Phoenix Real Estate Video Blog with Curtis Johnson

Our New Page Could Help Unlock a More Successful Future for Your Business

2018-08-24T11:58:00.000-07:00

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I’ve got an exciting message to share with you today: eXp Realty’s new “Maximize and Scale Your Real Estate Business” page has just launched!

I put this page together as a place to share informational videos, as well as the tips and tricks my own team has used to sell over 5,000 homes over the last 20 years. The strategies we’ve maintained for the past two decades have not only helped us to produce at a higher level, but also to retain more of our fees.

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I can’t wait to share the the tips and tricks my team has used to sell over 5,000 homes in the last 20 years.

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These strategies come from some of the best real estate coaches in the country, so I hope that learning more about them through the videos on this new page will help you see the same success we have.

If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

When Is the Best Time to List for Top Dollar?

2017-05-05T07:56:00.000-07:00

When is the best time of year to sell your home? We have the answer.

Buying a home? Click here to search all homes for sale

Selling a home? Click here to get a FREE home value report

Call me at (480) 355-4000 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation

When is the best time to list your home to get top dollar?

First, let’s cover the facts. We know that your home could sell for 11% above or 11% below its true market value based on how you handle 168 different variables. One of those variables is the time of year you put your home on the market. A lot of people will try and convince you that your home will sell at the same price no matter who lists it, whether it is staged or not, and whether you expose it to buyers online or not. That’s simply not true.

Nationally, the second quarter of the year is when the most homes are listed for sale. The market here in Phoenix is a little bit ahead, so we’ve been seeing a lot of homes listed over the last few months. However, each neighborhood's market is different. Some have values that are dropping because of high inventory, while many others have values that are spiking due to incredibly low inventory.

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The time of year you list is important.

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After 10 years of struggling in the market, there are a ton of boomerang buyers coming back into the market. These are buyers who may have been foreclosed on back in 2007 but are back and ready to buy now in a big way. There are also more millennial buyers coming into the market each year. Put these together and we have more buyers coming into the market than we have supply coming on the market.

If you want to know what’s going on in your specific area or you’re thinking about buying or selling a home, I’d be happy to provide you with that information. Just reach out and give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Don’t Believe This Common Lie When Selling Your Home

2017-04-24T12:48:00.000-07:00

What should you look for when selling? I’ll answer that today and go over how it ties into a big lie my mother used to tell me when I was a kid.

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What does a lie my mother used to tell me have to do with what sellers should look out for when listing their home?

When my mother and I would go out to eat, she would sometimes reach over and take a bite of my food. She would say that those calories didn’t count because they weren’t on her plate. So, when I was really young, that’s how I thought my mom stayed so beautiful and thin! Later on I figured out that wasn’t true, and that calories did in fact still count if you took them from another’s plate.

In the real estate game, there are a lot of lies being thrown around. You’ll hear that your home will sell for the same price no matter who sells it. That’s not true! There are several different prices your home could sell for. There’s the value the appraiser comes up with, the value an online site like Zillow will give you, the value you personally think it’s worth, the value an agent gives you, and, ultimately, the value your buyer believes it’s worth.

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There’s no such thing as a fixed price for your home.

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So, how do you bring all those values together to decide what price you should accept for your home? I try to teach people about the 22% price swing, which means homes can sell for 11% below or above depending on 168 different variables that happen during the sale. People who don’t want to spend the money marketing your home are the ones that will tell you your home will sell for the same price no matter who sells it. Again, that’s a lie!

Right now we have incredibly low inventory, so selling your house won’t be an issue. However, you want to make sure you’re not walking away from a lot of money!

If you are looking to sell your home, or if you are looking to buy or have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I’m more than happy to help!

How Can I Help You Achieve Your New Year’s Resolutions?

2017-01-23T13:15:00.000-08:00

Today, I want to share some thoughts on New Year’s resolutions. I also want to offer my help to your business.

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Most people make resolutions at the beginning of the year. After all, now is a great time to reflect on our lives and see what we want to do to change them. Unfortunately, many people have given up on their resolutions by now.

If you’re still going strong, that’s fantastic. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help you achieve your goals for 2017.

Our team has some big goals and commitments that we want to hit this year. We want to sell homes and help families. Today, however, I want to ask about your business. Maybe there is something I can help you with.

