The Dealmaker is a daily note of the day’s top real estate stories served just in time for lunch. Bon Appetit! Subscribe here to receive the Dealmaker to your inbox
Belfiore: Why South Phoenix is becoming a housing destination – for builders and buyers. Over the past two months home sales in the South Mountain area have more than doubled compared to previous months. The market has seen homebuilding activity from Lennar, Maracay Homes, Pulte, Beazer Homes and Frank Residential. Real estate consultant Jim Belfiore knows why, in this Mike Sunnucks’ report for RLGR. http://bit.ly/2IpDmxk
SPEAKING OF HEADING SOUTH…See how Trump’s Mexico tariffs could bite the real estate markets. Mike Sunnucks has more from Jim Belfiore, this time with insight on the impact President Trump’s looming Mexico tariffs could have on housing. RLGR. http://bit.ly/2IpFIwa
Azure Paradise Valley earns 2 Gold Nugget Grand Awards. (Disclosure: Rose Law Group represents Shea Homes at Azure in Paradise Valley.) Congratulations to Shea Homes Arizona which took top honors for Residential Detached Collection of the Year and Best Single Family Detached Home at the recent Pacific Coast Builders Conference Gold Nuggets Awards. More on the awards along with acceptance remarks by Shea’s grateful VP of Sales and Marketing, Ken Petersen, in PVI. http://bit.ly/2WskebG
Scottsdale City Council approves changes to Sereno Canyon lots. “The site has had three cases approved entitling the entire 350-acre site to achieve a combination of single-family, townhome lots, and a resort/spa community.” Now, with City Council’s latest action, “Phase 3A will proceed with more development.” Scottsdale Independent. http://bit.ly/2EUjiCc
Homeowners get slightly more equity. CoreLogic® Home Equity Report for Q1 shows homeowners (nationwide) gained an average of $6,400 in equity YOY — but they more than doubled that figure in Arizona, which ranks among the “Top 10 States with the Highest Average Gain.” Builder. http://bit.ly/2KAwtvN
Cadence Living buys 7.7 acres in Chandler to build $46M project. The senior living developer has been an active investor in Arizona. Cadence at Ocotillo, a project in partnership with Global Senior Housing and located at 100 W. Queen Creek Rd., will be Cadence’s fourth Valley community. Details in AZRE. http://bit.ly/2MJhdzc
Aldi grocery store chain purchases more land in metro Phoenix. “The Peoria Aldi store has been publicly discussed since May 2018, but Aldi has recently finalized the purchase on the property.” PBJ reports on the $2.25 million land buy and 11 other property purchases the German discount retailer has made “all over the Valley.” (Subscriber Content). http://bit.ly/2wDGmRh
John F. Long’s Maryvale Shopping City attracted stars. Thurston Howell and Mr. Magoo (Jim Backus). Diamonds Are Forever Bond-girl Tiffany Case (Jill St. John). Some Like It Hot gangster “Spats” Colombo (George Raft). They were among the Hollywood characters (stars) who attended the 1959 grand opening of Maryvale Shopping City. AZCentral looks back at what was then “the largest shopping center between Dallas and the West Coast.” http://bit.ly/2EVYVEA
Incorporation efforts halted. “The move by citizens to incorporate the areas of New River and Desert Hills in an effort to secure their rural way of life and help mitigate the community’s longtime drought issues… officially died last week.” Factors behind the “hard stop” in TheFoothills Focus. http://bit.ly/2I3rMcj
Florence couple now owns Cuen House. “Tom and Lynn Smith, who previously indicated their wishes to save the Francisco Cuen House, officially took ownership”— with a bid of HOW MUCH!?! That story takes top billing in this Flo Reminder rundown of Monday’s Town Council action. http://bit.ly/2Wxp6ML
Pima County to partner with Oro Valley to develop biotech incubator.“The biotech incubator is intended to add to the growing high-tech industry in Pima County by providing space for nascent businesses to conduct research and product development.” RED News. http://bit.ly/2Il0GvW
As a supplement to the Dealmaker, we thought you might enjoy these articles!
Click here for 2019 Arizona Legislative News
Book Richardson sentenced, says he has ‘no knowledge’ of Sean Miller paying players. Richardson for THREE! Three months in the slammer that is, after the former assistant coach was “sentenced on a bribery conspiracy charge in the college basketball recruiting scandal.” As for what Richardson said about UA head coach Sean Miller, Daily Star has it in its post-sentencing wrap-up. http://bit.ly/2WqrCiR
Ducey signs bill to pay off debt. “Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation Thursday to pay off about $190 million in debt… The funds are part of the more than $1 billion borrowed by the state during the recession.” A Cap Media Services/Howard Fischer report in AZ Cap Times. http://bit.ly/319Epdc
Clean Elections Commission on verge of losing quorum. With terms of two commissioners having already expired, and the term for another commish set to do so next year, “crisis” mode is nearing for Arizona’s Citizens Clean Elections Commission. (Sorry, Dealmakers, but this AZ Cap Times page-turner of a report is LOCKED to non-subscribers.) http://bit.ly/2K0pLQp
Can the government be sued for not acting to stop climate change? Appeals court hears arguments. Is there a constitutional right to be protected from climate change? “In an unusual pretrial appeal, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit convened Tuesday in Portland, Oregon, and grilled lawyers for both sides” of the issue in case Juliana v. United States. Read up in Cronkite News. http://bit.ly/2EUkaqj
