The Scott's Sell Scottsdale

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Scottsdale Lease Property

Lower level 2 bedroom / 2 bath condo in north central Scottsdale now available for lease!

Scottsdale Arizona Lease Property

  • 2 covered patios
  • Ceramic tile
  • Open floorplam
  • neutral colors
  • community pools, spas, tennis and walking paths
  • convenient to shopping, golf, restaurants, medical facilities and 101freeway

Scottsdale Condo lease available

6 month or 1 year lease required

         Resort style living Scottsdale AZ Lease Property Available

 Contact Gary and Claudia Scott, REALTOR®, GRI

           Reach us toll free at     866-464-2140              
or e-mail at Garyandclaudia@cox.net 

Be sure to check out Gary and Claudia's
Blog:  http://claudiascott.activerain.com
Website www.AZ-real-estate-sales.com

0 comments • Gary and Claudia Scott - Scottsdale, AZ Real Estate • January 29 2009 03:50PM

FBR Open 2009 - Scottsdale is the place to be!

The FBR Open (formerly the Phoenix Open) is in full swing here in Scottsdale, Arizona. This tournament is played at the Tournament Players Club (TPC) in north central Scottsdale. The TPC Stadium course hosted it’s first FBR Open in 1987 and has evolved in to the largest attended golf event in the world! The are expecting 500,000+ attendees this year.

Yesterday, January 23, 2009 was Celebrity Day. Scottsdale Arizona McDowell MtnsSince we were offered free tickets we opted to ‘played hokey’ and took the day off to enjoy the outdoors and watch the golfers. Although it was bright and sunny, it was a brisk 57 degrees when we arrived but it eventually warmed up to a 64 degrees. You could definitely tell who was from the Valley of the Sun and who was from colder climates. The locals were bundled up in sweat shirts of warm coats while others were in shorts and sandals! The forecast for the rest of the week is the mid 70’s with lots of bright sunshine! We won’t complain as much of the rest of the nation is not as fortunate!

Once you park, catch the shuttle and wait in line to get in, the vender tent is your first experience. It is always fun to check out the wares. A variety of FBR Open Photos Jan 2009 Scottsdale AZdealers offered a assortment of products froGary putts at the FBR Open Scottsdale AZm Suns tickets, golf apparel, into on energy savings from SRP, to free tastes of coffee. Gary entered the putting contest offered by Home Depot and actually got one putt to go in the hole! Must have been the inspiration of the pro golfers! His name is now added to the list of those eligible to win 4 new tires from Discount Tire.

Once you exit the vendor tent, the golf watching begins. Celebrity Day offers a fun day for all. There were 26 groups of players, with each group anchored by a pro-golfer who was joined by 4 armatures. After picking up the daily pairing sheet to find out when the players tee off and the order of the groups, we were off to follow comedian George Lopez and retired AZ Diamondback first baseman, Mark Grace.     

FBR Open Scottsdale AZ the 16th hole     Scottsdale Golf - FBR Open Jan 2009

They provided great entertainment throughout the day.  The famous 16th hole, which is now totally surrounded by bleachers, was especially comical as Gracie first used a baseball bat to hit his golf ball. He eventually did use a golf club and actually got his shot to land on the green. We did view some ‘interesting’ shots at this hole. A couple actually hit the bleachers or ended up in the stands! And, some others didn’t make it out of the desert sandy adjacent to the tee. The 16th hole can be quite intimidating even for the pro-golfers.

January has a lot to offer here in the Sonoran Desert. The Barrett-Jackson car show, the Russo-Steel sports muscle car auction and the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon were all completed just in time for the kickoff of this major golf tournament. If you aren’t in to cars or golf, the Arizona Sun Circuit Quarter Horse Show, Native American Arts Festival or Maricopa County Home and Garden Show are some other options. Of course, with the mild temps and sunny days, who needs a better reason to be in Scottsdale in January?

