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To be added to our Map of the Month email list please click here: info@powermaps.com

Maps of the Month: 2008 * 2009 * 2010 * 2011 * 2012 * 2013 * 2014 * 2015 * 2016 * 2017 * 2018 * 2019  * 2020


 Map of the Month – January 2018

Best Places to Live in Every State

 

Every publication has ratings for “bests”: best places to retire, best doctors, best restaurants, etc.  We recently reviewed a well-researched ranking of “Best Places to Live in Every State“ by MONEY magazine. Among the criteria were populations between 10,000 and 100,000.  The greatest weight was on economic health, cost-of-living factors, and public-school performance. 

While Paradise Valley, with only 13,971 people, is ranked the best place to live in Arizona, it was not because of household income. Realtor.com contributed housing data. Reporters even checked out neighborhoods and interviewed residents.

See the rankings by Median Household Income here and/or Projected Job Growth here.

 Bestcities 72

 To download map click here: Best Cities in Every State (PDF)



 Map of the Month – February 2018

Single-Family Prices Up 5.56%


Since 2001, we’ve been tracking the yearly appreciation/depreciation of all single-family houses built between 1990 and 1999 which sold between $100,000 and $1,000,000. As below, the 2017 median sale price for this 17,621-data set increased 5.56% to $285,000.

As compared with 2004 through 2013, median price increases have been fairly steady since 2015 suggesting that this segment of the market has stabilized. If the recent pattern continues, median prices should return to the 2006 high of $302,000 in 2018.

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Graph

Chart 

To download map & charts click here: Single-Family Prices Up 5.56% (PDF) 


 Map of the Month – March 2018

Maricopa County; Census Up By 73,650!


The Census recently released population growth, 2016-2017, by County.  As shown on this month’s Map of the Month, Maricopa County added more population than any other County in the U.S. (mostly due to net domestic migration).

Also shown are the 5 Counties that lost the most population.

Better buy stock in U-Haul!

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To download map click here: Maricopa County Population Increase 73,650 (PDF)



 Map of the Month – April 2018

Industrial Market Update


Industrial construction and absorption have been in the news lately. This month we calculated the change in Industrial Inventory for Metro Phoenix from 1st Quarter 2017 to 1st Quarter 2018.  As shown, the most active CoStar sub-markets were “Central Phoenix” and “Southwest North of Buckeye Road”.

 

Under Construction activity as of 1st Quarter 2018 increased by almost 2,000,000 square feet from 1st Quarter 2017 with Goodyear (1,701,700 SF total including 1Q/17) and Tolleson (2,024016 SF including 1Q/17) leading the way.  

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To download map click here: Industrial Market Update 1Q-2018 (PDF)




 Map of the Month – May 2018

True Trade Areas vs. Traditional 1, 3, & 5-Mile Trade Areas


Traditional trade areas are often misleading, inaccurate, and too easy to misuse. We have long championed “True Trade Areas” based on demographics.  The below map shows a 3-mile ring based on geography touching 22 census tracts with a combined total households x median income of $109 million.

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The map below represents a True Trade Area based on demographics vs. geography. As shown, the combined total households x median income of the True Trade Area is $155 million.

Tta

Which one would you trust most? It may take a little more time to identify a True Trade Are, but once the information is mapped the True Trade Area becomes obvious.


To download maps click here: True Trade Areas (PDF)




 Map of the Month – June 2018

Flagstaff Housing Prices Up 6.56% Year Over Year 


As a Flagstaff second homeowner, I like to track the local market. This month’s map shows the median price change for single family houses selling between $100,000 and $1 million from May 2016/April 2017 to May 2017/April 2018. As shown, the West Rural sub-market had the highest median price increase (19.05%); but as shown on the attached chart, also had the highest percentage decrease in sales (93 to 63). The North West Rural sub-market had the steepest drop in median price (-22.13%) but also had the highest percentage increase in number of sales (21 to 47).

The sharp changes in median prices in both North West Rural and West Rural were likely a function of the number and mix of sales rather than a structural change in median prices. (One would need to go back several years more to confirm a baseline.)

Overall, median prices increased 6.56% ($351,905 to $375,000), and, sales increased by 7.51% (1,078 to 1,159). 

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To download map & chart click here: Flagstaff Housing Prices Up 6.56% (PDF)



 Map of the Month – July 2018

Highest Apartment Hotspots by Rents

The Phoenix Business Journal recently published a list of Metro Phoenix’s 25 most expensive apartments. This month’s Map of the Month shows where the top 25 are located, ranked by color.

As shown, there are 4 hotspots. Not surprisingly: Kierland; Tempe/ASU; Downtown Scottsdale; and Downtown Phoenix. Kierland leads the way with #s 1 and 2. Tempe/ASU is next with #s 3 and 4. The 2 “downtown” hot spots follow with Downtown Scottsdale over Downtown Phoenix.

