Entries from May 2008 ↓

Todays entries in the ugly marketing photo category are spectacular!  A true testament to poor marketing skills and a lesson in what NOT to do when selling your home!  Sellers…please ask your agent to show you your MLS listing so your photos don’t end up on my ugly home marketing photos page!

Actual marketing photos from the MLS

How your home will look without your glasses…or after 23 beers…

Yes…this is the exact window treatment I was looking for.  Does it come with the house?  How ’bout the junk on the floor…can I write that into the offer too?

and finally…A home to discourage those pesky door to door salesmen…

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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

I chose to live and work in the Chandler area after moving to Arizona 7 years ago after researching all valley locations.  I found a quality of life in Chandler that was a perfect fit for me, and obviously for 250,000 others who currently call Chandler, Arizona home.

When I moved here there were still dairy farms every mile or two which added to the rural charm.  Sadly, most of the dairy farms are gone (don’t miss that smell though).  Except for a handful of holdouts, they’ve been replaced by corporate buildings (including Intel which is Chandler’s largest employer with over 10,000 employees..one of which is my very own daughter) and newly built residential communities.

Nevertheless, Chandler is a perfect fit for anyone looking to get some bang for their buck without sacrificing superb amenities including entertainment, shopping and restaurants for every budget. 

Home to several lake and golf course communities as well as dozens of condo-conversion communities with prices starting in the low $100,000’s.  Many, if not most, of these communities offer swimming pools, workout facilities, & clubhouses.  Hundreds of beautiful single family homes with room to breath are also delighting today’s buyers.

One of the most desirable factors for relocating to Chandler, Arizona is the ease of commuting.  Easy access to Interstate 10, US 60 and Loops 101 & the newest addition, Loop 202.

Home to Chandler Fashion Center . dining run the gamut, from NYPD Pizza & Famous Daves BBQ and just about any other well-known family friendly establishment, to the newest additions at Promenade at Fulton Ranch and the Fulton Ranch Town Center, Cork & Sau’tee.

Downtown Chandler’s growing historic district includes some of the Valley’s most unique shops and eateries in a walkable setting.  Like Wine?  You’ll love 98 South Wine Bar located in Downtown Chandler

There are 2329 active listings in Chandler today in the Arizona Regional MLS.  Prices range from $69,900 for a mobile home to just under $4,000,000 for a 9668 SF 6 Bedroom, 7 Bath estate. 

Whether you’re a growing family, an empty-nester or a single professional, Chandler is one of the best locales to find just about everything you could be looking for.

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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

The Real Estate Market in the Phoenix metro area 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.  We continue to see a high percentage of sales of homes that are well cared for with a seller who has realistic price expectations.  This is the type of home that IS selling. 

The Southeast Valley in now carrying less than 10 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 Southeast Valley during the last week of October, 2007. We have experienced a gradual reduction in that inventory most noticeably over the last 6 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. 

Buyers who have been sitting on the fence waiting for prices to stabilize are encouraged to jump off that fence while interest rates are still favorable and inventory plentiful.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS WEEK’S REAL ESTATE ACTIVITY IN THE EAST VALLEY

This week, inventories have continued to drop across the board except for Ahwatukee which remained at last week’s inventory of 687 single family homes for sale in MLS and Maricopa which showed a slight increase in inventory.

Chandler, Gilbert, Fountain Hills, Paradise Valley & Scottsdale saw an increase in buyer activity this week.

For a complete inventory report for the Phoenix East Valley visit my Market Conditions Report  page.

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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

Once again I question what agents may be thinking when they photograph their marketing photos of homes they have listed.  Here are 3 prime examples that make you go “huh?”  I’ll call both photos

“PICTURE YOURSELF HERE!”  or  “A HOME WITH THAT COZY LIVED IN LOOK!”

Actual photos from the MLS

Ditto with this next photo…

And this one too…

Come on fellow Real Estate Professionals… Do you really SEE what you’re photographing???

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

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 in all of Tempe 170,000; Size of downtown 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.

There are currently about 188 properties for sale in the downtown Tempe area with prices ranging from $109,000 for a 595 SF 1 bedroom condo to $3,300,000 for a 3217 SF, 2 bedroom, 7th floor penthouse overlooking Tempe Town Lake.

Next stop 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