush landscape and a community pool. Be a part of Biltmore Jewel, close to exclusive shopping, restaurants and theater and the Biltmore Fashion Park.

December 15, 2009

2010 Interest Rates

Filed under: Uncategorized — Chris F Campbell @ 10:28 am

It appears that 2010 mortgage interest rates will remain low.  That’s great for home buyers and even those with Interest Only ARMS. (Adjustable Rate Mortgage).   The Fed has decided to leave the rate they charge banks at 0% for 2010 and maybe raise it in 2011.  This will give the economy more time to recover.  There are plenty of homes with low prices.  Most of the best deals on the market are bank owned.

December 4, 2009

Home Sales Increase

Filed under: Home Values — Tags: , , — Chris F Campbell @ 10:34 am

The National Association of Realtors reported the ninth month for increase in the number of signed contracts for homes in the US.  This isn’t the number of homes sold and some deals will fail but it’s a good indicator for the housing market. 

The NAR reported Pending Home Sales rose 3.7% from September to October and the index is 31.8% higher than a year ago.  That’s the biggest year-over-year gain in history.  As for the Phoenix market, home inventories have been going down to a four month supply and the home values have gone up from Spring of 2009 to the Fall of 2009.  Low Interest Rates and the Federal Tax Credit contributed to the good news and now that Congress has extended and expanded the Tax Credit there are high hopes that it will continue to help the market in 2010.

RooPho Realty has a 100% increase in sales in 2009, doubling any year we’ve had before in the number of homes we sold.  That’s huge in this economy and we’re very proud to say that we don’t only help the home owners in trouble or in the high value properties but many of these homes were under $50k and we continue to help people buy and sell in all areas of the market.

December 3, 2009

2010 Home Values

Filed under: Home Values,Phoenix Urban Properties — Tags: , , , , — Chris F Campbell @ 9:31 am

There are a few positive things that have happened in the economy in general and real estate specifically that are worth mentioning.  All these things combined show things are improving, although probably slowly and hopefully, steadily.

NPR (National Public Radio) reported on October 29th that the according to the US Commerce Department the US economy grew 3.5% in the third quarter, the most growth in 2 years.  

The LA Times reported interest rates did go up a bit but if you have good credit and can put some money down, you can still get an interest rate in the 5% range.  That is still a really good rate and no cause to worry that rates will jump through the roof in the up coming weeks or even months.   Legacy Home Mortgage has lower interest rates than many of the big banks, call Nick Heth and get a quote.  It certainly doesn’t hurt to ask.

Existing home sales of single family homes, condos and co-ops increased 9.4% nationwide compared to September of 2008 according to the National Association of Realtors, no doubt the First Time Home Buyers Tax credit along with low interest rates and low prices on homes is the reason why.   RooPho Realty sold twice the number of home in 2009 as we did in 2008, that’s a great accomplishment we are very proud of.

The Federal First Time Home Buyers tax credit has been extended.  You need to sign a contract by April 30th, 2010 and close by June 30th, 2010.  Also, single people can make up to $125,000 and married couples can make up to $225,000.  The bill also made more homeowners eligible to claim the credit on their taxes. First-time buyers — those who have not owned a home in the past three years — still qualify for an $8,000 rebate. But now people who want to trade up can also qualify. Those who have owned and occupied a residence for at least five years out of the past eight can claim a $6,500 tax credit if they close on a purchase by the end of June. 

I believe home prices have stabilized in the last quarter, that’s not to say they won’t go down any more.  It’s hard to say if they will stay where they are because I don’t think we are through with all the foreclosures.  If we get a big flood of foreclosures on the market it will be hard to keep the prices from falling more.  Some say that most of the people buying and getting the tax credit would have bought anyway, I’m not so sure about that.  I believe they would have wanted to buy but might not have if prices hadn’t stabilized and interest rates hadn’t stayed low so it’s really a combination of things and many of these First Time Home Buyers that did buy in the last few months would not have been able to buy if the real estate market has not stabilized enough.

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