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Lovely Ahwatukee Rental - 4427 E. Badger Way - This one will be rented fast!
0 comments • Troy Erickson - Your Chandler, Gilbert, Queen Creek Realtor • March 13 2010 11:51PM4706 S. Kirby Street, Gilbert, AZ - Price reduced, No short sale, Move-in ready
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3 comments • Troy Erickson - Your Chandler, Gilbert, Queen Creek Realtor • March 13 2010 11:47PMLovely home for sale - 2840 E. Shannon Street, Gilbert, AZ
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2 comments • Troy Erickson - Your Chandler, Gilbert, Queen Creek Realtor • March 13 2010 12:52AMHere is help for struggling Arizona homeowners to avoid foreclosure
There is a workshop that started Thursday, but will continue throughout today that is meant to help struggling Arizona homeowners avoid foreclosure. If you think you are in danger of losing your home, please take the opportunity to attend this workshop at Glendale Civic Center that will continue today from 10:00am through 6:00pm. This workshop is part of Obama's "Making homes affordable program."
If you are a homeowner who has fallen behind on your monthly mortgage payment, you will have the opportunity to sit with your lender face-to-face to try and work out a loan modification. The event organizers estimate that they will be able to provide an answer on the spot to about 30 percent of those passing through the workshop.
Struggling Arizona homeowners, please take the opportunity to attend this workshop. It may be an opportunity for you to save your home.
Please spread the word, as we want to help everyone we can!
0 comments • Troy Erickson - Your Chandler, Gilbert, Queen Creek Realtor • March 12 2010 03:31AMThe Chandler Ostrich Festival 2010 is just around the corner
The 22nd Annual Chandler Ostrich Festival is coming to Chandler Arizona March 12th - 14th at Tumbleweed Park (southwest corner of McQueen and Germann roads). From it's small beginnings in 1989, it has grown to be one of the premier festivals in the Southwest, with attendance up to 350,000 for the three day event.
There is something for the entire family at this fun-filled event. There will be three stages to entertain you throughout the weekend with music and dance. A wide array of nationally known artists will perform on the Main Stage nightly. The Community Stage and Ostrich Coop Stage will feature the top local talents and the newest venue, the Chandler Ranch Stage will showcase family music and entertainment in the day and dance bands at night.
Like any world class festival, all kinds of food will be available from the traditional fair favorites to Ostrich burgers. Of course, don't forget the main attraction, The Ostrich races!
What, you've never been to the Ostrich Races? Well, if you have never seen this attraction, you must make it a point to witness the unpredictability of the races this year. The Ostrich races are a staple of the Chandler Ostrich Festival, and will provide hilarious entertainment for anyone lucky enough to watch. They are held, of course, on the Ostrich Track.
Ostrich Race Schedule:
Friday, March 12 | 4pm, 6pm
Saturday, March 13 | 12pm, 2pm, 5pm
Sunday, March 14 | 12pm, 2pm, 5pm
To go along with the ostrich races, a huge carnival midway will have more rides than ever, as well as a live ostrich display, pig races, and a 100 animal petting zoo. There will also be amateur boxing you can participate in at the midway on Friday at 4pm, and Saturday at 1pm. Proceeds from every boxing show will go towards autism research and awareness. Many artisans will be displaying their Arts and Crafts in booths throughout the midway as well.
The kids zone is loaded with bouncies, pony rides, and games just for kids. The kids zone will also showcase the high flying action of dockdogs, as well as stunt and thrills show by the fearless Flores family, and a show featuring performing Baboons.
The sideshow tent will entertain you with a rhinestone roper, a comic juggler and magician, a crossbow archery show, and a freakshow you have to see to believe.
Also on the ostrich track, there will be the Imperial Knights jousting for your entertainment. There is nothing fake about this event. From sword fight to a full joust, they provide every combination of knightly skills.
Jousting Schedule:
Friday, March 12 | 3pm, 5pm
Saturday, March 13 | 11am, 1pm, 3pm
Sunday, March 14 | 11am, 1pm, 3pm
Tickets range from $9 to $7 for general admission, and an all-day ride wristband is $25. You can pick up discount tickets at any Fry's or the Chandler Chamber of Commerce. Parking is $5 per car.
This areas rich and unusual heritage in Ostrich ranching provides the basis for a wonderful family oriented community event. Young and old alike can explore, relax, and enjoy the many exhibits, games, and shows. Plan to spend some fun time this year as we celebrate Chandler's unique history in a fun family friendly festival. For more information regarding the Chandler Ostrich Festival, please visit www.ostrichfestival.com.
7 comments • Troy Erickson - Your Chandler, Gilbert, Queen Creek Realtor • March 09 2010 11:38PMPre-Foreclosures still playing a major role in the Arizona housing market
Pre-Foreclosures are still
playing a major role in the Arizona housing market.
