Sprinkles is coming! Sprinkles is coming!!!

The much anticipated and much hyped Sprinkles Cupcakes is set to open on May 7th across from Fashion Square. Do not miss these cupcakes, the line is worth it!

DRAFT DAY! AZ CARDINALS #1 PICK

Corner Back, just what we needed and a great pick was available. Only the 2nd corner chosen this year, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is 6 foot 1.5 inches and weighed in at 183. He comes from Tennessee State.

Strengths:Naturally athletic and very smooth...Great height with long arms and some growth potential...Very good timed speed with a burst to close...Instinctive and breaks on the ball quickly...Terrific agility...Playmaker with exceptional ball skills...Aggressive and confident...Was pretty productive at his level...Also an excellent kick returner. Weaknesses:Needs to add weight and bulk up...Not very physical and has to get stronger...Did not play against top competition...Still raw and will need to work on his technique and footwork...Struggles to shed blocks...Doesn't really offer much in run support.
More on the scouting report: http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com/scoutingreports/cb/dominiquerodgerscromartie.html

Raffle Winners From The Home Remodeling & Staging EXPO

We wanted to announce the winners of each of our raffle prizes from the expo. Our Home Remodeling & Staging EXPO had a great turn out and we had over 20 prizes! Each prize was donated and we appreciated everyone who attended, participated, and donated. Thanks! The winners are:

Villa Canyon Teeth Whitening: Maureen Ameduri
Donated by: Dr. Michael Bleeker DMD
WineStyles Wine Tasting: Rick & Nancy Cameron
Donated by: Kara Lewis, Mgr of WineStyles - Scottsdale
Caffe Portobello $100 Gift Certificate: Ed Larouere
$50 Donated by: Jason Ingram, Mgr of Caffe Portobello
$50 Donated by: The Cameron Team
Ultra Smooth Skin Chemical Peel: Dana Scharf
Donated by: Lisa Williams of Ultra Smooth Skin
The Perfect Setup Staging Consultation: Hari Chaliki
Donated by: Wendy Burkhard of The Perfect Setup
Ghyslain Painted Chocolates: Cindy Robert
Donated by: Chatham's Fine Chocolates
RA Sushi $25 Gift Certificate: Melinda Bailey
Donated by: Steen Olson of RA Sushi - North Scottsdale
RA Sushi $25 Gift Certificate: Dana Sherman
Donated by: Steen Olson of RA Sushi - North Scottsdale
American Express $25 Gift Card: Robyn Lane
Donated by: Old Republic Home Protection
American Express $25 Gift Card: Mara Hartline
Donated by: Old Republic Home Protection
Chili's $25 Gift Card: Natalie Morrison
Donated by: The Cameron Team
Chili's $20 Gift Card: David & Valerie Guttman
Donated by: The Cameron Team
Dircks Moving Free Bundle of Boxes: John & Johanna Studnicka
Donated by: Michael Isbell of Dircks Moving
Harkins Movie Tickets (2): Jeff Chapman
Donated by: The Cameron Team
Harkins Movie Tickets (2): Andrew & Melissa Duarte
Donated by: The Cameron Team
Harkins Movie Tickets (2): Jim & Jeannie Joseph
Donated by: The Cameron Team
Harkins Movie Tickets (2): Dennis & Susan Duarte
Donated by: The Cameron Team
Amore Pizza & Wings Free Cheese Pizza: Bob & Amy Bessen
Donated by: Tony from Amore Pizza & Wings
Amore Pizza & Wings Free Cheese Pizza: Rachel Householder
Donated by: Tony from Amore Pizza & Wings
Amore Pizza & Wings Free Cheese Pizza: Peter Wood
Donated by: Tony from Amore Pizza & Wings
Amore Pizza & Wings Free Cheese Pizza: David Avril
Donated by: Tony from Amore Pizza & Wings


Most of the prizes have been delivered. We are still waiting to hear back from some of the winners though. If you have not been contacted regarding your winning prize, please call our office so we can make the arrangements to get you the prize. Our office is 480-502-7699.

Thanks again to everyone for coming!

Home Remodeling & Staging Expo

Hi Jeff. I just wanted to say thanks again for allowing us to be a part of The Cameron Team Expo. You and your team always do a great job. AND - I got a loan from the event! It closes at the end of this month! So, the time and money was definitely well spent.
Best wishes,
Staci McCarville
Indymac Bank

METRO PHOENIX HOME SALES FOR THE WEEK ENDED APRIL 21, 2008

We have a new record. I recorded 1,221 Single Family Home sales here the Metro Phoenix area for the week ended April 21, 2008.

