December 28 - Looking at the monthly dollar volume chart for all areas & types (measured weekly / shown below) we see that 2014 lagged behind 2013 from January through early September, but since then it has gained ground. The monthly dollar volume currently stands at $1.4 billion versus $1.282 billon last year. The trend is looking increasingly positive as we progress through the fourth quarter.

Thanks to the strong performance of the luxury sector, for week 52, 2014 is currently outranking 6 of the last 10 years and is only beaten by 2005, 2006 and 2012.

December 27 - The single family monthly sales rate is higher than last year at this time in the following cities:

• Apache Junction
• Avondale
• Buckeye
• El Mirage
• Fountain Hills
• Gilbert
• Glendale
• Goodyear
• Mesa
• Paradise Valley
• Peoria
• Phoenix
• Queen Creek
• Scottsdale
• Sun City
• Sun Lakes
• Surprise
• Tolleson

This is a much more imposing list than the cities where the monthly sales rate is lower than 2013 at this time:

• Anthem
• Arizona City
• Casa Grande
• Cave Creek
• Chandler
• Gold Canyon
• Laveen
• Litchfield Park
• Maricopa
• Sun City West
• Tempe

In many cases, the 2014 number is only a small amount above the 2013 number, but a win is a win. The best advantages are seen in:

• Paradise Valley (39 versus 26)
• Fountain Hills (46 versus 36)
• Avondale (106 versus 71)
• Gilbert (370 versus 304)

The weakest situations are in:

• Anthem (27 versus 41)
• Maricopa (80 versus 112)

Overall the demand situation is showing some improvement though it is still far below what we would consider normal for the Greater Phoenix market.