Meet The Forkenbrock Group

Why Work with a Mesa Local Specialist vs. a Big Box National Real Estate Team? When you decide to buy or sell a home in Mesa, one of the first choices you make is who will represent you. Some people choose a large national brand or a big team with a recognizable name. Others choose a local specialist who works mainly in Mesa and the East Valley. Both can serve you well, and the right answer depends on what your transaction needs most. A local specialist and a national team member see the exact same MLS listings, since any licensed agent who belongs to the multiple listing service has identical access to inventory. The real differences show up elsewhere: local specialists often build deep neighborhood knowledge from repeated transactions on the same streets and communities, while national teams can bring bigger marketing budgets, more standardized systems and technology, and formal referral networks that help with out-of-state relocations. Who you actually work with day to day can also differ, with a local specialist typically the agent you hired directly, versus a lead agent or assistant depending on the national team’s structure. Mesa is really many markets, not one. Citywide, single-family homes are running about $485,000 year to date, down about 1 percent from a year earlier. But the Alta Mesa neighborhood sold at about $476,000 in July, down about 9.3 percent from a year earlier, a very different trend from the citywide number. Gated communities run about $620,000 year to date, a separate price tier entirely, while condos sit around $285,000 and manufactured homes around $175,000, each its own distinct segment and buyer pool. An agent pricing from the citywide median alone can miss by tens of thousands of dollars. Local knowledge also covers details that never show up in a listing. Mesa has two airports affecting nearby neighborhoods: Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport has mapped overflight areas where the City restricts single-family housing in certain overlay zones, and Falcon Field in northeast Mesa has seen flight training activity rise, with aircraft operations up more than 28 percent between 2022 and 2024 according to the City. Utilities vary by block too: the City of Mesa provides electricity to roughly 17,500 customers in about 5.5 square miles around downtown, while Salt River Project serves the rest of the city; natural gas comes from the City of Mesa for most homes, from Southwest Gas in about 35 square miles, or from the City’s separate Magma territory in southeast Mesa; and water and sewer come from Mesa Water Resources. Neighborhoods differ widely too, from Downtown Mesa’s light rail access and changing Main Street to Southeast Mesa and Eastmark’s newer homes and growing retail core to Mesa Riverview and Superstition Springs anchoring other parts of the city. And with a long list of proposed developments like the Main Street Market food hall, Destination at Gateway, and East Gate Plaza, a local agent who follows city planning can tell you which projects are actually funded and under construction versus still just ideas. National teams have real strengths too, particularly for out-of-state relocations with a formal referral network connecting agents on both ends, or for high-priced listings that benefit from a large marketing footprint. The practical advice is to evaluate the person, not the logo. Before you sign with anyone, ask how many Mesa transactions they’ve handled in the past 12 months, who you’ll actually work with day to day, how they’ll determine your price using specific recent nearby sales rather than a citywide average, what their marketing plan includes, how compensation works (get it in writing, since buyers typically sign a written agreement under current industry practices), how they handle airport overflight areas, utility providers, and HOA documents, whether you can speak with recent clients, and whether their license is in good standing with the Arizona Department of Real Estate. Dawn Forkenbrock, Mesa Realtor w/ Real Broker

Curious about community life and things to do in Queen Creek, Arizona? One of the biggest reasons people love living i Queen Creek is the small town community feel created by local events and traditions held throughout the year such as Founders Day at Frontier Family Park, Roots N' Boots and many more. If you're making a move to Queen Creek, I'm here to help! DM me anytime and don't forget to down my FREE Queen Creek Buyer Guide: https://bit.ly/theforkenbrockgroupbuyerguide Dawn Forkenbrock, Queen Creek Realtor w/ Real Broker #QueenCreekAZ #QueenCreekEvents #FoundersDayQC #SchnepfFarms #EastValleyAZ #RealBroker

Median List Prices in Tempe, Arizona A few things to keep in mind when looking at these numbers: First, these are list prices—not sold prices. That distinction is especially important in today’s market, where pricing matters more than ever. It’s also important to remember that Tempe has a large number of condos, which can affect the median list price depending on what’s on the market at any given time. Lastly, in 2022 and 2023, many sellers were still pricing their homes as if it were 2020, resulting in plenty of overpriced listings. Even though the median list price has gone down over the last couple years, it's not necessarily because home values have dropped that much. It's because sellers realize that they can no longer overprice their home. Questions about the Tempe or Phoenix East Valley real estate market? Reach out and we can schedule a mini consultation. Dawn Forkenbrock, Tempe Realtor w/ Real Broker #tempeaz #temperealestate #arizonarealestate #housingmarket #tempehomes