I'm sure the hostility will show 'em...

Could the recent political events go any better for this free enterprise and private property rights guy?? We saw the ACC Line Siting Committee pass through a recommendation for approval for one of the proposed solar projects. Also, the results of the election for Senate back east this week were sweet, where indeed party politics took a back seat and the independent voice prevailed -- which is nice. The whole global warming fraud continues to fall apart as the Copenhagen Accord begins to collapse, and even McCain Feingold fell apart.

Really... could it get any better?? That question appears to have a yes.

From the KDMiner.com...

KINGMAN - Local advocacy group Residents Against Irresponsible Development has canceled its series of monthly town hall meetings, citing its perceived poor treatment by the Kingman City Council.

Poor treatment?? Were they waterboarded or something??

Oh and advocacy group?? Give me a break... the last time they 'advocated' was for a 160 or so acre park, or was it a 17 or so acre water ditch, well in either case the political action committee is hardly a community advocate.

RAID president Harley Pettit, who himself ran a failed bid for Council two years ago, said his group decided to cancel the town halls shortly after RAID member Bill Delmar was passed up for two separate vacancies on the Planning and Zoning Commission late last year.

Certainly harsh treatment applied there, oh boy. Well nothing says we're taking our ball and going home better than the above I guess. Maybe RAID PAC should take a hint or two.

Delmar, who previously served as a planner for the Mohave County Development Services Department and has more than 20 years of planning experience, was shot down by Councilman Ray Lyons at Council's Oct. 19 meeting. Lyons dismissed Delmar for having a "conflict of interest" due to his membership in RAID. While he did not elaborate on his reasoning, Lyons claimed that, even if Delmar had agreed to resign his membership in the organization, "once a member of RAID, always a member of RAID."

"We took that as a real snub," Pettit said. "They didn't do anything about Ray Lyons' comment, and the respect that we've gained over the last several years just got thrown in our face."

What was the council supposed to do about it?? Again, perhaps RAID PAC could begin to take a hint or two.

Instead, Council appointed Realtor Sandi Reynolds to replace Todd Tarson, another Realtor. In December, Delmar was again passed over in favor of developer Craig Schritter, who replaced retiring commission chairwoman Dorian Trahan. Pettit claimed that Councilman Deering "practically leapt out of his seat" to nominate Schritter, with no discussion held on Delmar's qualifications for the job.

"Regardless of who Bill Delmar associates with, he's obviously qualified," Pettit said. "He would've been a perfect liaison between the city and the county. This guy was offering to do for free what he used to get paid for."

As someone who did sit on the Planning and Zoning Commission (yeah that is my name above), even for just a short eight months or so... I can say that what Mr. Pettit is describing about liaison between the county and the city, plus, the offering to do for free what he could get paid for does not apply to sitting on the Commission.

So long as you can read and are at least a bit curious, in my opinion, a person is qualified to serve the community on any one of the commissions. Doesn't mean you'll get a spot though.

Pettit added that he was baffled by the appointments of Reynolds and Schritter over Delmar, since he believed the case could be made that a Realtor and a developer would have a much greater potential for conflicts of interest than a retired ex-planner.

As a Realtor and a former P&Z commissioner... conflict of interest would have never come up unless I requested a zoning change (using zoning change as example), had a direct family member requesting a zoning change, or had an employment agreement with a principal requesting a zoning change. Now all are certainly plausible possibilities, however they would be very rare occurrences.

And here is the last one from the article...

"Just the complete lack of respect over a person who's completely qualified, it was beyond any common sense," he said. "I mean, I like Craig, but this just shouldn't be his job. I campaigned with him, he's a fine person, but he's a proverbial dentist in a brain surgeon job."

Wow... what an asshole thing to say in public about someone you just said you like.

Hopefully this helps end the RAID PAC's little charade here in Kingman. What a hissy fit these adults are throwing over their man not getting a seat on the P&Z commission (and Harley it is a volunteer position not a 'job').

A couple of parting shots... first I think the RAID PAC kids just might be doing this because they want to bring negative attention against a current city council member who is involved currently in an election. RAID PAC has used the Miner over the years to get their message out, though it is surprising that part of their message is calling a new P&Z commish out as not qualified.

The other thing here is... have you seen and heard this Bill Delmar at public meetings?? There is something to be said for first impressions... and if Craig Schritter is, in RAID PAC words, a dentist in a brain surgeon job then that makes Mr. Delmar an ex-planner in a brain surgeons job (no offense to planners or ex-planners).

Never was 'your backyard' NIMBY's

According to this mornings article at the KDMiner.com, the proposed solar plant near red lake received one more green light needed to begin development. Read more about that right here.

Of course that is great news if you are hopeful for positive economic development and/or simply believe in private property rights in Mohave County. However, I wanted to blog a bit about a different article that appeared the day before, this one actually. Below are my favorite parts...

KINGMAN - Two Mohave County residents who hoped to participate in Arizona Corporation Commission's Line Siting Committee's review of the Hualapai Valley Solar project Tuesday morning were disappointed.

HVS is asking for a certificate of environmental compatibility for its proposed 340-megawatt concentrated solar power plant to be built about 27 miles north of Kingman near Red Lake.

Residents Denise Bensusan and Susan Bayer filed to become interveners in the committee process in December. An intervener is allowed to call and cross-examine witnesses as well as present testimony to the commission.

You know that every now and then I have a beef with the editor of the Miner, he calls people fed up with federal waste and spending racists and gets his young writers in trouble with readers for ridiculous headlines, and once again another crappy headline. Notice above from the article is starts out by saying 'Two Mohave County residents'... yet the headline says 'Residents denied part in solar plant review'. The headline makes it sound as if ALL residents were denied the chance to speak in front of the Line Siting Committee... and I'm sure it was done on purpose.

Okay, back to the good stuff...

On Tuesday morning, both women were questioned as to why they wanted to become interveners.

Both said they were concerned about the impact the proposed solar plant would have on their community, the wildlife and the water table in the area.

"This is our neighborhood, our backyard," Bensusan said.

