Scottsdale AZ Real Estate & Lifestyle

Live Better in Scottsdale - eXp Realty

Heather Tawes Nelson

Scottsdale AZ Q3 2011 Home Sales By Type – Includes Foreclosures & Short Sales

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Here is a review of  Scottsdale Arizona single-family home sales for Q3 2011. The data has been segmented into three categories based on sales type.

The three categories of home sales and how I am defining them are outlined below:

– Non-Distressed Sales – These are the “regular” or “traditional” home sales. In this case, the buyer and seller negotiate directly with each other to come to the terms of the purchase.
– Short Sales – Short sales occur when a homeowner needs to sell his/her home for less than what is owed on it. In this scenario, lender approval is required.  Quite often, there are multiple lenders who need to approve the terms of the deal; the primary lienholder (i.e.  the lender on the first mortgage) and the second lienholder, who also has a position.
– Foreclosures – These homes have been foreclosed upon and now make up the foreclosure inventory. You might also see these homes called “Lender-Owned” homes, “REO‘”  homes or “Bank-Owned” homes.

Overall Findings for the Q3 2011 Scottsdale Single-Family Home Market – Data As of  October 1, 2011

  • Scottsdale Homes for Sale: Regular sales made up the vast majority of the for sale inventory at the end of the quarter with 84%.  Short sales came in a distant second and foreclosure inventory was only 5% of the market.
  • Scottsdale Pending Home Sales: As we have typically seen, regular sales’ percentage of the market drops off significantly when we look at pending sales. At the end of the quarter, 48% of pending sales were for regular sales, whereas short sales jumped to 35% of the inventory and foreclosures moved up to 17%.
  • Q3 2011 Scottsdale Home Sales: Here, the distribution is similar to pending sales, but regular home sales make up a larger portion. As I have pointed out in previous posts, it is interesting to note that foreclosures, with only 5% of the active market, made up 22% of sales in Q3 2011.
  • Home Prices: The prices follow what we would expect. Regular sales have the highest average sales price at over $500K and then short sales and foreclosures come in quite a bit lower in the $300K range.
  • Days on Market: As we would expect, short sales have the highest number of days on market, in excess of 6 months. Foreclosures had the shortest days on market figure, illustrating the demand for these homes.
  • Discounts Off of List Price: Buyers of regular homes saw an average discount off of asking of 7% in Q3. Typically, this has beem closer to 10%, Distressed properties sold for an average of 5% or so off of list price.

Scottsdale AZ Home Sales 2011 Through Q3 Includes Short Sales and Foreclosures

Scottsdale AZ Quarterly Home Sales Q3 2011

If you are interested, you can browse through the previous reports for Scottsdale home sales:
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for Q2 2011
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for Q1 2011
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for 2010

 

Disclaimer: Due to rounding issues, not all columns will add up to a perfect 100%.  Data and information were pulled from the Arizona Regional MLS (ARMLS) as of 10/1/2011 and can change at any time. The analysis looks at single-family resale homes for sale and sales in Scottsdale AZ over the last 12 months. There may be new home inventory in these figures if the developer is using the MLS to market its homes. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Copyright © 2011 Heather Tawes Nelson

Things to Do in Scottsdale AZ: Halloween Fun and Pumpkin Patch Festival at Mac Donald’s Ranch

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Pumpkin Patch Festival Scottsdale AZHalloween is coming up again. And, as always, Mac Donald’s Ranch in Scottsdale is hosting its wonderful Pumpkin Patch Festival. Each year the Pumpkin Patch Festival gets bigger and better and this year does not disappoint. Open daily until 1PM on October 31st, the Pumpkin Patch and all of the great activities are available for you to enjoy in North Scottsdale.

