A typical lead pencil can draw a line that is

35 miles long.

If you had 10 billion $1 bills and spent one

every second of every day, it would require

317 years for you to go broke.

American car horns beep in the tone of F.

The longest place name in Europe is

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrob-

wllllantsiliogogogoch located in Wales.

The can opener was invented 48 years

a+er the can.

A donkey will sink in quick sand but a mule

won't.

If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6

days, you would have produced enough

sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.

One in three dog owners say they have

talked to their pets on the phone.

There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling

casinos.

Amy Golba Designated Broker

480-628-9448 Amy.Golba@gmail.com

www.21Arizona.com Century 21 Pla7num Real Estate

2141 E. Pecos Rd., Chandler, AZ 85225

APR/2012

Fewer Phoenix-Area Homes For Sale; Prices Up A surge in buyers and a drop in foreclosures have le+ a shortage of houses for sale in metro

Phoenix, according to a newly released report on the state of the housing market.

The shrinking inventory has prompted bidding wars and pushed up home prices in many

communi7es.

At the end of February, the supply of homes for sale was just under 24,000, down 42 percent

from a year earlier, mostly because of a 52 percent drop in foreclosures during the past year,

according to the latest monthly real estate report from Arizona State University's W.P. Carey

School of Business.

As banks take back fewer homes through foreclosure, fewer homes go to auc7on or back on the

market.

Tuesday's report, which said that home prices could keep climbing if the inventory of homes for

sale remains low, was the most op7mis7c from ASU since the beginning of the region's housing

crash in 2007.

"Supply is 7ght, in a pre@y extreme way, and it looks like it will stay that way for months," said

Mike Orr, director of the Center for Real Estate Theory and Prac7ce at ASU.

Orr said that as long as supply is 7ght and there are more buyers than sellers, Phoenix-area

home prices will con7nue to climb.

Metro Phoenix's median home price has steadily been increasing since last August, when it fell

to a 12-year low of $113,000. The region's median for February was $124,500, up 8 percent

from a year earlier.

Climbing home prices could en7ce more homeowners who bought before the boom to try to

sell their homes.

More sellers would increase supply, balancing the market and aiding many frustrated buyers

who are currently being outbid on foreclosures and short sale homes.

"Now, I have a ton of buyers and no proper7es to sell them," said Diane Brennan of Sco@sdale-

based Keller Williams Integrity First Realty.

"I warned buyers for months they should act quickly. Many didn't pull the trigger before because

they were wai7ng for the bo@om," she said.

There is a poten7al problem lurking in the recent trend: Some appraisals aren't keeping pace

with the increases in home prices.

Orr said appraisers are s7ll looking at prices from three months ago.

In some parts of metro Phoenix, though, home prices have climbed 5 percent or more since

the beginning of the year.

Read more:

h@p://www.azcentral.com/business/realestate/ar7cles/2012/03/27/20120327phoenix-area-

fewer-homes-sale-prices-up.html#ixzz1qRCdyeyl

March 27, 2012, www.azcentral.com

Amy Golba - Designated Broker - Century 21 Pla7num Real Estate

480-628-9448 ▪ Amy.Golba@gmail.com ▪ www.21Arizona.com

Short Sale: Is it the right move for you? Poten7ally save credit score points by short selling instead of

foreclosing � Did you know some employers will pull your credit report before hiring you for a job? � By accep7ng

a short sale, it is possible to buy a home again sooner than if you foreclose � Some banks are now offering cash

incen7ves at closing for sellers accep7ng a short sale for you!

The Real Estate Market Update Below you will find a look at March 2012 closings and financing types and a comparison to the previous month. Enjoy! SINGLE FAMILY

HOMES ONLY

March 2012

CLOSINGS

February 2012

CLOSINGS

Short Sales 1,650 1,127

Lender Owned 1,378 1,263

HUD Homes 156 126

Tradi7onal/Other 3,982 2,999

Total Sales 7,380 6,038

Data for this report gathered from ARMLS and is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. March stats reflect the en�re month and are comprised of single family

residences only. April “ac�ve lis�ng” (excludes AWC) stats gathered on April 1 of the appropriate year and reflect all property types in the greater Phoenix area.

Most people would argue that the Phoenix economy is improving, but

according to a new report from the Brookings Ins7tu7on, that growth

can be traced back longer than the start of this year.

The ins7tute today released its quarterly Metro Monitor report, which

tracks the economic progress of the country’s 100 largest metro areas.

The study shows that while things are improving, there is s7ll a long,

long way to go for the Valley to recover from the Great Recession.

For the fourth quarter of 2011, Phoenix’s economy ranked as one of

the best in the west as well as in the Top 20 of all metro areas in the

study, according to the report.

Phoenix was one of five ci7es in the west that closed out 2011 with four

consecu7ve months of job growth, albeit the growth slowed toward the

end of the year. The region s7ll has about 10.3 percent fewer jobs than

it had during its 2008 peak, and Phoenix currently sits at No. 93 na7onally

in terms of job losses.

Manufacturing also 7cked up in Phoenix, as the region landed in the Top

40 in terms of produc7on and was gathering steam toward the end of the

year, according to the report. Output, however, was weak, with growth of

only 0.3 percent in Phoenix during the last quarter of 2011.

The report also highlights that western ci7es such as Phoenix, Denver and

Las Vegas all saw declines in their unemployment rates in 2011.

There also were price gains on homes, with Phoenix home prices rising 3.1

percent during the quarter, according to the report. Phoenix ranks No. 93

in terms of the overall drop in housing prices, which fell on average more

than 54 percent since the fourth quarter of 2006. But the region ranked

third in terms of price gains in the fourth quarter.

The report 7ed together accelerated jobs and hiring in Phoenix as a reason

housing is star7ng to pick up.

www.bizjournals.com/phoenix, March 28, 2012

Phoenix Economy Among Fastest Growing in U.S.

FINANCING

TYPES

March 2012

CLOSINGS

Cash 3,166

Conven7onal 2,260

FHA 1,509

VA 325

Seller Carryback 36

Other Financing 84

February 2012

CLOSINGS

2,716

1,758

1,215

249

33

67

ALL TYPES April 1, 2012 April 1, 2011

Ac7ve Lis7ngs 10,438 15,079

April 1, 2010

18,393

The Mortgage Debt Relief Act of 2007 is Expiring

The Mortgage Debt Relief Act of 2007 is set to expire the end of this year. Remember, if you owe on a mortgage and they cancel or forgive the debt,

the canceled amount may be taxable. This means if you’re thinking about short selling your property, now is the 7me. Please contact me and I’ll go

over your op7ons with you.