Gene Urban's Q&A

According to Maricopa Country public records, the owner of the property isBEN WALLIS. Hope this helps.

I've seen a lot of appraisals and have not noted them providing such information. Often the homeowner/seller can provide this information unless it is a bank owned home and they provide very little. I've seen some very talented licenced inspectors who have solved such mysteries by finding dates on hot water heaters, electric panels, AC units and such.Often a neighbor can be helpful as well... especially if they've been friendly with the previous owner. Hope this helps a bit.... Gene Urban

Thanks for asking this question. As real estate agents, we are cautioned to avoid calling a neighborhood high risk and such. What is high risk for some is trivial to others and visa versa.However, the Phoenix police department has a crime stattistics web and you can look up crime information there and base your opinion on the fact they offer. Below is a link to the web site.  http://phoenix.gov/haht-nsapi/hsrun.hse/payf/CRIMGRIDP/CrimeGrid.htx;start=HS_crimeHope this helps you.... Gene Urban

The tax records show this home to be owned by an individual and not a bank. The tax records do not indicated it is in foreclosure either. I checked the Arizona Multiple Listing Service (ARMLS) and it does not appear to be for sale by a Realtor either. If you would like, I can contact the owner and ask if they are interested in selling the home or entertaining an offer. Just toss me an email if you are interested.

I popped your folks address into the MLS system and found a home at 8107 N. 11th STRETT that sold for $70,000. Probably a glitch in the system. I don't know how you get it changed here on Zillow.

It took a little digging since the address was not complete... but I found it. The square footage is 1608.If you would like to see a complete listing of the house I've put a link below:http://idx.diversesolutions.com/search/1518/41/#PropertyID=12537152Hope this helps you,Gene

The home is in pre-foreclosure with an auction date of 5/8/09. It is not listed on the Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service. I do no know if it is being sold by the owner as a short sale or not. The recorded foreclosure documents indicate an outstanding mortgage amount of $231,636.  In brief... it is in pre-foreclosure but not foreclosed. You can go to Maricopa.gov and get more information if you want.Hope this helps.

Hi Tamara,There are so many considerations when determining home value... perhaps this is why appraisers have to take well over 2000 hours to get accredited. The values are based on many factors including recent sales stats, pending sales stats, active listings and bank foreclosure trends. Your home can gain or lose value relative to other homes based on your sqare footage,  lot size, views, remodel considerations,  pool and several other factors.Regarding how you can increase the value, truthfully I'd need to see your home and review other homes in the area to answer that question. I'd be happy to do so and there would be no obligation on your part... well maybe a Starbuck's latte.You do have the right to dispute your property valuation and taxes. Just go to the Maricopa Tax Assessors web site and they have the info there. However, just because your home value goes down doesn't mean your taxes will. That's a whole story in itself.Hope this helps a bit.

This home is in the Pepper ridge Subdivision and built about 24 years ago. I looked at the archive of listings  and could not find any where a listing agent had posted a floor plan on any of the 1432 sq.ft. unit that 2535 is stated as having. I can tell  you that this home is the largest floor plan built in the subdivision. good luck.. Gene

Some local MLS's maintain historical data for many years while others do not. You may want to contact a seasoned agent in your area to see if they can find the data feed for homes sold in 2001 and 2002 and thus create a CMA for the time period you asked about. Another technique might be to go back as far as possible and then back out the average increased during the years that are missing. In Phoenix, we could look at the sales numbers in 2004 and back out 5% per year for two years and give you an approximate value in 2002.  The data after 2005 is too unpredictable to use for this scenario but figures for 2003 or 2004 would have been "pre-frenzy" and be rather reliable.Hope this helps,