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May 14 at Scottsdale Stadium and featured two coinciding events.
Brokers For Kids was hosted for people who work in commercial real estate to compete, and Agents Bene�iting Children pitted residential real estate agents against one another.
The event was also able to raise money by raffling off a car and a chance at $15,000 donated by Valley Toyota Dealers.
Though the Olympiad was successful, the Active 2030 Club is anxious to build on its most successful event from last year, Nite�lite. Nite�lite is a golf tournament and gala that will be hosted on November 12 and 13, respectively, with the golf being played at McCormick Ranch Golf Club.
The golf tournament was the biggest success for the club in 2020, mainly because it was the only large event it was able to host.
“We were lucky enough that golf never got shut down in Arizona, so we took the necessary precautions to proceed with the golf tournament,” Dennis said. “Because we shifted all of our focus from gala and golf to just golf, we had our most successful golf tournament yet.”
The club is anxious to build on last year’s success and get more donations out to charities across the valley.
It is also excited to host the gala for the �irst time since 2019.
“A lot of these charities have their mission and their goal and it’s cool for the club to see where those funds are going and we just want to support those organizations,” Dennis said.
Dennis, along with the rest of the Active 2030 Club will need all the help they can get to top last year’s successes.
“There’s a lot of opportunities to get involved in terms of volunteering for our events, especially with our Olympiad, we need hundreds of volunteers to assist us with refereeing, check in and coordination,” Dennis said.
For those interested in either joining the club or are interested in having the Active 2030 Club host an event, there are applications on the club’s website for new members and new charities.
“We are always encouraging new members to join and new people to reach out and we are trying to become one of the premier charity organizations in town,” Dennis said.
He expects this year to be the club’s best year to date and cannot wait to get back to work on helping kids.
“It should be a huge record-breaking year for us and we’re really excited,” he said.
Upcoming
Nitefl ite Golf Tournament
When: 9 a.m. Nov. 12. Where: McCormick Ranch Golf Club, 7505 E McCormick Ranch Parkway Info: scottsdale2030.org
Nitefl ite Gala
When: 6 p.m. Nov. 13. Where: The W Scottsdale 7277 E Camelback Road Info: scottsdale2030.org
VETERANS ���� ���� 20
ing to host an inaugural Veterans Leadership Forum on Aug. 19 at Scottsdale’s McCormick Ranch Golf Club.
The aim of the forum, said Pedene, is to spotlight the achievements of veterans in the civilian world – be it business, academics, the arts, or other �ields.
“We want to hear from veterans who have contributed to our community and have them describe how military service has helped them achieve their life goals,” she said. “We hope this forum inspires others whether they’ve worn a uniform or not.”
For information on the Veterans Day Parade, the leadership forum or the other HAV initiatives, visit HonoringAmericasVeterans.org.
Rather than cancel a parade entirely, East Valley Veterans Parade organizers held a “parade in reverse.”
They stationed entries along the traditional route and spectators became the parade by driving past them.
Participants also were encouraged to decorate their own vehicles with patriotic themes as a sign of appreciation for the men and women who served in the military.
The parade theme, “Celebrating Lives of Service,” recognized both military service as well as the many ways veterans continue to serve their communities through first responder and medical careers and other ongoing volunteer service.
When the annual Mesa Veterans Parade fell victim to necessary budget cuts in 2006, local residents Gerry Walker and Frank “Gunny” Alger spoke out on behalf of the 40-year-old Mesa tradition.
Walker remarked at one point, “There will be a Veterans Day parade if it is only me marching down the street with Frank watching.”
The Marine Corps League Saguaro Chapter in Mesa took the lead and the Mesa Veterans Parade Association was formed. In 2013, the all-volunteer organization changed its name to the East Valley Veterans Parade Association to reflect the participation of parade entrants and sponsors from most East Valley communities. Donations to this 501c3 nonprofit organization are tax-deductible. Locals in uniform
Mesa resident David Gates recently competed in the Army Reserve Medical Command’s Best Warrior Competition at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin. Gates, a sergeant and an Army Reserve physical therapist, went through a series of physical and practical proficiency challenges during the contest. The Best Warrior Competition tests individual soldier skills, promotes morale and cohesion, and reinforces the importance of individual excellence.
Gilbert resident and Marine Corps Cpl. Spencer Sargent recently participated in a field training exercise at Quantico, Viginia.
Sargent is an intelligence analyst with headquarters and service battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command. During the field training exercise, Marines conducted land navigation and close, long, and unknown distance shooting while building squad level operational cohesion.
