2012 Housing Industry Confidence on the Rise
By · CommentsMonday, April 23, 2012
Good News on the Horizon!
2012 Housing Industry Confidence on the Rise
With more than 1,000,000 members the National Association of Realtors® is the nation’s largest trade association. It’s no wonder that what it says carries a lot of weight. When a gargantuan outfit like NAR makes a prediction, its words may not always make headlines, but they do influence everyone whose job it is to forecast the future of the nation’s economic activity.
That’s why their most recent report dealing with pending home sales put smiles on many of those one million members’ faces.
“The spring home buying season looks bright,” according to Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “If activity is sustained near present levels, existing-home sales will see their best performance in five years.”
Like all statistics, those he was describing can be looked at in more than one way. We know that some numbers are more reliable than others. This particular index is based on an unusually large sample: about 20% of all transactions for existing home sales. It’s a forward-looking indicator: in the past, it has signaled coming trends before they materialize. This index seldom produces a straight line of activity because of seasonal and monthly ups and downs, but this time a trend is evident that is “notably above the pattern from a year ago.”
Our Phoenix Metro home sales patterns are not invariably tied to national trends — but they aren’t impervious to them, either. So we are pleased when our own impression that the spring market is looking up is borne out by the experts who deal in the broader picture. “Based on all of the factors in the current market,” Yun went on, he expects to see “sales rising 7 to 10 percent in 2012.”
Real estate is a famously local phenomenon, and although we keep an eye on the national and state markets, our real attention is always centered right here in the Phoenix Metro area including Scottsdale and Paradise Valley. If you have questions about your own real estate outlook, call me anytime for a consultation focused on your neighborhood.
When you are ready to start shopping for a home or consultation on selling your home contact the Scottsdale Real Estate experts Kimling & Kesling at 480 216-7634 or 602 882-1545 or email them at info@buyingahomeinscottsdalearizona.com.
Also visit their Website at http://www.scottsdale-az-homes.com for the latest listings.
Monday, April 09, 2012
Welcome Home
Paradise Valley and Scottsdale Arizona Realty Listings: Curb Appeal Will “Git ‘er Done!”
As a whole, we Americans are an interesting group. We are smart, educated, involved in our community…and, not unlike the rest of America, our attention span about 5 or 10 seconds. It follows that when you put your home on the market and your agent places it among the Paradise Valley and Scottsdale realty listings, your home has about that long to grab potential buyers’ attention.
Time and time again, studies show that realty listings with superior curb appeal get markedly more attention than those with run-of-the-mill photos. First impressions count. It’s how advertising agencies can charge hundreds of thousands of dollars to get just the right angle with just the right lighting on their perfectly-designed product packages. In ad-speak, that photo with the perfect angle and lighting is called the ‘hero shot’.
Your home can have its own ‘hero shot’. Its landscaping, color, the condition of its driveway, walkway, garage and backyard, along with the overall neatness combine to make a true ‘hero shot’ that will stand out from the other Paradise Valley and Scottsdale realty listings. That same look (over and above the one in the photographer’s viewfinder) can also be counted upon to draw the attention of potential buyers who happen to be just driving by.
It’s not surprising, either, that curb appeal also affects the value and saleability of realty listings. A study by the University of Washington found that “mature trees in a well-landscaped yard can increase the value of a house by 7% – 19%.” On the other hand, overgrown trees that obscure the view of the home can delay its sale.
The curb appeal of homes almost defines a neighborhood’s appeal, and vice-verse. Any home that is well kept improves the image of the rest of the houses on any street. In the same way, a home with a neglected look can bring down the general appeal of the entire neighborhood. You already know what it’s like to drive by a street lined with houses that are all beautifully maintained. Now that’s the kind of place where you would definitely want to live!
If you are giving serious consideration to selling your Paradise Valley or Scottsdale home, call us anytime for a “curb appeal” consultation. Usually, just a few easy steps are all it takes to improve that vital first impression!
Check out one of beautiful tours and photos at http://www.tourfactory.com/847183
When you are ready to start shopping for a home contact the Scottsdale Real Estate experts Kimling & Kesling at 480 216-7634 or 602 882-1545 or email them at info@buyingahomeinscottsdalearizona.com.