No... for the 1,000th time, it is NOT your backyard. You don't own it... never have -- never will.

I have to tell you, the reader, that over the years that the two women in this article have been appearing at government meetings to 'intervene' with private property rights in Mohave County I have been told many times about the property that one of them owns (not that I have ever cared one way or the other -- I've never written about it and won't here either). I will share only this, the location is out in unincorporated county area which likely means she has a well -- and the well does not have an imposition such as a meter on it -- which likely means she has rights to the water (from some aquifer) under her land. Yet here she always is, telling other private property owners what they can and can't do... yes of course it is silly.

Once again, unless your metes and bounds happen across the particular 4,000 acres or so in question where the solar field will be located -- AND -- your name is on that legal description... IT IS NOT IN YOUR BACKYARD!!

Committee member Gregg Houtz asked if both women had participated in the approval process at the county level.

Both said they had, but they felt that their voices were not heard.

Priceless... oh their voices are always heard, but there is a difference between hearing and listening.

Committee member Barry Wong made a motion to approve intervener status for the two residents. The motion failed for the lack of a second.

Chairman John Foreman told Bensusan and Bayer that because the motion failed, they would not be able to act as interveners, but they would be allowed to testify before the committee at a later time.

Again headline writer at the Miner... notice 'two residents'.

Also... I wish I was there for those precious moments.

"I feel that eliminating both of us is defeating the meaning of the (line siting) process. The community has a lot to say about what's happening in their neighborhood," Bensusan said.

Since when have these two women been considered the community?? What have they done and accomplished to earn the right to speak for the community?? Sure, I'll always support their right to speak for themselves (I love the entertainment), but dern it I'm tired of them pretending to speak for something more than their imagination.

last one...

"You have not been eliminated from this process," Foreman said. The two residents would have the opportunity to submit comments and evidence into the record for consideration by the committee, he said.

The committee has had previous experiences with residents wanting to act as interveners; some have been able to act as interveners very well, others have not, he said.

And the committee spoke to which category these two would have fallen.

See folks, this is the type of stuff that I have come to miss about being in Mohave County on a more regular basis. I used to be sarcastic in promoting these events as entertainment, saying that for the money it was the best form of entertainment (at least in Kingman) around. But basically '/sarcasm off' these days as this here is good entertainment. For realzzzz!!

Next step for the HVS solar project is a date in March with the Arizona Corporation Commission. Hopefully the lights will remain green along the way. Respecting private property rights and expanding the tax base in Mohave County will pay off for the community, no I'm not speaking for the community when I say that... just a prediction.

Every time you flush...

Depending how things work out a few years down the road, every time you flush your toilet you might be helping put some decent revenue into the local city coffers.

See this article for what I'm referring to.

From that article...

KINGMAN - The Kingman City Council on Monday chose not to adopt a new policy regulating the sale of reclaimed wastewater, opting instead to indefinitely continuing the item until additional parts of the policy are clarified.

City staff drew up the new policies with assistance from the engineering firm Brown & Caldwell in anticipation of its eventual completion of upgrades to the Hilltop Wastewater Treatment Plant northeast of town.

Once the plant is finished in 2011, it will be capable of producing up to one million gallons of high-quality effluent water each day, which in turn could be sold as a cheaper substitute for potable water to businesses such as golf courses or certain industrial and agricultural companies.

The policy proposes charging $0.643 for every 1,000 gallons of reclaimed water purchased from the city.

Read the rest if you'd like -- for now though nothing is settled on the subject.

Still, I find it pretty interesting that we know of one particular party that expressed the wish to use what we all flush down the toilet (talking about a certain solar power plant).

Until some other interested parties start showing up, wanting to buy our 'crap', I thought I might add some mathematics to see if there would be any benefits to the community.

I think back to all the fuss the water worry warts espouse about a solar power plant wasting water to the tune of 4,000 acre feet a year or so and have decided that the figure is worth this exercise.

The other figure I'll use is the $0.643 per 1,000 gallons of purchased reclaimed water (as noted from the article pasted above).

So let's begin...

There are 325,851 US gallons in an acre foot of water (the article mentions that us folks in Kingman produce nearly a million gallons of waste a day that could become reclaimed water, or approximately 3 acre feet a day).

So we multiply 325,851 US gallons by 4,000 acre feet to total 1,303,404,000 US gallons a year.

Now we divide the 1,303,404,000 figure by 1,000 to arrive at 1,303,404 units of purchase.

The rest is simple, again multiply 1,303,404 times $0.643 to arrive at $838,088 and some change per year. Seems like a nice revenue shot to me, of course though I have no idea what the costs and such are to derive at a profit margin.

So what could be done with a percentage of the revenue?? Not for me to decide, but my idea would be to put some of it towards the costs to develop future water resources to the area in one form or another. But paving some roads wouldn't be such a bad idea either... or a new Interstate interchange... or simply to help balance the budget if need be.

In any case, if all this comes to pass and Kingman figures out a way to capture some revenue in this manner -- I guess I'll leave the water running when I'm brushing my teeth. Everyone's gotta do their part you know.

The local community organizers...

I received the following email that I'll share, my style (think scissors of course). The email comes from one of the anti private property rights loons so already you know the email is a waste of your time, but let me entertain you for a bit (it has been awhile).

Dear Friends and Fellow Concerned Citizens,

We (a group of concerned citizens) have organized a PRIVATE brainstorming session on January 6th, 2010, 2:00 p.m. till 5:00 p.m. in the big room at the Kingman Public Library located at 3269 N. Burbank Street, Kingman, AZ.

The intent is to review and produce credible OPPOSITION presentations to the Arizona Corporation Commission's (ACC) Line Siting Committees Hearing concerning the "proposed " Hualapai Valley Solar "WET-COOLED" parabolic trough solar power plant. The hearing is being held at The Hampton Inn and Suites, 1791 Sycamore Avenue, Kingman AZ. and shall begin on Tuesday, January 12, 2010, at 9:30 a.m. and continue on Wednesday, January 13, 2010, at 9:30 a.m., and, if necessary, Thursday, January 14, 2010, at 9:30 a.m.. The hearing will adjourn at approximately 5:OO p.m. on each day. Additional hearings, if necessary, will be noticed on the Project and Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) websites. https://edocket.azcc.gov/ plug in docket # 09-0541-00151 to view documents.

