Scottsdale Real Estate Blog - Judy Orr

Six Seller Pricing Mistakes

I just read a similar article in Inman News (you need a subscription), so I decided to put my own spin on it. Pricing is one of the most important factors in getting a home sold.  You'll hear location is #1, and that is also important, but homes sell all over - on busy streets, near train tracks, etc. They sold because they were priced correctly for their negative locations. The same goes for a home that needs a lot of work - if it's priced correctly for its current condition it will sell.

Setting Price Based on Active Listings vs. Sold Listings

I always have to remind Scottsdale real estate sellers that appraisers put the appraised value based on listings that have already sold and closed within the last 3 months (preferred, although they will go…

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Answered: Your Most Burning Questions About TOP HOMEOWNER TAX DEDUCTIONS THAT DECREASE YOUR TAX BURDEN

Top Tax Deductions for Homeowners to Reduce Your Tax Burden

It is impossible to avoid paying taxes without getting in trouble with the IRS, and we must all contribute our fair part. Paying your fair share, on the other hand, should not be an undue hardship. Because you pay both income and property taxes as a homeowner, your tax burden is twofold. Take advantage of these homeowner tax deductions to reduce that load and increase your tax savings. You can put your tax savings toward bills owed, home maintenance, saving toward an investment, or something fun.

Using Your Tax Deduction to Improve Your Home

Many people don't seem to have enough money to keep their homes in tip-top shape. Home maintenance is very important to keep larger repair…

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Looking For a Scottsdale Home in 2016?

We do work in more areas than just Scottsdale, so don't let the title of this post sway you.  Our hub is Scottsdale real estate but we will travel pretty far and wide to show you properties or list your home for sale.

It's the start of the New Year.  You might be considering purchasing a new home in Scottsdale or any other Greater North Phoenix location. You have many online resources to search for homes but did you know that sites like Trulia & Zillow don't have every home that's available listed on their sites?  They can also have outdated information.  

Along with them, some sites show properties that aren't actually for sale.  They think it's important to offer every existing address as they feel it makes their sites more relevant and important.…

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Why We Chose HomeSmart

The Judy Orr Team joined HomeSmart in April, 2014.  HomeSmart is the top real estate brokerage in Arizona and we can testify to that since we own a home in Scottsdale, AZ, and we see HomeSmart for sale signs all over.  The company has been cited as one of the fastest-growing brokerages with over 7500 agents in 13 states and 3 countries.

Before we ever joined HomeSmart when living in Illinois, one of our prior local independent brokerages was created based on HomeSmart's business model.  I had heard about HomeSmart as soon as I joined that company over 10 years ago (from the date of this post).  So when I started receiving e-mails about them franchising nationwide I was already familiar with the name.

I did a lot of studying on them before…

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How Important is Square Footage in Scottsdale Real Estate Sales and Value?

This is an older post that still holds value today. Please note, although I'm mentioning Scottsdale real estate, this article covers all real estate. Our company is based in Scottsdale and is our main city.  In fact, because I network with agents around the world, I've heard other agents stating the same thing.

Why Don't All Listings Have Square Footage Listed?

Until just a few years back, the square feet section in our MLS wasn't a required field, so most agents didn't bother with it.  It is now a required field but we can put in "0" if we're not sure what the true value is.  I will only post square footage if I have a prior appraisal, an original blueprint, it is listed in tax records or a folder/pamphlet from when the property was built.  Most of…

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What's "In" and What's "Out" in Real Estate Today

This is yet another "Throw-back Thursday" post that I originally wrote on December 22nd, 2005.  What is written here is the same as today in 2015.  This is based on an article I read and is as follows:

I’m not sure if I agree with all of the findings of the article put out by Broker Agent News, but see if you do.  The article stated that smaller square footage is in.  Not in my Scottsdale homes area.  Hardwood floors out?  Another one I question, although the article talked mainly about laminate wood grain flooring.  Today's laminates are very nice and sometimes I can't tell the difference!  Gas grills that use a tank?  These are usually not left with the home since they are portable.

Awnings were mentioned as being "out."  Although there might be…

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The Truth About Print Advertising for Real Estate Sales

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

I used to advertise in the Southtown Economist, Sunday edition.  Sometimes they'd offer a deal for the entire…

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Scottsdale 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,…

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Do You Really Want to Work with a Part-time Scottsdale Real Estate Agent?

Inman 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…

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Is The Grass Always Greener?

ThrowbackThursday Blog Post - Is the Grass Always Greener?

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)…

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