Football fans who live in Scottsdale real estate, get your game faces on for Fiesta Bowl 2016. Held on January 1st, at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, the game will be a face-off between Notre Dame and Ohio State. Kick-off for the 45th annual game is at 11 a.m. More exciting college football will be played near Scottsdale homes on January 2nd at Chase Field in Phoenix. West Virginia and Arizona State will play at 8:15 p.m. These games are known for their high intensity and terrific plays. Both promise to be exciting and extremely competitive.

One more way to celebrate college football near Scottsdale real estate is the Fiesta Bowl Parade on January 2nd. The parade will march on Central Avenue in Phoenix, between Montebello Avenue and Missouri Avenue. As as special treat, the Ohio State University marching band will be playing. The parade is a great way to meet friends and neighbors, celebrate the new year, and find out about community groups. There will be beautiful floats, charity groups, equestrians, and giant helium balloons, among many other entries. Randy Johnson, an Arizona Diamondback legend and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, will be Grand Marshall for the parade.

Go to Fiesta Bowl online to get tickets for both Fiesta and Cactus Bowl, get more details about the parade, and see a schedule of upcoming events.

Plan a special holiday outing near your Phoenix home at Las Noches de las Luminarias at Desert Botanical Garden. More than 8,000 hand lit luminarias will set the gardens glowing. Visitors will also be able to see the fascinating new installation, Bruce Munro: Sonoran Light. These eight large scale light sculptures are Munro’s interpretation of the different ecosystems of the Sonoran Desert.

The unique piece of Phoenix real estate that is the Desert Botanical Garden will be alive with the sounds of holiday music. Handbell choirs will ring out favorite carols, while mariachi bands will stroll and sing. There will also be Apache native stories with flute music, Dickens Christmas carolers, the Jazz Divas, and many more live entertainers. Don’t miss stargazing with the Phoenix Astronomical Society.

Leave your Phoenix home hungry and get a delicious meal at Gertrude’s, the restaurant at the gardens. Reservations are recommended. The Patio Cafe will have more casual dining options. Order a wine flight or just a glass at the pop-up wine store. Visitors can also purchase advance tickets for a delicious buffet at Dorrance Hall.

Las Noches de las Luminaras goes every night from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. through December 31st, except for December 24 and 25. Visit the event webpage for the event to get more details and make reservations for a meal.

As fall has become winter, we continue to see fewer Arizona homes on the market, in comparison to the high volume of the spring and summer. This is the usual low point for the market. However, looking at the market in the context of long term sales, we can see that overall, it continues to grow. The Phoenix real estate market had 1,268 closed sales in November. This is down by 19.85% in comparison to October, but it is a gain of 4.79% from November of 2014. The average sold price in Phoenix was $243,265, which is a 0.8% gain from October and a 5.82% gain from last year. Phoenix real estate sold in an average of 65 days, which is faster than both last month (2.99% less) and last year (18.75% less).

In Scottsdale, we also see gains in the market. November saw 472 home sales, which is 15.86% lower than October but 20.41% higher than 2014. Homes sold for an average of $523,797. This is up 8.18% from October and 0.35% from last year. The Scottsdale market is also moving houses through the homebuying process more quickly. Homes were on the market for an average of 105 days in November. This is down 7.08% from last month and 11.02% from November 2014.

As we move into the new year, we expect to see the market expanding, as families hoping to move when school is out begin to enter the housing market. Whether you’re thinking of buying or selling, let us help you decide if market conditions are right for you to make a real estate move.

The train engineer is calling “all aboard!” at McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, so leave your Scottsdale home and step up to the station. Families living in the Scottsdale real estate area are just in time to jump onto the train and view the annual holiday lights display. Children of all ages will be amazed at the colorful and sparkly display of twinkling arrangements on scene from 6:30 to 9 p.m until January 2nd. Everyone loves a train ride, and enjoying the lights from the locomotive as it maneuvers around this quaint piece of Scottsdale real estate makes this event much more special for all.

Santa is at the park too, so be sure to have the little ones visit with him and share their Christmas wishes. But hurry, he will only be available until December 23rd, and then it is back to the North Pole to pack the sleigh and double check his list. Once the train ride is over make your way over to the historic carousel. A childhood favorite ride for one and all, choose your trusty steed and take a ride. Fares for riding the train are $4 per person, and a turn on the carousel is only $2 for those over 3 years of age, making the holiday lights show at the park an affordable and fun, festive event for the whole family. Visit McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park for more information about holiday festivities and to get driving directions.

The Mustache Dache™ is the hairiest, biggest, and baddest running event that those who call Phoenix home could ever ask for. There is no better reason to grow a moustache, or find a creative way to attach one to your face if moustache growing is not a skill you possess. This race takes place on Saturday, November 28, 2015 and is one piece of a national effort to benefit men’s health causes, including prostate cancer, across the country. Men, women, and children are invited to take part in this super fun event and all participants will get a t-shirt, mustache finisher’s medal, and access to free professional photo downloads. There will also be a celebration after the race that includes a photo booth, costume contest, and food.

All who live in a Phoenix home are invited to Kiwanas Park to either run, or cheer on the runners if races are not your thing. The Kids Dache begins at 9 a.m. and the official Mustache Dache 5k begins at 9 a.m. All participants will either need to pick up their packets at Road Runner Sports in advance, or arrive early to the race. Registration is open now, but lucky for the Phoenix real estate owners who are procrastinators, runners can even register the day of the race. It is sure to be a great morning, as the Beer Garden opens at 9:30 a.m. (hey, it’s 12:00 somewhere) and awards will start around 10 a.m. Visit Mustache Dache™ for more information about the event.