Also visit their Website at http://www.scottsdale-az-homes.com for the latest listing
Just How Valuable are “Property Values”?
By · CommentsMonday, March 26, 2012
Wild Desert Flowers
Just How Valuable are “Property Values”?
It’s a little bit like real estate’s Rite of Spring: ‘for sale’ signs sprouting on lawns like new flowers finding Phoenix Metro including Scottsdale’s spring sun. And since we are used to hearing how “property values” are still battling to rebound, this season the ‘Sale’ part of those signs is likely to be taken more literally than usual.
But since “property values” seems to be such an important measure, what is really behind the term? Who determines Phoenix Metro including Scottsdale’s “property values” – and how?
We aren’t just talking about some abstract Econ 101 textbook definition of economic principals. We are dealing with a family’s major investment – their current or future home. So it’s valuable to make a mental distinction between that notion of ‘property value’ and other, less abstract terms. Like “price”.
In a nutshell, “property value” can mean different things to different people — and even different things to the same person! To a homeowner, for instance, it can be the amount of money he or she can sell it for (its “market value”), or the value it has if he or she don’t sell but continue to use it as a place to live (its “use value”). To a lender, it usually means current market value; to a pure investor, property value might be its future value or its liquidation value, — which would also vary depending on whether they are thinking of some possible future forced liquidation or an orderly liquidation. In other words, “property value” is a term that can mean so many different things that it is not terribly useful.
So the next time you hear a commentator talking about “rising property values” or “sinking property values,” be ready to take what they are saying with a grain of salt…or possibly a shaker-full. Property values are not anything like “price”, “asking price,” or “selling price.” Those terms can have real numbers attached!
In case you have been thinking about buying or selling a Phoenix Metro including Scottsdale property, give me a call.
I’m here at the office — and the market’s ready!
When you are ready to start shopping for a home contact the Scottsdale Real Estate experts Kimling & Kesling at 480 216-7634 or 602 882-1545 or email them at info@buyingahomeinscottsdalearizona.com.
Also visit their Website at http://www.scottsdale-az-homes.com for the latest listing
Anticipating the Phoenix AZ Spring Buying Season
By · Comments
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
Spring is Coming!
Anticipating the Phoenix AZ Spring Buying Season
It has been a long time since truly credible sources dared to combine the word ‘optimistic’ with anything like ‘Home Sales Buying Season’, but last week the National Association of Realtors’ Chief Economist, Lawrence Yun, sounded like he is ready to start talking that way.
This spring the Phoenix Metro residential real estate outlook is being buoyed by an upward trend in the national “pending home sales” numbers. Yun points to January’s pending home sales as reaching the highest level since April 2010. The number rose from 95.1% in December 2011 to 97% this January – a 2% increase in one month.
Compared year-over-year, the January home sales level rose 8%, from 89.9%. The significance may be major. Pending sales are defined as homes that are under contract but have not yet closed. They are a leading indicator of the housing market since they represent future business that will only be confirmed statistically in the months ahead.
January’s figures are significant on two fronts. First, year-over-year comparisons are true apples-to-apples comparisons — and 8% represents the kind of substantial gain that can make headlines. Moreover, the comparison to April 2010 is also encouraging.
The new figures are the highest since April 2010, and that number was artificially inflated by the rush of buyers seeking to qualify for the then-impending expiration of the homebuyer tax credit. Yun is optimistic that these newest figures will translate into what he terms a “meaningful gain” this year as the market continues to stabilize.
“Meaningful” indeed! If Yun’s projection that once credit conditions normalize home sales could rise by 15%, it will also become likely that Phoenix Metro prices will complete their turnaround and head…well, let’s just cross our fingers and think the obvious: “UP!”
When you are ready to start shopping for a home contact the Scottsdale Real Estate experts Kimling & Kesling at 480 216-7634 or 602 882-1545 or email them at info@buyingahomeinscottsdalearizona.com.
Also visit their Website at http://www.scottsdale-az-homes.com for the latest listing
Buying a Home in Scottsdale, AZ: The Hunt Begins!
By · CommentsWednesday, February 22, 2012
Scottsdale Open Houses
Buying a Home in Scottsdale, AZ: The Hunt Begins!
