Robyn and Louisa's Blog

Retail sales boost Arizona's economic outlook

Retail Sales Boost AZ's Economic Outlook

It looks like Arizona consumers are finally releasing the stranglehold on their wallets, at least for some things. New figures Monday from the Joint Legislative Budget Committee show merchants paid the state $282.2 million last month in basic sales taxes. That does not include the proceeds from the temporary one-cent hike in the tax rate which voters approved last May. That is nearly $4.3 million higher than the same time a year earlier. The big boost was in retail sales, the purchase of taxable items, which was up 4.8 percent in the last year. But the legislative budget staffers said sales at bars and restaurants also was up 2.0 percent from the prior October. Sales taxes are a key indicator of consumer confidence. Monday’s tax receipt figures are not the only indication the economy is improving. The state Department of Commerce reported last week that the number of people working in retail trade in October was up by 7,000 from a year ago. And employment in the leisure and hospitality industry, including bars, restaurants and hotels, is up by 3,300. Monday’s report also found a significant increase in individual income tax collections. At this time of the year, that largely indicates money withheld from worker paychecks. But budget staffers said this nearly 20 percent hike may not mean that more people are working. They pointed out that the state altered the way employees compute their withholding for state taxes. What may be happening, they said, is workers are having their employers take out more than is necessary. That means the money is really only on loan to the state, as employees will get that money back when they file their tax returns next year. The other bright spot for the state, at least in terms of revenues, is that Lottery ticket sales are up about 6.6 percent from October 2009. None of this means, though, that state government is out of the financial woods yet. The report says while tax receipts are up from last year, they still are lagging behind the projections used when lawmakers put the budget together. For the first four months of the fiscal year, total collections are $41.2 million below forecast, even with the $261.3 million extra received so far from that one-cent sales tax hike. Source: http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/business/article_51ce6960-fc15-11df-a4c3-001cc4c03286.htm

Posted at 03:27PM Dec 09, 2010 by Louisa Ward & Robyn Viktor in General  |  Comments[0]

Mortgage Rates Rise for 4th Straight Week

Mortgage Rates Rise for 4th Straight Week

NEW YORK - Rates on fixed mortgages rose for the fourth straight week this week, hitting 4.61 percent. The surge could slow refinancings and further hamper the housing market. Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate on a 30-year fixed loan increased sharply from last week's rate. And it is well above the 4.17 percent rate hit a month ago - the lowest level on records dating back to 1971. The average rate on a 15-year fixed loan rose to 3.96 percent. Rates hit 3.57 percent last month - the lowest level since 1991. Rates are rising after plummeting for seven months. Investors are selling Treasury bonds in anticipation of an extension of tax cuts and unemployment benefits that could boost the economy next year. Investors are also dumping the bonds because they believe budget deficits will grow over the long term because of the deal. The sell-off is raising the yield on Treasury bonds. Mortgage rates tend to track those yields. The increase in rates already is discouraging homeowners interested in refinancing their homes. Refinance activity fell for the fourth straight week last week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. However, the increase in rates may have convinced some homebuyers who were waffling to go ahead and make a move. Purchase application volume was up for the third consecutive week and is at its highest point since the beginning of May. Mortgage brokers and real estate agents agree that a sustained rise in mortgage rates eventually will sideline potential buyers. To calculate average mortgage rates, Freddie Mac collects rates from lenders across the country on Monday through Wednesday of each week. Rates often fluctuate significantly, even within a single day. Rates on five-year adjustable-rate mortgages averaged 3.60 percent, up from 3.49 percent. The five-year hit 3.25 percent last month, the lowest rate on records dating back to January 2005. Rates on one-year adjustable-rate home loans slipped to 3.27 percent from 3.25 percent. The rates do not include add-on fees, known as points. One point is equal to 1 percent of the total loan amount. The average fee for 30-year and 15-year mortgages in Freddie Mac's survey was 0.7 point. It was 0.6 point for five-year and one-year mortgages. Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38770102/ns/business-us_business/

Posted at 03:25PM Dec 09, 2010 by Louisa Ward & Robyn Viktor in General  |  Comments[0]

Why rent when you can own a home?

