Scottsdale AZ Real Estate & Lifestyle

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Heather Tawes Nelson

Scottsdale AZ Q1 2011 Home Sales By Type – Includes Foreclosures & Short Sales

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Here are the results for Q1 2011 for Scottsdale, Arizona home sales. I have divided the sales activity into the following three categories.
Here are the three categories of home sales and how I am defining them in general terms:
– Non-Distressed Sales – These are what you would consider “regular” or “traditional” home sales. In this scenario, the buyer works directly with the seller  for negotiations and throughout the transaction.
– Short Sales – Short sales happen when homeowners try to sell their home for less than is owed. These transactions require the approval of the lienholder(s) and typically, the main lienholder is the lender on the first mortgage.
– Foreclosures – These are homes where the  lender now owns the home. You will see them referenced as “Lender-Owned”, “REO‘”  homes or “Bank-Owned” homes.
Overall Findings for the Q1 2011 Scottsdale Single-Family Home Market – Data As of  April 1 , 2011
  • Scottsdale Homes for Sale: The vast majority (77%) of active homes for sale at the end of the quarter were regular home sales. Short sales came next with 14% of the inventory and only 9% were foreclosures.
  • Scottsdale Pending Home Sales: Pending home sales percentages shifted a bit and we saw regular sales’ share drop to 49% of the activity. Short sales and foreclosures were pretty evenly divided for the rest of the pending sales.
  • 2010 Scottsdale Home Sales: Actual home sales in Q1 2011 ticked back up for the regular home sales category to 55%. Foreclosures, which were only 9% of the active listings, made up for 27% of the home sales.
  • Home Prices: There was a clear delineation between home prices and category. As we have seen over the last several quarters, non-distressed home sales went for the highest average sales price, followed by short sales and then lender-owned homes. There was a $200K difference in average sales price between regular home sales and foreclosures.
  • Days on Market: Due to high demand, foreclosures had the shortest days on market at 129. Short sales were an average of 6 months on the market and regular sales were just under that.
  • Discounts Off of List Price: As we have seen over the last several quarters, regular sales had the largest discount. For Q1 2011,  the average discount off of asking was 8%. Short sales and foreclosures stayed where they have been for a while, at about 5% off of asking price.
Scottsdale AZ Homes for Sale Q1 2011 plus Short Sales and Foreclosures
Disclaimer: Data and information were pulled from the Arizona Regional MLS (ARMLS) as of 4/1/2011 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

Scottsdale AZ Luxury Home Market – March 2011

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Here are the figures for the Scottsdale, Arizona luxury home market for March 2011. This report takes a look at the last 12 months of data and looks at Scottsdale luxury home sales, pending sales and active Scottsdale luxury homes on the market. I am defining the luxury market as homes with asking prices of $1 million or more.

– March 2011 –
 
Scottsdale Homes Priced Between $1,000,000 – $1,499,999
– Active Scottsdale Homes on the Market: At the end of March, there were 250 homes for sale in this price point. This number was down slightly over February and is ahead of the 12 month average of 277.
– Pending Scottsdale Home Sales: There were 28 pending sales at the end of the month, which is the same as what we saw at the end of February. These pending figures have not been this high since last summer. The 12 month average is 24 pending sales.
– Scottsdale Homes Sold: Twenty-seven homes sold in March in this price range, a 68.8% increase over February. That is the highest this figure has been in the last 12 months and the last time this number was this high was June 2010. The 12 month average for home sales in this segment is 18 per month.
–  Sales Price to Listed Price:  91.0% – This is a pretty representative figure as this ratio tends to fall in the high 80%’s and low 90%’s.

Scottsdale AZ Luxury Home Sales March 2011 between 1 and 1.5 million


Scottsdale Homes Priced Between $1,500,000 – $1,999,999
– Active Scottsdale Homes on the Market: There were 168 homes on the market at the end of last month in this price segment. This was up by one home over February, but is still below the 12 month average of 176 homes.
– Pending Scottsdale Home Sales: Thirteen homes were pending, which was down from February’s 17 pending home sales. This figure was the same as the 12 month average.
– Scottsdale Homes Sold: Thirteen homes sold in March in this category, which was excellent. The last time this figure was so high was March of 2010. The 12 month average is 8 home sales.
–  Sales Price to Listed Price: 90.2% – This is a pretty typical number for this price segment. We see this in the high 80%’s and low 90%’s.