Thinking of purchasing a home in Scottsdale Arizona? Check the local MLS 

Contact Gary or Claudia Scott for more information
toll free:   866-464-2140  
garyandclaudia@cox.net
http://www.az-real-estate-sales.com

2 comments • Gary and Claudia Scott - Scottsdale, AZ Real Estate • January 29 2009 03:13PM

Determining if your home has ‘green features’

Today we are all becoming concerned about saving energy, reducing water usage, creating better indoor air quality and reusing recycled building materials. All of these ‘green’ objectives not only are good for the homeowner but also for the environment and future generations.

New construction is not the only source to adopt green programs. We can all do our part by, at the very least, understanding the basics of what we can do to begin going green. First you can begin by determining what green features your home may already have.
If your home has:The Happy Green Home
  • Double pane low E windows 
  • Energy Star appliances
  • 14 sear or higher AZ unit
  • 38+ R-value insulation in the wall or attic
  • A solar water heater
  • Low fiber carpet or special paints approved by LEED
You may already be on your way to becoming green. There are multiple green building programs available to help you understand the green concept. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the Energy Star Program, the National Association or Home Builders —green building programs and many city specific programs. Here in Scottsdale, the city has been a leader in green building programs.
You can actually work toward acquiring a LEED certification for your existing home! The LEED For Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenance manual “provides sustainability guidelines for whole-building cleaning and maintenance, recycling programs and systems upgrades to improve building energy performance, water consumption, indoor environmental quality and material use.”
 
One way to improve your energy status is to have a Home Energy Audit and Analysis. This type of inspection uses the latest technology to assess your current energy use. It will identify improvements in a prioritized list that will provide energy savings. Some recommendations may as simple as repairing a leak in the attic, duct system walls or windows to prevent energy from escaping. A local Phoenix metro area certified home inspection company, AJF Engineering, now provides a green energy inspection! The future is 'going green'.
 
Gary and Claudia Scott—Scottsdale, AZ Real Estate Sales
866-464-2140 - garyandclaudia@cox.net
0 comments • Gary and Claudia Scott - Scottsdale, AZ Real Estate • January 25 2009 12:23PM

"shopping" for a home?

According to the 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 87 percent of home buyers used the Internet to search for homes in the past year. That's up steadily from 84 percent in 2007, 80 percent in 2006.

Searching for a home

There are some many pitfalls and oversights in the Internet searching that can make purchasing real estate a nightmare! The Internet is a great resource for shopping, but when it comes time to view homes and negotiate contracts, it is important to have a professional Realtor familiar with the local market working with you.

The Internet provides a wealth of resources and information. So much so, that one tends to go in to overload! When beginning your exploration for a new property, do not search for broad terms such as ‘real estate’ as the volume of results will be staggering. If you know the city you plan to relocate to start by learning about the area - the schools, crime stats, the shopping, medical facilities etc.

When searching for homes utilize preferred web sites such as Realtor.com or a local Realtor web site that has a link to the MLS.  Other popular web sites such as zillo or trulia only offer a subset of the total listings available.  For a property to be included on one of these sites, Realtors have to individually upload them.  Therefore the statistics on these sites are skewed because they do not have all the information available to create reliable statistics.

With the great resources available today you can become an ‘educated’ buyer. At any time during your 'shopping' process, a professional Realtor can assit you with a local MLS feed and also be an excellent resource to provide direction for your web search. The maps, photos, virtual tours, videos of a home give you a general idea of the home, but seeing the neighborhood and actually entering in to the home gives you the true ‘feeling’ of the home and surrounding community. Find a professional Realtor to assist you in your decision process. Realtors are familiar with the area, the homes and the recent sales statistics. He/she will be able to provide detailed comparables, tax records and sales history for the property(s) you are specifically interested in. Once you decide which property would be best, your Realtor will present your offer and negotiate to ensure you receive the best price. He/she will then open the escrow process, schedule for a home inspection, negotiate your home repair requests based upon the inspection report and follow your escrow process through all stages until the final closing.

Congratulations' you have a new home!