Why Rent When You Can Own?

The city of Phoenix offers a homeownership assistance loan of $15,000 (no-interest loan and no monthly payments) toward the purchase of:   A newly refurbished single-family home located in established neighborhoods that has been renovated by city of Phoenix program partners for sale to NSP eligible homebuyers through the -Move-In Ready Program- To be eligible: -    Must have a good credit history and able to qualify for a 15- or 30-year fixed rate mortgage loan -     Not be on title on any residential property (you do not have to be first-time homebuyer) -       Must be a legal U.S. resident -       Able to contribute half of the home's required cash down payment or a minimum $1,000 -       Take a 2 hour one-on-one credit counseling and an 8 hour homebuyer education class ** -        Total household income does not exceed the maximum income guidelines listed below:   Household Size 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Total Household Income (120% AMI) $55,950 $63,950 $71,950 $79,900 $86,300 $92,750 $99,100 $105,500

Posted at 02:41PM Dec 09, 2010 by Louisa Ward & Robyn Viktor in General  |  Comments[0]

2010 Homebuyer Survey Contains Valuable Information for Agents and Sellers

2010 Homebuyer Survey Contains Valuable Information for Agents and Sellers
by Bob Hunt

One of the most useful research projects of the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) is the annual survey of homebuyers and sellers. The 2010 version (Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers 2010) became available in November of this year.

The information is based on answers to an eight-page questionnaire mailed to 111,000 consumers who purchased a home between July 2009 and June 2010. (Names and addresses were provided by Experian, a company that maintains an extensive database of recent homebuyers that is derived from county records.) There was a 7.9 percent response rate.

In 2010, first-time homebuyers constituted 50 percent of the market. That is a huge portion. There are a number of factors to explain this increase, one of which is that first-time buyers don’t have to sell a home before they can buy. Moreover, prices have been dropping while interest rates remain low by historical standards. Especially, government policies such as tax credits have played a major role.

Certainly the most useful information for sellers and their agents is to be found in the section on the home search process. While the survey results are not significantly different from those of recent years, the trends continue. For example, this year 74 percent of buyers said that they used the internet frequently during the search process, about the same as 76% last year. In 2003 that number was 42%.

Thirty-six per cent of buyers went to the internet as the first step in the home search process. 19 % contacted a real estate agent first, and 7% began by driving through neighborhoods looking for homes for sale.

Buyers use multiple sources of information in the process of looking for a home. Far and away the most used sources are the internet (89%) and real estate agents (88%). What is the third most used information source? Yard signs (57%).

Multiple Listing Service (MLS) websites were the primary source of information for buyers who used the internet in their search process. 59 percent of those buyers went to MLS sites. Of course, many went to a variety of different sites. 45 percent used Realtor®.com, 43% went to real estate company websites, and 42% went to sites hosted by individual agents. Aggregators such as Zillow, Homegain, and Yahoo were visited by 41% of buyers.

While there is a lot of intriguing information about the sources of information used by prospective homebuyers, certainly the most relevant has to do with where they actually found the home that they ultimately purchased. It is still the case that, more than any other source, a real estate agent is responsible for informing the buyer about the home that is ultimately purchased. That is how 38 percent of buyers found their home.

But the internet is a very close second (37%). Moreover, the differences in less than a decade are fascinating. In 2001, 48 percent of buyers learned about their home through a real estate agent, and only 8 percent found their home on the internet. The times they have changed.

Some things though, remain persistently the same – or close to it. In 2001, a yard sign was the third most likely source of information leading to the home that was purchased (15%). And this year? It is still the third leading source at 11%. Print media may not be dead, but it has shrunk to insignificance in this arena. In 2001, 7% found the home they purchased through a newspaper ad; in 2010 it was 2%. Fewer than 1% found their home through a home book or magazine.

The 2008 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers shows what works. It is a valuable resource.