Scottsdale AZ Luxury Homes for Sale March 2011 between 1.5 and 2 million

Scottsdale Homes Priced Between $2,000,000 – $2,999,999
– Active Scottsdale Homes on the Market: 150 homes in the $2 million price point were on the market at the end of  the month. This is down from 157 in February and is below the 12 month average of 161.
– Pending Scottsdale Home Sales: Eleven homes were pending sale at the end of February. This was a 57% increase over the previous month and the highest number of pending sales since May of 2010. The 12 month average is 8.
– Scottsdale Homes Sold: There were five home sales in March in this price point. This is a little lower than we have been seeing over the last few months and is one home sale behind the 12 month average of 6.
– Sales Price to Listed Price: 91.6% – This is a good number for this price range. This is the first time it has been in the 90%’s since August 2010.

Scottsdale AZ Luxury Homes for Sale March 2011 between 2 and 3 million


Scottsdale Homes Priced $3,000,000+
– Active Scottsdale Homes on the Market: Inventory was down in the $3 million plus range. Active homes dropped 6.3% to 105 at the end of the month. The 12 month average is 115.
– Pending Scottsdale Home Sales: Pending home sales were up for the fourth month in a row to 5. This is on par with the 12 month average.
– Scottsdale Homes Sold: – There were four home sales in March, double that of February. This is ahead of the 12 month average of 3 sales.
Sales Price to Listed Price: 85.7% –  This is a good ratio as we have seen a couple of months in the 70%’s and March was solidly in the 80%’s.
Scottsdale AZ Luxury Homes for Sale March 2011 Over $3 million

Overall March 2011 was a good month for the Scottsdale AZ luxury home market. Sales and pending sales were more or less up across the board and for the most part, inventory decreased. Based on pending activity, we should ideally see some good home sales activity for the month of April.

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  4/1/2011 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 in

Phoenix and Scottsdale AZ Luxury Condo Sales – March 2011 and Q1 2011

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Here are the March 2011 and Q1 2011 results for Scottsdale and Phoenix luxury condo market. I consider the luxury condo market as those condos with asking prices in excess of $1 million.

There was a single pending luxury condo sale at the end of March 2011. It is the same sale that was pending at the end of February. The condo is a 3 bedroom, 3 .5 bathroom, 4,000 square foot unit at The Residences at 2211 Camelback in Phoenix. The asking price was $1,100,000.

There were three luxury condo sales in the month of March. All three sales were in Scottsdale. Two of the sales were at the Scottsdale Waterfront Residences. The first sale was 3 bedroom, 3.5 bathroom, 2,503 square foot unit that sold for $930,000. The other sale was a 2 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom, 2,227 square foot unit that sold for $1,150,000. The third sale in March was at Optima Camelview Residences and was a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom unit with 2,848 square feet.

Luxury condo sales Scottsdale Phoenix March 2011

Scottsdale and Phoenix Luxury Condo Sales – Q1 2011
Here is a snapshot of luxury condo sales for Q1 2011 in Scottsdale and Phoenix. All six sales took place in Scottsdale. Scottsdale Waterfront Residences and Optima Camelview both had two sales in Q1 and the last two sales were at Safari Drive and The Landmark at Kierland.

Luxury condo sales Scottsdale Phoenix Q1 2011

March was a strong  month for luxury condo sales in Scottsdale and Phoenix. In fact, half of the first quarter’s sales occurred last month. The pending sale was a holdover from February so ideally it should close in April. However, to start the second quarter off on a good note, we need to see a few more units go under contract.

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  4/1/2010 and can change at any time. The analysis looks at resale luxury condos in Scottsdale and Phoenix 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