I want to be the most referred agent in Arizona, and I know that means referring other people to you. I am happy to do that. After being in the business for over 20 years and helping more than 4,000 families, I know many handymen, cleaners, title companies, and lenders.

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Let me know how I can help you in 2017.

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Even if you’re not moving, I may have a great resource for you.

As a business owner, you may need help with some repairs in your building or you may be able to help my clients. Our team has been ranked second in the state of Arizona, and that’s because we’ve done a good job helping so many great people and families.

I genuinely enjoy helping others, so give me a call or send me an email and tell me if there is anything I can do to help your business. I look forward to hearing from you!

On Spinal Surgery, Real Estate, and the Importance of Teams

2016-12-29T08:04:00.000-08:00

Today I have a story I wanted to share that illustrates the importance of hiring the right person when selling your home. I had to give my doctor a little education!

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Today I’m back answering more of your real estate questions. Today’s question is, “Does it really matter who you have sell your home?”

Let me explain with a story. Last time, I talked about how I hurt my back and when I was laid up, I had to rely on my team. That’s why I’m a huge believer in hiring a team; they’re able to take care of more things than just a single agent.

So there I was, unable to walk, getting lots of injections and getting ready for a procedure. I wasn’t able to get knocked out with anesthesia for the surgery, so the doctor tried to make small talk and asked what I do. I told him that I run an incredible team of one of the top-producing real estate businesses' in Phoenix and that we help sellers get up to 22% more for their homes.

He was curious how we do this. I told him that there’s an 11% price swing, meaning you can sell for 11% below or 11% above market value based on 168 different variables and choices you make. I could tell he was interested, and then, he said "I’ve always thought I wanted to go get my license." He wanted his license so he could sell his own house.

I told him the process only takes about 90 hours and that the bar is so low that people just jump right in. They try it for a few weeks and realize how hard it is, then bail. The doctor told me he wanted to get his license just to save the commission on his sale.

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Would you go to WebMD for a surgery?

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I said, “So you’d rather sit in class for 90 hours in order to save a few thousand dollars and get a part-time job doing that?” Then he said, “Does it really matter? Can’t you just sell it yourself and save all the money?”

Then I asked him, wouldn’t that be like me going to WebMD for this surgery? I explained that when I came to him with my back issue, I already knew exactly what the problem was. It wasn’t about finding out the problem, it was about knowing what to do. It was about the 10 years of medical school where he learned exactly where to put the needles, what to inject me with, and which discs to move. It’s about the little details in the expertise that comes from doing thousands and thousands of repetitions. Then, I asked" him if he thought he was better after doing thousands of treatments than he was after his first one.

"Oh my gosh, I’m so much better!" he replied.

That’s the difference, I told him. So many people do so few transactions that it really doesn’t matter and they can’t positively affect the transaction. With that experience, you can go from possibly losing 11% on the sale of their home to gaining 11%.

Before he told me to shut up because we had to finish the procedure, I think I turned him off the idea of going to real estate school.

So the moral of the story is to do what you do best. I thought that story was a good way to illustrate the point that when it comes to who you hire to sell your home, it really does matter who you hire!

If you have any more questions about this topic or you’d like to speak with us about how we can get you 11% more on your home sale, give us a call or send us an email. We’d be glad to help!

Should You Hire a Real Estate Team or Single Agent?

2016-12-13T14:26:00.003-08:00

What is the difference between a real estate team and an individual agent? Although there are some great single agents out there, real estate teams can give you a better experience.

Buying a home? Click here to search all homes for sale

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When you buy or sell a home, does it matter if you hire a single agent or a real estate team?

There are some amazing agents out there in Arizona. At one point, there were up to 100,000 agents out there. In fact, one out of 83 people had a real estate license! Everyone had a friend in real estate. Some agents were able to do great work on their own, and there are a lot of great teams out there, too. So what’s the difference?

I’ve been in business for about 19 years, and for 13 of those years I’ve had some back problems. A couple weeks ago, I hurt my back even further and had to go on bed rest. If I was a single agent, I’d be out of luck. If someone wanted to see a house, there was no way I could have gotten up to show them the house.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the average agent only sells four or five houses a year. They won’t tell you that because they want you to hire them. They are trying to put food on their family’s table, but they have to juggle 168 different things to do so. Again, some of them do a great job.

