September 11th: The 37th annual Fiesta del Tlaquepaque, celebrating Mexican Independence Day will take place Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village. The popular late summer, family-friendly getaway draws visitors from all over the Southwest and the Valley. Admission is free and free shuttle service is available.
Sedona, Arizona, Events, News and Press
Through August 29th: Geologists who study ordinary layers of limestone, sandstone, and shale in the high desert country of the Colorado Plateau are able to describe the ancient environments that once existed in this region and how those environments evolved. Ancient Landscapes of the Colorado Plateau, a new exhibit at the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, takes visitors on a geologic journey of discovery with Dr. Ron Blakey and Wayne Ranney, map maker and author, respectively, of their new book by the same title.
Sedona, Arizona, Events, News and Press
July 24th: National Day of the American Cowboy, proclaimed by President Bush in 2005, is celebrated with a free community event along Main Street (Hwy. 89A) in Uptown Sedona.
Sedona, Arizona, Events, News and Press
Join the Conservancy on a free public hike for a unique experience in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.
Summer Hikes begin at 6:30 a.m and are offered on the following dates:
Saturday June 5
Cathedral Rock Recreational Hike
Saturday, June 12
Holes, Track and Scat Educational Hike
Saturday June 19
Biomimicry: Inspired by Nature Educational Hike
Saturday June 26
Old Jeep Trail Recreational Hike
MSC requires that all hikers bring ample water, and wear sturdy, closed toe shoes. Hikers are encouraged to bring snacks, and hats and sunscreen are also recommended for all hikes. No reservations are necessary. and hikes start promptly at the designated times. No dogs are allowed on the guided hikes. A complete schedule and further information on the guided hike program as well as information about MSC is available on www.McDowellSonoran.org . Click “activities” on the navigation bar for hike information.
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Scottsdale Blog – Things to do in Scottsdale, Arizona
July 2nd – 4th: A Fourth of July tradition since the 1930s, the Hopi Festival is the world rsquo;’ premier gathering of Hopi artists and scholars.
Sedona, Arizona, Events, News and Press
From one pot to a lush garden, we all have plants for which to care in our lives. But are they getting the right amount of water? Too little water and the plant dies. Too much water and root rot sets in.
In general, plants want 1 inch of water per week but Mother Nature doesn’t always provide. It’s up to us to make up the difference.
In this short video from ExpertVillage, Doug Smiddy shows us how to make sure our plants get the right amount of water they need to survive. He answers questions including:
The video runs a little bit over 2 minutes and is stocked with helpful tips. If you care for any plants in your life, it’s a must-watch video.
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Sales of existing homes rose in April, buoyed by an expiring home buyer tax credit and exceptionally low mortgage rates.
As compared to March, April’s Existing Home Sales rose by 410,000 units nationwide — the second straight month of large gains. An “existing home” is a home resold by a prior owner (i.e. not new construction).
It’s a solid report for housing overall, with rising sales suggesting that the real estate market’s recovery is ongoing. However, the data presented a mixed message.
According to the National Association of Realtors®, although the number of homes sold ticked higher in April, so did the supply of existing homes for sale, too.
Sellers are now listing homes faster than buyers can buy them.
After adding another 0.3 months of supply in April, resale home supply is nearly two full months larger than at November 2009’s low-point. This put downward pressure on home prices.
Furthermore, because 49% of April’s buyers were first-time buyers and the tax credit has since ended, we can expect that sellers will continue to outweigh buyers in the months ahead.
It presents an interesting opportunity for June’s home buyers. Mortgage rates are still at their lowest levels of the year — despite expert predictions to the contrary — and homes remain affordable. Plus, in a lot of markets, home values have started to creep higher.
There’s good values and good rates but neither should last long. For the next few weeks, real estate may be in its 2010 sweet spot.
If you were thinking of moving in September of this year or later, consider moving up your timeframe.
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Home values rose in March, according to the Federal Home Finance Agency’s most recent Home Price Index. Values were reported higher by 0.3 percent, on average, from February.
We use the phrase “on average” because the Home Price Index is broad-reaching, national housing statistic. It ignores the dynamics of neighborhood real estate markets like Green Valley as well as citywide markets like Green Vally , too.
Instead, the Home Price Index focuses on state and regional statistics.
For example, in March 2010 as compared to February:
Of course, none of this data is especially helpful for today’s home buyers and sellers.
Real estate is a local phenomenon that can’t be summarized by state or region. What matters most to buyers and sellers is the economics of a neighborhood and that level of granularity can’t be served up by a national housing report like the Home Price Index.
The Home Price Index data is additionally unhelpful to buyers and sellers in that it reports on a 2-month delay.
In other words, Home Price Index is not even a fair reflection of today’s market — it highlights the real estate market as it existed 60 days ago.
So why is the Home Price Index even published? Because government, business and banks rely on the reports. As a national indicator, the Home Price Index helps governments make policy, businesses make decisions, and banks make guidelines. This, in turn, trickles down to Main Street where it impacts every one of us — and eventually influences real estate.
Since peaking in April 2007, the Home Price Index is off 13.44 percent.
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Through June 20th: The historic Kolb Studio, at the South Rim in Grand Canyon National Park, presents the new exhibit Canyon Magic: Landmark Art from the Picerne Collection. The Picerne Collection of Arizona Landmark Art showcases paintings of the state’s vistas created over the past one hundred years by scores of different artists.
Sedona, Arizona, Events, News and Press
Scottsdale Calendar of Events
Click to download a PDF version of this calendar of events for June 2010. It’s formatted nicely to fit on a regular 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper.
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Scottsdale Blog – Things to do in Scottsdale, Arizona