Good news on the Home loan front. President Barack Obama has signed HR 2112! Oh, you don’t know what that means? Trust me it’s exciting.

Here, let me quote you!!

FHA maximum Loan Limits effective October 1, 2011 through December 31, 2012 – Mortgagee Letter 2011-39

 FHA Loan Limits that were in effect from January 1, 2011 through September 30, 2011, as announced in ML 10-40, shall apply for case numbers assigned from November 18, 2011 through December 31, 2011 – Maricopa County $346,250

 FHA Loan Limits with case numbers assigned on or after January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012 will remain the same as those that were in effect from January 1, 2011 through September 30, 2011 – Maricopa County $346,250

 FHA Loan limits with case numbers assigned before November 18, 2011 are subject to the LOWER limits that were in effect from October 1, 2011 through November 17, 2011 (some exceptions apply) – Maricopa County $271,050

So what does all of that mean?

Moral of the story is:  FHA Case #’s assigned Jan 1, 2011 through September 30, 2011 maximum loan limit for Maricopa County was $346,250 –

Case numbers assigned October 1, 2011 thru November 17^th, 2011 are subject to the REDUCED loan limits of $271,050 for Maricopa County – And yet another change FHA Case numbers assigned November 18^th, 2011 thru December 31, 2011 will jump back up to $346,250

Basically, you can borrow more under FHA….

Don’t you love how long it took them to say what I said in seven words?

Stay Tuned for more FHA changes.  Please call Jeannie Bolger, Sr. Loan Officer – Nova Home Loans if you have questions. 

Exciting Right?

Christmas has come early! Statistics and Graphs galore! If you’re looking for a home here in Phoenix, here is a trend that you might want to know about.

As a general rule, fewer  people buy houses between October and February. With the beautiful winter weather here in the valley, you would think sales would rise. But, most home buyers move in the late spring and summer in order to change schools. So, what does that mean for real estate agents….other than that we should probably go out and get second jobs waiting tables or pre-stocking for Black Friday?

What does it mean for you? Well, it’s great news if you’re a soon to be home buyer. As you can see by the graphs, sales per month is down between October and February while the monthly supply stays relatively the same. Aren’t graphs amazing?

Continue for more witty comments, below the graphs.

So, follow me here. If the sales per month are down and the inventory stays largely the same that is great for you if you are a buyer. It means that sellers are more desperate to sell. Not only are you going to have a greater selection, you might have an opportunity to negotiate the price!

So, get out into the beautiful weather and buy! If  you have any questions I’d be happy to help, just give me a call 602-456-9388

It’s that time of year again, when dreams of turkey and starches fill our daydreams and the pressures of dieting float away with the autumn breeze.  The St. Mary’s Food Bank has  guaranteed those turkey dreams for struggling families around the valley for more than four decades.

Last year, St. Mary’s needed six thousand turkeys and that number is only expected to grow. With 16% of the population falling under the poverty line, and turkey donations down this year, and the food bank is worried that for the first time in 45 years, they may not be able to meet their demands.  St. Mary’s is hosting “Super Saturday” Turkey Drive on from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 19^th in hopes of closing the turkey gap. The drive will expand to 16 locations around the Valley and in Flagstaff for what will be “an unprecedented need for the 2011 holiday season,” according to the food bank.

This Thursday is our November Get Your PHX Event at Steele Indian School Dog Park. In addition to your adorable pooch, we ask that you bring 5 dollars to donate to St. Mary’s Food Bank Turkey Drive. With your help, we can give families all over the family a meal to be thankful for.

This is totally informal, but we will get your contribution directly over to St. Mary’s the next day.

To learn more about ways to give, visit the St. Mary’s Food Bank Website 

At the November Get Your PHX we get to celebrate a whole list of new beginnings. We will visit the new dog park at Steele Indian School Park, learn about new plans for our largest CenPho public park and hear about how the downtown Margaret T. Hance Park is being re-imagined.

Our fine sponsors for this event will be Wag n’ Wash and Noble Beast. In addition to the food and libations, our sponsors will have goodies for your pooch! Please certain to visit with them when you come. We can’t do it without them!

So, we will have three fun and informative presentations for you.

Tom Byrne, Landscape Architect with the Parks and Recreations Deparment, will tell us about the evolution of CenPho’s first dog park.

Bryan Flanigan, Indian School Park Manager with the Parks and Recreation Department, will tell us about the history, future and planned renovations to the old Indian School buildings at the park.

Our own Kate Kunberger will give us a presentation on the very newsworthy plans for changes to Margaret T. Hance park, downtown.

We are also proud to announce that long-time park advocate Councilman Tom Simplot will join us for this event, too.

Further, this will be an interactive show and your opinions count.