So far no big deal as far as I can see. I even sort of admire the water worry warts here because they realize they need to appeal to the majority of local folks either not on their side to begin with, or haven't been paying much attention in the first place. I believe it is the latter the water worry warts are hoping to deceive... I mean reach out to. More...

Organizing a structured and thorough OPPOSITION to the proposed "wet-cooled" Hualapai Valley Solar Plant's ACC application is imperative to the future of Mohave County. If we collectively assimilate organized and factual science into our presentations we can be assured of positive results.

And here is where it all falls apart for these darlings. They have no factual science to use in their presentations, never have -- never will.

But I do love the 'collectively assimilate' usage... I figured all along that the water worry warts were part of the Borg all along... and sadly if locals do not wake up to their tactics, resistance will be futile.

I hope someone on the good guys side attends this meeting... just for the laughs mostly. I'd love to see the lies... errr... I mean factual science they intend to use to dupe the ACC.

Through joint efforts we can also assist others (citizens, neighbors, friends, families, associates etc.) in assuring their comments are recorded appropriately and given the attention that it deserves which will make a positive impact on these very important decisions being made by ACC.

Now, in all seriousness, I can admire the effort the water worry warts are taking to 'teach' the folks how to lie... errr... make a case that there is no water left in Mohave County. And in Arizona, if they tug at the right heart strings of the sitting ACC members just right, they will get their wish to further erode private property rights and see to it that less positive economic activity is ushered in to the area.

Property rights and free enterprise -- more threatened in Mohave County than the supply of water. That's a fact.

We are sending you this "personal invitation" but please feel free to invite like minded friends and associates as well. This is an OPPOSITION effort to the project so only those OPPOSING the "wet-cooled" solar project will be welcomed to participate.

The citizens invited to participate in this session are some of the brightest and most independent minds in Mohave County! Thank you in advance for caring about your community enough to speak out in defense of the same!

Obviously I did not get a 'personal invitation' to this event, chances are if you are reading about this community organizing event here on this site for the first time -- you didn't get personally invited either. But... that doesn't mean you can't attend, right??

I honestly wish I could attend this meeting on January 6th from 2:00pm to 5:00pm at the Kingman library on Burbank (I'm guessing either the room a the library wasn't available after normal working hours or could it really be that all the 'brightest and independent minds in Mohave County' are retired or unemployed).

If you are concerned with private property rights and free enterprise and now plan to attend, I ask that you be nice and respectful in any interactions you might have with the water worry warts. If anything ask easy questions (like 'when??') and listen to their answers. But mostly, I urge everyone to be courteous and respectful (even though you would not get the same in return if the tables were turned).

Kingman Colorado River allocations just another deposit in the bank.

Arizona House of Representative, Nancy McLain is keeping her promise to once again initiate a bill this coming session to pass legislation to lift the industrial use only allocation from the remaining 3500 acre feet of Colorado River water allocations still held by the city of Kingman. Water availability is a concern to all of us. Many of us fail to understand the terms, laws or the regulative authorities involved through out the State. Many base our opinion and understanding of information relayed upon what is applicable or tangible to us.

The Colorado River is regulated by the Federal Bureau of Reclamation. It would serve us well to understand that this is not State regulated water, although the state of Arizona does have authority to regulate its allotted water from the Colorado River. This is done primarily in conjunction with the Central Arizona Project, an active management area (AMA) better known as CAP. For now, forget what you may think you know about groundwater, surface water, AMA's, property rights, wells and basins. It is important that we all understand how the Colorado River allocations came to be:

http://ag.arizona.edu/AZWATER/arroyo/101comm.html

Keep in mind that this agreement created a "bank" so that receivers could maintain their allocation excesses to prevent or ease the short term drought conditions or future availability declines. This was the beginning of the term "banking water", or to bank water credits. Originally intended to be shared among the States within their designated regions, as the demand for water became more prevalent in other States, the banked water is now being looked at by the Lower Colorado River Basin States as a solution for places as far from the river itself as San Antonio, Texas. Which brings into play the yet to be determined, "third party impact".

http://cedb.asce.org/cgi/WWWdisplay.cgi?9602671

How Arizona may be affected seems alarming:

http://westernfarmpress.com/mag/farming_arizona_faces_potential/

Remember, we are talking about Colorado River allocations now, not basins or wells or even Arizona surface water. The point needs to be made that Arizona has other resources as I am sure do the other seven states benefiting from the Colorado River allocations. This is key since Mohave County is sitting on four very large basins and though most of us in our area think that the Colorado River water has nothing to do with us, it does. As these allocations become less available, our basin water will become more vulnerable to the demands of the larger populations in the southern portions of the State.

Bullhead City and Lake Havasu City are "river communities". They have been very successful in keeping up the pace with their allotted river allocations and the politics that go with preserving those allocations. They have actively participated with Phoenix in banking their allocation excesses so why would they need to change legislation to purchase the remaining 3500 ac ft of industrial use only allocations from Kingman? Two thoughts come to mind. When you "bank" water, you are not storing actual water in a big reservoir to keep in reserve for when you need it. You are banking "credits", the water doesn't exist, it is just your interest or entitlement to that water that exists. So even though they have credits or water banked in Phoenix, it does not mean that Phoenix has the actual water to back those credits up. The river level rises and falls depending upon actual rainfall/snowfall run-offs, demand of use and the codes of threat advisory Homeland Security feels the dams may be under. It cannot be accurately predicted from one year to the next. CAP banks its credits with the other participating states of the Lower Colorado River Basin, which means it may not have the available water to access to send back down the line.