Scottsdale AZ Single-Family Homes for Sale – March 2011

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Here are March 2011’s results for Scottsdale home sales. This analysis looks at the past 12 months of activity on a monthly basis for Scottsdale single-family homes. It is broken into Scottsdale homes for sale, pending home sales and Scottsdale homes sold in March.
Scottsdale AZ Homes Sold March 2011
Scottsdale AZ Home Sales Stats March 2011
March 2011 Highlights for Scottsdale AZ Homes for Sale:
  • Active Scottsdale Homes for Sale: Single-family home inventory continues to drop. We are now down to 2,332 homes for sale. This is below the 12 month average is 2,608.
  • Pending Homes Sales in Scottsdale:  Pending sales saw a nice jump in March to 606 over February’s 530, a 14.3% increase. The last time we saw this figure in the 600’s was in May of 2010. The 12 month average for pending sales is 516. This indicates that April home sales should be strong.
  • Scottsdale Homes Sold: Home sales saw a third month of growth in March. There were 433 home sales, a 13.4% increase over February. We saw home sales hit 400 in December 2010, but the last time sales were this high was in June of 2010. The 12 month average for monthly home sales is 374.
  • Sales Price to List Price:  93.5% – Buyers, on average, saw a 6.5% discount off of asking price in March 2011. This is a pretty representative percentage for Scottsdale homes as this ratio tends to stay around the low 90%’s.
March 2011 was another good month for Scottsdale AZ home sales. Inventory was down quite a bit and pending home sales and actual home sales saw very healthy jumps. We do tend to see seasonal sales swing up annually, so this was somewhat expected, but always nice to see. And, since pending sales were strong last month, April 2011 home sales should continue in the upswing.

 

Disclaimer: Data and information was pulled from the Arizona Regional MLS (ARMLS) as of 4/1/2011 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

Things To Do in Scottsdale AZ: Take a Hike in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve

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Bajada Loop McDowell Sonoran Preserve Scottsdale AZThe Scottsdale area has some wonderful hikes for people looking to enjoy the outdoors and some fresh air. Last weekend, I had the opportunity to visit the McDowell Sonoran Preserve and experience just a small part of all that it has to offer. It has everything from a lovely, educational, paved trail that forms a loop called Bajada all the way to very difficult hikes, such as the one to Tom’s Thumb. There are 28 marked trails in the trail guide.

There are many different trailheads you can use to access the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. The one we used to enter was the  Gateway Trailhead, which is located between DC Ranch and Mc Dowell Mountain Ranch on Thompson Peak Parkway. Here, you can enter the trail system on foot, by bike or on horseback. Dogs are welcome as well  if they are leashed.  There is plenty of free parking for guests.

Hike the Mc Dowell Sonoran Preserve Scottsdale AZAt the entrance is a large structure that has information about the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, restrooms, water and an amphitheater area for events. From there, you enter the trail system via a series of clearly marked paths.

We started with the Bajada Nature Trail loop. It was more or less level, paved and it had 15 educational stops along the way. The educational stops have information and facts about the various flora and fauna of the Sonoran Desert and there are a few interactive stations as well. In addition, the Bajada Nature Trail loop is ADA accessible.

While we did not venture much further that day, we plan to do a lot more exploring the next time. As mentioned previously, experienced hikers can make their way up to Tom’s Thumb, a five mile hike and 1,363 foot change in elevation.  The Preserve is so vast, there are trails that go all of the way to Fountain Hills.

In addition to all of the great trails, there are ongoing events and series for nature enthusiasts, athletes and families.

If you are looking for a way to enjoy Scottsdale’s amazing weather, be sure to plan some time to visit the Mc Dowell Sonoran Preserve.

More Information:
Gateway Trailhead Entrance to McDowell Sonoran Preserve
18333 N Thompson Peak Parkway
Scottsdale, AZ 85255
– East of DC Ranch/Silverleaf,  West of McDowell Mountain Ranch

5 Other Trailhead Entrances:
– Lost Dog Wash – 12601 N 124th Street, Scottsdale, AZ
– Quartz – 10215 E. McDowell Mountain Ranch Road, Scottsdale, AZ
– Ringtail – 12300 block of North 128th Street, Scottsdale, AZ
– Sunrise – 12101 North 145th Way, Scottsdale, AZ
– WestWorld – 15939 North 98th Street, Scottsdale, AZ

Where to Eat in Scottsdale AZ: Rhythm and Wine

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Rhythm and Wine Restaurant North Scottsdale 85255Tucked into the southern corner of a smaller shopping center in North Scottsdale, Arizona is a restaurant called Rhythm and Wine. As evidenced by the name, there is a strong music theme throughout from the decor of the dining room to the menu and there is a focus on wine.

Rhythm and Wine is open for lunch and dinner and does take out as well. There is a central bar area where you can grab a glass of wine or a drink or have a casual bite to eat. In addition to the inside dining tables, there is also a large patio to enjoy food and drink al fresco.

