Obama pushes homeownership steps in once hard-hit Arizona

Air Force One was wheels up at the top of the noon hour; President Obama departed for home after a busy morning in the valley.

The main purpose of his trip was a speech at Central High School to unveil new steps aimed at making home ownership more affordable.

>>>Mobile users watch President Obama's speech here: http://youtu.be/5SctWNINGLE?t=58m38s

"Buying a home has always been more than owning a roof and four walls, it is about investing in savings and building a family, planting roots in our community," said President Barack Obama. The President also stopped by a local neighborhood to highlight the improving housing market, while acknowledging there is more work to be done. "I am here because one of my New Year's resolutions was to make people in Arizona and around the country feel like they are coming back."

The highlights of the President's order includes he is going to lower mortgage insurance premiums on FHA loans. That change could help the average new home buyer save about $900 a year and encourage an additional 250,000 people to dive into the home market.

Earlier this week hundreds of people waited in line hoping to get a ticket in to see his speech. Now that it's over, was it worth the wait?

The President was greeted with thunderous applause, the packed gym at Central High School was filled with students and supporters. It included a group of eight members of the Central High School choir who sang the National Anthem and got to meet the President as he passed by their seats.

"He just came by and shook our hands and said, thank you for singing for us," said one choir member.

The President's speech was briefly interrupted by a heckler, that ended quickly and the President moved on with his speech about housing and his plan to reduce mortgage interest on government backed loans.

"I am really confident that this will actually help push us back and help the housing market get going again, and get unemployment down which is what really matters," said Ruben Gallego.

Before he took the stage, the President met with a few lucky supporters backstage including this little boy.

Central High School was given around 250 tickets; those who didn't get to be in the gym watched a live stream of the speech. The ones who got in, got a once in a lifetime opportunity.

"I got a hug," said another choir member.

Before leaving, the President worked the crowd, shaking hands as people snapped photos.