Gilbert Archives - The Phoenix Real Estate Guy

Gilbert housing market can change quickly

November 1, 2013 By Dean Ouellette

It is amazing how fast things can change in the housing market. One of the reasons we always advise against trying to time the market is you never know when the top or the bottom was, until you can see it clearly in the rear view window.

For the last 18-months Gilbert, and the rest of the Phoenix housing market has been a strong sellers market. A sellers market is defined as less than three months of housing inventory on the market to meet the demand.

Not any longer. As of Nov 1, 2013 there are now 3.8 months of inventory in Gilbert, and Gilbert is officially a neutral market.

There are currently 1,219 active listings in Gilbert, where last year at this time there were 870. The number of houses sold in Gilbert in October of 2013 compared to 2012 was down nearly 15%.

The good news is the Gilbert housing market is continuing to increase in value with home sales up nearly 20% in the last year. Although, with the balancing of the market that will likely start slowing down.

Other cities are seeing the same thing. The Chandler housing market has also seen a slowing, with an even bigger drop in sales year-over-year.

What does this mean for you?

Buyer
If you are a buyer, you have more houses to choose from. Don’t think that means you can start stealing houses though as the average sales prices is still 98.45% of the list price.

Sellers

If you are a seller you need to realize you are up against a lot more houses than you were a few months ago. You need to make a very strong first impression and make your house stick out compared to other houses in your price range.

Cause?

So what is causing this shift? It is likely two things. First, with the increased housing prices over the last two years, many more home owners are now in the position where they have equity and can use a calculator to determine if it’s worth selling their house they have been in for the last decade. Second, the government shutdown, and uncertainty of what is next, is giving people second thoughts about making a large purchase at this time.

Remember

Interest rates are still very low and appear to be holding steady. Prices are still going up, although more likely at a slower level than we have seen recently. That means if you are looking to buy, or move up to a bigger home, now is probably a very good time to still consider doing so.

World Class Jazz. In Gilbert! And a Contest!

January 25, 2012 By Jay Thompson

Mark the dates…

On March 29 – 31, the 2012 Highland Jazz Festival takes place, right here in sunny Gilbert, Arizona.

What is the Highland Jazz Festival?

A three day event for regional high school Jazz bands. Over 1,800 students will have a chance to work with some of the top jazz clinicians in the country; learning and honing their craft.

Pubic concerts will be held on Friday and Saturday night that will include top high school students, the ASU Concert Jazz Band and two world class jazz musicians — John Fedchock and Joe Levano — will perform.

It is not often that one can hear Grammy Award nominated and winning jazz artists perform live right here in the Town of Gilbert. Tickets for either (or both) nights can be purchased here.

Corporate / Business sponsorships are also available here.

Where does the money go?

Ticket sales and sponsorships allow 1,800 high school jazz students representing over 45 jazz bands and combos from across the southwest to partake in a jazz clinic that is second to none. The festival is also one of the primary source of funds for the Highland High School band program.

Those are some pretty good causes…

Contest! Win Free Tickets or Sponsorship!

Thompson’s Realty has been a proud sponsor of both the previous Highland Jazz Festivals and will be sponsoring the 2012 event as well.

This year we are also going to hold a little contest where you, oh avid reader, can win concert tickets or a sponsorship (Louis Armstrong Level) — your choice.

Ooh, free stuff! How do I win you may be asking yourself.

It’s easy. There are four, count ’em four ways you can enter the contest.

1) Tweet this Click that link (or the image below) and you will Tweet out this message:

2) Click the Facebook “Like” button at the top or bottom of this post.

3) “Like” the Highland Jazz Festival Facebook page.

[Update: Ack. I can only see who Liked this post or the Jazz Fest page if we are Facebook friends. So if you Like either, just say so in the comments. Honor system people, it’s for the children…]

4) Leave a comment below. Any comment will do. Groveling and begging to be selected won’t matter, though it might prove entertaining.