While picking out the perfect pumpkin or two is always a lot of fun, there are also a ton of other things to do and experience while you are there…

  • Hay Ride – Take an authentic hay ride out to the pumpkin patch. Once, you have selected your ideal pumpkin, hop back on for a return trip.
  • Free Pony Rides – Let the little ones hop on and enjoy a supervised pony ride around the courtyard. (Just make sure to tip the handler for his/her time when the ride is over.)
  • The expanded Petting Zoo is up and running. Get up close and personal with pigs, goats, miniature donkeys, rabbits and more.
  • Hay Bale Maze– Have fun trying to find your way through the hay bale maze.
  • Games for the Kids – Mac Donald’s Ranch has a large assortment of games and activities for the little ones.
  • Live Music and Performances – On select days, enjoy live music in the shade of the ramada. And, on October 29th at 5PM, there will be a performance by the Rhythmic Expressions Dance Studio.
  • Horseshoe pits – Have fun trying to go for a “ringer” as you compete with your friends and family.
  • Visit the Snack Bar or Bring Lunch and spend the afternoon at the Ranch. There are picnic tables all over the grounds for you to use.
  • Photo Opportunities Abound– There are great places all over Mac Donald’s Ranch where you can take some photos of the children and family. Whether you are sitting among the scarecrows on a hay bale or are “driving” a tractor, there are so many great locations to choose from.

Mac Donalds Ranch Scottsdale AZ Pumpkin Hay RideMore Details:
Mac Donald’s Ranch
26540 N Scottsdale Rd
Scottsdale, AZ 85255-9343
– SW Corner of Jomax and Scottsdale Roads
– 5 Miles North of the Loop 101
Phone: 480.585.0239
Website: www.macdonaldsranch.com

Pumpkin Patch Festival
Through 1PM on October 31, 2011
Open Daily 9AM – 6PM
$8 Entry Fee – Children Under 1 are Free
Pumpkins Range from $4-$12

Scottsdale AZ Luxury Home Market – September 2011

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The luxury home market in Scottsdale AZ had a marginal month in September 2011. For the purposes of this analysis, I am defining the luxury home market as homes with asking prices in excess of $1 million. This report looks at single-family luxury homes for sale, pending home sales as well as luxury homes sales in Scottsdale over the previous 12 months.

 – September 2011 –

Scottsdale Homes Priced Between $1,000,000 – $1,499,999
– Active Scottsdale Homes on the Market: The inventory of homes in this price point increased 5% over August to 189. This is still below the 12 month average of 233.
– Pending Scottsdale Home Sales: Pending home sales were the same as August at 20. This is an OK metric, but it still trails the 12 month average of 25.
– Scottsdale Homes Sold: Eleven homes sold in September, which was a 37.5% increase over August, but still well below the 12 month average of 20 home sales.
– Sales Price to Listed Price: 93.3% – This is a strong ratio for this price point. The last time it was this high was in January of 2011.

Scottsdale AZ Luxury Homes for Sale Between $1 and $1.5 Million September 2011

Scottsdale Homes Priced Between $1,500,000 – $1,999,999
– Active Scottsdale Homes on the Market: At the end of September, there were 124 homes on the market in this price range. This figure was up 2.5% over August, but is still below the 12 month average.
– Pending Scottsdale Home Sales: Pending sales were up in September to 13 at the end of the month. This is a 62.5% increase over August and is on par with the 12 month average.
– Scottsdale Homes Sold: Seven homes sold last month. This was down over the last two months and just under the 12 month average of 8 sales.
– Sales Price to Listed Price: 89.1% – This is a decent number for this price segment. This tends to track in the high 80%’s.

Scottsdale AZ Luxury Homes for Sale Between $1.5 and $2 Million September 2011

Scottsdale Homes Priced Between $2,000,000 – $2,999,999
– Active Scottsdale Homes on the Market: There were 111 homes for sale in this price point at the end of September. This was up 7.8% over August. However, it still is below the 12 month average of 138.
– Pending Scottsdale Home Sales: Pending sales stayed flat at 3 by the end of the month. The 12 month average for this is 6.
– Scottsdale Homes Sold: There were four home sales in September in the $2 million range. This is down over August and below the 12 month average of 6 sales.
– Sales Price to Listed Price: 86.0% – This is a pretty typical figure for this price range.

