The signing of the Declaration of Independence on this day declared our independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.  It marked the beginning of the United States as we know it.

John Adams, one of the the signers on the Declaration of Independence and our 2nd president, wrote this to his wife Abigail on July 3rd, 1776.

The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.

John Adams was off by two days as we celebrate Independence Day on July 4th, but he was not wrong about the celebration.

Today I hope you celebrate with your friends and family and be reminded of what or country and its freedoms means to you. 

If you live in Aviano there are festivities beginnings at 6pm in the Aviano Park.  There will be free snow cones, groovy glow necklaces and lots of great music.  Bring your blankets and picnic baskets and enjoy the fun.  Fireworks will begin at 9pm.  I saw this fireworks last year and I have to say I was totally totally entertained and shocked how good the display was. 

While this is a wonderful holiday it is also a very deadly holiday with many traveling on this weekend.  Please be safe and do not drink and drive. 

God bless our troops who fight every day for our freedom.  The sacrifices they and their families make are impossible to measure.  Thank you!

You may have frequently heard the phrase in real estate “seller’s loss is buyer’s gain” but a new listing in The Villages at Aviano at Desert Ridge  is really deserving of that phrase.

Seller’s built their dream home at The Villages at Aviano and only moved in 3 short months ago and now a job is forcing them to move.  This condo is upgraded to the hilt – EVERYTHING is upgraded!  You truly could not rebuild this with the builder. 

This condo is the very popular Toll Brothers model, the Amica.  The Amica is a ground level and the only condo in The Villages that is all on one level.  This makes this floorplan extremely popular for those who want to avoid stairs.

For those of you who are familiar with The Villages, you know that these condos are already very upgraded as offered by the builder.  The standards are above the norm, but these sellers put in over $100k in upgrades on top of an already beautiful condo.

These sellers did all the obvious upgrades by upgrading the level of granite and adding the chisel edge.  They upgraded all cabinetry throughout as well.  Flooring was upgraded to tile throughout – no carpet.  In bedroom 2 which may be a den for many, they upgraded to a wide plank engineered hickory wood floor – gorgeous!

The master bath is gorgeous! The shower surrond is a floor to ceiling natural stone and they upgraded the shower door to a frameless glass.  They extended the natural stone to a backsplash at tub and counters.  Upgraded faucets and sinks as well.  Classy Closset systems were installed at master walk-in as well as bedroom 2 closet.

Here are a few other upgrades; custom paint throughout, upgraded fans, Hunter Douglas wood shutters, 5 1/4″ Spanish baseboards, solid core doors, upgraded hardware, surround sound, soft water system, security system and garage cabinets.  This blog is too short to list everything – you just have to see it.

Sadly, I cannot recoup the money this seller spent on upgrades, but I can pass on a great deal to someone else.  This unit was being sold at $299,000 base price and builder just reduce the next phase to $270,000 base price.  So, with all the upgrades – at the new base price – this would cost $370,000 to be built.  I am offering this at $309,000!!! We must remain competitive with the other units being offered now and so that is why I reiterate, “seller’s loss is buyer’s gain!”

If you would like a private showing, please call Kim at 480-201-4185 and I will arrange your tour or this stunning unit.  Remember, this is not a short sale or a bank owned property.  No hassle to close on this baby and start enjoying the lifestyle at The Villages at Aviano.

Desert Ridge Golf Course Home

I have a great home for sale in Desert Ridge.  This home is located on the J.W. Marriott Wildfire Golf Course.  There are extraordinatry golf course and mountain views from the backyard.  Backyard is its own paradise with a pebbletec pool with waterfall, built-in BBQ and covered patio.

Originally listed at $449,000, I just reduced this to $444,000.  This is not a short sale or bank owned property.  There is nothing distressed about this property.  You can click here to view more photos!

Home is 2,074 square feet with a 3 car garage.  The home has upgraded cherry cabinets and newer stainless steel appliances, including a gas cooktop.  Home has 3 bedrooms.  One bedroom has a double door entry which makes it a great den or bedroom. 

