Happy Thanksgiving

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy



Maricopa County Pending Foreclosures for November 2011

The following line chart shows the inventory of properties in foreclosure on a weekly basis from 2002 onwards. The inventory of foreclosures pending represents the number of properties which are scheduled for sale by the trustee at some point in the future.


Inventory is increased by 1 whenever a notice of trustee sale is issued. Inventory is reduced by 1 when a trustee sale is cancelled. Inventory is also reduced by 1 when a trustee deed is issued to either a third party or the beneficiary (i.e. the lender). If the trustee deed is issued to the beneficiary then this adds 1 to our REO inventory and it no longer counts as a foreclosure pending.

The data is for the county of Maricopa and includes all real estate property types, including land and commercial. A commercial parcel counts as 1 foreclosure even if there are multiple structures within that parcel.

Each year is shown in a unique color and you can use the colored buttons to select which years are visible. Place the cursor over a circular plot symbol to see the date and value.
This chart  has weekly updates.

Residential Real Estate in Finley Farms, Gilbert, AZ

Top 10 companies hiring this week

Top 10 companies hiring this week


Good luck job hunting!

1. UPS

2. Macy’s

3. Chipotle

4. Chrysler-Mopar

5. Morgan Stanley

6. Bed, Bath, & Beyond

7. Hewlett-Packard (HP)

8. Extendicare health Services

9. Panera Bread Company

10. Yellowbook

Residential Real Estate in Finley Farms, Gilbert, AZ

FHA Loan limits restored!

The reinstated FHA loan limit formula and cap change will help make mortgages more affordable and accessible for hard-working, middle-class families in 669 counties in 42 states and territories, where the average loan limit reduction after the reset last month was more than $68,000. The provision reinstates the FHA loan limits through 2013 at 125 percent of local area median home prices, up to a maximum of $729,750 in the highest cost markets, the floor will remain at $271,050. However, Congress chose not to apply the loan limits restoration to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Fannie-and-Freddie-backed mortgages will remain at 115 percent of local area median home prices up to $625,500.


The bill also provides for a short-term extension of the National Flood Insurance Program through December 16, 2011.

Give us a call with any questions.

Real Estate for Sale in Mesa, AZ

EASY Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Want a Pumpkin Pie but don’t want to slave in the kitchen??? Try this EASY recipe.

Prep Time: 5 Min

Total Time: 3 Hr 10 Min

Makes: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

¾ cup sugar

1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

½ teaspoon salt

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

1 ¼ cups evaporated milk or half and half

2 eggs, beaten

1 Pillsbury® Pet-Ritz® frozen deep-dish pie crust

DIRECTIONS
1 Heat oven to 425°F. In large bowl, mix filling ingredients. Pour into pie crust. 2 Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F; bake 40 to 50 minutes longer or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool 2 hours. Serve or refrigerate until serving time. Store in refrigerator.

How Much Did Your 1967 Dollar Buy in 1984?

According to the statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, your 1967 dollar would buy only 28.5 cents' worth of goods in 1984.


This is an average for all goods and services.

What's interesting is to look at individual items and see the change in price between 1967 and 1984.

Television sets, for example, had a ZERO PERCENT increase in price during the 17-year span ... while, on the other end of the scale, the cost of a hospital room increased 560.7%!

In between the two extremes ...

The cost of ground beef . . . up 159.7%

The cost of sirloin steak . . . up 180.9%

The cost of a home . . . up 203.9%

The cost of coffee . . . up 268.9%

The cost of furniture . . . up 297.6%

The cost of fuel oil . . . up 559.9%

It may (or may not) be significant to note that the cost of women's and girls' clothing increased only 61.8% while the cost of men's and boys' clothing increased 90.7% (a sign of increasing male vanity ... or are women simply better shoppers)?

You can also be the judge in determining the significance, if any, in the fact that the cost of whiskey increased only 53.3% while the cost of nonalcoholic drinks went up a whopping 331.7% - and that the cost of eating at home went up 167.7% while the cost of eating out went up 232.6%.

