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We love over-the-top Christmas light displays. So we asked one hard-working holiday light hanger to share the secrets of his 400,000-light display in Delaware. Read
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Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
This beautiful 4625 sq. foot home sits on 7 acres of prime property in Prescott’s Williamson Valley area. Currently Listed at $400,000 dollars. It will be going to auction on 12/2/2011. The last open house before the auction will be 11/26 from 11:00 to 4:00. Come check out this beautiful home with a view. The virtual tour below will show you some of the beautiful features of this home. This is my first “Video” on my iphone and I’m hooked. I still have a lot to learn. One of the things I still need to learn is the volume controls. Please be aware that the music in this video occassionally gets loud for no apparent reason.
Happy Thanksgiving
http://www.jennieshook.com
See what the National Association of REALTORS has to say about eXp Realty!
And check out what Swanepoel 2011 is saying about eXp!
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Premium content from Phoenix Business Journal -by Jan Buchholz
Date: Friday, March 25, 2011, 3:00am MST
As residential real estate brokerages consolidate and eliminate offices to save money, Internet-based eXp Realty is ramping up its business in Arizona.
The Seattle-based brokerage is headed by CEO Glenn Sanford, a technology whiz who started his first software company when he was 14.
After a soft rollout in fall 2009, eXp Realty’s Phoenix operation has grown to become its second-largest, Sanford said. The local crew includes 49 agents mainly recruited from other firms, and about one-fourth of them are licensed brokers.
Overall, eXp has 200 agents in 15 states and is adding about 10 agents each month. Many are joining the company because of its business model, which makes it possible for them to conduct most of their business online.
While residential real estate requires an agent to meet with clients to list and show homes, the eXp model dramatically reduces overhead. Sales agents all work from home and have real-time Web access to other agents and brokers across the country, and Sanford pops into and out of various virtual meetings. The online socializing more than makes up for in-person conversations around the water cooler, he said.
On a recent Friday morning, about 15 agents, brokers and tech support personnel from Scottsdale, Seattle, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Arkansas and Pakistan met in a virtual conference room for a leadership training session. While those professionals might have been wearing pajamas in the privacy of their own homes, they appeared to one another via avatars — appropriately dressed and gathered around a virtual conference table, discussing strategies that work in the marketplace.
Sanford said he is seeing a lot of tech-savvy agents coming up the ranks, and many are looking for progressive companies that offer new ways to do business.
Wendy Cracchiolo is one of those agents. She previously worked with Coldwell Banker Residential and Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty, both in Phoenix, but joined eXp shortly after the first agents were recruited.
“I love how virtual the company is. Transactions are totally paperless. I like the green vision of no bricks and mortar for offices,” Cracchiolo said. “Without (office) costs, they can put more money in our pockets at the end of the day.”
Bob Bemis, CEO of Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service Inc., said technology can be overwhelming for consumers and agents initially, but that’s where the business is going.
“Virtual offices, electronic transactions and the tools to make this happen are on the leading edge,” he said.
ARMLS has embraced technology in recent years by adapting multiple listing data to user-savvy platforms. It also is holding seminars such as Technopalooza to help agents navigate the complex world of technology in real estate.
Ultimately, though, consumers will choose which companies and agents present those leading-edge applications in the most user-friendly ways.
For now, Sanford believes his company has the edge in winning over consumers.
On any given day, agents can visit a variety of eXp Realty virtual rooms. Phoenix designated broker Suzanne Fuqua, for instance, holds a Tuesday morning meeting for Arizona agents who want to talk and collaborate. She decorates the virtual office with saguaro cactus and other Southwestern touches.
Thursday’s national schedule is filled with a list of real-time classes, such as the “Art of the Close” and “Search Engine Optimization.” In addition, training podcasts are available 24/7.
According to statistics from the National Association of Realtors, the Internet is used by 74 percent of consumers shopping for homes. Many take their first step via the Internet, and that number likely will grow.
EXp’s small Phoenix office is a corp-orate suite at the Esplanade, near 24th Street and Camelback Road. Sanford isn’t the least bit embarrassed that the office isn’t a high-profile affair.
“Bricks and mortar is not relevant to the consumer anymore,” he said.
Adele Coffman, who switched to eXp from West USA Realty after seeing an ad on Facebook, said most of her clients want to do their own research anyway. Through her expanded technology tools, Coffman provides clients with better search resources, which makes the time they spend together looking at homes much more productive.
