After years in the doldrums, the housing market appears back on track. Home sales and prices are up, and mortgage rates remain near historic lows, reinvigorating the appeal of homeownership.

Our family bought a sofa a couple of years ago. It was a frustrating experience. I won’t go into it other than to say when my wife and I finally agreed on one, I thought a burden had been lifted. Then the salesman forces another decision: “So which protection plan do you want?”

15815 S. 46th St., Suite 116

If you work for an employer who offers a benefits package that includes life insurance and disability income insurance, consider yourself fortunate. But you can’t necessarily consider yourself fully protected. And if you don’t have appropriate life and disability insurance, your long-term financial goals could be at risk.

There are so many reasons for the Legislature to approve Gov. Jan Brewer’s proposal to expand Medicaid that it is hard for me to believe that any elected official would put ideology before the good of their constituents and the state of Arizona.

Gov. Jan Brewer signed legislation Monday making it easier for police to arrest those who remain on someone else's property.

Since the beginning of 2013 there have been some announced changes for buyers looking to obtain an FHA loan. FHA is an insurer of mortgage loans and is popular because of the low down payment option. I had the opportunity to ask Dawna Lepler of The Lending Company a few questions many of my real estate clients have asked over the past few months.

4425 E. Agave Road, Suite 136

In recent national news, three major car crashes claimed the lives of 15 teenagers in Ohio, Illinois and Texas. Unfortunately, that is more of a common occurrence than we realize, and those are just the ones that made national news. The Governor’s Highway Safety Association (GHSA) recently reported that teenage driver fatalities were up in 2012 from previous years. Until now, the numbers were beginning to trend downwards and many attributed it to Graduated Drivers License (GDL) Laws that were being enacted around the country.

Used to be, a foreclosure was something people seldom spoke about. Today, times have changed. Right now is the ideal time to buy a new home with record lows in mortgage rates and an increase in available, affordable homes. But if you’ve got a foreclosure or short sale on the books, you might be asking — how long before we can buy again?

Spring is in the air. And if you’re like many people, you may be looking forward to doing some spring cleaning around your house and yard. But this year, why not go beyond your physical environment and do some “sprucing up” of your financial situation?

When it comes to health care, the saying “you get what you pay for” doesn’t always apply. Sometimes, particularly in the realm of end-of-life care, “less is more.”

Much of the team at Arizona Leather Restorations have been helping families protect their furniture investments for close to 10 years.

Eight years ago, Ahwatukee resident Eleanor Marsh decided to leave the corporate world. On the anniversary of her mother’s death, April 8, she decided to do something she was passionate about — taking care of animals.

City staff said in five months of offering the Service Line Protection Program to residents they’ve already seen homeowners save thousands of dollars in repairs.

636 E. Ray Road, Suite 8

Selling any home can be challenging, depending on the market. But if you have an old home and want to appeal to buyers in their 20s and early 30s, you may need to take some extra steps.

This is a hot topic these days, and for good reason. Long-term care is a growing concern for baby boomers and their parents. Long-term care insurance, as a result, is gaining quite a bit of attention.

From a petting zoo in your backyard to a bounce house at your neighborhood park, celebrations of all kinds this time of year are hosted outdoors to take advantage of Arizona’s spring weather.

Attorney General Tom Horne did nothing wrong in transferring $50 million from a nationwide mortgage settlement to the state general fund to balance the budget, the Arizona Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday.

Still far short of the votes she needs, Gov. Jan Brewer finally gave lawmakers a peek Tuesday at details of her plan to expand the state's Medicaid program in a bid to whip up support.

After 24 years of marriage, Joe and Jane often finish each other’s sentences. So imagine how surprised they were when some differing goals emerged during a recent retirement income planning discussion with their financial advisor. As their advisor led the couple through an exercise designed to help them set retirement priorities, they discovered that Joe was eying a particular pocket of savings to enable his early retirement. Jane, on the other hand, viewed that same account as a fund for their children’s college education.

Pets Best Insurance, a U.S. pet insurance agency, has named Dr. Irvin Ingram as the nation’s best veterinarian of 2012. Ingram, who treats animals at the Phoenix-based All Creatures Animal Hospital, took home the top honors of the 2012 My Vet’s The Best contest, which featured more than 20 finalists from across the country. Developed by Pets Best Insurance to recognize outstanding veterinarians who go above and beyond to keep pets healthy, the 2012 contest culminated with a presentation at the Western Veterinary Conference in Las Vegas. During the event, Dr. Jack Stephens, president and founder of Pets Best Insurance, announced Ingram as the winner and presented the veterinarian with a check for $1,000 to support his charitable work.

A new kind of pet store that features rescued dogs and cats rather than purebred puppies and kittens will have its grand opening inside Chandler Fashion Center this weekend.

Almost everyone would agree: Moving is a hassle. In addition to selling your current home and finding a new one, you may need to deal with a new school for your kids, a new doctor, a new dentist — the list goes on and on.