Unfortunately, other individual agents are “also agents.” What do I mean by that? They cut hair and they’re also an agent. They work at Taco Bell and they’re also an agent. Even though some “also agents” do a great job, they just don’t have as much time to dedicate to you as a full-time agent or real estate team would.

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Each member of a real estate team is an expert at their job.

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I am a huge believer in real estate teams. During my first year in real estate, I worked over 100 hours a week. There were not enough hours in the day for me to do everything for my clients. When you work with a team, you can hire 20 people for the price of one agent and get a better experience.

Think of it this way: when you go to a restaurant, the chef cooks your food. If the chef also greeted you, took your order, served the food, collected the bill, and bussed the tables, your meal probably wouldn’t be so good, would it?

In fact, I just went to the hospital. If I had showed up and the doctor was at the reception desk taking calls and scheduling everything, I would be worried about having them take care of my back injury!

Real estate teams allow you to compartmentalize. My team has helped me sell 4,000 homes. We break up those 168 difference pieces of the transaction so that everyone on our team can be an expert at what they do. I hire and surround myself with the best in the business, and they do a great job!

If you have any other questions about working with a real estate team or about real estate in general, give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

Is Now a Good Time to Buy or Sell?

2016-11-15T10:04:00.000-08:00

If you're hesitant about entering the real estate market this time of year, don't be. There are still plenty of people on the market, and they tend to be more serious this time of year.

Buying a home? Click here to search all homes for sale

Selling a home? Click here to get a FREE home value report

Call me at (480) 355-4000 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation

Are you thinking about buying or selling a house this time of year? There are a few things to keep in mind if you're considering entering the market at the end of the year. People absolutely buy and sell houses at this time; in my 18 years of experience, I've sold homes on Black Friday, Christmas 'Eve' and New Year's 'Eve'.

What are the benefits of buying right now?

Interest rates are still near an all-time low, so it's a great time to buy your first home or upgrade from your current house into a nicer one. When buying during the holiday season, you actually separate yourself from the people who are just out casually looking at homes. You may even find that you have more free time around this time of year as well, thanks to built-up sick days or time off. Additionally, sellers who are on the market at this time are serious, so you will be able to find good prices.

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Buyers and sellers are more serious this time of year.

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Sellers can benefit from this time, too.

If you're just going on the market, it can be a bit tricky from a decorating standpoint. Decorating is not ideal because the first showing of your home takes place online. You want to make sure your house looks great with professional photography to attract buyers. Having decorations from Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas in your photos can really date the photos. If your home doesn't sell quickly, you would probably need to re-shoot those photos down the road.

The good thing for sellers is that the buyers out there are not messing around; these are serious buyers. Buyer traffic may be down a bit, but the people who do come through your house are usually more serious. You won't have to deal with as much hold up from lenders and title companies, giving you a faster transaction as well.

Remember, buyers and sellers are still on the market this season every year. If you have any more questions or you're ready to buy or sell a house this fall or winter, give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you!

How Will the Election Affect the Market?

2016-11-02T08:12:00.002-07:00

The election will likely not have too dramatic of an impact on the real estate market. However, certain trends are easy to see coming.

Buying a home? Click here to search all homes for sale

Selling a home? Click here to get a FREE home value report

Call me at (480) 355-4000 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation

With the election coming up fast, one question I’m getting asked a lot is, “How do we see the election affecting the real estate market?”

Obviously, each candidate would bring about their own intricacies, but our country is very resilient. I think we would be able to survive either one of them, no matter what they do. The president can affect the marketplace, but Congress has a far greater impact on how it functions. Unfortunately, Congress has a 90% re-election rate, so most of the problems that we have aren’t going away anytime soon, and any profound change is unlikely to happen.

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Real estate moves pretty slowly.

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Over the next few years, I do think you will see financing ease up a little bit. Interest rates are currently sitting at an all-time low, so those will have to creep up over the next four to eight years, probably pretty dramatically. This will cause people to not be able to afford as much. Couple that with the fact that homeownership is low right now compared to where it’s been over the past 50 years, and you will see pressure to reverse that trend no matter who gets elected.

