We called it the "Silver Lining Session"  because there was so much rancor and nastiness at the legislature that it took some effort to find the bills that actually moved Arizona forward.

It boggles my mind how the Legislature could be so far out of step with the public. Over 80 percent of Arizonans want the state to be more aggressive in installing and generating renewable energy. But the legislature treats the issue like something that the cat coughed up.

Renewable energy generates four times as many jobs as coal, gas and nuclear energy. Every day that Arizona does not push harder to move the generation here, is a day that jobs go to other states.

Anyway, check out the scorecard.

The days of zero-down home loans will be over as of October 1st. Expect some panic buying in the next two months, then expect to see the market flatten even further.

Check out this article from last week's Arizona Republic for the full story.

If you know of someone (friends, family or co-workers) thinking of buying a house, I highly encourage you (and them) to jump before this loophole closes. Give me a call and I can help.

Here are the details: under FHA loans (government backed loans for home buyers), the government requires that you put 3% down on the purchase of the home. Well, in recent years, some non-profit organizations have popped up, which "gift" that 3% to the home buyer.

See, normally only gifts or loans from family or friends can be used toward that 3% down. Money coming from non-profits can also be used for that. But, say the home seller gives money to the non-profit, which gives it to you so you can use it on the down payment. The effect was that people were getting homes for zero money down.

This is great if you had no money down for your purchase. But it was bad for the market because there were many people who bought homes who were just not ready in their lives to take on that debt responsibility. Mix in some shifty sub-prime loans and high interest mortgage arms, and you've got our current housing crisis.

So, Congress is closing that loophole as of October 1st of this year.

Analysts are expecting this to be a big deal, as about 90% of FHA loans for new construction use some sort of down payment assistance like this.

In addition to all of that, FHA is going to start requiring 3.5%, starting on that same date: October 1st.

So, if you need to use this kind of assistance to get your first home, do it in the next 60 days. Prices are expected to stay low well past that time.

If you don't need an FHA loan, then you might want to jump on a home just after October, because prices will fall even further as fewer buyers will qualify for loans and the market demand will shrink further. It may also be a good time to pick up a rental property, as even more people will need to rent rather than own.

Analysis with help of Leif Swanson of John Hall & Associates.

 

I thought I registered to get an early ballot every election, indefinitely. But then I looked at this cool site and found that my name is not on there.

So, I downloaded the form (see the same page) and sent it in.

Here's a little secret: If you vote early, your name is shared with political campaigns as having voted early. They will stop sending you campaign literature because they can see that you just voted.

My hopes and dreams for stardom have always been humble. All I ever wanted to do was sit behind some super-star actors in a restaurant scene and pretend to talk while they do that voodoo that they do so well.

I never dreamed that I'd have actual lines.

OK, the actors in the theater trailer for Couchgarden, below, are not well known. But they will be, dog gonnit! 

I must warn you that my appearance in this trailer, though it lasts a mere two-tenths of a second, might be shocking to some audience members.  My scene, which is the climactic scene, involves dangerous heights, an old three piece suit and a ham.*

Now I can say things like, "well, I have never seen anything like that in my two-tenths of a second career in film!" Or, "Two-tenths of a second ago, when I just started in film. . ."

Keep an eye on this film. The makers of this crime drama specifically wanted to make a movie based in Phoenix.  They represent new artistic interest in this humble desert town.

Please do me a favor. Send this link to all of your friends who specialize in discovering actors whose scenes are two tenths of a second long.

Gaskets in the Sky
If you've been in the area of Central Ave and Fillmore recently, you've probably seen these odd circles suspended over a construction area by wires. 

It kinda looks like a sling shot that some guys in my college dorm made to shoot water balloons across campus.

Only this one could hit the Mexico from here. (Hey! Maybe this is Russell Pearce's secret weapon!)

 

For those of you who have not been following all the work downtown, this will be part of a huge shade structure as part of the ASU Downtown Campus.

Here is what it will look like when it's finished, minus the dead people walking around:



It will be made of a net material that is supposed to catch the wind and move around. It's supposed to resemble a cactus flower.

Now, don't get me wrong. I like all shade structures in downtown -most of all the ones with green leaves and broad branches (just how much shade do we get from palm trees, anyway?)

But I'm a little worried. The designer, from Boston, Janet Echelman, is maybe not familiar with the corrosive nature of Arizona sunshine. I fear that a massive netted structure will degrade faster than John McCain's epidermis, and we will have to replace it all in a couple years.

But, that's no reason not to do it, if the budget is there to maintain it. We need more public art in Phoenix.

I can't wait to see it finished. I like it.

Most of all, I hope to be lucky enough to be witness when some drunk, lost baseball fan from Cleveland looks up at twilight and loses his lunch because he thinks we are being invaded by massive blue blobs from outer space.

Priceless.