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Scottsdale Zip Code 85262 Home Sales By Type Q1 2011 – Includes Foreclosures & Short Sales

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Here are the home sales results for  the first quarter of 2011 for Scottsdale’s 85262 zip code. I wanted to take a look at how 85262 specifically performed over the first few months of 2011.

 

Scottsdale Arizona’s 85262 zip code is the zip code that covers homes in the farthest north section of North Scottsdale. 85262 is home to many beautiful, upscale communities and because its elevation is higher than most of the greater Phoenix Valley, there are some amazing views. Another bonus is that temperatures can often be a few degrees cooler than the lower parts of the Valley. In 85262, there are some top golf communities like Desert Mountain, Troon North, Legend Trail and Estancia.

 

Here are the three categories I broke 85262’s home sales activity into. They are defined as follows:
– Non-Distressed Sales – These are “regular” or “traditional” sales of homes. The buyer and seller work with each other throughout the transaction.
– Short Sales – Short sales are where the seller is trying to sell the home for less than is owed to the lienholder(s). Due to this, short sales require the approval of the lienholders (also referred to frequently as the “lender(s)”).
– Foreclosures – Foreclosures are homes that have gone through the foreclosure process and have gone back to the lender. You may also see them  referred to as “Lender-Owned,” “REO'” homes or “Bank-Owned” homes.

 

Overall Findings for the Scottsdale Zip Code 85262 Home Sales Market for Q1 2011 – Data as of April 1, 2011
  • Active Scottsdale 85262 Homes For Sale: “Regular” homes on the market made up the vast majority of inventory at the end of Q1 2011 with 87%. The small percentage left over was comprised of short sales (8%) and foreclosures (5%.)
  • 85262 Pending Homes for Sale: Regular home sales lost quite a bit of their dominance when you look at pending sales. In this case, they were 58% of pendings. Close to half of the pending inventory (42%) was attributed to short sales (20%) and lender-owned homes (22%.) Here is a great illustration of the demand you see for foreclosure homes. While foreclosures only made up 5% of the for sale inventory, they accounted for 22% of the pending inventory. You can see a similar story for short sales as well.
  • 2010 Scottsdale 85262 Home Sales: Regular home sales made up just over half of Q1 2011 home sales in 85262. Foreclosures made up one third of the sales and short sales came in at 16%.
  • 85262 Home Prices: We more or less almost always see regular sales with the highest average sales price, but this may be the most pronounced variance I have seen. Average sales price for regular home sales was almost double that of short sales and foreclosures. Generally, short sales have the next highest average sales price, but for Q1 2011, foreclosures actually come in slightly higher. However, when you look at the difference in average square footage of homes sold and average price per square foot, you see that foreclosures did have the lowest relative prices.
  • Discounts Off of List Price: We generally see about a 10% discount off of asking price for regular sales. In this case it was 11%. Short sales and foreclosures typically come in at the 5% range. However for Q1 2011 in 85262, short sales closed with a larger than typical discount of 9% off of list price. On the other end of the spectrum, foreclosure purchasers only saw a 2% discount off of asking price. It will be interesting to see where these figures come in for Q2 2011.
Scottsdale AZ Zip Code 85262 Homes Sales short sales foreclosures Q1 2011

 

To see this information for the City of Scottsdale AZ, please visit these previous reports:
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for 2010
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for 2009
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 zip code 85262 for Q1 2011. 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 Zip Code 85255 Home Sales By Type Q1 2011 – Includes Foreclosures & Short Sales

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Here is a snapshot of  home sales activity in Scottsdale Arizona’s Zip Code 85255 for the first quarter 2011. I wanted to track how the different categories I have been tracking performed as we moved into 2011.
Scottsdale’s 85255 zip code is located in North Scottsdale and features many luxury homes with spectacular mountain and city light views. 85255 is home to Pinnacle Peak and several prominent golfing communities like Troon Country Club, Desert Highlands, Grayhawk, DC Ranch and Silverleaf.

I have broken 85255’s home sales activity into three categories. They are defined as follows:
– Non-Distressed Sales – These are “regular” or “traditional” home sales. In this case, the buyer and seller work with each other throughout the transaction.
– Short Sales – Short sales are where the home will be sold for less than is owed. Because of this, short sales require the approval of the lienholders (or you may hear “lenders”).
– Foreclosures – Foreclosures are homes that have been foreclosed upon. You may also see them called “Lender-Owned” or “REO'” homes or “Bank-Owned” homes.

