Coffee at the Nest: November 2026
The Valley: one cup at a time.
November 10, 2026.
5 min read. Monthly edition.
Welcome to the first Coffee at the Nest.
Once a month, I share what’s going on around the Valley, a quick read on the market and the newest posts from the blog. It should take about as long as your first cup.
Out and about
- Nov. 25. Phoenix: ZooLights at the Phoenix Zoo. Nightly from Nov. 25 to Jan. 15, 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Five million lights line two miles of trails, with a floating Christmas tree light show this year. Tickets are required.
- Nov. 27. Mesa: Merry Main Street kickoff and tree lighting. Friday, Nov. 27, 5 to 10 p.m., downtown Mesa. A holiday market around Mesa’s 40-foot tree leads into the tree lighting, and the season runs through December with a real ice rink. The Mesa Temple Christmas lights open in downtown Mesa the same night, 5 to 10 p.m. nightly through Dec. 30.
- Nov. 27. Queen Creek: Christmas at Schnepf Farms. Thursdays to Sundays from Nov. 27, then every night Dec. 21 to 27 (closed Christmas Day), 5 to 10 p.m. The farm turns into a holiday night out with hayrides to see Santa’s reindeer, ice skating, bonfire s’mores and a lit train ride. Tickets are required and priced by date.
Valley Resale Houses: Prices flat, sales slower
In October, the median price was nearly unchanged from a year earlier. Sales were down 22%, and supply grew from 4.9 months to 6.9.
My view: Showings are scarce right now, on my listings and on other agents’ listings, so a showing is the only number worth watching. There’s no guarantee the market rebounds by spring, so if selling is the right move for your family, get the home ready now without spending much: fresh paint, small repairs, a tidy yard, clean closets, etc. Then price it right from day one, because buyers know prices well and want homes that show value. In what I’m seeing, a well-priced home sells for 94 to 98 percent of its list price, and it sells sooner than one priced too high. Even a well-priced home can sit for 90 days in some parts of the Valley.
| Oct 2025 | Oct 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $494,500 | $495,000 |
| Homes sold | 3,455 | 2,686 |
| Median days on market | 59 | 54 |
| Months of supply | 4.9 | 6.9 |
Source: ARMLS Stat Report, October 2026. Maricopa and Pinal counties, detached single-family homes, normal sales. ARMLS® COPYRIGHT 2026.
What $500,000 buys
Most houses that sold for about $500,000 in the last six months had 1,500 to 1,999 square feet in Phoenix, Mesa, Gilbert and Queen Creek. In San Tan Valley, most had 2,000 to 2,499. In Scottsdale, most had 1,000 to 1,499.
ARMLS, houses sold for $475,000 to $525,000, last 180 days to Nov. 8, 2026.
New posts
- Nov. 6. Arizona Data Centers: Who Wins and Who Pays? What data center growth means for jobs, water, electricity and the decisions Phoenix homeowners make.
- Nov. 5. Phoenix Market Watch: The Million-Dollar Exception
- Oct. 28. Want to Buy a Home Next Year? Start Practicing Now.
- Oct. 22. Phoenix’s Rental Boom: What Comes Next?
- Oct. 20. Buying Land in Arizona: What to Check Before You Commit
- Oct. 19. Why Arizona’s 55+ Communities Deserve a Closer Look for Downsizing Buyers
- Oct. 18. Two New Communities Reshaping the East Valley: Radiance and Blossom Rock
- Oct. 18. Check Your Electrical Panel Labels
- Oct. 11. Claude for Arizona Home Maintenance
Built in the valley: State Route 24 opens for business
State Route 24, the Gateway Freeway, reached Ironwood Drive in August 2022. Now the first big commercial project along the freeway is going up. Destination at Gateway covers about 163 acres at the Signal Butte interchange.
Walmart is the anchor, and the developer expects it to open in late 2026. Next door, about 80 acres are set aside for car dealers as 24 Auto Row.
My view: This is where State Route 24 turns commercial. Once Walmart opens, I expect it to light a match for development around it and at the other interchanges along the 24. I saw the same thing happen at Gilbert Road and Loop 202, the SanTan Freeway. For neighborhoods along Ironwood like Radiance and Blossom Rock, that should mean more shopping, dining and services closer to home over the next few years.
Get outside
Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch, Picacho. A ranch in Picacho, between the Valley and Tucson, where admission includes feed for the ostriches and other animals. Cool months are the season for it. Hours change with weather, so check the ranch’s live updates before you drive.
Coffee with Doug: The Valley’s coffee grew up
A great cup of coffee in the Valley used to take some hunting. That changed in 2008, when Cartel Coffee Lab opened in Tempe and Press Coffee got its start. Peixoto followed in Chandler in 2015, roasting beans from the family’s farm in Brazil.
Then came the drive-thrus. Black Rock Coffee Bar moved its headquarters to Scottsdale in 2020 and had 57 shops in the Phoenix area by May 2026. Its bright, modern shops look nothing like the dark-wood Seattle café.
coffeeholic (noun): a person who plans the day around the first cup, knows the barista by name and counts the drive-thru line as part of the commute. See also: most of the Valley before 7 a.m. Our definition, not the dictionary’s.
Espresso Drinks: What’s in the cup
| Drink | Espresso | Milk | Foam |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macchiato | 8 | 0 | 2 |
| Cortado | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Cappuccino | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Latte | 2 | 7 | 1 |
Parts out of 10. Approximate. Every café pours its own.
My usual
I order a cortado with a tiny splash of oat milk and no sweetener.
Coming up: each month, we’ll visit a local café, share a little about the owners and tell you our favorite drink on the menu.
Our two favorite rescues
These are my own two pups. They joined our family from Almost There Rescue and Stealing Hearts Rescue, and they always partake in the morning coffee run to enjoy pup cups.
Tell us about your pup at doug@mynestaz.com.
Doug’s take
Doug Benchik, November 2026
We hope you enjoyed your first read. Each month, we’ll do our best to cover community events around the Valley and bring you news on local construction projects and the contractors behind them. We’ll share tidbits about coffee and the local shops where we get our fix. And of course, we’ll highlight rescue pups who need your help along the way. If you’d like to see us add something, please just let us know. Our ears are open.
every month · one thing about the Valley
valley nugget
Tempe’s name comes from Greece. The town took it in 1879. “Lord” Darrell Duppa, an Englishman who helped establish Phoenix, is credited with suggesting it. The butte, the river and the green fields reminded him of the Vale of Tempe, a valley at the foot of Mount Olympus in Greek legend.
Source: Tempe History Museum
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