The Scott's Sell Scottsdale

Due to a variety of reasons, many of today’s homeowners are facing some serious hurdles in the current market place. Is your house worth less than you owe? Whether you purchased your home in the height of the boom and now your creative loan is about to escalate to a new monthly mortgage payment you cannot afford or if your job/business is suffering the effects of the recession, you can be pro-active about the future of your home ownership.

One option allows for loan restructuring/modification. This is an opportunity to obtain new loan terms for your existing mortgage. You principal balance is not reduced but new terms are negotiated presumably to decrease your current monthly mortgage payments. Be careful who you deal with as this industry remains largely unregulated. Unfortunately, many times this simply delays the eventual loss of the home.

Another option is the short sale. A short sale typically is executed to prevent a home foreclosure. In a short sale the bank agree to forgive a portion of the owners principal balance due.  The home is sold at the current market value which is usually significantly less than the mortgage and the owner is basically forgiven the debt.

The last option is to simply walk away and let the bank foreclose/take the property back.

All of these options lead to consequences for the homeowner.

Be Pro-Active. If you see potential problems in the future, don’t wait until you receive that threatening letter from the bank. Begin researching your options early in the process. Ideally even before you even miss any mortgage payments. Avoid the run around from the bank. Consider qualified legal representation for advice regarding lender negotiations and debt settlements. Understand your risks and rights. Legal council can analyze your situation and offer a variety of possible solutions and strategies designed to reduce the negative impact on your credit and to ensure that your legal rights are protected.

Call today to find out how to get a No Cost legal consultation today!

Office: 480-948-0550 **** Toll Free: 866-464-2140

School is out, kids are home and the warm weather has officially arrived. Time for Summer in the Sonoran Desert! For those of us to live here year round lovingly referred to as "Desert Rats", this is just another opportunity to enjoy our heat.

For those hearty soles who love golf,set those tee times are set earlier in the morning or in the late afternoon. What an awsome opportunities to play on those very expensive courses at quite reasonable prices! Do you think these exclusive may help improve your game?

The Scottsdale Parks and Recreation division opens registration today (June 1) to enroll in a variety of classes. If you want to learn a new hobby, how about ceramics, jewelry making, painting, sewing or dance? For those who prefer more strenuous activities, there are aerobic classes, swim classes , tennis lessors & leagues or hiking adventures. How about learning CPR or cartoon drawing? There is something for everyone-they offer a wide variety of activities for pre-schooles to teens to seniors! Check it out and consider signing up for the various opportunities available through the Scottsdale park and recreation division.

There are a assortment of summer camps for kids!  The Scottsdale Music Camp, the Boys Girls Clubs of Scottsdale Summer Camp, Hubbard Summer Sports Camp, the Scottsdale Unified School District offers summer academic/enrichment camps or how about the Young Chefs Academy?

The free concert series hosted by McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park is available to the public Sunday evenings from 7:30 - 9:00 pm through July 5th. Get your blanket or chair and listen to local bands under the stars. The train and Carousel will be operating for kids and parents alike. The Botanical Gardens is presenting its annual Jazz in the Garden 2009 Concert Series. Kierland Commons offers a Summer Concert Series. This event for the entire family is held every Saturday evening from June 6 - July 25 from 7 - 10pm (excluding Saturday, July 4th).

Thinking about how to get out of the heat for some cool entertainment? There are many neighborhood movie theaters offering great kid summer movie series.  Tickets only cost minimal and they show some fun kids movies like Shrek, Curious George, and Shrek2...

If you have some time off and don't want to go far, many of the local upscale resorts are offering ubelievable deals to stay for a few nights. You can be pampered while the kids take advantage of the fun pools and activities.

Of course, there is always the Phoenix Zoo, various museums,summer arts and craft fairs, Rawhide and the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball.

So, enjoy the sunshine and take advantage of some fun summer activities.

If you are considering a move the the Valley of the Sun -  please use this map search to find homes currently listed for sale in Scottsdale and the greater Phoenix metro area

Google Profile Page   --  Google Web Page

I must admit that our little rescue dog , Heidi, is adorable and very sweet. This is probably the only reason that she remains ‘our dog’ these days. 

