This is an older post but it stands true today in 2022.

It's Thursday and I usually try to find an old post to bring back to life, but I'm writing a new post based on an old post I stumbled across that I wrote in February 2006.  It was titled More Home Buyers Search the Internet First.  I believe when I first wrote it the stats were that around 82% of real estate buyers search the Internet first.  Then I updated it to 90%.  If you do an Internet search you'll see those old stats and a slew of different figures all the way up to 99%.  I feel it's somewhere between 90%-99%.

It's not news that print advertising has died out for real estate

woman searching for scottsdale real estate in a newspaperI used to advertise in the Southtown Economist, Sunday edition.  Sometimes they'd offer a deal for the entire…

3667 Views, 0 Comments

scottsdale real estate rents are going up

I rented my first apartment from a distant relative in Blue Island, Illinois, for $75.00 a month.  Sounds like a real bargain, right?  Well, it was in an old building on Gregory St. and had a big living room, large dining room, smallish eat-in kitchen, 3 bedrooms & 1 bath. Sounds huge.  However, only the master bedroom had an electric outlet. This was in the early 70's.  Also, it was oil heat which was very expensive in the winter, although it was only a winter bill.  And no air conditioning, but I think we had a couple window units.  

Instead of a dining table, we had a ping pong table in the dining room.  We were young newlyweds and had a lot of parties.  I didn't know half the attendees.  We had a White Castle steps away.  And we had an elderly,…

1774 Views, 0 Comments

man reading a newspaper in his Scottsdale homeInman News recently published an article titled "Opinion: Why consumer behavior will eliminate the part-time agent,"  written by Tyler Smith (Founder & CEO of Skyslope and a former real estate agent). This is an older post but still holds true today, especially in our fast-paced seller's market.

I thought this was a great article as so many people will hand what is usually the largest financial investment to someone who is not a career real estate agent, and might only complete a few transactions a year.  Real estate is ever-changing and as a full-time, career Scottsdale REALTOR® I study changes in real estate and mortgage lending on a daily basis.  My team and I are out in the field almost every day of the week.  Even on vacation or attending…

1843 Views, 0 Comments

ThrowbackThursday Blog Post - Is the Grass Always Greener?


green grass off a deck in a scottsdale home for sale

When I switched to my current website I went through every single post I've ever written to update and transfer over to the new site.  Some of the posts are timeless, even if they're older.  This is one of those and I felt it was appropriate since we're going through some cold weather here in the Scottsdale area.

I network with a lot of real estate agents around the world, although mainly it's the United States and Canada.  I try to follow tips for good blog writing.  I read a post in a Facebook group I belong to that we should take some of those older posts that withstand the test of time and re-date them.  It's good for people reading the blog (some visitors will bypass old posts)…

2081 Views, 0 Comments

cleaning your scottsdale home for sale with a bucket and spongeThis is yet another Throwback Thursday post.  It was originally written on November 29, 2005.  Sellers are still putting their homes on the market for the summer selling season.  We're waiting for two listings to get ready for showings.  The sellers are de-cluttering, cleaning up, painting, etc.

This post goes hand-in-hand with Staging Your Home for Sale.  Even though it was written a decade ago it still holds true for today. The first step to marketing your property is getting it as clean as possible. I'd like this to be an interactive post. I need more tips! Here are a few I've found and I'll keep adding to this.

  • Mr. Clean Erasers - This is great for marks on walls and other things, like the refrigerator. You should wipe the surface down with a…

2157 Views, 1 Comments

Throwback Thursday Post - Staging Your Home to Sell

staging your scottsdale home so it sells quickly and for top dollar

Last week I found an older post that still held true today.  I was told by a "website guru" that it might be a good idea to keep old posts, polish them off if necessary and give them a fresh date.  So I'm trying it.  The truth is, many people won't go back to a post written in 2005 and think it pertains to today's market.  But some posts hold up, as the one below does.

The following post was originally written on November 26, 2005

If you've heard of the term "staging" your home, you're probably wondering how important it really is. I believe it is very important. Buyers continue to get pickier. What this means is that your home has to be the best for the price in order to get an offer.

2449 Views, 0 Comments

scottsdale home buyers in back with a key dangling in front

In 2009 I wrote an article based on an HGTV "reality" show about a real estate sale in Chicago - you can read it here.  Today I read an article from Inman News about real estate and reality TV.

When I write my own blog post in relation to a published article I usually go down the original list and write in my own thoughts.  I'm going to tackle it a bit differently today.

Editing and True Reality

Unless you've been interviewed for an article in a newspaper or magazine or have been on a television show, you don't realize how editing can skew your entire interview or the true happenings while filming a show/documentary.

I've been published many times in local newspapers and The Wall Street Journal Online even published a story about me losing…

1736 Views, 0 Comments

woman remodeling her scottsdale home for sale

This is another Throwback Thursday post I wrote in December 6, 2005, that still holds true today.  The link to the Cost vs. Value Report is for 2014.

Cost vs. Value Report

One of the reports I really look forward to each year is the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) “Cost vs. Value Report“.  This report can help you make your own determination on whether a remodel project is worth it to you and gives you an idea of what you should be able to expect as a return on that investment.

If you’re thinking of doing a remodeling project for the sake of selling your Scottsdale home I would suggest speaking to an agent or home stager before doing anything.  I’ve noticed that sometimes sellers want to do too much or they want to fix and replace…

2316 Views, 0 Comments

This wasn't what I was planning to write about but I just heard, for the 2nd time, about a woman that was harassed by a barrage ofwoman getting cold called by scottsdale realtors agents cold calling her.  The first time I heard about it was from one of the agents that were part of a cold calling group that might have been part of this story.  He posted his story on a real estate group on Facebook.   A similar story was featured on the news in Colorado.  I'm not sure this is the same story, but to read a post from one agent on a real estate group on Facebook and to see the news story here, I'm thinking it might be one and the same.  I've been searching to find the original post on the Facebook group but haven't been successful.  I will state that in the video of the news feed on the above link a…

1712 Views, 0 Comments

This is part 3 of the “Neighborhood Expert” series of posts.  I am an agent that lives and works in Scottsdale.  I’ve been selling real estate in the since 1983.  Below is one of my stories about out-of-area agents against a local Realtor®.  It is in response to an article in Inman News speaking against self-anointed “neighborhood experts.”

The Scottsdale Townhome Sellers That I Saved Thousands

scottsdale townhouse pool

I took a listing for a Scottsdale townhouse for sale.  It was a beautiful place with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths.  We got an agent from Gilbert that had an interested buyer.  In an era of technology, she insisted on presenting her offer at the table with my sellers. My sellers obliged (many won’t) and the agent proceeded to state that the townhouse would…

2035 Views, 1 Comments