Tempe Town Lake Dam Repair Video

August 20, 2010

A video by the city of Tempe explaining what they are doing to repair Tempe Town Lake in the aftermath of the dam collapse:

Continue reading...

August 2010 Pending Price Index

August 19, 2010

Here’s the August 2010 update from ARMLS (Arizona Regional MLS) for their Pending Price Index (bolding is mine): THE ARMLS Pending Price Index™ (PPI™) is a predictive market tool exclusive to ARMLS. The Index uses pending sales data from the Arizona Regional MLS system to predict Median sales price and Average sales price three to [...]

Continue reading...

Tempe August Appreciation Dip

August 15, 2010

Last month I commented on a graph showing an apparently improving trend in Tempe home value appreciation based on price per square foot.   Unfortunately, the August update shows a significant downward movement going from essentially flat appreciation to  -13% (click chart for larger image): A recent Arizona Republic article highlights the near term negative outlook: [...]

Continue reading...

Tempe Town Lake Dam News

July 27, 2010

The City of Tempe is working to clean up the aftermath of the Town Lake dam collapse.  Here are links to news and updates on the city website: Tempe begins Town Lake cleaning efforts Tempe working to prevent mosquito, bird strike issues Dam Replacement Updates and FAQ Pressure readings indicate Town Lake dam was functional [...]

Continue reading...

Tempe Town Lake Dam Collapse

July 22, 2010

Unfortunately, the Tempe Agent News blog header photo above showing the Tempe Mill Avenue Bridge crossing Tempe Town Lake no longer represents reality. The lake is man made in the river bed of the Salt River (which is normally dry in this section of the river). It is enclosed on both ends by dams made [...]

Continue reading...

Tempe Annual Appreciation History – Improving Trend?

July 19, 2010

Encouraging chart showing the long term history of Tempe’s average annual appreciation (click for larger image): While solid evidence of major improvement since last year, there are still many uncertainties in the housing market.  Hopefully the trend will continue into positive appreciation over the next year.

Continue reading...

Tax Credit Closing Deadline Extended

July 1, 2010

Congress passed an extension to the homebuyer tax credit closing deadline which was signed into law by President Obama.  Buyers now have until September 30, 2010 to close their home purchases.   The previous deadline was June 30th for buyers under  contract by April 30, 2010.

Continue reading...

Phoenix Area May 2010 Home Sales Reports

June 27, 2010

Here are a couple of May 2010 home sales reports provided by the Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service (ARMLS) and the ASU Realty Studies department: Click for ARMLS May home sales statistics report Click for ASU Realty Studies May Resale Home Market report The ASU report includes a breakdown of activity by city.

Continue reading...

Assessed Value Vs. Market Value

May 29, 2010

Many people confuse the assessed value of a home used for property tax calculations as equivalent to market value.  While in some cases, the two may be similar, usually they can be very different.  The basic problem with the assessed valuation is that it is calculated at one point in time, usually no more than [...]

Continue reading...

“Contact Me” Problem Fixed

May 22, 2010

My apologies to anyone that used my “Contact Me” form recently.  A  problem prevented it from sending your message to me even though it indicated your message was sent.  It is working now, please resend your comment if you still want to get in touch.

Continue reading...