 Scottsdale AZ Luxury Homes for Sale Between $2 and $3 Million September 2011

Scottsdale Homes Priced $3,000,000+
– Active Scottsdale Homes on the Market: Inventory was up slightly in September to 91.
– Pending Scottsdale Home Sales: Home sales dropped to 1 by the end of the month. On average, we would expect to see 4 pending homes.
– Scottsdale Homes Sold: Two homes sold in September, which his better than August, but still one sale short of the 12 month average of 3.
– Sales Price to Listed Price: 77.9% – This is lower than we have been seeing for this price point.

Scottsdale AZ Luxury Homes for Sale Over $3 Million September 2011

Overall, Scottsdale luxury home sales had a lukewarm September 2011. Inventory was up slightly across the board. This could be due to homeowners putting their homes back onto the market after the summer months and prior to the high season. Pending sales and home sales were lackluster, although a few price segments saw some improvements over August. And since pending sales are down, we can anticipate that October’s sales numbers will also be down.

To see the detailed data behind this report, please visit my Scottsdale luxury real estate market reports page and click on the “Scottsdale Market Trends” report.

Disclaimer: Information herein deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Data and information was pulled from the Arizona Regional MLS (ARMLS) as of 10/1/2011 and can change at any time. The analysis looks at single-family luxury resale homes in Scottsdale AZ over the last 12 months. There may be new home inventory in these figures if the developer is using the MLS to market its homes. This blog represents the opinion of the author. No warranties implied or expressed.
Copyright © 2011 Heather Tawes Nelson

Phoenix and Scottsdale AZ Luxury Condo Sales – September 2011

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The performance of the Phoenix and Scottsdale luxury condo market in September 2011 was on track with what we would expect based on the year’s performance.

This report covers Scottsdale and Phoenix luxury condo sales activity. I am defining the luxury market as those condos with asking prices in excess of $1 million.

Pending Luxury Condo Sales – At the end of September, there was one pending sale. This condo has been pending since the beginning of the year, more or less. It is a 4,000 square foot unit at The Residences at 2211 Camelback in Phoenix. It has 3 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms.

September 2011 Luxury Condo Sales -Besides the one pending sale, Phoenix is also the location for the single luxury condo sale in September. The sale was at Esplanade Place. It was a 3,550 square foot unit with two bedrooms and three bathrooms. It had been listed at $1,475,000 and sold at $1,300,000. It had only been on the market for 40 days.

Phoenix Scottsdale Luxury Condo Sales Sept 2011

Here are the quarterly statistics for the first three quarters of 2011 for Scottsdale and Phoenix Luxury Condos. As you can see, sales activity has been pretty steady quarter over quarter:

Phoenix Scottsdale Luxury Condo Quarterly Sales 2011

September 2011 was another solid month for Scottsdale and Phoenix Luxury Condo sales. The one concern looking forward is that we do not have any pending sales with the exception of the one that has been pending for many months. It will be interesting to see what October holds.

Learn More About Phoenix and Scottsdale Luxury Condos
Search Phoenix and Scottsdale Luxury Condos for Sale

 

Disclaimer: Information herein deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Data and information was pulled from the Arizona Regional MLS (ARMLS) as of 10/1/2010 and can change at any time. The analysis looks at resale luxury condos in Scottsdale and Phoenix over the past 12 months. There may be new home inventory in these figures if the developer is using the MLS to market its homes.
Copyright © 2011  Heather Tawes Nelson

Scottsdale AZ Single-Family Homes for Sale – September 2011

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Here are the results for September 2011 for Scottsdale AZ home sales. The purpose of this report is to look at sales of single family homes on a month-over-month basis over the last 12 months.

