Phoenix and Scottsdale Real Estate Show with Kelly Cook

Our real estate market has certainly been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, but could some much-needed relief be on the horizon? Here are my thoughts. The question I’m getting a lot lately is, “Where do you see the real estate market going in the short term because of the coronavirus pandemic?” We’re starting to see a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel here as we close out April. Some medical advances are being made, and Congress has passed another $450 billion to help support small businesses, which has already saved about 30 million jobs here in America. However, the unemployment rate has gone up significantly, which is not good, and there will be consequences from that.  Here are a couple of stats I want to share today to show you that houses are still selling right now in Maricopa County.  Last weekend, 341 homes closed escrow and 303 homes went under contract. That’s a pretty encouraging sign. Last Monday, 192 homes went under contract, 183 homes closed, and 149 went on the market. We’re still seeing that imbalance of supply and demand, which is tilted in sellers’ favor. We have about a three-month supply of homes right now. “Hopefully we will start to see some positive regression soon.” If you need to sell, this is still a good market for it. Mortgage interest rates are still very low for buyers and you can take advantage of the imbalance I mentioned previously. If you do need to sell, how do you do it safely? Here’s what we recommend: 1. Leave the house for showings 2. Keep all interior doors open 3. Provide gloves 4. “Open the front and back doors (with gloves on) We’re also helping homebuyers and sellers through virtual walk-throughs, sales, and more. As you can see, homes are still selling and the economy is still moving, but hopefully, we will start to see some positive regression once things die down. If you have any questions for me in the meantime, don’t hesitate to reach out via phone or email. I look forward to hearing from you.

Although we’re all uncertain about the future of the real estate market as we navigate a shift amid this pandemic, there are things you can be doing now to ensure that your business succeeds in the long run. In the latest episode of my podcast, “Selling Real Estate with Kelly Cook,” we discussed how to stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic. Although this pandemic has interrupted our daily lives and most of our businesses, there are still ways that you can handle the rising tide until this is over. Hope is not a strategy. You need to do something different right now, and our team utilizes a 10-step process to ensure that we’re keeping our heads above water. To learn more, watch the full episode here.

Whether you’re a real estate investor or you’re looking to relocate to Scottsdale but can’t quite make it down here full-time yet, the model leaseback homes of the White Horse luxury community are a great option for you. There are three immediate reasons why:  1. Location. This community lies within close proximity to all the city’s best food and entertainment options—not to mention the Scottsdale Airpark area. 2. Features. There are a plethora of great features the White Horse homes offer, whether you buy a spec home or a model home the builder is willing to lease back. 3. Decorations. As you can see in the video above, the decorations for these homes are outstanding. The house I’m in is a farmhouse-style home, and you can move into it as is. “There are a plethora of great features the White Horse homes offer.” There are financial benefits of these leaseback homes, too. First of all, the builder is your tenant, so not only will the home be immaculate, but the lease rate is 5% of the purchase price. Depending on your financial situation and how you buy the property, you’ll have all your debt servicing covered (and then some). You’ll have cash flow from the builder while they’re taking phenomenal care of your property until it’s ready to be moved into.  They’re also a great long-term investment. There are two model leaseback homes in White Horse. One offers a four-to-six month leaseback, while the other (the one I’m standing in) offers a 12-month leaseback—and possibly even longer.  So, if you’re thinking of buying a second home or relocating to Scottsdale, this could be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for. If you’d like to see more of White Horse or want to know more about leaseback homes, give me a call and I’d be happy to speak to you.  As always, if you have any other real estate questions, feel free to reach out to me as well. I look forward to hearing from you.

