While enjoying an afternoon with my daughter on her birthday, we stumbled upon a wonder restaurant in Downtown Chandler, AZ named the Urban Tea Loft.  The restaurant features gourmet sandwiches, dinners, wonderful pastries and desserts, and many different varieties of tea. They have white teas, green teas, and black teas in a multitude of flavors.  They are served in these neat little tea pots that fit atop of your glass.  The atmosphere is great, decorated in a modern art nuevo style. We had a wonderful experience there enjoying a leisurely lunch on the patio.  The restaurant features live music Wednesday, Friday, & Saturday nights.  They also feature special events such as a book club cosponsored by the Chandler Public Library, a special Tea-Tinis & Manicure evening cosponsored by Ima... 04/05/2008

Chandler has continued to see a downward trend in home prices since the latter half of 2006. 2007 finished the year off with a depreciation rate of about 12% and the first decline in homes in over 15 years. 2008 will remain a slow seller market, but a excellent buyer's market with plenty of choices and large discounts to be had. The market is also prime for first time buyers with record low interests rates. This is a great time to consider purchasing a home as there is a large amount of resale homes to choose from and as and seller's are willing to negotiate. Chandler currently has slightly over 2,400 active listings. If you are interested in what your home is currently worth or would like information on purchasing, please contact me at 480-507-0344 or ginamckinley@remax.net for a Free ... 04/04/2008

March Residential HighlightsMarch came in like a Lion! Amazing what a month has done in our Real Estate Market.  Closed sales saw huge 41% increase over February (181 v. 255).  It appears that we have possibly hit bottom as closed sales have continued to creep up and have increased every month since Sept. 2007 with the exception of January.  Pending sales also showed a jump and are on track to continue to improve with approximately 368 homes currently under contract. New listings are continuing to decrease, a very good sign that we are finally selling off the excess inventory. Chandler has a little over 2,300 active listings, down from a high of 2,700 in October 2007.  At the current rate of sales, Chandler has gone from a 13 month supply of inventory last month to an only 9 month suppl... 04/04/2008

Chandler Real Estate - MARCH 2008 Statistics - SINGLE FAMILY DETACHED HOMES ONLYCurrent ACTIVE HOMES - MARCH = 2075 sfd homes    * Low = $83,000     * High = $3,999,400     * Single Level = 1409 homes     * Multi Level = 666 homes Current UNDER CONTRACT HOMES - MARCH = 361 sfd homes    * Low = $134,900    * High - $1,599,000    * Single Level = 250 homes    * Multi Level = 111 homes Current SOLD HOMES - MARCH = 233 sfd homes    * Low = $136,500    * High - $1,082,000    * Single Level = 178 homes    * Multi Level = 55 homes Data obtained from the Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service (ARMLS) Information deemed accurate, but not guaranteed. Note: information does not include non-MLS private home sales.Choose from the following links for: Chandler Real Estate  Chandler Luxury Homes  S... 04/04/2008

I recently visited this new Chandler master planned community. Fulton ranch located in the Ocotillo area, features 5 communities. Serentiy Shores showcases luxury condos ranging from 1300-1800 sq ft. This gated community has a fitness center, community pool, walking and biking trails, shopping and resturaunts within this master planned development. 04/02/2008

If you would like specific information on any home that you see, or if you would like to see another community added to my current list of market updates - please email me at sold@azhomestore.com NEW!Homes with ZERO DOWN... Click Here                                                   Comparative Market Analysis  Stellar Property Type:   Residential       Status:   Active SubjectProperty        #ML#StatusAddressBuiltFe CodeSqFtList PriceLP/ SFADOMCDOM1 2757995 act 15 S Stellar PKWY Chandler 1988 45.5FRDXPSO4+G 5197 $1,200,000 $231 333 333 2 2930981 act 4301 W Mercury WAY Chandler 2008 45.5FRDXSQNO4+G 8340 $3,795,000 $455 53 53 3 2934628 act 4301 W Saturn WAY Chandler 2009 45.5FRDXSQNO4+G 8340 $3,895,000 $467 47 47 Average    7,292$2,963,333  144144Number of Properties: 3( Average ListPri... 03/31/2008

