From the category archives:

East Valley

To readers who found us via Realtor Heather Barr’s quote in today’s Wall Street Journal article “Bargain Hunters Descend, Cash in Hand”, welcome! We’re glad you’re here and hope you enjoy our blog content.

Long-time readers who aren’t Wall Street Journal subscribers might have missed our mention.  The story is behind the WSJ’s subscription firewall and I don’t want to tempt copyright lawyers by reprinting the entire article on this blog. You can read the article in its entirety here if you are an online subscriber or on page C10 if you get the print edition.

I talked with WSJ reporter Nick Timiraos about the growing number of cash buyers who see bargains amid the current housing price declines. Here’s the quote:

“Cash investors have come right out and said, ‘We can’t make a return on our money in stocks or bonds,’” says Heather Barr, a Realtor based in Gilbert, Ariz., a Phoenix suburb. “They think Phoenix has had such sharp price declines that we’ve got to be near the bottom and real estate will be a safe place to put their money.”

There are bargains to be had in the metro Phoenix real estate market. It’s increasingly easy to find properties in the suburbs that will cash flow immediately after installing a tenant. For those seeking a vacation home, houses are more affordable than they’ve been in years while mortgage rates are still near historic lows.

Looking for a bargain yourself?

We at The Phoenix Agents team have been working with bank owned properties and investors of all stripes lately so we’re familiar with the banks’ (often confusing) paperwork and requirements.

Click around and visit the various parts of our blog. We’ve got tons of great content, MLS searching with no registration required, and are ready to help you find the perfect property when you’re ready to talk with an agent.

Browse properties listings.

  • At the Phoenix Agents: the whole MLS or our foreclosures-only search
  • At the Phoenix Real Estate Guy blog:  property search (The Phx RE Guy is our broker and famous local blogger, Jay Thompson)
  • All three links here search the same data source, the private Realtor’s Multiple Listing Service (MLS). We just present the data in slightly different ways on-screen.

When you feel like you’ve browsed enough and done the homework you wanted to, give us a call. We’ll help you negotiate the best possible deal we always provide world-class customer service from start to finish, and beyond.

Let the bargain hunting begin!

Related Posts
  1. Inman.com quotes Jay Thompson, “the Phoenix Real Estate Guy”
  2. USA Today quotes Heather Barr on recent changes in mortgage industry
  3. Chris Butterworth interviewed by Phoenix’s own Channel 3 TV about foreclosures


heather

Heather Barr is a Realtor. She's a chow hound, a gym rat, and the only political junkie in the USA who can actually keep her political views to herself. Instead, she focuses on educating her clients about the often-confusing world of residential real estate.

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More Good News in Real Estate

by Heather on January 30, 2009

in Buyer Help, East Valley, In The News

Good news in real estate. For a change. Change we can believe in. Whatever floats your boat.

As a follow up to my partner Chris’ comments about the recent MSNBC report that real estate is on the rebound, I present the following real-life deal.

East Mesa, Signal Butte & Elliot. 1509 square feet. Detached single family home. 3 bedrooms plus a den, 2 full baths. Eight year old construction. Open floorplan. Big kitchen. Freshly painted and carpeted. No visible evidence of damage or problems. Landscaping complete (this is a biggie in metro Phoenix, don’t know how builders roll in the rest of the country).

Price? $148,900.

(The above is an asking price, contract price a bit lower and can only be revealed after close, but my buyer got a healthy discount.)

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raleigh-back

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Is it the right time for you to buy a house in metro Phoenix? That depends. Prices are dropping and mortgage rates are near 5-year lows. Sellers are often anxious to sell. Even the conservative Mark Zandi at Moody’s has predicted we’ll bottom out in 2009. But….

Do you plan to hold the property for more than 7 years? Will you be emotionally OK if prices drop another 10% or so in 2009? Will it cash-flow if you’re buying as an investment? First time buyers, will you be happy here for a number of years?

It’s not the best time for ALL folks to buy, but it could be a good time for you.

Interested in buying as an investor? See my broker (i.e. my boss) Jay Thompson - the Phoenix Real Estate Guy -  on the best way to get in to the foreclosure market.

Interested in making your first home purchase? Check out this article on how geography affects metro Phoenix home prices.