We specialize in Scottsdale real estate and the greater Phoenix metro area real estate.  We have assisted both buyers and sellers with their real estate needs.  Feel free to contact us with any of your real estate questions.  Our toll free number is 866-464-2140 and our email is garyandclaudia@cox.net

 

2 comments • Gary and Claudia Scott - Scottsdale, AZ Real Estate • January 24 2009 04:05PM

Solar Energy Gaining Interest

I have blogged previously regarding solar tax rebates.  Today I received a letter from our local electric company Arizona Public Service (APS) regarding the savings that can come from using solar Arizona Solar Water Heaterspower. 

Up to 15% of your energy bill comes from heating water!  APS is e now offering 'generous' rebates if a client installs a solar water heater.  They also stated that the client could take advantage of both state and federal tax credits.  The total savings could be up to 80% off the cost of a solar water heater!  They suggested contacting a licensed contractor prior to installing a new solar hot water system.

Their stats show that if only 10% of the homes in AZ used a solar water heater, it would reduce the greenhouse gas emissions equal to taking 57,000 cars off the road!  Thus helping your community, the environment and future generations.

The suns energy is free! Arizona Solar Power

View  www.aps.com/greenchoice for more energy saving tips!

Gary and Claudia Scott, Realtors
Scottsdale, Arizona
garyandclaudia@cox.net
www.AZ-real-estate-sales.com

0 comments • Gary and Claudia Scott - Scottsdale, AZ Real Estate • January 14 2009 03:40PM

What about the mortgage meltdown??

The reality of the mortgage ‘meltdown’ has affected almost everyone. Even if you didn’t refinance or obtain a new mortgage during the 2004-2005 mortgage frenzy, the resulting foreclosures for those who did get into risky mortgages is indirectly causing the value of your home to be reduced in many areas.
 
Realtor Karen Highland from Frederick, MD recently wrote an very enlightening and interesting article about the Realtor’s perspective of the meltdown The Mortgage Meltdown: A Realtor's Perspective. Karen pointed out that the main culprit was the subprime mortgage in addition to the political climate. She also Identified the accomplices that include The Real Estate Boom and Bust, Securitization, Credit Rating Agencies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and The Community Reinvestment Act. Karen did a lot of research to write her article and it would be worth your time to review Karen’s article for the details.
 
So, where do we go from here?? Well, obviously the lenders have again tightened their lending standards, the political environment is shifting as the new administration soon will take over, FHA loans are gaining popularity (they are a great resource for first time homebuyers), Fannie Mae launched a pre-approval pilot, which began on December 19, 2008 with the intention to speed up the short sale process and the FBI is investigating several of the mortgage related crimes. It remains to be seen how the ‘bail out’ will stimulate the mortgage and real estate market. The good news is that the historically low interest rates and reduced home prices are stimulating the previously stagnate real estate market. Home foreclosures and short sales account for many of the current sales activity.

Hopefully, we are all ‘smarter’ from this painful experience and will learn from our mistakes. 


Scottsdale and Phoenix map     Search the Scottsdale and Phoenix MLS     What is my home worth?

Gary and Claudia Scott
Real Estate Agents

toll free 466-464-2140
0 comments • Gary and Claudia Scott - Scottsdale, AZ Real Estate • January 13 2009 04:13PM

My adventure on the new Phoenix Light Rail

There certainly has been a lot of excitement lately about the new Phoenix light rail system which officially opened for passenger service in December 2008. 
 The Phoenix Light Rail is now Operational
After all the hype and having to deal with traveling on several road being torn up as they built the system over the past several months, I myself was anxious to give it a try! Unfortunately at this time, the rail does not come to Scottsdale but I had to make a trip to Tempe, so I decided to test it out and take advantage of the 'no fare' ride being offered. Since each station is designed to fit up to three rail cars at a time, my wait was minimal. I boarded the trail at the Tempe Mill & Third Street station and rode in to Mesa and back.
 
Having been on the light rail in Denver, I found the Phoenix system to be very similar. I was amazed at how smooth and quiet (except for the noisy excited kids J) the ride was. The trains are very sleek and modern with comfortable interiors. They have integrated several user friendly features to accommodate almost everyone. Each car has capacity for 4 wheel chairs, and there are no stairs to climb to board the trail as the door entries at the same height as the vehicle platform. It was a great experience.
 