The Arizona real estate market is in its usual autumn slow down. Total closed sales are down nearly 10% from September of 2015. However, when comparing October 2015 and October 2014, we see an increase in closed sales of nearly 2%, indicating overall market health and growth. Both median sold price and average sold price for Arizona real estate tells the same story. Year over year, median sold price is up nearly 10%, while average sold price is up over 5%.

All real estate is local, and we see similar statistics in both the Phoenix and Scottsdale home selling market. In Phoenix, there were 1,582 closed sales in October. This is down 6.4% from September but up 4% from October 2014. The median sold price in Phoenix is $194,000, down 0.5% from September’s $194,950 but up 7.8% from October 2014’s median price of $180,000.

Scottsdale’s market is pretty similar to Phoenix. There were 561 closed sales in October 2015, down 8% from September’s 610 but up 5.6% from October 2014. The median sold price for Scottsdale in October was $397,000, which is up 3.1% from September, interestingly enough, and 1.8% from later year.

Buyers who were able to wait out the white-hot summer market are in a good position to purchase a home at a more affordable price, while sellers should take heart that prices this year are in general higher than last year. Be sure to get in touch with our office to talk about ways the current market conditions impact your home buying or selling plans.

The 2015 Phoenix Veteran’s Day Parade starts on November 11th at 11:00 in the morning on Montebello Avenue in front of the North Phoenix Baptist Church. This year’s theme, “No Longer Forgotten,” honors our Korean War Veterans, and the parade is being presented by the Honoring Arizona’s Veterans group as a way of giving back to the Veterans who have given to us. People who live in Phoenix get to enjoy this entertaining event because of the generous donations of all those who call Phoenix home. From Montebello Avenue, the parade will march down Central and then turn East on Camelback Road. From Camelback Road they will turn South onto 7th Street, and then end at Indian School Road in front of the Montecito School. The entire course will travel over a distance of 2.4 miles and will last around 2 hours.

Those who live in Phoenix will be able to enjoy this parade from the sidelines where there will be speaker towers evenly spaced throughout the route so no one misses anything. There will also be restrooms and water available to the public in a variety of places along the the path of the parade, and every water station will provide programs for the parade so that those who attend can know in what order the participants are marching. To learn more about this year’s Parade, visit the 2015 Veteran’s Day Parade, or call Paula at 480-772-2934.

The Desert Botanical Garden is a fun place to visit and gather landscaping ideas for your Scottsdale property. It is even more fun to visit when there is a special event going on, like the Chiles and Chocolate Festival coming up November 6th through November 8th, 2015. Entrance to this festival is included with a paid admission to the gardens or with a membership. The hours are Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Tour the gardens while sampling delicious gourmet chocolates and chiles and entice your taste buds with peppy sauces and other morsels inspired by the Southwest. All featured products will be available for purchase to Scottsdale property owners and all other visitors.

In addition to the delicious products, there will also be live entertainment. Enjoy the sounds of DJ Seduce and feast your eyes upon Latin, Brazilian, and Spanish dance performances live on Boppart Courtyard. All visitors will head back to their Scottsdale homes with an extra groove in their step. A cash bar will also be available each day from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. See Chiles and Chocolate Festival for more information and a full schedule of the entertainment at this event.

The air is getting cooler. Pumpkin patches are popping up. Kids are beginning to plan their costumes. Halloween is just around the corner. There’s all sorts of fun to be had, and we want to make sure that Arizona home owners avoid trick-or-treating accidents. Read our five best tips for Halloween safety.

1. Go out at dusk and walk from the sidewalk to your front door. Remove any trip hazards, like garden hoses, stray toys, and tools. Make sure there’s plenty of space around your front door for candy-seekers.

2. Light the way for the ghouls, witches, gypsies, and knights who will be coming for candy. Steer clear of open flame and opt for bright LED lights. A string of Halloween colored lights adds visibility and contributes to the festive mood. Spooky, inexpensive lanterns can be made with a few witch hats and LED lightsticks. Decorate paper bags with ghosts or pumpkins and add battery operated candles for safe luminaries.

3. Carved pumpkins are tons of fun. Just make sure they are well away from the path. Consider using battery operated candles rather than traditional ones.

4. Look for safety-rated lights, from UL, CSA, ETL, or another recognized laboratory.

5. If you transform your Arizona home into a haunted house to frighten friends and neighbors, be sure to go through it carefully and make sure that the only scares are from the ghoulies and ghosties, not accidents or falls.

We hope these tips will help keep your Arizona property Halloween firmly in the treat side of the festivities!

In a unique celebration of Halloween, over fifteen colorful hot air balloons will be aglow and on display both Friday, October 23, 2015 and Saturday, October 24, 2015 from 5 to 10 p.m. at The Salt River Fields Balloon Spooktacular. Each vibrant balloon doubles as a candy center for trick-or-treaters to happily collect sugary loot. In fact, over 4,000 pounds of candy will be on hand at this Scottsdale real estate and given out to tricksters. Parents living is Scottsdale homes will find the Balloon Festival a perfectly safe alternative to going door to door with their kids trick-or-treating. There is even a simply spooky but family friendly haunted trail to stroll. Added fun includes tethered balloon rides, live music, an awesome Kid’s Zone and more. And, of course there is more than candy to eat, with a variety of food and drink vendors on hand.

Visitors to the festival who love to dress up will get excited about the annual costume contest held at the Spooktacular. Categories include child, adult individual, and group. Prizes are impressive so creativity is encouraged. This is one celebration those living in Scottsdale homes will not want to miss. Once attended the Spooktacular will become a traditional family event. Learn more about the fun at the event and purchase tickets at the Balloon Spooktacular website.