IT'S NOT WHATS EATING GILBERT GRAPE BUT IT IS WHATS GOING ON IN GILBERT (AZ that is) Town of Gilbert Day at Chase Field on September 13 -  Gilbert residents can get a special discount to see the Arizona Diamondbacks play the Cincinnati Reds at Chase Field on Saturday, September 13 at 5:10 p.m. Seats in the infield reserve are offered at $10 a ticket. Game activities will highlight citizens, businesses and employees of Gilbert. The first 25,000 fans will get a free Dan Haren bobble head. After the game, stay for a concert with Jessica Simpson. Order tickets at www.dbacks.com/groups. Login: "gilbert" Password "dbacks" The Gilbert Fire Department, along with other valley fire departments and Phoenix Children's Hospital, has proposed that the month of August be dedicated as "Drowning Impact... 08/08/2008

As a Family Real Estate Specialist in the Gilbert and Chandler area, I have noticed that many families are forgetting some crucial family needs while searching for a home. Since the entire process can be so overwhelming, it is easy to overlook some of the day to day necessities. Here is my list of Top Ten Things to find in your next family home and neighborhood.   What elements of a neighborhood are calming? Are there walking trails for you and your toddler? Do you need a neighborhood pool or a covered tot lot? Are backyard safety modifications for toddlers and pets needed? Is there adequate storage in the garage, indoors and outdoors? Who's bedroom is over the garage? Will you be able to open the garage without waking up the baby? Traffic flow: does the garage open into the kitchen for... 08/08/2008

Power Ranch - Gilbert's Most Popular Community   I'm constantly asked about Power Ranch and it's no wonder since it has been one of the most popular communities in Gilbert ever since it started in 2000. One of the things that has impressed me is how well the community has maintained it's common areas and has maintained a high demand by home buyers looking to move to Gilbert. I was out on a ride on my bike and decided to stop by Power Ranch and take some pictures for those of you who don't live near the area and want more information on Power Ranch.       The greenbelts in Power Ranch have had outstanding maintenance and remain as green as they've always been. It's nice to see that families in the community get to enjoy taking walks, run or bike around through the trails throughout Power... 08/07/2008

These Gilbert Real Estate Market Statistics Currently there are 2306 Gilbert homes for sale. Inventory is up- compared to June 2008 where there were 2222 active listings at the time the post was written.The number of sold homes and pending sales remain flat. The current absorption rate of es for sale is about 6.5 months. For the month of July there were: * New Listings: 636 * Pending Sales: 403 * Sold Homes: 354 Listing Status Gilbert AZ Real Esate July 2008 Gilbert AZ Home Listings June 2008       ..More.. 08/06/2008

Gilbert AZ Housing Market   One of the things you need to consider when selling your home is what is the market doing and set a strategy to sell the house based on what the market is doing today. As you'll see from reading some of my past blogs, I don't try to predict the market but rather try to read what the market is doing based on the information it provides me. One of the best examples is the information the market gave us in 2005 when volume dropped from 628 transactions in June to 230 in March of 2006. The fact that the number of buyers was decreasing was telling us that the trend to the upside was coming to an end. Below I'm just comparing the month of July for the past 5 years. One of the things to look at is home prices in 2003-2004. Late in 2003 was the begining of the housin... 08/06/2008

Money Magazine has named Gilbert Arizona the 28th best place to live in the nation, based on factors such as aspects such as quality of life, great school district, and housing affordability.  Gilbert was followed closely by Chandler Arizona, which ranked 30 out of 100.  Chandler is a neighboring suburb that many find to be similar in feel and quality.  Check out this article to find out What's the Difference Between Gilbert and Chandler? Money Magazine's article highlighted some great characteristics of Gilbert.  There is a huge variety of homes and family friendly neighborhoods in Gilbert, allowing anyone who wants to partake of the solid Gilbert Public Schools District to live here.  You can find anything from townhomes and condos to standard suburbia to horse ranches and mini-mansio... 08/05/2008

French Country Style Real Estate in Gilbert AZ Despite the new changes in the Real Estate Market, we still have an increased activity in home sales in Gilbert AZ. One of the things I enjoy about working with buyers is that I get to see all sorts of decorations and interior designs. Lately, I've come across a few homes which have opted for the French Country Style. Being that I'm young I like the contemporary style, but after seeing a few homes who have mixed the French country with today's demand for stainless steel appliances and granite countertops I've learned to appreciate this style.   What impressed me the most about these homes was the simplicity of the designs and the easy maintenance materials used. The mixture of rustic woods and treated wood gives the home a warm feel with a... 08/04/2008

