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Things to Do in Scottsdale AZ: Visit the Town of Carefree’s Town Center

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On the north side of Scottsdale, Arizona, you will find a charming town called Carefree. Dating back to the 1950’s, Carefree is home to about 4,000 residents and some of the best-named roads in Arizona, Carefree is truly a delight to visit and/or reside in.Carefree AZ Sundial in Town Center

One of the focal points of Carefree is the Carefree Town Center. The Carefree Town Center is a collection of shops, galleries and restaurants and is host to many events throughout the year. Its main focal point is the 90 foot Sundial, which appears to be the 3rd largest sundial in the western hemisphere. There is the main central area and just down the way, there are more shops and dining options in the Spanish Village section.

Although I have yet to discover all of the stores and various vendors, here are some of the places we like to support and things we like to do at Carefree Town Center:

– The English Rose Tea Room – Experience traditional High Tea and escape for a little while in charming tea room.  They serve my favorite scones here and I always love to try a new blend of tea. High Tea English Rose Tea Room Carefree Town CenterIn addition to tea and food, there is a store area where you can purchase many tea-related items and items from the U.K.
– Friday Farmer’s Markets – Come support local vendors as they sell their specialty products. Thinks salsas, spices, fresh vegetables and baked goods and treats.
–AZ Wine Company – AZ Wine has been a staple of Carefree Town Center for many years. They offer a huge selection of wines and spirits for all tastes and budgets. Customer service is friendly and knowledgeable and they are happy to locate a wine for you if they do not have it in stock. They also offer lots of wine tastings and events.
– Easy Street Shoe Repair – This is the place I head when I need some shoe and heel repairs. The owner is great at his craft and works hard. He also does handbag and luggage repair on top of many other items.
Spanish Village Carefree Arizona– Carefree Fine Art and Wine Festivals – Taking place a few times a year, this is a great way to enjoy the Town Center with lots of amazing art as the backdrop. Grab a glass of wine and peruse the various artists’ work.

These are just a few of the large number of shops and events at Carefree Town Center. If you have not had a chance to visit, make sure to take a day to go and explore. And, if you have some favorites of your own, please feel free to share them in the comments section.

 

 

Scottsdale AZ Luxury Home Market – February 2012

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Scottsdale AZ Luxury Home LandscapeHere are the results for the Scottsdale AZ luxury home market for February 2012. Here you will see sales activity for homes with asking prices of $1 million or more and it is further segmented into various price bands. There are three categories covered, including Scottsdale luxury homes for sale, pending home sales and completed luxury homes sales over the previous twelve months.

– February 2012 –

Scottsdale Homes Priced Between $1,000,000 – $1,499,999
– Active Scottsdale Homes on the Market: We saw a small decline (-3.1%) in the number of homes on the market at the end of the month. However, it is still more than the 12 month average of 207 homes.
– Pending Scottsdale Home Sales: Pending sales in this price point saw a 58.8% jump over January. At the end of February, there were 27 homes pending, the highest this has been since the summer of 2011.
– Scottsdale Homes Sold: Home sales were not very strong, with only 12 sales. The 12 month average is 19 home sales.
– Sales Price to Listed Price: 97.0% – This is very strong and is the highest it has been in the past year. Homebuyers only enjoyed an average of 3% off of asking price.

Scottsdale AZ Luxury Homes for Sale Between $1 and $1.5 Million February 2012


Scottsdale Homes Priced Between $1,500,000 – $1,999,999
– Active Scottsdale Homes on the Market: Inventory was up in February in this price range to 149. This is now ahead of the 12 month average of 139.
– Pending Scottsdale Home Sales: Pending sales were average in February with 9 at the end of the month. The 12 month average is 12.
– Scottsdale Homes Sold: Sales in February were also so-so in this price point. Eight homes closed last month, one behind the 12 month average of 9.
– Sales Price to Listed Price: 90.7% – This is the highest this has been in the last year. It is just ahead of last March’s  90.2%

Scottsdale AZ Luxury Homed For Sale Between $1.5 and $2 Million February 2012


Scottsdale Homes Priced Between $2,000,000 – $2,999,999
– Active Scottsdale Homes on the Market: We saw a small (2.2%) uptick in inventory over January. We continue to be ahead of the 12 month average.
– Pending Scottsdale Home Sales: We saw a huge jump in pending sales in February to 9. This is 125% over January and almost double the 12 month average. It has not been this high since spring 2011.
– Scottsdale Homes Sold: Four homes sold in February in this price point. This is the highest it has been in several months, but still just slightly behind the 12 month average.
– Sales Price to Listed Price: 94.9% – This is a strong ratio for this price point and has now seen 3 months in the 90%’s.