She is a lovely dog but has separation anxiety whenever we leave the house without her. Needless to say, during the past year since her adoption, she has trained us to attempt to figure out the things she could possibly get in to while we are away. So much for screens.

Lets put it this way, she is banned from the house because she either chews something or carries it around so we cannot find it. She is also banned from the pool yard because she loves to chew on the sprinkler system. The little fountains are sorta fun. Since we have an acre lot we allow her to patrol the large back patio and yard beyond the gated pool area. She is also allowed to be inside in bathrooms that has her doggie door to the back yard.  After finding a variety of items in the back yard, I have learned to remove everything from this bathroom’s counters and the towel racks. The toilet bowl cleaner brush is safely locked in the shower and the toilet paper is set high on an empty towel rack. One of Heidi’s favorite pass times is toilet papering our yard. This is especially fun if the automatic sprinkler system comes on. 

Anyway, one morning last week I left the house for a short period of time. I returned to find water running out from under the bathroom door! I opened the door to discover the sink clogged and the faucet on full blast!

Ok it was my mistake, the previous day I had set a new roll of TP on the bathroom counter intending to put it in the cabinet later. Unfortunately, I forgot to do so. The result? Well, my guess is that Heidi discovered the TP roll on the counter and immediately jumped up to play with her treasure. She is an excellent jumper! She must have somehow knocked the roll in to the sink basin. And in attempting to get it out, she managed to turn the water faucet to the ON position. Just in case you are wondering, wet toilet paper makes and excellent drain plug!

I came home to a sink over flowing, water running down the hallway (fortunately tile) and cabinet drawers filled with water.  It took me several hours and lots of towels to finally clean up the mess.

Now, the question. Should I confess to Gary what had transpired or simply be quiet? I did manage to not say anything until the following day/ There were just too many tell tail signs - small pieces of TP that glued down to the back patio,  the warped drawer that would not close completely and the musty smell. I finally explained the event reminding him that ’some day’ he would think this was funny!  Of course at that moment, he did not see the humor and I got my lecture about what could have happened if I had been gone for an extended period of time , about how the dog would have to be in her cage when we were away etc.

He immediately removed the drawers so the warped pressed wood would dry and hopefully fit in to their place again. Then he got our large fan and set it up to begin to dry out the cabinets.  Fortunately Arizona is a very dry climate! All has ended well with the bathroom and hall show no effects of any water damage.

Doesn't she look innocent:-)

So, what do you think would be the probability of this happening????

I have to say that I love meeting all the diversified and talented individuals whom I am fortunate enough to assist in buying and selling homes here in Scottsdale, Arizona.

I met Donna and Herbert when I was a relatively new Scottsdale Realtor.  We became fast friends and kept in touch for several years. Finally, Donna convinced Herbert that they just had to move to Arizona. So, we began a search for them and their pets.  They now have a lovely home in north central Scottsdale and have not regretted moving "west".

We have remained good friends. I asked Donna if I could share her story as she has blossomed in to a wonderful southwestern artist. Below is her story. Please view more of her work her work at this site.

Donna Leonard is a transplant from Northern Virginia and moved to Arizona in 2006. She has always loved to paint but never had any formal training. After a few nudges from her neighbors who love to paint, she enrolled in a few classes at Scottsdale Artist School and the Via Linda Senior Center. That was enough to get her started and she developed a theme of painting cowboy portraits in oils. She loves the western scenery and will soon branch out into painting landscapes and desert life as well.

Donna entered a juried show at the Scottsdale Artist School and was chosen to exhibit her painting in the Best and the Brightest show in 2008 http://www.scottsdaleartschool.org. She is also on the 2009 www.gamblincolors.com site after entering a black and white portrait. She is currently entering more contests.

She lives in Scottsdale with her 21 birds and Pomeranian (and her wonderful husband of course)

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Scottsdale Real estate Sales - search for homes in Scottsdale AZ

The Arizona Regional Multiple Listing System (ARMLS) has made the Cromford Report available to subscribing Realtors. This report provides detailed information to track the history and current status of the greater Phoenix residential resale market and offers unique insight into its future direction. It is an excellent tool for Realtors to provide up to date sales statistics and current market snapshots.

