Life In Scottsdale

Scottsdale Foreclosure Map

This big blob of green is a map of foreclosures for sale and pre-foreclosures (potential short sales) in Scottsdale and Paradise Valley.  If you think the bottom of the real estate market is here, think again.  Remember, these are places that are still for sale — this map doesn’t count foreclosures that have already sold, or those on the way.  With mortgage payments late or foreclosure underway in more than 1/10th of the houses in the country, and the Scottsdale/Phoenix market worse than the nation overall, you can bet home prices have a long way down to go.

This map is from January, 2009.

I stopped by the Soma Cafe at Tatum & Shea today to get a quick bite to eat, and I was sad to notice a “for lease” sign on the door.  Further investigation shows that it has been out of business since Mid-November, and that the people who work there were not told it was going to close down for good until hours before the doors were locked for the final time.  I find it surprising that a restaurant with a good reputation, relatively good food, and a hiring policy that included nothing but cute girls forced to wear pajamas could fail, but these are the times we are in.

If you want a career in real estate, a real estate license, or are just interested in learning about real estate, the Arizona School of Real Estate is a good place to start.  Located across the street from Ra on 1st street in Old Town Scottsdale (with another location in Gilbert), the Arizona school of Real Estate has been in business since 1969.  Getting a real estate license in Arizona is easy (in the grand scheme of things), but it does require a some diligence: 90 hours of class, passing the state test & real estate school test, a one day contract writing course, and that’s about it.

I found the classes valuable despite not having any desire to pursue a career in real estate.  I still plan to buy and sell houses over my life, so the 3% discount (agent’s fee), combined with the various things I learned and the ability to help friends and family buy hosues were well worth the time.

There are a few options for completing the required courses: night courses, weekend courses, daytime crash course (2 classes/day for 9 days over a 2 week period).  The easiest, at least for me, was the night school.  It’s every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday for 6 consecutive weeks.

The class costs $400.  Once you are a licensed real estate agent you will be able to use the Multiple Listings Services (MLS), which is an indispinsible tool when you are looking to buy a house.

This house was purchased for 3.75 million in August of 2004, about a month after it was announced that Steve Nash had signed with the Phoenix Suns for 65 million over 6 years.  The home is located in the prestiguous Judson School gated community, on the east side of Paradise Valley.

Steve Nash's House

Steve Nash Paradise Valley