The number of pre-foreclosures increased again in February,
after experiencing a decrease in January to their lowest level since
late 2008. This is just a sign that pre-foreclosures, or
notice of trustee sales, are continuing to play a significant role in
the Arizona housing market. The drop in pre-foreclosures in
January had some housing market analysts hopeful that lenders were
making headway in working with borrowers on loan modifications.
Unfortunately, February numbers were at 7,604 pre-foreclosure
notices compared to 6,762 in January, and increase of 842.
The number of foreclosures fell in February to 4,271 from
4,452 in January, but the increase in pre-foreclosures for February
typically means more foreclosures in the future. The only
thing that could reduce the number of foreclosures is more loan
modifications and short-sales.
Prices for both foreclosure home sales and resale home sales are slightly moving upward according to data from NetValueCentral Inc. They show the price per square foot of a regular resale home climbing to $106.48 in February, which is the highest it has been in seven months. The price per square foot of foreclosure homes sold was around $80 in February, just slightly up from $78 recorded in January. Foreclosure sales have dominated the Valley's housing market lately, with only November and December having more regular resale home sales than foreclosures. With foreclosure sales outnumbering regular resales again in January and February, and the number of pre-foreclosures up by almost 850 over January, I don't see the trend ending any time soon. I would anticipate pre-foreclosures, short-sales, and foreclosures to continue to dominate the Arizona housing market for at least another year or two.
Prices for both foreclosure home sales and resale home sales are slightly moving upward according to data from NetValueCentral Inc. They show the price per square foot of a regular resale home climbing to $106.48 in February, which is the highest it has been in seven months. The price per square foot of foreclosure homes sold was around $80 in February, just slightly up from $78 recorded in January. Foreclosure sales have dominated the Valley's housing market lately, with only November and December having more regular resale home sales than foreclosures. With foreclosure sales outnumbering regular resales again in January and February, and the number of pre-foreclosures up by almost 850 over January, I don't see the trend ending any time soon. I would anticipate pre-foreclosures, short-sales, and foreclosures to continue to dominate the Arizona housing market for at least another year or two.
0 comments • Troy Erickson - Your Chandler, Gilbert, Queen Creek Realtor • March 08 2010 01:59PMCrime rate in Chandler, AZ down 10 percent
Crime rate in Chandler
down 10% since 2005. Although the population in
Chandler has continued to increase year after year, crime in every
category but one is down over the past five years. When I
first moved to Chandler in 1996, the city was just getting to the point
of reaching 100,000 in population. Now, Chandler is
approaching almost 250,000 if it hasn't already gone over that number.
Over the past 5 years times have not been that great here, as
in many parts of the country, due to the economy and housing market.
We are looking at an almost 10% unemployment rate in Arizona,
and home values over the past 4 years have seen a drop in value of up
to 50% in some areas. With all the struggles, and increase in
population, you would think that our wonderful city of Chandler would
also be experiencing a higher level of crime, but instead, Chandler is
experiencing a lowering of almost all types of crime over the past five
years. Violent crime and property crime is down by more than
10% from 2005. Even the one category that has seen a silght
increase of 2.5%, robbery, peaked in 2007 and has been decreasing ever
since then. See the table below for Chandler crime statistics.
With all the struggles we are seeing, it is a fantastic sign that Chandler has seen it's crime rate decreasing to a level that is 10% lower than it was in 2005.
| CRIME TYPE | 2005 TOTAL | 2009 TOTAL | PERCENT CHANGE 2005 to 2009 |
| Criminal homicide | 9 | 6 | -33.33% |
| Forcible rape | 54 | 46 | -14.81% |
| Robbery | 200 | 205 | 2.5% |
| Agrivated assault | 564 | 484 | -14.18% |
| Burglary | 1,439 | 1,376 | -4.38% |
| Theft | 5,684 | 5,599 | -1.5% |
| Motor vehicle theft | 1,200 | 483 | -59.75% |
| Arson | 65 | 62 | -4.62% |
| TOTAL | 9,215 | 8,261 | -10.35% |
With all the struggles we are seeing, it is a fantastic sign that Chandler has seen it's crime rate decreasing to a level that is 10% lower than it was in 2005.
0 comments • Troy Erickson - Your Chandler, Gilbert, Queen Creek Realtor • March 08 2010 01:12PMLosing your home in a foreclosure?
Losing your home in a
foreclosure? How homes are foreclosed on varies
by state, but here in Arizona it is a pretty simple process.
What starts the foreclosure process is when a homeowner falls
behind on at least three mortgage payments. It used to be
that on the 91st day of non payment of a mortgage, the lender would
initiate foreclosure proceedings. I have heard that some
homeowners these days have missed over a years worth of mortgage
payments and their lender had not yet started the foreclosure
proceedings. This has allowed homeowners to save a great deal
of money, not paying a mortgage or rent, as well as allowing them to
stay in their homes much longer than the typical time period that it
takes for eviction.