Published: November 30, 2010 Source: http://realtytimes.com/rtpages/20101130_survey.htm

Posted at 09:52AM Dec 01, 2010 by Louisa Ward & Robyn Viktor in General  |  Comments[0]

New Lending Guidelines Benefit Young Borrowers

New Lending Guidelines Benefit Young Borrowers

Under Fannie Mae's new lending guidelines, which will take effect Dec. 13, securing a mortgage will become easier for some borrowers and more difficult for others.

These new rules will allow buyers to use gifts and grants from nonprofit groups for their minimum 5 percent down payment. Freddie Mac is also considering similar new guidelines, according to spokesman Brad German. Borrowers previously were required to contribute a minimum 5 percent down payment from their own funds, with additional down payment money permitted from a gift.

These new rules are "definitely going to help upgrade buyers and young couples who for whatever reason don’t have enough money and are getting some from their families," said Edward Ades, the owner of broker Universal Mortgage. The gift rules apply only to single-family principal residences and cover mortgage amounts in excess of 80 percent of the property’s value. The loan balance also has a limit of $729,000 in high-cost areas like New York City and $417,000 in other areas.

At the same time, Fannie Mae is cracking down on debt-to-income ratios, with the maximum ratio for those seeking a conventional mortgage set to drop from 55 percent to 45 percent under the new guidelines. Fannie Mae is also increasing its scrutiny of payment histories on revolving debt, and buyers who have missed a payment will have 5 percent of the total balance added to their ratios.

Under the new rules, borrowers who have gone through foreclosure will be excluded from obtaining a Fannie-backed loan for seven years, an increase from the previous limit of four years.

Source: The New York Times, Lynnley Browning (11/21/10)

Posted at 09:47AM Dec 01, 2010 by Louisa Ward & Robyn Viktor in General  |  Comments[0]

Safari Condos Resume Sales

by Edward Gately 11/26/2010

Safari Drive, a luxury-condominium complex along the Arizona Canal north of Camelback Road, is back on track after a long dormancy.

Last week, sales resumed on the 4.8-acre midrise development near the northeastern corner of Camelback and Scottsdale roads. The seven-building complex was completed in 2007, but after 15 units were sold, sales were halted when the economy went south.

In October 2009, ST Residential acquired all assets of Corus Bank and now owns and manages Safari Drive. ST Residential is a consortium of private-equity groups that include Starwood Capital, TPG Capital, WLR LeFrak and Perry Capital.

ST Residential hired Geoffrey H. Edmunds & Associates to relaunch and market Safari Drive, and Geoffrey H. Edmunds Realty, a sister company, will handle all sales.
All units in the complex have been completed. Safari Drive is on the former site of the Safari Hotel and Resort.

"There's seven buildings and 89 units, with 15 previously sold," said Geoffrey Edmunds, company president. "There's 74 to sell, and we sold two last week. The market has really been going down for the past six months, so it's continued to deteriorate. But there are sales for unique product, so where we're going to compete is with the Waterfront, Optima or another project like ours."
Unit prices start at about $370,000 with three units priced around $1 million. The majority of the units are 1,200 to 2,100 square feet.

"We're giving (buyers) real high-end product at a competitive price for today in a unique location, and we believe there's a market in 2011 for this product," Edmunds said. ST Residential and Edmunds' goal is to have Safari Drive sold out by the end of 2012.

A second, smaller phase is being planned that would be built in front of the project and closer to Scottsdale Road.

Source: http://www.azcentral.com/business/realestate/articles/2010/11/26/20101126biz-sr-safari1127.html

Posted at 09:46AM Dec 01, 2010 by Louisa Ward & Robyn Viktor in General  |  Comments[0]

Veteran's Day Blog Post - The Sentinels of Freedom Program

Tomorrow, the nation will be observing Veteran’s Day.  On this day, we honor those who have made the personal sacrifice to protect our freedoms. None of us would be doing what we are doing today if we had not been protected by those who gave their all.  One way you can help remember and honor these veterans is by donating time and/or money to a charity that exist to help the recently wounded and re-establish them in today's society.  That charity is the Sentinels of Freedom.
 