There is a family room and breakfast nook off of kitchen plus a breakfast bar.  Great area for entertaining with a door off to covered patio.  The family room also has a gas fireplace. This floorplan also features a formal living and dining space.  Current homeowner used that space for a pool table and bar area.   There are large windows from this room that capture the mountain and golf course views.

Teh master bedroom also has sensation views of the golf course and the master bath has a separate tub and shower, double sinks and large walk-in closet. 

The house has custom paint throughout and upgraded 18″ tile with granite inlays everywhere except the bedrooms.  There are several other nice features like built-in garage cabinets, water softener, security system and beautiful landscaping.

Homes this size are hard to find on the golf course.  If you don’t want a huge  house but want the luxury of living on the golf course, this is it!

If you would like to view this property just give me a call at 480-201-4185 or send me an email at kanderson2121@gmail.com.

Many would agree that the tax credit deadline that was originally scheduled for November 30, 2009 created the sharp increase.  Now that the tax credit has been extended, we may see a drop for the month of December – historically a slower month anyway.

The tax credit is not the only reason for the spike in sales.  Historically low interests rates are motivating buyers to purchase.  Mortgage interest rates last month were the 3rd lowest dating back to 1971. 

According to Lawrence Yun, NAR Chief Economist, “The supply of homes on the market is now at the lowest level in over two-and-a half years – we’re getting closer to a general balance between buyers and sellers.”  The last time the relative housing inventory was this low was in February 2007 when it also was at a 7.0-month supply.“The supply of homes on the market is now at the lowest level in over two-and-a half years – we’re getting closer to a general balance between buyers and sellers,” Yun said. The last time the relative housing inventory was this low was in February 2007 when it also was at a 7.0-month supply.

You can read the complete news release here.  It is good information if you are thinking about buying or selling a home.

These new floorplans range in size from 2,001 square feet to 2,354 square feet and start in high $300’s.

Here are the new plans:

• The Cottonwood at $379,990 – 3 bedrooms and 2 baths with walk-in closets in all bedrooms. Great room, dining room, kitchen with nook, 3-car tandem garage and 2,001 square feet
• The Willow at $389,990 – 3 bedrooms and 2 baths with walk-in closets in all bedrooms. Great room, den, 3 car tandem garage and 2,188 square feet
• The Juniper at $399,990 – 3 bedrooms and 2 baths, walk-in closets in all bedrooms.  Great room, living room, dining room with nook, 3 car tandem garage and 2,364 square feet.

These are a great addition to a nice community. Let me know if you would like more information or would like me to arrange a model home tour.

This condo is 1,386 square feet and is 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.  The kitchen is upgraded with upgraded cabinetry, granite counters, stainless steel appliance and undermount sink.  There is upgraded diagonal laid tile in all wet areas and quality carpet in greatroom and bedrooms.

The master bath has double sinks, separate tub and shower and walk-in closet. There are ceiling fans throughout and a nice built-in entertainment niche.

The condo has a two car tandem garage w/ plenty of storage.  All appliances are included as well as a water softener.  Outside there is a charming patio for the morning coffee.

The community is gated and includes a heated pool.  Residents  also have use of the master plan amenities of Aviano such as tennis courts, family pool, lap pool and spa. There is a fabulous clubhouse with fitness center and weekly social events. The community also has miles of walking paths and parks.

All this is located in the great North Phoenix neighborhood of Desert Ridge, close to fabulous shopping and dining.

Lease amount is $1,350 per month for a 12 month lease.  Short lease amounts are negotiable.  Click here to see a full online brochure and photo gallery of this fabulous unit.

Call Kim for an appointment to view!

There are currently 57 active listings for condos in the Desert Ridge area.  The available condos range from $159,900 for a 1 bedroom and 1 bath condo is Toscana at Desert Ridge to a $455,000 condo, also in Toscana.

Of the 57 units, 11 are short sales – a few of them approved at list price which means a quicker close is possible.  4 listings are bank owned and the rest are traditional sellers or are new constructions and listed by the builders.

