Renters, What are you waiting for???
Rent prices have risen 5.6% in the Phoenix metro area over the last 12 months. And are expected to continue to rise over the next year .
With the average rent in the Phoenix metro area at $1,225 a month, do you know that you could most likely be paying less and owning a home???
You will be paying for a house, either for you or for someone else. And there are tax benefits for owning!!
There are different programs out there to help with down payments, and some sellers are willing to help with closing cost.
Interest rates are still great but who knows how long they will continue to stay there.
Don’t stay on that fence and miss out…. You can do this !! --and I would love to have the opportunity to help you find your new home
Home...
more than a place to hang yer hat
Friday, February 27, 2015
Friday, January 30, 2015
Not So Good News for Renters
Renters info
I
can only speak for the Phoenix area, as that’s where I live..
But
from what I’m hearing Rents are going up.
One source that I read said that they already went up at least 5% since
last year. And rentals are hard to
find, in some areas they go faster than others….
With
valley home prices down 2% for the year, the demand for rentals is still strong
in the Phoenix area. With fewer people
buying, because of down payment, or credit,-- renting is their best option.
There’s
a lot of info out there to educate ones self about general economics and how a
mortgage works, without the understanding, you can make bad investment choices,
incur fees, and take costly risks.
Granted
there are some out there right now renting --- not because of their choice, but
because of having to overcome a short sale or foreclosure. With these folks I think they were just
dealt some unexpected cards, and are ready now to jump in the game of
homeownership again.
I
work with some great lenders who just might be able to help with the credit issues. The interest rate is the lowest it has been
in a very long time.
If you want to find out just what you could buy, call me and we'll see what can happen--- if not now, working for the goal of ownership
Joanne McGuire
REALTOR®
Premier Service Certified
Rea l Living Property for You
Direct 623-640-0488
Please like my facebook page
www.rehomehelp.info
Friday, January 9, 2015
Do You Really Need a Home Warranty??
You may not know what a #Home Warranty is or what it does, so I'll try to give you the high points.
It is NOT like a homeowners insurance policy that covers for fire, theft, water-damage or hail damage etc....
A home warranty offers protection against the cost
(some times high cost) of repair or replacement of the high end major
components in the home--- air condition/heating, water heater, garbage
disposal, stove-oven, etc. And of
course you can buy extra coverage for your refrig, or washer and dryer etc
With an upfront purchase of the plan and a service fee
most feel they come out ahead, especially when a month into their new home the
water heater isn’t heating, or their AC isn’t cold.
Usually when
buying a home the #REALTOR® will
advise to get a home warranty-- although they can be put on existing
homes. When buying a home the home
inspector will tell you what is good and bad about the house, but even then
things can stop working a week after you’ve signed the papers, through no-ones
fault.
There are several, several different companies to
choose from. You can Google them then Go to their websites and
read the reviews. Find out which
companies have to best coverage for wear and tear on your appliances and
plumbing
It’s like having an insurance plan for your home’s
comfort items--- granted we all hate to pay, but it’s sooo nice to have when
something isn’t working!!
I could tell you about the time my seller had done
thousands of dollars of upgrades on his house,-everything looked great and had pasted with the inspection with
everything in good working order; yet two weeks after close of escrow the AC
quit, -just quit! The buyer was
extremely happy that he didn’t have to come up with another $5,000 for a new
one! All for the price of, at the time
a $350 home warranty.
Well, that’s all I have for today.
Have a good week,
Joanne
https://www.facebook.com/azhomehelp?ref=hl
http://www.pinterest.com/jmcglivinlarge/
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Living with Pest--- errr Pets
Living with Pets
Or better said—pets
letting you live with them.
Ever notice that once
you get a pet they can take over your world??
Cats,
Cats are independent
little fur balls, that can be very demanding…. Yes, when they are kittens they
are adorable. Always playful, and full
of energy, then all too quickly morph into these critters that only want love
when they decide (usually in the middle of the night, during your favorite show
or while you’re in the ‘library’). They eye the sandwich you are eating with
great intensity, and cover you with their fur…. Bless their little hearts.
All that aside, I have several cats, and they are a joy most
of the time…. I have 2 that are
blind, One that has been blind from
almost birth, and the other grew blind with age (she’s going to be 18
soon) In his younger day the one that
has been blind all of his life, would play with another cat we had—he would
hide behind a wall and jump out at the other--- he must have amazing hearing… he
still thinks he’s the alpha male cat.