Overall Findings for the Scottsdale Zip Code 85255 Home Sales Market for Q1 2011 – Data As of April 1, 2011
• Active Scottsdale 85255 Homes For Sale: Non-distressed homes made up the majority (82% ) of homes on the market at the end of Q1 2011. Short sales only accounted for 12% and lender-owned homes came in at half of at at 6%.
• 85255 Pending Homes for Sale: Pending sales at the end of the quarter were more evenly distributed. Regular sales made up 56% of pending inventory. Short sales, only 12% of the for sale inventory, accounted for 29% of pending sales. Similarly, foreclosures, with 6% of the active listings, accounted for 15% of pending sales at the end of March.
• 2010 Scottsdale 85255 Home Sales: Actual homes sales mirrored pending sales percentages pretty closely. Almost 60% of sales were regular sales. Foreclosures increased their percentage to 17% of sales and short sales slipped a little to 24%.
• 85255 Home Prices: As we have seen historically, the highest average sales prices have been on regular sales. For Q1 2011, the average sales price for regular homes was just over $727K.  What is interesting is that usually short sales come in second highest with regard to average sales price, but in this case, foreclosures had a higher average sales price. However, if you look at average price per square foot and average square footage of the homes that sold, you see that short sales did indeed come in higher.
• Days on Market: These figures are pretty close int timing. As would be expected from the demand, lender-owned homes had the shortest average days on market at about 4.7 months, followed by regular sales at about 5.2 months. As to be expected, the longest average days on market were short sales with 5.6 months.
• Discounts Off of List Price: As we have seen previously, the largest discounts off of asking price were seen with regular sales where buyers got an average of 8% off the list price. Short sales saw the next largest discount at 6% off asking and lender-owned sales came in at 4% off of list price.

Scottsdale AZ Home Sales for Zip Code 85255 First Quarter 2011 Short Sales Foreclosures

To see this information for all of Scottsdale AZ, please visit these previous reports:
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for 2010
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for 2009

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 sales in Scottsdale AZ zip code 85255 for Q1 2011. 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

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

Mirabel Scottsdale AZ – 2010 and 2011 Home Sales Performance

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Mirabel Luxury Homes Scottsdale ArizonaMirabel is a wonderful golf community located on the north end of Scottsdale, Arizona. Its elevation over the Greater Phoenix Valley allows for some incredible mountain and city light views. On clear days, you can easily see the University of Phoenix Stadium all the way over in Glendale.

Here are the results for Mirabel’s home sales activity for the year 2010. It is broken out by quarterly sales and the final column has the totals for the entire year.

Mirabel Scottsdale AZ 2010 Golf Home Sales

Home sales were highest in Q2 and Q3 , with almost 64% of the annual sales. However, average sales pries for these homes climbed over the course of the year from under $1 million at the beginning of 2010 to a little over $1.1 million by the end of  Q4.

Buyers enjoyed an average discount of 17% off of asking price for Mirabel homes. Homes were selling at a rate of a little less than two per month. With the exception of Q3, the average price per square foot on sold homes was around $200.

In 2010, at least six of the home sales were for partially-completed homes where the new owners had to come in and finish construction in order to occupy the homes. These homes were selling for around $700,000 or less, and the $300,000 sale was for a framed home.

 

2011 Homes Sales in Mirabel through March 21, 2011
At this point, the inventory of Mirabel homes for sale is pretty tight and there are no longer any of the low-price, partially-built homes on the market. Currently, the lowest-priced inventory can be found starting in the high-$800’s to the low $1 millions for some of the El Corazon semi-custom homes. These homes are centrally-located near all of the amenities of the Mirabel Club. Fully-custom homes start at around $1.4 million and go up to about $4 million.

There are currently five pending home sales at Mirabel ranging in asking price from $700,000 to $1,300,000.

The good news for 2011 is that home sales activity for 2011 in Mirabel is off to a strong start. We have not even finished the first quarter yet and sales volume has either beaten or tied three of last year’s quarterly sales figures.

Mirabel Scottsdale AZ 2011 Golf Home Sales

 

About Mirabel in Scottsdale, Arizona
Mirabel is a guard-gated, elegant golf community in far North Scottsdale. It is comprised of 713 acres and has an elevation of  around 3,000 feet. Lot sizes at Mirabel are large and many of them enjoy golf course views, mountain views or city light views. The community itself  feels welcoming and intimate.  Most of the homes at Mirabel are custom homes, although there is a section of semi-custom homes located in the heart of the community.