The greater Phoenix metro area statistics are favorable as sales are increasing and the market inventory steadily decreases. The local real estate market is most active in the $250,000 & less price range as investors and first time home buyers have jumped in to the market. The current Phoenix inventory is at 4.1 months supply, which is considered ‘normal’ for our area. Other areas/cities range in inventory. A variety of individual stats for a specific city or zip code can be computed. Feel free to contact me for the detailed information you are interested in researching.

The table below provides a detailed statistical analysis of today's residential resale market in the Phoenix metropolitan area as of May 21, 2009. The figures shown are for the entire Arizona Regional area as defined by ARMLS. All residential resale transactions recorded by ARMLS are included.

Geographically, this includes Maricopa County, a large part of Pinal County and a small part of Yavapai County. All dwelling types are included. For-sale-by-owner, auctions and other non-MLS transactions are not included. Land, commercial units and multiple dwelling units are also excluded.

© 2009 Cromford Associates LLC www.cromfordreport.com

Explanation of Column Headings

• ST = SHORT TERM TREND - The arrows in this column indicate the direction of the change between TODAY and LAST MTH
• LT = LONG TERM TREND - The arrows in this column indicate the direction of the change between TODAY and LAST YR
• Color code: The background to the trend arrow is colored green if the direction is favorable for sellers and is colored red if the direction is favorable for buyers. It is colored yellow if the change was zero. If the circle is white then the statistic is neutral for both buyers and sellers.
• TODAY means the date given at the top of the page.
• LAST MTH means the same date last month.
  
• LAST QTR means the same date three months ago.
• LAST YR means the same date one year ago. 2 YRS AGO means the same date two years ago.

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Search the Phoenix MLS for properties currently listed for sale

The ‘Chihuly—The Nature of Glass’ - blown glass exhibit currently at the Arizona Desert Botanical Gardens will be displayed through May 31, 2009.

This display of unusual and creative glass art sculpture is well worth the visit. Dale Chihuly's work is included in more than 200 museum collections worldwide. This is his first exhibition in an outdoor desert environment. His creative art work is quite amazing. We arrived early enough to view the glass sculptures before sunset and then also took in their beauty after the sun went down. Mr. Chihuly has created a variety of glass works are displayed throughout the gardens.

The colors are vibrant and the detail is amazing. His innovative glass creations are magnificent. I can only imagine how long it must have taken for him to create, transport and set up this exhibit. Not to mention, that many are displayed in the middle of some very thorny cacti! The event is fun for all - you can view not only the glass exhibit, but also experience the beauty of the red buttes of Papago Park and the wide variety of desert plants maintained throughout the Desert Botanical Gardens 50 acres! The gar

den is Home to 139 rare, threatened and endangered plant species from around the world. only 10 days left - plan your tirp soon.

Arizona is a great place to live, work and play!          

More photos on Flickr

The Bottom? I suppose your guess is as good as mine. The only way to know if you have ‘hit’ the bottom in the real estate market is when it begins to rise again. There definitley has been a boost in sales as many of the foreclosures and short sale properties are selling. Even new homes sales are increasing slightly. The interest rates remain historically low, the inventory is shrinking and first time home buyers cashing in on the opportunity to own by taking advantage of the first time home buyer $8,000 tax credit. This sounds good and we are definitely moving in the right direction but the recovery will probably be slow.

So what are the real estate ‘goo-roos’ and ‘experts’ saying?

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said May 5th that the economy appeared to be stabilizing, but warned that a real recovery is still months away.

The Cromford Report: stats report “Current Pending sales are the highest ever recorded-let’s say that again the HIGHEST EVER RECORDED yes that includes 2004 and 2005.”

A May 2009 ASU study indicates that there is a glimmer of hope that house prices are getting close to the bottom.

The good news is that many of the short sales and foreclosures are finally being removed from the market which is slowly encouraging non-stressed property owners to begin to list their homes for sale. Bottom or bottom line, due to the drop in home values over the past year+, it is still a good time to purchase a property here in the Valley of the Sun.

Search the local Scottsdale and greater Phoenix area real estate listings

Gary and Claudia Scott, realtors

Location, location location.  Finally Scottsdale Arizona is once again affordable..

