You Have to Be Competitive

If you want a quick deal you have to list your home just a little less than similar homes on the market in the vicinity. Getting a professional market analysis, which involves a lot more than just looking at what other homes are for sale in the area, is something best done by a professional Realtor if you are working with one on the sale. A good Realtor knows the market and can help you set a realistic price that can be to your advantage to get the sale made.

Move It or Keep It?

Consider the process of buying an item for your home. You would probably not spend months making a decision between an item available for sale nearby and one that costs less but had to be brought in from far away. Your time is valuable as is the money you have to keep investing in your house while it is being sold. Looking at it this way makes the matter look different. A further danger, if you are in a slow period of the market or “buyer’s market,” is that having to drop your price after a time of inactivity it communicates the idea to buyers that you might be in a vulnerable position. They tend to respond more than you like to any indications that you might be under pressure.

Market Momentum Can Be an Advantage

If, after looking at the case for not going for the maximum possible price you still have that goal in mind, you may have to be willing to wait until you can achieve the higher target; in other words, pay attention the market. Now might not be the time to be selling, so you may have to give some on the idea of selling it quickly — but still, when the market shifts you might need to go quickly. This may mean selling the home before you decide on another one. Unless you have relatives or spectacularly good friends with whom you can stay, you may defeat the purpose of getting extra profit from the sale by having to move into temporary rental housing until you find a place. In some cases, the buyers may be willing to wait to take possession, especially if they can stay in their current home a little longer. But in most cases, once they know their new loan is approved they will be anxious to close pretty quickly.

A Final Point: If You Want to Sell It, Price Is Not the Only Consideration

It is just too easy to not think about differences when you are setting the price on your home and see others in the area selling at good prices. If you have not maintained your home in excellent shape, you will not be able to sell it at the same good price as the other homes even if they are similar. In this case you may be successful in pricing it to sell quickly anyway, by offsetting the price of any repairs that will be left to the new homeowner. This would result in a lower selling price but, offsetting it, less bother and expense for you. You will have to decide, after all, what is your personal attention and effort worth? Repairs of a serious nature such as structural items, roofing, and heating/cooling systems may not be eligible for this kind of treatment, although you can do it for problems that only affect appearance.

Projects such as improving tired landscaping, replacing old gutters and shutters, and fresh new paint can possibly be overlooked in exchange for a break in the price as long as the buyers understand they will be taking on some physical labor in exchange for the price break they’re getting. The big thing to remember is this: if you consider both the value of your time and having the house sit too long with the “For Sale” sign up, the smartest approach is truly to be smart by pricing right from the beginning. Price it right if you want to sell it without a lot of hassle.

Be especially aware of this if your home is not clearly the most attractive of all the available homes in the neighborhood. There are people who like to buy a home that needs some work so they can make it their own, and if your home is in need of any work at all then overpricing will leave you completely at a loss. Even if your home is the best one around, though, unrealistic expectations have a way of hurting when they fall. From the time you decide to sell, your best bet is to price it right.

Plan Ahead

Attempting to do everything at once immediately prior to placing the house up for sale is an invitation to annoyance, frustration, and most likely a poorly prepared residence. By taking a little time to do a few tasks in the year or two before placing your home on the real estate market, you will be saving yourself a lot of headaches when it comes time to hand over the keys to your home. Here are three things that you can do easily in a casual extended time frame, but could be big problems if they are delayed to the last minute.

Listing Photos

One of the best things you can do to prepare to put your home on the market is to keep a camera handy for taking listing photos. The listing photo is the first items that many potential homeowners look at and can either cause the potential homeowner to dismiss your home from contention or will cause them to take another look and possibly call about the property. From Murphy’s Law, which states that anything that can go wrong will, we can expect that if you wait until the last moment to take the listing photo for your home, it will be a bad turn of weather or something else that will show your home in an unattractive light. Taking photographs of your home throughout the year will also help potential homeowners to see what the home looks like during all seasons and may help them decide that they would like to see more of the home.

Landscaping

Another tip for preparing your home well before the home is placed on the market is to keep up with the landscaping and to plant flowers in the fall that will bloom into a beautiful garden by spring. Many homeowners focus so much on preparing the house that they forget that the yard will be the first thing that potential buyers will see when they come to view the home. A well manicured and landscaped yard will go a long way towards convincing potential buyers that your house is the right house for them. Use an attractive mulch such as bark or wood chips liberally around the base of plants and in flower beds.