Real estate moves pretty slowly, so telling you what’s going to happen within a six-month time frame is much easier than predicting what’s going to transpire over the next six years. What I can tell you right now is that interest rates are at great levels, so if you’re looking to get into the market from a buying perspective or you’re looking to move up, now is a pretty great time to do so.

Remember, if you have any crazy neighbors that are threatening to leave if their candidate doesn’t get elected, be sure to send them my way. If you have any other questions, please feel free to call me or shoot me an email. I look forward to hearing from you!

Why is Zillow so Messed Up?

2016-05-20T14:43:00.000-07:00

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Selling a home? Click here to get a FREE home value report

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I get the question from clients all the time: Why is Zillow so messed up? Simply put, Zillow isn’t in the business of having current or even accurate real estate market info. The company is interested in having eyes on their website.

When the public or real estate agents look at them as a place for accurate information, that’s when things get messed up. People think that they have accurate information, and that’s just not true. If you go through and click on any of their information, they’ve got disclosures that say they could be as far off as 22%.

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A price is a snapshot in time

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For Phoenix metro area real estate, I think they're about 6% or 7% off on average. The average price of a house in the Phoenix metro is about $300,000. What if they’re off by 6%? That’s $18,000 you could miss out on when selling, and that’s a lot of money.

They make money by getting people to go to the site, and then advertising other real estate agents.

A price is a snapshot in time. It changes from day to day, week to week. It’s a fluid thing. That’s why we teach our clients about the 22% price swing -- 11% above or 11% below based on the choices that you make as a seller, such as pricing, staging, marketing, and the agent you choose.

Now you understand, Zillow might not be so messed up. They’re pretty great at making money, and that’s their business. If you’re expecting them to have honest and accurate data, leave that to a professional. I’d be happy to give you an accurate, professional perspective on home prices, so give me a call or shoot me an email when it’s convenient for you. I would love to hear from you!

Three Tips for Phoenix Home Sellers

2016-04-28T13:25:00.000-07:00

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Selling a home? Click here to get a FREE home value report

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Thanks for sending in all your questions! Today, I want to address a specific one. How do I sell my home for the most money possible? This is one of my favorites, so I’ll offer my insight as a real estate professional.

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Choose the right agent.

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Many people think you can list at the bottom of the pile and get the amount you ask for. That’s not true. Fortunately, there are three extremely simple ways to sell your Phoenix home for top dollar and quickly.

Get a storage unit. Don’t reduce clutter to only fill up your closets. Prospective buyers will want to see storage space, and it won’t leave a good impression if they’re already filled. It tells buyers your home is too small.
Utilize staging and photography. We use professional photographers on site for 3D tours and more. Your listing should stand out among the competition. You need vibrant and bright pictures that show off your property’s best features. Nowadays, the first showing happens online.
Choose the right agent. Many people assume their homes will sell effortlessly. That couldn’t be more wrong. You need an advocate to fight for your best interest in a transaction. Who you hire matters, as well as the type of exposure you get. For instance, we created our no-risk home sale program to guarantee the maximum amount of exposure.

If you’re interested in buying or selling a home in the surrounding area, give me a call or send me an email. I’d be happy to answer your questions about this topic or more!

Last Minute Real Estate Tax Tips

2016-04-14T15:19:00.003-07:00

Buying a home? Click here to search all homes for sale
Selling a home? Click here to get a FREE home value report
Call me at (480) 355-4000 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation

Tax season is here, but don’t worry, I have a few helpful tips that can lessen the sting of your tax burden.

The first thing that you can do to help yourself out is to gather and organize all the appropriate paperwork. Save anything and everything, because you will probably need it for one reason or another. If you pay private mortgage insurance, keep those documents too.

Also, keep any paperwork related to home improvements that you have made on your home. If you took out an equity loan to pay for these, the interest is tax-deductible up to a million dollars.

Determine whether you made any donations that were deductible. These would be items around your home that you got rid of. You can track your donations and estimate a dollar amount that you can deduct from your taxes.

Next, calculate your home office deductions and add up the square footage of your office. I have been doing this for seventeen or eighteen years and it really makes a difference when tax season comes around.

If you need more help or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

What You Need to Know about the Current Phoenix Real Estate Market

2015-03-26T12:40:00.000-07:00

A lot of clients have been asking if we're in a buyer's market or a seller's market. The truth is that we're in a balanced market.