“”

“”

“”

“”

“”

“”

“”

If you want to learn more about short sales, this message is for you. Today I’d like to touch on a topic that, thanks to our currently strong market, is not something many people have to deal with these days: short sales. However, while this kind of transaction may not be particularly common, it’s still something some sellers encounter. As such, I wanted to explain what short sales are and how to navigate one for all of you in this quick message.  Cited below for your convenience are timestamps that will direct you to various points in the video. Feel free to watch the full message or use these timestamps to browse specific topics at your leisure:  0:11 - An introduction to today’s topic 2:18 - Why short sales can be advantageous for those faced with financial hardship 2:33 - The first factor to consider when thinking about a short sale: credit 3:08 - The second factor to consider when thinking about a short sale: caxes 5:29 - The third factor to consider when thinking about a short sale: deficiency 8:11 - How buyers can benefit from short sales 8:52 - A few closing words If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

What are closing costs and what role do they play in the real estate process? I touched on all of this and more in my most recent interview. I recently sat down for an interview with my friend Elizabeth, who wanted me to answer a few of her questions about a very important subject: closing costs. This is something I think many homebuyers are unclear on, so I’m excited to shed some light on the topic for all of you today.  Cited below for your convenience are timestamps that will direct you to various points in the video. Feel free to watch the full message or use these timestamps to browse specific topics at your leisure:  0:53 - What exactly are closing costs? 2:41 - What do buyers and sellers each pay at closing? 5:12 - In today’s hot market, how likely is it that Phoenix sellers will agree to pay for buyers’ closing costs? 8:27 - A conclusion to today’s interview. If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give my team or me a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon. 

Although we may see a market correction in the next few years, it’s unlikely that it will happen in 2019. For the time being, our market remains extremely strong. Today’s topic is a good one. We’re going to discuss where our real estate market is at this very moment in Greater Phoenix. Here’s some perspective. The housing market moves in cycles, usually in 10- to 15- years at a time. It always has and it always will. When the market started to tip during the last housing cycle, it was in the 2nd quarter of 2007. Obviously, 2008 is when things got bad, but we were already in a declining market by that point. “Inventory is still low, and so are interest rates.” It’s been about 12 years since that point, so a correction is around the corner in the next few years. According to First America Financial Corporation, though, 2019 will be an even more robust year for sellers than 2018 was.  A big reason for this is the fact that more and more millennials are now forming families and becoming homeowners. Because this segment of the population is so large, it’s creating huge demand, which is great news for sellers. Another reason is that we still have low inventory. Rates are low as well, and they’ve dipped back below 5% to 4.25% on average. That’s cheap money to borrow if you’re looking to buy. Down payment assistance programs are out there that will give you up to $15,000 for assistance as well. What does this all mean for you? Well, we’re experts in selling residential real estate and we want you to know that we’re here to provide value for you. If you have any questions for us in the meantime about the market or about your personal situation, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Technology is playing an emerging role in the real estate world, and its impact is being felt by buyers, sellers, and Realtors alike. The real estate industry is reinventing itself, and several tech companies are emerging in the business that will influence both consumers and Realtors moving forward.  Several of these companies can be found right here in Phoenix, so today, for my latest Facebook Live interview, I’ll discuss the background of these companies and how they’ll impact your real estate goals.  For your convenience, I’ve provided timestamps of the video above so you can skip ahead to the section(s) that interest you the most: 1:50—The two main categories of real estate tech companies: iBuyers and discount brokerages 2:34—The purpose of these two entities 4:20—Are these companies increasing their market share? 6:19—What are the pitfalls of working with these companies?8:52—Are these companies healthy for the real estate industry?10:34—Wrapping things up If you have any more questions about technology in real estate or you’re thinking of buying or selling a home, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. I’d love to help you.  

Investing in real estate doesn’t have to be the massive undertaking that some will have you believe. Here are some ways to invest in residential real estate without having to take full ownership of an asset. If you’ve been thinking about getting into the real estate investment market, we’ve got some good news for you. I recently sat down for an interview on Facebook Live where I answered some of the most common questions about investing in residential real estate and how you can get started. Here’s an outline of the discussion, with timestamps so that you can skip ahead to the section(s) that interest you the most: 1:10— Why investing in residential real estate is such a smart financial move3:55— How to invest in real estate without actually owning an asset5:25— An example of how an investor can make a 10% ROI in just a few months7:55— A few final thoughts from myself about the benefits of real estate investments and how we can be a resource for you If you have any questions for me in the meantime about investments or anything else related to real estate, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon. 

