Whether you are a first time homeowner or have lived in the same house for many years, strong home security is essential in keeping your belongings and family safe. According to the FBI, home robberies occur every 12 seconds. To prevent a burglar from invading your home, consider implementing a home alarm system [...]

Theories for the housing market’s recovery remind many of alphabet soup – V, W, L and U.
Real Estate analyst RL Brown explains the recovery scenarios behind each letter in the latest Phoenix Housing Market Letter.
V – This is the symbol behind a fast crash and subsequent fast recovery. We already know this won’t be the [...]

It’s time to mark our calendars for Phoenix’s big real estate forecasts in the New Year. Unfortunately, we probably can’t look forward to much good news.
 Urban Land Institute Arizona’s 2010 Real Estate Trend Conference is scheduled for Thursday Jan. 21st at the Arizona Biltmore. Peter Linneman, a real estate strategist, is the keynote speaker for [...]

Phoenix isn’t alone in its economic and real estate pain. The entire Mountain West area is hurting more than any other region of the country, according to a new Brookings Institute study.
The first Mountain Monitor from Brookings was released earlier this week. Unfortunately, it’s another bad economic report card for Phoenix, which is one [...]

Arizona business leader and growth expert Ioanna Morfessis has been recruited by Rhode Island to lead the state’s economic-development efforts.
Last week, Rhode Island’s Economic Development Corp., led by Gov. Donald Carcieri,  voted unanimously to offer Morfessis a three-year contract.
“Ioanna is considered one of the best economic-development executives in the country with a proven track record [...]

Here are some key data and predictions from the event “Real Estate: Evolution of an Industry.”
The final tally for home building permits in the Phoenix area this year will be about 8,800, which is down 85 percent from 2005’s peak. But building market is picking back up as the oversupply of speculative-built homes sells.
“Home builders [...]

Buying a home is one of the most important investments you will make in your lifetime. Most states require that home sellers disclose any defaults of a house before a contract is signed and you should never sign a contract before a professional home inspection. However, some hidden problems can be missed, or [...]

Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said his office is teaming with the federal goverment to stop more loan modification scams.
Today, at the end of the National Association of Attorneys Generals meeting in Phoenix, Goddard said his office recently met with federal regulators, including the U.S. Department of Justice. He said the prosecutors plan to work together to stop firms [...]

Tracking metropolitan Phoenix’s home prices can be done in several ways, so there are different medians or index numbers for the area’s housing market. What’s key is the direction the numbers or indicators are heading.
And all measures now show Valley home prices inching up or at least holding steady.
S&P/Case-Shiller, the leading national home index, shows [...]

Short sales may be a new best option for Valley homeowners struggling to avoid foreclosure.
Home-loan modifications, endorsed by the federal government, are most borrowers’ first choice when they fall behind on their mortgage payments because of a drop in their income. But short sales are also part of the federal housing plan to slow foreclosures. [...]