Scottsdale Real Estate Blog - News & Articles

I Hate Snow and Winter

I'm sitting in my home with the heat cranked up so high my skin is dry and my hair is full of static. We're going to have record low temps tomorrow for the southwest Chicago suburbs. I was born in the wrong state. As an update in 2020, Illinois is one of the top states that residents are fleeing from.

I'm cold all of the time. My friends make fun of me and my family knows better. In winter I either wear a robe or a blanket wrapped around me at home. If I get tired of that & I’d slip on a pair of long underwear under loose pull-on pants and wear a thick sweatshirt. I’m sure my husband always thinks I've put on a few pounds because of all the clothes I wear.

As a child, it didn't bother me as much

Although I'm not very athletic I did enjoy…

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Real Estate Cost Vs. Value Remodeling 2006

As a licensed Scottsdale REALTOR® I have a subscription to REALTOR® Magazine, a comprehensive publication provided by the National Association of REALTORS®. One of my favorite issues is the annual issue featuring a real estate Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report compiled for the current year (2006).  Read the report here.

I like to save this article to bring along on listing presentations to help back up some items sellers might think are worthwhile expenses to sell their Scottsdale home when I feel they won't get their money back. In my opinion, this is one of the most informative articles the magazine puts out every year.

You Can't Always Get Back What You Paid

One seller insisted that he wanted to add the $5,000 onto the market value of his…

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Upswing In Pre-holiday Scottsdale Real Estate Activity

Most years I pretty much have a vacation the weeks prior to the winter holidays. However, I have had an influx of Scottsdale real estate showings right up to the Christmas weekend. That's a good sign.

For buyers, you still don't have a huge amount of competition and if you're thinking of buying a house soon, you really should be out there looking. Some good Scottsdale homes, condos, and townhomes have been on the market for a while and sellers are getting anxious. If you wait until Spring to buy you might not get as good a deal as you could now.

Use the free MLS search for properties in your price range and with your amenities. Even better, sign up for the Automated Home Finder Search that will send daily updates to your e-mail. Search once and…

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Happy Ending for German Shepherd Rescue

Princess has found a home! When I made the prior post trying to find a loving home for Princess, the German Shepherd that was home alone in a house after her owner passed away and I had the house up for sale, I had hopes for success but was pretty doubtful.

Thanks to the tip from Bern (since switching my website the comments are gone) telling me to post an ad (it was free) on www.petfinder.com. I really didn't have much faith as there were so many ads. Also, as I am a fan of tiny dogs. I just didn't think there would be much interest in a 4-year-old German Shepherd.

Lo and behold, I got a phone call soon after from a wonderful woman who offered to adopt Princess although she already had 2 large dogs and I wasn't sure if Princess would get along with…

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HELP THIS GERMAN SHEPHERD FIND A NEW HOME

UPDATE: Princess has been rescued! Thanks for the inquiries and read the story of her happy ending.

I was called by a friend and prior client that I needed to get a house listed where the owner passed away.  I found out that there was a German Shepherd living in the house.  I have a fear of big dogs, so I wasn't excited about this idea and I immediately knew I had to help find a home for her.

Meet Princess, the sweetest German Shepherd I've ever met. Although I love animals, German Shepherds were never dogs I would have considered bringing into my home. However, if I didn't already have 3 dogs (2 Pekingese and 1 Dalmation), I would certainly take Princess in if we couldn't find someone.

She is currently home alone as her owner died recently. She…

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Scottsdale Second Home Sales Hit Record

Four out of every 10 real estate transactions were second-home sales for vacation, part-time living, and/or investment purposes, according to an annual report put by the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). These types of sales hit records in 2005.

Two surveys showed that 27.7% of properties purchased in 2005 were for investment purposes and 12.2% were vacation homes. Many second home purchases are not really a 2nd home, but a 3rd, 4th, 5th, or more because of good investment returns. What I found interesting is that the median distance of a vacation home was 197 miles from the primary residence, and 47% were less than 100 miles away while 43% purchased 500 miles or more away.

In Arizona, a lot of people in the valley, like Scottsdale, will…

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Using Your IRA or 401(k) for a Down Payment

Sometimes it seems like there is just no way you'll ever be able to afford to purchase your first property in  Scottsdale, Carefree, Cave Creek, Fountain Hills, Paradise Valley, or another Phoenix area. As prices increase, the dream of homeownership drifts farther away.

There are many different rules and ways of obtaining financing and/or funds. Here are two you might want to consider.  Please consider the date of this post and double-check with your IRA or 401K provider to make sure what the current rules are.

1. If you are a first-time home buyer you are allowed to withdraw up to $10,000 from your IRA without penalty. You will be taxed on the withdrawal, unless you have a Roth IRA, as you were already taxed on those contributions.

2. You'll…

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My Recent Press

Some of my fellow agents, friends, and clients have seen my recent press.  It started a few weeks ago with a Wall Street Journal article about how I lost the domain name for my Oak Lawn real estate website.  Many other news sources across the nation picked the WSJ article.

Please be assured that I did not forget to pay my $9.00 fee.  I relied on my web host to let me know what the problem was when my site first went off-line since I purchased the domain name through them.  They finally figured it out the 2nd time the site went down but by that time it was too late.

The story was captured by two local papers, The Southtown Star and The Chicago Sun-Times.  The Southtown Star article wasn't as bad as the Sun-Times article which made it sound like I…

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Scottsdale Real Estate Buying Trend

Over the past week or two, there has been an influx of activity with my listings and I've had 5 or 6 contracts presented in this short time period. I have noticed a real estate trend that I haven't seen in a long time. Some Scottsdale home buyers are coming in with very low offers.

I believe the lowest I received was $30,000 or more under the list price on a Scottsdale home for sale. Of course, my seller was upset and let me know that he'll hold onto the home and wait for a better offer rather than sell it at such a lowball price.  In fact, not one of these lowball buyers has been successful in getting their offers accepted.

No matter if it's a Buyer's Market or Seller's Market, there will always be potential buyers that will make lowball…

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Why Didn't I Just Leave Illinois?

I have mentioned how I wasn't happy living in the state I was born in, Illinois. I always say that I was born in the wrong state. I sometimes developed SADD during winter. It actually started in the fall season, knowing that Illinois winter was right around the corner.

One of my life regrets - a job offer based in New York

At the age of 19 I had a job offer to work with my prior boss who left the company I was employed at to work for the World Bank. I would be his Executive Secretary, traveling all over the world. However, I would have to relocate to New York. I had just gotten married and I laid awake at night contemplating such an exciting move.

I talked to my husband who was still trying to find his ideal work situation and who wasn’t…

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