PHOENIX-The deal takes up 28,251 sf or half of the first floor in a 108,000-sf office building vacated a year ago by American Express. The college has signed a seven-year lease for a building right across the street.

PHOENIX-The Phoenix investment group gets a 14,950-sf building leased for 75 years at 1840 W. Southern Ave. The retailer's locations are selling as soon as they hit the market due to the long-term leases.

TEMPE, AZ-Hercules Industries signs a lease with a $350,000 value over the term for a spot in the Broadway Industrial Park at 441 W. Geneva Dr. The central location and extra outside storage area help make the decision.

PHOENIX-Vestar Development and SGPA Architecture & Planning take the ICSC honor from a field of 56 entries, winning the certificate of merit for the $180-million Desert Ridge Marketplace, a recently completed 1.2-million-sf, open-air center.

GILBERT, AZ-The winner offers $800,000 above the $2.71-million asking price in what is becoming a more common occurrence due to investors' appetites to buy and capital to play. The fully occupied, 14,432-sf Highland Plaza was the prize.

MESA, AZ-A Tucson investor comes to terms with an Ohio seller for the Colores del Sol Apartments along East McKellips Road before the listing can hit the market. The complex's size, occupancy, age and low maintenance fit the buyer's requirements.

PHOENIX-A California investment group crosses the finish line from the field of five racing for a 41,739-sf new building, which is leased for 20 years to Universal Technical Institute. The winning bid is just $160,000 shy of the asking price.

PHOENIX-A Mesa couple collects top dollar with the multi-tenant, garden-style office building at 1717 E. Morten Ave. Getting the full asking price, though, is no longer unusual, says the broker.