If you’re thinking of buying a flipped home, there are five things you need to look for before you actually buy it. Most major markets around the country are experiencing a housing boom right now, and this is bringing out the house-flippers in droves. If you’re thinking of buying a flipped house, there are five things you need to look for before you actually buy it. First, make sure the major systems are in working order. When buying a flipped home, it’s easy to be attracted to all the dazzling aesthetic finishes, but you should spend more time inspecting the home’s mechanical items than its upgrades. These items include the HVAC unit, water heater, roof, etc. Make sure they’re in working order, as each one is expensive to replace.  Second, make sure the kitchen is not disappointing. In terms of remodeling, the room that will give you the biggest return on your investment is the kitchen. A good test of quality is whether the kitchen has a backsplash. This seems like a minuscule detail, but if the owner took the time to install a nice backsplash in the kitchen, odds are they installed nice finishes everywhere else too.  “Don’t be one of those people who doesn’t notice—always check to see if the home’s floors are even.” Third, make sure attention was paid to the details in the bathroom. The master bathroom, in particular, gives the second-highest return on investment in terms of remodeling. As with the kitchen, it’s the little details you need to look for. Another good tip here is to check if the owner installed a power-flush toilet. Much like a backsplash in the kitchen, the presence of a power-flush toilet in the master bathroom is a good sign that the seller invested a lot of time and money into the quality of the home.  Fourth, make sure the floors are even. Here in Arizona, and especially in certain parts of the valley, we have expansive soils. Over time, this can cause a home’s foundation to move. Some house-flippers elect not to spend the money to balance the home’s concrete slab and assume no one will notice because of all of the home’s other great features. Don’t be one of those people who doesn’t notice—always check to see if the home’s floors are even.  Lastly, make sure the finishes are done well and are uniform. For example, make sure the plumbing fixtures match the door hardware. If the door hardware is a certain color—let’s say brushed nickel—you need to check the hinges to see if they’re the same color. If the hinges are painted white, that’s not a good sign. That means, in all likelihood, that the remodel wasn’t high quality.  After you’ve checked these areas, don’t hesitate to give us a call so we can walk you through the rest of the home buying process. It’s our goal to make sure you get the best value possible, and we’re experts at doing this.  As always, if you have any more questions about this or any other real estate topic, feel free to reach out to us as well. We’d love to help you.

Happy Holidays to you! The holiday season has officially arrived. We hope you enjoy this wonderful time of year and make some fantastic memories with your family and friends. We just wanted to take a moment to thank you for your continued support. We love helping people make their real estate dreams come true, so thank you for working with us. This may be a busy time of year, but we are always here to help you and answer any questions you may have. Just give us a call or reply to this email. And in case we don’t hear from you, have a happy New Year as well!

I’ve heard your questions, and here are my answers. With some big announcements from the Fed about interest rate changes recently, many homeowners, buyers, and sellers have found themselves with a lot of questions about the future. In this Facebook Live question and answer session, I shed some light on what we’re seeing on the horizon. For your convenience, I’ve placed timestamps for each relevant topic of discussion. Feel free to navigate to the section(s) you are most interested in: 00:33 — Discussing what recent announcements from the Fed mean for the real estate market.02:49 — Using a graph to show how changes will affect the housing market.06:32 — Analyzing the relationship between the economy and the housing market.09:32 — Looking at the best plan of action for buyers and sellers currently. “Many homeowners, buyers, and sellers have found themselves with a lot of questions.” If you have any other questions or would like some more information about what we discussed today, feel free to give me a call at 480-442-9868. I look forward to hearing from you.

Today Joel Reikes of Farmers Insurance joins me for the latest episode of “The Phoenix & Scottsdale Real Estate Show” to answer all of your questions about insurance. As an insurance agent and local business owner, Joel Reikes is a phenomenal resource for all your insurance needs, and I’m excited to have him join me for the latest episode of “The Phoenix & Scottsdale Real Estate Show.” During our discussion, I asked him some of the most common questions he gets about insurance, and he provided some great answers. For your convenience, I’ve provided timestamps of our discussion so you can jump ahead to the parts that interest you the most:  1:53—What are some of the biggest misconceptions regarding getting insurance quotes?3:40—How do you know the proper coverage you need?4:30—Why it’s important to use a local agent. 5:08—What types of insurance does Farmers Insurance provide? If you have more questions for Joel or you’d like to get in touch with him, you can call him at (480) 900-8466 or email him at jreikes@farmersagent.com.  As you know, we’re big supporters of local businesses, so if you have a business in mind that you’d like to see us spotlight in a future episode, just give us a call or send us an email and we’d be happy to oblige. As always, if you have any real estate questions for me, feel free to reach out to me as well. I’d love to hear from you. 