The Sentinels of Freedom is a scholarship foundation whose mission is to provide life-changing opportunities for men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces who have recently suffered severe injuries and now need the support of grateful communities to realize their dreams. Sentinels of Freedom does not offer academic scholarships but rather life scholarships to help these men and women find the life paths that best suit their abilities, interests and needs. Through local donations of time, money, goods and services, scholarship recipients receive housing, transportation, employment and education assistance, and are connected to a team of caring volunteers who provide guidance, mentoring and friendship during the four-year program.
 
Howard Lein, Owner of RE/MAX Excalibur is the first RE/MAX affiliate to cement his commitment as a Sentinels Team Leader to help severely wounded veterans. He’s assembled a team of mentors in his offices, and are working with scholarship recipients such as Petty Officer Third Class, Kevin Ivory, who suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), among others.

Kevin Ivory

RE/MAX Excalibur is actively involved in the success of our community.  Dozens of RE/MAX Excalibur associates have demonstrated their community involvement by contributing time to the success of the Sentinel of Freedom program.  As the Sentinel program grows, it is expected that additional soldiers will be added every two or three months.
 
For more information on the Sentinels of Freedom program and how you can get involved, please go towww.SentinelsOfFreedomAZ.org.  Here you will find many articles and videos about our scholarship recipients and how the Sentinels have provided them with the assistance they need to re-establish themselves in today's society.

Posted at 04:08PM Nov 10, 2010 by Louisa Ward & Robyn Viktor in General  |  Comments[0]

Plans for Cityscape in Downtown Phoenix

In four days, the $900 million CityScape development in downtown Phoenix will celebrate its grand opening.

RED Development spent five years transforming the idea for an urban office, retail and restaurant site into concrete and steel on two blocks sandwiched by Washington and Jefferson streets, First Avenue and Second Street.

One by one, stores and restaurants have been opening.

The first tenants included Gold's Gym, CVS/pharmacy, Lucky Strike bowling lanes, Par Exsalonce salon and spa, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, plus the Designer District and West of SoHo clothing stores. Openings for 15 other restaurants and stores are scheduled through the coming months, including clothing retailer Urban Outfitters on Thursday.

The development also signed new office tenants, including law firms Squire Sanders and Dempsey, and Jennings Strouss & Salmon. Also moving in are law firms Ballard Spahr, Gust Rosenfeld and Polsinelli Shughart.

According to RED Development:

- 85 percent of its leasable 560,000 square feet of office space has been filled.

- 96 percent of its 180,000 square feet of retail space has been rented.

CityScape's capstone is the 250-room Hotel Palomar, a 34-story boutique hotel expected to be under construction until mid- to late 2011. It will be managed by Kimpton Hotels.

The development has drawn a mix of praise and criticism from residents, city officials and downtown business leaders. Some consider it an optimistic symbol in a grim economy because RED has continued to build it and add tenants despite the recession. They appreciate the additional revenues CityScape will drum up.

But critics fear the project will boom, then bust.

Jeff Moloznik, RED's development manager, has heard some of the concerns, including one raised by a few members of downtown community groups who worry the project could become another Arizona Center, an outdoor mall at Third and Van Buren streets. It was considered a hot spot when it opened 20 years ago but has struggled to keep a full house of stores and restaurants in recent years.

"I think what separates CityScape from Arizona Center is that when you do take the wrapping paper off and our tenants are open, people will really see an engaged street front," Moloznik said. "If you want to have retail on this site, it has to be facing the street."

CityScape is closer than Arizona Center to the heart of downtown.

It is near the Renaissance Square office high-rise, Phelps Dodge, Wells Fargo, Phoenix City Hall, Maricopa County offices and US Airways Center.

"This is the densest place in all of the Valley," Moloznik said. "That didn't exist around or near Arizona Center."

The city is counting on the new development to boost sales-tax revenues.