Rhythm and Wine Dining in Scottsdale 85255We had the opportunity to dine there a few weeks ago and had a really enjoyable meal.  To start, we had the Artisanal Cheese Platter. We were able to select three choices from about nine different cheese selections from all over the globe. To go with the cheese, there was bread, nuts and berries and fruit jam. We also had a chance to try the Central Coast Caesar Salad which was quite good. The one thing we saw at another table that we plan to try the next time was the “Super Tuscan” Bruschetta where you choose three of four options of toppings to come out on fresh, delicious bread. Another appetizer that was recommended, but we did not try, was the French Onion “Dumplings” which we were told are like French Onion Soup in a dumpling form.

Our entrees were excellent. Our server highly recommended the  Grilled Chicken Pasta and she was correct. The chef makes it with a home-made chicken stock that is flavorful and delicious. I will absolutely have that again. The other entrée was the 8 ounce “Chophouse” Filet stuffed with roasted garlic. My dining companion said it was great. For fish lovers, the Fume Blanc Poached Halibut came highly recommended, but we did not have a chance to try it.

Rhythm and Wine has a large number of nightly specials – for instance, half-price bottles of wine-  and quite often features live entertainment. Here is a link to Rhythm and Wine’s Calendar of Events. On the website, you can also join their e-Club to get discounts and event information.

Overall, we really enjoyed our meal at Rhythm and Wine and will definitely be back. It is a great addition to the North Scottsdale dining scene.

More Information:
Rhythm and Wine
7605 East Pinnacle Peak Road
Scottsdale, AZ 85255
– SE corner of Miller Road & Pinnacle Peak Road
(480) 478-6999

Hours:
Monday through Thursday – 11:00am to 10:00pm
Friday and Saturday – 11:00am to 11:00pm
Sunday- 11:00am to 9:00pm

Desert Highlands Scottsdale AZ – 2010 and 2011 Home Sales Performance

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Desert Highlands is a well-known, luxury golf community in Scottsdale, Arizona. Its great location in the foothills of Pinnacle Peak translates to amazing valley views for its residents. Homeowners enjoy many activities offered by the club and are minutes away from great shopping, dining, entertainment and more.

Here are the 2010 home sales figures for Desert Highlands as well as home sales data for 2011 to-date. Home sales were pretty even throughout the year with about 5 homes being sold per quarter. We saw a large decline in average sales price in Q4. This could be due to end-of-year bargain hunters and sellers looking to offload their properties prior to the new year. In Q3 and Q4 buyers were able to negotiate average discounts of over 20% off of asking prices.

Desert Highlands Scottsdale 2010 Golf Home Sales

Here is a comparison of the last three years of home sales at Desert Highlands Scottsdale. As you can see, overall sales volume was up, but on average you were able to get a lot more square footage for a lower price per square foot in 2010 versus the other two years. As a result, we have also seen the average sales price of a home decline.

Desert Highlands Scottsdale AZ Home Sales 2009 2010 2011

2011 Desert Highlands Homes for Sale and Home Sales through March 23, 2011

Here are the current homes on the market, pending home sales and actual homes sold to-date for Desert Highlands in 2011. Sales so far this year are on track with what we saw in a few quarters last year. Average sales price is still lower than we saw for most of last year, but improved over Q4 of 2010.

 

Desert Highlands 2011 Golf Home Sales Scottsdale 85255

About Desert Highlands in Scottsdale, Arizona
Desert Highlands  is spread over 850 acres with 560 homesites. It was developed by Lyle Anderson over 25 years ago and is an established, elegant golf community.

The homesites are situated to take advantage of mountain views or city lights views. Pinnacle Peak is just north of the community and provides some amazing vistas. Desert Highlands homeowners are all members of the private Desert Highlands Golf Club and can enjoy all of the excellent amenities it has to offer, including the 18-hole Nicklaus golf course, an onsite activities coordinator, tennis, an expansive fitness center, swimming pools and so much more.

View Desert Highlands Scottsdale Homes for Sale

Disclaimer: Information herein deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Data and information was pulled from the Arizona Regional MLS (ARMLS) as of 4/1/2010, 7/1/2010, 10/1/2010, 1/1/2011 and 3/23/2011 and can change at any time. The analysis looks at home sale activity in the golf community of Desert Highlands in Scottsdale, Arizona. This blog represents the opinion of the author. No warranties implied or expressed.
Copyright © 2011 Heather Tawes Nelson

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