John Hall & Associates - Phoenix Real Estate Brokerage

Okay - this just in!  Check out the January 2008 issue of Phoenix REALTOR® Forum (a publication of the Phoenix Association of REALTORS®).  Page 6 you will find a picture of Jim Sexton speaking with Nate Martinez (2008 PAR President). 

It doesn’t appear they have this issue posted online quite yet - so you’ll have to look for him in your hard copy.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Mr. Jim Sexton often gets asked, “What’s going on with the number of real estate licensees in AZ?”  This is a tricky question to answer because there are a few different “cleansing” periods throughout the year.  The first of which happens in January when the Associations send out their bills.  Then the next one is in July when ARMLS dues are expected.  And then the last one is in September when SUPRA charges to operate lockboxes (an essential tool for REALTORS®).  In October SUPRA reported a 4.2% cancellation rate and a 13.5% unpaid rate.  So about 17.7% of agents with-in ARMLS (which primarily covers these cities) aren’t renewing their tools.    

We recently received the latest report from the Arizona Department of Real Estate. This a moving target because there are is no set date the license renewal fees are due.  It is based on when you got your license.  But, at least we can compare year over year and see that across the entire state we are down about 2%.  

Click on the chart to see the hidden columns.

Jim Sexton sent me this article from Broker Agent that he enjoyed.  As I read it I could hear Lou Holtz saying, “The only thing that is going to change you from where you are today and where you are in 5 years from now is what you read, the people you meet, and the dreams you dream.”  This is a good one to read.

Norman Rockwell, the iconic American painter, had it right!  He created literally hundred of paintings picturing the essence of American life, most about our homes.  Somewhere along the way we began thinking of “homes” as just “houses” - another commodity to be “flipped”, collateralized, and bartered like stocks and bonds.  We hear the din about our “national housing market” and assume that includes our local market.  The Valley of the Sun has profound “pocket markets”.  Taking averages or median prices leads us to such fallacies as comparing price per square foot between divergent areas irrelevant to each other like Paradise Valley and Queen Creek.  That’s like dressing for national weather; it means little or nothing locally, we’ve been drowned in meaningless statistics.  But, the realities of our local housing market remain, if house prices are down by 8% in the past 12 months according to the Case-Shiller index, but up by a net 80.2% between 2002 and 2007, it left homeowners with most of their paper gains intact.  Furthermore, houses have some obvious and unique benefits:  sheltered capital gains, liberal income tax deductions for interest and property taxes and leveraged appreciation. A REALTOR® can do the research necessary for you to make an informed decision based on your housing needs and long term investment potential. Although houses are still an important financial asset, the predominate reason for American’s “home-hunger” is in danger of being lost.  We need to get back to considering the most basic of human desires, shelter for our families. We can’t afford to underestimate the joy of owning a home, the sound and warmth of a crackling fire on a cold winter night, the fragrance of dinner cooking in the kitchen, the gathering of family and friends at the holidays.  A home is more than just a house, it is the place where memories are made and cherished for a lifetime.  Norman Rockwell had it right; the American Dream is still homeownership.

http://www.azcentral.com/class/marketplace/homevaluesspring07/articles/1010vhv1014-ON.html

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/1031vacant-homes1031.html

In two places - although it’s the same article

http://www.fox11az.com/news/topstories/stories/kmsb-20071031-apjc-housesempty.1c4a611c2.html

Jim Sexton got published in the December 07 issue of Arizona Association of REALTORS publication Arizona REALTOR.  It use to be called the ARD, but their website indicates it has been upgraded to the AZR.  Make it easy on yourself - follow the link!!!   

http://www.aaronline.com/News/ARDOnline/ARD_Dec2007.pdf

Page 3 is where you can find his article, ”2007 Market Survival Guide- A Broker’s Perspective.”