The other is as simple as the reasoning behind our Nation's current economic crisis that we have all been trying to sort out, greed. It is easy to bank credits that investors and lenders earn revenues from through the trade of shared interest, and we do all love to see those statements that show that our interest or account balance has grown. (Just ask Bernie's investors) But when the water banking bubble bursts, it is going to take more than a Stimulus Plan, Bailout or printing more money to keep us afloat. It will be Mohave County's actual water supply and economic development with it on the line to secure that Bullhead City, Lake Havasu City and the great state of Maricopa continue to thrive.

Now think wells, basins and surface water. That is where the "third party impact" is going to play out for us locally. Maybe it is also time to re-think pipeline and re-visit other possible solutions or explore new options. It is past time that we started considering the influence of the Colorado River allocations to Mohave County, we have to catch up with available resource options, educate ourselves politically, become as water savvy of the Colorado River allocations as we are groundwater. Bullhead City and Lake Havasu City are very versed on the applications and terms surrounding the Colorado River allocations, for them groundwater language, specifically aquifers not regulated by AMA's, and its applications are what is lacking fluency. Do not think for one moment that will hold them back or the MCWA from selling Kingman's allocations literally, down the river.

http://www.azwaterbank.gov/awba/

Golden Valley Ahead of Its Time?

Recently I have been involved with the Golden Valley Chamber of Commerce, which is non-profit and remains in operation by the commitment of its volunteers. It's seen its ups and downs over the past 26 years, but it has weathered and seasoned into its own hallmark. When I first moved to Arizona in 1997 the 'Chamber didn't have a building of its own and operated partially out of Ed Bruce's office up by the (soon to re-open) Ocotillo on Hwy 68. Even then, the 'Chamber was where newcomers got their info and residents stated their communal concerns. Preserving the rural lifestyle of Golden Valley has long been a struggle and has led to many rigorous conversations regarding growth, water availability and planning. The 'Chamber of course has remained neutral, not taking an official position one way or the other politically while offering as much information as available to the community.

Long before "Climate Change", "Global Warming", "sustainability" and other catch phrases of the day evolved into the latest used vernacular for "being green", the Golden Valley Area Plan Committee valued their goals of preserving their lifestyle enough to have it stated in the executive summary:"Guard the individual’s property rights, quality of life and the environment in this rural community. Obtain reasonable development density and open-space which will remain non-intrusive on the neighborhood. Look for and support commercial and industrial development that is environmentally sensitive, offers quality employment, provides for the needs of the community and increases the tax base. Develop healthy, uncluttered neighborhoods for all that own property and live within the community. Enhance public safety infrastructure and opportunities for family oriented activities. Nourish the quiet enjoyment, scenic views, and night sky that make this a wonderful environment for the entire community.
(see: http://resource.co.mohave.az.us/File/PlanningAndZoning/GVAP.pdf pg. 2)

Finding commercial and industrial development that is environmentally sensitive, while offering quality employment and providing for the needs of the community while increasing the tax base has been a challenge over the past 35 years or so since the plan was adopted, but the times are rapidly changing. Seems that suddenly Golden Valley is more politically correct than once assumed. The growth controversies, water availabilities and economic development challenges may soon find themselves in an era of resolution and the Golden Valley Chamber of Commerce is taking its position of being the conduit of available information as a community oriented service for the 'Valley once again.

Hopefully most of you saw The Daily Miner this week with its highlight on Bobbi Case, the Golden Valley Chamber of Commerce President on the front page.

(see: http://kingmandailyminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=34949&TM=45650.53)

Mohave County has long searched and struggled to secure economic development that would perpetuate a stable and strong economic base. During the past few years, our I40 Industrial Corridor has seen its power source improved to actually support a manufacturing base to attract developers. Water availability issues are being worked on continuously and as expeditiously as possible to insure that there is water and service to support the Corridor. Mohave Community College and the JTED vocational courses are being quickly reviewed and modified to insure that we will have an available skilled work force to strengthen our "draw" to industry. We even have solar plants and the biodiesal plant approved with a new E-zone. So the next question should be as Bobbi poised, "Why couldn't we manufacture some of those things (solar panels and wind turbines or support equipment) here?" It may not have been the specific conception of the Golden Valley Area Plan Committee all those years ago when they initiated and approved the area plan, but Mohave County is desirable for the upcoming industrial age; renewable, sustainable...environmentally sensitive and very economically sound with plenty of tax revenue generating potential. And Golden Valley is strategically located to benefit.

The question that seems to remain unanswered is if Golden Valley's rural lifestyle can still be genuinely preserved along the way. Will the quiet enjoyment of the property owners along with their water rights, their quality of life be sacrificed or will the Golden Valley Area Plan be the sustaining force that not only encourages the current development d' jour but meets the original intent of its planning committee. Will Golden Valley remain a sleeper community en route between Kingman, AZ and Laughlin, NV or could it possibly be the model for rural communities facing similar issues across the nation? Who would have thought that a group of local people could have been so progressive 35 years ago before "Global Warming"/ "Climate Change", and to think, they were and still are, all volunteers. Volunteers and community service, even the participation has been conceptually "green".

Happy Thanksgiving folks!!

Ahh... I love the classics. Thanksgiving is such a beautiful holiday, my sincere best wishes go out to you and yours (yeah Loyd, especially you).

What am I thankful for this year?? Well I'm thankful for the hacker that blew the lid off the Global Warming nonsense.

October Sales Report (2009)

My bad for getting these sales reports out later and later every month, just been busy working and haven't found the time. Plus, I'm living with my wife again after almost a couple of years so blogging hasn't been as needed to pass the time nearly as much.

Well this report won't show anything all that new, but it is showing how this year is going to end up basically. It will be the best year in terms of total number of units sold since 2006 (it will come up well short of the number posted that year), and the average price will be the lowest since I started collecting this data back in 2004.

And unfortunately this year will mark another poor performance by sellers... traditional sellers that is. Banks have dominated the sales in 2009 via the foreclosure sale, and while I don't track short sales at all, it is an easy guess that banks played a big role in the final sales for the traditional sellers as well. 2009 will be the year of the bank in this market by the looks of it.

So let's get to the looks of it -- looks of it getters... after the disclaimer first of course...

