Taking a tour of the Phoenix metro area will lead you into neighborhoods vastly different from one another.  So, this begins a series of some of my favorite neighborhoods in the Valley of the Sun and the reasons why I think they are so special.

First let’s start with Downtown Tempe~ Zip Code 85281, Population 170,000; Size about 3 square miles. Home to Arizona State University and consequently a very high college student population.  But, with college towns come a bounty of trendy eateries and hangouts.  Of course there are plenty of traditional college residences in the form of condos, townhomes, converted apartments and rental homes but Tempe is also in the state of transition which is attracting a new homeowner. 

Urbanites can now choose from a variety of cool and “skywardly’ built residences.  Tempe Town Lake (which I still find funny that this canal is called a lake…after growing-up on the shores of Lake Michigan in Illinois…but I digress) is becoming the central figure as a host of condos, penthouses and brownstones are being built on it’s shores. 

Waterfront condos include the Hayden Ferry Lakeside development which includes the larger 104-unit, 12-story tower Bridgeview at Hayden Ferry and Edgewater at Hayden Ferry with 40 units in an 8-story tower, both overlooking the “lake”.

Other exclusive properties include The Lofts at Orchid House, concrete & brick loft units where contemporary meets brownstone, Centerpoint Condominiums with spectacular penthouse views, or The Brownstones at Tempe (the name says it all) where you’ll feel like you slipped through some speedy travel machine and were just dropped on a classic street in New York.

The smaller loft units in Downtown Tempe start around $300,000 with the sky-rise penthouses selling for over $1 Million.

But, as I mentioned…Dinner and drinks are just a stroll away down lively Mill Avenue.  Have dinner at RA Sushi or historic Monti’s La Casa Vieja .  Enjoy a meal overlooking the hustle and bustle of Mill Avenue at Gordon Biersch Restaurant or try one of the newest Chic spots I Am the Center Cafe.

Tomorrow we visit Chandler, Arizona to find out why it’s teaching other cities a thing or two about living life to the fullest.

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For more Information visit Chandler Arizona Real Estate.  This information was provided by Amy Jones, a multi-million dollar top producing Realtor with RE/MAX Elite.

Amy specializes in residential, vacation homes & cabins, as well as retirement communities in the communities of Ahwatukee, Chandler, Fountain Hills, Gilbert, Maricopa, Mesa, Paradise Valley, Queen Creek, Scottsdale, Sun Lakes, Tempe and the White Mountains communities of Pinetop/Lakes & Show Low. 

Search the Arizona MLS  Search the White Mountain MLS

For more Information visit Chandler Arizona Real Estate.  This information was provided by Amy Jones, a multi-million dollar top producing Realtor with RE/MAX Elite.

Amy specializes in residential, vacation homes & cabins, as well as retirement communities in the communities of Ahwatukee, Chandler, Fountain Hills, Gilbert, Maricopa, Mesa, Paradise Valley, Queen Creek, Scottsdale, Sun Lakes, Tempe and the White Mountains communities of Pinetop/Lakes & Show Low. 

Search the Arizona MLS

I will be out of the country on a long awaited 2 week transcontinental cruise with my hubby.  We’ll be visiting Bermuda, Ireland, France & England in an environment that is phone and computer free (a much needed break to my 15 hour workdays!)!

So…no Blogging until I return.

In the meantime, I leave you with the Ugly Home Marketing Photo of the Day.  I call this one shadow-puppets…OR “Looking for the body?”

Hmmm…looks like an elephant smelling a monkey on his head. 
Or…is it a man trying to remember where he buried the dog?
Either way…Don’t think I’ll put it on the short list for my buyers.

The Real Estate Market in the Phoenix East Valley continues to show improvement.  Almost all cities show a reduction in active listings and steady buyer activity.  Interesting to note that homes that are selling are typically NOT short sale listings.  In Maricopa where there is a very high ratio of short sale listings for example, of the 48 homes that went under contract last week, only 5 were short sale listings.  We continue to see a high value in homes that are well cared for with a seller who has realistic expectations.  This is the type of home that IS selling. 

The East Valley just last week dipped below 12 months of inventory.  In a normal, balanced market we carry an average of 6 months worth of inventory. 

There was 15.7 months worth of inventory in the East Valley during the last week of October, 2007. We have experienced a gradual reduction in that inventory most noticeably over the last 4 weeks and this could be confirming that we have finally hit bottom.  If so, we should notice a plateau over the upcoming months with a gradual return to normal appreciation.  Good news for homeowners in the East Valley!

For more Information visit Chandler Arizona Real Estate.  This information was provided by Amy Jones, a multi-million dollar top producing Realtor with RE/MAX Elite. Amy specializes in residential, vacation homes & cabins, as well as retirement communities in the communities of Ahwatukee, Chandler, Fountain Hills, Gilbert, Maricopa, Mesa, Paradise Valley, Queen Creek, Scottsdale, Sun Lakes, Tempe and the White Mountain communities of Pinetop/Lakeside & Show Low.  Search the Arizona MLS.

The media is quick to jump on the gloom and doom bandwagon regarding the current real estate market around the country.  Why aren’t they reporting on what’s been happening in the Phoenix Metro area over the last few weeks?

The market reports are reflecting a recent steady improvement to our market (see chart below). 

Yes, Buyers are buying and sellers are smiling.  Let’s shout it from the rooftops…or at least from our nightly news?

For more Information visit Chandler Arizona Real Estate.  This information was provided by Amy Jones, a multi-million dollar top producing Realtor with RE/MAX Elite. Amy specializes in residential, vacation homes & cabins, as well as retirement communities in the communities of Ahwatukee, Chandler, Fountain Hills, Gilbert, Maricopa, Mesa, Paradise Valley, Queen Creek, Scottsdale, Sun Lakes, Tempe and the White Mountain communities of Pinetop/Lakeside & Show Low.  Search the Arizona MLS.

