The battle over resale properties is still raging among home buyers. Once-upon-a-time the New Construction industry would have easily picked up the slack but that isn’t the case in our current Real Estate market. Contractors are encountering a widespread shortage of construction and utility workers, in addition to the infamous supply chain issues that are… Read More
7 Simple Ways to Make Your Style More Functional. One of the first things most home buyers note when they’re touring a listings is closet space. 99% of homes in the Phoenix area do not have basements so well designed floorplans incorporating plenty of closet space are always in demand. HINT for Home Sellers: You… Read More
Interest rates on IRAs plummeted during the economic downturn but for the most part, they’re back. I’ve never been sure whether or not it’s a good idea to pull funds out of an IRA for the purpose of investing elsewhere. Having said that, you’ve got to live somewhere and I’ve always been opposed to paying… Read More
Winter storms cause havoc everywhere but they take widely different forms in different parts of the country. Florida and other coastal states struggle with hurricanes and severe wind damage. In California and here in Arizona, January is customarily our winter rainy month and flash floods are not uncommon. There are designated flood plains dotted throughout… Read More
One of the most concerning things to home buyers is the efficiency of windows. A home inspector will make note of the type of windows in a home and whether or not there may be leaks, damage, or need of repair. Replacement windows are costly, but in the Arizona heat they can make a difference… Read More
FICO, the most widely used credit scoring company in the country, modified their model in 2014 (FICO 9) but few people are aware of how these adjustments affect them personally, or even that there have been changes at all. A few shifts in the scoring algorithm can make a big difference in your credit score,… Read More
This short video offers some great tips for living in your staged home. Staging your home can mean several different things. There’s complete staging of an empty home by bringing in furniture, artwork, small appliances and lighting. You minimally can stage a vacant home with small splashes of color like throw rugs and towels, baskets… Read More
I totally agree with the tips in this video. In fact I would take the first bit of advice one step further. ‘Scope out the neighborhood’ is something I tell all of my buyers but my opinion is that you should WALK the neighborhood, at least twice, once in the evening and once during the… Read More
Through the economic downturn, appraisers were not considering the worth of many remodeling projects. Updated roofs, structural components and systems still carried weight but improvements in kitchens, bath, flooring and the like were largely ignored. Lately it’s been noticeable that most upgrades including cosmetics, are again being factored in, as was the case before the… Read More
We research almost everything from electronics to restaurants before making almost any decision, but I wonder if you’ve thought about doing your research on what is arguably one of the most important financial decisions you’ll ever make? Buying a home is major undertaking and yet we often rely on the advice of family, friends and… Read More