So I was cruising through the headlines today and came across a clip about people boarding a van and a "short" bus in a strip mall parking lot to go look at foreclosure listings. The first two men-in-charge interviewed (and you could tell who were in charge because they were wearing orange t-shirts over their own shirts with foreclosure websites and phone numbers plasterd all over them) went on about the great deals in the foreclosure marketplace. The interviewed prospective clients were out-of-towners-from Colorado and Ontario, Canada - looking for a vacation or retirement home. Another man-in-charge interviewed as the bus boarded and at again at the first home ended up being the investor/owner of the property. He said he went door to door to homes in the neighborhood to let sellers kn... 03/31/2008

Realtor.org named three cities in the Phoenix area as the 3rd fastest growing in the U.S.  Phoenix, Mesa and Scottsdale are swelling by as much as 132,513 new residents according to the U.S. Census Bureau.  The strong local economies and housing prices as the major contributors to the growth.This is good news for those of us in the Phoenix area, those people need to live somewhere and we have a lot of inventory.  Below are the stats out of this article, if you would like to read the entire article you can do so here.(Source: realtor.org - 3/27/08)The 10 biggest gainers:Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas: 162,250 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Ga.: 151,063 Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz.: 132,513 Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas: 120,544 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif.: 86,660 ... 03/31/2008

Who would have thought that by using "blue" one could "go green"? A company in Chandler Arizona is doing just that. They are taking old blue jeans and using them to make insulation materials that are "green". The company is Bonded Logic Inc.. They take old blue jeans and chew them up into scraps and bond the denim with a fire retardant.. Then the material is processed into an insulation that is used for commercial buildings and homes. Much of the company's business is bulk orders and commercial, but it will handle small requests from home owners and small businesses who want to have insulation that is more eco-health-friendly. If you are in the Phoenix Arizona area and are interested in eco friendly materials you may want to check them out. 03/29/2008

What a wonderful morning it was to wake up, listen to the local and national news, let alone read the newspaper and find out that there was positive news written and broadcasted about the real estate market.My Broker, Jim Sexcon with John Hall & Associates was quoted saying, "We are still bumping along the bottom, but the housing market is starting to gain some traction.  Sellers are motivated, prices are coming down, and there is alot of activity for the first-time home buyer.  He also said that foreclosure bargains are beginning to attract real estate buyers instead of speculators."  (Quoted in the Arizona Republic  -  Article written by Cathy Reagor)With Spring upon us, house hunting and buying is underway and March could top February's sales.For Phoenix, home listings in the valley ... 03/25/2008

The Arizona Republic - Luci ScottThe Business section of the Arizona Republic reported last week that a "Top-ranked Tech Firm to bring 450 high-wage jobs to Chandler."As my family and I drive around the Chandler airpark, we find it amazing how quickly development has started.  Our biggest surprise was Chicago-based CDW Corporation...this will be highly anticipated, we are a techy family!    You know technology it advances second to second, minute to minute.CDW will lease nearly 70,000 square feet of office space near the SanTan Freeway.  They will provide technology services and products, with large variety of well known brand names such as Adobe, Apple, Cisco, HP, Microsoft and Sony.Last week, CDW ranked first on Fortune Magazine's 2008 Most Admired Companies in Wholesalers Electronics... 03/24/2008

03/24/2008

There are times when it makes sense to refinance your mortgage. It's important to have a clear financial objective in mind so that you're more able to choose the most appropriate loan. Ultimately, the decision is up to you to decide when it's best for you to refinance, based on your individual financial situation. . Refinance from an Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) to a Fixed-Rate It's important to consider what mortgage rates are doing. Since mid-2004, the Federal Reserve has raised interest rates several times and is expected to keep raising rates in the near future. This means that if you have an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM), it may adjust to a rate that's higher than a fixed-rate mortgage. Now might be a good time to consider refinancing to a fixed-rate loan. . However, you must al... 03/20/2008

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Federal Reserve, in an extraordinarily rare weekend move, took bold action Sunday evening to provide cash to financially squeezed Wall Street investment houses, a fresh effort to prevent a spreading credit crisis from sinking the U.S. economy. ADVERTISEMENT . The central bank approved a cut in its emergency lending rate to financial institutions to 3.25 percent from 3.50 percent, effective immediately, and created a lending facility for big investment banks to secure short-term loans. The new lending facility will be available to big Wall Street firms on Monday. . "These steps will provide financial institutions with greater assurance of access to funds," Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told reporters in a brief conference call Sunday evening. . The Fed act... 03/16/2008

