You know you want to live in a safe place, but what else should you be looking for when evaluating a new neighborhood? If you’re in the market to buy a home or rent a home, location is crucial. Quality schools, low crime statistics, commute times, and even grocery stores are likely already on your neighborhood checklist. But what could you be missing when it comes to evaluating a new neighborhood? 1. Where will you go to have fun? It’s natural to focus on proximity to your job when you’re looking for a place … [Read more...]
Construction to start on new Mountain Shadows Resort
June 2, 2015 by Leave a Comment
After closing down more than 10 years ago, the Mountain Shadows Resort soon will see new life. Construction is set to start later this summer on the once-famed property on the southwest corner of 56th Street and Lincoln Drive in Paradise Valley. Dallas-based Woodbine Development Corp. and Scottsdale’s Westroc Hospitality have partnered on the project. Both companies expect the 175-room resort and 18-hole golf course to open by early 2017. Westroc currently manages two boutique hotels, the Hotel Valley Ho … [Read more...]
Just How Much Did the Recession Make 20-Somethings Delay Children?
May 4, 2015 by Leave a Comment
That the Great Recession of 2007-09 made Americans have fewer kids is no surprise, but a new study shows how big the toll was. Birth rates for U.S. women in their 20s dropped more than 15% between 2007 and 2012, just before and after the recession, the Urban Institute, a nonpartisan policy research group, said in a new analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention released Tuesday. Among Hispanic 20-somethings, the birth rate dropped 26%. Non-Hispanic blacks? 14%. By contrast, … [Read more...]
Young Adults Going for Jumbo Loans
May 4, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Low interest rates and loosening credit qualifications are helping young-adult buyers qualify for mortgages—and, in some areas, jumbo loans The improving economy has enabled more millennials—those born between 1980 and 1999—to qualify for mortgages. And in some markets, they’re seeking jumbo loans. Low interest rates and loosening credit qualifications are, in part, fueling the change. Borrowers can now pay as little as 3% down for government-backed loans, and 10% or 15% down for jumbos, which are … [Read more...]
Personal Spaces: 10 Cool Updated Ranch Houses
February 19, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Looking to bring your ranch-style home into the 21st century? Get inspired by what these homeowners have done Ranch-style homes enjoyed immense popularity from the 1950s to the 1970s. Today many of those same homes are still around — faux-wood paneling, avocado-green tile and all. If you are looking to update a ranch-style home, gather inspiration from these 10 homeowners who have brought their homes into the 21st century with style. Tara Bussema - Neat Organization and Design Tara … [Read more...]
They’re back: Boomerangers Returning To Housing Market
February 19, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Many former homeowners could start buying again this year and give metro Phoenix's housing market a much-needed boost. They are called boomerang buyers because they were thrown out of the mortgage market after foreclosures or short sales during the crash but now can qualify for a home loan again. Most lenders require a seven-year sitting out period for borrowers who default on home loans. That waiting period is over this year for the first wave of people to lose houses during the crash. A new report from … [Read more...]
Jumbo Borrowers Get The Red-Carpet Treatment
February 19, 2015 by 1 Comment
A growing economy in 2014 meant that affluent home buyers had the confidence to take on debt for both primary residences and second homes. It’s awards season in the U.S., when the entertainment industry celebrates its top movies, music and TV shows. If the mortgage industry gave out prizes, jumbo borrowers would be big winners. Some highlights from 2014: • For a five-week stretch between August and September, jumbo rates were lower than those for comparable conforming mortgages. • Many banks and credit … [Read more...]
Fixer Uppers: A Pot Of Gold Or A Money Pit?
February 19, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Realtor.com identifies the U.S. cities whose homes on the market offer the biggest price break for buyers willing to put in a little work. Feeling handy? Take a look at Clarksville, Tenn. According to numbers from Realtor.com, the city offers the country’s biggest price break for home buyers willing to put in a little work. The median price for a fixer-upper in Clarksville is $69,900, an almost 70% discount off the $226,000 median price for a home in good condition. (The analysis focused on houses in the … [Read more...]
Why This Room Is Now A Must-Have Home Feature
January 14, 2015 by 1 Comment
With mobile technology, it’s easy to work in any room of a house. And yet, according to designers and home builders, the home office is becoming one of a home’s must-have features. Dedicated office space might not always be a full room. In fact, it might be a nook with desk space on the landing of a staircase or a corner of a bedroom or family room. But as people do more work away from the office and kids do more work outside of the library, the home office is growing in importance. “That office or desk space … [Read more...]
