About Navajo County, AZ

I was thinking this afternoon about the buyers in today's marketplace. They are either bargain hunters or people looking for a dream. In our area, it is a joke among the Real Estate Professionals in the area that every buyer is looking for a "3 BR, 2 BA Cabin in the Woods, on an acre, with a creek running through it". Almost every buyer to sit down in front of our desks has a preconceived notion that this is what they want to buy. The reality of the area is much much different.

To start with, even though we are located high above the desert floor in Arizona and we have Pine Trees and Lakes instead of cactus, we are still part of the desert. We are subject to the same extremes that they are in the lower elevations. And, the people who live and work here are not vacationers, they have jobs and families and responsibilities like everyone else.

The fact is that in reality, there really aren't many "Cabins in the Woods", there are just every day homes in everyday neighborhoods, just like there are everywhere else. If by chance you do find that "Cabin in the Woods" you better have a lot of money to spend or you won't be able to afford it. Land is scarce here in the high country and what land is available, is also very expensive.

How do we deal with these types of buyers? For starters we show them what they have in their mind's eye. Usually the price is so far out of reach for them that they are shocked back in to reality real fast. Then we get down to the nitty gritty of home buying. Like everywhere else, we have to separate the "dreams" from "reality". We have to spend the time talking to our buyers and helping them to understand that there is a difference between needs and wants. Often in home buying, the needs have to take priority over the wants. It usually takes some time but in the end we are successful in convincing our buyers that what they had in mind wasn't realistic so they have to determine what they can live with that will still serve the purpose.

I heard an agent comment one time who moved to our area from a large metro area. He was having a hard time dealing with the fact that in our area, you have about 20 minutes to establish some kind of a relationship with a potential buyer; if you are successful in that 20 mintues you probably have a loyal buyer. If you aren't, they are down the road never to be seen or heard from again. The thing he had a hard time with was that it might be months or even years before that buyer actually does something. We don't have the option to snag 'em and hang on until they buy. Usually they are just passing through on a mini-vacation or a weekend, and it may be a long time before they are really ready to purchase a home. This is especially true if they came in thinking they were going to find that "Cabin in the Woods" right now.

I am sure a professionals you all know the difference between the Dream and Reality. But for those buyers out there who might be reading this, just remember, the Dream in our Mind is probably not real and the Dream of Owning a home can be. We just have to separate the Dream from that with which we can live. Wants vs Needs and so on.

Have a great day everyone.

Show Low, AZ 85901

That is the view of Fool Hollow Lake from our street. we have snow! We have a Ski Resort which is the best kept secret in the state. No lines and great runs and plenty of good restaurants and hotels! This is a great area to relocate to and it is not experience sub-zero temps in this cold snap. The high altitude helps us with a great sun everyday that warms up everything.

A must visit for anyone considering retiring, relocating or getting out of the cold to a moderate climate with 4 seasons. We have a state of the art hospital, Lowe's, 24hr WalMart and 6 golf courses.

Have a good day everyone,

Leslie Byrne

Dreamscape Realty and Investment LLC www.whitemountainsofarizona.com

I was just thinking today that much of what we do in this industry to bring in new business is tedious at best and time consuming besides. Case in point, the Christmas Card ritual. Yes it is a pain, yes it takes a lot of time, but....it reminds all those previous customers that you are still in the business and they appreciate that we remember them. I even have folks I send cards to that weren't even my clients. They were just really nice people who made things easier for my clients and were just a real pleasure to work with. I want to remember them too because someday, they might remember me too.

Now There is a Happy Hound!

Yes, it is White and there is more on it's way. Glad I am not planning any travel for the Holidays since we received about 18" of snow last night with more on the way for Christmas Day and the Day After. We could quite literally be snowed in for the Holiday and for a couple of days after. Our highway crews are not the best and it takes them a long time to get roads cleared after it snows. The latest forecast says we could get two more feet of the White Stuff before it is all over, and the last time they said that we got 4 feet here and as much as 6 foot higher up. The skiers will be happy, once they can get to the slopes that is!

Just glad I've got my shopping done and my freezer stocked and my fridge full. I may get cabin fever being snowed in, but at least we have food to eat and wood to keep us warm if the power should fail (it does that here quite a lot when there is heavy snow), and we have books to read and movies to watch so we should be fine.

And the dog, he'll be a happy happy hound. He loves the snow and we get a lot of joy watching him romp and play in it.

Merry Christmas Everyone! Happy Holidays to those of you who may be offended by the Christmas wish, and we wish you a wonderful day with your loved ones.

In our market here in the White Mountains of Arizona we are just beginning to see the REO properties hit the market. In the larger areas they have been the biggest percentage of the marketplace formost of 2008. But up here in the High Country we are just beginning to see them hit our market place. It is a challenge learning how to handle them because there is no consistancy with the Lender's Requirements.

I currently have two escrows going on REO properties with two more than didn't get past the inspection stage so I am learning that the challenges are not always easy to overcome.

The biggest obsticle in my opinion is lack of uniformity in the Counter Offers we receive from the Lenders. We all know and expect that they are not going to meet the terms of our Arizona Contract as it is written, but every one of these organizations, whether they are Asset Management Companies or the Lender's themselves, have a different Counter Offer that was written by an Attorney in language that is very difficult to decifer, let alone try to explain to a client.

They all in essense say the same thing, We Know Nothing, We accept responsibility for Nothing, we don't Fix anything, and basically once you buy this property it is your problem not ours. But, it seems to me that there should be some uniformity in the way they are drafted.

Some expect the Inspections to be done before they accept the contract. Others give you a few days to do inspections and submit Counter Offers or requests for repairs, others have provisions for limits on the cost of repairs the lender will do, some say they'll do what is necessary for the Buyer's Loan Requirements and some say simply we aren't going to do anything no matter what.

The challenge is that we as Real Estate Agents are not Attorneys and are not supposed to act as Attorneys, and yet these contracts and counters expect us to have the same knowledge as an Attorney and be able to translate the information in these documents to our clients.

Perhaps in some states this isn't an issue since Attorneys handle the transactions, but in Arizona there aren't even that many Real Estate Attorneys around and while all these documents recommend that a client consult an Attorney before signing the document, it is difficult to find one who even understands Real Estate Law, let along will do it at a price that the client would be willing to pay.

So how do you protect your client? How do you advise them in these circumstances? Often even the Listing Agent doesn't understand what the document says or what their supposed client expects so as a Real Estate Pro it is difficult to advise your client on what may or may not be in their best interest.

Any thoughts?