Scottsdale Real Estate Blog - News & Articles

5 Reasons Winter is a Great Time to Buy or Sell Scottsdsale Real Estate

There is a common misconception that you should put your house on the market in winter.  But that's not necessarily true.  There are some advantages for both buyers and sellers of Scottdale area real estate to buy and sell in the fall and winter months.

There are people who need to buy and sell throughout the year.  Sometimes, people planned to do it during the summer but for whatever reason, things got pushed back.

I remember when we bought a Scottsdale townhouse, our first property in Arizona, I figured the real estate market would be the opposite of our prior state of IL.  I thought more people would buy a home in Scottsdale during the winter because the weather was usually nicer then.  Our agent, who also hailed from IL, said that wasn't the…

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Share the Spirit of the Holidays - Starting at Home

2020 Has Been a Rough Year

Holidays just aren't the same this year.  My son and my grandsons were going to visit us for Christmas but they can't now because my son's employer won't allow out-of-state travel.  Some people are asking why he told them where he was going.  They have the right to ask, and they did.  He has a great job and didn't want to risk losing it.

That was the final word.  But it was a roller coaster of yes, he could go, then no, he can't go, back and forth.  Just before the final "No", he was told he could go as long as he had a clear Covid test prior to returning.  I was so excited, but now that's not happening.

It's Hard to Keep the Spirit this Year 

I'm sitting at home, which is now sparsely decorated since we're still…

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How to Keep Your Home Safe for the Holidays

There are so many dangers when we're out and about, especially during the continuing Coronavirus outbreak, which is spiking once again. We want and need to feel safe in our own homes.

Although this post is made during the holiday season, these tips are not only to help you keep your visitors to stay safe (if you have visitors this year), but to keep you and your family safe throughout the year.  Here are 12 tips to keep your home healthy this holiday season and all year long:

1.  Home Lighting

This is something I'm guilty of.  We have plenty of lights in our house, but as a night owl, I'm up late and tend to walk around in the dark.  Since I've broken my hip (not because of the dark), I always tell myself not to trip over anything.

Make sure…

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The New Normal: A Strong Housing Market Expected to Continue into 2021

2020 has given us a gut punch like no other that most of us have ever experienced. The housing bubble bursting was bad for real estate, but I was able to survive it like I've survived several recessions in my long history as a licensed real estate agent. The strong really do survive!

I received a phone call this past Spring when Covid was getting widespread publicity and government mandates were starting. It was a woman wanting to see a house for sale that was either my listing or something that showed up on my website.

She questioned the price and stated that because of the pandemic and a pending recession, home prices will be going down. I tried to explain to her that the only time (in our lifetime) that prices went down was during the Great…

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Avoiding Damages on Moving Day: This Is What You Need To Know

Everyone is nervous about something bad happening on moving day. The majority of the mishaps one might hear and read about are, fortunately, very preventable. Supplies and know-how make the packing process a breeze, and turn moving day from a stressful trial to little more than a usual chore. Adding a few extra items to a pre-move checklist and learning a few tricks of the trade helps anyone prevent damages during their move, no matter how far their items will travel.

Avoiding Damage to Your Items

The packing process for fragile items is mainly uniform. First, the items should be coated with some sort of protection. We recommend wrapping items in bubble wrap or packing paper. The added layer of protection helps absorb any shocks caused in motion…

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Is Getting a Home Mortgage Still Too Difficult?

 Potential Scottsdale home buyers are cautioned to be mindful of lending standards as well as the current housing market condition. The market will still be tight, at least in the near future. Potential home buyers would do well to do some homework before making a commitment to purchase a home. This would help them to identify a lender who is willing to lend money as well as to ensure that they are qualified.

You should speak to a local loan officer (we can provide you with great lenders) prior to going out to look at properties. This way you won't have any doubts that you're looking in the right price range and you should be able to qualify for a mortgage. In fact, you would be in a much better position if you get fully approved. This is the next…

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Don't Get Burned - Hire a Home Inspector

In Arizona, once you have contract acceptance on your new Scottsdale home purchase, you need to start working on setting up a home inspection - you have 10 days to have the home inspection done and to deliver any requests to the seller. I always tell my buyers that this is Round 2 of negotiations.

When a buyer views homes with us, we point out anything we can see, such as peeling paint, ceiling leaks, visible water lines (could be dry) in a basement, rotting wood, old windows, etc. But we are not licensed home inspectors, and we will not be testing appliances, HVAC, electric, etc.

Why do I need to pay for a home inspection?

Purchasing a Scottsdale home (condo, townhouse, etc.), is probably going to be the largest financial investment you'll…

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How to Create Useful Areas at Home During the Coronavirus Outbreak

Many states currently have a Shelter in Place Mandate, asking all of us to stay in our homes and only go out for essential needs, such as food and medical supplies. Some states have ruled that real estate is an essential service, so Scottsdale real estate is still open for business.

This includes listing properties, buyers viewing those properties in person, and some agents are still holding open houses. Closings are occurring but they‘re just being done differently. Most are not happening in a title company. Many are happening in the parking lot with paperwork being passed through windows with only the title rep. The buyers (sellers are signing prior to the closing the same way or using overnight mail. Crazy!

Some states are having…

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Common Garage Door Problems and How to Fix Them

Garage doors allow us convenient access to our garages. Until one day, they don’t.

Issues and malfunctions are expected of mechanical products after years of use – and your garage door is no exception. That thing weighs around 150 pounds; closed and opened multiple times a day or over a thousand times in a year – of course, it’s going to fail at one point (or several).

Most garage door problems, however, are simple issues with simple solutions that you can do on your own.

Here’s a rundown of the most common garage door problems, along with their likely fixes. If, however, none of these solutions correct the problem, contact professional garage door repair services near you.

The garage door opener isn’t working

This is, perhaps, the…

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8 Scams to Look Out for this Holiday Season

For most of us, we look forward to the upcoming holidays and celebrating with our family and at our workplaces. In the past, we'd have to worry about pickpockets (we still do), but today's scams can hurt us without being near us physically.

I've written an article about home security, and you need to take your credit and identity protection as seriously, if not more. Scams, identity theft, and stolen charge card numbers spike around the holidays. Following are tips on protecting yourself from 8 different scams:

1. Data Breaches
Using charge cards and doing online shopping during the holidays is great for the different stores and suppliers. As we've seen, hackers and scammers can break into big company sites that we felt we could trust. According…

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