For families who live in Scottsdale, it’s time to get down and get dirty at the Mighty Mud Mania. Held annually in Chaparral Park since 1976, the 2016 event takes place on June 11th from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Scottsdale property owners participate in the good “clean” fun by entering one of the mud filled obstacle courses. Mud zones are designed for everyone, from the tiniest of tots playing in the Mud Nursery to adults signing up for the Extreme Course.

A Mini Mud course is exclusively designed for four to six years olds. Six different obstacles are set up for the littles to maneuver through. Kids can also play in their own mud town as Mudville is being constructed just for those six and under.

Everyone Living on Scottsdale Property Can Participate

Seven to twelve year olds race each other in the Original Mud Obstacle Course. Parents cheer from the sidelines as their youngsters swing into the mud from ropes, jump, crawl and scurry to the finish line. The extreme course provides plenty of competition for adults too.

It’s not all about the races though. Friends and neighbors will find water slides to glide down, mud pits to frolic in and inflatable activity centers to bounce around. On site vendors bring delicious food to the hungry crowds.

At the end of Mighty Mud Mania, moms needn’t worry. There is plenty of room at the wash station to clean up hands and faces. After a change of clothes everyone will be clean and ready to return back to their Scottsdale property. More information about this wild and crazy day can be found at the City of Scottsdale website. 

The Arizona real estate market continued to turn in a strong performance in April, and Scottsdale and Phoenix real estate followed state-wide trends on the whole. The median sold price of a home in Arizona was $222,000 in April, up 8.88% from last year and 3.26% from the month before. The average sold price was also up in April, with a 1.82% rise from last year and 1.46% increase from March. For all of Arizona, there were 8,246 home sales in April, which is up 0.18% from 2015 but down 1.77% from the previous month.

The average sold price of Phoenix real estate rose to $252,043 a jump of 4.81% from 2015 and a modest rise of 0.28% from March of 2016. The median sold price was $207,000, which represents an increase of 8.95% from last year and 0.98% from the previous month. There were a total of 1,935 homes old in Phoenix in April. This was down 0.92% from April 2015 and 3.54% from March 2016.

Scottsdale Property Sees Increase in Sales and Prices

Scottsdale property saw 783 closed sales in April 2016, an increase of 3.16% from last year and 1.82% from March 2016. The median sold price in Scottsdale was $399,000, which was up 2.31% from 2015 but down 1.72% from March 2016. The average sold price was $499,024. This was down 7% from last year and 1.24% from last month.

Mortgage rates are down across the country, so now is a good time to consider buying a home in Arizona. Contact our office to discuss your house-hunting goals.

Enjoy a summer evening away from your Scottsdale home by attending the Summer Concert Series at McCormick - Stillman Railroad Park. These concerts are free and will be held every Sunday from May 1st through July 3rd. Showtimes are from 7:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. Come for a date or a fun family outing. Be sure to bring blankets or chairs from your Scottsdale home to make a comfortable place to enjoy the music. Food will be available for purchase, and guests can ride the train or carousel for $2. Children under 3 years old can ride along with a paying adult. Anyone wishing to consume beer must buy a Beer Permit. No glass bottles, wine, or hard liquor are allowed.

Scottsdale Real Estate Owners Groove to Live Music

Check the schedule to see which kind of music you are interested in coming out to hear. Scottsdale real estate owners can enjoy the sounds of many local bands. Groove to the beats of Rock Lobster and their retro 80’s sounds or Outside the Line, which is a funk-R&B group. Dream of being on the beach with the Southwest Surfers and their Beach Boys tribute. Enjoy the country twang of Georgia Chrome and Mogollon. Many other groups will be out to play as well. Check out the park’s events page to find a full listing as well as more information about McCormick - Stillman Railroad Park.