The other male cat I have who is younger and bigger, lets him.
I am “cat’ sitting right now and don’t think for one minute that
he has not noticed that there is a new cat in the house.
My granddaughter just
got a pig for a school project. I
personally avoid pork, but I’m thinking she will have a hard time eating it
after this, I guess he likes to roll
over to have his belly scratched and is developing a personality. And
they named it!!!!---- bad decision!! Don’t
ever name something you may eat someday.
Pet’s-- some people
think they are just an object to have or use.
Not even thinking for a minute that they have feelings, thoughts, and
ability to think.
One more short story to
prove my point that they are smart critters.
When I was young we had
a dog, we were going on vacation in a few days, and mom had packed all but a
few things… Puffy knew something was
up, and she was mad when everybody left
to run to the store --thinking she was left behind, she found my mom’s
corset and hid it in her bed…. Mom had to wear a girdle the next few days to
work—until we found it in the basket…..
(fyi a girdle is a very tight fitting undergarment. ) Puffy, was very happy when she got to go on the vaction with
us; Mom was very happy she didn't have to wear the girdle.
Friday, May 9, 2014
Smile and they will think You are Smarter
Want People to Think You Are Smart?
Smile !
This is what I’ve learned from an article I read from Christopher Ingraham
People think they can tell how smart you are by looking at you….
Researchers had 40 men and 40 women take a standard intelligence test. They then photographed the subject’s faces telling them to use a neutral ‘non-smiling’ expression and not to wear cosmetics or jewelry.
Next they had 160 strangers review the photographs. Half of the reviews rated the photos according to how smart the subjects looked, and the other half according to their attractiveness.
The researchers found a strong relationship between how attractive the people were and the assumption of intelligence….. The more attractive the smarter they thought they were…. Especially with the females.
There was a significant difference in gender perceived intelligence and actual intelligence. They were pretty good at guessing the intelligence of the men, but were lost when guessing which were the smart women. Therefore judging on intelligence rather than attractiveness seems to be not as well practiced.
When researchers compared attractiveness of various subjects with their IQ scores they found no relationship at all. They said that it suggest there is absolutely no connection between brains and beauty,
So, what do you think? Even though there is no real connection between beauty and brains, opinions are formed… having real consequences.
.
All this to say that research did suggest one thing that everyone can do to boost other’s assessment of our intelligence—— Smile !
Because there also seems to be a correlation between the outward appearance of emotions such as joy or anger to the perceptions of high or low intelligence. Suggesting that High intelligence faces seem to smile more than low intelligent faces.
Not sure I'm buying that either. Just smile--- it will raise your spirits --- and that ought to count for something!! Make a smile and give it away, they can be contagious.
8D
Smile !
This is what I’ve learned from an article I read from Christopher Ingraham
People think they can tell how smart you are by looking at you….
Researchers had 40 men and 40 women take a standard intelligence test. They then photographed the subject’s faces telling them to use a neutral ‘non-smiling’ expression and not to wear cosmetics or jewelry.
Next they had 160 strangers review the photographs. Half of the reviews rated the photos according to how smart the subjects looked, and the other half according to their attractiveness.
The researchers found a strong relationship between how attractive the people were and the assumption of intelligence….. The more attractive the smarter they thought they were…. Especially with the females.
There was a significant difference in gender perceived intelligence and actual intelligence. They were pretty good at guessing the intelligence of the men, but were lost when guessing which were the smart women. Therefore judging on intelligence rather than attractiveness seems to be not as well practiced.
When researchers compared attractiveness of various subjects with their IQ scores they found no relationship at all. They said that it suggest there is absolutely no connection between brains and beauty,
So, what do you think? Even though there is no real connection between beauty and brains, opinions are formed… having real consequences.
.
All this to say that research did suggest one thing that everyone can do to boost other’s assessment of our intelligence—— Smile !
Because there also seems to be a correlation between the outward appearance of emotions such as joy or anger to the perceptions of high or low intelligence. Suggesting that High intelligence faces seem to smile more than low intelligent faces.
