Ahwatukee was once described to me as "the poor man's Scottsdale". I've lived in both Scottsdale and Ahwatukee and although "poor man's" does not quite fit the bill, the fact is you are able to get much more for your money in Ahwatukee. Further, that Ahwatukee is giving back an equal or better return on property values than Scottsdale.

Ahwatukee is closer to the airport and the downtown area for both working and recreation and we never have to deal with the traffic on 101. We have easy access to the Phoenix Suns, the Arizona Diamondbacks and even the Cardinals in the Glendale arena.

Although interest rates are up slightly from a year ago, they remain at historically low levels making Ahwatukee still a great buy! Its true homes are on the market substantially longer than a year ago in the Phoenix real estate market, and there are more of them, it is also true that sales are picking up, and more homes are sold each month. I think this demonstrates that the buyer's market of today will be a level market very shortly. Further, that any price eroding has happened and those buyers waiting for a crash, or even are waiting so they don't feel like they over paid should not wait any longer. The bottom of the Phoenix real estate market has arrived.

With investing you have to address renting a property, renters and rental income. Current rents in Scottsdale are higher on average than in Ahwatukee, and vacancy rates almost the same. So for a lower rent someone can move to Ahwatukee, enjoy all the conveniences and schools of the Kyrene School District, including fine dining, and easier access to the downtown area.

My "go-to" guy for investment loans is Reg Gustin of Sun American Mortgage. Google his name and you'll see the kind of expert he is. He also gives seminars on investing generally, so give him a call and talk with him about any investment questions. He can be reached at 480-467-1082.

In Ahwatukee, you simply get more home for the money, an attractive lifestyle where you are surrounded by mountains, great schools, and have access to the largest city park in the world, South Mountain.

Single family homes make for maximum appreciation, condominiums, which invariably costs less and gives historically a little less appreciation. In any event, while its bouncing along the ocean floor there are good investment opportunities in Ahwautkee and on the Phoenix MLS.