Service and Repairs

Any service providers that need to be hired to do work on the home can be hired in the off season with a little careful planning. Interior painters are not as busy in the winter so negotiating a painting contract in the winter months will allow you to get the work done for a better price. The same goes for individuals that repair air conditioning units and movers that may be needed to move items into storage. Any plumbing or furnace issues should be taken care of in the summer months, when these individuals have less work to keep them busy. Hiring these professionals in their off season can save you a great deal of money and your repairs will be completed in a more timely manner because the contractors may only have your home on their schedule. By simple pre-planning, homeowners can take a great deal of stress out of preparing their home for sale.

Location: NWC of Scottsdale Rd & Greenway Pkwy Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Opening date: First stores opened in 2000, all retail open by 2005

Website: kierlandcommons.com

Kierland Commons is a lifestyle center in Phoenix, Arizona directly bordering Scottsdale, Arizona. The mixed use development is centered around a “Main Street” feel and composed mostly of outdoor retail shops with residential units above and adjoining residential tower.

Development

The mixed-use destination began construction in 1995 and was completed in 2000. The primary developer was Woodbine Development Corporation of Dallas. The development concept, urban design plan and design guidelines were prepared by Design Workshop, Inc. (Denver, CO) and Communication Arts, Inc. (Boulder, CO). Building design was developed and prepared by Nelsen Architects (now known as Nelsen Partners).

Kierland Commons was one of 10 developments honored as award winners by the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) 2009 Awards for Excellence; the 2009 winners were selected from a pool of 140 projects located across the Americas. The awards are widely considered the land-use industry’s most prestigious recognition program. Other awards Kierland Commons has received include the 2003 “Crescordia” Award for Environmental Excellence by the Phoenix Valley Forward Association and the 2004 Honor Award given by the Arizona Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA).

Kierland Commons was the first lifestyle center in Arizona. The 600,000-square-foot Main-Street-style development includes shopping, dining, entertainment, office space and upscale loft condiminiums, The Plaza Lofts. Kierland Commons was created to serve as the community gathering place for the 730-acre master-planned community of Kierland, whose notable features include The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, the 27-hole Kierland Golf Club, as well as other residential and commercial entities.

Kierland Commons is home to about 75 stores, restaurants and services on approximately 38 acres (150,000 m2) and cost approximately US$65 million to build. Like many shopping centers in the Phoenix area, it is managed by the Westcor division of Macerich, though majority ownership is held by the developer, Woodbine Development Corporation.

Some notable retailers at Kierland Commons include Anthropologie, Banana Republic, BCBG Max Azria, Bose, Charles David, Coach, Crate & Barrel, ECCO, Eileen Fisher, French Connection, Harari, Jacadi, Juicy Couture, J.Crew, Lucky Brand Jeans, Michael Kors, Seven for All Mankind and Tommy Bahama.

Plaza Lofts

The mixed-use development’s residential component is composed of The Plaza Lofts, located above retail overlooking the central plaza on Main Street and in an adjacent nine-story tower. The Plaza Lofts holds the record for the highest price per square foot of any residential project in Arizona – at $1,051 per square foot on a sale made in February 2007.

The community features 84 residences in two phases. Phase I was completed spring 2005, with all 30 lofts selling out in 30 days with only on-site signage and word-of-mouth. Floor plans include one-bedroom and two-bedroom/study floor plans measuring 1,100 to 2,800 square feet.

Phase II of The Plaza Lofts was completed summer 2008. The nine-story tower contains 54 residences and offers one-bedroom to two-bedroom/study floor plans stretching 1,100 to 2,800 square feet. Five penthouse suites occupy the top floor, measuring 3,300 to 3,900 square feet with sweeping mountain, desert and city views.

Community amenities of The Plaza Lofts include a private residential parking garage; two reception lobbies with card-access entry (one per phase); a professional-grade fitness facility; two community rooms, one with a full kitchen and another with a catering-friendly setup; a heated lap pool and whirlpool; as well as a bi-level outdoor recreation area featuring fire pits, gas barbecues and comfortable seating areas and a water feature.

DC Ranch is a nationally acclaimed private golf and residential community in Scottsdale, Arizona. The community’s location at the base of the McDowell Mountains provides panoramic views of Scottsdale and Phoenix below.

Developed with a deep respect for the integrity of the land and a commitment to the preservation of open desert space, DC Ranch is a living tribute to the Sonoran Desert landscape.

In every respect, DC Ranch is worthy of its reputation for offering its residents an enviable standard of living.

