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March 2007
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03/10/07
W. Valley home values end year on high note
Filed under: General, Real Estate
Posted by: Lillian Wong @ 11:28 am

Last year, most West Valley cities saw gains in median home price. But the market lost much of its steam by midyear, causing headaches for sellers but providing buyers with a slew of options. Litchfield Park had the highest overall median price of $397,500 while Youngtown ended 2006 with the lowest price at $176,000. But it was the far West Valley communities that had the most extreme fluctuations.  More…

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Landmark Realty plans Scottsdale Road office-retail project
Filed under: General, Real Estate
Posted by: Lillian Wong @ 11:16 am

Landmark Realty Capital LLC has acquired 4.4 acres of land along North Scottsdale Road where a specialty retail, dining and office project is planned. The property, located adjacent to Giant Industries’ corporate headquarters at 23733 N. Scottsdale Road, was purchased from Crown West Realty. No purchase price was released.  More…

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Subprime lending takes center stage on Wall Street
Filed under: General, Mortgages
Posted by: Lillian Wong @ 11:13 am

It would probably be safe to bet that six months ago 90 percent of Americans had never heard of a subprime loan. It would be equally safe to wager that six weeks ago that number hadn’t changed much. Don’t bet your bus fare on that premise today.  More…

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Builders throw out welcome mat to real estate agents
Filed under: General, Real Estate
Posted by: Lillian Wong @ 11:06 am

With once-massive waiting lists dried up and thousands of homes sitting empty in new subdivisions, Valley builders are trying to jump start sales by offering hefty financial perks to real estate agents. When the market took off two years ago, builders’ mind sets were “We don’t need you,” said Christa Burlakoff, owner of Principal Residential Group in Phoenix. “They started ignoring Realtors.”  Agents went from receiving 3 percent commissions and higher from builders to $250 referral fees, Burlakoff said.  More…

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Home builders cut prices, frills to draw buyers
Filed under: General, Real Estate
Posted by: Lillian Wong @ 11:00 am

Buyers priced out of the new-home market by the big price increases of the housing boom may get another shot at something they can afford. Many builders are cutting costs and prices as they struggle to attract more buyers and regain their footing in a market flooded with an excess of unsold homes. They’re creating less-expensive houses for new communities and spending less on finishing touches in existing subdivisions. They’re asking subcontractors, like framing and concrete companies, to rebid projects at lower costs. And they’re pressing suppliers for better prices on things like carpet and electrical fixtures that are among the hundreds of options that can quickly cause a house’s base price to balloon.   More…

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Funds to help build affordable homes
Filed under: General, Real Estate
Posted by: Lillian Wong @ 10:56 am

The Foundation for Senior Living is getting a $2.4 million boost to help it build hundreds of new homes for families and seniors in Phoenix and across the state. Plans call for four housing projects with new, affordable houses and apartments, plus amenities like community centers, recreation areas or a day care facility. Residents at two of the locations will also have easy access to social services like counseling and food assistance. The non-profit agency will use the $2.4 million to offset land costs for the projects, which will be built over the next several years. The combined cost for the four projects is $30 million. The grants are an important piece of the pie, said FSL President and Chief Executive Officer Guy Mikkelsen.   More…

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5 indicted in real estate fraud case
Filed under: General, Mortgages
Posted by: Lillian Wong @ 10:50 am

A group of former housing counselors, loan officers and an escrow agent has been indicted on fraud and conspiracy charges in one of the biggest real estate fraud cases in Arizona since the housing crash of the late 1980s. The group is accused of defrauding the Department of Housing and Urban Development of $1.9 million through a pre-foreclosure scam that targeted dozens of first-time homeowners across the Valley from 2001 to 2003, according to a grand-jury indictment filed in federal court late Wednesday.   More…

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$100M OK’d for CityNorth parking
Filed under: General, Real Estate
Posted by: Lillian Wong @ 10:46 am

Phoenix officials agreed Wednesday to pay nearly $100 million to ensure shoppers, office workers and public-transit patrons have a place to park at CityNorth, a $2 billion luxury development that will cater to the Valley’s affluent residents and visitors. The City Council voted 7-2 to approve the agreement, which offers one of the largest sales-tax rebates in Arizona and gives Phoenix a competitive edge over neighboring Scottsdale. Councilmen Tom Simplot and Greg Stanton voted no. The deal with CityNorth is about more than just securing free public parking.   More…

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Subdivisions still sprouting up in several regions of the Valley
Filed under: General, Real Estate
Posted by: Lillian Wong @ 10:42 am

Even in a slowing housing market, homes continue to be under construction and for sale in Gilbert. Home builders, including Taylor Woodrow Homes, Lennar and Cachet Homes, are planning to bring about 3,600 houses to the southeastern section of the town. Some of those houses have been sold, and other projects from builders including K. Hovnanian Homes are in the works for that region. Gilbert is perceived as an infill community, which may be fueling popularity of new home projects in the area, said Jay Butler, director of Realty Studies at Arizona State University’s Polytechnic Campus in Mesa.   More…

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Phoenician set to sell 12 villas in new program
Filed under: General, Real Estate
Posted by: Lillian Wong @ 10:34 am

The Phoenician resort is planning to sell 12 villas, each for $200,000 to $400,000 plus.

It sounds like a bargain until you realize that these are fractional-ownership luxury villas, and you’re buying access for only three weeks a year.

The Phoenician Residences will join two other luxury fractional-ownership properties that Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. has developed in the past three years.

A major renovation of seven existing villas on the Phoenician golf course will start this summer and should be completed by January. Five new villas are planned in 2008.

Twenty-five units in Aspen, Colo., were sold out, generating more than $100 million in sales.

 

Peter Corbett The Arizona Republic Mar. 7, 2007 12:00 AM

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Skywalk sliding out over Grand Canyon
Filed under: General
Posted by: Lillian Wong @ 10:20 am

The Hualapai Tribe began rolling its million-pound Skywalk over the edge of the Grand Canyon on Tuesday and plans to finish the job today.

When complete, the glass-bottom walkway will jut 70 feet beyond the Canyon’s West Rim. Tourists who pay $74.95, strap booties over their shoes and walk across the U-shaped lookout will see the Canyon beneath their feet, an unprecedented view.

A VIP event is set for March 20 and the public grand opening March 28.

Crews assembled the Skywalk out of steel and glass on the Hualapai Reservation, 253 miles northwest of Phoenix. They jacked it several inches above ground, placed it on a concrete runway and began wheeling it over the Canyon’s lip. The tribe says the drop-off is 4,000 feet.

Daniel Kay, a public relations account executive for the project, said the job would be 30 percent complete by sunrise.

Stephanie Paterik The Arizona Republic Mar. 7, 2007 12:00 AM

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Mesa beats Surprise in water park resort bid
Filed under: General, Real Estate
Posted by: Lillian Wong @ 10:15 am

Mesa is the winner of a battle with Surprise over a $250 million resort and water park. Waveyard developers Jerry Hug and Richard Mladick said Monday that they chose Mesa because of its freeway and airport access, family friendly reputation and public support since Mesa entered the picture late last year.  More…

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SkySong signs pair of tenants
Filed under: General, Real Estate
Posted by: Lillian Wong @ 10:13 am

SkySong, the ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center, will announce today that it has signed two small technology companies from Mexico as tenants. Ensitech, a software-development firm, and Energy Ventures, a utility-management spin-off from General Electric Co., are the first companies from south of the border to join the high-tech project’s international mix.  More…

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