…and stop the imposition of a new tax on your home, business or property. 

The No New Tax On Our Homes initiative will prohibit the double taxation of your home, land, or commercial real estate in Arizona by banning a real estate transfer tax through a constitutional amendment on the November 2008 ballot.

Real estate transfer taxes would make private proprety ownership out of reach for many people.  Arizona’s ability to provide affordable housing, create small business ownership opportunities and help seniors and low-income residents keep their homes must be protected.

A real estate transfer tax creates double taxation, weakening the economy by making it harder for owners to sell their property and reducing the equity property owners have worked hard to build.

Tell your firends to vote YES (I know…that’s confusing) on the NO NEW HOME TAX BALLOT MEASURE!

For more Information visit Chandler Arizona Real Estate.  This information was provided by Amy Jones, a multi-million dollar top producing Realtor with RE/MAX Elite. Amy specializes in residential, vacation homes & cabins, as well as retirement communities in the communities of Ahwatukee, Chandler, Fountain Hills, Gilbert, Maricopa, Mesa, Paradise Valley, Queen Creek, Scottsdale, Sun Lakes, Tempe and the White Mountainscommunities of Pinetop/Lakeside & Show Low.  Search the Arizona MLS.

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There has been a flurry of buyer activity over the last 4 weeks.  I personally have sold 15 homes in the last 3 weeks.  4 of those sales were listings.  Of those 4 listing sales, 3 went under contract in less than a week on the market.

What does this mean?  Well, no crystal ball here, but I think things are definitely looking up.  Yes, there is still an overabundance of available homes on the market in the Phoenix Metro area, however, many of those are short sales and bank owned properties in need of repair.  So, sellers…if you have a home to sell and price it well.  It will sell.

 Now for today’s UGLY Home Marketing Photo……………..

Ugly garage seeking new owner…Well, NOW I want to buy this home.

For more Information visit Chandler Arizona Real Estate.  This information was provided by Amy Jones, a multi-million dollar top producing Realtor with RE/MAX Elite. Amy specializes in residential, vacation homes & cabins, as well as retirement communities in the communities of Ahwatukee, Chandler, Fountain Hills, Gilbert, Maricopa, Mesa, Paradise Valley, Queen Creek, Scottsdale, Sun Lakes, Tempe and the White Mountainscommunities of Pinetop/Lakeside & Show Low.  Search the Arizona MLS.

So you’re trying to sell your home.  Have you asked your agent to send you a copy of the listing of your home as it appears on the MLS in your area?  I really wonder if sellers know how their is being marketed.  Based on some of the photos on MLS, I’m thinking ‘NOT’.

Here’s todays winner in the “stupid home marketing photo” category.  Actual photo  from the MLS.

Does this photo say “Buy this house?”  or.. “be sure to wipe and put the lid down”?  I’m glad they flushed.

I recently read a question from a seller on one of the popular real estate internet bulletin boards.  This seller was lamenting the fact that her home had been on the market for almost 6 months with only a few showings.  She was asking how she could find a good Realtor to sell her home. 

When I pulled up her listing on the MLS it was pretty obvious that one of her biggest problems was the horrible picture of her home.  It was dark and uninviting and certainly wasn’t calling out to me to sell it, let alone to a buyer to buy it.  

In today’s market with 56,560 homes on the Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service (last count), you had better hope your home leaps off the page and says “BUY ME” as buyers flip through 100’s of homes in every single price range.

Great photos are probably the first thing a buyer notices…pricing is the next.  I will tell you a beautifully photographed overpriced home is likely to have more showings than a poorly photographed “deal”. 

When you’re looking for a Realtor to market your home in today’s market, the first place you should start is the internet.  Who comes up on the first 3 pages when you do a search for “your city name” homes for sale?  Or “your city name” real estate.  Now I’m not talking about those listings that are paid for at the top of the page…anybody can pay to have their name on a page.  What you are looking for is an agent who is high on the search pages naturally due to the content of their website. 

Why is this important? Over 80% of buyers are starting their home searches on the internet and that number is growing everyday.  If you don’t have an agent who is internet saavy, who is going to post your listing all over the web…well, you’re getting left in the dust.  The good ol’ days of open houses and newspaper ads are gone.  The internet is where it’s happenin’!

Now, start clicking on the webpages of the agents at the top of the search engine rankings.  Do you like their marketing style?  Look at their listings.  Do the photos of their listings make you want to see those homes?  If not…move on.

Here’s a few examples of how NOT to sell a house.  This home that was listed but did not sell.  Why?  Could be several reasons, but the first most obvious is the photo used to market the home.  Check this out…

I listed this same house and took the photo below

Which house would you buy? Exact same house just better photography.

Here’s another.  Would you want to run out and buy this house…..?

or this house….?

Exact same house…just better photography.

Now…drum roll please….. 

The Winner of this week’s Ugly Photo contest is………….. 

 
Why would anyone think this would be a good marketing photo? I’m thinking the big box with “no photo available” would have had better success in drawing a buyer.

Stay Tuned…Tomorrow’s Stupid Photo of the Week is another winner!

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For more Information visit Chandler Arizona Real Estate.  This information was provided by Amy Jones, a multi-million dollar top producing Realtor with RE/MAX Elite. Amy specializes in residential, vacation homes & cabins, as well as retirement communities in the communities of Ahwatukee, Chandler, Fountain Hills, Gilbert, Maricopa, Mesa, Paradise Valley, Queen Creek, Scottsdale, Sun Lakes, Tempe and the White Mountainscommunities of Pinetop/Lakes & Show Low.  Search the Arizona MLS.