Silverleaf, a separate private guarded-gate neighborhood in DC Ranch, stands as a natural extension of the community, nestled into surrounding canyons. Throughout DC Ranch, a small-town atmosphere exemplifies the lifestyle and serves the needs of those who live here.

This is one of those rare places offering intimate, inviting neighborhoods, modern conveniences and the feel of a small town’s genuine sense of place and history. Here you’ll enjoy the best of Arizona real estate in a welcoming environment that provides families with many opportunities to connect with friends and neighbors.

Golf is a favored activity at DC Ranch, featuring The Country Club and The Silverleaf Club, two classically designed courses, each with an elegant, private club, offer challenging play against a backdrop of white-sand bunkers, dramatic mountain vistas and city views.

Located at the doorstep of DC Ranch, on the southeast corner of Thompson Peak Parkway and Pima Road, Market Street features a main street theme incorporating 15 architecturally unique buildings and a variety of distinctive shops and boutiques, restaurants, neighborhood conveniences and offices all intimately tied together.

Today we are previewing this lovely home presented by Deanna Bimer DMB Realty Network Scottsdale, AZ.

This 6,069 sq. Ft. Single Family Home on 1.60 Acres offers 6 bedrooms and 6 1/2 baths private driveway leads to an auto court and 4 car garage.  Enjoy location, luxury & privacy  with this 24-hour guard gated DC Ranch home.

Call Deanna Bimer at (480)304-9073.

Welcome to Silverleaf, a private enclave of custom estate homesites and intimate retreats tucked into the canyons of the McDowell Mountains in North Scottsdale, Arizona, and adjacent to DC Ranch. With its classically designed Tom Weiskopf golf course, clubhouse and spa, Silverleaf represents the desert experience lived at the highest levels.

It is a natural sanctuary, a high-desert haven of sweeping space and mountain grandeur. A place that invites a fortunate few to create their own measures of solitude and society, of quiet detachment and vital engagement.

At Silverleaf, golf returns to the golden age of its origins. Tom Weiskopf has crafted a signature course like no other for members of the private Silverleaf Club, where play is steeped in the game’s most anointed traditions of challenge and reward.

In creating the Club and Spa, Silverleaf’s designers were conscious of a particular responsibility: It must be as pure, as inspirational as its Sonora Desert setting. The result, terraced into the hillside, is a 50,000-square-foot club that appeals on emotional levels, while it provides the highest echelon of service and amenities.

In this Sonoran Desert refuge, Silverleaf offers a way of achieving fulfillment, turning everyday living into inspired living. Here, social amenities are immediately accessible, along with the luxury of this private residential club, offering a complete way to experience the beauty of Silverleaf.

This is the pure enjoyment of life.

Increases in jobs, credit and affordable homes will help offset the end of the Fed’s purchases of mortgage-backed securities this month and the expiration of a federal homebuyer tax credit in April. Sales will rise about 6 percent this year, and housing will account for 0.25 percentage point of the 3.6 percent growth, according to forecasts by Dean Maki, chief U.S. economist for Barclays Capital in New York.

“I would bet even odds that we’re at a bottom and that we’re going to see improvement in the coming months,” said Karl Case, co-creator of the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index and a professor of economics at Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

An improving market would allay concerns at the Fed that sales will relapse after the tax credit expires. It would also give Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke and his colleagues, who meet this week in Washington, a freer rein to ultimately raise the interest rate for overnight loans among banks from near zero.

“They’re going to be tightening credit sooner than people expect,” said Chris Rupkey, chief financial economist at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd. in New York. He forecasts that the Fed’s first increase since 2006 may come as soon as June.

Reflecting Optimism

Homebuilders’ shares reflect the optimism. The 12-member Standard & Poor’s Supercomposite Homebuilding Index hit a five- month high March 9 on speculation the expanding economy will boost sales. The index has gained 14 percent this year, led by a 41 percent jump in Columbus, Ohio-based M/I Homes Inc., a 31 percent increase by Standard Pacific Corp. in Irvine, California, and a 28 percent rise in Miami-based Lennar Corp.

Recent housing data have been mixed. Sales of existing homes fell 7.2 percent in January, while housing starts rose 2.8 percent, according to statistics from the National Association of Realtors in Chicago and the Commerce Department in Washington. Builder confidence declined unexpectedly this month to 15 from 17 in February according to a National Association of Home Builders/Well Fargo index, as traffic of prospective buyers dropped to a one-year low. A reading below 50 means most respondents view conditions as poor.