Scottsdale native Jesus C. Lopez is a cyber security specialist and recently participated in a Covid vaccination project at NRG Stadium in Houston. Lopez serves with the 325th Communications Squadron out of Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla
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Valley renters caught in housing price squeeze
BY PAUL MARYNIAK
Progress Executive Editor
Valley renters are increasingly �inding themselves caught between rapidly rising rents and soaring home prices that make buying a house next to impossible. Starter-home prices are rising seven times faster than a typical renter’s income, making saving for a down payment even harder, according to Zillow. The online real estate marketplace earlier this month said its analysis shows �irst-time buyers need a year longer to save enough for a 20 percent down payment than they did in 2017 and must put away an additional $369 per month in the coming year just to keep up with the forecasted growth in home values.
But a report from Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service on July 19 carried depressing news for any buyer, let alone �irst-timers: Year-over-year sale prices in the Phoenix metro region rose a whopping 46.26 percent in June and the current average price of a home is $507,936.
Realtor.com reported, “High demand for a limited supply of rental housing has resulted in skyrocketing prices across the nation – and desperation from those seeking more affordable housing options.” Zillow offered a sunny outlook for renters by noting “monthly payments can remain affordable even with a smaller down payment, and �lexible work options are providing new opportunities for many to buy a home in a less-expensive city.”
That likely doesn’t include the Phoenix metro area, where both rents and house prices are skyrocketing. The Cromford Report, one of the region’s premier analysts of the Valley housing market, said the market appears to be cooling as inventory steadily increases, but warned home prices won't fall – or even weaken. “You would be mistaken if
This 3,693-square-foot home on E. Desert Sage in Scottsdale recently sold for $2.9 million. Built in 2007, the single-story house has three bedrooms and 3 ½ baths.
you think most sellers are asking less for their homes,” it said. Cromford put the median home price in the Valley at $400,000 – higher than the nationwide median of $363,300 for June that the National; Association of Realtors released last week It’s not only home prices that are soaring for renters. Nationally, Realtor.com reported, the median rent hit a new high of $1,575 in June, up 8.1 percent compared with last year.
Phoenix is among the 44 of the nation’s 50 largest cities that “posted new highs, squeezing renters even tighter,” it said. It added that Phoenix median rent soared in June 20.9 percent to $1,590 – a higher median than the national �igure.
“We are seeing an excessive amount of people showing up for rental properties and turning applications in, probably �ive times the amount it was a year ago,” one broker told Realtor.com.
“Similar to the shortage of homes for sale, the number of homes available to rent is historically low, driving prices up,” it said. “That’s hurting cash-strapped renters vying for places to live that �it in their budgets.”
The pandemic’s economic pressures “have not affected everyone equally,” said Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor. com. Realtor.com surmised the shrinking rental inventory may have been partly impacted by landlords “throwing in the towel” as eviction moratorium make it harder for them to pay their own bills.
“Across Arizona and the nation, a lot of protections “are still in place but are close to expiring,” Hale said. Renters who are ultimately evicted will need to �ind new housing going forward, making it harder to �ind a place to rent, he added.
Zillow based its affordability analysis on a starter home price of $148,500.
“If an average renter household saves 10 percent of its income, it would take about six years and �ive months to save enough for a 20 percent down payment on today’s typical starter home worth about $148,500,” it said.
But Zillow also noted that in reality, the typical starter home – the median home in the bottom third of home prices – is worth $270,560. “Without the equity from a previous home sale, �irst-time home buyers face more challenges in coming up with a down payment,” said Zillow economic data analyst Nicole Bachaud, adding:
“In a housing market where prices are rising at record rates, especially when compared to renter incomes, the everincreasing sum of a 20 percent down payment can feel out of reach.
“The good news is that buyers who want to take advantage of today’s low mortgage rates can do so without putting a full 20 percent down – most conventional mortgages allow as little as 3 percent to 5 percent. That lower upfront payment comes with higher monthly payments, but the opportunity to build equity can outweigh those extra costs for many.” Zillow forecasts 14.9 percent appreciation over the next year, which would mean renters need to save an additional $369 per month just to keep up.
Pegging a starter home price of $270,560 in Phoenix, Zillow said it will take 10 years and six months to put away enough for a 20 percent down payment but only just under three years for a 5 percent down. The difference in a mortgage payment at those percentages would be $1,133 and $1,551, respectively, it said.
“A smaller down payment, of course, comes with tradeoffs on the monthly mortgage payment, such as the private mortgage insurance lenders often require borrowers to carry,” Zillow said. Zillow also reported that its analysis found people of color who rent have even greater obstacles saving for a down payment.
“Because of differences in incomes and the lingering impacts of historical inequities, it is more dif�icult for Black and Latinx renters to come up with a down payment on their �irst home,” it said.
“It would take six years and one month for a white renter earning the median income, and four and a half years for an Asian American renter earning the median income to save for a 20 percent down payment on a starter home, compared with nine years and seven months for a Black renter, and seven years and eight months for a Latinx renter.”
