Increasingly, today’s home buyers are looking for a retreat from the physical and mental pressure of their constantly hectic lives. A sense of community and togetherness continues to be meaningful to most buyers, but the current trend seems to be leaning more toward the need for a bit of quiet separation. As a matter of… Read More
Real Estate
The Myths and the Magic for VA Home Buyers
Like almost everything else in our lives, the VA loan ‘ain’t what it used to be’… because it’s so much better! In the past, and yes even the recent past, home sellers were scared off by a purchase offer from a home buyer using the VA loan. But the loan itself has changed, and public… Read More
Video: How to Upgrade Your Home Office
According to BankRate, more than 13 million Americans work from home. That makes a home office one of the most requested features for today’s home buyers. Home offices range from a private, dedicated space to an unused back bedroom. Some home buyers require an independent, outside entrance, some have need of additional space to welcome… Read More
Home Buyers: Tips for Maximizing Limited Kitchen Storage Space
Kitchens and garages are often carefully scrutinized when shopping for a home. Why? My theory is that much of the home’s storage space is located in the kitchen area and in the garage. Considering the scarcity of basements in our region, storage space claims an even higher spot on an Arizona home buyer’s list of… Read More
What’s Next for Mortgage Interest Rates? The 2020 Forecast Looks Promising.
Along with routine monitoring of local and national Real Estate market data, we closely follow changes in home loan trends, lending regulations and most notably mortgage interest rates, since developments in the mortgage industry directly affect our clients, both home buyers and home sellers. The sharply rising rates spouted in many ominous predictions for 2019,… Read More
A Brooklyn V’s Thank You Thursday
We are extreme fans of Brooklyn V’s Pizza in Gilbert, Arizona, but in a much more meaningful sense than the fact that they create our favorite ‘Back East style’ Pizza or the most scrumptious Chicken Marsala ever. What makes Brooklyn V’s so extraordinary, is that they truly care about their community. Each year around the… Read More
Which Black Friday Deals are a Hit… or a Miss?
RetailMeNot is a major go-to for online discounts, in-store coupons and even snippets of shopping advice. It’s the ultimate ‘deal browsing from home’ website and I’ve depended on it and another shopping staple, DealNews, for years. With Black Friday upon us and the deluge of now-or-never deals being thrown around, RetailMeNot has some sage advice… Read More
Homeowners Insurance Coverage, 5 Myths Debunked
Did you know, that something called a CLUE report can be critical when you’re buying a home? CLUE stands for Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange and might also be known as a Letter of Experience or simply Property Insurance History. This report details all insurance claims made against a specific property, typically within the past 7… Read More
Phoenix Valley Among Top Metro Areas for Millennial-Veteran Home Buyers
I’m detecting a subtle shift in the demographics of home buyers lately, at least among a large segment of my clientele. I frequently handle VA transactions but in recent years my Veteran consumers seem to be younger, indeed many fall into the under 40 category commonly known as Millennials. — — Veterans and Military Members… Read More
Thank You Thursday – It’s an Honor, and I Appreciate Your Trust in Me
I greatly appreciate my customers and clients, every single one. But one client in particular placed an immeasurable amount of trust in me recently, and I would be remiss if I didn’t thank him for his faith and confidence over these past 11 months. Ski first contacted me by text last November, after discovering that… Read More