Scottsdale AZ Luxury Homes for Sale Between $2 and $3 Million February 2012

Scottsdale Homes Priced $3,000,000+
– Active Scottsdale Homes on the Market: The number of homes was up by one at the end of February to 102.
– Pending Scottsdale Home Sales: Pending sales were up to 3, which is right on target with the 12 month average.
– Scottsdale Homes Sold: There was a single sale in February in excess of $3 million. This is still well behind the 12 month average, but is an improvement over January where there were no sales.
– Sales Price to Listed Price: 81.3% – This is on the lower end of what we have been seeing, but still pretty much to be expected.

Scottsdale AZ Luxury Homes for Sale Over $3 Million February 2012

The Scottsdale luxury home market had another mixed month in February 2012. Inventory increased in the highest priced segments.  We did have good news on pending sales every segment, with the exception of the $1.5 to $2 million price range. Sales overall were average, but based on the pending numbers, should be on a good path for March 2012.

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 3/1/2012 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 © 2012 Heather Tawes Nelson

Phoenix and Scottsdale AZ Luxury Condo Sales – February 2012

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Optima Camelview Condos for Sale Scottsdale AZ 85251Below are the results for February 2012 for the Phoenix and Scottsdale luxury condo market. In this report, the luxury condo market is being defined as condos on the market with a list price of $1 million or above.

Pending Luxury Condo Sales – At the end of February, there were no pending sales of luxury condominiums in Scottsdale or Phoenix.

At the conclusion of the month, there were two luxury condos under contract and both of them were at the Kierland Plaza Lofts. The first unit was a 2 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom condo on the 8th floor with 2,090 square feet. The asking price was $1,375,000. The second pending sale was a condo on the 9th floor. It had 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and 3,483 square feet. The list price was $2,225,000.

February 2012 Luxury Condo Sales – There were four luxury condo sales in the month February, when at the end of January, there were only two pending sales. This kind of sales number illustrates some of  the demand that is now coming back into the market after having been tempered over the last few years.

Two of the four sales were at Kierland Plaza Lofts. The first sale was for a 9th floor, three bedroom, two and one-half bathroom unit with 3,483 square feet. It was listed for 2,225,000 and sold for 2,200,000. The second sale was a two bedroom, two and one-half bathroom unit on the 8th floor with 2,090 square feet. The list price was $1,375,000 and it sold at that price.

The two other sales were in the Downtown Scottsdale/Old Town Scottsdale area and these are the two that closed very quickly. The first was at Optima Camelview. It was a three bedroom, two and one-half bathroom condo with 2,194 square feet. It had been listed for $1,175,000 and sold for $1 million. The other unit was at the Scottsdale Waterfront Residences. This condo had 2,296 square feet, three bedrooms and  three and one-half bathrooms. The asking price was $1,250,000 and it sold for $1,150,000.

 

Scottsdale Phoenix Luxury Condos for Sale February 2012

February 2012 had a great month from a sales standpoint. The two pending units closed and two more went under contract and closed within the month. Of these sales,one sold for list price and the others did not see huge discounts. The Kierland area is still very active after being somewhat quiet in the luxury sales side. And, Downtown Scottsdale got back into the luxury action with sales at Optima Camelview and Scottsdale Waterfront Residences.Unfortunately, the Phoenix luxury condo market remains quiet.

It will be interesting to look at sales activity next month as we entered this month without any pending sales. We may see something similar to February where the sales closed quickly, or we may end the month with a pending sale or two.

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 3/1/2012 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 © 2012  Heather Tawes Nelson

Scottsdale AZ Single-Family Homes for Sale – February 2012

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Here are the February 2012 results for Scottsdale AZ home sales. This analysis looks at the current homes on the market, pending sales figures and actual home sales in Scottsdale for the month of February 2012. To allow comparisons, the last 12 months of data has been included.

The sales figures are broken into three categories, including Scottsdale homes currently for sale, pending home sales and Scottsdale home sales. The first chart shows these three categories and how the tracked month over month for the last year. The second chart looks at the rate of change between each of the months as well as the average sales price to list price ratio for Scottsdale home sales.