If you are moving to the Gilbert or Chandler area, or are just thinking of buying a short sale in Gilbert Arizona, this post is for you.  There are great deals that can be found in the form of Short Sales but you must be armed with knowledge and a really good buyer's agent.  A Short Sale transaction can be a: exhausting, b: drawn out, and c: scary.  Basically I tell my clients, you can get a home for $20-50 grand off, but you have to have lots of patience. Let's define a Short Sale real quick, in plain English:  a homeowner knows they cannot make upcoming mortgage payments and is trying to arrange with the bank/lender to take less than what is owed on the property to avoid foreclosure.  Also known as a "pre-foreclosure". Understand no one will make repairs on the home.  Yes, you are ent... 08/02/2008

Gilbert Real Estate *Bonus: How to get maximum exposure for your listing (scroll down to see video) When you start looking for Real Estate Agents in Gilbert AZ you want to make sure that their marketing efforts are going to get your home sold in today's tough market. (Note: Not all real estate agents are Reators®). First let's start with a reality check..... What have prices done in the last few years(2000-2008)? This is not to show any trends or make any predictions, but rather to show how prices are coming back to their would be "Normal Price" from a long term perspective. The reality is that we are selling on average 390+ homes a month. That was about the average in 2004-2005 when prices soared. The Difference? Back in 2004-2005 there were hardly any listings out in the market, which... 07/29/2008

Am I the only one wondering "How in the world did my grocery bill get so high?".  A few weeks ago, I decided it was time to really work out a grocery bill diet, and so far, so good.  Moving to Gilbert Arizona can mean great Gilbert schools and friendly Gilbert neighborhoods.  It can also mean a longer commute for work and that can mean more gas.  Luckily, a few tricks from a local can help stretch your grocery bill farther. Personally I love the Fry's on Warner and Val Vista.  It's close to my house but even if it wasn't, I would probably still make the trip there.  Why?  Because there is free child care that my two boys love!  Every mom knows, you can siginificantly decrease your grocery bill by not having a four year old begging you for every sugary treat he sees.   My kids actually l... 07/29/2008

Gilbert AZ Real Estate Market Update  Here's an update on the Real Estate market in Gilbert AZ. Our inventory is still down to 2079 active listings down from 2500+ in Jan/Feb this year. Prices overall seem to be stabilizing around $270K - $285K. My opinion, I don't see the market going anywhere until the end of the year, but I do expect the inventory to start decreasing heavily from here on out. Like I said before, I'm only looking at information generated by the market itself. I wrote about this change in trends back in May (click here to read). All I'm doing to interpret this information is taking price and volume and looking for the price where the most number of transactions occur, which is where we're at right now. I'm still getting many people wanting to submit low ball offers, si... 07/24/2008

Gilbert has seen a slow down in the housing market and sales prices decline over the last several months. There has been stiff competition from builders which is hurting the resale market as well as many foreclosures.  Several builders have recently gone into foreclosure as well, leaving Gilbert with several unfinished subdivisions and many homeowners wondering what will happen to their subdivision's HOA's. Home prices in Gilbert have depreciated 13% from 2006 to 2007. However, there is good news on the horizon.  Gilbert's resale inventory level is continuing to see a slight decrease and is currently at 2,200 active listings. The average days on market has also continued to show a month over month decrease and is now at 119 days.  The trned for closed sales is also showing an increased ... 07/23/2008

CNNMoney.com and Money magazine this week came out this week with a GREAT article..."America's Best Places to Live." The criteria for being America's Best Place to Live is: Financial Housing Education Quality of Life Leisure & Culture Weather Health Meet the Neighbor As for Arizona's standings... 28. Gilbert, AZ Top 100 rank: 28 Population: 191,500 In the early 1900s, Gilbert was known as the Hay Capital of the World. Today it is a bustling small city and the fastest-growing town in Arizona in the last decade. New development projects include the Freestone Recreation Center, a new regional mall called SanTan Village, and a planned Mormon temple. Retaining the charm of the old days, the town's Heritage District remains a quaint and historic heart of the community. And the schools are top... 07/22/2008

