Arizona Real Estate Notebook

This graph I created from Case-Shiller data for metropolitan Phoenix seems to explain a lot of what we have seen happen to home prices in Phoenix, Arizona. The lowest priced homes continued to appreciate significantly for 6 months or so after the middle and high priced homes had started to peak. I suppose the lenient [...]

What happens to your credit score and ability to buy a home after a foreclosure, bankruptcy or short sale The post below was stripped from an email I received from Ryan Halldorson, Smart Financial Mortgage, 602-793-7204. One of the questions that I unfortunately get asked a lot these days is what happens to someone that [...]

Home prices fell 3.6% from October to November according to the Case-Shiller Home Price Index for Phoenix, Arizona. Metropolitan Phoenix home prices at the peak in June 2006 were 74% more expensive than in November 2008. Below are my comments from last month and they still hold true. We probably won’t see prices of Phoenix [...]

Real estate geeks will love this year-end review of the 2008 U.S. residential housing market from Case-Shiller.

Demand for Arizona real estate is definitely increasing. The listing below which is well priced – and no, it’s not a short sale – had 4 showings yesterday! Detailed MLS listing information

The Phoenix Suns have lost 4 of their last 5. But they were in New York so it was easy for Associated Press (AP) to throw together a puff piece on Shaq called, “Healthy Shaq has Suns contending.” Huh? The Suns are 9th in the Western Conference. “Contending” for 8th, maybe. Added: Where have the [...]

Shift made a comment about VA also having a Streamline program in the post below about the FHA Streamline Refinancing. Seeing Shift’s comment, Justin McHood of ArizonaMortgageTeam.com volunteered more information about VA Streamline Refinancing, below. When interest rates drop, the VA Interest Rate Reduction Refinancing Loan (also known as the VA Streamline program) becomes a [...]

Robyn Robertson of Suburban Mortgage sent me some information on this program that I think could help a lot of people. Suburban was offering a no cost streamline refi for FHA loans, rate 5.5%. Call Robyn and see what the rate is now. Streamline means: no appraisal no income no cost All they need is [...]

All the zip code real estate charts available via the list of zip codes in the right-hand column have now been updated through December 2008 with the number of home sales, the median home price and the median home price per square foot.

I’ve got a message out to the vendor, Diverse Solutions, to figure out what the problem is. In addition, if you have created an account here or here and you set it up to send you email updates of new MLS listings, those aren’t working either. Sorry about that!

From uber to bust.

My wife is part of a meditation group that gets together every Sunday afternoon at a Congregational church in East Phoenix. Once a year the group has a one-day Mediation Retreat for beginners and current meditators. This year Liz is helping organize the “retreat” which is this coming Saturday. Passage Meditation There are different styles [...]

The Wall Street Journal has an article on bankruptcy cramdowns for primary residences in general and Citibank’s capitulation in particular. Until recently, Citigroup had fiercely opposed proposals to give bankruptcy judges latitude to change the terms of mortgages. Its about-face comes after the federal government has pumped $45 billion into the company since last fall. [...]