Nick Bastian - Tempe, AZ Real Estate Agent

Watching the stock market has been quite the roller coaster ride recently. In fact, Magic Mountain ain't got nothin' on this ride. I am reminded of a meeting I had a few weeks ago where I was able to speak with Andrew Waite of Personal Real Estate Investor Magazine. One of the interesting things we discussed is the amount of money being poured into "Self Directed IRA's." These are vehicles that allow people to purchase real estate instead of staying invested in the stock market. Mr. Waited gave me an example that was very interesting, he told me that they are seeing larger and more whole numbers being added to these types of accounts. For example, in the past, it was more common for them to see "even" numbers like $100.000.00 deposited where it is becoming more common today to see "whole" numbers being added. Numbers like $632,432.59 indicating that people are choosing to move their entire portfolio into a Self Directed IRA so that they can purchase real estate while prices are down. Mr. Waite even went on to tell me that, it is pretty hard to lose your "entire investment" in real estate.

It is also interesting to talk to people about what "smart money" does in "boom" and in "bust" times. Think about this... In 2004-2005 the masses wanted in to the real estate game. Many people were really excited about real estate and didn't want to sell their property because they loved going to Zillow.com to watch their homes value shoot up by $10k per month. Now, go ask a bunch of those people if they would sell you their home for the price they think it was worth back then. You think they would jump up and sign the contract before you had a chance to say.. "Just kidding..."

Now, come back to 2008 where "no one" wants to talk real estate, banks don't want to lend you money to buy real estate and it sounds like a really stupid investment to many people. So, in a few years, do you think someone that actually "takes a chance" and buys a home or Heaven forbid, an "investment property" in this market might look smarter than the average bear?

Now that inventories are up and prices are down, what makes sense for you? Last month, I participated in a "round table discussion" with people from Washington, the Brookings Institute and from the Nation Association of Realtors etc.. The topic was, will gas prices change the way people buy/invest in real estate. I was invited to the call because of the research I have done on the topic of light rail here in Arizona. (watch for the Nov. issue of Realtor mag!) We discussed trends in the market both locally and nationally. Let's just say, many people firmly believe that urban areas, close to public transportation, make a lot of sense to consider. As an owner, the convenience factor and the fuel savings can be a huge benefit. As an investor, studies have shown properties near light rail lines tend to appreciate at a higher rate that those not close to the line.

I am enclosing two tools people can use to research properties. This first is this link to investment property research. if you are a real estate investor or a potential real estate investor, feel free to take a look. Many investors have been buying homes near light rail for the past couple of years in anticipation of the grand opening. I am talking to others looking at areas along future extensions (hint, the Mesa extension is a great example) already as long term outlooks make sense to some of them.

I have also enclosed this "map based" mls search link along with a sample search of homes near light rail around Tempe's Mill Avenue District for anyone that might want to zoom in and out of different areas to get an idea of pricing, availability etc. Take a look!

Hey ASU Football fans... Did you know that RailLife.com is giving away 2 free ASU football tickets for next Saturday's game against Oregon? It's true! All you have to do is visit the Rail Life Blog (<---click there>

Oh yeah, have you seen the cool video from the Cal game? Thanks to my buddy Mike Mueller for getting the girls to say "Hi Nick!" Take a listen :-)

Tempe has a ton of wonderful and diverse communities. From horse property to ultra luxury urban communities and just about everything in between.

Saturday, October 18th is "G.A.I.N" night which stands for Getting Arizona Involved in Neighborhoods and is designed to heighten crime prevention awareness in neighborhoods. Lori and I will once again be joining several of our neighbors in participating in this fun event with our kids at Stroud Park in Tempe. The Camelot Village Neighborhood Association is involved and they describe the night as a partnership effort between the Tempe Police Department and Neighborhood Watch Programs, Neighborhood Associations and Apartment Communities. During G.A.I.N. residents lock their doors, turn on the their porch lights and spend the evening outdoors with their neighbors.

Camelot Village is just one of the great neighborhoods near the park and just a small sample of the Tempe lifestyle. We walk to Stroud Park often and enjoy the playground, basketball hoops, large grass areas and of course the kids love the "sea shells" along the canal. Come on over and join us on the 18th for GAIN! There will be food and a lot of fun people to hang out with. Feel free to bring a dish to share or to just come check it out!

In case you are curuius, I have enclosed some information on a few of the homes available in this area. Of course, to search the mls for other homes in Tempe or any place else in the valley, you can do so on our web site! :-)

For the month of October, we have gone PINK in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness. This is a great opportunity to tell our friends about FREE mammograms.

For many years, I have sponsored teams for the "Climb to Conquer Cancer" as it is a cause very near and dear to my heart. There are many other great ways to get involved in helping raise money and awareness. In fact, a friend of ours is helping with a "Relay for Life" event this month. Take a look!

You should also know that the Breast Cancer site is having trouble getting enough people to click on their site daily to meet their quota of donating at least one free mammogram a day to an underprivileged woman. It takes less than a minute to go to their site and click on 'donating a mammogram' for free (pink window in the middle). This doesn't cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate mammograms in exchange for advertising. We can all do a lot to help!

Recently, I was invited to the Fox 10 studios to talk about real estate and my business. This was a great opportunity for me to help people get a better feel for what I do. Basically, I was able to share:

1. A little bit of my background. I talked about living in the area for over 35 years and about the fact that I have been selling real estate in the valley for the past 16 years.

2. Some of the tools we use to help clients. Everyone knows that most people begin their search on the internet. We will continue to grow our on line presence in ways that help buyers and sellers. ie: great mls search tools etc. etc.

3. Some of the trends I see in the real estate market. I was able to share my opinion that many people are looking for great homes in great locations. Unfortunately, when the market was out of control, some people didn't consider some of these key points as much as they should have. Thankfully, there is enough inventory in great locations that people can get back to making more rational decisions.

4. My contact information. Of course, we are easy to find on the web but having multiple office locations with Realty Executives in the valley as well as other locations all over the world allow me to help people moving to the area as well as from the area. Basically, I was able to tell people to "Just Call Nick!" at 602-803-Nick (6425)

Thanks so much to Fox, I had a lot of fun.