About Cochise County, AZ

Topic: Desert landscaping facts (Co-Host Kate Hotz)
Guest: Dave from Southwest Desert Images

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Southwest Desert Images - www.southwestdesert.com
4938 E Buffalo Soldier Trail, Sierra Vista, AZ 85650-7002 - (520) 803-0063

07/25/09 warm weather is here and most of us have gone outside and realized our yards need work. Its easy to overlook your landscaping when you hang out inside, but now it’s time to get your yard in order.

Brad Snyder
Sierra Vista Realty
www.BradSnyder.com

Topic: Manuafactured Home Update
Guest: Chuck Pinbrook from Clayton Homes

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Clayton Homes- www.claytonhomes.com/
125 S Avenida Escuela, Sierra Vista, AZ 85635-2964 - (520) 458-5400

08/01/09 Today we talk about what is happening in the manufactured home business and the new green movement in manufactured home building.

“Open House” is a radio show dedicated entirely to the subject of Sierra Vista and Cochise County real estate. My name is Brad Snyder and I'm a REALTOR and Property Manager at Sierra Vista Realty and I host the show. This program has been designed to bring you news and information you can use. Each week I will have guest experts including REALTORS, appraisers, remodelers, and many others talking about what they know best and answering your questions and concerns. My goal is to inspire, empower, and enlighten as we discuss issues that effect homeownership and yes….we will even talk about this weekends open houses.

The broadcast is designed to be a resource for anyone interested in selling, buying, or just protecting your investment in Sierra Vista and Cochise County. I hope to bring my unique experience and passion for Cochise County real estate to a community of listeners.

It was an honor to have the new Commissioner for the Arizona Department of Real Estate as a guest on my weekly real estate radio show. If you are interested in what is happeneing here in Arizona click play below......

Topic: Interview with Arizona’s Real Estate Commissioner
Guest: Commissioner Judy Lowe

I recently blogged about how, at least in my area, investors seem to be investing in real estate again. This morning I received an email from someone who does not consider himself to be a real estate investor, asking if now was a good time for him to start investing in real estate...if it's safe to test the waters of real estate.

This seems to be a really popular question. Everyone wants to know when it's safe to "get back into the water" with real estate. Problem is, no one really has the answer to this question.

Real estate has been and always will be all about location, location, location. So, even though many parts of the country (and world for that matter) still have dismally slow or even nonexistent real estate markets right now, there are parts of the country where things do seem to be picking up a bit. And, everywhere, there are tremendous deals to be had. So, even though everyone seems to want to get in at the bottom of the market, just like the stock market, no one can every really be sure we're at the bottom until we start coming back up.

I suppose the bottom line is now exactly the same as it has always been...if you find a great property that you really like and you can afford it or arrange affordable financing for it and it is at a good price...buy it.

One good thing that is happening in many real estate markets across the country is the return of seller financing, also known as owner carry-back financing. For people who are either lacking stellar credit or lots of money to put down, this can really be a terrific thing. The downside is that the interest rates are generally a bit higher than you could get at a bank and the terms are normally a bit shorter as well. However, the upside is that many people can buy property they otherwise could not purchase and the seller can sell a property that they otherwise may not have been able to sell.

This type of financing is more plentiful with vacant land, however, we're seeing it more often with manufactured homes and even site-built single family residences. So, even if the listing does not specify that the owner will be willing to do this type of arrangement, it's worth asking. All they can do is say 'no' and they might just say 'yes.'

There are some tremendous deals right now in real estate for those looking for investments. Talk to your agent to find those that will work for you.

A while back I blogged about the foreign investors who came through looking at property, mostly land, and looking for "deals." Since then, it seems like our "home-grown" investors are out scouting out the deals as well.

Is this the "turn-around" we've all been waiting for? Who knows. But, it certainly is encouraging to see that the investors are starting to invest in real estate once again. There are probably as many reasons as there are investors...but, in my local area it seems like investors are looking to "pick up" residential income property. The Border Patrol here is apparently expanding and the general consensus is that they'll be bringin in additional personnel who will, of course, be needing a place to live.

Problem is, there really isn't a whole lot of the usual residential income properties, i.e. apartment buildings, multi-plex type housing, around here. So, I'm having investors looking at single-family homes as potential rentals again. This has not really happened around here for the past couple of years and it's very encouraging.

Hopefully this does signal a market that's ready to rebound. No one expects that it will happen overnight, and certainly we will not return to the feeding frenzy of several years ago...but it does appear that properties are starting to move again. And that's a very welcome thing.