Do any one of those things, and you’ll be entered in the random drawing. Do all four, and you’ll get four entries in the drawing. Do two, get two entries. Heck, you can even do three and get three entries… Feel free to Tweet, share, spread the word as often as you like, but you only get one entry per activity. (So, while you can in theory Tweet about the festival 10,000 times, you will not get 10,000 entries in the drawing. Capiche?)

Contest entries end Feb 1 at Midnight Mountain time.

What do you win?

Your choice. Either:

Two tickets to Friday or Saturday’s Guest Artist Concert (up to $40 value)

One Louis Armstrong Level event sponsorship. ($50 value)

Easy peasy! Do it. Enter the contest. It’s for a great cause. And thanks!

Dear Flancer’s Cafe: I Hate You

January 16, 2012 By Jay Thompson

Dear Flancer’s Cafe –

I hate you.

Yesterday, we called in an order to go. Three of your delightful sandwich’s to take home and enjoy while we celebrated our daughter’s admission to the Barrett Honor’s College at ASU. The ladies ordered their usual Prickly Pear Chicken sandwich, and I went with my traditional We Must Meat, I Ain’t Lion Filet Mignon sandwich.

With eager anticipation and salivating mouth, I waited for the girls to bring home the food.

Much to my consternation, when the goods were unwrapped, my sandwich–the one my tongue was wagging for–wasn’t there. There were three prickly pears and no filet mignon in sight.

I am one of the four people on the planet that doesn’t particularly care for the prickly pear chicken.

I was crushed. Disappointed. Sad.

But that’s not why I hate you. Things happen. People make mistakes. No big deal.

You were so kind, humble and apologetic when I called. You immediately apologized, maybe even groveled a little. You offered us a free sandwich on our next visit to help make it right.

But that’s not why I hate you. In fact, it was refreshing to find a business that can admit when they goof up, be honestly sorry for their mistake, and do what they can to make it right.

I had to have that damn sandwich, so I got in the car, drove back down to your restaurant and picked up the correct meal.

Again, I was treated to a very nice and apologetic server. They were even funny, replying to me when I asked if I could check the order, “Why? We never screw up an order.”

But that’s not why I hate you. The genuine apology was nice to hear. And I have no problem with anyone making a little funny.

Why do I hate you now Flancer’s?

It’s that stinking apple cobbler you added to my order for no charge. I have been to Flancer’s countless times and never ordered the cobbler. I am trying to be strong, to watch my figure. And here you go adding in a big old hunk of apple cobbler to my order, for free.

Well, I had to try it. I can’t turn away free food.

And it was delightful. Creamy and crunchy and tangy. Apples cooked to perfection, not all mushy like so many places do it. It was a world-class desert.

Now that I’ve experienced the insane goodness of the cobbler, I will have to order it every time I go to Flancer’s.

I hate you for that.

PS: If you really want to correct your wrong, add the Greenie Meanine (pictured above) to the regular menu. That thing is a culinary masterpiece.

My previous review of Flancer’s Cafe.

Photo Credit: The Flancer’s Greenie Meanie. The best sandwich. Ever. Taken by yours truly, moments prior to it being devoured.

Jordan Ray: Candidate for Gilbert Town Council

April 18, 2011 By Jordan Ray

I am grateful for the opportunity that I have to contribute to this blog, as well as to run for Gilbert Town Council. This town council race has been an amazing experience. I have had the privilege to meet so many great residents of Gilbert who have taught me so much, and have so many great ideas for how to improve our town. I am excited to continue to work with each of them in the future.

My wife Mandy, myself and our four children are proud to call Gilbert home. We want to help make Gilbert a place that we can be proud of for years to come. This is one of the reasons why we decided that I should run for Gilbert Town Council. We moved to Gilbert because it is a great place to raise a family. It has great neighborhoods, schools, parks and people. However, so many Gilbert residents leave our town to work somewhere else. We need more high wage businesses to come to Gilbert. This will increase our tax base and create a sustainable future for our community.

