September 2008

Moving Stills 39 – What Progress?

Photoblogging

I always think it’s funny when I come across that one last house holding out against development.  I see this occasionally across all parts of Phoenix and the surrounding suburbs.  I’m sure the families are sad to see their neighbors sell & move away, but then at some point it becomes “the principle of it.” [...]

30 September 2008 Read the full article →

Stores are disappearing – a sign of the times?

In The News

Yesterday I was working on my sprinkler system, trying to repair an underground leak and a timer which was shorting out.  After a couple of hours of digging, testing, replacing emitters, and generally figuring out what I was going to need, I jumped in the car & headed the block and a half to Ace [...]

29 September 2008 Read the full article →

Sunday Stats (again on Monday)

Market Analysis & Stats

photo credit to MiamiAmia,  via StockExchange Again with the Sunday entry posted on Monday! Sorry, pressed for time. Click here for the entire Sunday Stats series Heather Barr is a Realtor and a happy workaholic. She eats more than someone her size ought to be able, and is a runner as a consequence. Her TiVo’s [...]

29 September 2008 Read the full article →

Bailout

In The News

photo courtesy of I Can Has Cheezeburger Heather Barr is a Realtor and a happy workaholic. She eats more than someone her size ought to be able, and is a runner as a consequence. Her TiVo’s full of spy thrillers, police procedurals and Whedonesque sci-fi.

27 September 2008 Read the full article →

I Can’t Pay the Mortgage, Help!

Foreclosures

If you’re facing troubles paying your mortgage, act quickly. Don’t wait. Don’t hope it goes away. Don’t avoid your lender’s collection phone calls and letters. The bad news is you’re in a pickle and it’ll take some work and sacrifice to get out. The good news is that since so many Americans are in the [...]

26 September 2008 Read the full article →

WaMu Goes Under

In The News

Washington Mutual is no more. According to multiple sources, federal regulators seized WaMu’s assets late Thursday night, and immediately sold most of the nation’s largest bank to JP Morgan Chase in a $1.9 billion deal. Usually bank shutdowns are conducted late in the afternoon or evening on a Friday, to give the FDIC time to [...]

25 September 2008 Read the full article →

Pet Safe Pesticides

Homeowner Help

photo credit to eravariel at Stock Exchange I have been suffering for a few days with a mob of home-invading ants. I blame myself, actually. Unknowingly, I’d brought them into the house in a recyclable shopping bag.  After hanging on a door handle for about a week, I took  the bag down and set it [...]

25 September 2008 Read the full article →

Consider why you’re buying

Buyer Help

Now, more than ever, it’s important to consider why you’re buying a home.  Nobody knows exactly when the market is going to heal and what the market is going to look like once it does.  Expert economists have differing opinions about what the proposed $750 trillion bailout will do to our economy – short term [...]

24 September 2008 Read the full article →

When’s The Money Due?

Buyer Help

Like a lot of metro Phoenix Realtors, lately I’ve been working with lots of out of town buyers (especially Canadians). These buyers are often used to the way purchase transactions are handled in their hometowns, but somewhat baffled by the way we do things in metro Phoenix. From the standard AAR contract, line 13, “Close [...]

23 September 2008 Read the full article →

The Mother of All Bailouts

In The News

Of course the federal bailout is all anyone’s talking about today. I’m a smart cookie, but I don’t pretend to be smart enough to understand (much less explain) all the in’s and out’s of what’s cooking in Washington’s financial stewpot. No matter how the details shake out I think the bailout is a positive thing [...]

22 September 2008 Read the full article →

Foreclosure Guru Blacklist

In The News

We all know the market is down, and we know there are great deals available to those willing to put in the effort (and capital).  Not every bank-owned home is a great bargain, and not every home seller is desperate.  But once in awhile we’ll come across a strong investment opportunity – a great home [...]

22 September 2008 Read the full article →