We have loans available with No Down Payment. Even if you have a Bankruptcy or FICO Scores 640 or above we can do a loan for you.  Now is a GREAT time to buy a home. Rents are increasing and many times you can buy and have a house payment close to your rent payment. Why keep throwing away money on rent when you can use it to build up equity and own your own home.I look foward to hearing from you!Lynne Dewar (800) 552-1188 05/31/2007

Pictures for the Flagstaff Townsite NeighborhoodHere are some pictures from the neighborhood between Thorpe Park and downtown, at the base of Observatory Hill in Flagstaff, AZ. This is the neighbor that is on the national historic registry and for which the City is proposing a designated historic district that would create certain building restrictions.View east from Thorpe Road down Aspen St.:View east down Birch Street from Thorpe Park:Typical home style in the neighborhood: Ann Heitland, Flagstaff AZ Real EstateLike this post? Subscribe to the feed for future posts: 05/29/2007

Flagstaff's Country Club Neighborhood features two 18 hole golf courses (one members only, one open to the public) and two small lakes (in the midwest, at least one would be considered a pond). Here is Lake Elaine (not the pond): The Country Club area was developed in the 1970s and then was considered "way out there on the east side." Now, especially with the opening of the 4th Street bridge, it is easily accessible and many full time residents call it home. Still many of the homes, especially the townhomes, are second residents for people who live primarily i the Phoenix area. Here is a view of the mountains from Flagstaff's Country Club neighborhood:Ann Heitland, Flagstaff AZ Real Estate Like this post? Subscribe to the feed for future posts: 05/27/2007

Sinagua Heights is a subdivision at the border of what I would call south central and southeast Flagstaff. It is adjacent to State Trust Land that is likely to be developed in the next few years, and to Knoles Elementary School. Its very near Foxglenn Park and Sinagua High School -- the smallest of Flagstaff's three high schools. The homes were built around the turn of the century (20th to 20st) and are mostly two story because of the small size of the lots. Some, on the downslope into state land, have walk out basements. The commute to downtown is made easier by the opening of the 4th St. bridge and the commute to the NAU campus has always been swift down Butler.   Ann Heitland, Flagstaff AZ Real Estate Like this post? Subscribe to the feed for future posts: 05/27/2007

Old News on Housing Market - What Does It Mean for Flagstaff?The numbers for existing home sales nationally in April it the newspapers this a.m. See Wall Street Journal: Existing-Home Sales Fell in April As Subprime Lending Drops Off. This news, always three weeks post-mortem, is always kind of a ho-hum for me. First, there really is no "national" market - all real estate really is local. Second, we've know what went on in our market in April since the beginning of May. See my market report for Flagstaff's April results. Indeed, we've got an early read on May in Flagstaff. So what is the importance of the April national real estate numbers? They can tell us something about the overall health of the U.S. economy. And if they are down, it's one indicator that the economy is slowing (or ma... 05/25/2007

Foxglenn Park in Flagstaff ArizonaFoxglenn Park is a City of Flagstaff Regional Park on what many refer to as the "east side" but which is actually fairly central. It occupies over 28 acres of city-owned property and connects to the Flagstaff urban trail. It is near Sinagua High School and Knoles Elementary School, the Foxglenn, Elk Run, Fox Lair, Sinagua Heights and Country Club neighborhoods.Facilities at Foxglenn Park include: Playground, 1 + ½ basketball court, 2 soccer fields, 1 youth baseball field, 1 youth softball field, 3 picnic ramadas, permanent restrooms, and 1 skate track. Reservations are generally required through the City Parks and Recreation Department. Intersection of Butler and Foxglenn roads - view of Mt. Elden and the San Francisco Peaks as see from the entrance to ... 05/24/2007