Although you are not required be a member to live in Mirabel, the private Mirabel Club is home to an 18-hole Tom Fazio golf course, a gorgeous, award-winning clubhouse, spa, clay tennis courts and pools. Both golf and social memberships are available to suit your needs.

View Mirabel 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  3/21/2011 and can change at any time. The analysis looks at home sale activity in the golf community of Mirabel in Scottsdale, Arizona. This blog represents the opinion of the author. No warranties implied or expressed.
Copyright © 2011 Heather Tawes Nelson

Scottsdale Zip Code 85262 Home Sales By Type 2010 – Includes Foreclosures & Short Sales

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After 2010 came to a close, I pulled the home sales results for the North Scottsdale AZ zip code of 85262. I wanted to see how homes on the market and home sales fell into the three categories of sales activity I have been tracking – ‘regular’ sales, short sales and foreclosures.

Here is how I am defining the three categories:
– Non-Distressed Sales – These are “regular” or “traditional” home sales. The  buyer is negotiating directly with the seller regarding the terms of the contract.
– Short Sales – These are where homeowners are trying to sell the home for less than is owed. Once a contract has been approved between the seller and buyer, it then must be approved by the lienholders which are quite frequently the lender or lenders on the mortgage or mortgages.
– Foreclosures – Foreclosures, also called  “Lender-Owned” homes or  “REO‘” homes or “Bank-Owned” homes, are homes that have gone through the foreclosure process and the lienholders now own the home.

Overall Findings for the Scottsdale Zip Code 85262 Home Sales Market for  2010 – Data As of January 1, 2011

  • Active Scottsdale 85262 Homes For Sale: Over 80% of the homes on the market at the end of 2010 were “regular” homes for sale. The remaining 18% was split between short sales (10%) and foreclosures (8%.)
  • 85262 Pending Homes for Sale: Pending sales at the end of the year were more evenly distributed. A very illustrative example of the demand for foreclosures can be seen here. Although 8% of listings were foreclosures, foreclosures accounted for 37% of pending sales. Similarly, but not as dramatically, short sales accounted for 24% of pending sales, even though they were only 10% of the listed homes.
  • 2010 Scottsdale 85262 Home Sales: We see the same kind of distribution in 2010 home sales. Regular sales came in a little over 40% followed by lender-owned homes at 33%. Short sales made up about a quarter of the sales.
  • 85262 Home Prices: Average home prices for regular sales were much higher (in excess of $1 million) than the distressed sales prices. The distressed sale average prices only came in in the $600K’s.
  • Days on Market: Cumulative days on market were in excess of 6.8 months for all sales types. Although this seems like a very long time, 85262 is home to many luxury homes and they have a much longer sales horizon than lesser-priced homes. Lender-owned sales were the quickest, although you typically see regular sales have the shortest days on market figure, .
  • Discounts Off of List Price: As we have seen historically, non-distressed sales have the most flexibility on average with respect to price. Buyers of these homes averaged a 14% discount off of asking. Short sales went for an average of 10% off of asking and foreclosures went for an average of 7% off of list price.

85262 Scottsdale Homes for Sale by Type 2010 Short Sales Foreclosures

Here is the quarterly sales information for North Scottsdale zip code 85262 broken out by sales type.

North Scottsdale 85262 2010 Quarterly Home Sales Short Sale Foreclosure

To see this same information for all of Scottsdale AZ, not just zip code 85262, please visit these previous reports:
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for Q4 2010
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for Q3 2010
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for Q2 2010
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for Q1 2010
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for 2009

Disclaimer: Data and information was pulled from the Arizona Regional MLS (ARMLS) as of  4/1/2010, 7/1/2010, 10/1/2010 and 1/1/2011 and can change at any time. The analysis looks at single-family resale homes for sale and sales in Scottsdale AZ zip code 82262 for the year of 2010. 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 Zip Code 85255 Home Sales By Type 2010 – Includes Foreclosures & Short Sales

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At the end of 2010, I took a look at home sales in Scottsdale AZ Zip Code 85255 to see how they broke out over the three categories of home sales I have been tracking.

I have broken the home sales activity into three categories.  The definitions are as follows:
– Non-Distressed Sales – These are “regular” or “traditional” sales of homes. Here, the  buyer and seller work together directly throughout the transaction.
– Short Sales – These are where homeowners are trying to sell the home for less than is owed. Short sale transactions require the approval of the lienholders which are quite frequently the lenders on the first mortgage.
– Foreclosures – Foreclosures are homes that have gone through the foreclosure process and now the lienholders owns the home. You may also see them called “Lender-Owned” or  “REO‘” homes or “Bank-Owned” homes.