Scottsdale AZ Homes for Sale Report February 2012

Scottsdale AZ Homes for Sale Changes Feb 2012

  February 2012 Highlights for Scottsdale AZ Homes for Sale:

  • Active Scottsdale Homes for Sale: Inventory dropped down a little bit by the end of the month to 1716. For the most part, inventory has been increasing over the last several months, so it was nice to see it headed back down.
  • Pending Homes Sales in Scottsdale: Pending home sales saw a healthy jump by the end of February to 551, up 19.3% over January. This is the highest this figure has been since last June. This jump can most likely be attributed to seasonal swings.
  • Scottsdale Homes Sold: Home sales were also up quite a bit over January to 380, an 18.8% increase. Based on the pending sales at the end of January, we were hoping to see this healthy uptick this month. 
  • Sales Price to List Price: 95.7% – This is the highest this ratio has been in the last year. Over the course of the last 12 months, this figure has been increasing, which means you are seeing a smaller and smaller discount off of asking price when it comes to home sales.

Overall, February 2012 was a positive month for home sales and home sale activity in Scottsdale, Arizona. Now that the “season” is underway, we are seeing a nice increase in pending sales and home sales. Additionally, inventory headed lower in February after it had been creeping up for the last several months. Looking forward, March is on target for some good sales activity based on February’s pending figures.

Search Scottsdale AZ Homes for Sale

Disclaimer: Data and information was pulled from the Arizona Regional MLS (ARMLS) as of 3/1/2012 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 © 2012 Heather Tawes Nelson

My Favorite Things to Eat in Scottsdale AZ – Part 4

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True Food Kitchen Scottsdale Quarter Kale SaladThis is the fourth post in a series of some of the things I love to eat in and around Scottsdale. I originally had planned on a single post, but I am now up to four. That is just a testament to the delicious and creative cuisine that can be found in Scottsdale and Phoenix!

Their win on Cupcake Wars prompted me to drive down to Urban Cookies and Ollie Cake to taste their creations in person. I ended up buying a 6 pack of the various flavors being offered that day and sampled a taste of each of them. They were all really delicious, but the two flavors that really stood out were the lemon cupcake and one of the Cupcake Wars winners, the Orange Olive Oil and Rosewater Cupcake. The rosewater was very subtle but came through and blended with the earthy orange of the cake.

Staying on the sweet side, another favorite local treat of mine is the toffee from GoodyTwos. This mother and daughter team continue to create and innovate some amazing toffees and flavors. My personal pick is the Sweet & Salty as I love the combination of dark chocolate and sea salt. The combination of traditional toffees and the more creative ‘contemporary’ toffees are sure to please everyone.

Chelsea’s Kitchen has been and continues to be an area favorite for great, fresh and comforting food. One of my favorite indulgences there are the Chicken Nachitos. There are no huge surprises in the ingredients, but the combination of fresh organic chicken, guacamole, cheese and home-made salsa make for a satisfying, tasty, memorable dish.

For this post which has been on the more decadent side, I am going to end with a healthier option that is no less delicious. True Food Kitchen’s food has been a huge hit for the past several years. One of their signature starters is my final pick for this post. The Tuscan Kale Salad is a must order every time I visit. The combination of the crunchy kale and breadcrumbs highlighted by garlic, olive oil, citrus, red pepper flakes and Pecorino is outstanding.

 That is it for this edition. If you have any favorite foods you would like to share in the comments, please do so!

 

Estancia Golf Community Scottsdale AZ- 2011 Real Estate Report

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Estancia Scottsdale AZ Golf ClubThe prestigious golf community of Estancia is one of North Scottsdale‘s jewels. The community is situated on 640 prime acres and is known for its stunning Pinnacle Peak, mountain and city light views. In addition, Estancia is guard-gated and is home to an award-winning golf course.

In the charts below, you will see the results for Estancia’s 2011 home sales. The first chart is an overview of current activity in Estancia, including active homes on the market and the single pending sale. The second chart breaks out 2011 home sales by quarter and provides a summary of the year’s sales.

Estancia’s home sales got off to a slow start in the first quarter, but picked up momentum for the following three quarters. Over the course of the year, the average sales price increased as did the average square footage of the homes being sold. We saw the average price per square foot increase as the year progressed as well.

Estancia Golf Community Scottsdale AZ Homes for Sale February 2012

Estancia Golf Community Scottsdale AZ 2011 home sales

 

About Estancia Golf Community in Scottsdale, Arizona
Estancia is an elegant golf community in Scottsdale, Arizona. It is situated in North Scottsdale adjacent to the Troon area and Pinnacle Peak. Homes in Estancia are known for their luxurious design and impeccable construction. Many of them have outstanding views and large lot sizes.

You do not have to be a homeowner in Estancia to become a member of the Estancia Golf Club. Conversely, you are not required to join the club if you purchase a home in Estancia either. Estancia’s award-winning golf course was designed by Tom Fazio and year after year it continues to earn accolades. Membership at Estancia Golf Club is capped at 325 and memberships are sold on a market-price basis.

