The Dealmaker: 7/10/2018

Fulton named 2nd-fastest-growing homebuilder. (Disclosure: Rose Law Group represents Fulton Homes.) Congrats to Fulton Homes! which has been named by BUILDER 100/Next 100 “as the 2nd fastest growing privately held homebuilder nationwide since 2016.” CEO Doug Fulton comments on the Builder Magazineranking in AzBigMedia. —> http://bit.ly/2zsqHID

Homeownership still the dream for most, study says. The findings come via the First American Homeownership Progress Index, which “measures how a variety of lifestyle, societal and economic factors influence homeownership rates over time at national, state and market levels.” Builder has key highlights, including heat-map results for Arizona. http://bit.ly/2N2BXxi

Housing sentiment still optimistic, but losing momentum. “Americans may still feel it is a good time to sell a home and a so-so one for home purchases, but, in June at least, they were feeling a little edgy about their job security.” That’s according to Fannie Mae’s latest Home Purchase Sentiment Index, which “declined last month from new survey highs reached in April and May.” Mortgage News Dailyexamines. http://bit.ly/2JaN30S

Time needed to build a single-family home in 2017. Average time, permit to completion, is “around 7.5 months,” according to the 2017 Survey of Constructionfrom the Census Bureau. But that’s the national average. What about regional data? Eye On Housing maps it out and breaks it down. http://bit.ly/2m6v8PS

Wolff Company buys Scottsdale property to develop senior living. And not just ANY senior living community, but a “refined” one called “Revel Scottsdale,” situated at 8225 E. Indian Bend, with features “inspired by sister property, Revel Nevada, located in Henderson, Nevada.” View the rendering and get an amenity overview at AZRE. http://bit.ly/2m8Jtvm

Pollack: Not a bad economic picture. But could Trump tariffs lead to a full-blown trade war, turning things into an economic horror flick? The  Monday Morning Quarterback says “don’t overreact just yet.” ‘Snapshots’  include… U.S.: Employment & Wages, Manufacturing, Vehicle Sales, Construction Spending. AZ: Housing – Listings & Days on Market, Median Sales Price – Greater Phoenix & Maricopa County (w/ chart). http://bit.ly/2J9pzcE

Iron Mountain expands Phoenix data center. “Iron Mountain broke ground on the first phase of a 550,000 square-foot, 48-megawatt Phoenix data center Monday morning on the [NE] corner of 48th and Van Buren Streets. The new facility… represents the beginnings of a $430 million investment into the campus over the next five years.” Details and rendering in AzBigMedia. http://bit.ly/2zseFPn

PhoenixMart plagued with continued lawsuits one month after FBI investigation ends. Claims have been filed by Harder Mechanical Contractors and Hardrock Concrete Placement Co. against PhoenixMart for unpaid labor and services. Now, a third company has jumped into the legal fray. Calportland has “filed papers… demanding it be reimbursed $16,715 for services it has provided.” As for the future of PhoenixMart, RED News reports that “with work halted” it “remains a mystery.” http://bit.ly/2NDdM9L

Paradise Valley council candidates offer insights into the public record. “Do you believe the public should have access to any and all information regarding the business of the Town of Paradise Valley or do you think some things should be kept from the limelight of the public arena?” Council candidates respond to this and other questions in PV Independent. http://bit.ly/2J81yTf

Huddleston worked for Casa Grande, wants to continue service. “I had always considered running for council when I retired… In fact, I actually timed my retirement so I could run.” — former Casa Grande Police Chief Bob Huddleston. The retired chief “didn’t quite make it during his first run for council two years ago” but “believes this year he has a chance to again serve the city he’s lived in for more than 50 years.” PinalCentral. http://bit.ly/2u8sb5T

Don’t miss anything… follow multiple winner of the Arizona Republic’s tweet of the week contest, and Senior Partner at Rose Law Group and Director of RLG Renewable Energy Department, Court Rich. http://bit.ly/Court_RichTwitter 

As a supplement to the Dealmaker, we thought you might enjoy these articles!

My alma mater has dumped a half-million bucks down the drain trying to make everybody a ‘cowboy.’ Senior Reporter/Writer Phil Riske is a graduate of the University of Wyoming. And while it may not be accurate to call it a burr under his saddle, Phil is none too happy over a “planned stupid campaign” that tries to make him and everyone else associated with the school a “cowboy.” In Rose Law Group Reporter. http://bit.ly/2L7rvnQ

Laura Bianchi, Rose Law Group partner and director of Medical Cannabis, talks to ‘Scottsdale Independent’ about medical marijuana and investment. Laura Bianchi discusses how “little to no access to traditional banking, financing or lending” has made it “exceptionally difficult” to operate a cannabis-related business “on a day to day” basis. Laura also gives her take on Treasury Department “guidelines for banking institutions seeking to stick their toe in medical marijuana waters.” http://bit.ly/2N0B7kH

Laura Bianchi, partner and director of Rose Law Group Medical Cannabis Department quoted in ‘Cannabis Business Times’ regarding Arizona ruling on hashish. Laura Bianchi explains how a “recent [Appeals Court] ruling is out of sync with previous civil litigation in Arizona and with the trajectory of the state’s medical marijuana industry writ large.” Here’s just a sampling: “They sort of picked and took some tiny pieces out of our medical marijuana law and our program and rules and tried to redefine hashish from a criminal code perspective.” MORE from Laura here: http://bit.ly/2KOkGeI

Solar jobs hottest and growing in 8 states. What kind of solar jobs? And where are these jobs on the upswing? Read the report and get the heat-map results with a click-thru to MONEY. http://bit.ly/2NHEwWH

Trump calls on Kyl to be at the side of Supreme Court nominee for hearings. Former Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl has “been tapped to act as a ‘sherpa’ to help guide the Supreme Court nomination of U.S. Circuit Judge Brett Kavanaugh through the Senate.” But will Kyl’s guidance be enough to help Kavanaugh conquer Mount Schumer? Cronkite News (ALSO available: “Sen. John McCain’s illness could complicate President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court pick” at AZCentral; “Arizona lawmakers weigh in on president’s Supreme Court nominee” at azfamily.) http://bit.ly/2NEXsoY

Arizona Cardinals President Michael Bidwill vouches for SCOTUS pick, drawing backlash from some fans. “Arizona Cardinals President Michael Bidwill went to prep school with Judge Brett Kavanaugh and was among the classmates who sent a letter to ranking U.S. senators to vouch for his character.” So the Cardinals “tweeted out a story” about it — and one gets the impression from this AZCentral piece that it just about broke Twitter. http://bit.ly/2N47eQn

Survey: Scottsdale, Chandler worse places to drive than Phoenix. Because who doesn’t love WalletHub surveys!? Here’s another, comparing “the 100 largest cities across 29 key indicators of driver-friendliness.” WalletHub’s “data set ranges from average gas prices to average annual hours of traffic delays to auto-repair shops per capita.” http://bit.ly/2KYQWLw