In the last 60 days there have been 22 properties sold through the MLS.  (I note that as the sold figures may not include builder sales if they were not listed in the MLS).  There are an additional 15 units pending at this time.

All of these condo communities offer luxury living with pools, fitness centers and community areas.  All are close to world class shopping and some are even in walking distance – Bella Monte and Toscana.

Call me or drop me a line if you would like a list of these hot condo properties in Desert Ridge. Stay tuned for my upcoming posts highlighting each community.

~Kim

The lease expensive home available is a bank owned Brezza model listed at $420,900.  This Brezza is a 3 bedroom and 3 bath, 2 story home.  Brezza’s have a 2 car garage.  There is a den downstairs that could be coverted to a 4th bedroom.

There 27 homes under contract at this time. The lowest list price among the homes that are under contract is another Brezza.  It is a short sale that finally went under contract.  List price at time of contract was $389,900.

So far in May there have been 7 homes that have closed.  Average price per square foot for these 7 closed listings is $145/sf.  Average days on market for those 7 homes was 71 days.

In April there were 10 homes sold with an average price per square foot of  $139/sf and average days on market for those 10 homes was 96 days.

In March there were 4 homes that closed.  Average cost per square foot for those 4 homes was $132/sf and average days on market was 100 days.

So, we are seeing inventory shrinking, an increase in monthly homes closings, average cost per square foot increasing and days on mark decreasing – all great indicators that we are in a recovery.

If you would like more information about any of the available or sold properties, please do not hesitate to cal or drop me an email.

When I think about the sacrifice that is made by these individuals and their families, I just feel like there is nothing I could every do in my life that would even compare to this noble job done by all of these men and women.

Saying thank you will never be enough.  The best I can do is to pray daily for the safety of these men and women and to support our troops, both when they are serving and when they return and live as civilians.

Our military and veterans are the bravest of the brave and from the bottom of my heart, I say “Thank You” and “God Bless America” and “God Bless Our Troops”.

Happy Memorial Day!

I have been telling people for the last 12 months that I did not know exactly when the market would turn around, but I felt like whenever it started, it would be a mini-frenzy – not too unlike our 2004 – 2006 years.  I am not suggesting we are going to see another real estate boom like that, but we are in multiple offer situations in many cases and I personally have qualified buyers who are having a hard time finding a home.

The “mini-frenzy” is what happens when the consumer believes they are not going to be buying at the lowest point and get the greatest deal.  As the news travels that homes are getting multiple offers, all the buyers who have been on the sidelines jump in so they don’t miss “the bottom”.  This will cause prices to stop tumbling and will drive them back up to where they really should be.

For example, I have seen older homes in Central Phoenix listed at prices that were lower than what they sold for in 1982!  That means these homes that slid far beyond “pre-boom” pricing and have been driven down to super cheap due to the inventory and glut of bank owned homes that need a lot of work.  This mini-frenzy will get those prices back to where they should be, but no where near the type of inflated prices that we saw during our boom.

What is causing his turnaround?  I believe it is a number of factors.

1. Homes are really cheap now and buyers just finally realized that the value was there even if they did not exactly time the bottom of the market perfectly.
2. Interest rates are so low that buyers can’t resist.  Take a 5% mortgage with a $99,000 house that should be $125,000 and you just can’t help but call that a great situation.
3. Homebuyer tax credit.  I personally know this has motivated several people to buy before December 1, 2009.  An $8,000 tax credit is significant and money in the pocket….just for buying a home in a great buyers market and great interest rates!
4. Investors have returned.  Investors can cash flow on rental properties again and that is causing many to put their cash in housing for a nice return on their investment.  Short term investment opportunities exist as well for the rehabbers of the investor world.

While I am happy that the market is rebounding, I also find it frustrating that in a blink of the eye I am running around with buyers and calling the listing agents to ask, “How many offers do you have on the home?”  I have a very qualified couple now that has been out bid on 3 different property in the $200 – $220k range and they bid over list price every time.  Crazy…..