Single Family Inventory 45,492
Months of Inventory based on Pending 6.3
Pending Home Sales 7,208
Last 7 days Sales 1,221
4 week moving average Pending Home Sales 6,663
4 week moving average Last 7 days Sales 1,173

The market is improving. We are not out of the woods, but things are getting better. This is the highest sales since the week of February 26, 2007, before the sub prime crisis and mortgage meltdown.

ARIZONA'S SEASONLLY ADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE REMAINED AT 4%

Arizona gained 9,500 non-farm Jobs in March, for the month over month gain. However, when we look at the year over year gain, it was negative. There is a 7,500 job loss when comparing March 2007 to March 2008.
Construction pared 800 jobs in March and is now down 24,800 from its peak.
The unemployment rate remained at 4%. In March of 2007, the unemployment rate was 3.7%. Our unemployment rate is still much lower than the country as a whole. The US unemployment rate is 5.1%.
read the rest of the jobs report: http://www.workforce.az.gov/admin/uploadedPublications/2692_PrApr08.pdf

Valley Pending Home Sales Highest Since June 2006

Today we have 7,088 Pending home sales, SFH only. We never crossed the 7,000 level in all of 2007 with my tracking. We are not at the highest level I have recorded since June 2006. The good signs are flashing!

METRO PHOENIX HOME SALES FOR THE WEEK ENDED APRIL 14, 2008

Sorry, I missed this post on Monday. I was a little behind from the Home Remodeling and Staging EXPO.
For the week ended April 14, 2008, there were 1,188 homes that went under contract in the metro Phoenix area. This was the second week in a row homes sales hit this level. Homes sales are better now than they have been in over a year.
The four week moving average moved from 1,071 to 1,109. It has continued to climb and is at the highest level since March of 2007. I expect it to jump up next week. Sales for this week are already leading past weeks. I look forward to getting the 4 week moving average over 1,202. Once that happens we will be at the highest level since June of 2006. I expect to be there by mid June of this year.
It is great to see so much activity. Our phones have been ringing off the hook! We are having one of our best months in over 6 months.
If you have any questions about the market or want to review the sales numbers, don't hesitate to call or email.

Straight out of a Horror Movie Part 3-The Dog

No dogs were harmed during the filming of this video.

Straight out of a Horror Movie Part 2-The Extraction

The Beekeeper up on the roof, he removed the roof tiles and cut a 3 foot hole to gain access to the hive.


Here he is pulling part of the hive out. You can see the hole they used to gain access looks to be the size of a tennis ball.


This is the hive The Beekeeper hauled away, he said it was a medium hive, about 25 lbs., and that it had been there awhile. The black is the dead bess, the bright yellow cubes are poison, the clearer light yellow on the bottom is the honeycomb and the bright yellow is where the nursery is. There was a whole army of new bees waiting to born.

It was $125 for the exterminator, $550 for the extraction, and now we have to have the big hole and all the woodpecker damage repaired too!

THE APPEAL by John Grisham

I just finished reading, The Appeal, by John Grisham and enjoyed it thoroughly. John Grisham is probably my favorite author, although his past couple of books haven't hit home with me. This one was great! Dealing with environmental issues and the election process for our Judicial system.
I have always wondered why I vote on Judges. I read the paper habitually and listen to talk radio. I feel I am more informed than the average Phoenician. But, every time I get to the list of Judges on voting forms I don't know who they are. I use to give them all a thumbs up, unless I read something or heard something bad about them. So there I am, selecting names at the pole and I have to search my memory about the Judges. I know you are suppose to come prepared on who to vote for, but the Judges? Each time I have decided to vote against a Judge, I wonder, "where did I exactly hear that bad news, and was it in the right context?" I don't usually remember. I finally stopped voting for the Judges.
Grisham's book gives a detailed process of how a State Supreme Court Judge position can be bought. In the book the $5-10 million invested to elect a Judge was nothing compared to what that judge saves big business. He was the swing vote and the story it meant Billions to one character.
I highly recommend this book as a great read. Although, one must understand it is Fiction. It really brings questions to mind on how and why some of our systems work. It makes me question if maybe some of these systems need to be updated for "today." I am sure 200 years ago, a majority of the voters knew the Judges or of the Judges. Everything was more condensed back then. Today, I don't believe that is the case.