Elliott D. Pollack & Co. prepared an economic and fiscal-impact analysis of the project in June 2006. It showed CityScape retail sales could generate up to $73.8 million in revenue for the development's two blocks once they are built out. This could provide about $2.2 million in annual sales taxes.

In addition, CityScape's office leases, once all spaces are filled, are projected to hit $24.3 million in revenues per year and generate about $722,000 in taxes.

The hotel would bring in $7.7 million a year with $461,900 in taxes, the analysis said.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2010/10/31/20101031phoenix-cityscape-downtown-grand-opening.html#ixzz14EmOHeNr

Posted at 03:39PM Nov 08, 2010 by Louisa Ward & Robyn Viktor in General  |  Comments[0]

Ingredients for Green Cleaning ~ Protect the Environment!

Protecting and Preserving the environment starts right in your own home. Here are some items that will not only save you money, but are also safer for you, those you care about, and for the environment.  

PURE SOAP: Soap biodegrades safely and completely, and is non-toxic. Make sure that you use soap without synthetic scents, colors or other additives. Even phosphate-free biodegradable laundry detergent contributes to water pollution.

VINEGAR (FIVE PERCENT ACETIC ACID): Vinegar is a mild disinfectant which cuts grease, cleans glass, deodorizes and removes calcium deposits, stains and wax build -up.

EUCALYPTUS OIL: Eucalyptus oil is a good disinfectant and deodorizer. It gets rid of some stairs like ink and grease. It even kills and repels some insects and even attacks rust.

WASHING SODA (SODIUM CARBONATE): A key ingredient for washing clothes, washing soda cuts grease, removes stains, disinfects and softens water. Washing soda should not be used on aluminum.

BAKING SODA (BICARBONATE OF SODA): Baking soda works well as an abrasive in alternative recipes. Baking soda also deodorizes, removes stains, polishes, and softens fabrics.

Posted at 03:14PM Nov 08, 2010 by Louisa Ward & Robyn Viktor in General  |  Comments[0]

Should You Pay Down Your Mortgage or Invest?

Have extra cash? Should you invest it or use it to pay down your mortgage?

When you pre-pay part of your mortgage, you end up paying less in interest. But as a result, you lose part of your mortgage interest tax break.

Your true savings, then can be expressed as the difference between your mortgage interest rate and the rate at which you take your mortgage interest deduction (a function of your marginal tax rate). If that net percentage figure is less than the amount you could make investing the cash you're better off investing it.

Posted at 02:44PM Nov 08, 2010 by Louisa Ward & Robyn Viktor in General  |  Comments[0]

Monitor Your Online Reputation

Monitor Your Online Reputation

With the overwhelming growth of social networking has come a new way for employers to find out so much more about the personal lives of their employees and new job applicants than ever before. Do you know what information about you is available on the internet? Whenever you apply for a job, the company can now easily find information on you with a simple Google search. Monitoring your online reputation means knowing what's out there. There is an easy and free way for you to monitor what information about you is available online. You can sign up for a free alerting service that will notify you when your name appears online. Sign up at Google.com/alerts to you'll get e-mail notifications when your name comes up online.

Posted at 10:30AM Oct 28, 2010 by Louisa Ward & Robyn Viktor in General  |  Comments[0]

New Government Short Sale Program Finally Rolls Out the Cash

Finally, there is a program where you can receive up to $3000 for doing a short sale rather than foreclosing. If this applies to you or someone you know, read on.

Back on November 30th 2009, the federal government announced a new program to help troubled homeowners who were not succeeding in their attempts to loan modify. The program was somewhat revolutionary - loan modifications were failing right and left and even if some lucky borrower managed to get through the harrowing process of modification, most were back in the foreclosure process within 6 months. Why not take these same homeowners and allow them to sell their home through a pre-approved short sale? This HAFA program (Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternative) was set to be rolled out by the banks April 5, 2010. It promised cash to troubled borrowers who completed a short sale rather than simply walking away from the home. Further the price would be established in advance by the lender, paperwork would be standardized amongst lenders, the borrower would be freed from the balance of the mortgage, and the process would be faster and less painful for all involved. Finally - a common sense path to avoiding foreclosure had been found! The release date finally arrived on April 5th and nothing. That's right, nothing happened.