Rising Sales

Sales of new homes still are forecast to increase this year as the economy improves, according to David Crowe, chief economist for the association in Washington, probably totaling 459,000 in 2010, up from 372,000 last year, he said.

Employment is key to the outlook, according to Patrick Newport, an economist with IHS Global Insight in Lexington, Massachusetts.

“When people get jobs, that’s when they move or decide to buy a bigger house,” he said.

The U.S. may add as many as 300,000 jobs in March, the most in four years, thanks to an improvement in the weather, government hiring of temporary workers for the census and a growing economy, said David Greenlaw, chief fixed-income economist at Morgan Stanley in New York. Payrolls dropped by 36,000 in February, according to the Labor Department, depressed in part by East Coast snowstorms that closed many businesses.

“The underlying trend is turning positive,” said Bruce Kasman, chief economist at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in New York.

Solid Footing

The Senate last week approved a $138 billion measure that would extend unemployment benefits and provide additional aid to states. President Barack Obama praised the bill’s passage, saying it will help put the U.S. back on a solid footing.

The economy is projected to grow 3 percent this year, according to the median forecast of 52 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News from March 1 to March 10. It expanded at a 5.9 percent annual pace in the fourth quarter, the most in more than six years, after a 2.2 percent increase in the third.

Credit conditions may also be improving. A net 13.2 percent of banks surveyed by the Fed in January reported that they tightened standards on prime mortgage loans in the fourth quarter, the smallest percentage since the central bank began tallying such data three years ago.

“This is an important step in the right direction,” Peter Hooper, chief economist at Deutsche Bank Securities in New York, and his colleagues wrote in a report to clients last month.

Mortgage originations for the purchase of a home will rise to $745 billion this year and $822 billion next year, the highest since 2008, from $740 billion in 2009, according to forecasts from the Washington-based Mortgage Bankers Association.

More Affordable

Falling home prices and low mortgage rates have made homes more affordable. The median price was $164,700 in January, matching the year-ago level, which was the lowest since May 2002, according to the Realtors’ association. The trade group will report February housing data next week.

The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage was 4.95 percent last week, up from a record-low 4.71 percent in December, according to Freddie Mac, the McLean, Virginia-based mortgage buyer.

The average household had 177.8 percent of the income needed to purchase a property in January, the highest since a record 184 percent in April 2009, when mortgage rates tumbled to 4.78 percent, according to data from the Realtors’ association.

First Hurdle

The housing market’s first hurdle comes at the end of this month, when the Fed completes its program to purchase $1.25 trillion of mortgage-backed securities and about $175 billion of housing-agency debt.

The move probably won’t have much impact, said Mahesh Swaminathan, a mortgage strategist at Credit Suisse Holdings USA in New York. Private demand will replace the central bank, keeping down the spread at which mortgage-backed securities trade to 10-year Treasury notes, he said. The spread on Friday was about 60 basis points.

“We don’t anticipate a massive widening of spreads once the Fed stops buying,” he said. “It will be a few basis points here and there.”

As a result, he sees mortgage rates remaining “about where they are now.”

Much of the private buying will come from money managers who are underweight mortgage-backed securities in their portfolios relative to their benchmarks, said Ajay Rajadhyaksha, managing director of Barclays Capital in New York, who sees spreads rising about 15 basis points in the second quarter.

Next Obstacle

Once the Fed completes its purchases, the next obstacle for the market is the expiration of the tax credit for first-time home buyers. The original credit helped boost existing-home sales by 4.9 percent to 5.16 million in 2009, the first increase since 2005, according to the Realtors’ association. The credit, which was slated to end on Nov. 30, was expanded and extended through April.

The Fed’s Beige Book business survey released March 3 found that some contacts in the housing industry are “apprehensive about future sales” of homes once the credit expires, even though the extension hasn’t helped as much as the initial incentive.

“A lot of people moved up their purchases to meet the original deadline and that used up a lot of the pool of potential buyers,” IHS Global’s Newport said.

The credit of as much as $8,000 stimulated only 180,000 extra sales from December to April, said Crowe of the home- builders’ association.

‘Certainly Positive’

It was “certainly positive, but it has not fueled a huge increase in sales,” Ara K. Hovnanian, chairman and chief executive officer of Red Bank, New Jersey-based Hovnanian Enterprises Inc., the nation’s seventh largest homebuilder by revenue, told analysts on March 3.

The final challenge for the housing market this year is the supply of available properties and the prospect that it may rise. Foreclosures may increase to 2.2 million this year from a record 1.7 million last year, according to a forecast by Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s Economy.com in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

The number of vacant homes for sale rose to 2.09 million in the fourth quarter from 1.99 million in the prior period as banks seized property, the U.S. Census Bureau said Feb. 2.