HOME REMODELING AND STAGING EXPO WAS A HIT

I want to thank all the Vendors and Business that were a part of our Home Remodeling and Staging EXPO this year. The event was great. If you missed it, you can read about it. Or you can contact our vendors for a one on one about their services and what they can do for you.
Some may ask, what is this EXPO? Over the years we have worked with many businesses who have done wonderful work and this is an opportunity for us to share with the public some businesses we have had success with. Everyone wants a referral! They see so many choices and need a little guidance. I look for businesses that offer a good product for a reasonable price. For example, one of our vendors was A-Agents. They are a termite company. I ran into a friend that just had their home treated by a national company. I said, "no." "What did they charge?" A treatment that I know A-Agents would have done for $600-900 was done for $2,000 by this national company. That is why I hold the EXPO. To bring good businesses to my sphere that are reasonably priced.
Another reason is the whole remodeling and staging process. As the Arizona Republic recently stated, "The popularity of television home improvement shows is finally helping Arizonans understand the importance of staging when trying to sell their homes," http://www.azcentral.com/community/westvalley/articles/2008/04/11/20080411gl-nwvstaging0411.html
What I have been telling my clients for some time is "a home has to look good to sell, buyers are very persnickety in this market." Fixing up, doing some inexpensive remodeling or even staging a home is making a difference and worth the investment. At the EXPO, guests are given the opportunity to meet with the businesses that can offer these services. They can ask questions, get some pricing and schedule appointments.
So, maybe you are not moving today. Well, why wait until you are moving to improve your home for the next buyer. Of course this is somewhat dependent on the price range. But so many people install Granite Counters to sell their home. Why not do it today and enjoy that Granite for a few years before selling. Of course this is not limited to Granite, that was the most notable example.

For those who missed the event, we have a few pictures below.


The Cameron Team - Stormy Girard and Lisa Cameron signing in guests and registering them for our raffle. We had AWESOME Door prizes: Teeth whitening, exam and extras; facial; 16 person wine tasting from Wine Styles; $100 Gift Certificate from Caffe Portobello; 2 $25 Gift Certificates from RA Sushi; 2 $25 Gift Cards from Old Republic Home Warranty; 25 moving boxes from Dirks movers; 3 Free Pizzas from Amore Pizza;


Wendy Burckart of The Perfect Set Up, not seen in this picture, staged the Living Room and Dining Room. She did a great job, we were disappointed to see the furniture go.

Gia Venturi Interiors - Gia is an interior decorator. She had samples of how tastefully she can match colors and fabrics. Gia gave Free scented candles to all our guests.


Wine Styles did a wine tasting so the food was focused on what pairs nicely with wine. We had a Cheese and fruit table offering a huge variety of nice cheeses and wonder fresh fruit.


Some of the guests enjoyed the appetizers, cheeses and fruits. Behind them was an array of Sushi from RA Sushi. Also, we made homemade Gazpacho and Jumbo Shrimp cocktail.


Guests viewed our subject home which has been extensively remodeled by Vendors at the event. The guests are walking on 24 inch Travertine floors laid at a diagonal.


Staci McCarville of IndyMac Bank is our Financial connection. She was answer loan questions and offering lists of foreclosure homes for investors.


The Master Bathroom remodel was done by The Concierge. Tricia Endicott is the owner of The Concierge. She does all kinds of Stone Work. From Granite counters to Travertine floors and bathrooms, Tricia does it all.


Europa Artistic Surfaces does an array of exterior hard scape. Their specialty is acrylic flooring. This is the stone like surfaces you see replacing cool deck. Their product is beautiful and priced great. Here they discuss their product with Mike.


There were several Vendors located on the Patio. On the right is Kerri Schrand from Sunburst Pools and Spas. Kerri's people did our water fall and slide. Surburst did our last pool and about 20 pools for our family and clients. They are a small family run business that I highly recommend.

Jorge Azuri with New Image Cleaning was there with his wife and 4 month old baby girl. New Image offers many services. however their specialty is sealing stone surfaces. They just sealed some outside flagstone at one of our listings. The flagstone was looking horrible and chipping all over the place. Jorge came in and made it look better than new! Thank New Image!