Real estate is a great avenue to invest your money in, and today I’ll show you the numbers that prove why. To show you the benefits of investing in real estate, I want to go over the spreadsheet numbers of a property we recently purchased as part of a long-term hold strategy. For your convenience, I’ve provided timestamps of the video above so you can jump ahead to the sections(s) that interest you the most: 2:16 - Getting into the numbers from our spreadsheet.2:51 - The importance of having a model and having non-negotiable standards for anything you purchase. 3:35 - Our purchase price, down payment, interest rate, capital improvement costs, closing costs, and mortgage costs.5:15 - Our monthly rent and net rental income. 6:05 - Home warranty costs, other maintenance fees, and our net cash flow per month. 7:15 - Our cash-on-cash return and cap rate. 7:49 - How your cash-on-cash return grows over time.  We’d be happy to share this spreadsheet with you, so if you’d like a copy of it so you can start playing around with the numbers, just let me know.  “If you’d like a copy of it so you can start playing around with the number, just let me know.” If you’d like to get started with buying an investment property, don’t hesitate to call or email me. My team and I would love to help you get started.

If you’re thinking of buying a home or investing in real estate, I have five apps to tell you about that will help you set your budget. Whether you’re looking to buy a home or invest in real estate and build your nest egg, you need to budget your finances. Here are five great apps that will help you develop the a budgeting strategy: 1. Mint.com. This app takes all your financial accounts and expenses and categorizes them to ensure that you don’t overspend. 2. PocketGuard. This is another app that prevents you from overspending.  3. YNAB (You Need a Budget). This app allows you to assign every dollar to a specific job so you can zero-base the account through which your money comes in and goes out every single month.  4. Wally. The great thing about this app is it deals in foreign currency. It also tracks your income expenses and gives you a periodic snapshot of your budget.  5. Mvelopes. If you’re the kind of person who prefers to put cash in envelopes in order to budget for certain tasks, this app lets you do the same thing, only digitally. “These apps will help you develop a budgeting strategy.” Bonus app: Personal Capital. This app is specifically for investors. It’s great for general budgeting, but it also allows you to underwrite deals for particular properties.  In addition to these apps, we have a great pro forma you can use if you want to underwrite rental properties with a “hold” or “flip” strategy. With this pro forma, you’ll get cap rates, rates of returns, ROIs, etc. If you’re interested in getting it, get in touch with me and I’d be happy to send it to you.  Budgeting is one of my favorite topics, so if you have any more questions about these apps or you want to set a budget for a future home purchase, don’t hesitate to call or email me. I look forward to speaking with you.

How have recent changes in our market impacted affordability, and how will current market conditions influence your ability to buy or sell? Let’s discuss these critical questions today. Welcome back to the Phoenix & Scottsdale Real Estate Show. On today’s episode, we’ll discuss a critical question: “What does the current drop in home affordability mean for you?” First, it’s important to know that home affordability is defined by the size of the monthly mortgage payment needed to buy a home.  The government began tracking home affordability as an index in 1970. And just a few years ago, homes were recorded as being more affordable than ever before, or at least more affordable than any other time since we began recording this index.  But now, this index, which takes into account inflation, current mortgage rates, and home prices, indicates that affordability is shrinking rapidly. Why is this the case? Well, rates and home values, which have been significantly low in the recent past, are slowly but surely on the rise. As a result, home affordability dropped by 5% in just the first quarter of this year.  This drop has primarily been the result of increasing interest rates, which the Fed is expected to bump up once or twice more by the end of 2018. In turn, affordability is expected to drop an additional 15% to 20% by that point in time.  So what does this all mean for you? For sellers, it may mean that finding a buyer could be more challenging than in the past. And if a buyer does come along, sellers must realize that what buyers actually pay for a property tends to fluctuate within a 10% range of the actual list price. Whether sellers achieve a price that is higher than or lower than their list price depends on how and who manages the listing process on their behalf. The right agent will help sellers make the most of their home sale using strategic marketing and negotiation.  “Even though affordability is lower than in the recent past, it is still significantly higher than it was between 1987 and 2004.” As for buyers, it isn’t time to panic yet. According to Arch Mortgage Insurance, homes are 15% to 20% more affordable than has been the case since this index was first recorded. Even though affordability is lower than in the recent past, it is still significantly higher than it was between 1987 and 2004. Rates are still low, historically speaking, so homeownership remains well in reach for those interested in pursuing it.  If you have any other questions, would like more information, or are interested in how my team and I can help you pursue your real estate goals, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