Disclaimer... all data compiled for this report comes from the WARDEX Data Exchange and does not include any sales activity from outside that resource. All research is done only on single family homes and there is no inclusion of modular homes, commercial properties, or vacant land. The geographical area researched includes; all areas within the boundaries of the city of Kingman, north Kingman, the Hualapai Mountain area, and the Valle Vista subdivisions. Click here to see maps of the included area's.

Listings and sales in units chart:

Unit sales fell as compared to the previous month, but still... third best month in these terms this year.

Average listings and sales averages chart:

Ho-hum.

2006 through 2009 unit sales chart:

Shaping up to be fine year unit wise.

Sales in October of 2009 were up 18% compared to the previous year.

2006 through 2009 average price chart:

Almost gives the impression of a floor... the green line that represents the average price in each month in 2009 that is.

The average price slipped 21% as compared to the October of 2008 average sales price.

2006 through 2009 median price chart:


The median price fell 22% compared to October of last year.

Final sales prices in October 2009 ranged from $24,000 to $298,000.


Average SFR statistics:

Data tables for all sales tracked in October 2009

Price Data

Item	Oct. '09
Average Price per Unit Sold	$112,600
Median Price per Unit Sold	$95,000
Average Price per Square Foot	$74

House Data

Item	Oct. '09
Ave Living Space per Square Foot	1,521
Bedrooms	2.99
Bathrooms	2.01
Garage	2.09
Year Built	1994

Marketing Data

Item	Oct. '09
Days on Market to Contract	71
Days on Market to Close	108
Price Reductions on Market	$19,509
Negotiated Price Concessions	$5,674
Total Price Concessions	$15,183
Total Percent Conceded	11.88%

Bonus Charts:

Traditional Seller vs. Bank Owned sales comparison for October 2009

Price Data

Item	Traditional Seller	Bank Owned
Total Units Sold in Month	27	40
Average Price per Unit Sold	$126,484	$103,228
Median Price per Unit Sold	$117,950	$77,900
Average Price per Square Foot	$86	$67

House Data

Item	Traditional Seller	Bank Owned
Ave Living Space per Square Foot	1,478	1,549
Bedrooms	3.00	2.98
Bathrooms	2.00	2.03
Garage	2.19	2.03
Year Built	2000	1990

Marketing Data

Item	Traditional Seller	Bank Owned
Days on Market to Contract	115	41
Days on Market to Close	152	79
Price Reductions on Market	$12,419	$7,544
Negotiated Price Concessions	$8,092	$4,043
Total Price Concessions	$20,511	$11,587
Total Percent Conceded	14%	10%

Wrap Up:

Not much to wrap up as the data says all that really needs to be said. I did notice a slight increase in the average price per square foot of the bank owned foreclosure sales, I'll keep tabs on that. But for the most part, if you are in need of a home and are ready, willing, and able to buy one, you have the ability to purchase at beneath 2004 prices. Does that mean it is a great time to buy?? Only you can answer that one.

Happy hunting.

Unemployment map...

Check this out... it is a map that shows county by county unemployment rates starting back in January 2007. Mohave County is hard to miss on this map... unfortunately.

Updated:

Property rights vs. water...

Local governmental decisions are expected tomorrow on the two proposed solar plants in Mohave County. Here is a link to a nice little preview of the county supervisor meeting, and a blurb worth noting...

If the Board approves the amendments, both solar companies will still have to get all of the necessary federal and state permits before they can start construction.

See folks, it is not the end tomorrow... for neither side... whichever side you may be on.

I'm simply on the side of the property owner and I feel that the local government should respect private property rights to the very last degree. The decision the supervisors make will have much less to do about water than property rights.

UPDATED:

According to the writing of Donna Crouse in the comments below... both proposed solar projects passed the Mohave County Board of Supervisors at today's meeting. Thanks so much Donna for the update.

Veterans Day

In honor of those who have sacrificed for our freedom...



Thank you.

With headlines like these...

It's funny when the KDMiner editor gets all uppity about what is best for the community and then turns around and offers up the following headline...

Angry bikers to converge on Kingman

Just a crappy headline in so many ways.

However, the article itself is certainly worth a read. I even see some concerns for private property rights issues in this deal. From the article...

Deborah Barry, owner of Mad Dog's, said she instituted a "no colors" policy more than a month ago because of the surveillance being conducted by police in her parking lot. Because the bikers were being watched and photographed, they were less likely to drink, which led to a drop in revenue, and ultimately, the ban on colors, she said.

Barry said she was never threatened to have her liquor license revoked if she didn't ban colors.

Look, I don't know enough about motorcycle clubs... I don't drink at bars with any sort of frequency... or even know a dern thing about motorcycles for that matter -- but I'm siding with the motorcycle club chairman from the article and proprietors of private establishments if indeed it is true that some level of government is hanging the threat of a state liquor license against a property owner if they don't institute some policy that isn't even a law passed by the people.

It is becoming clear that it is time to remember our rights... and more importantly to protect them.

But some good news in defiance to the headline...

Ray said up to 2,000 riders could roll into Kingman by Saturday. He said he was aware of a couple of groups of more than 400 riders coming from Phoenix.

Ray said the riders have been invited to take part in the Veteran's Day parade in North Kingman Saturday morning. The parade will begin at 11 a.m. at the corner of North Bond Street and Northern Avenue.

Too bad for the city of Kingman though I guess that the newly voted on increase in hotel room rates won't be in effect for the visit. Maybe the 'angry bikers' won't be so angry when they find out they'll save a buck or two.

Feathers ruffled...

Just watch the latest city council meeting starting at about minute 11 and again around the 19 minute mark..

As someone that only knows the RAID member (being talked about in the video that was a possible appointee to the city Planning and Zoning commission) based on what I have observed the gentleman say at local public meetings, I honestly do not know the man or have ever had any kind of conversation with him before... for all I know he is the sweetest man to ever walk the face of the earth... but at public meetings (either city of Kingman or Mohave County variety) he rarely makes a damn bit of sense.

I missed what went on at the prior City Council meeting when Sandi Reynolds was selected by the council to fill the seat vacated on the city Planning and Zoning commission, but between the choices that were moved to be considered... Councilman Lyons and the rest made the right decision in my opinion.