Flagstaff Historic Walk -- Sunday, May 27, 2007 This Sunday presents a great opportunity to learn some Flagstaff history and take a stroll during a quiet time in historic downtown Flagstaff.Local historians Richard and Sherry Mangum, dressed in period costumes, will lead a free 90 minute Historic Walking Tour of downtown. Reservations are required. Yes, these are the authors of Flagstaff Hikes and Sedona Hikes - in their many editions. These are the best hiking books because they give a realistic picture of the difficulty of hikes with great maps. Richard Mangum was a lawyer and judge in Flagstaff for many years until he "retired" to his true calling of introducing the beauties of his hometown to all of us Flagstaff newbies. The details:Location:Flagstaff Visitors Center1 E. Route 66Fla... 05/23/2007

Wacky and Confusing Street Names in Flagstaff, Arizona and elsewhereRumor has it that there is a project in Flagstaff or Coconino County (or both - cooperation!) to change and coordinate street names. This is a public safety issue and not just a matter of convenience.  If someone calls "9-1-1" and gives an address on "Timberline" do they mean Timberline Road in the Country Club neighborhood or Timberline Trail in the Timberline subdivision, 8 miles northeast of the mall?  If they say, "I'm on Leisure Lane" do they mean Leisure Lane in the Timberline subdivision or the one in Fernwood? "Horseshoe" is a cul-de-sac in a cluster of townhomes near Continental Country Club, but it's also a street off of Brandis Way (about 10 miles north of the Flagstaff Mall on Highway 89). What's an emergenc... 05/22/2007

The season is here. Or is it? The streets and restaurants in Flagstaff may be busy, but will the visitors who are escaping the heat in the Valley be in a home-buying mood? Will they give our residential market the jump-start that sellers have been waiting for? Sellers continue to be optimistic that the market will pick up. They cite factors including attractive interest rates, positive economic news, and a smorgasbord of choices for buyers. But let's take a closer look:Long-term interest rates continue to be low by historical standards (though they are up slightly this week). "Leading economic indicators" in general continue to be strong (though some are beginning to suggest a more sluggish economy in the next few months). But we had these same conditions last year and buyers did not bi... 05/22/2007

May 22 at City Hall, the Planning and Zoning Commission will hold its hearing on the proposed designation of the west downtown residential district as an official "historic district." Readers of this thread will recall that the City approved the district earlier this year and then found they had made a procedural mistake in only having a hearing before the Historic Commission and not the Planning and Zoning Commission. So now we are in "re-do" phase. The City Council will consider the commissions' recommendations in June. This Tuesday's meeting begins at 4 p.m. in City Council Chambers. 05/19/2007

Flagstaff Mid-Month Market Snapshot -- Heating Up It's heating up in Phoenix and the market is probably heating up here (they seem to go together).  Here are the stats on residential properties with Flagstaff mailing addresses as of May 15:ActivePending-Taking-BackupPendingSold in Last 30 Days824889773Using the traditional homes for sale divided by homes sold in the last month, we've got over eleven months' supply of homes. In other words, if you put your home on the market today and no one else listed a home for sale in the next 11 months, all the homes would be gone at the end of the eleven months. A buyer's market indeed.But if we look at "what's in the hopper," the picture is a bit different. Adding together all homes under contract and dividing that number into the homes available ... 05/17/2007

Many of Arizona's forests are at risk of unnatural, severe fires because of poor forest health. These fires can lead to skyrocketing costs for fire suppression, pollute surface water and impair watersheds, diminish recreational opportunities, threaten community and biological values, and have a negative impact on tourism and the economies of recreation-dependent communities. Targeted forest restoration may provide a solution.The Statewide Strategy for Restoring Arizona Forests presents a 20-year road map for restoring forest health, building sustainable forest-based businesses, and protecting rural communities from wildfire. The strategy is a response to the desire expressed by Arizona citizens at three Forest Health Summits. The Governor's Forest Health Councils are organizing meetings... 05/16/2007

With the city's wells pumping at capacity it's well to remember that city water restrictions are always in effect. The Arizona Daily Sun reported this morning that the city is about to begin tapping the very low reserve available in Lake Mary as well as pumping from the Inner Basin of the Peaks because the city wells are giving as much as they can on a daily basis. Read Daily Sun article. Questions regarding the watering restrictions should be directed to the City of Flagstaff Utilities Administration Office at 779-7646 or Ellen Ryan, Water Conservation Manager at 213-4827. 05/15/2007