The seasonal market is closing, but home sellers still have time to maximize their sale. Which of the four seasons do you think is the best time to sell your home? If you guessed spring, congratulations! That’s probably not a shocker, but the real estate website HomeLight did some research on this subject and found that certain niche areas, cities, and areas within those cities have different optimal sales cycles.  What about the Phoenix/Scottsdale areas, though? The real estate “season” in Phoenix runs from November to the end of April. The six-month period in between is considered the “off-season.” These seasonal markets are great for their specific time of year for obvious reasons, but they also have homes that sell throughout the entire year. Terra Vida, for instance, is a seasonal market, but there are people who live there full-time.  The greater Phoenix/Scottsdale market is very favorable for sellers right now, and the current sales cycle should run until the beginning or middle of July. After that, it will slow down until the holidays come. “Now’s the time to put your home on the market in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area.” This is great news if you’re looking to maximize your home sale and time the market through our seasonal sale cycle. The seasonal market is closing, but there are still some snowbirds out there who are holding over until they have to head back up north. There are also buyers who need to buy now to get their childrens’ school situations figured out.  An average good month in our market will typically have between 7,500 and 9,000 home sales. These months usually include March, April, and October. However, even a month like August, which competes with December as the slowest month for real estate, still averages around 4,500 home sales, so there is no “bad” month to sell.  If you’d like to take advantage of current market conditions in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area and list your home so it sells for top dollar, don’t hesitate to call or email us. If you have any other questions or real estate needs, feel to reach out to us as well. We’d love to help you.

Welcome to the first episode of “The Phoenix and Scottsdale Real Estate Show!” It is our mission to keep you informed so that you can make smart decisions when buying or selling real estate and keep you connected with the community. We started this show to really connect buyers, sellers, and investors out there in the Phoenix area. We’ll provide localized content about what’s happening here in our area. When you hear national news about the national real estate market, it’s not at all applicable to our city, our ZIP codes, or your community or subdivision. That is what we’re here to do. If you have any questions about your specific area, go to our Facebook or Instagram and post your question. We’ll answer you in the next episode. That brings us to today’s episode. When you’re out looking at homes, it’s easy to fall in love with a property. Emotions run high, and it’s easy to get emotionally attached and overlook other important things as a homebuyer. As a buyer, there are three important things that you need to check before you move forward on a property: 1. Crime rates. Crime rates are often overlooked, even though it’s public information. Again, when you fall in love with the house, you don’t want to see any flaws, so you ignore crime rates or don’t bother checking them. It’s important to check crime rates, though. I recommend sites like AreaVibes or NeighborhoodScout. These are both good sites that you can use to get data for the area you are looking in. “School districts will impact the resale value of your home.” 2. School districts. Even if you don’t have kids, school districts are very important because of resale value. Chances are that part of your future buyer people will have new families and young kids, so they will really pay attention to school districts. For us personally, having three small kids ages six, four, and three, schools were very important when my wife and I purchased our home. To see how schools in the area are ranked, check out GreatSchools.org. 3. Resale values. It’s important that you have a good agent who can really articulate property values. They can help you determine what the home sold for and how long the previous owners have been in the house. If you are looking for a place with more stability, look at the neighbors and see how long they have been in their houses. This is a very important thing to do. If you move into an area with a high turnover rate (north of 15% or 20%), that may not be the best for real estate value. Again, a good agent can articulate the value of the property you’re purchasing and the value of homes in the area. One of the benefits of working with us is that we have proprietary software called Market Snapshot that you can sign up for. If you are looking to purchase a home (and even after you purchase), we will send you a monthly email that shows you what’s going on with prices for homes in your area. That way, you can keep tabs on what’s going on and keep track of the market value of your property. I hope you found this information helpful. We helped 174 families meet their real estate goals last year, and we are hoping to help over 200 families this year. We want to be a resource for our past and prospective clients, so we look forward to seeing you in episode two. Follow #Phoenix&ScottsdaleRealEstateShow for updates. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions. We would be happy to help you!

