2026 March issue of InMaricopa Magazine

EVENTS

HOME

WANNA MEET NEW FRIENDS? Come join the COOL * est people and the best businesses!

March 1 KOC Blood Drive 9 a.m., Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church 18700 N. St. Gabriel Way 2 Prevention education series: Alcohol 5 p.m., Copper Sky 44345 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. 3 Maricopa City Council 6 p.m., City Hall 39700 W. Civic Center Plaza 6 Friday Night Car Meet 6:30 p.m., Home Depot 42410 W. Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway 8 Concert in the Park 5 p.m., Mike Ingram Heritage Park 44200 W. Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway 14 What’s in My Backyard? 10 a.m., Maricopa Library & Cultural Center 18160 N. Maya Angelou Drive 20 Copa Auto Community Friday Night Tacos 6:30 p.m., Harbor Freight 44515 W. Edison Road 21 Open House in the Demonstration Garden 9 a.m., Maricopa Agricultural Center 37860 W. Smith-Enke Road 25 MUSD Governing Board 6:30 p.m., Maricopa Unified School District 44150 W. Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway

27-29 Wild West Music Fest Copper Sky Regional Park 44345 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Mondays Maricopa Golden Crafters 9 a.m., Global Water Resources 22590 Powers Parkway Alcoholics Anonymous 5:55 p.m., Maricopa Library & Cultural Center 18160 N. Maya Angelou Drive SYN card game 6 p.m., Native Grill & Wings 21164 N. John Wayne Parkway Tuesdays Alcoholics Anonymous 6:30 p.m., Mountain View Community Church 50881 W. Papago Road Recovery Church 7 p.m., Community of Hope Church 45295 W. Honeycutt Ave. Wednesdays SYN card game 1 p.m., Maricopa Community Center 41600 W. Smith-Enke Road Alcoholics Anonymous 6 p.m., Community of Hope Church 45295 W. Honeycutt Ave. BEST youth sports classes 8 a.m., Pacana Park 19000 N. Porter Road Thursdays Narcotics Anonymous 6 p.m., Ak-Chin Social Services 48227 W. Farrell Road Strength & Hope Al-Anon 7 p.m., Community of Hope Church 45295 W. Honeycutt Ave. Alcoholics Anonymous 7 p.m., Community of Hope Church 45295 W. Honeycutt Ave. Fridays Alcoholics Anonymous 7 p.m., Mt. View Community Church 50881 W. Papago Road

While the percentages may look dramatic compared to recent years, the raw numbers tell a calmer story. During the Great Recession, foreclosures flooded the market from 2008 through 2011, driving values down sharply. The peak came in 2009, when 1,651 lender-owned or HUD homes sold in Maricopa alone — a level of distress that dwarfs today’s activity. Local market watchers say the current trend resembles a normalization rather than a crisis. Inventory remains balanced, and the majority of homeowners still hold significant equity built over the past decade. For now, the increase in foreclosures registers less as a warning sign and more as a reminder that housing cycles continue to evolve, even in a market that has stayed remarkably steady in recent years.

the lender initiates the legal process to recover the amount owed. Homeowners are given a 90- day notice to bring their payments current. At the end of the 90 days, there’s a Trustee’s Sale, or an auction, where the lender sets the minimum bid at the amount to satisfy the loan. If that minimum isn’t met, the bank takes ownership of the property and sells it. Recent data shows distressed activity rising off a very low baseline. In 2024, the city recorded no closed bank-owned or HUD listings and just four closed short sales. That changed in 2025, when 19 bank-owned or HUD properties and 12 short sales closed. Even then, distressed transactions accounted for only 1.6% of the city’s 1,939 total closed listings — a small slice of the overall market. So far in 2026, there are 17 active or pending bank-owned or HUD listings and 33 short sales. Many of those homes were purchased in 2022 or later, when higher prices and rising interest rates stretched affordability. With the average sales price remaining relatively flat for more than three years, some recent buyers appear to be facing tighter margins than earlier homeowners who locked in lower payments.

F ORECLOSURE ACTIVITY IS ticking up in Maricopa, but a closer look at the numbers suggests today’s market pressures barely compare to the turmoil homeowners faced during the Great Recession. A foreclosure, in a nutshell, is when a homeowner falls behind on their payments and Higher foreclosure numbers no cause for alarm BY DAYV MORGAN

Support Your Non-profit

Dayv Morgan is a Maricopa realtor and owner of HomeSmart Premier.

480-251-4231 DayvMorgan@gmail.com

syncardclub.com