Part of the fun of beginning the house hunting process in Scottsdale is attending open houses. For many buyers, especially those who haven’t yet sought out a buyer’s agent, it’s a leisurely, no-pressure way to shop. That is, once you have mastered the art of finding out where the open houses are.
The first step is to know when to look and where. Most open houses are held on Saturday and or Sundays in Scottsdale and may be different than you might see in other areas of the country. Because the supply of residential listings is low and the demand is high in the Scottsdale and the Phoenix Metro area investors and families are out on the hunt. In fact, you will see many more open house signs during the week as well as the weekends.
In some areas of the Phoenix Metro including Scottsdale sellers are receiving multiple offers on their homes. If the home is priced right and stages to show it will move in a heartbeat. This is an upward trend over what has happened the last 5 years. So, get out there and start hunting because there are some great buys. Of course, it depends on the price of the home because the high end homes, say over $1,000,000, are still taking awhile to produce an offer.
While newspapers used to be the golden standard for locating open houses, these days the Internet has become the leader. Brokerage websites, real estate sites such as FrontDoor’s, OpenHouse.com and Trulia, as well as Craigslist and other classified sites, are all excellent places to visit when it’s time to organize your open house safari. We find OpenHouse.com can be especially useful because it does such a good job of removing out-of-date listings (the ‘wild goose chase’ elimination factor).
And low-tech methods can still be effective. Why not take a Saturday or Sunday morning drive through the neighborhoods you might be considering? By 11 a.m., you will find plenty of yard signs advertising the day’s open houses. They’re hard to miss — often festooned with plenty of balloons and arrows to point the way. Since many agents still do advertise their open houses in the weekend classifieds, take along a copy in case you don’t find as many open houses as you were expecting.
Any way you find them, open houses are a great way to start a February or March home hunt. The next step is to find an experienced Scottsdale agent to take you all the way through to your next home. Give us a call anytime — we can start planning your next step!
When you are ready for that dream home contact the Scottsdale Real Estate experts Kimling & Kesling at 480 216-7634 or 602 882-1545 or email them at info@buyingahomeinscottsdalearizona.com
Also visit their Website at http://www.scottsdale-az-homes.com for the latest listings.
Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show starts TODAY!
By · CommentsThursday, February 16, 2012
Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show photos
Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show starts TODAY!
The Annual Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show will be held between February 16 and 26, 2012. You will see over 2400 of the world’s most beautiful Arabian horses. They will be competing for the coveted title of Scottsdale Champion.
Wait, you thought this was all about the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show? Will think again because there will be over 300 Commercial Exhibitors from around the world! You will be able to browse through a showcase of fine art, exquisite jewelry, wonderful clothing and every equine related item you can think of along great food.
The Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show will be held at WestWorld located at: 16601 N. Pima Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85260
Visit their website for more information at www. Scottsdaleshow.com.
Would you like to shop for a second home while you are here?
When you are ready for that dream home contact the Scottsdale Real Estate experts Kimling & Kesling at 480 216-7634 or 602 882-1545 or email them at info@buyingahomeinscottsdalearizona.com
Also visit their Website at http://www.scottsdale-az-homes.com for the latest listings.
What Makes Great Arizona Real Estate Listings?
By · CommentsThursday, February 09, 2012
The Wise Owl Knows!
What Makes Great Arizona Real Estate Listings?
Real estate listings can be more than uninspired collections of data outlining the physical characteristics of a residence. They are often the first introduction a potential buyer has to a property: and that property may be the one that winds up becoming an important part of a family’s life together. Whether they are listed online, via brochure or in the local classifieds, great real estate listings are usually a seller’s first – and often only – chance to seize the imagination of potential buyers.
For today’s Arizona buyers, modern real estate listings are an unmatched time-saver. They bring a plethora of information that’s available 24/7/365. They shortcut the process of finding the right home in the right area at the right price, and they make it easy to find key information that allows comparing otherwise dissimilar offerings. The energy saved can make the difference between settling for an ‘almost’ right property and zeroing in on the perfect choice.
