About Phoenix's South Mountain

¿Necesita vender su casa en sur Phoenix o Laveen?

Si ya ha investigado sus opciones y ha consultado con un abogado y contador sobre las consecuencias de hacer una short-sale en vez de que le llegue el foreclosure (ejecución de una hipoteca), y ha decidido vender su casa, ¿ahora que pasa? Bueno, primero necesita que buscar un agente de bienes raíces, como yo, que le pueda ayudar con la venta. Usualmente, cuando uno vende su casa con mi asistencia, me paga una comisión de lo que saldria ganando. Pero en una short-sale, su banco, ya sea Wells Fargo, Citimortgage, Wachovia, etc., ellos son los responsables de hacer ese gasto. Ya que la casa vale menos de lo que se le debe a la hipoteca y el vendedor no va a salir ganando dinero en esta situación. Lo que se ganan es evitar la ejecución de la hipoteca.

Si usted se comunica conmigo para que le ayude con la venta de su casa, lo primero que yo hare es tomar información. Necesito saber si todavía está haciendo los pagos mensuales, si sigue viviendo en la casa, si es un préstamo o dos, el nombre del banco, el número de la cuenta de la hipoteca, y otros detallitos. Pero, con esa información, podré analizar su situación y sabré como procedir.

Tipicamente, el siguiente paso le toca a usted. Necesitará que hacer copias de los impuestos de los pasados dos años, copias de los dos talones de su trabajo (los más recientes), copias de cuentas de cheque y ahorros, y cualquier otra cuenta (401k, IRA, etc.), necesitará que hacer copia de la factura más reciente de la hipoteca, y también necesitara un análisis de sus financias y escribir una explicación breve para darles saber al banco la razón por la que quieren hacer la short-sale. Yo tengo una forma para el análisis de sus financias, y le puedo dar ejemplos de como escribir su carta de explicación al banco. Si no tiene copias de los otros documentos, no se preocupe. Le escribimos una explicacion al banco para avisarles, y seguimos al próximo paso.

El próximo paso es firmar los documentos dándome permiso de poner la casa en venta. En cuanto nos llegue una oferta, la negociamos para que sea una oferta que les convenga a ustedes, al comprador, y esperemos que también al banco. Ustedes, siendo los dueños legales de la casa, tienen el derecho de aceptar o rechasar las ofertas que nos lleguen. Cuando tengamos una oferta agradable, entonces se la mandamos al banco con copias de todos los otros documentos que ustedes ya me han dado. Ellos tomaran todo en cuanto para hacer su decision.

No le puedo garantizar que el banco acepte nuestra petición para hacer short-sale. Pero le prometo que yo haré todo lo posible para que usted evite la ejecución de su hipoteca. Si tiene preguntas sobre el proceso de vender su casa en short-sale, o simplemente gusta saber más información, por favor llámeme al 602.391.8986, o mándeme un correo electrónico. Gracias.

Gilead at South Mountain~24th St & Euclid

There are two beautiful communities near this intersection at the base of South Mountain. One is Quintessa, the other is an even more exclusive community called Gilead at South Mountain. There are only twelve lots in this subdivision, and the views of South Mountain and the city lights are stunning. The Mormon Trail at South Mountain Park is located just south of the community. You don't even have to drive to hike South Mountain, it's right in your own backyard!

The homes are all have luxurious, spacious lots. The community is gated and the homes have beautiful features like granite kitchen counters, travertine and granite in the bathrooms, garden tubs in the master bathrooms, chef's kitchens, coffered ceilings, and the list goes on. One must really see the homes to appreciate all that they have to offer. The location is ideal if you're looking to be about a 10 minute drive from Sky Harbor Airport, about a 15 minute drive to downtown Phoenix, and the freeway is about four or five miles north on 24th street.

There is currently one home for sale in Gilead right now, it's just under 5000 square feet and currently listed at $600,000. Are you looking to buy a home with million dollar views? Then this community might just be for you. Give me a call and we can get started on your home buying process immediately!

For Sale By Owner Tips and Information-Part 2 of 2

Hello, readers. Yesterday I did a post on tips for For Sale By Owners here in the South Mountain area of Phoenix. As promised, here is part two.

Negotiations and contract acceptance-When you receive an offer, review the contract and any addends to see if the offer is something you are willing to accept. If not, draft up a counter-offer and let the negotiations begin! Getting to a meeting of the minds between you and the buyer will be key to getting an accepted contract and getting to the next step, opening escrow.

Home inspections, possible re-negotiations-The first ten days of the escrow period are designated the inspection period for the buyers. This means that they can conduct home inspections, termite inspections, and any other inspections that they feel has a weigh on their decision to buy your home. Providing the buyer with the Buyer Advisory is a very good idea. It provides a lot of information on sources of where the buyer can find the information they need to solidify their decision to purchase. After home inspections, the buyer may request repairs. That is where possible re-negotiations would come in. So be prepared for it!