An improvement in the job market would spur household formation and help absorb the excess supply, said Thomas Lawler, a former economist with Washington-based mortgage company Fannie Mae who now is an independent housing consultant in Leesburg, Virginia.

Living with Mom and Dad

There may be 1.25 million new households in 2010 if the economy continues to expand, he said. The number has stayed below 1 million for the last three years as adult children lived with their parents and Americans generally conserved cash, he said.

“If we get a rebound, you could see excess supply disappear very quickly,” Lawler said.

“The underlying trend in home sales is for gradual improvement,” Maki of Barclays Capital said. “While activity will remain at low levels for some time, the housing bust is essentially over.”

This article was taken from Bloomberg.com News and can be found here.

The Scottsdale Arts Festival is held each March. As Scottsdale’s oldest arts festival (it began in 1971), the Festival draws 40,000 visitors in a weekend and is routinely ranked as one of the best art festivals in the nation. Proceeds from the Scottsdale Arts Festival help support the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts’ education and community outreach programs.

The Festival takes place at the Scottsdale Civic Center Mall, which is located in Old Town Scottsdale next to the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. There will be nearly 200 exhibitors, live music and entertainment, hands-on activities for children, artist demonstrations, and more.

Enjoy the Scottsdale Arts Festival:

Friday, March 12, 2010: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Saturday, March 13, 2010: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sunday, March 14, 2010: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Today we are featuring this lovely home offered by Walter Danley, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage -The Walt Danley Group of Phoenix, Arizona.

Stately Elegance in Paradise Valley

Remodeled from the ground up in 2006, this stately, privately gated estate strikes a perfect harmony between warmth and elegance. A sweeping crescent brick-paver drive wraps around lush landscaping in the front yard to the columned entry. Inside, over height ceilings in every room create a grand scale atmosphere, especially apparent in the formal living room. Polished travertine tile, elegant mouldings, and elaborate hand carved stone mantles around the fireplace are highlights of the impeccable details found throughout this 6,904 square foot home. The formal dining room is the perfect segue between the living room and kitchen. A remarkable blend of luxurious style and chef-inspired functionality, the kitchen comes complete with furniture grade custom cabinetry, eat-in island and ultra premium stainless appliances. An delightful breakfast room is wrapped in windows looking out to the lush backyard. An entertainer’s haven, the family room includes a full wet-bar and space for intimate gatherings or large scale events. A cozy study features a rich wood built-in desk and glass-encased library. The master suite completes the floor plan of the main residence and is a true retreat from the every day. His and her amenities in the lavishly finished master bath, generously appointed walk-in closets and bonus/exercise area all combine to create the perfect environment to begin and end your day. Outside, numerous patio spaces, pool, spa, outdoor kitchen with a fireplace and new detached guest house complete this magnificent property.

Contact Walter Danley at (480) 991-2050 for your private showing

The town of Paradise Valley, Arizona, is ringed in by the McDowell Mountains to the east and Camelback Mountain to the south. It is arguably one of the most breathtaking residential towns on earth, because of the unique and stunning Sonoran desert landscape in which it resides.

In the 1880’s, the Rio Verde Canal Company turned this open grazing area into irrigated farmland. In 1889, the Rio Verde Canal Company sent three surveyors to this area who were so taken by the beauty and tranquility of the desert landscape that they named this area Paradise Valley.

Despite the town’s relatively small area and population compared to other municipalities in the Phoenix metropolitan area, Paradise Valley is home to twelve resorts, making it one of Arizona’s premiere tourist destinations.

The magic of Paradise Valley Arizona continues with indigo skies that beckon you out of doors to explore pristine desert trails, rivers and mountains. Championship golf courses stand by to challenge your skills on artful layouts that wind around mammoth boulders and towering saguaros. Local spas tap into ancient Native American healing techniques to soothe your body and soul. A vibrant downtown in nearby Scottsdale tempts you with world-class shopping, fine art galleries, renowned restaurants and high-energy nightlife.

It has exclusive real estate, with a median home price at $1.74 million, with many exceeding $5 million and some over $20 million.
Many notables live in Paradise Valley, such as actor Leslie Nielson, singer Stevie Nicks, Basketball player Steve Nash to name a few.

Yet throughout the Town’s 40-year history, the residents have strived to preserve the town’s original mission – to maintain a residential community in a quiet and country- like setting.