Last year, Gilbert celebrated its 90th birthday, and our town has a tremendous legacy. Recently, however, we have seen imprudent spending decisions by our elected officials, a proposed tax increase, budget shortfalls and business opportunities pass Gilbert by. This is why I am running. I have the business background that is necessary to help the town understand the hurdles that businesses face, and streamline the processes so that our community is attractive to high wage businesses. I believe strongly in fiscal responsibility, as well as accountability by the Town to its residents. Finally, I know that we need to fund public safety first. This is essential to maintain the safe, attractive community that all Gilbert residents enjoy.

I believe that it is time for the Gilbert Town Council to have a new perspective that will build on Gilbert’s strengths and improve on past mistakes. I am the candidate to help Gilbert transition into the next 90 years. If you have any questions please contact me via my website www.votejordanray.com

Jay’s Note: I have invited all of the candidates running for Gilbert Town Council to publish a guest post here. This should not be construed as an endorsement for any particular candidate. Nor is this in any way connected to my position as a Commissioner on the Town of Gilbert’s Redevelopment Commission. I’m simply providing another venue for all of the candidates to get their message out to the residents of our lovely Town of Gilbert. I do encourage you to vote on May 17, 2011. Our local elected officials can have a tremendous impact on our daily lives, so please vote for the candidates of your choice!

Ben Cooper: Candidate for Gilbert Town Council

April 14, 2011 By Ben Cooper

Keeping Gilbert Great!

I love Gilbert. I’ve called it home for over 27 years and it has become a big part of who I am. My wife and I have chosen to raise our children here for the same reasons that many of you have chosen to do so: friendly families, strong schools, involved faith groups, and quality community design. We love the fact that Gilbert has attracted big city amenities while keeping a safe, small hometown feel.

I am optimistic about Gilbert’s future, especially when it comes to attracting business and employment. In my view, our Town has never been better positioned than it is today to capture the high-wage jobs that will strengthen our community, broaden our tax base, and enable our small businesses to thrive. For example, we have remarkable momentum in growth areas such as the biomedical industry. We also have a huge economic engine developing in nearby Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. And finally, we have available land and buildings that are well connected and ready for development.

These truly are unprecedented times ”“ and we are well positioned for a bright future. I am excited to help because my small-business background and my economic development experience at the Greater Phoenix Economic Council are tailor-made for our times. I believe I can add an important perspective that will enable our community to reach its economic goals much faster than we might otherwise.

In addition to economic development, Gilbert will face several other critical issues over the next few years that call for the experience of a leader who sees things from a business perspective, including: balancing the Town budget, hiring a new Town Manager, and keeping the community clean, safe and vibrant while remaining fiscally responsible. We will need to streamline processes, employ technology where it creates efficiencies, and encourage public-private partnerships to ensure that Gilbert residents get the most value for their money and that the community remains one of the most desirable places to live and work in the country. All of this will protect our property values and contribute to our economic development success.

As I said at the outset, I have a passion for our Town. I am grateful for how Gilbert has shaped my life over the years and I look forward to contributing my time back to the community to show my appreciation. Please join with me as we keep Gilbert great!

Please learn more about my tradition of service to the Town and my business background in real estate development consulting at www.bencooperforcouncil.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bencooperforcouncil.

Jay’s Note: I have invited all of the candidates running for Gilbert Town Council to publish a guest post here. This should not be construed as an endorsement for any particular candidate. Nor is this in any way connected to my position as a Commissioner on the Town of Gilbert’s Redevelopment Commission. I’m simply providing another venue for all of the candidates to get their message out to the residents of our lovely Town of Gilbert. I do encourage you to vote on May 17, 2011. Our local elected officials can have a tremendous impact on our daily lives, so please vote for the candidates of your choice!