The event will be broken in to two parts. We hope that you will join us with your pooch at 5:30 for some playtime at the park.

At about 6:00, we will begin the program at a ramada directly to the west of the dog park. Feel free to bring your dog over on a leash.

Keep an eye on our Facebook Fan Page for updates. As you know, there are always surprises.

November Get Your PHX
Thursday, November 17th from 5:30 to 7:30.
300 East Indian School Road
Phoenix, AZ 85013 Map here

NOTE: We suggest you enter the park through the 7th St entrance which is immediately north of the VA hospital property.

For anyone looking to live downtown knows, safe and affordable housing is a commodity. As downtown Phoenix experiences a renewed interest and cultural growth, we as a community need to think about ways to pursue reasonably priced housing options for the increasingly diverse population. Native American Connections has come up with a great housing option, that maybe you didn’t even know existed.

For over 40 years, Native American Connections has built community for our growing, city-dwelling Native American populations. In January, they will be opening mixed-use, mixed-income apartments, Devine Legacy, just across from the Campbell & Central light rail station.

For those of you who don’t know, mixed-income and mixed-use housing is pretty common place across major US cities, but is a fairly recent development in Phoenix.  So what does it mean? Mixed income housing is the idea that increasing diversity of the residents will improve the overall standard of living for the community. In Phoenix, we’re probably more familiar with mixed-use housing which is simply property which is used for both commercial and residential use. Commercial uses can help subsidize projects to allow for affordable or low-income housing.

One of the biggest problems facing mixed-use projects, both nationally and locally, is they require significant public subsidies. Through an IRS program and Arizona Department of Housing allocations, Devine Legacy has been funded through a unique low income tax credit system which allows support from the public as well as the government. This is only one of many projects Native American Connections is pursuing in Phoenix.

Devine Legacy, in addition to it 12000 square foot commercial space, will feature 65 units, ranging from studio apartments to town homes and lofts.   The Apartment includes  artist elements from local artists Randy Kemp and David Montour, high end appliances, ground floor parking, and a public court yard fully equipped with a sound system for community events, not to mention convenient access to the light rail.  The complex is also a part of the LEED Platinum community, which means Devine Legacy homes are  beautiful and safe at an affordable price.

If you’re interested in learning more about the project or units available you can visit their website. Applications are now being accepted for January and February move-ins.

For those of you who were at last month’s Get Your PHX event, you saw the beauty of the Audubon Center first hand. This Friday the Audubon Center will be holding River Nights, a fundraiser party featuring music from Sergio Mendoza y la Orkestra, Four Peaks Beer, and delicious street tacos from Taqueria Guadalajar, to benefit their education and conservation program.

The customarily free-admission Audubon Center offers interactive exhibits, an interpretive loop trail, connections to the Rio Salado Habitat’s sixteen miles of hiking and riding trails, which draw in local students year round as well as veteran members. The center hopes to bring in a young professional crowd for future support with this Fridays chic, lounge-themed evening.  Valerie Ramos, who is coordinating the event, wants to engage and education the “next generation of leaders” through events and activities at the center.

The Arizona Audubon Center believes exposing urban young people to the beauty and complexity of the natural world is existential, in hopes that they are inclined to protect it as adults. The center believes there is ample habitat for birds and other wildlife, even amongst our urban sprawl. They work daily to promote interaction and appreciation of the natural environment and   educate and motivate local youth to become the conservation leaders of tomorrow.

River Night will be this Friday, November 4 from 5:30-9:30 pm at the Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center at 3131 S Central Ave. Admission will be $25 advanced admission or $30 at the door. For more information, visit www.riosalado.audubon.org or call 602-468-6470.

You probably know about our up-coming second annual open air holiday market, the Phoestivus market.  You know about it, especially if you are a vendor or own a food truck.

Well, this year, it wil be expanded to 2 nights: December 14th and December 21st.

Here is the information for vendors from our planning committee vendor point person, Monika Woolsey.

WHO:  Local creators of arts, crafts, and foods!

 WHAT: Second Annual Phoestivus (New this year!  Pheats of Strength, Airing of Grievances, and a Phoestivus Pole!)

 WHERE:  Downtown Phoenix Public Market

 WHEN:  December 14 and 21, 4 to 8 pm

 WHY:  Because we’re all just super cool and want to celebrate that. 🙂

HOW:  Please visit this link to apply to be a vendor.  If you are not a regular vendor, the annual fee does not apply.http://foodconnect.org/phxmarket/?page_id=7212  Please note, if you are on this email list you’re getting first dibs at available spaces.  Please, if this event is important to you, submit your application ASAP.  I’m sending a general call for vendors this coming weekend.

We’re encouraging all vendors to be phoestive with their booths as well as having wares to sell.  Decorations of all kinds are encouraged!

