I have recently worked with several families from Edmonton Alberta who have learned about the substantial bargains that are available in Arizona.  They have purchased homes that were bank owned or that were available as short sales. In both of these instances the homes have been purchased at prices that were around 50% of what the prices had been just a couple of years ago.  One gentleman from Edmonton told me that if he bought the same home back where he was from in Canada it would have cost him three times as much.

 The west side of Phoenix grew rapidly in the last few years and the prices for single family homes rose very quickly.  Some of the owners refinanced their homes assuming that the continuing inflation would make the homes worth a lot more when they decided to sell in a couple of years and there would be plenty of money to pay of the new mortgages.  When the real estate market turned up side down most of these home owners found the value of their homes started to go down and soon many owners were stuck with mortgages that were way over what the homes would actually sell for.  Some of the financial situations of the owners changed and as they could not sell the homes for the money that was owed on them some of the homes were abandoned and subsequently foreclosed on.  These homes went back to lending institutions that were required by law not to have a large percentage of their assets in real estate and so they were forced to sell these homes as quickly as possible.  For people who had the time to look and the money to buy there were many great bargains beginning to show up in real estate.

Many owners of homes with mortgages that were way over the current value of the homes in question wanted to sell their homes but didn’t want to be involved in foreclosures and so they decided to try the short sale.  Their credit would not be so adversely affected and they would be able to purchase another home in a couple of years and once the short sale was complete the lending institution would not have the right to come after them for more money. 

When the short sales and the foreclosures were added to the list of homes that were being sold for greatly reduced prices in some areas on the west side of Phoenix there was a list of bargain properties that began to exist and soon there were people from all over the country beginning to look at the housing market in the Valley of the Sun.  Now there is a large group of people from Canada who are involved in purchasing a retirement home or a second home in the Phoenix area.  I have had the pleasure of helping several families find homes in the area that proved to be huge bargains for them. I can help with transportation in the area and names of realtors who can facilitate transactions that will save as much as 30% or 40% and even more on your next purchase. http://bit.ly/cLpRDKIn the past couple of years there have been a large number of people from Canada who have come to the US to buy homes. It’s because the real estate in some areas of the US is a lot cheaper than it is in Canada. In some areas houses can be purchased for about one third of what it would cost for a similar home in Canada.

I have recently worked with several families from Edmonton Alberta who have learned about the substantial bargains that are available in Arizona. They have purchased homes that were bank owned or that were available as short sales. In both of these instances the homes have been purchased at prices that were around 50% of what the prices had been just a couple of years ago. One gentleman from Edmonton told me that if he bought the same home back where he was from in Canada it would have cost him three times as much.

The west side of Phoenix grew rapidly in the last few years and the prices for single family homes rose very quickly. Some of the owners refinanced their homes assuming that the continuing inflation would make the homes worth a lot more when they decided to sell in a couple of years and there would be plenty of money to pay of the new mortgages. When the real estate market turned up side down most of these home owners found the value of their homes started to go down and soon many owners were stuck with mortgages that were way over what the homes would actually sell for. Some of the financial situations of the owners changed and as they could not sell the homes for the money that was owed on them some of the homes were abandoned and subsequently foreclosed on. These homes went back to lending institutions that were required by law not to have a large percentage of their assets in real estate and so they were forced to sell these homes as quickly as possible. For people who had the time to look and the money to buy there were many great bargains beginning to show up in real estate.

Many owners of homes with mortgages that were way over the current value of the homes in question wanted to sell their homes but didn’t want to be involved in foreclosures and so they decided to try the short sale. Their credit would not be so adversely affected and they would be able to purchase another home in a couple of years and once the short sale was complete the lending institution would not have the right to come after them for more money.

When the short sales and the foreclosures were added to the list of homes that were being sold for greatly reduced prices in some areas on the west side of Phoenix there was a list of bargain properties that began to exist and soon there were people from all over the country beginning to look at the housing market in the Valley of the Sun. Now there is a large group of people from Canada who are involved in purchasing a retirement home or a second home in the Phoenix area. I have had the pleasure of helping several families find homes in the area that proved to be huge bargains for them. I can help with transportation in the area and names of realtors who can facilitate transactions that will save as much as 30% or 40% and even more on your next purchase. http://bit.ly/cLpRDK

Arizona will be represented at the races by Robert Naughton of Flagstaff, Rich Ronco of Glendale and Fooddrill Morotsports of Peoria.

Round 3 of the Off Road Racing Series gets underway on Saturday with practice at 10:30 am and races staring at 2:30 pm and the gates will open at 9am. Admission is $30.00 for adults and $10.00 for kids 6 to 12 years of age. Don’t miss the Margarita Party after the races from 7 to 11 at Chuy’s Mesquite Broiler in Surprise.

On Sunday Round 4 will begin practice at 8:00 am and admission will be $30.00 and $10.00 just as they are on Saturday. Races will again start at 2:30 pm.