I enjoyed watching the majority of RAID members speak at the most recent call to the public. I've met a couple of the individual members of RAID and each time found each individual member to be genuine and courteous... but together as a group, I (and a whole lot of others around the city) disagree with the stance that RAID has taken on some important issues. Truth be told Mr. Lyons gave that group a taste of their own medicine.

Seriously, they do the same stuff, you've heard members of this group go negative talking about developers, builders, etc. What councilman Lyons said is no different, and he certainly has his Constitutional right to disagree with a community group such as RAID.

Buck up kids.

Hopefully by now Councilman Lyons and the vast RAID organization has had themselves a cup of java or two by now and this episode blows over.

October Listings Report (2009)

November already, wow. There has been a pleasant and noticeable increase in activity all throughout the year, and each time I think the level of activity is about to fall off -- I get to report another bump to the good side in terms of unit activity. So without making you wait much longer, much longer waiters, here is the disclaimer...

Disclaimer... all data compiled for this report comes from the WARDEX Data Exchange and does not include any sales activity from outside that resource. All research is done only on single family homes and there is no inclusion of modular homes, commercial properties, or vacant land. The geographical area researched includes; all areas within the boundaries of the city of Kingman, north Kingman, the Hualapai Mountain area, and the Valle Vista subdivisions. Click here to see maps of the included area's.

Data tables for all new listings tracked in the month of October 2009

As of November 1 Total Listings on Market

Item	Total Units	Previous Month
Total Listings On Market	372	430
Total Listings Listed as Foreclosed	63	63

New Listing Data

Item	Month of October	Previous Month
New Listings Total	92	88
New Listings Listed as Foreclosed	46	32
Average Asking Price Per Unit	$137,748	$158,623
Median Asking Price	$99,900	$119,000
Average Asking Price Per Square Foot	$88	$96
Units Re-Listed	9	9
Units Already Under Contract	25	14

New Listing House Data

Item	Month of October	Previous Month
Living Area Square Footage	1,556	1,644
Bedrooms	3.09	3.16
Bathrooms	2.08	2.13
Garage	1.86	2.0
Year Built	1990	1993

Price Range of New Listings in October

Item	Lowest	Highest
Listings	$25,000	$699,000

Total listings on market has really come down throughout this year, and of course compared to the year prior (as you will see later in this report). However, I'm not seeing a ton of good news for traditional sellers... foreclosures are still setting the pace. And now we see that half the new listings for the month were in fact bank owned properties.

I still see and hear reports about a 'shadow inventory' just waiting for the right time to jump back into the market. That would be awfully tough to digest if true for this local market. By the looks of it, the current market has the least amount of available inventory since the heady days of the real estate boom many, many moons ago.

Data tables for all new Units under contract tracked in the month of October 2009

As of November 1 Total Units Under Contract

Item	Total Units	Previous Month
Total Units Under Contract	143	127
Total Contracts Listed as Foreclosed	70	61

Units Under Contract Data

Item	Month of October	Previous Month
New Contracts Total	84	62
New Contracts Listed as Foreclosed	47	36
Average Marketing Price Per Unit	$116,697	$133,579
Median Marketing Price	$102,000	$110,000
Average Marketing Price Per Square Foot	$74	$81
Days on Market to Acquire a Contract	90	92
Average Marketing Price Reduction	$8,738	$14,793

New Units Under Contract House Data

Item	Month of October	Previous Month
Living Area Square Footage	1,585	1,642
Bedrooms	3.17	3.13
Bathrooms	2.04	2.11
Garage	1.77	2.0
Year Built	1993	1995

Price Range of New Pending Contracts in October

Item	Lowest	Highest
Listings	$36,900	$274,900

Activity picks back up again after slowing a bit back in September. Going back to March, on average there have been about 78 new contracts written each month. 2009 has been the most active year by far since the bottom fell out of the local housing market. The reason why it doesn't feel like a rally though... obviously because the banks are, by far, the biggest player on the stage. They are offering the bargains in bulk, the buyers (who have existed all along) have responded to price and perceived value.

So let's take a look at year over year data now...

Year over year data listings/pending contracts

Listings

Item	UP/DOWN	unit/dollar amount	Percentage
Total Listings	DOWN	220	(37%)
New Listings September	DOWN	8	(8%)
Average Price per New Listing	DOWN	$63,689	(32%)
Median List Price	DOWN	$52,000	(34%)

Pending Contracts

Item	UP/DOWN	unit/dollar amount	Percentage
Total Pending Contracts	UP	68	90%
New Contracts for September	UP	37	79%
Average Marketing Price per Unit	DOWN	$48,147	(29%)
Median Marketing Price	DOWN	$32,200	(24%)

Prices have taken a beating and the activity soars. But I gotta say that losing 37% of last years inventory -- somehow, someway -- is the bright spot of this months report. Buyers may soon feel some pressure if that trend continues. The Kingman market may yet see the return of the urgent buyer. Stay tuned.

Ya'll be well.

Looks like an interesting book...

NIMBY Wars...

September Sales Report (2009)

Like a Jimmy Rollins gap shot down one run with two aboard and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning versus... say the Dodgers in game four of the NLCS, the sales activity for the previous month was incredible.

Yes folks, this means I'm watching a bit of baseball these days (the HD tv in my living room has me mesmerized and coupled with the busy days has left me little time to blog). While I'm having fun getting ready for the next opponent for my beloved Phillies I thought I'd pass along the following market report.

I think some of the data will surprise you. The last time my reports showed this much activity in a month I was writing blog posts like this one.

So enjoy this one and I hope to catch up with some other posts about the local happenings over the weekend. Cheers folks...

Disclaimer... all data compiled for this report comes from the WARDEX Data Exchange and does not include any sales activity from outside that resource. All research is done only on single family homes and there is no inclusion of modular homes, commercial properties, or vacant land. The geographical area researched includes; all areas within the boundaries of the city of Kingman, north Kingman, the Hualapai Mountain area, and the Valle Vista subdivisions. Click here to see maps of the included area's.

