Betsie Melter's Real Estate Blog

 

These of course, are just the basics. For more details about the loan process contact Amy Simmons with On Q Financial at 480.353.9140.

What Will Be Hot in Home Interiors in 2012? On December 5, 2011, in Home Trends, by Melissa Tracey By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine The design forecasts are rolling in for the new year and the predictions of what’s going to be popular in interior decorating in 2012. According to Beasley & Henley Interior Design in Winter Park, Fla., here are some interior design trends to be on the lookout for in the upcoming year: Homes go gray: All shades of gray will be making up more households, from warm grey to charcoal gray, through furnishings, window treatments, and artwork. Yellow pops: Yellow can lift practically any room, according to Beasley & Henley Interior Design. Pairing yellow with gray can bring a trendy look to a home in 2012. Rustic: Furnishings from natural, reclaimed, and rustic wood are expected to catch on. “Finishes on these rustic pieces will range from wire-brushed to bleached oak to gray washes,” according to Beasley & Henley Interior Design. Repurposed lighting: Reclaimed pieces that are turned into lamps and lighting pieces is expected to continue its wave of popularity in 2012. The industrial look: The industrial look is also gaining traction, such as repurposed, industrial occasional tables or side carts. Lower seating: Chairs and sofas are sitting lower to the ground. More home furniture manufacturing companies are debuting lounge chair seating lower than the standard 20’’ off the floor. They’re introducing more products at 17-18’’ off the floor–possibly to fit in smaller homes. Oversized photography, such as in Sepia or computer-enhanced, will dominate the look of artwork in the coming year. Supersized artwork: Artwork continues to get bigger with oversized photography dressing up interiors with black and white, Sepia, or standard pictures.

3 Bedroom/2Bathroom home within walking distance to the Elementary School and just minutes away from the new Ironwood Banner Hospital.

My Favorite Event is at Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek. They offer a corn maze, pumpkin patch, train rides, pig races, food, carnival rides and this year a BMX show and Stunt Dog show. It is fun for all ages and a great time to get outside and enjoy the October AZ weather. We are finally under 100 degrees, so we better appreciate it! The corn maze this year is a picture of the owners parents Ray and Thora. 

*picture provided by schnepf farm website

Tickets are on sale at the gate for $15.00 or at Fry's for only $12.00. Visit their website at http://schnepffarms.com/

 

If Haunted Houses are more your thing, you will want to check out The Nest located at Rawhide just west of the I-10 south of Ahwatukee. THE NEST haunted house, is rated #1 scariest haunt in America by MSN.

RUN:	September 23 - October 31, 2011 Tickets available September 15
SPECIFIC DATES:	September 23, 24 & 30 October 1, 7-9, 13-16, 20-23 & 27-31
HOURS:	Thursdays and Sundays	7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
	Fridays and Saturdays	7:00 PM - 12:00 MID
	Halloween Night	7:00 PM - 12:00 MID
PRICES:	$25 General Admission (discounts online) $40 VIP FastPass (discounts online)
PARKING:	$5
GROUP RATES:	For groups of 10 or more discounts can be found online
WEBSITE:	www.Frightened.com

 

Happy Halloween to everyone!

 

13331 E. Cindy St. Chandler, AZ 85225

FOR RENT! $1200/Month

3 Bedrooms/2 Bathrooms, Split floorplan, Greatroom, Vaulted Ceilings, Breakfast Nook

Huge Yard with No Neighbors Behind

Close to Chandler Gilbert Community College and The 202!

Available Immediately

Click Here to see the Video of the House

 

I finally closed on a short sale that we started with in April. Yay! What a journey this one was. It should have been a simple one - Only One Lender and no equity lines. But trends seem to be twisting and turning every time we finally get the negotiation process figured out. This one I wanted to mention because my negotiator said they are starting to see a lot of this. The bank had approved the purchase price and even approved paying for the buyer's closing costs. BUT, a week later as we were hounding them for the approval letter, they stated that they are requiring a contribution from the seller. WHAT?!?!

Now, I am not arguing that they want to try and get what they can from the sale of the house. I understand that. My problem is this:

1) Shouldn't they have asked for that upfront when we were negotiating the price and closing costs with the buyer? They could have mentioned that they wanted the seller to pay $3500. At that point we could have said for the bank not to pay the buyer's closing costs, which just so happen to be $3600. That would have balanced out. Or, we could have bumped the purchase price up by $3500. The buyer would have paid it, they were willing to go higher if need be.

2) Secondly, where do they come up with $3500? They are already losing over $150,000 so what makes $3500 ok? We eventually got them down to $2000 (of which only $1000 came from the seller and both agents pitched in the other $1000).

3) If it was a purchase money loan and no equity line, why did they want any money from the seller at all? In AZ we have an anti-deficiency law that says they can't come after the seller.

