Sun City real estate - sell, buy, invest, relocate

Month: March 2009 (page 2 of 2)

Looking for “Arizona’s urban heart”? It’s in San Diego, I think…

In its on-going effort to waste as much tax-payer money as possible on the pretense that Phoenix is a city, the Downtown Phoenix Partnership blew $160,000 on a new image campaign for our fair suburb.

The result? Downtown Phoenix is to be known, henceforth, as “Arizona’s urban heart.”

That’s the best they could do.

I admit the job is a challenge, since Phoenix is not and never will be a city. It’s the world’s biggest suburb, and, if you like suburban life, it is heaven on earth. But if you’re looking for hustle and bustle, thrills and chills, action and crowds — you’ll have to look elsewhere. We don’t do that.

Consider the points made in the Republic article, though:

“The brand touts Phoenix as the best place to have a cosmopolitan experience in Arizona.” Damn betcha. In fact, I think I might prefer this as a slogan: “Phoenix: The cosmopolitan cow-town!”

More from the article: “A new brand alone won’t draw more tourists overnight.” A very safe prediction.

“Phoenix has a long way to go.” Wrong. It’s perfect the way it is. Only our city government hates it.

“For a brand to work, it can’t just be a lofty goal, marketing experts say. A successful brand must spotlight something unique about the city and deliver on what was promised.”

Indeed. I agree completely, so I thought I’d chip in my ideas for a motto for Downtown Phoenix — for free!

How about this? “Downtown Phoenix: Even the bad guys go home by six!”

Or this? “Downtown Phoenix: The city with elbow room!”

Or this? “Downtown Phoenix: As much fun as Omaha — but no snow!”

Or this? “Downtown Phoenix: More government boondoggles than Egypt!”

But for a motto that really works for Phoenicians, we need to isolate the one fact about Downtown that matters most to everyone. So this is my idea for a perfect slogan:

“Downtown Phoenix: Where the hell do I park for jury duty?”

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If you’ve been waiting for your golden opportunity to buy premium bank-owned rental homes in suburban Phoenix, this may be the time…

I’ve been doing a comprehensive search of premium-quality rental homes in the western suburbs of Phoenix. As always, I’m looking for newer, well-maintained homes in neighborhoods that can attract premium tenants now and sell at premium prices to owner-occupants when it’s time to move on. There are other rental-property strategies out there, but working with premium-quality tract homes seems to work best for out-of-state investors.

Why am I looking so assiduously right now? Because I think this might be the golden moment for rental home investors in the Phoenix area. Yes, home prices are still declining, but interest rates are starting to inch their way up. Every home I am looking at should be comfortably cash-flow-positive from the first tenant, but a lower purchase price later could result in a higher overall monthly cost.

The homes I’ve been looking at are all in Avondale, so far. Every one of these home should sell for $100,000 or less — in many case substantially less. Rents run in the $950 – $1,050 range, depending on location and accommodations. Most of these homes need some work, but many of them need little more than flooring and paint — and we can arrange any needed work by remote-control.

I’m not a pushy salesman, and I never want to be seen as blowing smoke up anyone’s nose. If you click here, you can see a projection of the costs and benefits to owning one of these homes. No one can predict when homes in the Phoenix metropolitan area will start to appreciate again, but these rental homes should be self-amortizing while you wait out the market.

Click on this link to take a closer look. You’ll find maps and MLS listings, along with detailed photos and a critical analysis of each home. I’ll be updating this site as I preview more homes, so you might check back periodically to see what’s new. Better yet, email me or phone me at 602-740-7531 and I’ll help you find your own premium-quality rental home investment.