One final set of statistics which we'll toss in to the endless debate on whether to rent or own your home . . . the cost of residential rent increased 147.2% between 1967 and 1984, while the cost of home maintenance increased 309.6%.

Whew! Wouldn't it be fun to compare those numbers to the cost of the same things in 2011? ... or maybe not ...

Click here to Search ALL new homes in the Valley of the Sun!

Energy Efficient Mortgages

In recent years the federal government has increased incentives for home energy-efficiency through increases in tax credits for solar panels, solar water heaters, geothermal heat pumps, heavy-duty insulation, windows, air conditioning and other similar home enhancements.
This appears to be the beginning of a much larger push by the government towards green housing. At the Department of Housing and Urban Development, a new generation of energy-efficient mortgages will soon be rolled out, starting with FHA loans that offer 5 percent larger mortgage amounts to people who plan to undertake energy-efficiency improvements.

Under these new loans, for example if you qualify for a $200,000 FHA mortgage to purchase a standard house, FHA lenders might now might be able to offer you $10,000 more upfront -- a $210,000 loan amount -- if the extra money is used to substantially lower the property's annual energy consumption.

Additional incentives are also being considered, including giving applicants credit on their qualifying incomes for a home loan in exchange for documentable savings in annual energy expenditures.

In addition, the House of Representatives has also passed a massive energy-conservation and emissions-control bill. Among other items, this bill contains a subsection devoted to creating incentives for consumers and federal agencies to build and finance more energy-efficient dwellings. This plan will include initiatives for:

- The FHA is directed to insure a minimum of 50,000 new energy-efficient mortgages during the coming three years. An energy-efficient house is defined as one in which energy consumption is reduced by 20 percent after renovations.

- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are directed to develop new mortgage products and more flexible underwriting guidelines to reward energy-conscious borrowers and builders.

Plans to also help establish a secondary market for energy-efficient and location-efficient mortgages for moderate- and lower-income homebuyers for conventional and FHA loans are currently being pushed. This new generation of loans would increase the qualifying incomes of applicants by at least one dollar for every dollar of projected energy savings from renovations, green construction or efficient design.

There are also many more complex elements to the proposed changes including initiatives to have these properties properly valued by appraisers, state government intervention and moving homes to a more energy efficient grid altogether and away from traditional energy sources that will be part of the future of "green" loans.

Some of these plans may take effect soon, while others may take much longer to roll out. However, it appears that the future will put an emphasis or at least some incentive on a "greener" home.

Light the Night Light Leukemia & Lymphoma 5k Walk in Tempe

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light The Night Walk funds lifesaving research and support for people battling cancer.

Event Info:

Greater Phoenix Walk

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Festivities Begin: 5:00 PM

Tempe Arts Park

700 W. Rio Salado Parkway

Tempe, 85281

Rain OR Shine!

Friends, families and co-workers form fundraising teams and millions of consumers help by donating at retail outlets. These efforts culminate in inspirational, memorable evening walks in over two hundred communities each fall across North America.

Anyone can take part - children, adults and seniors are all welcome. This is a casual fundraising walk with no fitness requirements. There are many ways you can help. You can register to walk individually or as part of a team; just make a donation online; or become a volunteer or sponsor/partner. See local walk sites for time and date information.

Every walker is encouraged to become a Champion For Cures by raising $100 or more to help support the work of hundreds of the world's best and brightest researchers in their search for better therapies and cures for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.

To learn more about Light The Night Walk: http://www.lightthenight.org/

November is American Diabetes Month

With nearly 26 million children and adults in American living with diabetes, and another 79 million at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes, the disease is taking a devastating physical, emotional and financial toll on our country. Yet, most Americans don’t consider diabetes a serious matter. They feel it is someone else’s responsibility; someone else’s problem.
Recent numbers by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention paint a desperate situation of where we are at, and where we are headed:

• Every 17 seconds, someone is diagnosed with diabetes.

