Scottsdale Real Estate Blog - Judy Orr

Ten Tips for Buying and Selling a Home Simultaneously: Your Ultimate Guide to a Smooth Transition

I recently posted a guest blog post about buying and selling your home at the same time. Why am I writing a new post on the same subject? Because there were so many things I wanted to edit and/or add to that guest post. My guest blog authors aren't necessarily licensed real estate agents, but they have an interest in and have studied real estate. Guest authors aren't out there working with clients and they don't know our contracts, nor do they know about new and different programs for real estate.

When you purchased your first home you didn't have to worry about selling another one. Even though buying a property can be nerve-wracking, I've always thought it was much more fun than selling. Buying and selling a home simultaneously can be an…

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Downsizing: A Guide to Simplifying Your Life and Finding Your Perfect Smaller Home

As we go through life, our priorities and lifestyles evolve, and so do our housing needs. What once seemed like the perfect home may no longer be the right fit. Maybe the kids have moved out, and the empty bedrooms and unused space are becoming a burden. It's interesting how dusty an unused area can get.

The maintenance and upkeep of a large house could be taking up too much time and money. Or, you may just feel like simplifying your life and living with less. Whatever the reason, downsizing to a smaller place could be the solution.

Do you have a pool that isn't getting much use? It might be time to find a place without one, or someplace with a community pool you can use without the upkeep. Taking care of a pool can be costly even if you do it…

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Living in Scottsdale, Arizona: A Vibrant City with Endless Opportunities

I was introduced to Scottsdale the first time I visited my parents when they retired to Mesa, AZ. I fell in love with this beautiful city and dreamed about living there one day. This was the only place I would visit where I wasn't ready to go home.

Scottsdale, Arizona, is a city that offers an ideal mix of modern amenities and natural beauty. Located in Maricopa County, it is a part of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. With a population of just over 250,000, it is the sixth-largest city in Arizona. Scottsdale is renowned for its luxurious resorts, world-class golf courses, and vibrant nightlife. However, it's not just a vacation destination; it's also a great place to call home.

Located in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, Scottsdale is a beautiful…

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Exploring the Ghostly Remains of el Pedregal: A Journey Through Carefree, Arizona's Abandoned Mall

One of several of the mall entrances from the parking lot

I know I'm not the only one that has sentimental feelings for shopping malls that have changed or no longer exist as I've read about the memories people have had about these places. I come from the southwest suburbs of Chicago and I have many wistful memories of the two more famous malls I hung out at with my friends when we were teens. I'll mention them later since I know a lot of Arizonans are from the Chicago area.

El Pedregal Festival Marketplace, the Dead Mall

The large photo at the top of this page is of some of the boulders you'll pass before getting to the mall. I had read about el Pedregal mall located in Carefree, Arizona, the third highest priced town in all of Arizona, and also…

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Map Your Way to Your Dream Home: How to Use Online Maps for Efficient Home Searching

When it comes to searching for a new home in Scottsdale (or any other Phoenix city), the Internet has made the process easier and more efficient than ever before. I always get questions like:

1. Where is this located?
2. Is it close to shopping?
3. Are there any restaurants nearby?
4. How close is the school?
5. How close is this to a highway?
6. Is there a mountain view? (We can't always tell from maps, but we can see proximity)
7. Is there a waterway, pond, or other water feature nearby?
8. How close is a golf course?
9. How big is the backyard?
10. Where is the nearest hospital?

And of course, there are many more questions. I sometimes feel bad when I direct people to online maps. But it's so much easier for someone to view a map vs. me…

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Real Estate Market Predictions for the Remainder of 2023

If you are a buyer or seller, or both, of real estate in 2023, you can easily tell that there has been a shift away from the crazy Seller's Market we saw in 2020, 2021, and the beginning of 2022. Prices are easing and homes are remaining on the market longer.

The real estate market in the US saw a rise in mortgage rates last year, which affected both demand and price appreciation. Availability of homes is no longer the main concern, although inventory still remains lower than normal, but affordability is a great factor for many home buyers. The real estate market is expected to finally stabilize due to the increase in mortgage rates. 

What will happen with mortgage rates?

Economists predict that mortgage rates will fluctuate less this year…

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Visiting Lake Pleasant Regional Park in Peoria, Arizona

We recently had friends in from Illinois and I couldn't wait to show them our hidden gem, Lake Pleasant Regional Park. Many people don't realize that Arizona has lakes, and some are an hour or less away from the greater Phoenix area. I've taken my friends to Canyon Lake when we visited Tortilla Flat (one of my favorite double-decker boat rides). I've also taken them on a boat tour of Saguaro Lake in Mesa. But this was our first group trip to Lake Pleasant in Peoria.

My husband and I took our first trip a while back since I was studying hiking trails and where to see wildlife. I read about the wild burros at Lake Pleasant so we took a trip when my son was out visiting and we saw a herd down on a dry waterway. We even got kind of close to a family of…

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What is the Difference Between Mortgage Pre-qualification and Pre-approval?

A guest author just wrote an article on benefits of getting pre-approved before purchasing a home getting pre-approved before buying a home. It really isn't just an idea or suggestion, most sellers will not accept an offer without at least a pre-qualification letter. If a seller doesn't understand the importance of this, the listing agent will educate them.

How it used to be done

When I first started selling real estate in 1983 there were no pre-qualification expectations. We would go through an entire loan process, waiting on pins and needles to see if the buyers would get approved for the mortgage. In many cases, they didn't.

In fact, we did our own pre-qualification process. We would just ask the buyers questions about their job history,…

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Living in Cave Creek - a Small Town with Big Town Amenities

Cave Creek has a small-town charm, as well as access to the larger cities of Phoenix and Scottsdale. With over 170 miles of hiking trails, the preserve, and nature trails, this small community is an ideal place for anyone to live. It is only about 30 minutes from Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix depending on traffic.

The population of Cave Creek is just shy of 5,000 and has a high concentration of residents who own their homes. Cave Creek real estate offers many different subdivisions and areas with different home styles and lot sizes, including horse properties.

Living in Cave Creek offers numerous advantages. Here are some of the benefits of small-town living:

1 Town, 1 Zip Code

What's the big deal about that? Unlike it's much larger neighbor…

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The Scottsdale Real Estate Market and the State of Inflation: What You Need to Know

It's no secret that the real estate market has had ups and downs since the Great Recession of 2008. Prices fell precipitously during the crisis after reaching an all-time high in 2006 and have risen at a high pace in the past couple of years. The Federal Reserve has maintained interest rates at historically low levels in the meantime in an effort to promote economic expansion.

What will happen to the Scottsdale real estate market is the issue on everyone's mind right now as the economy keeps growing and inflation begins to increase. To help you better understand what to anticipate in the months and years ahead, we'll look more closely at the housing market and inflation in this article.

What is inflation?

Inflation is when prices for…

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