Home sales in Phoenix actually declined by 10% in 2014 from 2013. However, when we look at the stats from a few years ago, you'll notice that sales are down quite a bit. The thing to remember though is that these sales were mainly foreclosures, which we're no longer seeing a lot of.

One thing to note is that the price per sq. foot has risen from $81.66 in 2011 to $128.11 in 2014. That's a pretty dramatic increase, but the appreciation dropped off from 2013 to 2014.

The same pattern occurred here with median home prices. In 2011 the median price was $110,000 and now in 2014 it is $192,000.

This goes to show that things have stabilized considerably in Phoenix. Right now we're waiting on some new loan programs that should increase affordability as well as the demand from qualified buyers. New products from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should help our market heat up in the spring.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns about the real estate market here in Phoenix, please get in touch with us and we would be happy to help you out.

Avoid this Mistake for a Profitable Home Sale

2015-02-19T13:08:00.005-08:00

A lot of clients here in Phoenix have been wondering what the most damaging mistake is when they go to sell their home. Is it not hiring a professional stager? Is it a failure to negotiate properly?

It's neither of those things. We have found that the most lethal mistake in a home sale is thinking that there is a set selling price for a particular home.

One way to sell a home is to price it low and have a buyer purchase it right away.

Another way is to expose it to different groups of buyers who will be willing to bid for the home if they find a great value in it. This way of selling takes more effort, but also bring better results.

Every good agent knows that pricing a home correctly involves research, comparison, and a knowledge of your local real estate market. Our team prefers to sell homes by driving traffic to a
reasonably priced property, and this way we get buyers to bid up the price of the home incrementally.

Simply hoping for a good sale price is not a good strategy to sell your home. We don't just sit back and let buyers come to your home, we find them and lead them directly to it. We utilize a 168-point checklist to ensure your home is marketed well and is given the best chance possible to sell for a great price.

If you're interested in selling your home for more money here in Phoenix, please contact us. We would be very glad to assist you!

Where Are Phoenix Home Values Heading?

2015-02-17T17:30:00.002-08:00

One of the most common questions we get from Phoenix sellers is, "What are home values doing?" Today, we are going to answer that question.

First, let's look at the average sales price in the suburbs around Phoenix, and where they have gone in the last 3+ years.

In 2011, the average sale prices in these Phoenix suburbs were:

Chandler: $178,000

Glendale: $110,000

Tempe: $309,000

Paradise Valley: $1,114,000

As you may already now, home values have increased a lot in 3 short years. Here are the current average sales prices for these neighborhoods, as of December 2014.

Chandler: $265,000

Glendale: $182,000

Tempe: $371,000

Paradise Valley: $1,065,000

As you can see, nearly every market has seen exponential growth in home values in the last

3 years with the exception of Paradise Valley. Luxury markets like Paradise Valley tend to not follow the same trends as your average real estate market.

So, where are home values headed in 2015? If we look at national projections, homes are going to continue to appreciate in 2015 and 2016 by 3.7% and 3.2%, respectfully. Phoenix will see appreciation anywhere from 3-5% in the next 2 years, which is a very healthy number.

If you have any questions for us, don't hesitate to give us a call. We would be glad to send you a market report specific to your neighborhood so you can get an even better idea of what your home is worth.

How do Mortgage Rates Affect Home Sellers?

2015-02-17T14:50:00.000-08:00

Today we are here to answer the question, "What are mortgage rates doing, and how do they affect home sellers?"

Interest rates are volatile and can change at any time, but for the past year they have remained stagnant, right around 4%. Recently, the FHA has lowered their mortgage insurance, making payments even more affordable for home buyers.

This year, we are projected to rise by about 1% by the end of 2015. How does that impact your affordability? Well, purchasing with a 5% rate as opposed to a 4% rate will increase your monthly mortgage payment by $200-300, while also adding around $12,000 to the total price of your home.

Here is something most people don't know about lending: If rates go down, homes are more affordable and prices will go up because more people can buy, right?

Well, it's not quite that simple. In the real world, lenders need to make money and when rates rise they see they can make more money from borrowers and are more likely to approve you for a loan.

If you have any question about interest rates, or anything else real estate related, make sure to give us a call or send us an email. We'd be more than happy to help you out.