Randy Rushing of Peerless Plumbing has helped many of our clients with re piping homes that have polybutelene pipes. At the EXPO Randy explained the nu flow solution they offer. This is focused more on drain pipes. But it works great. Instead of digging up your yard, they do a little angioplasty on your drain pipe and add a stint. That isn't really what they do, but a good example of it. You should talk to Randy before digging up your yard.


Lee Eichmann with Shiloh Floors has been installing carpet and tile for my clients for years. He has a great selection of flooring products including wood. Being a small business he enjoys low overhead and passes on those great prices to his clients.

Sticking with the wine theme, we had a table of Chocolates. If you haven't had red wine and chocolate you are missing out! My wife Lisa, is always after the best. She found a French chocolate called Michel Cluivel. It was wonderful. Chatham's Fine Chocolates donated a selection of chocolates as one of our door prizes.


WineStyles was there offering a selection of wines to taste. They are a small wine club/wine shop located over off 100th Street and Frank Lloyd Wright.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the event and all of the guests who attended.

Straight out of a horror movie-The Bees

During the EXPO one of our neighbors came by and said he needed someone to do some work on his home. Apparently a colony of bees had invaded his attic, through a woodpecker hole, and had caused so much damage the bees were coming through the walls!

When the bees make their hives it makes a sort of moist air conditioning system powered by the bees fanning the honey to keep it from melting. I was completely amazed at how much damage they had done, until...

My sister's father-in-law came by and said, "Hey, did you guys notice that swarm of bees outside of Meghan's bedroom window?" We looked up and a huge pile of bees about a foot square were just hanging out under the eave. So this morning I called Beebe's, the guy came out with full bee battle regalia on and, how do i put this delicately? Killed thousands of bees!!! There are dead bees everywhere! Now that the bees are "sleeping", we will have to have Beebe's back out to remove the hive, honeycomb and honey which will start melting out of the hole now that the bees aren't there to cool it. Remember, they get into your home by way of cracks and holes, MAKE SURE TO PATCH THOSE WOODPECKER HOLES, ASAP!

Home Remodeling and Staging EXPO-Info

Home Remodeling and Staging EXPO-map

View Larger Map

Home Remodeling and Staging EXPO-Prizes

Join us for our Home Remodeling and Staging EXPO, this Saturday, April 12 from 2-6, and you could be the winner of a hand-painted chocolate heart filled with truffles created by Ghyslain. This lovely confection was provided to The Cameron Team, by our friends at Chatham's Fine Chocolates located at 114 W. Camelback Rd in Phoenix. They have quite the assortment of chocolates and are conveniently located near fantastic eating and shopping at Central and Camelback Rds.

Chocolate selected to be paired with the red wine for the WineStyles tasting are by chocolatier Michel Cluizel.

On a side note I also purchased a Vosges Matcha dark chocolate bar, and Amedei mono-origin chocolates from Trinadad, Madagascar and Jamaica. YUMMY!

Home Remodeling and Staging EXPO-Prizes

Join us at our Home Staging and Remodeling EXPO, this Saturday, April 12 from 2-6 and you might be the winner of a facial peel perfomed by Lisa Williams of Ultra Smooth Skin.

Prize value - $95

METRO PHOENIX HOMES SALES JUMP 9.3%

Yes, home sales jumped last week by 9.3% from the previous week. The previous week had I recorded the best sales in over a year. I was wondering if it was just an evening out of the dip in sales that occurred during the East week. Well, I guess not. 9.3% is a significant rise in sales. Each week this year home sales for the metro Phoenix area as measured with the MLS, Multiple Listing Service, have risen except for Easter week.
The 4 week moving average for home sales is at 1,071. This number has measured over 1,000 for the past 4 weeks. The last time is was over 1,000 home sales was May of 2007. We are now recording the highest level of sales since before the banks started closing last year in March, sub-prime I.
Good Signs for the Real Estate Market!

The Cameron Team Has A New Listing

This home is located in Scottsdale and is a Bank Owned Property. They foreclosed on this home and have priced it to sell now!

The address is: 10835 N. 105th Way Scottsdale, AZ 85259

View the Virtual Tour at: http://www.visualtour.com/show.asp?T=1462525

View the listing details on our website at: http://www.thecameronteam.com/Phoenix_Scottsdale_Arizona_McDowell_Mountain_Ranch_Dc_Ranch_listings/2B0AD29F-C219-48B7-D03C5A99446F9908.shtml

Contact us with any questions or if you know of anyone who would be interested in this home.
Email us at: Jeff@TheCameronTeam.com
Or Call: 480-502-7699

North Phoenix Home Under Contract

Well we did it again! This beautiful home was listed on 4/2/2008 and SOLD on 4/5/2008. That's 3 Days!! The sellers worked with The Cameron Team to price their home correctly for this market and were able to receive multiple offers. We are looking forward to a successful close at the end of April.