• Diabetes kills more people each year than breast cancer and AIDS combined.

• Recent estimates project that as many as 1 in 3 American adults will have diabetes in 2050 unless we take steps to Stop Diabetes.

Now is the time to act.

Become Involved in American Diabetes Month® 2011

November is American Diabetes Month, a time to rally individuals, communities and families to Join the MillionsSM in the movement to Stop Diabetes®. This year, the American Diabetes Association is asking individuals to take a pledge and raise their hand to Stop Diabetes.

Beginning November 1, the public can take action by taking the American Diabetes Month pledge on Facebook.

Here are other ways you can become involved:

1. Attend an American Diabetes Month event in your area

2. Visit www.stopdiabetes.com

3. Call 1-800-DIABETES

4. Text JOIN to 69866 (standard data and message rates apply)

Real Estate for Sale in Higley Groves, Gilbert, AZ

Host a Holiday Cookie Exchange Party

Host a Holiday Cookie Exchange Party

Baking holiday cookies is a time-honored tradition for many families. Unfortunately, It can also be a time-consuming chore to bake enough varieties for your holiday cookie trays. The solution? Host a holiday cookie exchange party!

Here’s how it works:

Invite friends who also enjoy holiday baking to bring a large batch of one type of cookie to the party (a dozen cookies for each attendee, plus a dozen for guests to enjoy). This gives everyone the desired variety for their holiday parties (yet only requires baking one recipe) and the host has instant refreshments to serve to guests!

Have participants bring copies of their recipe to share, and remind them to bring containers for transporting their cookies home.

Prepare a large table spread with a decorative cloth to display the cookies.

Play seasonal music and serve at least one holiday beverage such as egg nog or hot mulled cider along with coffee, tea, juices and, of course, milk!
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Residential Real Estate in Finley Farms, Gilbert, AZ

Happy Energy Awareness Month!

Tips for Saving Energy this Fall and Winter


With winter setting in across the nation, EPA encourages Americans to continue to take action to save energy and cut heating costs this winter:

Maintain heating equipment: Dirt and neglect are the number one causes of heating system failure, so be sure to maintain your equipment. Now is a good time to schedule a pre-season checkup of your heating equipment with a licensed contractor to make sure your system is operating at peak performance. Check your system’s air filter every month and when it is dirty, change it. At a minimum change it every 3 months.

Use a programmable thermostat: Regulate your home’s temperature while you’re away or asleep by using one of the convenient pre-programmed settings on a programmable thermostat. When used properly, programmable thermostats can save you up to $180 every year in energy costs.
Seal air leaks in your home: Sealing air leaks with caulk, spray foam, or weather stripping will have a significant impact on improving your comfort and reducing energy bills. If you are adding insulation to your home, be sure to seal air leaks first, to ensure you get the best performance from your insulation.

Utilize the ENERGY STAR Website (www.energystar.gov): Use ENERGY STAR’s Home Energy Yardstick to compare your home's energy use to similar homes across the country and see how your home measures up. ENERGY STAR’s Home Energy Advisor can give recommendations for energy-saving home improvements for typical homes in your area.

Look for ENERGY STAR qualified products: Whether you are replacing light bulbs or appliances in your home, ENERGY STAR qualified products can help you save energy and reduce energy bills. The label can be found on more than 60 types of products ranging from heating and cooling equipment to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).

Real Estate for Sale in Mesa, AZ

New Home Search

Did you know that there are currently 433 New Home subdivisions in the metro Phoenix area? And, that last month there were 1,119 spec homes? Why wait to build, when you can get a new home that is almost completed & you may still be able to pick out the flooring! According to the National Association of Home Builders; newly built single family homes rose 5.7%! This marks the fastest pace of new home sales in the past 5 months!

We have a detailed search page on our NEW website that will allow you to search for new homes & look at floorplans that meet all your needs!

Check it out today! Click here to search new homes!