The number of homes listed for sale in and around Flagstaff leapt upward from the beginning of April to the beginning of May, according to statistics of the Northern Arizona Association of Realtors® Multiple-Listing Service. Listings on MLS increased 153 units of all types (from 739 on April 3 to 892 on May 3). Meanwhile, only 89 units closed sales and the number of homes with pending contracts was also down on May 3 compared to April 3. The price changes compared to last year are quite startling. Remember, however, that the statistics for this year are weighted down by the condo-conversions that did not even exist as an available product last year. Some of those studio apartments, turned condo, are selling under for $125,000 - a sales price not seen in Flagstaff for a very long time. T... 05/14/2007

Various activities every day. Tomorrow (Monday) is the kick-off commuter ride beginning at 7:30 from City Hall -- follow a route though downtown to get into the spirit of the week and learn about the rest of the week's activities. Friday night there will be a celebration and awards event at the Orpheum Theatre. You can follow that up with Movies on the Square at Heritage Square Friday night at dusk. Let's hope it's as nice for the beginning of this summer long tradition as it was this weekend. Just in case, bring blankets! Movies begin at dusk, fun begins before that. 05/13/2007

and why the NAU parking garages are a good thing.  Some of my very good friends are quite upset at the "loss" of parking at NAU. What's really happening is the parking lots scattered throughout campus are being eliminated and new garages are being built at the perimeters of campus. So, the complaint is that you can't park right in front of your building. When I moved to Flagstaff in the Spring of 1995, I was enthralled with the vision of being outdoors a lot more and hiking in the beauty of mountains and forest. (I still am.) I thought I would become tremendously fit as a coincidence of being in what had previously been my ideal vacation spot. Thus, I was incredibly surprised in the Spring of 1999 to find I had gained twenty pounds since moving - even though I had hiked to and from Phan... 05/12/2007

Here it is! The center of downtown activities -- all year round (though it is chilly on New Year's Eve for the pine cone drop). Political rallies, music events, dog weddings (it's true, the mayor performed the ceremony), and Movies on the Square -- every Friday from May to Sept. Stop by and you're likely to find something interesting. Sunday it is the kickoff point for Bike to Work Week -- find a free helmet for your kid and a used bike for you. Within a block -- Italian food (x2), western food, southwestern food, Mexican food, great hamburgers, and sushi. Not to mention a few art galleries, trinket shops, and an outdoor supply store (or three). 05/11/2007

Cheshire townhomes were built by Marc Archer, a local builder responsible for several townhome developments about town, including some in the Country Club area and Boulder Pointe. Marc has now moved elsewhere to build on less expensive land.  These units are located on the northwest side of town, just north of the Museum of Northern Arizona in a neighborhood called Cheshire. 05/11/2007

A planned unit community northeast of Flagstaff. This was a very controversial development because it changed the standard county zoning from 2.5 acres to less than an acre on most lots. It turned out beautifully! Homes built beginning in 1999. Dedicated open space including an access corridor to the Coconino National Forest. Several lots are as over three acres. The only problem is that it continued the "urban sprawl".  05/11/2007

"All real estate is local, despite the headlines," says Lawrence Yun, the senior economist for the National Association of Realtors. Nationwide, the median existing-home price fell 1.3%, to $212,800 in February from $215,700 in February 2006, according to preliminary NAR statistics. Quoted in the Wall Street Journal today.Watch our statistics locally rather than listening to fairly meaningless nationwide percentages! Our newsletter reporting on April results will go to clients later this week. A partial report is in the last blog entry.  Another thought, although a bit more frivolous, is that all real estate is not just local, it's personal. Here's a comment I recently read:"I read many comments about how high the real estate is in Flagstaff and coming from Southern California have to s... 05/09/2007