After three missed mortgage payments, the lender initially hires a trustee to handle the foreclosure which helps ensure that the follow the correct procedure. In Maricopa County, the trustee files a notice of trustee sale with the Maricopa County Recorder's Office. This is the time when the auction date is set as well, but the lender can choose to move or cancel that date depending on the negotiations with the borrower. The trustee must provide information to the homeowner about the pending trustee sale (foreclosure) of their home. If the homeowner files for bankruptcy, that typically will delay the foreclosure sale.
If the trustee sale is going to occur, an opening bid amount is usually posted at least a day before the auction. It used to be that the opening bids were always for what the amount owed on the mortgage was, but with property values dropping by fifty percent in some areas, lenders are dropping their opening bids to way below what is owed on the home. Lenders do not want to have to take the house back, evict the homeowners, and hire a real estate agent to resell the home.
All Valley foreclosure auctions used to be held at the county courthouse, but now that there are as many as five foreclosure auctions a day, auctions are also held at the offices of the lenders' trustees. The main auction on the county courthouse steps starts at noon and auctions at the law offices start at 9am. If you are interested in any of these properties, Arizona statute requires that any bidder must provide a $10,000 cashier's check to participate. The winning buyer must pay the full amount of the bid by the end of day on the next business day. If you are unsuccessful in your bid, you will receive your $10,000 deposit back.
There is a huge backlog of foreclosure homes and pending loan modifications, and this has led to many foreclosure auctions to be postponed. Typically the homeowner will be notified of a postponement by the trustee, but sometimes postponement is only listed on the website of the group the lender has hired to sell the foreclosure property, or may be announced by the auctioneer right before the scheduled auction.
Once a foreclosure property has been purchased at auction, and final payment made the following business day, the new homeowner can begin evicting the former owners if they are still residing in the home. The previous homeowners who lost their home in a trustee sale have five days after being notified by the new owner to evacuate before a forcible eviction can proceed. On the sixth day, the new owner can file for a forcible eviction in local or county court. In 2009, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office handled 1,416 forcible evictions, or almost four forcible evictions per day. The former homeowner can appear in court to fight the eviction, but if they lose, the new owner has the right to request the Maricopa County sheriff to send a constable to evict them.
Getting foreclosed on is not something anyone would want to happen to them, and here in Arizona it is happening way too often. If you are losing your home to a foreclosure, please be sure you understand the process, ask for help, and do not ignore the paperwork that is being sent to you.
After three missed mortgage payments, the lender initially hires a trustee to handle the foreclosure which helps ensure that the follow the correct procedure. In Maricopa County, the trustee files a notice of trustee sale with the Maricopa County Recorder's Office. This is the time when the auction date is set as well, but the lender can choose to move or cancel that date depending on the negotiations with the borrower. The trustee must provide information to the homeowner about the pending trustee sale (foreclosure) of their home. If the homeowner files for bankruptcy, that typically will delay the foreclosure sale.
If the trustee sale is going to occur, an opening bid amount is usually posted at least a day before the auction. It used to be that the opening bids were always for what the amount owed on the mortgage was, but with property values dropping by fifty percent in some areas, lenders are dropping their opening bids to way below what is owed on the home. Lenders do not want to have to take the house back, evict the homeowners, and hire a real estate agent to resell the home.
All Valley foreclosure auctions used to be held at the county courthouse, but now that there are as many as five foreclosure auctions a day, auctions are also held at the offices of the lenders' trustees. The main auction on the county courthouse steps starts at noon and auctions at the law offices start at 9am. If you are interested in any of these properties, Arizona statute requires that any bidder must provide a $10,000 cashier's check to participate. The winning buyer must pay the full amount of the bid by the end of day on the next business day. If you are unsuccessful in your bid, you will receive your $10,000 deposit back.
There is a huge backlog of foreclosure homes and pending loan modifications, and this has led to many foreclosure auctions to be postponed. Typically the homeowner will be notified of a postponement by the trustee, but sometimes postponement is only listed on the website of the group the lender has hired to sell the foreclosure property, or may be announced by the auctioneer right before the scheduled auction.
Once a foreclosure property has been purchased at auction, and final payment made the following business day, the new homeowner can begin evicting the former owners if they are still residing in the home. The previous homeowners who lost their home in a trustee sale have five days after being notified by the new owner to evacuate before a forcible eviction can proceed. On the sixth day, the new owner can file for a forcible eviction in local or county court. In 2009, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office handled 1,416 forcible evictions, or almost four forcible evictions per day. The former homeowner can appear in court to fight the eviction, but if they lose, the new owner has the right to request the Maricopa County sheriff to send a constable to evict them.