Speedworld is an off road park which accommodates everything from BMX races to radio controlled model airplane competition. For further information call the track hotline
at 623-546-1605 or go to RaceSpeedWorld.com. Overnight camping is available for the weekend.

This competition was mistakenly listed previously as taking place on last weekend.  We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

                                                                        the  West side of Phoenix near the White Tank Mountains.  This

                                                                        is the perfect time for a family hike in the White Tanks.

Some firms like Best Buy and Apple Inc. may have recycle programs for old electronics. To research the value of used electronics you can take a look at what prices are being paid for them on e-bay or glyde.com. At sites such as Gazelle.com and YouRenew.com you may be able to get cash for your aging electronic gadgets.

There several organizations that accept electronic gadgets as donations and give you a receipt to use for a tax deduction. You can try Goodwill Industries for a starter and there is Cellphones-forsoldiers.com which furnishes calling cards for members of the military.

A number of retailers who handle electronic gadgets are willing to give rebates to those who purchase new equipment from them when they bring in the old electronic gadgets they are replacing. Some retailers offer gift cards and others offer coupons. It always pays to ask about trade ins, rebates and coupons. You may be pleasantly surprised to find that your old computer may actually be worth $50 or more when you get ready to buy a new one.

1. The first thing I want to suggest is that you begin looking a little closer to home this year. It’s a lot of fun to take the family out to the coast or up to the mountains for a few days to a place that is entirely new to everyone but if you stop to think about it there could be such a place right in your own neighborhood. Many organizations sponsor camp outs for kids and families. I will never forget the camping trips I went on with the YMCA when I was a teenager. After I got a couple of years experience camping I was able to go to camps as an aid and I then camped for free as long as I was willing to be a counselor for younger campers.
2. If you are looking for a low cost family vacation then camping has to be one of the first things you consider. Whether you go camping in a pop up trailer or use a tent you’ll save a bunch of money on your sleeping arrangements every night. Each year you can add a few pieces of new equipment to your gear or you can shop the local yard sales and save a little extra on you purchases that way. The Goodwill store can be a great source of used equipment that can be in excellent  condition.
3. There are always lots of things to see and do in your own area. For great discoount family vacation ideas, start at the local office of tourism. They will have suggestions for many great places to visit and lots of places to go camping with your family. You will find that your local Chamber of Commerce will also be a very good source of information about places of interest and places to stay. 
4. Talk to family members and see if anyone has a time share that isn’t being used this year. It may be possible to vacation with another part of your family or you might be able to make use of an unused timeshare that might otherwise go to waste. However it won’t be a low cost family vacation if you decide to attend a presentation and end up buying your own timeshare plan. (Just say NO!)
5. Here is an idea that has become very popular recently and can save you a bundle.You can make arrangements to trade houses with someone who would  like to spend their vacation in your area. There are several large home exchange clubs that can easily be found on the web. There are rarely any problems with these arrangements and they can certainly lead to some interesting new acquaintances.

Spring training gets into full swing at the end of February in Surprise Arizona. The teams have finally arrived in the area, workouts are underway at the training fields and many games have been scheduled over the next month. Follow this link for this season’s schedule.

Be sure to plan on attending the first game on the 4^th of March. Its the 8^th annual Sundancers Charity Game and the action starts at 1:05 pm at the stadium in Surprise Arizona with the Texas Rangers facing the Kansas City Royals.

This is going to be a great way for you to start Spring Training in Surprise because you’ll have a chance to visit with the players and pick up a few autographs while you’re there.

Every morning around 10:00am the practice fields will be open for the public to watch the Texas Rangers or the Kansas City Royals work out.  The teams are usually there until around noon.  There is plenty of parking and some bleacher seating is provided around the outside of the fields.
After the game if you want to head out to a local restaurant there isn’t much within walking distance but there are a large number of eating places within a couple of miles of the Surprise Recreation Complex.

If you need help with transportation from your hotel to the Surprise Arizona Stadium your best bet is to call a local town car service.  They are quick and reliable and provide dependable service.  Contact Copper Trails Towncar Service at 480-650-6147 for service valley wide.

We had the pleasure of attending the opening night performance of “All My Sons” at the Peoria Center for the Performing Arts on Friday the 22^nd of January.  The Arthur Miller play which has received several awards is a drama which draws your attention to the problems faced by two families as they come to grips with their wartime decision that appears to have affected the lives of some of our nations heroes.  The actors did a wonderful job and kept our interest centered on the stage as the events unfolded and exposed a story of deception and intrigue that ultimately effected the lives of everyone in both families.

 Not only did we enjoy the terrific acting and solid story line of the impressive Arthur Miller play but because this was the opening night we had the pleasure of joining with family members and the cast and crew of the performance for wine tasting and Prime Rib sandwiches provided by Flemings Prime Steakhouse and Wind Bar.

 It was considered a wonderful Friday evening in Peoria, Arizona and we are looking forward with great expectations to future opening night performances of plays scheduled by the Theater Works throughout the rest of the spring season.