Consumers contacting their banks were told "we haven't been trained on that" or "we don't know anything about that" and so on. Real estate agents excited by the initial hype began to speak in somber tones as to the reality of this program ever seeing the light of day for the consumer. So now, some 6 months after the release - we are happy to announce the HAFA program IS finally available to the troubled homeowner! So what are the benefits and who qualifies for this program? The primary benefits are:

It requires that the borrowers be fully released from future liability for the first mortgage debt. Even second liens must release from liability if the lender participates.
Allows borrowers to receive pre-approved terms for their short sale before listing the home.
Financial incentives to the borrower for participating of $3000 in relocation assistance.  Lender cooperation in postponing foreclosure for a six month period
Option to deed the home back to the lender (rather than foreclose) if the short sale is unsuccessful

Standardized paperwork and procedures.

Less damage to credit vs. a foreclosure

Who qualifies for the HAFA program? The criteria are the same as the Home Affordable Modification Program:
 -Must be your principal residence. 
 -Loan was originated prior to January 1st, 2009
 -The mortgage is delinquent or default is reasonably foreseeable.
 -The borrower's total monthly payment exceeds 31% of their gross income
 -The principal balance is no more than $729,750
 -The loan may not be an FHA or VA loan
 -Cannot be sold to anyone who is family, a business relationship, or personal relationship

For those of you who have an FHA loan - don't despair - there is also a pre-approved short sale program available through HUD. Although the cash incentives are less (range from $750-$1000) the FHA program has been in effect with great success for months.

What if you don't match one or more of the criteria - does that mean you cannot complete a short sale? Absolutely not! We have been doing short sales successfully for close to three years without any "pre-approval" programs and we will continue to do so in the future. The benefits of a short sale remain the same with or without cash incentives: Less damage to credit, better protection of neighborhoods, and avoidance of the stigma of foreclosure.

In these challenging real estate markets, it is nice to be able to report some positive news. Most troubled homeowners are afraid and needing guidance - yet only one in ten will ever talk to a real estate agent prior to simply foreclosing.

Posted at 04:16PM Oct 27, 2010 by Louisa Ward & Robyn Viktor in General  |  Comments[0]

Phoenix's Iconic Encanto Park Celebrating 75th Anniversary

Phoenix’s Encanto Park, recently named by Forbes Magazine as one of the nation’s 12 best city parks, will be celebrating its 75th anniversary from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 27. The daylong celebration will feature live music, kids’ activities, food and a spectacular fireworks display at 7 p.m. 

Encanto Park lovers also can support it at a fundraising reception at the park’s Clubhouse sponsored by Friends of Encanto Park. The reception features food from local restaurants and live music and performances. Ticket prices for the reception are $50 in advance or $75 at the door. Comprehensive event information is available online at phoenix.gov/parks.

Encanto Park’s 65 acres, located in the heart of central Phoenix, boasts dozens of massive trees of numerous species. The 27 holes of the adjacent Encanto Golf Course, along with the park, offers residents more than 200 total acres of green space right in Phoenix’s urban core. Its fishing lagoons attract thousands of anglers each year. Visitors can rent paddle boats to set out on the park’s waterways. 

The park also features a sports complex with lighted basketball, handball, volleyball, tennis and racquetball courts; lighted picnic areas and grills; an exercise course; a playground; a pool; a recreation building; and restrooms.  It is also is home to Enchanted Island Amusement Park, with a host of rides for children ages 2 to 10 years old.

Encanto Park was built between 1935 and 1938 in what was then the northern part of the city. It has provided outdoor recreation for generations of Phoenicians from throughout the city.  The land was purchased, designed and built jointly by the federal Works Progress Administration and the city of Phoenix. For several decades in and around the 1950s, a band shell at the park hosted concerts and cultural events that would attract thousands of spectators. The park also hosted fishing derbies at its signature lagoon that attracted hundreds of area youth. Phoenix voters approved numerous bond issues over the years to expand and improve the park.