The data in this report has been separated into three categories – Scottsdale homes currently for sale, pending Scottsdale home sales and completed home sales in September.

 

Scottsdale AZ Homes for Sale September 2011

 

Scottsdale AZ Real Estate Report September 2011

 

September 2011 Highlights for Scottsdale AZ Homes for Sale:

  • Active Scottsdale Homes for Sale: Active homes on the market ticked up for the first time since January 2011. This number has been decreasing significantly month over month, but was up 2.7% over August. This could be attributed to homeowners who were waiting for summer to end before listing their homes. It is still well below the twelve month average of 2,175 homes.
  • Pending Homes Sales in Scottsdale: Pending sales dropped off again in September to 472. This is the first time it has been in the 400’s since January 2011.
  • Scottsdale Homes Sold: Sales were down in September to 373. This is the first time it has been in the 300’s since February 2011. We anticipated sales in September to be lower based on the lower pending figure last month.
  • Sales Price to List Price: 93.7% – This percentage is pretty typical for this price point. It has been in the 93% range for the last seven months.

September 2011 was a slow month for Scottsdale AZ home sales. We saw pending home sales and actual home sales trend lower again. And, based on the lower pending home sales, I anticipate a lackluster month of sales in October as well. What was interesting to see was that inventory was up over August and up for the first time this year. I am curious to see what will happen from an inventory perspective in October.

Search Scottsdale AZ Homes for Sale

Disclaimer: Data and information was pulled from the Arizona Regional MLS (ARMLS) as of 10/1/2011 and can change at any time. The analysis looks at single-family resale homes for sale and home sales in Scottsdale AZ over the last 12 months. There may be new home inventory in these figures if the developer is using the MLS to market its homes.
Copyright © 2011 Heather Tawes Nelson

Desert Animals of Scottsdale AZ: The Javelina

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The Desert Animals of Scottsdale, Arizona – The Javelina

Scottsdale AZ desert animals Javelina

This little (or not so little) guy is a common sight in the Sonoran Desert. He is a Javelina and javelinas make Scottsdale, Arizona and the surrounding areas their home.

Many people think that the animal above is a kind of wild boar or pig, descended from the European/Asian pig. And while they fall under the same suborder as pigs, javelinas are actually peccaries, or New World Pigs. And like the pigs we are familiar with, javelinas have snouts and hooves and a similar body shape. You might also hear them referred to as Collared Peccaries.

Javelinas are typically the size of a medium to large dog. On average, they are about 3 and 4.3 feet tall and weigh somewhere in the 44 to 88 pound range.

Javelinas like to eat plants and roots as well as grass and seeds. They will also eat small animals. Prickly pear cacti are a favorite food. You can always tell when a pack of javelinas has been through when you see bite marks and sections missing from local cacti. Or, as many a Scottsdale homeowner has learned, when that lovely section of new plants and flowers you put in mysteriously disappears overnight.

Javelinas typically travel in packs and tend to avoid human interaction. However, during breeding season and when they have babies around, they can be more aggressive and will come after you or your pets. It is always a good idea to give them a wide berth if you come across them in the wild.

Another characteristic of the javelina is its distinct smell. And, it is not a pleasant one. Javelinas have scent glands on their bodies and below their eyes. They rub their scent on plants and other items to mark their territories and they also mark each other to identify the javelinas as members of the herd.

Because I do not get to see them often, javelinas are always a treat to come across. I was even fortunate enough to see a pack with several babies once… Luckily, I was in my car and they went on their merry way.

Where to Eat in Scottsdale AZ: Pita Jungle

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Shawarma Courtesy of Yummyporky via FlickrPita Jungle is a local chain that serves some of the best food in the area, with a healthy twist. They have locations all over the state of Arizona, including Scottsdale locations at Scottsdale Fashion Square and Scottsdale Road and Shea Boulevard. They also now have a few locations in California as well.