“The traditional model is winding down,” Fuqua said. “This is so fresh and simple. We’ve built a better mousetrap.”
Connect with Jan Buchholz at jbuchholz@bizjournals.com or on Twitter at @jreneebuchholz.
Spring has arrived in the Prescott, AZ area and a group of friends get together to enjoy the day taking their Polaris Rangers out to the forest area. Terry loads up the Ranger on the flat bed trailer and I prepare a lunch with lots of snacks the night before so we’re ready to load up first thing in the morning. We leave the Dewey area by 8:45am and meet two of our friends at the Dugas Road pull-in (just north of the Cordes Lakes area), where we unload the quads and drive down to the home of the last couple that will be joining us. They live in the area, and are gracious enough to show us “green horns” a little piece of the “Wild Wild West”. We are warned that the neighboring ranch is doing a spring round up of the cattle to change the pasture so we proceed with caution. Our host was raised in the house next door and is a third generation rancher and willingly shares his knowledge of the history of the area. The dirt roads are well maintained so it’s an easy ride as we enjoy the miles and miles of rolling hills and awesome views. Not long into the trip our hostess slows down to show us a cowboy up on the hill and cautions us to go slow. Sure enough the next corner the foreman of the ranch is on the side of the road watching his crew’s progress in the rounding up process. He assures us that the cattle are not in the area yet and warns us that the campground and picnic area that we’re headed to has a large group of college kids there already. He also extends an invitation for us to come back after lunch to watch the round up and branding.
We arrive at the Salt Flat campground and find a picnic table that is unclaimed and enjoy lunch nestled under the pines. After lunch we take a short hike up the trail running beside a stream. Not far up the trail we hear a big branch breaking. We look across the stream and see a big brown bear lumbering up the hill. As we proceed around the bend we hear a turkey calling out. Several trout are seen in the stream. The day is warming up. We turn around and head back to the quads to ride over to the round up.
As we arrive at the pens the cowboys have a group of cattle that they are counting and determining which ones to keep and which ones to set free. Some of the Prescott National Forest land is leased for grazing cattle on, and the ranchers move the cattle from one pasture to another to ensure that the land is not depleted and to take stock of their herd. Several new calves are in the herd. The small group of cowboys handles roughly 50 cows. When all is said and done the cows are released into the next pasture. The cowboys encourage the cattle to leisurely regroup and gather up their babies by the stream and then send them on their way to new pasture in a different section of Prescott National Forest. The cowboys come back up to visit with us and we admire their horses. Terry shared his apple with one of the horses. We’re surprised to hear that it’s the horse’s first apple. The horse definitely likes the apple. 
On the way back to the vehicles we stop to check out a small home that the Prescott National Forest rents out during the summer. Just as we arrive the Park Ranger pulls in behind us to clean up from the last tenants. She graciously agrees to show us the home. The home is called Sycamore Cabin and is a small 2 bedroom home that is sparsely furnished and is rented out for $125.00 a night. The day has flown by and we head back to our vehicles and call it a day.
http://www.jennieshook.com
Jennie Shook, Associate Realtor, cell (928) 458-9453
eXp Realty
On Saturday (March 26th) my husband and I took a day trip From Dewey, AZ to Tonopah. The Dewey sky had large puffy gray clouds along the horizon the brisk wind reminds you that it’s early spring. The trip was about 2 hours one way. The trip took us from the mountainous north central part of AZ to the dessert valley just west of Phoenix. A quick stop at McDonald’s in Cordes Lakes for breakfast and we were headed down to the valley. The first signs of the saguaro cactus (only in AZ) show up about a mile north of Bumble Bee. The high altitude and the four mild seasons in Dewey limit the cacti that grow in this area. For more information about Arizona Cacti check out this site — www.angelfire.com/ca7/sierratses/az-cactus.html.
