by Brad Shaffer on August 15, 2008
I recently stumbled upon a listing in the Tempe area (see previous post) that at first made me half laugh at the stupidity of the agent selling the condo and half empathetically cry for the sellers of the condo.
“The property, which is listed near downtown Tempe for just under $400,000 is incorrectly listed as being within the Cave Creek Unified District. That’s one hell of a bus ride for kids to Cave Creek which is roughly a 36 mile drive to the northern-most suburb city of the Phoenix metro area.”
Worse yet is the description used in the listing - or lack of description for that matter. It gives no detail of the property or the amenities located within this development or the convenience of future light rail and the proximity to downtown Tempe. The pictures (there are only three and the Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service now allows unlimited photos) posted for the listing look like they were taken with the first cell phone camera ever created as they are grainy and extremely small. Worse yet, the agent “stole” a stock photo of a Tempe Town Lake sunset and the Mill Avenue Bridge - and used it as one of the three photos to market the property.
Now, for the icing on the cake - the property is listed as “Owner/Agent” which means the agent selling the property is also the owner. My empathetic cry for the seller quickly went away. Can you imagine what this agent does for his/her clients if this is all he/she does for his/her own property!?! It’s no wonder the real estate industry has a bad image - who sees the value in paying an agent upwards of $24,000 to market a property in that way? I sure as hell wouldn’t.
Sellers: Check and recheck your complete MLS listing for accuracies! Don’t ever assume, no matter who your agent is, that they’ve listed your home with 100% accuracy. Better yet, don’t assume they’ve posted it in it’s best light. There are a few way to check your MLS listing. The easiest is to simply ask your agent for the complete listing printout. Ask for the “Agent Report” so that you see everything another REALTOR would see. Verify that all the information in the listing is correct and that nothing has been left out.
Better yet, go to websites that reciprocate MLS data - perhaps ours - and check your listing’s photos and (hopefully you have one) virtual tour. On our site, you can view the pictures in full-screen - but only if your agent has loaded photos that are of full-screen quality. If they haven’t, they’ll be small photos or even grainy if they are of super-low quality. Not only that, verify that your photos actually present your property in it’s best light. That means either your agent is a great photographer with a great camera or your agent hired a professional photographer.
With well over 80% of home buyers using the internet to start their search it’s very easy for them to move on to the next listing if the pictures for your property don’t stir their interest. Most of us are visual people and will first look at the pictures and then decide if we actually want to read about the property. Make sure your pictures and virtual tour engage buyers rather than disengage. And make sure the information on your property is 100% accurate to ensure it comes up on searches as it should.
by Brad Shaffer on July 30, 2008
Arizona Fusion Real Estate is excited to announce new and innovative features that give buyers excellent tools for searching for the first, next or best home ever! We call it fusionpower search!
fusionpower search allows buyers to completely tailor their search and access it on a personal, secure website.
Have you ever wanted to search within just a specific area ? For example, maybe you are looking for a home that is north of Broadway in Tempe, Arizona but between Mill Avenue and Rural Road but south of Tempe Town Lake - and when you’re west of Mill you’d like to the search to continue north of University but east of Hardy Drive. fusionpower search allows you to do just that!
It's okay. Be as specific as you'd like on where and what you'd like to search.
Here is what fusionpower search can do for you if you are thinking of buying real estate in the Phoenix Valley:
• Search Your Way - Like You’ve Always Wanted :: Be as specific as you like - a 5 mile radius from work, between Mill Avenue and Rural Roads south of Tempe Town Lake but north of Broadway, within a mile from a light-rail station - whatever your personal search requirements are we’ll meet them!
• HD Photos :: If the listing agent has made the photos available, you’ll be able to view photos in fullscreen, HD quality.
• Virtual Tours :: If the listing agent has created a virtual tour you’ll have a direct link all within your fusionpower search webpage.
• Compare :: You’ll be able to compare other homes that are on the market. You can see what the average Days on the Market are, what the average list price is and more.
• Sales History :: If you’d like, we can add to your fusionpower search the recent sales activity and show you what homes have sold in the past three months in your search area so that you can get an idea of what you’d like to offer. You’ll even be able to compare what the list price was compared to the sales price. Of course, we’ll review this information again when we’re ready to make an offer.
• Save Your Favorites :: You’ll be able to save your favorite properties for later so that you always have access to the information. No more re-searching or clicking through hundreds of listings to show your family and friends. You can also throw out listings you hate.
• Schedule Showings Online :: Have questions on a specific property or want to schedule a showing? Do it online at anytime.
• Tax Info :: Your fusionpower search will give you instant access to public tax information from the Assessor’s Office on properties that interest you.
• Mortgage Calculator :: Just click on the basic mortgage calculator to see what your payments might be. fusionpower search gives you all the search power you’ll need.
Sign up for your personal fusionpower search webpage and when you purchase a home with arizonafusion, we’ll include:
• A Free Home Warranty :: Up to a $500 value, your Home Warranty protects you from unforeseen issues with major expense items such as the air conditioner, water heater, appliances and more. The warranty even will rekey your home and provide you with new and unique keys.
• 10% Back :: We donate 10% of our earned commissions to the charity, non-profit or university of your choice. You can read more here.
Sign up for your fusionpower search website now.
by Brad Shaffer on July 30, 2008
With President Bush signing into law a bill that aims to help over 400,000 homeowners from losing their homes into foreclosure, buyers sitting on the fence should also know that it changes how you can purchase a home through the Federal Housing Administration, or FHA.
The law also requires buyers to put a down payment of 3.5% for a FHA Loan. Previously, buyers only required 3% as a down payment.
But what may affect buyers even more is that sellers are no longer allowed to gift the down payment to the buyer. New Home Builders can no longer give you your down payment and sellers can no longer give you an incentive to buy their home by handing you a down payment from their proceeds.
Buyers should be aware of this. FHA loans are becoming the most popular mortgages out there. Right now, buyers can still accept a down payment from a new home builder or seller before October 1, 2008.
The new housing bill also gives first-time home buyers a tax credit of 10% of the sales price (up to $7500). In the Phoenix area you’re most likely going to get the entire $7500 tax credit with current market prices. It should be noted that although the tax credit will benefit you on next year’s taxes - it is really an interest-free loan from the government. You’ll be paying it back over the course of the next 15 years.
Is now the right time for you? If you have good credit and have been waiting for the right time but don’t necessarily have a significant down payment you may want to start searching now - if the time is right for you and/or your family.
You can use arizonafusion’s map-based search or our just released fusionpower search for the ultimate property search experience!
by Brad Shaffer on July 20, 2008
23 years in the making and it’s finally a loop - kind of. The last segment of Loop 202 open tomorrow, July 20 in Mesa. It will connect east Mesa with the central valley and offer far-east valley drivers another option. Right now, to get from east Mesa to Tempe, Scottsdale or Phoenix, drivers only have one option - U.S. 60.
This completes the eastern part of the 202 and creates a nice loop around Chandler, Mesa and Gilbert. This section of the Loop 202 also creates an instant “bonus artery” for traffic and instant value for those buying or selling real estate in the far-east Phoenix Valley.
Now, if we could only get that western southwest quarter complete, tentatively called the “South Mountain Freeway” … but that’s a whole ‘nother story that involves more debate than I care to do on this fine Sunday morning.