What does the trajectory of the state of our market look like this year? I have three key points to discuss. Looking to buy a home? Search all homes for sale Selling your home? Get a FREE home value report In light of the State of the Union address that the president gives at the beginning of every year, I’m going to give a State of the Market address. There will be three main points to cover which will dictate the trajectory of the Arizona housing market for 2018. The first point to address is the current rise of mortgage interest rates. We’ve been fortunate to have the rates be as low as they have been, but, according to Freddie Mac’s chief economist, the days of the sub-4% interest rate are now over. The question now is whether a 5% interest rate is still a good rate. Absolutely it is! When I purchased my own home back in 2008 at a rate that was less than 6%, I was ecstatic. Traditionally, that is a very good rate. The next point is the lack of inventory. As of right now, there are 10% fewer homes on the market than there were just a year ago. As demand increases, supply either remains steady or decreases, causing a pinch in the market that actually makes your house worth a little more. Home values are increasing, so if you want to take advantage of that, now is a great time to sell. “ACCORDING TO FREDDIE MAC’S CHIEF ECONOMIST, THE DAYS OF THE SUB-4% INTEREST RATE ARE NOW OVER.” The third point to discuss is the fact that mortgage applications are also increasing. According to a study, applications in January alone were up 4.1% year over year. We’re seeing increases in refinances as well, not just purchase loan applications. The increase in applications is primarily from the addition of refinances; the study shows that new home purchase loan applications have remained steady. What does this mean for the trajectory of the state of the market this year? It means that we’re going to have a pretty good market, overall. Even if you’re looking to buy in this seller’s market, historically, this is still a good time to do so because you can still lock in a 30-, 20-, or 15-year mortgage at 4% or just a little above. There’s one more thing to remember: If you’re a homebuyer looking for down payment assistance, there are plenty of loan programs with Maricopa County that will allow you to have a free down payment up to 5% if you qualify by making less than $88,000 per year and having over a 640 FICO score. It’s free money, so take advantage. In addition, we negotiate with the seller to pay your closing costs so that you can go to purchase a home with nothing out of pocket. If you have any questions or would like our help, feel free to reach out to us. We’d be glad to assist you.

