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August 27, 2008 | Business

With glut of homes on the market, auctions gain in popularity

Purveyors of online real estate auctions say their customers operate in a parallel universe where the quick and the dedicated are rewarded with the best deals on foreclosed or unwanted homes.

Oil companies brace for Gustav

Oil companies ramped up preparations to evacuate some facilities as Hurricane Gustav made its way toward the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, becoming a potential threat to the region's extensive oil and natural-gas production.

Developer, Orpheum residents trade ire

The residents at an upscale downtown Phoenix loft project were booted from the building's parking lot this weekend, days after some condo owners accused the parking lot's owner of ''wrongdoing'' in court papers.

Mesa's Talley wins $51 mil contract for rocket launcher

Mesa-based Nammo Talley Inc. has snared a $51.76 million contract to develop and build a next generation portable rocket launcher for the U.S. Marine Corp.

Aug. consumer outlook up more than expected

Americans felt better about the economy in August, as a barometer of sentiment posted the biggest boost in two years amid falling gas prices.

USDA: 500,500 workers hired on farms are illegal

An updated profile of farmworkers estimates there are about 1.1 million hired workers in the U.S. and half of those lack legal authorization to work in the country.

Irritating salespeople

I think the least pleasant words to hear in a store are ''May I help you?''

Dreams come true

Author uses Disney experience in career book

New-home sales rose little in July, prices fell

Sales of new homes rose in July, but still fell short of economists' expectations, and home prices continued to sink.

The Valley's priciest home sales

Last week's biggest real estate deals in the Valley.

Horton opens Desert Ridge models

D.R. Horton Co. has opened three model homes in northeast Phoenix's Desert Ridge neighborhood, the first models to open in the area since Pulte/Del Webb's Fireside at Desert Ridge first went on sale more than a year ago.

Sites conjure up mortgage quotes, play up privacy

Mortgage lenders have raised the bar on what it takes to qualify for a home loan the past couple of years, but shopping for a loan online has actually gotten a bit easier, if not necessarily less confusing.

Southwest to cut 196 flights, add 6 new ones to schedule

Southwest Airlines Co., which had resisted the kinds of capacity cuts being made by other carriers, will eliminate nearly 200 flights early next year as it struggles with high fuel costs and a weakening economy.

Higher oil prices, Fed's comments on inflation leave stocks mixed

Wall Street ended mixed Tuesday as concerns about the path of Hurricane Gustav sent oil prices higher and offset a better-than-expected reading on consumer confidence.

High-tech green zone created

If you think energy-efficiency can't do much to beat high fuel prices and tackle global warming, consider a 15-acre neighborhood under construction in Victoria, British Columbia.

Attack ad on TV targets processed meats

A new TV commercial shows kids eating hot dogs in a school cafeteria and one little boy's haunting lament: ''I was dumbfounded when the doctor told me I have late-stage colon cancer.''

ICE raids Mississippi plant in search of illegal workers

Federal immigration agents said they rounded up 350 suspected undocumented workers in a raid on a Mississippi electrical equipment plant Monday, after sealing all entrances and questioning employees.

Fed signals rate hike is around the corner

Even as they grappled with inflation worries, most Federal Reserve officials at their August meeting didn't believe the Fed's key interest rate was too low given harder-to-get credit conditions straining consumers and businesses alike.