If you live in Phoenix, be sure to mark your calendar for the upcoming Cinco de Mayo Phoenix Festival, set for Saturday and Sunday, May 7th and 8th. The festival will take place on downtown Phoenix property at 200 West Washington Street. It will go from 2 p.m. to midnight on Saturday and noon to 10 p.m. on Sunday. The Phoenix Cinco de Mayo festival is rated as one of the best in the country. Live music will play throughout the festival. Performers include Three Latin All-Stars, Sunny Ozuna & the Sunliners, and Little Joe Y la Familia, among others. The festivities will also include lucha libre matches and Ballet Folklorico performances. Kids can have a ball at the Kids Zone, with games and rides just for them. Come hungry, because the food will be amazing--lots of freshly made traditional favorites. There will also be a formal scholarship award ceremony from Arvizu Scholarships.

Celebrate Mother’s Day at the Festival on Downtown Phoenix Property

The festival is a great place to celebrate Mother’s Day for families who live in Phoenix. Purchase special VIP tickets and enjoy the festival at its best. VIP tickets include seating closer to the bands and two drink tickets. VIP preferred tickets include closer seating, three drink tickets, and access to the meet and greet for the bands. Visit the Phoenix Cinco de Mayo to see more details about the event and purchase tickets.

Scottsdale property owners looking to get in shape and keep cool this summer should head to the Cactus Aquatic and Fitness Center. Located at 7202 East Cactus Road, the center offers lots of amenities to those who live in Scottsdale. There is a short course pool of 25 meters and a long course, Olympic sized pool of 50 meters. Go for a public swimming time and practice diving one of the diving boards--three one-meter boards and two three-meter boards. Water exercise classes are offered, as well as swimming lessons for babies, kids, and adults and swimming and diving teams. The fitness center is outfitted with cardio machines, free weights, and weight machines. Lots of exercise classes are scheduled, too.

People Who Live in Scottsdale Save Money on Summer Passes

Admission rates are quite affordable. Residents of Scottsdale property pay $3 for adults and $2 for children for daily admission to the fitness center or swimming pool. For non-residents, adult admission si $5 and child admission is $3. Passes are also available. A 10-visit pass for city residents is $30 and $50 for non-residents. A 30-visit pass is $72 for residents or $120 for non-residents. Summer family passes are available at discounted rates until May 30th. The pass gives holders unlimited visits to both the pool and fitness center from Memorial Day through Labor Day. For a family of four, a pass is $120. Visit Cactus Aquatic and Fitness Center to get more details and class schedules.

The Phoenix real estate market report for March 2016 is looking as robust as ever. After a slow start in January and February, March was a much more active month. In all of Arizona, there were 8,395 homes sold. For the Phoenix market, there were 2,006 closed sales. This was a huge jump from February 2016 at 43.5% and a jump of 8.6% from March 2015’s market. New contracts are often considered to be a predictor of future market growth. For Phoenix real estate, there were 2,589 new contracts, an uptick of 11.8% from February 2016 and a small loss of 0.5% from March of last year.

Scottsdale Home Sales Picking Up from February

Scottsdale home sales saw similarly strong numbers. There were 769 closed sales, which was up from 42.9% in comparison to February 2016 and 2.7% increase from March 2015. Scottsdale saw 947 new contracts, which was up 13.3% from February of this year. Like Phoenix, compared to March 2015, this was a small decrease of 1.1%. Median home prices were also up significantly in both markets. Phoenix saw an increase of 6.2% from February, which Scottsdale’s median price was up 0.5%. It looks like the spring and summer market will be very active.

All Scottsdale real estate owners are invited to come to Eat Drink & Be Pretty. This event will be great fun and benefits a worthy cause. Taking place on Friday, April 15th, 2016, guests will be able to indulge in delicious food and refreshing drinks thanks to a wide variety of local restaurants and wineries. Relax and visit with old and new friends while listening to the sounds of Sapphire Sky and DJs from Desert House Productions. Mini massages and light spa treatments will also be available, serving as a great way to end a busy work week. Take in the newest in fashion by watching the fashion show presented by top local designers. Last, keep the memories of this fun event fresh by posing in the photo booth with friends and family who call Scottsdale home.