You may have heard of Opendoor and Offerpad, but what do these kinds of companies actually offer you as a seller? Looking to buy a home? Search all homes for sale Selling your home? Get a FREE home value report Today, I’d like to share some information about two big players in the world of wholesaling and direct seller offers. Right now, direct offers to sellers from institutional wholesale buyers are a big trend in real estate. There are two main companies pioneering this space: Offerpad and Opendoor. You may have seen advertisements from either of these companies via direct mail, on TV, on the radio, or elsewhere. These companies boast that they will buy directly from sellers, targeting those who may be attracted to the convenience this kind of deal has to offer. “SOME SELLERS MAY BE ATTRACTED TO THE CONVENIENCE A WHOLESALE INSTITUTIONAL BUYER CAN OFFER.” However, while convenience is a positive aspect of this kind of transaction, there is a downside. Sellers on the open market will typically net more for their property than those who sell directly to a company like Offerpad or Opendoor, even after a fee of 6%. There are ways that Realtors can work with these companies. So if you have any interest in this kind of transaction, feel free to get in touch. My team and I would be happy to discuss your options with you. Ultimately, the best way to decide what is best for you and your property is to clearly understand which will earn you a higher net income. If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Today I want to take a moment to express some gratitude on behalf of my entire team. We want to thank each and every one of you for your support. Looking to buy a home? Search all homes for sale Selling your home? Get a FREE home value report Happy Thanksgiving! Today I want to take a moment to express some gratitude on behalf of my entire team. We want to thank each and every one of you for your support. We appreciate you giving us the opportunity to go to bat for you. Being able to demonstrate our experience, skill, dedication, and knowledge by helping you buy or sell property is something we are very grateful for. With that said, I want to bring your attention to a magazine put out internationally by Keller Williams: OutFront. Recently, I was fortunate enough to be featured in the magazine, and I just want to share this experience with you. At first, I hesitated to share this news because I don’t want to seem egotistical, but I ultimately decided that I should, since it is thanks to all of you that I’ve been able to achieve this honor. Since you helped make it happen, my team and I would love to ship you a copy of this issue out so that you can see it for yourselves. The article mostly covers my real estate story. For those of you who don’t know, I entered the world of real estate in 2005 with $40 I borrowed from my sister. There was no YouTube or Zillow back then. It was all about advertising in the newspaper. “I ENTERED THE WORLD OF REAL ESTATE IN 2005 WITH $40 I BORROWED FROM MY SISTER.” Using the $40 I borrowed from my sister, I was able to put an ad in the Saturday newspaper saying: “For a free list of rentals in North Scottsdale, call Kelly.” I thought that if I could help people find rental properties, I might be able to help those same people buy homes in the future once they were done with their lease. And that’s how it all began. Just over 12 and a half years later, here I am. So, again, I just want to thank all of you who have supported my team and I over the years. If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

There are nine considerations you shouldn’t overlook when buying your home. Being mindful of them will prevent you from possibly making a big mistake. Looking to buy a home? Search all homes for sale Selling your home? Get a FREE home value report When purchasing a home, there are nine things you need to consider that the vast majority of other homebuyers don’t: 1. The neighborhood at night. Neighborhood’s change at night—it’s a fact. At least, most of them do. Drive through your prospective home’s neighborhood at night and around the home itself to see if there are any college students or dogs barking nonstop or things of that nature. 2. The daily commute. Even though Google Maps may say it takes a certain amount of time to go from point A to point B, drive that route yourself during the busiest time of day to make sure you’re not stuck in a commute that’s longer than what you bargained for. 3. The CC&Rs (covenants, conditions, and restrictions). Just because a neighborhood doesn’t have an HOA doesn’t mean they don’t have CC&Rs. I’d argue that if you have an HOA and valid CC&Rs, that’s the best of both worlds because there’s a standard of living for the people who live there and they’re not governed by an HOA. 4. Whether the home can be rented out or not. Some HOA neighborhoods don’t allow certain properties to be leased out, especially on a short-term rental basis. “THESE NINE CONSIDERATIONS WILL ENSURE YOU BUY THE RIGHT HOME FOR YOU.” 5. The bedroom-to-bathroom ratio. If you buy a single-story home, always buy a property with at least two or 1.75 bathrooms. Buyers in the future will want that. If it’s a two-story home, I recommend that you have a powder room or a half-bathroom on the main level. That’s another thing future buyers will look for. 6. The need for specialty inspections. Home inspections are a must. However, if they red-flag something or tell you that you should look at something a little bit closer with a qualified inspector, we highly recommend you do that. 7. Features that cannot be changed. The two most important features that cannot be changed are location and lot. It’s very important to base the foundation of what you’re looking to buy off of these two factors. 8. The resale value. If your home backs up to a busy street, just because that doesn’t bother you doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider whether it will bother a large part of the buyer pool when you sell the home in the future. Know what kind of adjustments or discounts you need to make when it comes to factors like that so you buy the home correctly and at market value. 9. Whether there is room to grow. When it comes to this, you want to know your lot setbacks, the zoning of your lot, and if you have load-bearing walls. If you want to knock down a wall to open a room up, you’ll want to check with a specialty engineer if that wall is load-bearing. If so, it can still be done, but it might cost a little more. Our team does our best to check all nine of these boxes when helping our buyers buy homes. If you have any other questions about buying a home, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’d love to help you.