In this case all parties wanted to be done, so we did what we needed to do to close the sale, but in all honesty, I don't think the bank acted in line with standard protocol. Ha- I guess, I shouldn't have expected them to anyway. All banks act by their own laws and contracts anyway. I was just hoping the art of negotiation would be standard practice. Nobody throws in a wild card like that after it has been agreed upon. Not Cool!

From what my negotiator said, he is starting to see a lot of banks require the seller to contribute so I just wanted to let all short sale sellers and agents know to be aware that this might come up in the process.

Good Luck out there! It is a rough market that we seem to be maneuvering quite well by changing and adapting along the way.

John Hall is now Realty ONE Group

Two Acclaimed Realty Powerhouses to Become

One of the Largest Real Estate Firms in Arizona with 1,300 Agents

PHOENIX

(Aug 10, 2011) –

Realty ONE Group and John Hall & Associates announced today they will join forces

to become one of the largest real estate brokerages in Arizona. The combined firm will be known as Realty ONE

Group, reflecting the company’s focus on support and innovation. John Hall & Associates has been a leader in

Arizona real estate since 1974 and Realty ONE Group has been recognized by INC

.

500 for three consecutive years

as one of the fastest growing companies in America.

Jim Sexton, owner of John Hall & Associates since 1994, says “I’m excited about this marriage with a reputable and

innovative company.” Sexton adds, “Realty ONE Group has built a solid infrastructure, developed strong

educational programs, implemented an amazing supportive environment for their agents and staff, created a

proprietary paperless transaction management software, hired quality management, established prestigious offices,

and paid attention to detail throughout the organization while providing value to their agents.”

With more than 2,500 agents in Arizona, California, and Nevada, Realty ONE Group closed over 13,000

transactions in 2010, ranking as the nation’s thirteenth-largest real estate brokerage. This year the firm is on pace to

close nearly 16,000 transactions, which will elevate it to the top 10 in the nation.

“John Hall has an esteemed management team in place,” said Realty ONE Group CEO and Founder Kuba

Jewgieniew. “These are ambitious people and we are all going to shine together.”

Pat Kelly, the current designated broker, has been promoted to general manager to oversee all of Arizona operations

for Realty ONE Group. Says Jewgieniew, “His continued dedication to establishing our brand in the Arizona

marketplace and providing support to management and agents while growing the company to new heights has

exceeded all expectations over the past number of years. Pat is an over achiever who will continue to lead Realty

ONE Group into its bright future.”

Former owner Sexton will be now the designated broker of Realty ONE Group in Arizona, which Jewgieniew feels

is a natural role for him due to his stellar reputation, experience and knowledge.

Realty ONE Group has grown so quickly in large part due to its unique fee and commission structure. In direct

contrast to the traditional model where brokerages take a percentage of each commission, Realty ONE Group

instead charges a flat transaction fee and the agent keeps the remainder. "Our business model is based on attracting

quality real estate professionals and empowering them by offering more resources for less money," said Jewgieniew.

According to Jewgieniew, Realty ONE Group’s supportive environment extends to a management team that is more

available to their agents than at most large brokerages. “Quality attracts quality and Realty ONE Group has

established itself as a premiere organization for successful agents to affiliate with. While we embrace technology,

Realty ONE Group has real, physical offices that house knowledgeable managers who average more than 20 years

of experience.”

About Realty ONE Group

Realty ONE Group is a full-service real estate brokerage firm with over 2,500 associates, headquartered in Las

Vegas, Nevada, with offices in Arizona and California. It focuses on providing ethical, professional and resultsoriented

services to property owners and prospective real estate buyers. Since its inception in 2005, the company has

grown to become the largest real estate brokerage in Nevada and the fastest growing real estate company in Arizona

and California.

For more information, visit

www.RealtyOneGroup.com

Well, this is the time of year when we start complaining about living in Arizona and all of the cooler states can start rubbing it in. I am not really complaining because I get to rub it in from October til April about our lovely weather. But, today I can say I'm feeling Hot, Hot, Hot. My A/C just broke in my car. We all know how our cars are our offices. Luckily the repair shop can fix it and hopefully I will be blowing cool air soon enough. In the meantime, I will just sit back and dream of cool weather in the not so close future.

In the spirit of the temperature I thought I would share some Arizona Heat Jokes and why you should live here:

It's so hot in Arizona That...

the temperature drops below 95 and you feel a bit chilly.

you won't go into the pool until it is 90 degrees because it is too cold.

you can attend any function wearing shorts and a tank top.

you learn how to drive your car with only 2 fingers.

it's noon, summer vacation, and not a single person is out on the streets.

hot water now comes out of both taps.

you can say 113 degress without fainting.

the four seasons are Tolerable, Hot, Really Hot and ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

 

I am just joking, I love Arizona and won't move anywhere else.  

Happy Summer and 4th of July!!!!

 

The last 3 months have been tremendous for us in the Phoenix Market. Hopefully it will continue.