Of the 5,800+ listings currently available in Scottsdale 1,566 are priced over million dollars while only 128 are priced below one hundred thousand with the majority of 4200+ properties priced between.  There is a great variety of options in this prestigious city from modest condo to multi million dollar mansion, there is something for everyone. This market now provides an excellent opportunity for that snowbird to actually purchase a property rather than rent during the desirable high season.

There are currently 768 properties in escrow and a total of 827 have closed escrow since Jan 1, 2009. The volume of properties in escrow continues to increase as more buyers are entering the market. Many of the more reasonably priced properties are being purchased. The inventory is remains high compared to the traditional market average-there are some excellent opportunities available. 

This is a snapshot of the MLS for Scottsdale AZ real estate sales statistics for March 28, 2009:

Saarch the MLS for properties for sale in Scottsdale AZ

Scottsdale Arizona a town of affluence and golf courses. Many people thought this upscale area would be immune to the foreclosure epidemic spreading across the country. However, the numbers prove differently.  Although there are not as many distressed properties as other citiies, Scottsdale does have is share of forclosure problems.

The local Scottsdale Arizona residential real estate tax records indicate that a total of 2,031 homes are in foreclosure and scheduled for auction in Scottsdale from March 24, 2009 and on.  Note: that not all homes in foreclsure are listied for sale in the MLS.   The MLS (March 24, 2009) has a total of 5,925 active listings of these 1,172 are short sale/lender owned/foreclosure properties. The asking price of MLS distressed properties in Scottsdale ranges from $49,900 to $3,495,000! A buyer has a wide selection to choose from!

Here are the Scottsale tax record auction foreclosure properties by zip code:

Scottsdale by zip code: Total 2,031 properties
      Schdeuled Residential Real Estate Auctions     

Search the Scottsdale MLS by zip code:
South Scottsdale 85250
South Scottsdale 85251
South Scottsdale 85257
North Scottsdale 85254
North Scottsdale 85255
North Scottsdale 85258
North Scottsdale 85259
North Scottsdale 85260
North Scottsdale 85262
North Scottsdale 85266

Dinner, dancing, a dance contest and a costume contest provided a pleasant evening of entertainment for all who participated. The Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force hosted  “A night in the 40’s Big Band Dance” last night in the Arizona Wing Hanger Museum at Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona. 

The open hanger and mild temps are perfect for the evening of fun.  The B-17 Sentimental Journey among other WWII aircraft and memorabilia provided  the backdrop for this nostalgic event. I must admit that I was not here in the 1940’s (close though) but a celebration of the sacrifices of the military and a reflection of era is a  tribute to the men and women who preserved the way for us today.

The US Marines opened the event by proudly presented the flag for the National Anthem.

Early entertainment provided musical melodies including Ballroom, Latin, Swing, and Country from the war years performed by the Kathy Donald Jazz Ensemble. Brownies and coffee for dessert topped of a great dinner provided by Taylor Rays. 

The costumes were amazing and some of the military uniforms were actually donned by those who proudly wore them in the 40’s. The costume contest is always a fun spectacle as the variety and originality are quite vast. From Rosie the Riveter and Carmen Miranda to the ‘All American Family’ & a variety of armed forces uniforms - all who participated were dressed to reflect the era. The ‘All American Family’ won this year. Not everyone who dressed in the flavor of the era joined in the contest. So, the friends we went with decided that next year we should also join in the fun and dress for the occasion…..we have a year to figure out what or who we want to be and then search for just the right clothes! Photos to follow next year :-)

 The Sun Lakes Big Band performed a wide selection of Big Band Music from the war years including Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and  Glenn Miller among others. It was fun to dance and  equally as much fun to watch the dancers. Our group concluded we may want to look in to group dance lessons so that we felt more comfortable dancing to some of the swing music. That should to be fun!             

There were 2 dance contests. One for those 15-40 and the second for those 41 and older. It is amazing how talented both groups were! Even with our dance lessons, I don’t think we could compete with these couples. We will be quite content to sit and watch the contests again next year.

It may take a while for some of those catchy tunes to leave my brain!  “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.”, "I'll Be With You In Apple Blossom Time", “Chattanooga Choo Choo”, “Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree”….

Watch for the dates of this annual event next year!
Arizona is a great place to live and play!

See more photo on our flicker account   http://www.flickr.com/photos/garyandclaudia-scott/