Good morning, Tempe. An extreme heat warning runs Tuesday through Thursday, with afternoon highs of 111 to 116, so plan errands and outdoor time early.
- 🏠 Tempe home prices cooled. The median sale price fell to $483,000, down 11% from a year ago.
- 🏛️ A new term at city hall. The reshaped council opens under Mayor Corey Woods.
- 🎓 Downtown keeps a summer slate. Comedy on the improv stage, live music at the history museum.
- 📚 A busy library week. Pokemon, Dino Discovery, and a mobile produce market.
- 🏀 Around the Valley. The Fever visit, T.I. plays the Van Buren, and Dear Evan Hansen opens.
The market: Tempe prices slid 11% in a year
Tempe's for-sale market is running cooler than it was last summer. The median sale price landed at $483,000 for the period ending May 31, down 11% from a year ago.
Key facts:
- Median sale price: $483,000, down 11% year over year
- Homes sold: 138
- New listings: 167
- Median days on market: 54
Two numbers do most of the talking. Homes are sitting close to two months before they sell, and more listings came on than sold, so buyers have more to choose from than they did a year ago. That combination is what pulls a median down. This is one city's snapshot, not the whole Valley, and a single month can swing on which neighborhoods happened to close.
Watch the days-on-market figure through the summer. If it keeps climbing while inventory grows, sellers pricing for last year's market are the ones who feel it first. Full numbers are at the Redfin Data Center.
The week
What's on the calendar around town.
Monday
- 🎴 Pokemon Hour at the Tempe Public Library. Kids ages 6 to 16 play the trading card game, 5 to 6 PM. Decks available to borrow. Details.
Tuesday
Wednesday
- 🎲 Board games at Panera. The East Valley group moves to Wednesdays, 5:30 PM. New and experienced players welcome. Details.
Thursday
Around Tempe
- 🏛️ A new council term begins. The Tempe Tribune profiles the reshaped city council under Mayor Corey Woods, with Brooke St. George, Bobby Nichols, Arlene Chin, and Sean Bowie in the frame. Details.
- 💿 A look back at Eastside Records. Phoenix New Times revisits one of the Valley's most influential record shops, nearly four decades of Tempe vinyl. Details.
- 🌯 Mexico by way of tapas. Phoenix New Times profiles a chef building a small-plates menu on the memories of his childhood at a Tempe rooftop restaurant. Details.
- 🩸 The blood banks restocked. Vitalant ran Arizona's largest blood drive in Tempe on Sunday, aimed at refilling the summer supply after the holiday weekend. Details.
🎓 ASU and Mill Avenue
Campus runs quiet in July, but downtown and the museums keep a slate going.
- 🎭 Live music at the Tempe History Museum. Performances at the Museum puts local musicians in a small, close-up room. Details.
- 😂 The Tempe Improv. A rotating slate of stand-up on the downtown comedy stage. A good room for a Friday. Details.
- 🍸 Rooftop nights at The Vīb. Acoustic sets and craft demos on the downtown hotel's current event slate. Details.
From the schools
- 🏫 School offices reopen Wednesday. Tempe Elementary School District (TESD) front offices come back for the 26-27 year, with hours varying by campus. Details.
- 📦 Resource distribution at Mountain Pointe. The Tempe Union High School District (TUHSD) campus hosts a distribution on Monday, July 13, at 9 AM. Details.
Around the Valley
A few picks worth leaving Tempe for this week.
- 🏀 Phoenix Mercury vs. Indiana Fever. Thursday, July 9, 7 PM at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix. The Fever swing through the Valley just once, so this is the ticket of the week. Tickets.
- 🎤 T.I. at The Van Buren. Wednesday, July 8, 8 PM in downtown Phoenix. A rap headliner in one of the smaller rooms he plays. Tickets.
- 🎭 Dear Evan Hansen. Wednesday, July 8, 7:30 PM at the Hormel Theatre at Phoenix Theatre. The Tony-winning musical, staged close to home. Tickets.