I was first introduced to Pita Jungle about four years ago and was intrigued by the various offerings. There are options for all kinds of eaters, whether you eat anything, are a vegetarian, a vegan or something in between. While pitas are featured in many of the dishes, you can also find wood fired pizzas, healthy burgers, pastas, fish dishes, meats, salads, smoothies, desserts and more. The food is delicious, prepared in a healthy manner and the large number of choices means you can come back time and time again to try something new.

Some of our favorite items include:

  • Hummus Plate -We have had the chance to sample all three of Pita Jungle’s hummus offerings. They serve the traditional hummus, a roasted red bell pepper hummus and my personal favorite, the cilantro/jalapeno hummus, which is tangy and spicy all at once. If you want to add some additional protein to your meal, they have offerings where you can get hummus topped with chicken or ahi tuna.
  •  Roasted Chicken Shawarma Pita – This is a great meal. It has cubed roasted chicken with a tasty garlic sauce and tahini wrapped in a pita. Tomatoes, pickles and shredded greens are also wrapped in there.
  • Spinach Pasta Salad– This was a great salad and the portion size was large enough we brought it home for a second meal. It comes with rotini pasta, spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, It is then tossed with some pesto and a lemon vinaigrette.
  • Pita Crisp – This is a Mediterranean pizza/quesadilla, if you will, where a crisp pita is topped with melted cheese.

We still have a ton more menu items to try and look forward to future visits.

More Information:
Pita Jungle
Scottsdale Locations:
– Scottsdale Fashion Square – Inside the Mall | (480) 947-7482
– Scottsdale/Shea – 7366 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ 85260 | (480) 922-PITA (7482)

Desert Ridge Location (North Phoenix): 20910 N. Tatum Blvd., Suite 140, Phoenix, AZ 85050 | (480) 473-2321

Take out, online ordering and catering available.

 

Photo courtesy of yummyporky via Flickr CC license

Things To Do with Your Pets in Scottsdale AZ

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Scottsdale AZ Pet Friendly and Dog Events Things to DoHaving a pet is often like having another member of your family and Scottsdale AZ is a very pet-friendly town with dog parks, miles of paths and trails  (both paved and unpaved) and even some dining establishments with patios where you can dine with your dog.

In the month of October 2011, there are two pet-focused events that I wanted to write about

NORTH SCOTTSDALE CHOICE PET MARKET GRAND OPENING – OCTOBER 2ND
The new Choice Pet Market in North Scottsdale is having its Grand Opening on Saturday, October 2nd. Located in the Grayhawk shopping center at Thompson Peak Parkway and Hayden Road, the event will be taking place from 11am to 3pm. This event and the store are both pet friendly, so feel free to bring your favorite companion.

There will be giveaways and a free raffle as well as complimentary pizza. In addition, they will be hosting a few rescue groups who will be on hand with loving animals looking to be adopted. Finally, a professional animal trainer will be on hand to give you any tips or advice that you might require.

Overall, it sounds like a great pet-friendly Scottsdale event that is worth attending.

CAVE CREEK WICKED PET COSTUME CONTEST AND PET FAIR – OCTOBER 29th
The second October event has to do with Halloween. On October 29th, Animal Health Services will be hosting its largest event of the year – the Cave Creek Wicked Pet Costume Contest and Pet Fair.

There will be pet costume contests, including a horse costume category as well as a pet parade. Voting categories include “cutest costume”, “scariest costume” and an “open category”. In addition, there will be pet-related vendors on site all day. The family events take place from 11am to 4pm, with the pet costume contest between 1:30 and 3.  The horse costume contest starts at 11.

In addition to the pet-related events, there are also tons of kids and family activities going on all day. And, at 6pm, the “after dark adult events begin.

Although I have not attended this particular event before, I have been in Cave Creek for their parades and large events and if they are anything to go by, this will be a ton of fun for the whole family.

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