June saw an increase in Power Ranch home sales of over 50% from this same time last year. Homes sold in June ranged from $160,000 - $625,000 with an average price of $289,874 and 121 days on the market. Although just a slight increase over the previous month, this just goes to show that more and more buyers are ready to come out and play! It's a fun time to buy as there are many choices for every budget. Not quite ready to buy, but you want to experience the many amenities of Power Ranch? Not to worry, there are plenty of rental homes available ranging from just under $1000 to $3000 or more. This fantastic South Gilbert community offers something for every budget while providing access to some of the area's best pools and parks not to mention an endless supply of walking trails surround... 07/21/2008

In May we saw a total of 27 homes sell in the lovely neighborhood of Power Ranch located in Gilbert, AZ. This is up 44% from this time last year. Home prices ranged from $165,000 - $480,000 showing that there truly is a home out there for every buyer's budget. The average home sold for $256,935 with only 95 days on the market. This South Gilbert Community provides many amenities for its residents and a fantastic location convenient to shopping, schools, recreation and the 202 San Tan freeway. For a personal tour of homes currently available in your price range or for more information on Power Ranch real estate trends, please contact me today! All market statistics from ARMLS. Yvonne Brown, Century 21 Northwest 480-543-7330 07/21/2008

The Lemonade Stand: As we were building our home several years ago I asked my daughter what she thought of the location. "It'll make a great place to sell lemonade!" she said. Within a week she had her stand set up in the front yard and... turns out, she was right. I marveled at her ability to grasp commerce. First there was lemonade... then lemonade plus fresh squeezed oranges. Orange slices were added to the collection as were otter pops, water and other items. Then they placed signs near the street that fed into the subdivision. I noticed that she liked to see the different ways that she could make her stand more popular. She also became good at learning the best times of day to open and close shop. Though she enjoyed having money of her own she seemed less interested in what she wo... 07/19/2008

When Eric and Terri decided to relocate to Arizona from San Diego, they were overwhelmed at the decision before them.  Terri had put her career on hold once their son was born.  On one income, San Diego just proved too expensive.  They did a lot of research and decided it was time to relocate to Gilbert Arizona.  They made one trip out to house hunt.  When their top choice fell through, Eric was put in charge of the hunt as Terri returned to San Diego to get ready for the move to Gilbert.  After a thorough search and many pictures sent back to Terri, Eric found the home they live in now.  He made a great choice. The first thing you notice when you enter Higley Groves, is the tree lined streets and mailboxes at the end of the drives.  When was the last time you saw a new development with... 07/15/2008

So it goes...  During the last several months I was working with a couple buyers and after hours and hours of time spent I get home from a short 3 day much needed camping trip to find out they purchased another home... go figure... The story below is just one.. I won't go in to the details of the other right now... but it was just as bad if not worse. This couple were all out "bottom feeders" as I call some of the buyers today.  (I know that sounds negative but even Catfish feed off the bottom and are excellent.:))   He told me up front that he had talked to another agent about a different house and I questioned him about that relationship and did he have an Employment agreement with that person..."No" was his answer... This buyer came to me from one of my Internet contact generating we... 07/15/2008

Even with the crazy real estate market, more and more people are choosing to relocate to Gilbert, Arizona.  Buyers can find some great deals, but the best ones go quick.  For more information about moving to Gilbert, check out the Gilbert Arizona Relocation Guide. These are regular resales, not preforeclosures or foreclosures.  Here are some of the great homes for sale in Gilbert that just came on the market!   This is a brand new townhome in an excellent location, near shopping, restaurants, freeway.  It's 3 bed/ 2.5 bath/ 2 car garage, about 1300 square feet.  New community with parks, pools, and even lakes.  It's listed aggressively at $185,000.              Gorgeous home in a great neighborhood.  This gorgeous 3 bed/ 2 bath has beautiful wood flooring, shutters on the window, island... 07/14/2008

Homes for sale in prestigious Ashland Ranch, Gilbert AZ 85295 Ashland Ranch is a family oriented community in the heart of Gilbert northwest of Val Vista Dr and Williams Field Rd. The community is only minutes away from San Tan Village Shopping Center, which is highlighted as the first Super-Regional shopping center in Arizona. As if that wasn't luxury enough, enjoy the local grocery shopping from places like Sprouts Farmers Market, which specializes in farm fresh produce, purchased from local growers when possible. One of the most attractive things about Ashland Ranch is the school district to which it belongs. Ashland Ranch Elementary School, South Valley Jr. High School, and Mesquite High School have been ranked among the best schools nationwide at www.greatschools.net The city of Gi... 07/12/2008