Overall Findings for the Scottsdale Zip Code 85255 Home Sales Market for  2010 – Data As of January 1, 2011

  • Active Scottsdale 85255 Homes For Sale: At the end of 2010, almost 80% of the homes on the market were “regular” sales. Short sales came in a distant second with 16% and only 5% of the homes on the market in 85255 were foreclosures.
  • 85255 Pending Homes for Sale: Of the pending sales at the end of the year, however, only 40% of the pendings were regular sales. Another almost 40% were short sales  – at 38% and 22% were foreclosures. This shows the demand for distressed properties as many buyers are looking for bargain pricing.
  • 2010 Scottsdale 85255 Home Sales: Even though things were more evenly weighted in the pending sales category, actual homes sales were dominated by regular sales at 59%. Sales of short sales and foreclosures were almost equal at 22% and 19% respectively. What is interesting to note is that even though foreclosures represented only 5% of the homes on the market at the end of the year, they accounted for 19% of home sales in 2010.
  • 85255 Home Prices: Prices of non-distressed homes were significantly higher than short sales and foreclosures coming in at over an average of $800,000. Typically, short sales have the next highest prices, but for Scottsdale zip code 85255, average foreclosure home prices were higher at $567,299 versus the average short sale price of $542,475.
  • Days on Market: Lender-owned homes had the shortest days on market figure at about 4.7 months. Coming in just behind that was regular sales. Short sales saw the longest time on the market at about 6.3 months.
  • Discounts Off of List Price: The largest discounts were seen on regular sales where buyers got an average of 9% off of asking price. Short sales and foreclosures came in around a 5% discount off of asking price. This is pretty much what we have seen throughout the year.

Scottsdale Zip Code 85255 2010 Home Sales Short Sale Foreclosures

Below is a chart showing a quarterly break out of home sales by type. Although there was a little movement throughout the year, regular home sales came out on top with the balance almost equally split between short sales and foreclosures.

Scottsdale AZ 85255 2010 Quarterly Home Sales Short Sales Foreclosures

To see this information for all of Scottsdale AZ, please visit these previous reports:
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for Q4 2010
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for Q3 2010
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for Q2 2010
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for Q1 2010
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for 2009

Disclaimer: Data and information was pulled from the Arizona Regional MLS (ARMLS) as of  4/1/2010, 7/1/2010, 10/1/2010 and 1/1/2011 and can change at any time. The analysis looks at single-family resale homes for sale and sales in Scottsdale AZ zip code 82255 for the year of 2010. 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

Snow Delay at Desert Mountain in Scottsdale?

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Desert Mountain Snow Entrance Scottsdale AZWhen one thinks of Arizona, they think of sand, heat, and cactus.  All of that is accurate, except most people don’t realize that Desert Mountain in Scottsdale, Arizona,  is located within the Sonoran Desert.  The Sonoran Desert is a North American Desert that consists of 120,000 square miles and is in Arizona, California and the Mexican states of Sonora in Baja California and Baja California Sur.

Desert Mountain is located as far north in Scottsdale that one can travel and the altitude at the entry gate is close to 3,000 feet in altitude.  The highest point above Chiricahua Golf Clubhouse is well over 4,000 feet.

This is a good thing in that the temperatures at Desert Mountain are cooler by 8 to 10 degrees compared to downtown Scottsdale and Phoenix.  Residents of Desert Mountain live within a community that requires the residents to maintain and keep the indigenous plants of the Sonoran Desert around their homes. Walking one of the many trails and sidewalks within the community always provides a panoramic view of a myriad of cactus plants, wild flowers, and “critters” only found in the Sonoran Desert.

Once in a while, a storm comes through from the West or Southwest that brings unusually cold temperatures to Scottsdale. Those residing closer to downtown will have some ice and the occasional snow flake, but Desert Mountain will get covered with beautiful, pristine white snow.

My remembrances of snow at Desert Mountain include the delay of the senior golf tournament, The Tradition over ten years ago, and a wonderful blanketing of snow that lasted for two or three days in March of 2006. One of the biggest problems for the local authorities in 2006 was traffic control for the thousands of cars driving up from other parts of the Valley so people could see “real” snow.  Many of them, especially children, had never seen snow in their lives.

I’m sharing some photos taken this morning, February 27, 2011, of the entrance to Desert Mountain and a very telling photo of the first green of Renegade golf course.  Yes, there is a flagpole in place.  Can you find it?

Desert Mountain Golf Course Scottsdale AZ Snow Delay

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