We were headed to Tonopah to visit with my son and his friends. They live on a small (3 acre) mini ranch. The GPS got us right to our destination even though the roads surrounding their home are dirt and have no street signs on them. The sky was clear and the temperature is about 67 degrees. With the wind it felt a little cooler. The terrain was wide open prairie with forever views. Upon our arrival, our hosts were in the final stages of preparing a large batch of delicious homemade salsa and prepping the carne asada to be grilled on the BBQ. My son and his friend showed us around the yard. The pen of goats caught our attention. The bigger goats maintained a pecking order and left no room for the smaller goats to share the treats. It became a challenge to find a way to get oats to the little ones. There are peacocks and chickens, rabbits and a horse on the property. While the fun turns to a friendly game of horseshoes the host started the BBQ. A game of bocce ball followed the delicious meal. The day flew by and it’s was time to leave before you know it. On the way home, I stop to take pictures of the ocotillo (almost in bloom) and the saguaro’s. Another great day in Arizona.
Jennie and saguaro
2/3/2011 9:45:00 PM
Seller beware: Want to sell your home? Here’s how
| CMaria Artale is doing her best to sell her sister’s home.
Artale, who lives with her sister in their roughly 1,700-square-foot Prescott Valley home, gives their abode a thorough cleaning every week, including steam cleaning the floors, vacuuming the rugs and making sure the future is spotless. And Artale does it because it creates a good first impression for prospective buyers. “You have to keep it up and make it presentable to everybody,” she said. It’s also about being patient for sellers like Artale, who said the home went on the market in October, and the offers aren’t coming in too heavily. “The market’s been very slow,” she said. “We’re praying that we get somebody.” That said, the local housing market is showing signs of a recovery. Pete Weaver, associate broker at West USA Realty of Prescott and a board member of the Prescott Area Association of Realtors, said 1,436 homes in Prescott, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley and Dewey-Humboldt were on the market as of Thursday morning. Weaver said the average amoundt of days on the market is 130, and the average sales price year to date is $191,613. The better news is that realtors sold 144 properties in January 2010 and they sold 168 this past month, which is pretty decent considering early-year sales are usually slow, according to Weaver. “To have that many sales is a very positive sign,” he said. And Weaver said the market for homes in the $150,000 to $250,000 price range is drying up. “That’s a good sign for sellers because inventory is dropping, prices are stabilizing, and there’s not as much a buyer’s market.” That said, a few local realtors recently gave some tips for property owners looking to sell in today’s market. Realtor Jinger Cutting, with Windermere Real Estate in Prescott and a PAAR board member, said it’s important for sellers to think about pricing their property in line with today’s market conditions. That means looking at prices of comparable properties that sold within three months in the same area. “I think it’s not only location, location, location, but it’s price, price, price today,” she said. “If you’re not realistic on the price point then wait, don’t put it on the market right now.” Amy Palmer, a realtor with Realty Executives Northern Arizona in Prescott, suggests sellers should do some homework when selecting a realtor. She said sellers should talk to them about the experience of selling homes, ask about how they plan to market the property and make sure they have a strong rapport with them. Bob Folger, associate broker at HomeSmart Fine Homes and Land in Prescott, said it’s important for people to avoid setting the price bar to high. “Be aware of price ranges and be willing to negotiate,” he said. “Don’t set your price in concrete.” |
Cutting
Do 1. Make sure home is clean Don’t 1. Overprice expecting buyers to make an offer. Folger Do 1. Get rid of clutter. Don’t 1. Over price. Amy Do 1. Price accordingly. Don’t 1. Think it has same value as it did a few years ago. Jason Soifer The Daily Courier
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2/10/2011 10:00:00 PM
Builders compete with short sales, foreclosures
Les Stukenberg/The Daily CourierMandalay Homes and Universal Homes recently pulled five new single-family home permits in Prescott Valley. Representatives of each said they see a market for new houses, and their prices are competitive with short sales and foreclosures.
Mandalay Homes and Universal Homes recently pulled five new single-family home permits in Prescott Valley. Representatives of each said they see a market for new houses, and their prices are competitive with short sales and foreclosures.
Jason Soifer
The Daily Courier
New home construction is back online in one Prescott Valley subdivision.
Dave Everson, president of Phoenix-based Mandalay Communities, said the plan is to build 20 homes this year in the Pronghorn subdivision and expand on that next year.
Mandalay pulled three new home permits in January and put deposits down on three more, according to the Town of Prescott Valley’s monthly permit report.
Everson said they are opening their sales office in the community with the goal of selling homes.
A New York-based investment company that bought nearly 140 lots in the subdivision this past summer is behind the new construction in the community.
Lexin Capital, which also owns lots in five Phoenix-area communities, bought the lots in Pronghorn for nearly $3 million, according to data from the county recorder’s office.