The closing-After the home inspection, after repairs have been negotiated and repairs complete, the next step is to schedule the signing. During the escrow period, the title company has been working on doing their work to ensure that title transfers correctly from you to the new owner. While you've been working on inspections, repairs, negotiations, the title company has also been hard at work. When you get close to the Close of Escrow date, title will contact you to schedule a signing of all the documents required to transfer title, pay off any remaining mortgage balance (if applicable) and any other documents that were required for your transaction. They'll also contact the buyers to get them to sign their side of the documents.

Close of Escrow-Once all the paperwork has been signed, the title company will be in charge of ensuring that all documents are in order and everything is in place to record the sale of the property. The date the sale records is what we refer to as the Close of Escrow. That's the day that the buyers get the keys to their new home and you'll be happily moved into your new home.

This two part blog covers the main points of what would generally be required to sell your home. Of course, there are many more things that can occur during a transaction that you need to be prepared for. What if the buyer's financing falls through? What if a lien shows up on the property? If the home you're selling is vacant and it's vandalized during the escrow period, what happens?

Being that I'm a real estate agent, I will say that the burden of doing all of this on your own can be alleviated by hiring me. Of course, the decision is entirely up to you. But, if you do decide that you'd like to get the help of a real estate agent, there is nothing wrong with that, all sorts of people hire us. Even the founder of the For Sale By Owner website hired an agent to help him sell his property. Do you have any questions on home sales in the South Mountain area? Give me a call, 602.391.8986, or e-mail me. Thank you.

For Sale By Owner Tips for Selling your home-Part 1 of 2

Are you looking to sell your home For Sale By Owner? Here are some useful tips and information to keep in mind when putting your home on the market, negotiating a contract and closing the deal.

Pricing your home-Pricing is going to take some research on your part. You'll have to find recent sales, pending sales, and active sales in your neighborhood that are similar to your property. Think of it from the buyer's perspective when you're comparing the homes and the prices. If the house around the corner has a similar layout as yours, shows well, but is priced high and has been on the market a long time, what does that tell you? Use that information to help you determine the price for your home.

Staging and first impressions-You'll need to ensure that your home is in its best condition for future showings. Clear up any clutter, minimize the number of family pictures you have, if possible, hire a home stager to assist you. Homes that are properly staged tend to sell quicker. And first impressions are key to a buyer's mentality when they walk into your home. Make sure that the curb appeal of your home is top notch. You wouldn't want potential buyers to pull up to the house and be unimpressed with the yard and property maintenance. That will set the tone for the entire showing.

Marketing-Aside from having a sign in your yard advertising your home for sale, what other types of marketing are you planning to do? Are you going to advertise on the internet where 90% of buyers begin their home search? Will you be holding open houses? Doing a virtual tour? You will need to make sure you do more than simply place a sign in the yard to get the word out that your house is for sale.

Disclosures-In Arizona, a seller is required to provide certain disclosures regarding the property to the buyer. Make sure you have the proper disclosures in place and ready to present to a buyer once you receive an offer. Various disclosures include the Lead Based Paint Disclosure, the Swimming Pool Notice, Seller's Property Disclosure Statement and a CLUE report.

Showing appointments-This one can be kind of tricky. You want to make sure you are getting as many showings as possible so that you can find a buyer quickly, but you also need to keep your safety in mind. When scheduling a showing, don't be afraid to ask the buyer as many questions as you feel you need to in order to make sure that they are qualified buyers. Not to mention ready and willing to buy. And by qualified buyers, I mean buyers that have already been pre-approved for a mortgage loan, or if they're paying cash, make sure they are able to provide a recent bank statement as a proof of funds.

Stay tuned tomorrow for Part 2 of For Sale by Owner Tips for sellers in the South Mountain area. Are you thinking of selling your home and would like to hire a real estate agent to assist you during the process? Give me a call, 602.391.8986, or send me an e-mail. Thank you!

Whew! That's a long title, but I couldn't think of a more succinct way to put it without leaving out any of the pertinent information. Hello, I'm a local real estate agent here in Phoenix. I live and work in South Mountain and Laveen in Arizona. I grew up here. I am a product of the Roosevelt School District, I attended South Mountain High School and I have a degree from ASU, too. I've seen our area grow and new neighborhoods have popped up all over the place.

What does all this have to do with real estate? Well, let me tell you. Real estate is a very local market. Sometimes national statistics don't necessarily apply to every single market area in the country. Why? Because each area is different. The homes are different, the economy is different, the demand and supply of homes is different. This is why you hear people say that when you sell or buy a house, it is important to use someone that specializes in your neighborhood and your area.

A local agent will know the ins and outs of your market. They'll know the history of the sales in a particular neighborhood. They recognize natural boundaries, like how homes south of Baseline Road tend to have higher sale prices than homes north of Baseline. Things like that that normally someone that comes from another part of town wouldn't know.

That's not to say that they are not good agents, but, in my opinion, a local agent may be able to give you that edge that you need to sell your home quickly. Or to find you the right property. Makes sense, right? I mean, if you go to an agent in Tempe and tell them you want a home in the neighborhood next to the Mystery Castle, they'll more than likely have to get back to you within a few minutes because they'll have to look it up. Off the top of my head, I'd ask if you mean Mineral Canyon or Thunderbird Country Club Estates.