New Construction Housing Starts up...

The annual pace of housing starts topped 1 million for the first time in nearly five years in March, another sign of the rebound in the sector.

The pace of housing starts came in at an annual rate of 1.04 million in the month, up 7% from February and 47% from a year earlier. It marked the first time since June 2008 that the pace of building crossed the 1 million benchmark.

Great news for the housing recovery.

www.AZNativeProperties.com

Foreclosures are dropping nationwide

Foreclosure filings -- including notices of default, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions -- during the first quarter fell 23% from a year earlier, the lowest level since the second quarter of 2007.   Last month, banks repossessed just under 44,000 homes. In September 2010, repossessions topped 100,000 a month.

Luxury Homes sales are up in Phoenix

At the beginning of April, there were 2,267 houses listed at $500,000 or more on the market, a 3 percent increase from March, according to the latest report from Walt Danley Realty and Arizona State University housing analyst Mike Orr.

Of the upscale houses for sale, 90 were short sales. That compares with 182 short sales offered on houses priced above $500,000 in April 2012. Only 13 of the homes were lender-owned. Last year, 47 luxury houses were lender-owned.

There are 462 houses for sale in Phoenix area priced above $2 million, compared with 444 last year. There is only one lender-owned house priced above $2 million.

Luxury-home sales are up from last year. During March 305 houses priced above $500,000 sold, compared with 266 last March.

Source:  By Catherine ReagorThe Republic | azcentral.com Fri Apr 19, 2013 11:17 AM

www.AZNativeProperties.com

Home Sales rebounded in March 2013, the 2nd best in 3 years.

WASHINGTON -- U.S. sales of new homes rebounded in March to the second fastest sales pace in three years, adding to evidence of a sustained housing recovery at the start of the spring buying season.

The Commerce Department says sales of new homes increased 1.5 percent in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 417,000. Sales had reached a pace of 445,000 in January.

New-home sales are still below the 700,000 pace considered healthy by most economists. But they have risen 18.5 percent from a year ago. The median price of a new home was $247,000 in March, up 3 percent from a year ago.

Metro Phoenix population is growing and helping the housing market.

Arizona and Phoenix have had incredible growth since before my parents moved here in the late 1950's.  Every decade Metro Phoenix has approximatly doubled in size over 10 years prior and it's not stopping now, not even after the housing boom and bust we have recently been through.  In fact, people moving to the Valley for a better economic life is helping us get out of the housing recession.  Here's a few facts..

— The Phoenix area is expected to grow by approximately 96,000 people a year for the next three decades.
—The region’s population will increase to 6.9 million in 2040 from 4.3 million now.

Check out properties at www.AZNativeProperties.com

Investors are buying less in Metro Phoenix, but still buying.

Wall Street funds and other large well-funded investors continue to buy houses in metro Phoenix, even though the pace has slowed as sales prices have jumped.

Some of the early investors, who bought in 2009, have flipped the houses for a quick profit, but most of these buyers are holding on to the properties and turning them into long-term rentals.

Get information on Urban Properties

Foreclosures down nationwide

The number of U.S. homes repossessed by lenders last month fell to the lowest level in more than five years, the latest evidence that the nation’s foreclosure crisis is abating amid an improving housing market.

While some states still saw increases in homes taken back by banks, nationally homes repossessions fell 3 percent in March from the previous month and were down 21 percent from a year earlier, foreclosure listing firm RealtyTrac Inc. said Thursday.

Get more information on properties in Metro Phoenix

Mortgage interest rate falls to lowest since 1971

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac says the average rate for the 30-year fixed loan fell to 3.43 percent from 3.54 percent last week. That’s near the 3.31 percent reached in November, which was the lowest on records dating to 1971.

The average rate on the 15-year fixed mortgage dipped to 2.65 percent from 2.74 percent last week. That’s slightly above the record low of 2.63 percent, also reached in November.

Low mortgage rates are helping sustain a housing recovery that began last year. Home sales and residential construction are up, prices are rising and more Americans are refinancing. That’s helped the broader economy.

Check out properties at www.AZNativeProperties.com

Bidding wars are back

Just when we thought the real estate market was leveling out and we might be getting back to something that feels like a "normal" market, the bidding wars are back. 

There are so many investors and non-investors trying to buy a home, many listings are getting multiple offers the first day on the market.  This allows the seller to ask if you want to raise your bid or take the chance of loosing out. 

I've seen this happen everywhere from the Urban properties to the suburbs.  It can be great for the seller but many buyers are getting frustrated. 

I suggest you take your time and don't get emotional.  That's when you can tend to over pay for a property.  Just relax and consider what the property is worth to you and let the chips fall where they may.