Not sure I'm buying that either. Just smile--- it will raise your spirits --- and that ought to count for something!! Make a smile and give it away, they can be contagious.
8D
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Home Prices Likely Continue to Rise
Most homeowners across this country have been enjoying an upswing in their home values, and home-sale prices. And--- they are expected to continue rising for at least the next several months, according to CoreLogic’s latest Home Price Index Report.
CoreLogic analyzed the data through February, showing home prices—including distressed sales—were an average of 12.2% higher compared to the same time last year. Present home prices show the highest annual appreciation gains in these five states:
- California – 19.8%
- Nevada – 18.5%
- Georgia – 14.2%
- Oregon – 13.8%
- Michigan – 13.5%
Prices are expected to continue to rise over the next several months, leveling off by the end of the year.
Homes have increased for the last 24 consecutive months, although by the end of February, were still 16.9% below the peak levels reached in April 2006, according to CoreLogic.
Realtor.com®’s National Housing Trend Report for February 2014 showed home sellers’ growing confidence in the market as the number of homes for sale increased,-- traditional sales out-numbering short sales and REO's did not dominate the market.
“The number of properties for sale in February rose 10.1% above February 2013 levels, to 1,744,032 units,” the realtor.com® report said. “The median list price at $199,000 increased 7.6% compared to the same month last year, and the median age of inventory increased 6.5% above year-ago figures, to 114 days.”
The top five areas showing the highest number of active listings in the realtor.com® report were:
- Chicago
- Dallas
- Detroit
- Los Angeles-Long Beach
- Atlanta
Finally, homeowners who struggled to build equity in their homes during the recession may be able to breathe a sigh of relief as the market continues to stabilize and buyers and sellers continue to gain confidence.
Homeowners looking to sell their homes have adequate time to prepare their home, find a REALTOR®, and start the selling process, based on based on CoreLogic’s report, which expects month-to-month price growth nationwide until at least the end of the year.
As I am blogging this, there are just shy of 26,700 Active Listings in the Phoenix area, Normal for this area is about 30-33thousand...
Joanne
www.REhomehelp.info
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
St Joseph to the Resue!!!!??
St. Joseph Statue
Help From The Great
Beyond
Saints alive, it’s true!
When the housing market slows down, sales of Saint Joseph statuettes go through the roof.
According to the Wall Street Journal, where analysts crunched data about slow housing sales and the rise in sales of statues of the patron saint of real estate, there is a correlation.
St. Joseph, in the Catholic tradition, is the patron saint of home and family, and has seen a boom to real estate sales. All you need to do is send out a little prayer as you bury a little statuette of the saint.
But this superstition has a few rules: Bury him upside down, and near the for-sale sign on the property you’re trying to sell.
If you need one of these St. Joe’s sale-booster statuettes, I've heard that Amazon has a whole St. Joseph Home Selling Kit for less than $10. But the garden spade is not included.
It's said that the statue-burying tradition likely started with buyers, not sellers, Nuns during the Middle Ages buried St. Joseph medals on land they hoped to get for a convent
But in these modern times, there’s still a call for them. In fact, despite the fact that real estate agents may be among some of the most practical groups of sales pros in the world, they’re more than willing to indulge sellers in whatever it takes.
Seattle area agent Ardell DellaLoggia of Sound Realty said she remembers seeing cases of the little statues under agents’ desks during downtimes in the market. As a Catholic, herself, she’s even been known to bury them with or without the seller’s permission.
“Sometimes the seller asks me to do it, but they don’t participate because they don’t believe in it, and it’s bad juju,” she said. “It’s like a seance or something, like a Ouiji board, right?”
According to the Journal, between 2009 and 2010, when home prices were stagnant, the sales of St. Joseph figurines more than doubled at Catholic Supply of St. Louis, Inc. And then when prices rose, the sales decline
As the housing market recovers, more home-sellers are going it alone: in 2013, St. Joseph figurine statues sales fell 10.6 percent from the year prior.
But DellaLoggia thinks there is still a place for St. Joseph even in a hot market. She has a current client competing among multiple offers on a home in Seattle. It might give her client the edge if she pays the property a visit and tucks a St. Joseph statue under the grass in the front lawn, she said.
“I have a spot in
mind,” she mused.
I've had a client of mine do this, go figure it sold in no time...
What do you think???
Good idea??
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