Scottsdale Home Owners Are Invited to an Evening of Food, Music & Fun

This event is just one of many that benefits the Scottsdale League for the Arts. The ticket price of $85 general admission online, $100 general admission at the door, or $125 VIP goes toward supporting artists, art programs, art education, and the culinary scene all throughout the region. Admission includes all drinks, food, and other fun happenings at this event. Scottsdale real estate owners are invited to visit the Scottsdale Fest to purchase tickets online and also find links for other events benefitting the arts in this area.

Film buffs in Phoenix homes look forward to the annual Phoenix Film Festival. A local fixture since 2000, PFF strives to bring the best independent films to the city. This year, the festival will run from April 7th to April 14th. Over 150 films will be screened at the Harkins Scottsdale/101, and all the events and workshops will be held at the Phoenix real estate location, too. In addition to the truly stunning variety of films screened, the festival hosts some great events. Don’t miss the opening night party, which will feature the house specialties of nearly 20 local restaurants, along with the city’s best mixologists shaking up their best cocktails.

All the Fun Happens at One Phoenix Real Estate Location

Workshops will be held throughout the festival and will educate participants in a number of important film-related topics. Kids from Phoenix homes can learn about making a silent film at Kids’ Day on Saturday, April 9th. Get tickets to attend the Arizona Student Film Festival and inspire your budding director or actor. Middle-school and high-school students can take special seminars on screen writing, film acting, and producing and directing.

Be sure to visit the Phoenix Film Festival website to see all the options for tickets and passes. The flex pass is just $40 and allows holders to see any four films, excluding opening and closing night. A full list of films and events is also on the website.

Nationally, February was a rather slow month for home selling, but the Arizona market saw large gains over January. The market for Phoenix homes in particular grew significantly. The Arizona mean selling price for February was $213,000, which was a 1.43% increase from January and a 9.23% increase from 2015. The mean price in Phoenix was $193,000, which represents a 2.12% increase over January and a 9.04% uptick in comparison to February of last year. The Scottsdale real estate market has more high-end homes. The median price for February was $403,950, which is up 1.37% since January and 10.67% since February 2015.

Prices Are Up For Phoenix Homes

The number of closed sales in Arizona is down somewhat from last year. There were 5,696 homes sold in February. This is a 3.16% loss from 2015 but an 11.82% increase from January 2016. There were 1,398 sold homes in Phoenix, which decreased by 4.57% year over year but increased 7.95% month over month. Scottsdale real estate had 538 homes sold, which was a modest loss of 0.37% from 2015 but a 19.56% increase compared with January. In comparison to 2015, this year’s market is seeing a lower supply of entry-level homes.

When you live in Phoenix, you don’t necessarily think of the ocean and sea life as being just around the corner. Sea Life Arizona Aquarium is the place to spend a few hours learning about the ocean and its creatures. Located on Tempe property at 5000 South Arizona Mills Circle, the aquarium is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It’s just a few miles east of central Phoenix on I-10.

Tempe Property Home of Sea Life Arizona Aquarium

The aquarium has been designed with children in mind, so it’s a favorite place for families who live in Phoenix. Get up close with sea creatures in the interactive rockpool. Touch lobsters, crabs, and starfish. Experienced staff members are on hand to answer questions and fill visitors in on the lives of the creatures in the pool. See white tip reef sharks, black tip reef sharks, and rays swimming in their own huge tanks. Visitors can also meet clownfish, seahorses, and sea turtles. Plan a visit around favorite creature’s feeding times and learn more about the lives of these remarkable animals.

Visit Sea Life Arizona Aquarium to see more about programs offered for schools, homeschoolers, and birthday parties. Book tickets online and receive special discounts. Consider an annual pass to get free admission and other benefits for a year.