Daily Real Estate News | Tuesday, December 04, 2012  

One in three consumers say they’d consider getting a mortgage from discount retailer Wal-Mart if they offered them, according to a study of 618 U.S. consumers conducted by Carlisle & Gallagher Consulting Group. The company provides consulting services to some of the top U.S. mortgage originators.

Nearly half surveyed said they’d also consider a mortgage from PayPal, an online payment provider. Neither company offers mortgages. 

The study is an indication that consumers are willing to try alternative lenders, says Doug Hautop, lending practice lead at Carlisle & Gallagher Consulting Group. 

Should banks feel threatened? Non-bank mortgage companies, such as Quicken Loans and Nationstar…

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We are happy to welcome Cynthia Thompson to The Cascade Team in Arizona.  Cynthia is a transplant from the Seattle area as well and comes to us with a deep knowledge of both the real estate business and opening and operating a brokerage.  In Seattle she worked for Better Properties, helped them open a number of offices throughout the Seattle/Tacoma area, and ran a branch with 50+ agents.  She is going to be focused on building a team and opening a new office in the Gilbert/Chandler area.  We are glad to have her working with us and know that she will be a great asset in developing the Greater Phoenix market.

 

480-719-1517 - Ext 701
cynthia@thecascadeteam.com

Real Estate Agents That Offer YOU Local Knowledge & Personal Service

Cascade Team Real…

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Holiday Lighting

  • Use caution with holiday decorations and, whenever possible, choose those made with flame-resistant, flame-retardant and non-combustible materials.
  • Keep candles away from decorations and other combustible materials, and do not use candles to decorate Christmas trees.     
  • Carefully inspect new and previously used light strings, and replace damaged items before plugging lights in. Do not overload extension cords.
  • Don't mount lights in any way that can damage the cord's wire insulation. To hold lights in place, string them through hooks or insulated staples--don't use nails or tacks. Never pull or tug lights to remove them.
  • Keep children and pets away from light strings and electrical decorations.
  • Never use electric…

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  • They expect about 987 elementary-aged students (full-time equivalents) in the current Grand Ridge attendance area next school year. Even with the 10 additional portable classrooms on site now, this exceeds possible housing at Grand Ridge.
  • To balance enrollment, all full-day and half-day kindergartners will be housed at Challenger and Endeavour Elementary beginning next fall. We will group neighborhood areas together evenly among both schools after kindergarten enrollment numbers are confirmed in March.
  • The change in the boundary will move 175 students in newly developed or soon-to-be developed areas in the Issaquah Highlands (see map) to Clark Elementary, which has capacity to house the students and will soon have a brand new building.

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Pending home sales are on the rise as is visible by the lack of housing inventory in both the Greater Phoenix and San Diego markets.  The National Association of Realtors is reporting strong month over month and year over year increases in pending home sales.  This will definitely make it more challenging for buyers and for real estate agents who have buyers in these markets.  Knowing as soon as poosible when new home inventory hits the market will be key to getting in on a purchase before it gets snapped up by someone else.

Pending sales of existing homes were up 5.2 percent from September to October and 13.2 percent from a year ago, according to an index maintained by the National Association of Realtors.

NAR's Pending Home Sales Index, which…

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The Federal Finance Housing Agency recently released a report showing that Arizona’s housing prices are rising faster every year than any other state. Despite the rising prices, many Canadian visitors will still be inclined to buy real estate according to an assistant professor of real estate at Arizona State University. There is an estimate 1,000,000 Canadian visitors who will visit Arizona this year, and many of them will be looking to purchase and/or invest in homes and real estate in this market.  Even with the 26% price increase seen over the last year, the strong economy in certain parts of Canada still make Arizon home prices a great daeal.  Cronkite News reporter Laura Monte has the video story below. 

To search for Arizona homes, click…

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