Active - 26 Properties FoundSquare FeetBedroomsBathsList PriceSale PriceAgent DOM Cumulative DOM Min215532 $ 329,900$0 712Avg303743.04$ 471,949$0 90116Max443254$ 720,000$0 272342Pending - 1 Properties FoundSquare FeetBedroomsBathsList PriceSale PriceAgent DOM Cumulative DOM Min372242.5 $ 650,000$0 101389Avg372242.50$ 650,000$0 101389Max372242.5$ 650,000$0 101389Sold - 1 Properties FoundSquare FeetBedroomsBathsList PriceSale PriceAgent DOM Cumulative DOM Min254333 $ 359,900$ 355,0009291Avg254333.00$ 359,900$ 355,000 9291Max254333$ 359,900$ 355,0009291 These Statistics are from January 01, 2008 thorugh February 29, 2008.   26 Properties are active - for Sale - in the Markwood North Development - Trend Home Community - Development Name - Sienna.1 (one) property pending 1 (one) property sold 03/12/2008

Spring is here...beginning March 20, 2008, a time for outdoors with the kids, BBQ's, bike rides, park time and so much more.  This is my favorite time of the year, everything thins is in bloom, the gardens are at their best and the grass is green.The annual Family Easter Celebration for Chandler is at Snedigar Sportsplex, March 22 starting at 9am-noon.  This event is fun for all ages, the easter egg scramble, face painting, games and definitely lots and lots of candy galore!!!!For more information visit Chandler - City Scope.  03/09/2008

  I've been wanting to blog about the most rewarding thing that I had done with my dear sister a few weeks ago.  My sister Debbie Smith flew in from Branson Missouri a few weeks ago (the end of February) and we decided that we wanted to remember our dear, sweet, beautiful Mother and our loving sister Desirea' who had died and yet lived two very short lives, from Ovarian Cancer. To participate in this event  "Climb to Conquer Cancer" was the most rewarding time of our lives.  We walked 6 miles up South Mountain with our friend June Belleti.  To know that we honored our two loved ones and learn about how much cancer had touched other individuals lives was incredible.  I strongly suggest that you try these events.  I promise you, this will be the most heart warming time of your life!!!! Th... 03/06/2008

The 20th Annual Ostrich Festival is finally here...at Tumbleweed Park in Chandler Arizona.  What my family likes most about the Ostrich Festival is the sense of "Family" within the community.  This event features local musical talents of the most popular bands in Arizona to national talents.  You can expect live ostrich races, ostrich-themed activities, carnival rides and games, great food, along with lots of arts and craft booths.This event kicks off this Friday evening March 7, 2008 at 4pm.  On, March 8, 2008, a local parade through downtown Chandler, then wrapping up all events on Sunday the 8th of March.  For more information please visit the Ostrich Festival's official web-site www.ostrichfestival.com  03/06/2008

If you are in Arizona or planning a visit to the Valley of the Sun, you may want to check out the 2008 Ostrich festival that takes place this year March 7-9 in Chandler Arizona. Ostrich ranching was once a prominent part of life in Chandler. The Chandler Chamber of Commerce created the Ostrich Festival in 1989 to celebrate ostriches and how important they have been for Arizona. The event is held at Tumbleweed Park (McQueen and Germann Roads in Chandler Arizona). In the early years of the festival it was held in downtown Chandler but the festival was moved in 2003 due to the redistricting of the downtown area. Some interesting facts -- the festival served as a backdrop in the 1995 Whitney Houston film, "Waiting to Exhale" and has received international media attention. The festival was a... 03/02/2008

Chandler Real Estate - JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008 Statistics - SINGLE FAMILY DETACHED HOMES ONLYCurrent ACTIVE HOMES - JANUARY/FEBRARY = 2120 sfd homes (December 2070)    * Low = $122,000 (December $100,000)    * High = $3,999,400 (December $3,100,000)    * Single Level = 1446 homes (December 1395)    * Multi Level = 674 homes (December 675) Current UNDER CONTRACT HOMES - JANUARY/FEBRUARY = 299 sfd homes (December 186)    * Low = $100,000 (December $125,000)    * High - $1,599,000 (December $4,200,000)    * Single Level = 209 homes (December 122)    * Multi Level = 90 homes (December 64) Current SOLD HOMES - JAUARY/FEBRUARY = 308 sfd homes (December 211)    * Low = $122,000 (December $120,000)    * High - $3,700,000 (December $2,100,000)    * Single Level = 224 homes (December 161)    * Mult... 03/01/2008