Listings and sales in units chart:

Oh my... the last time 82 units were sold in a month it was May of 2006... seems like oh so very long ago.

Average listings and sales averages chart:

The song remains the same for prices, no need to delve further.

2006 through 2009 unit sales chart:

Also noteworthy... sales in units in 2009 have already eclipsed the total number of all sales in 2008... with one quarter to go.

Sales in September of 2009 were up 90% compared to the previous year.

2006 through 2009 average price chart:

Prices are meandering a bit, a nice bump for traditional sellers last month though. My hats off to you.

The average price slipped 17% as compared to the September of 2008 average sales price.

2006 through 2009 median price chart:



The median price fell 22% compared to September of last year.

Final sales prices in September 2009 ranged from $18,000 to $292,000.

Average SFR statistics:

Data tables for all sales tracked in September 2009

Price Data

Item	Sep. '09
Average Price per Unit Sold	$121,642
Median Price per Unit Sold	$101,000
Average Price per Square Foot	$76

House Data

Item	Sep. '09
Ave Living Space per Square Foot	1,600
Bedrooms	3.13
Bathrooms	2.11
Garage	1.9
Year Built	1996

Marketing Data

Item	Sep. '09
Days on Market to Contract	84
Days on Market to Close	129
Price Reductions on Market	$10,805
Negotiated Price Concessions	$5,871
Total Price Concessions	$16,676
Total Percent Conceded	12.06%

Bonus Charts:

Traditional Seller vs. Bank Owned sales comparison for September 2009

Price Data

Item	Traditional Seller	Bank Owned
Total Units Sold in Month	34	48
Average Price per Unit Sold	$157,336	$96,358
Median Price per Unit Sold	$125,000	$88,500
Average Price per Square Foot	$93	$63

House Data

Item	Traditional Seller	Bank Owned
Ave Living Space per Square Foot	1,698	1,531
Bedrooms	3.2	3.0
Bathrooms	2.15	2.1
Garage	2.2	1.7
Year Built	1995	1996

Marketing Data

Item	Traditional Seller	Bank Owned
Days on Market to Contract	127	53
Days on Market to Close	174	96
Price Reductions on Market	$13,676	$8,771
Negotiated Price Concessions	$10,879	$2,325
Total Price Concessions	$24,555	$11,096
Total Percent Conceded	13.5%	10.3%

Wrap Up:

As stated earlier... a good month for sellers (and isn't about time!!). Of course keep in mind the splits between traditional sellers and foreclosures... banks still are dominating the sales market at this time.

I was hoping to see an month like September finally after the last few very good months of activity shown in the listing and pending reports.

Not one for making bold predictions or anything so I'll just do like I do as I'm watching my beloved Phillies move on in the playoffs... I just feel at peace and have confidence that things will work themselves out. Plus it doesn't hurt when your team is defending World Champions and look better than they did the previous year. To me Kingman will always be the defending World Champion. Better days ahead.

Just warms my heart...

Here's to hockey season!! Go Flyers!!

September Listings Report (2009)

The good news is that the Philadelphia Phillies clinched their division last night, meaning they get to go on to the playoffs for the third straight season. Means also that my fan related blood pressure will rise for as long as they remain in the playoffs for this next month... the month of October. Really?? Already?? The time sure is flying.

Not sure if there really is any bad news in this listings report. Much of it is the same old same old as we have been accustomed to here in the Kingman area. Let's get right to it, after the disclaimer of course...

Disclaimer... all data compiled for this report comes from the WARDEX Data Exchange and does not include any sales activity from outside that resource. All research is done only on single family homes and there is no inclusion of modular homes, commercial properties, or vacant land. The geographical area researched includes; all areas within the boundaries of the city of Kingman, north Kingman, the Hualapai Mountain area, and the Valle Vista subdivisions. Click here to see maps of the included area's.

Data tables for all new listings tracked in the month of September 2009

As of October 1 Total Listings on Market

Item	Total Units	Previous Month
Total Listings On Market	430	426
Total Listings Listed as Foreclosed	63	62

New Listing Data

Item	Month of September	Previous Month
New Listings Total	88	105
New Listings Listed as Foreclosed	32	43
Average Asking Price Per Unit	$158,623	$133,546
Median Asking Price	$119,000	$109,950
Average Asking Price Per Square Foot	$96	$84
Units Re-Listed	9	11
Units Already Under Contract	14	28

New Listing House Data

Item	Month of September	Previous Month
Living Area Square Footage	1,644	1,582
Bedrooms	3.16	2.97
Bathrooms	2.13	2.06
Garage	2.0	1.89
Year Built	1993	1991

Price Range of New Listings in September

Item	Lowest	Highest
Listings	$29,680	$799,900

The prime selling summer months are over and the numbers reflect that as the total number of new listings in the month of September is down back in the double digits again (where it really needs to be until there is more of something that looks like a balanced market). The average price is up on these new listings, which is not reflective of the market, but probably did so because there were a few high dollar listings that were put on the market in September.

All in all, much of what I expected to see for the month of September.

Data tables for all new Units under contract tracked in the month of September 2009

As of October 1 Total Units Under Contract

Item	Total Units	Previous Month
Total Units Under Contract	127	162
Total Contracts Listed as Foreclosed	61	76

Units Under Contract Data

Item	Month of September	Previous Month
New Contracts Total	62	84
New Contracts Listed as Foreclosed	36	44
Average Marketing Price Per Unit	$133,579	$118,501
Median Marketing Price	$110,000	$101,998
Average Marketing Price Per Square Foot	$81	$77
Days on Market to Acquire a Contract	92	94
Average Marketing Price Reduction	$14,793	$12,828

New Units Under Contract House Data

Item	Month of September	Previous Month
Living Area Square Footage	1,642	1,545
Bedrooms	3.13	3.02
Bathrooms	2.11	2.03
Garage	2.0	1.87
Year Built	1995	1993

Price Range of New Pending Contracts in September

Item	Lowest	Highest
Listings	$24,900	$640,000

More of the same here for new contracts as it was for new listings above. The prime selling summer months have zipped by. Foreclosures remain the most sought after type of housing even with the sagging numbers. Banks didn't see the same sort of drop off in activity as traditional sellers did last month.