In addition to the website, information on the park is available by calling 602-261-8991.

Posted at 04:07PM Oct 27, 2010 by Louisa Ward & Robyn Viktor in General  |  Comments[0]

Expenses Tight? Take Advantage of Groceries Assistance from The Treasure Box

The Treasure Box provides families and individuals with a substantial box of grocery store quality food retailing between $65-100 for just $30 each. The Treasure Box cultivates relationships with more than 500 major food manufacturers across the country to purchase and provide top quality, nutritious food at sizeable volume discounts to the general public. 

Each Treasure Box contains between 21-25 pounds of high quality, frozen foods, including chicken, pork, beef, or seafood, as well as vegetables, fruit, a side dish and a dessert. One Treasure Box is enough food to nutritiously feed a family of four lunch and dinner for almost a week or a senior citizen for nearly a month.

Learn more here: http://www.thetreasurebox.org/food-menu.php

Posted at 04:03PM Oct 27, 2010 by Louisa Ward & Robyn Viktor in General  |  Comments[0]

The Arizona State Fair - Discounts, Attractions, and Concert Guide

The AZ State Fair is Coming!!!

Arizona families always look forward to the Arizona State Fair and we've created a guide to when you can see your favorite attractions and what days you can save money with great bargains! Did you know you can get free admission to the fair just by arriving at certain times during the day? Read below to get the best discounts and have the most enjoyable time with your family!

State Fair Season runs October 15th - November 7th 2010, (Closed on Mondays & Tuesdays)

Events and Attractions at this years fair include: Home & Garden Shows, The Arizona 5C Sand Sculpture,  Days of the Dinosaur, Movie Stunt Adventure, Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob Square Pants, Boxing, Beer Sampling, Police K-9 Competition, Thriller Dance World Record Attempt, AZ Centennial Copper Chopper Bike Show, Armed Forces Day, and the Festival of Horses.

This Years Concert's include: Blake Shelton, The B-52's, Morris Day, Jason DeRul, Colbie Caillot, Bret Michaels, Selena Gomez, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Snoop Dogg, Godsmack, & Five Finger Death Punch, Megadeth and more.

 See a Calendar of all of the Events HERE

• General Admission concert access is free with admission
• Tickets are available online as well at: http://www.azstatefair.com/state-fair/tickets.aspx

Admission & Parking Discounts Days and Times:

• BOGO Saturday Admission - Every Saturday between 10am-6pm, you can buy one admission and receive a free fair admission
• Parking Discounts - Park for just $5 (regular price $10) at the Fair's 20th Ave & Encanto Parking lot on October 15-17th, 20-24th, 27-30th
• Sundays Discounts - Free admission 10am-Noon
• Unlimited Ride Wrist* band days - Rather than paying per ride, you can purchase unlimited ride wristbands on Thursdays for $25 and Sundays for $30
• Wednesday Discounts: Free Admission 12 Noon - 6PM with a charitable donation Click here for details of items needed
• Thursday Discounts: Free Admission Noon - 1pm
• Happy Hour Friday 10/22: 1/2 Price admission. $1 for rides, food, and games.
• Click Here for more information on Deals and Discounts

*Unlimited Ride wrist bands are honored until 11PM

Save $5 on an unlimited ride wristband.  Stop by any Cricket Wireless store in the Valley to pick up a coupon and get $5 off the regular price ($25).

Here is a handy map to where you can find all your favorite Fair Foods: http://www.azstatefair.com/Common/Files/Food_Finder.pdf

For more info visit http://www.AZStateFair.com

Have a great time and remember to check the weather and wear sunscreen on those hot Arizona days!!! 

Posted at 12:18PM Oct 06, 2010 by Louisa Ward & Robyn Viktor in General  |  Comments[0]