We think that ASU explains both the downtown Phoenix and Tempe submarkets while, in addition to employment, high-end retail and dining explain Downtown Scottsdale and Kierland.

Exclusiveapts


To download map click here: Apartment Hotspots (PDF)



 Map of the Month – August 2018

AzMERIT 2018 Scores

Maps & Facts has been mapping school test results for over 20 years. During that time the State has used different testing protocols to evaluate school performance i.e. what percentage of the students in each school successfully pass the tests. Our legend (scale) has been the same for many years now.

Today’s map depicts the percentage of students passing the most recent AzMERIT Elementary School test. Of the 524 Public Elementary Schools in Maricopa County 313 or about 60% had fewer than 50% of their students passed*.

As with all previous tests, there is much more to a school’s performance than its results on a statewide test. However, it is noteworthy that 21 schools had over 80% passing.

It is hard to decipher why some schools have 80% or more passing and many have fewer than 50%? (Some as low as 10%)

Obviously, there are many other factors influencing school performance. The results and pattern of the last AzMERIT exam are disappointing but also informative.

*Arizona Department of Education defines “passing” or “percent passing” as “The percentage of students passing AzMERIT and MSAA. Computed as the percentage of students with valid scores who earned a “Level 3” or “Level 4””.  Maps & Facts then averaged the “percent passing” for Math and English Language Arts values for each Elementary School.

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To download map click here: AzMERIT 2018 Scores (PDF)



 Map of the Month – September 2018

Freeways & Land Prices

This month we were curious as to the influence of freeway proximity on commercial/industrial land values. We researched the highest land prices since January 2018 and plotted them on the following map. As shown, there were six high dollar land sales since January 1 and all were on or influenced by freeway proximity.

Take away - freeway proximity matters.

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To download map click here: Freeways & Land Prices (PDF)




 Map of the Month – October 2018

iBuyers: Flippers, Brokers, or Disruptors?

Maps & Facts has noticed an increasing number of transactions involving iBuyer companies.  The term iBuyer is a growing “internet” application for selling and buying houses on-line.  iBuyer companies will offer to buy your house, sometimes sight unseen, at fair value (less a transactions fee and necessary repairs); sometimes in hours.  No listings, no showings, fast closing, certainty.  Then they list your (former) house on their website / app for buyers to view, inspect, buy.  They carry all the costs between the sale dates.

According to their websites, these are well funded national companies using enhanced AVM (Automated Valuation Model) valuation techniques.  iBuyer companies include OpenDoor, OfferPad, Zillow, Knock, and Realogy (Coldwell Banker).

Using our robust transaction database, we found that in 2017 the two largest iBuyers by volume in Maricopa County were OpenDoor and OfferPad.  To analyze the median spread between the prices these iBuyer’s paid and the prices at which they sold, out of 1,700+ sales we identified 450 “paired sales”, (Re-sales of the same house) with the following results:

Chart

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To download map click here: iBuyers: Flippers, Brokers, or Disruptors? (PDF)



 Map of the Month – November 2018

Household Income "Hot Spots"

Maps & Facts often uses our robust data bases to identify hot spots, clusters, and True Trade Areas. For this month’s map we updated residential hotspots by combining census tract households by median household income and dividing by the number of square miles to account for density; using 2016 data.

As shown Ahwatukee/Mountain Park Ranch; S. Scottsdale near Fashion Sq.; the Islands area in Gilbert; North Phoenix south of 101 and Tatum; and North-Central Phoenix are the 5 hottest hot spots!

 

An additional takeaway is that while this information may be a proxy for other indicators, census data only tells us where we live, not where he we might work. Thus, there is a big difference between daytime and nighttime populations in all census tracts. 

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To download map click here: Household Income "Hot Spots" (PDF)


 Map of the Month – December 2018

Elementary School Letter Grades – Change 2018 from 2017

The Arizona Department of Education recently released this year’s elementary school Letter Grades. Of the 400+ schools in Metropolitan Phoenix, this month’s map shows those schools which improved (117 in red), and those which didn’t (83 in blue). About half had no change.

However, as shown change was Valley wide. 

Some districts had little or no change i.e.: Scottsdale, Liberty, Kyrene, Fountain Hills. 

Some districts had noticeable change i.e.: Chandler, Higley, Queen Creek

To see last year’s Letter Grades map, please click here.

We also attached a map showing how many Letters each school increased or decreased. 


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To download map click here: Elementary School Letter Grades – Change 2018 from 2017 (PDF)


To be added to our Map of the Month email list please click here: info@powermaps.com

Maps of the Month: 2008 * 2009 * 2010 * 2011 * 2012 * 2013 * 2014 * 2015 * 2016 * 2017 * 2018 * 2019 * 2020


Copyright © 2023 Maps & Facts Unlimited, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Maps & Facts Unlimited, Inc.
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Paradise Valley,AZ 85253
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