Again, typical and what could be expected for this time of year based on the data over the previous years.

So let's take a look at year over year data now...

Year over year data listings/pending contracts

Listings

Item	UP/DOWN	unit/dollar amount	Percentage
Total Listings	DOWN	201	(32%)
New Listings September	DOWN	1	(1%)
Average Price per New Listing	DOWN	$34,737	(18%)
Median List Price	DOWN	$30,450	(20%)

Pending Contracts

Item	UP/DOWN	unit/dollar amount	Percentage
Total Pending Contracts	UP	53	71%
New Contracts for September	UP	8	15%
Average Marketing Price per Unit	DOWN	$18,349	(12%)
Median Marketing Price	DOWN	$15,000	(12%)

Inventory is down and activity is up compared to last year... it is the best thing that can be said looking at the tables. However, inventory is still too high in all reality which most likely means that there will be more pressure on sellers to reduce price further as the market slides into the slower months of the year.

I have a bad feeling that it will feel as if we all took one step forward, but we will have to take a step and a half or two steps back.

Cheers folks.

August Sales Report (2009)

Well here is to the first sales report from New Mexico. Truth be told, I've done some of these reports from other parts of the country before so nothing brand new here. However my main challenge this time is I'm still setting up my computers here in NM and I've not established a new 'routine' if you will. This is why this report comes out today about a week later than normal.

And unfortunately the data in this report is not as hoped. For the first time this year the total number of sales in units in the month is lower than it was in the previous year. There was good news in the listing report earlier this month that showed plenty of activity, meaning a good number of homes going into contract -- but for whatever reason that activity has not equaled success in the number of sales. Let's see the numbers... after the disclaimer of course...

Disclaimer... all data compiled for this report comes from the WARDEX Data Exchange and does not include any sales activity from outside that resource. All research is done only on single family homes and there is no inclusion of modular homes, commercial properties, or vacant land. The geographical area researched includes; all areas within the boundaries of the city of Kingman, north Kingman, the Hualapai Mountain area, and the Valle Vista subdivisions. Click here to see maps of the included area's.

Listings and sales in units chart:

As you can see the numbers on the red line in the graph indicate that the total number of sales topped out in June of this year. I was surprised to see the number fall to 53 for the month of August, normally a strong month for sales. Last year August proved to be the best month for sales, well at least tied for the best month, with 59. So we are off a bit.

Average listings and sales averages chart:

The average sale price seems to have leveled off as I thought it might in a report from a few months ago. More on this later on. For traditional sellers and those thinking about selling please take a good look at the success rate as indicated by the red line in the graph above. If you can market your home at that level, you will have the best chance to move your property quickly.

2006 through 2009 unit sales chart:

In my opinion the softening of production indicates that buyers are a bit more scarce than hoped for, even after the huge decreases in prices over the last year. Where we go from here may not be pretty. Hope I'm very wrong about that though.

Sales in August of 2009 were off about 12% compared to the previous year.

2006 through 2009 average price chart:

The green line in the graph above clearly shows that prices have stabilized quite a bit this year. However, these new lower prices have not brought out as many buyers as hoped for in the Kingman area. I get a bad feeling that we will see another round of falling prices to lure additional buyers to the market. And it will likely be the foreclosures that will move the market price downward yet again.

The average price slipped 22% as compared to the August of 2008 average sales price.

2006 through 2009 median price chart:


The median price fell 27% compared to July of last year.

Final sales prices in August 2009 ranged from $15,000 to $312,000.

Average SFR statistics:

Data tables for all sales tracked in August 2009

Price Data

Item	Aug. '09
Average Price per Unit Sold	$110,069
Median Price per Unit Sold	$96,203
Average Price per Square Foot	$69

House Data

Item	Aug. '09
Ave Living Space per Square Foot	1,585
Bedrooms	2.94
Bathrooms	2.09
Garage	1.77
Year Built	1990

Marketing Data

Item	Aug. '09
Days on Market to Contract	107
Days on Market to Close	142
Price Reductions on Market	$17,340
Negotiated Price Concessions	$6,033
Total Price Concessions	$23,373
Total Percent Conceded	17.5%

Bonus Charts:



Foreclosure Impact:

Another month where we saw the foreclosure listings dominate the sales market. Really take a good look at the side by side comparisons. Scary stuff... for traditional sellers. Actually pretty scary for real estate professionals as well. The marketing time alone before the average traditional seller agrees to a contract... a little over four additional months of waiting for just the right buyer to come along.

Traditional Seller vs. Bank Owned sales comparison for August 2009

Price Data

Item	Traditional Seller	Bank Owned
Total Units Sold in Month	19	34
Average Price per Unit Sold	$130,334	$98,744
Median Price per Unit Sold	$110,000	$86,900
Average Price per Square Foot	$82	$62

House Data

Item	Traditional Seller	Bank Owned
Ave Living Space per Square Foot	1,581	1,587
Bedrooms	2.95	2.94
Bathrooms	2.11	2.09
Garage	2.0	1.65
Year Built	1991	1990

Marketing Data

Item	Traditional Seller	Bank Owned
Days on Market to Contract	195	59
Days on Market to Close	226	94
Price Reductions on Market	$27,842	$11,471
Negotiated Price Concessions	$12,166	$2,606
Total Price Concessions	$40,008	$14,077
Total Percent Conceded	23.5%	12.5%

Wrap Up:

Not much else to add this month as once again the number do tell the story just fine on their own.

I could go on a local political rant about creating demand for the Kingman community, as quite simply there is hardly any demand for property in Kingman at the moment... just like there is hardly any demand for employers to hire employees and all that... but I'll leave that alone at this time.

I still think that the community has so much going for it that could lead to additional demand, Kingman is simply a wonderful place to be. So here is to better days ahead!! See you next month (hopefully I'll find a goodly routine so I get this report out sooner than I did this month).