Should you rent a home or buy one? I have four questions that will help you make this important decision. Looking to buy a home? Search all homes for sale Selling your home? Get a FREE home value report Should you rent a home or buy a home? There are four things you should consider when deciding what to do: 1. Can you afford it? In many cases, it’s actually more expensive to rent in Phoenix than to own a home if you look at the monthly payments. You might say, “I know that but I don’t have anything saved for a down payment.” If you are looking in certain price points, you may qualify for a down payment assistance program that will gift you 5% of the purchase price up to a certain amount. It’s a great program but we don’t know how much longer it will be there, so call me if you’re interested. 2. Is it better to rent or buy? It really depends on your personal circumstances. Are you self-employed or a W-2 employee? How much can you write off on your taxes due to owning real estate? Your rental payment may be close to a mortgage payment, but that tax return can make a big difference. Check in with your CPA and see if it may be more affordable for you to own a home. “HOW LONG ARE YOU WILLING TO STAY PUT?” Other things like home warranties hedge your risk on things breaking in your home when you own the property. 3. How long are you willing to stay put? What’s your exit strategy? Again, most homeowners stay in their home for about five to seven years, depending on the market cycle and whether or not they have equity in the home. If a market correction occurs and the market goes down, people may stay in their homes a little longer. 4. Are you ready to be a homeowner? You will be responsible for the property. If something breaks, you need a home warranty or money set aside for improvements and repairs. Your HVAC system and your roof both have a lifespan. Will you need to replace them? You can get a home warranty for about $70 that will cover the vast majority of big issues. Homeowners insurance will also cover repairs and costs anywhere from $400 to $800 a year. Hopefully, these four questions help you determine whether you should own or rent a home. If you have any other questions, just give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

There are ways to invest in real estate without having to be super wealthy. Watch this video to learn about five options available to you. Looking to buy a home? Search all homes for sale Selling your home? Get a FREE home value report Today’s topic is near and dear to my heart: investing in real estate. I’d like to share five different ways you can go about investing in real estate. There’s a myth that you have to be super wealthy to invest in real estate. But, based on five reasons, that is not true anymore. There are ways to invest with zero money down. According to a recent survey, real estate investors now make about 15% of the population. That’s a staggering number. I never thought it’d be that high. Here’s another statistic: 89% of US investors are interested in putting their money into real estate. There are all kinds of incentives and benefits, like cash flow, tax incentives, leverage, and value appreciation. “REAL ESTATE INVESTORS NOW MAKE ABOUT 15% OF THE POPULATION.” Now, the five ways you can invest in real estate: 1. Buy and rent (a.k.a. buy and hold). This is what I and a lot of other investors like to do. It puts your money to work for you. The ROI, if you buy the property right, blows away the stock market. This isn’t a blanket statement. However, there is a lot of research, due diligence, and comparative analysis required. And that’s what we’re here for. We have plug-and-play formulas built for you that we can send, and all you have to do is enter what you want, and it will tell you all the percentage of returns and other metrics you’ll need to know if you’re investing in real estate. 2. Buy and sell (a.k.a. flipping). This has become very mainstream nowadays. But you should be careful. There are stories you rarely hear about telling how people sometimes lose a little on their investment because they didn’t turn out the way they expected. Nevertheless, if you have a professional who knows how to buy property correctly, how to source properties, and how to estimate the cost of the remodel, it can make you a lot of money. 3. Real estate investment groups. These are people that buy properties, fix them up, and lease them out for you, so there’s already an established cap rate and immediate cash flow on the property from the day you purchase it. They’ll sell it to you, and you become a sort of passive investor on that real estate, because many times they’ll even provide the property management for you for whatever fee they charge. 4. Crowdfunding sites. These sites do large-scale investments and they allow you to piggyback on their huge investments as part of a small pool. You get a specific guaranteed return. Although, sometimes it can fluctuate a little. 5. REIT (real estate investment trust). This is similar to a mutual fund for real estate. You can put your money into one, and they usually pay a decent dividend payout, so your money is passively working for you. These are large-scale projects—big commercial buildings that have anchor tenants in most cases. It’s not as liquid as other options, but you can do it. If you’re interested in real estate investment whatsoever, we’d love to discuss how we can help you with some of these options. For those that we are not licensed to do ourselves, we can put you in touch with individuals who are. Please feel free to give us a call!