The Phoenix Light Rail is now Operational

Phoenix light rail is running

I must admit it would be convenient to catch the train and not have to fight the traffic to get to work or an event! It remains to be seen how many people will take advantage of the light rail. I suspect that it will quickly become very popular. The price of $1.25 for a one way fare or $2.50 for the day is extremely reasonable. They also offer 3 and 7 day passes or monthly passes at reduced prices. It sure beats the hassle of driving!


1 comment • Gary and Claudia Scott - Scottsdale, AZ Real Estate • January 08 2009 08:33PM

Phoenix area MLS REO Stats for 2008

The greater Phoenix metro area has had it’s share of Real Estate Owned (REO) properties in 2008. These bank owned properties as selling rapidly as realtors, lenders and title companies are now have been educated and are understanding in this new selling option. This is a market of opportunity!

At the January 6th John Hall & Associates 2009 Real Estate kickoff meeting. our broker, Jim Sexton, shared some of the 2008 REO property statistics. Arizona real estate attorneys, Rick Mack. shared information on the mechanics of trustees sales, the 2007 Debt Relief Act, and deficiency judgments. We are ready for 2009!
 
According to the Phoenix MLS, in 2008 there was a total of 60,205 properties sold. Of this total, 20,535 (34%) were REO sales and 1,157 were short sales. An average of 46% of the sales for the forth quarter of 2008 were REO. In December 2008 there was a totol of 5,611 properties sold and 2,931 (52%) were REO properties. Currently 3,356 (59%) of the listing pending sale are Real Estate Owned (REO) properties.  These properties can be good deals for buyers as banks want to get them sold.

AZ MLS 2008 REO Home Sales Stats

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AZ MLS quarter 4 2008REO Home Sales Stats

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AZ MLS current Jan 2009 and Dec 2008 Pending Sales
  
 
The overall MLS property sales statistics for 2008 wereencouraging as the number of properties sold since June 2008 has increased steadily to date.
 
Review the Scottsdale/Phoenix MLS Properties currently for sale
 
480-948-0550
Toll free 866-464-2140
 

0 comments • Gary and Claudia Scott - Scottsdale, AZ Real Estate • January 07 2009 01:04PM

So, what happened to Phoenix Real Estate in 2008?


Gary and I attended our John Hall & Associates 2009 Kickoff meeting here in Phoenix today. Our broker Jim Sexton presented some interesting 2008 Real Estate Statistics.

Don’t believe all the doom and gloom printed by the media. The greater Phoenix metro area has, like all real estate markets across the country, has had a larger than normal inventory, foreclosures & short sale properties and a reduction in equity but it is location, location, location. Phoenix remains a desired destination and has a bright future. The MLS stats are showing a slow by steady increase in the number of properties sold.

After a dismal 32 months of sales decline beginning in Quarter 4 of 2005, the last 7 months (since June 2008) has seen a steady increase in the number of properties sold. In February to July of 2008, monthly sales volume increased compared to the previous month. The last time we had that many monthly increases was 2003. The MLS statistics show that 60,205 properties sold in 2008 which is an increase from the 54,823 properties that sold in 2007. Another interesting observation presented is that from 2005 to 2007 the number of home sales in the second half of the year was lower than the first half of the year. However in 2008, 26,936 properties sold in the first 6 months while the number of properties that sold in the second half of the year increased to 33,269 properties. The market has not fully recovered but the future looks bright as the number of sales continue to increase and both buyers and sellers are becoming optimistic again.

Phoenix Home Sales per month 2008

AZ MLS home sales per quarter 2005-2008


Now is a great time to buy and sell Arziona Real Estate!

Research the Local MLS for Properties

Gary and Claudia Scott

AZ-real-estate-sales.com

480-948-0550

toll free 866-464-2140

0 comments • Gary and Claudia Scott - Scottsdale, AZ Real Estate • January 07 2009 12:12PM