Month: September 2012

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Action Packed Fall in Flagstaff!

There are so many great events coming up in Flagstaff this fall! One of the benefits of living in a place with four seasons is the variety of events we have year-round. Here are some hand-selected events between now and the end of the year. See the links in most items for more details.

  • Every first Friday of the month attend the First Friday Art Walk starting at 6pm and ending at 9pm. Located in downtown Flagstaff.
  • October 6th from 11am-8pm, join in for some yodeling, beer, brats, Mug Root Beer floats, and live music at the Flagstaff Oktoberfest held at Wheeler Park. Cost is $5 or donate a pair of glasses.
  • Oct 14th will be the last Sunday for the Flagstaff Farmer’s Market held in the parking lot of City Hall. Shopping starts at 8am.
  • Oct 20th the Arboretum will be hosting the Pumpkin Walk featuring nocturnal animal displays, plants, hot cider, fire pit, and kids craft. Come in costume! Fun is from 9am-4pm.
  • The Grand Canyon Railroad is now featuring The Pumpkin Patch Train going out to their secret pumpkin patch every weekend from Oct 6th-Oct 28. The train leaves at 11a, 1p, 3p. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for kids. Kids be ready to pick out your free pumpkin! For more info call 1-800-THETRAIN.
  • Bearizona is featuring its Howly, Growly, Owly Fall Festival with the Howl-O-Ween Express, Haunted Bear Cave, and Raptor Show. Weekends only October 6th-October 29th!
  • Halloween Harvest will be located in downtown at Heritage Square on October 31. There will be games, a pumpkin patch, costume contest and more! Little ghouls can do some trick-or-treating too! Starts at 4pm. Click here for more info.
  • Ride the Grand Canyon Railway’s Polar Express anytime between November 9th-January 5th (days, times, and ticket prices vary). Be sure to reserve your seats now as the trains fill up fast and space is limited. Go to their website to get your tickets today!
  • November 23-December 2 NAU Theatre presents Romeo and Juliet at the Clifford E. White Theater. Check out their website for times and ticket prices http://nau.edu/CAL/Theatre/Events/.
  • On November 24 Little America will be flipping the switch for the 18th Annual Holiday Lights Festival. Activities start at 3pm with the lights turning on at 6:30pm.
  • Winter Wonderland in downtown Heritage Square will begin at 6:30pm on Dec 7th to turn on the Christmas Tree.
  • 14th Annual Northern Lights Parade will be held on December 8th in downtown Flagstaff starting at 6pm. There will be twinkling floats and marching bands!
  • Christmas in the Mountains is a festive holiday concert of familiar carols the whole family will enjoy. Held on December 16th at 3:00pm at the Ardrey Auditorium on the NAU campus. Cost is $20 for adults, $8 for students with ID, and free for children 12 and under.
  • Ring in the New Year with the Weatherford’s Pine Cone Drop on December 31st at 10pm and midnight.

    • Make sure to check out the Flagstaff Convention and Visitor’s Bureau’s calendar here for additional events! Let me know if you’re able to enjoy any of these!

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1 in 3 Realtors Leaves the Business

As you would expect from this challenging real estate market, the number of real estate agents has really taken a dive over the last few years. At the peak of the market, people were joining the real estate industry in droves, thinking it was a glamorous business or that they could make a lot of money easily. As soon as the market started correcting downward, however, these agents realized just how difficult it would be to stay in business. In other words, only those who were serious about their career and committed to gaining the skills necessary to sell homes in this market were able to stay in business full-time.

This attrition has been just as true in Flagstaff as in the nation as a whole. There was a high of 656 Realtors* in northern Arizona in 2007 and it’s down to 401 Realtors in August 2012. That’s a reduction of over 250 agents or 39%! Essentially, more than 1 out of every 3 local Realtors didn’t make it through the recession.

Nationally, the drop was about 27% from a high of 1,370,758 Realtors in October 2006 to 998,983 Realtors in August 2012. This is a return to the same level as spring 2004 and marks the first year that membership has declined to below one million since 2004.

This really is good news for both the full-time agents who are serious about their real estate career and for consumers who are better served by a knowledgable and professional agent who has experience in this type of market.

*Realtors are real estate agents who are members of the National Association of Realtors and their local board, such as the Northern Arizona Association of Realtors.

Source for national membership numbers: http://www.realtor.org/sites/default/files/reports/2012/nar-membership-count-by-month-1970-to-current.pdf

Local stats provided by the Northern Arizona Association of Realtors.