Checking the real estate listings online before actually visiting properties means saving time, effort, and money all at once. Not only are previews of prices and photos of the houses being offered available online – but also a wealth of information about the area, the local sales statistics, and, for out of town shoppers, an almost limitless depth of neighborhood facts. Websites like Trulia.com, Realtor.com, Zillow.com are just a few of the many sources of online real estate listings that include an abundance of extra information. If you want to narrow your search to a specific criteria that can be done as well through your very own portal brought to you by our multiple listing service (MLS) locally.
On the other hand, not all sources of online real estate listings are regularly monitored for timeliness or accuracy of information. Veteran house hunters are familiar with what happens when less than professional sources result in unreturned email inquiries or unwanted solicitations. Lack of prompt (or even no) response is also more frequently possible when the listing in question deals with a foreclosure or short sale.
My website offers up-to-the-hour information on this February’s home market. The Scottsdale Arizona real estate listings you find there are always accurate and designed to maximize your ease of browsing. If you haven’t visited already, take a few moments to look through our real estate listings, then give me a call to chat about your home search: what you’ve found, and what you’re looking for. There is, after all, no substitute for local market experience – and the greatest real estate listings are the ones that steer you toward the home and the transaction you’re looking for.
When you are ready for that dream home contact the Scottsdale Real Estate experts Kimling & Kesling at 480 216-7634 or 602 882-1545 or email them at info@buyingahomeinscottsdalearizona.com
Also visit their Website at http://www.scottsdale-az-homes.com for the latest listings.
“What’s Most Important in a Real Estate Agent?”
By · CommentsThursday, January 26, 2012
Another Beautiful Day in Sunny Arizona
“What’s Most Important in a Real Estate Agent?”
What would you guess is the most important skill or quality when it comes to choosing your Scottsdale, Arizona real estate agent? Since that real estate agent is someone who will play a key role in the financial event most families consider the most important they ever face, it’s well worth investigating. When you buy or sell a home, it almost always turns out to be an indelible milestone in the family’s history. So what quality is most important in making the choice of who you want to play that key role?
Last week the National Association of Realtors (NAR) announced the results of a survey that addresses the question in a serious way. As published in their Economists’ Outlook, the answer is both surprising and – when you think about it – not so surprising at all.
Communication and negotiating skills both come up as key factors that buyers consider important. Both qualities are considered necessary to instilling confidence among the parties to any home sale. Nobody wants any surprises during the process; everyone wants to know what’s going on at all times.
Knowledge of the real estate market, which is key in establishing and relating the real values in a home sale, is valued even higher. Knowledge of the purchase process — the ins and outs of the technical details of what is often a complex series of requirements — is thought to be even more important for a real estate agent.
But those are not the most valued quality according to the NAR survey, which was national in scope. It queried a national sample of actual recent buyers of new and previously owned homes, so the answers they report are based on real experience with real estate agents by real home buyers.
Slightly more important was ‘responsiveness’ — which I personally think of as the service side of communication. It means that the national sample of home buyers think a good agent not only knows the right answer to the many questions that come up, but also knows how to answer the phone!
So that leaves the last and greatest quality that real buyers value: and it’s the hands-down winner with an overpowering 98% of all buyers in agreement. The quality is honesty and integrity. More important than knowing the market? Than people skills? More important than keeping in touch? More important than mastery of the legal and technical issues? You bet!
And all we agents want in return is Loyalty from our clients.
When you are ready for that dream home contact the Scottsdale Real Estate experts Kimling & Kesling at 480 216-7634 or 602 882-1545 or email them at info@buyingahomeinscottsdalearizona.com
Also visit their Website at http://www.scottsdale-az-homes.com for the latest listing
Will Scottsdale, AZ Rental Home Rates Rise in 2012?
By · CommentsWednesday, January 18, 2012
Lovely rentals available
Will Scottsdale, AZ Rental Home Rates Rise in 2012?
Financial experts insist that they don’t have a crystal ball, but they still have to predict the future anyway. That’s why they watch a number of different economic indicators to determine the direction they expect different segments of the economy to head. For the owners of Scottsdale rental homes and their tenants, one of the most important segments is the one dealing with rents – will they continue to rise in 2012? If, as many experts predict, rents do continue on an upward path, it will mark the third straight year that they have done so. Scottsdale landlords needn’t ignore the trend.