A special note:  The Clarendon Hotel will be offering a special Phoestivus room rate for all of December.  We hope for those vendors coming in from a distance, this might be a nice evening for you to stay in town and kick back, instead of hurrying home.  More details later!

You will eventually be connecting with myself and Troy Benjamin as the vendor coordinators but until we receive word from the Downtown Market that you’re on the official list, we are officially out of the loop.  So be sure to get  your application in!

Monika Woolsey

Phoestivus Committee

As you may have realized from the festive pink everything and Komen walk earlier this month, that October is breast cancer awareness month. One group, Don’t be a Chump! Check for a Lump! stays active all year round.

Next Friday November 4th from 5:30 to 8:30 Don’t Be a Chump will be holding their second annual Fall Fling Shopping Extravaganza. The event will support local artists and vendors while reminding men and women to examine themselves for lumps monthly and schedule their next mammogram.

I went to this event last year. It was amazing. Lots of very cool stuff. For instance, if you are a fan of Amy Love’s Love Buttons, then you need to be there.

In addition to their nearly monthly events, Don’t Be a Chump sends out monthly reminders through e-mail to anyone who signs up on their website. The goal of organizations like this, as well as Breast Cancer awareness month, is to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure. If you haven’t done your monthly exam and scheduled your next mammogram make sure you do it today!

The Fall Fling Shopping extravaganza will be held at 528 W. Lynwood, Phoenix, AZ 85003. More info can be found on the Don’t Be a Chump’s Website 

For more information on Breast Cancer Awareness Month visit their website and to find a certified mammography provider visit the National Cancer Institute.

I’m sure you have all heard about the wonderful G.A.I.N events going on in local neighborhoods all over Arizona.

This past weekend marked Getting Arizona Involved in Neighborhood (G.A.I.N) day celebrating the success of crime prevention in Phoenix through community involvement.  This weekends GAIN event included block watches, apartment complexes, neighborhood groups, parks and business across Phoenix who participated in block parties to show their support.

Recognizing the local community’s commitment and involvement in the Block Watch programs throughout Arizona neighborhoods is a valuable way to better our community. The G.A.I.N event is connecting the local law enforcement with the neighborhood citizens that support their day-to-day efforts to keep the neighborhoods safe. As Downtown Phoenix grow, we need to stop and appreciate those who help keep our community safe and strong.

Remember it’s never too early to start thinking of ways you can help make G.A.I.N a successful event in your neighborhood.You can find out more about G.A.I.N and ways to plan your own event at the phoenix.gov website.

This list there is of the events from last weekend, but bookmark the site for future reference.

The downtown scene is an eclectic mix of cultures and communities that we’ve grown to know and love. For one important downtown organization, which helps homeless LGBTQ youth get back on their feet, there has been a quiet change in leadership.

1in10 has officially brought Linda Elliot in as the new executive director in July. Linda, a successful business woman, is well known for her work in the Human Rights Campaign. She is an influential person in AZ politics. She, and her partner, Carolyn Lane, a Maricopa Country Constable, are an inspiring couple.

In truth, 1in10 has been around since the early nineties. You may have known them as VOIT and Horizons, both of which specialized in LGBTQ youth. In 2002, these two fantastic organizations joined forces to create 1n10, which supports LGBTQ youth in Arizona as well as nationally through “positive self-acceptance through life enhancing programs.”

One of those programs is the OUTdoors camp which is one of the largest LGBTQ summer programs in the world.

(Does anybody else see the irony of one of the largest summer LGBTQ camps in the world being located in AZ? We should be proud.)

OUTdoors, which 1in10 describes as a youth leadership camp, is like many other summer camps, full of zip lining, horseback riding, and crafts, but works on developing leadership skills, collaboration and communication with campers to help better their community.

Two months into her new position, Linda has been a busy lady pursuing grants and new programs. In addition to the OUTdoors, 1n10 provides weekly group events in the Valley, and hopes to expand with a new leadership and training programs and guest speakers to inspire youth and create a “fun, safe, social space”.  She “hit the ground running,” according to Stacey Jay Cavaliere, Program Coordinator for this weekend’s Sources of Strength Celebration.

The event will be held this First Friday at the Downtown Civic Space Park. 1n10 is raising money to launch a new suicide prevention campaign by showcasing their musical talents, which includes the 1n10 hip hop squad, and youth art, displayed at the Fair Trade Cafe. Their hope is to get people and businesses all over the Valley to attend and show their support.

1n10 continues to reach out to the community for partners to help us in their efforts. If you’re interested in learning more information please visit www.1n10.org

Have a Charity you love. Visit My Charity Refferal Page to find out how you can help your favorite local charity.