Scottsdale Real Estate Blog - Areas

Follow Me and Be My Facebook Friend

I have been on Facebook for quite some time.  My Facebook Friends range from family, actual friends (some that I've grown up with), clients, people I've attracted through Facebook advertising, and other real estate-related people such as fellow agents, loan officers, etc.  I post almost daily.

You can search for homes on my business Facebook page.  I post personal pictures of me, the pets, friends, and family.  I post about local restaurants and happenings in the Carefree, Cave Creek, Scottsdale, and surrounding areas.  I like to share local small businesses.

Then of course I post real estate-related items.  But I also include general homeowner posts and tips.  I like to mix it up.  I post links to informational resources and I include my own…

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There Are Great Deals In This Market

I am seeing such great deals lately that I'm actually considering selling my own home.  When we purchased our home we thought it was big enough.  But after living in it we discovered we could have used a little more space.

We should not lose money on our home, although when figuring in the work we've done on it (remodeling bathrooms, putting in hardwood floors and some new windows), we'll be lucky to break even.  But we don't care.

The math is in our favor.  Even if we don't see good appreciation on our home (that we purchased in 2003 - just before prices started to skyrocket) we will more than make up for it with our next purchase.  In fact, I've seen foreclosed properties that are larger than our home going for less money, just because it's a…

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Lower Interest Rates a Christmas Gift?

Rates are going down again and the timing makes you wonder if this is a holiday gift for weary buyers and sellers.  Will these lower rates kick start the real estate market for 2009?  How long will these rates last?  Will they go even lower?

I have read some great and interesting articles lately regarding the economy and interest rates.  Some feel that lowering interest rates is not enough to get buyers interested.  They feel home prices are still too high and buyers are only buying the best values.

Well, that's pretty much always true.  In a normal market, the best homes in a buyer's price range are the ones that will be purchased.  The overpriced homes will sit until the sellers start reducing.

But our inventory is still very lopsided compared…

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What is the Best Valley City?

This is an oldie but goodie, timeless post. I have been asked recently, on more than one occasion, what is the best place to live in the Greater Phoenix area or what is the best area of Scottsdale real estate? That is a loaded question!

Real estate agents should not answer such questions but guide potential buyers to do their own homework. I believe buyers should be able to make a decision on where to live based on their personal preferences. But we cannot force our preferences or opinions on buyers. We could be accused of "steering," which means promoting areas based on ethnic or racial groups. This could result in punishment of paying hefty fines and even losing our real estate license.

Besides that, we can truly only give our personal…

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Is Real Estate in Scottsdale Slow?

I'm sure you've read about the market slowing down.  A lot of what we read is using national statistics and you need to do some local research if you're really interested about the market in your area.

While many agents have been complaining about the slow market, I am heading for a record year.  I believe my real estate presence with my Scottsdale real estate site is bringing me net-savvy buyers and sellers and agents that do not have a real estate website are still relying on the old-fashioned methods of marketing.

However, as local as real estate is, even putting all of the areas together won't give you the exact market your specific town might be in.  There is also a different market between single-family vs. condos and townhomes and price range…

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Scottsdale Real Estate is Better for Buyers

I remember two or three years ago working with some Scottsdale home buyers that were making full-price offers on properties and still losing out. I lost some of these frustrated buyers who decided to wait until the market slowed down.

That time is now here. Scottsdale home sales are down from last year. In some areas, there is double the inventory available. Although it doesn't seem to have affected prices yet, I am seeing a price reduction trend from current listings that have not sold, some having been listed for months.

This is bad news for home sellers in Scottsdale and other places in the Valley, but if you're thinking of buying this might be the time to do it. Not only are we seeing a general downturn from the record years we had witnessed,…

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My First Impressions of Arizona

My parents had been living in Mesa, Az. for many years (10-15) before I finally visited them. When my boyfriend Jimmy (now my husband) heard I had never been there he insisted on taking me. My parents were very excited to finally be able to show me their home and their new state of residence. This would have been around 1999-2000.

I was finally excited to be going. As I've mentioned in a previous post, Arizona was not calling my name.

After departing the airplane I noticed that the Phoenix Airport seemed small and more congested than our two Illinois airports. Not impressed yet.

Driving from the airport to my parent’s house didn’t instill much excitement in me, either. I did notice that things seemed cleaner from my highway view. I enjoyed…

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