Getting foreclosed on is not something anyone would want to happen to them, and here in Arizona it is happening way too often. If you are losing your home to a foreclosure, please be sure you understand the process, ask for help, and do not ignore the paperwork that is being sent to you.
0 comments • Troy Erickson - Your Chandler, Gilbert, Queen Creek Realtor • March 08 2010 12:33PMThe iGeneration, does not mean iPod or iPhone
There is a new generation of kids growing up these days, the iGeneration, and it's all because of technology. The iGeneration "wants to be constantly connected and available in a way even their older siblings don't quite get", said Sharon Jayson in a USA Today article the other day. As the Y Generation gets older, the iGeneration does not remember a time without constant connectivity through technology. These kids are always going to be available to their peers no matter where they are.
Larry Rosen has written a book called "Rewired: Understanding the iGeneration and the way they learn." Rosen says the little "i" stands for individualized. "Everything is customized and individualized to me. My music choices are customized to me. What I watch on TV is customizable to me." Rosen also says "the iGeneration believes anything is possible. If they can think of it, somebody probably has or will invent it. They expect innovation." Portability is key to this generation, as they are inseparable from their wireless devices. Rosen's research discovered that 35 percent of children ages 6 months to 3 years have a TV in their bedroom, 10 percent of children ages 4 to 8 have a computer in their bedroom, and 51 percent of children ages 9 to 12 have a cellphone. When I was a kid, my parents would have thought it was criminal to have a TV in my room, and cell phones were not even invented yet.
New generations are developed through the use of new technologies. The iGeneration is taking in astronomical amounts of information, screening out unimportant details, and focusing on the parts they need. They are less interested in learning facts and data, and more interested in how to gain access to it, produce it, and integrate it into their life. I guess my 11 year old son will be forever known as part of the iGeneration, and I can't wait to see what they accomplish!
4 comments • Troy Erickson - Your Chandler, Gilbert, Queen Creek Realtor • March 02 2010 01:59AMMy sons' shortened soccer season is ending on a good note
My son's shortened soccer season is ending on a good note. His soccer season didn't start this year until December 2009 because he decided to try tackle football for the first time this last fall. Typically he would play club soccer starting in August, and it would go through March. This year football lasted through Thanksgiving weekend, so December 7th was his first soccer practice.
His first game, with a new club team, and playing U12 as an 11 year old, was on December 12th, and wasn't pretty. My son only had an opportunity to practice with the team once before that game. The game started off bad and got nothing but worse. They ended up losing 1-7, which is an embarassing score at that age. My son felt bad because he thought he didn't play well.
Their second game wasn't until January 16th, so my son had an opportunity to practice with the team several times, and get comfortable with his role on the team. They ended up winning that game 4-2 against a team they had lost twice to earlier in the season. On January 30th, they were winning their game 1-0 with under five minutes left, and they let an easy goal in their net to end up tying that game 1-1 to another team they had lost to before. They won their next game 2-0, and were gearing up to play in their first tournament since my son started playing with them.
The tournament started out on a Friday night with our team totally dominating the other team throughout the game, and winning 3-0. The next game on Saturday morning was a game played in the rain, with huge wind gusts, and temperatures probably in the 40's (not something we are typically prepared for in Arizona). We completely dominated the game, but couldn't get the ball in the net. My son alone had 4 shots on goal, and our team probably had over 20 shots on goal. The other team had one shot on goal, and you guessed it, it just happened to sneak by our goalie. We lost 0-1. This was our first loss since the very first game my son played in with the team. However, we were still in the running to play in the championship if we won our next game Sunday morning. We ended up winning that game 3-1, and made it to the championship game against the team we lost to the game before. We dominated the championship game just as we had the last time we played them, but the difference was that we scored. We ended up winning 3-1 and won the tournament.
Today we had our second to last league game. My son has been very frustrated about all the opportunities he has had to score, but hadn't been able to put the ball in the net. We started the game a little show, and by halftime, we were down 0-1. About five minutes into the second half, we had a corner kick. The ball ended up short and took a big bounce that ended up right in front of the goal. My son was in the right place at the right time and headed the ball into the goal. His first goal of the season, finally! We could all breathe a huge sigh of relief. We ended up coming back in that game and winning 3-1.
So, with one league game remaining, and one final tournament to play, we have been on quite a roll since the first game my son played in. Since the worst loss for the team this year, we have gone on to win 6, tie 1, and lose 1. We also took first place in the only tournament we have played in, and my son scored his first goal in a comeback win today.
I just hope the team can finish the season as strong as they have been playing over the past two months.
6 comments • Troy Erickson - Your Chandler, Gilbert, Queen Creek Realtor • February 28 2010 12:22AMContent © 2009 'Frequent Contributors'. Design © 2009 ActiveRain Corp.
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