I’ve had a bunch of friends and clients ask me if there’s ANY good news out there. There is, and this could be it for you. Hope this helps.


heather

Heather Barr is a Realtor. She's a chow hound, a gym rat, and the only political junkie in the USA who can actually keep her political views to herself. Instead, she focuses on educating her clients about the often-confusing world of residential real estate.

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Scottsdale Condos On Auction Block

by Heather January 27, 2009 Buyer Help

Luxury brownstone condos in the heart of Scottsdale are going on the auction block on February 8. Artesia developer Starpointe Properties called on Kennedy & Wilson Auction Group to handle the sale of 20 condos. They’re using the auction as a sort of Grand Opening, given the current sad state of the real estate market.
Artesia [...]

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Bad MLS Photos, The Flip Side

by Heather December 9, 2008 East Valley

I post every once in a while about the truly horrible MLS photos that are out there. Today’s post is the opposite. This is a stunning photo series of remodeled kitchen.
This series is a showstopper. I look at MLS photos for hours at a time, every day. By the time I finished this 4-series of [...]

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WalMart’s MarketSide convenience stores coming to Phoenix

by Chris Butterworth January 15, 2008 East Valley

According to the Natural~Specialty Foods Memo (and later picked up by AZCentral.com), WalMart is poised to open 4 new convenience stores in the Valley, under the name of MarketSide, as part of its new plan to continue its growth and dominance in the food-retail industry.
The sites will be former drug stores that were closed when [...]

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Pool Safety – ISR teaches infants to swim

by Chris Butterworth September 24, 2007 East Valley

Anyone who lives in Arizona knows that pool safety is a hot button – one of those topics you hear about all summer long. Heck, we’ve written about it 3 times this summer alone! (Extra Pool Safety; Pool Barrier Regulations in Arizona; City of Glendale Supports Drowning Awareness with Purple Ribbons). 99% of what’s usually [...]

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Peoria and Gilbert are fastest growing cities

by Chris Butterworth June 28, 2007 East Valley

According to the most recent US Census statistics, Peoria ranked 7th and Gilbert ranked 5th among the fastest growing U.S. cities with more than 100,000 people.
While we’re all accustomed to seeing results like this (since all parts of Maricopa County have been ranked in one category or another), it’s still great news for the area [...]

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Listing in Gilbert: Spectrum at Val Vista

by Chris Butterworth June 28, 2007 East Valley

We have a listing in Spectrum at Val Vista in Gilbert. It’s an Amberwood-built home, upgraded throughout, with 2,855 square feet on one level. It’s reasonably priced at $519,900. You can find all the details at www.3015SColonial.com.
While this web site’s main purpose is to inform our readers, encourage thought, share ideas, and generally make our [...]

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Gilbert Rated 4th in the US for low crime rates

by Heidi Alexander June 14, 2007 East Valley

Go Gilbert Arizona!  While reading Time magazine this week, they had a small article rating US cities which were highest and lowest in crime.  Gilbert came in 4th for crime safety according to the article.  Not suprisingly, Flint and Detroit Michigan were two of the highest cities for crime rates (1st and 4th if I remember [...]

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Whole Foods coming to Chandler and Scottsdale

by Heidi Alexander May 23, 2007 East Valley

If you haven’t been to Whole Foods in Phoenix or Tempe yet, you’re in for a treat!  Whole Foods is expanding into two new locations this year - one in Chandler on the corner of Ray Rd and the 101/Price Freeway, and the other in Scottsdale at Scottsdale Rd and Mayo.  Word has it that [...]

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Water Play in the East Valley

by Heidi Alexander May 23, 2007 East Valley

Now that summer is here and school is just about out, are you wondering what in the heck your kids are going to do all summer long?  Water always keeps them entertained and wears them out.  My favorite place is the Kiwanis Wave Pool in Tempe - it’s heated, it’s indoors (so you don’t bake [...]

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Arizona Sights & Wonders: Canyon Lake Day-trip

by Katie Kosier April 30, 2007 East Valley

As a near-native - I’ve lived here since I was 5 years old - I’ve taken for granted many of the sights and wonders that Arizona has to offer.  I can’t count the number of times I’ve been to the Grand Canyon, and have also visited many, many other fantastic places in the state.  A [...]

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