“We want to build out all 138 homes, market willing,” he said.
Mandalay isn’t the only homebuilder in town with some work.
Universal Homes of Phoenix pulled two new home permits in January.
Joe Contadino, president of Universal Homes, the developer behind the Granville subdivision, said he’s selling homes, too.
That brings up the question of why developers like Mandalay and Universal Homes are building in a housing market that has lots of short sale and foreclosure properties.
Contadino and Everson both said that they can build a new home for about the same price as a short sale or foreclosure, and their homes don’t come with the headaches that distressed properties have.
“I think people would like new homes at the same price as trustee sales,” Everson said. “I think there is a definite value there.”
Contadino said he believes there’s a market for new homes in the $100- to $110-per-foot price range.
Contadino said that new homebuyers want to close in 30 days with their money or financing ready to go, and builders have to have something to sell.
“If you don’t have any inventory, you can’t sell anything,” he said. “(Most) people would rather have a new home than go through the brain-damager of short sales or foreclosures.”
For each home that Contadino sells, he pulls another permit, and he’s got homes in the pipeline.
Everson said they’re realistic about how many sales will come their way this year.
“We haven’t set our expectations super-high, but we do think there is a demand out there. Even if it’s modest, it will help us establish some footing moving into next year,” he said.
It’s a positive sign to Pronghorn resident Bob Mira, whose home is down the street from two of the lots Mandalay is completing.
“It’s nice to drive out and not see empty lots,” he said.
Mira, who moved into the community four years ago, said it’s an encouraging sign that the market might be improving. But he also said building out the lots is one part of the equation: “Of course, the final period to the story will be if it sells.”
3/3/2011 10:03:00 PM
Short sales, foreclosures made up 51 percent of local home sales in 2010
Les Stukenberg/The Daily Courier A bank-owned home in the Quailwood subdivision.
Les Stukenberg/The Daily Courier
A bank-owned home in the Quailwood subdivision.
Jason Soifer
The Daily Courier
Edie Hulburd is part of a wave of homebuyers who are moving away from new homes to take advantage of today’s real estate market.
Hulburd bypassed new home options and went with a bank-owned property.
The decision took months for Hulburd, who said she was looking for something that met her criteria and was a good deal. The final result was a home sitting on an acre lot in Chino Valley.
“That was what was driving us – we wanted to find a really good deal that we knew that we would have equity in,” she said.
Hulburd said new home options were too pricey and a shot at a short sale fell through because the she said the bank wasn’t willing to negotiate on the price.
The right option came to Hulburd through an online auction, and she got the property in early December in the $150,000 price range.
“After it’s all said and done, we feel like we made a good decision,” she said.
It seems many other buyers have the same idea as Hulburd.
Data from the Prescott Area Association of Realtors shows that in 2010, more than 50 percent of home sales in Prescott, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley and Dewey-Humboldt were short sales or foreclosure sales.
That falls in line with state data from RealtyTrac. The real estate aggregator reported in late February that Nevada, California and Arizona posted the highest percentage of foreclosure sales in 2010.
Arizona came in second place with 49 percent of sales falling into that category, which was actually down from its peak of 54 percent in 2009.
Local figures are in line with RealtyTrac’s data. Of the 2,497 total home sales in the four communities this past year, 1,039 were foreclosures and 240 were short sales, for a whopping 51 percent of all home sales, according to data from the Prescott Area Association of Realtors.
In Prescott, 36 percent of home sales were foreclosure or short sales.
The percentages spike to 59.8 percent in Prescott Valley, 67 percent in Chino Valley and 70 percent in Dewey-Humboldt.
Pete Weaver, associate broker at West USA Realty of Prescott and an association board member, said he sees some encouraging signs such as falling inventory, homes spending fewer days on the market, low interest rates and fewer distressed sales as a percentage of total sales.
Another positive sign from Weaver is that the average sales price from November and December was $175,166 and through January and most of February it was $185,904.
“I still see that we’re heading in the right direction,” he said.
But the short-term outlook is still shady.
Blomquist said the state has a glut of unsold foreclosure properties – nearly 53,000 bank-owned properties still waiting for buyers.
He said that means more of the same sales trends in Arizona through this year.
“It will be into next year before we burn through that backlog of inventory that’s already been created,” he said.
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