The clubhouse at Estancia is elegantly appointed. There are casual and formal dining areas, as well as a pro shop, men’s and ladies’ locker rooms, a fitness center, a swimming pool and much more.

Search for Estancia Homes for Sale

Disclaimer: Information herein deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Data and information was pulled from the Arizona Regional MLS (ARMLS) as of 2/27/20112 and can change at any time. The analysis looks at home sale activity in the golf community of Estancia in Scottsdale, Arizona. This blog represents the opinion of the author. No warranties implied or expressed.
Copyright © 2012 Heather Tawes Nelson

Scottsdale AZ Luxury Golf Community Home Sales for 2011

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Here is a real estate overview for 2011 for the top luxury Scottsdale AZ Golf Communities and Scottsdale Golf Homes for Sale. In addition to the Scottsdale golf communities, I have also included a few others in neighboring Carefree and Cave Creek, Arizona.

A large number of these golf communities are found in North Scottsdale. They include Desert Mountain, DC Ranch, Silverleaf, Whisper Rock  and Estancia. You can also find excellent golf communities just outside of Scottsdale in the adjacent towns. For instance, there is the The Boulders in Carefree and Rancho Manana in Cave Creek to name a few.

This first chart looks at 2011 sales activity for Scottsdale area luxury golf homes. Each community’s sales statistics are noted, including average sales price and average cost per square foot for these sold homes.

You can also review the column titled “Sales Price to List Price.” Here you can measure how large the average discount off  of asking price was on a community by community basis. On average, homes in Rancho Manana sold the closest to asking price at 97.2%, or just under 3% off list price. Right behind Rancho Manana was Dove Valley Ranch at 97.1% of list price. The community with the largest average discount off of asking price was Silverleaf at 86%, or 14% off of list price. While this is a large discount, we saw communities where there were 25% average discounts in 2010.

The variance seen in the discounts is not surprising as you often see more price flexibility at the luxury end of the market. Additionally, when the number of home sales is lower, any homes that sold with a large discount have a heavier weight in the calculation.

Carefree Cave Creek Scottsdale Golf Home Sales 2011

This second chart outlines the current inventory on the market for each of the Scottsdale area luxury golf communities. It is a snapshot of the number of homes for sale as of February 20, 2012 and the average asking price. You will also see detail on the lowest and highest priced homes on the market illustrating the range in home prices within the community.

The most expensive golf home on the market is at Silverleaf at DC Ranch for $24,500,000.  The next most expensive home is in Desert Mountain at just under $11 million dollars.

The least expensive home is found in the Cave Creek community of Tatum Ranch. It is listed for $154,900.

Scottsdale Golf Homes for Sale February 2012 Carefree Cave Creek

Click here to see an Interactive Map of the Scottsdale, Carefree and Cave Creek Golf Communities. Once you are on the map, you can click on any community for more information and gain access to current homes for sale.

Disclaimer: Data and information was pulled from the Arizona Regional MLS (ARMLS) as of 2/20/2012 and can change at any time. The analysis looks at resale golf community homes for sale and home sales in Scottsdale AZ, Carefree, AZ and Cave Creek, 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 © 2012 Heather Tawes Nelson

Whisper Rock Scottsdale Arizona – 2011 Home Sales Performance

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Whisper Rock is one of Scottsdale’s top luxury, golf communities. It is located in North Scottsdale, Arizona, just south of Carefree. Whisper Rock is comprised of 800 acres and lot sizes tend to average around or above 2 acres. A large majority of the homesites enjoy golf course views, mountain views or both.

The following is the 2011 Whisper Rock home sales report. In addition to 2011 home sales in Whisper Rock, the current inventory of homes on the market as of mid-February 2012 is included.

Whisper Rock Scottsdale Homes for Sale 2012

 

About Whisper Rock:
The community of Whisper Rock is a top golf community located in Scottsdale, Arizona. It is home to two stunning golf courses, enjoys a spectacular mountainous terrain and stunning desert vistas abound.

In addition to residential lots, Whisper Rock has a good selection of resale homes for sale as well. In all, there are 197 homesites and 17 villas in Whisper Rock. Residents enjoy a good amount of privacy due to the larger lot sizes and gated entry. However, there is an active sense of community where residents interact within the three acre park, fitness center and pool, tennis courts and/or miles of trails.

View Whisper Rock 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 2/17/2012 and can change at any time. The analysis looks at Scottsdale AZ real estate activity in the golf community of Whisper Rock in Scottsdale, Arizona. This blog represents the opinion of the author. No warranties implied or expressed.
Copyright © 2012 Heather Tawes Nelson

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