While the year is still too young to have established many economic indicators, here are some to watch for to help you make your own prediction regarding rent price trends that may affect your own decision-making:
- A quiet market in home purchasing. Americans remain anxious about the overall economy and have thus far refused to signal a clear end to the doldrums in home sales. Many Americans tend to remain in rental homes as they await clearer signals of a more robust economic recovery.
- Continuing high foreclosure rates have the effect of forcing homeowners out of their homes and into the rental home market. This decreases vacancy rates, raises demand — and therefore, rents.
- Job growth fuels housing demand. As the population increases, at least some job growth is required to meet the resulting demand for goods and services – especially if growth in the supply of rental homes lags or remains flat.
To slightly balance those indicators, other signs could hint at a possible future stall in rental rates:
- Rental unit construction starts were up 33.3% in the third quarter of 2011. Although such projects take time to reach completion, when they hit the market they will add to the supply of available rental homes — and that absorbs some of the demand.
- Low mortgage rates make it more financially feasible to own rather than to rent. When rents have been rising for as long as they have, there is a growing likelihood that home sales will eventual rebound. When? That’s where the crystal ball would come in handy!
The big question is, if rental home rates do continue to rise in 2012, how much can owners and renters expect? While the majority of analysts agree that residential rents should continue to rise, they vary when asked how much – from 2.5% to 5.5%, depending on which one you ask.
When you are ready for that dream home contact the Scottsdale Real Estate experts Kimling & Kesling at 480 216-7634 or 602 882-1545 or email them at info@buyingahomeinscottsdalearizona.com
Also visit their Website at http://www.scottsdale-az-homes.com for the latest listing
Thursday, January 12, 2012
AZ Luxury Executive Estate Home
Marketing a Luxury Home in Scottsdale or Paradise Valley, Arizona
Luxury homes for sale may have had a rough ride over the past couple of years, but the good news is that luxury sales are beginning to perk up. It’s not just a domestic phenomenon. As overseas investors react to recent unstable conditions in much of the rest of the world, they are beginning to again view U.S. property acquisitions favorably. If you are a Scottsdale or Paradise Valley homeowner with a luxury home to sell, the question is, how in the world do you tap into this market? How do you find your high-end buyer?
The short answer is: your agent.
Author Michael Lepeter (3 Solid Tips for Marketing High End, Luxury Real Estate) puts it this way: “The high end listing is no ordinary beast: [buyers] are paying more, and they’ll expect more. Your target market is completely different.” The luxury market is anything but a beginner’s market. It’s why your choice of realty professional is key. An experienced high end agent has specialized techniques for marketing luxury homes for sale.
It begins with the creation of an unabashedly high end image. This will comprise the basis for the marketing campaign that will be carried out from beginning to end. To build that image, a listing package will be created using tools of the trade — exceptional high-end photography, an eye-catching website that conveys the extraordinary value of the property — including, where necessary, décor created by a professional staging company. Irresistible photos of your luxury house will be the first chance you have to seize the imagination of sophisticated buyers (just as run-of-the-mill photography presented in a ho-hum setting is a surefire way to miss those same opportunities!).
Another of the more important but easily overlooked elements that a skilled agent brings to the art of marketing luxury homes for sale is his or her network. If a Scottsdale or Paradise Valley listing agent markets primarily condos, the odds are that he or she is not currently networked to place your $2 million home before very many qualified buyers. Targeting the right buyers through the right network has two advantages. First, it doesn’t waste your time prepping the house for unqualified showings. Second, the air of exclusivity of a “pocket” or off-market listing may help you earn a higher price. It’s even possible that a well-connected agent might not even advertise your luxury home for sale to the general public – he may just use his network.
These are only a few examples of the difference a qualified agent can make when you set about marketing luxury homes for sale. If you have such a property and are considering placing it on the Scottsdale or Paradise Valley market, let’s talk about what our network can do for you!
When you are ready for that dream home contact the Scottsdale Real Estate experts Kimling & Kesling at 480 216-7634 or 602 882-1545 or email them at info@buyingahomeinscottsdalearizona.com
Also visit their Website at http://www.scottsdale-az-homes.com for the latest listing