This home is located at: 18659 N. 20th St. in Phoenix, AZ 85024

Click on the following link to see the Virtual Tour: http://www.visualtour.com/show.asp?T=1459611

Are you looking for a big Beautiful yard with Grassy area big enough for the kids trampoline plus RV Gate, room for RV parking, with orange, lemon, peach trees and mountain views! YOU have found it! This home is a split master floorplan with huge family room over looking the back yard. The kitchen offers a big island, plenty of storage and is open to the family room! Master bedroom offers separate tub and shower plus a walk in closet. The home offers vaulted ceilings. Close to parks, hiking, shopping, freeway access yet such a quiet, scenic area.

Today's Rates!

Conventional
30 Year fixed 5.5%
40 Year fixed 6.125%
15 Year fixed 5.25%
7 Year ARM 5.375% (Interest Only same rate)

Jumbo 5 Year ARM 6.25%

FHA 30 year fixed 5.5%

All of these rates are quoted with 1% origination fee and $787 in lender costs. Rates can change a few times a day.

Please call for more information on our Indymac Bank Owned Properties!
Staci McCarville 480-538-1402

MARCH JOB LOSSES TOTAL 80,000

The nation's jobs report is out and it is a negative number. But let's face it. We know we are in a recession. Therefore, losses of 80,000 jobs is not huge. Plus they restated the numbers for the first 2 months of this year and there were 33,000 less jobs lost earlier this year. Therefore, the net loss is 47,000 jobs. Don't get me wrong, if those jobs are your job, this is serious. But overall, the number was less than expected. Maybe this recession will be milder than expected. Only time will tell.

Economy Loses 80,000 Jobs, Worse Than Expected

By Reuters 04 Apr 2008 08:32 AM ET

US employers cut payrolls for a third month in a row in March, slashing 80,000 jobs for the biggest monthly job decline in five years as the economy headed into a downturn, government data on Friday showed.
CNBC.com
The Labor Department revised the first two months of the year's job losses to a total of 52,000 from a previous estimate of 85,000. The March unemployment rate jumped to 5.1 percent from 4.8 percent, the highest since a matching rate in September 2005.
The March job report was more bleak than expected.
Economists polled ahead of the report forecast a decline of 60,000 in non-farm payrolls and a rise in the unemployment rate to 5 percent.
Read the rest of the story: http://www.cnbc.com/id/23952640

Home Remodeling and Staging EXPO

Home Remodeling and Staging EXPO

View Larger Map

10 Ways to Increase the Value of Your Home

As always HGTV has the best ideas for home decorating, and remodeling. Click here for some great and even inexpensive, less than $100 ideas.

I updated my guest bath for about $1500, The biggest portion of which is the granite counter tops, new sink and new fixtures. I pulled off the old mirror and replaced with a decorative one from Holland Boone, and replaced all the brass fixtures, including the cabinet hardware myself, with bronze from Lowe's. They had a good, readily available assortment.

Stacey Gonzales with SG Interiors refinished the cabinets to a lush reddish brown and added a gold stamped accent.

Flowers, fancy soap and hand cream, and it's company ready!

METRO PHOENIX HOME INVENTORY LEVELS PLUNGE

METRO PHOENIX HOME INVENTORY LEVELS PLUNGE! Inventory levels dropped over 770 from last Monday, March 24, 2008. Inventory of single family homes now sits at the same level as the first week of February and the same level we were at last August, before "sub-prime II" hit the market.
I have been recording the inventory levels for the past 3 years and have never recorded a drop this time of year. Why such a big drop? Many Realtors schedule listings to expire at the end of the month. However, in years past there were more new listings off setting the new expired listings. I really believe some home sellers are understanding their price was unrealistic and taking their home off the market.
Lowering inventory levels is a great sign for where the market is headed. The more sellers that understand their price is not going to happen and thus they take their home off the market, the more our market will recover.
It is all about supply and demand. Let's let the banks and those who have to sell be on the market, all others just wait for a better time.