Your Source for Fountain Hills News and Real Estate Information: July 2012

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Home Prices on the Rise Again

In a market that was once on the decline, reports are showing that single family home prices are on the rise again. This means your Fountain Hills home may be worth more than you think.

Based on reports home sales have declined from May, but have increased from this time last year. These sales are based on transactions that have been completed for single-family homes, co-ops, condominiums, and townhouses. Sales were up this year by 4.5% from May of 2011.

One reason analysts believe the market is on the rise is due to the record low mortgage rates. Currently the mortgage rate is about 3.7 percent, down from 4.51 percent in June of 2011. As the mortgage rate drops lower and lower perspective home buyers are more likely to purchase a home.

Although rising home prices doesn’t seem like a positive attribute to the Fountain Hills market, it does in fact show that buyers are willing to spend more money. An increase of 7.9 percent from 2011 the average home price is approximately 190,000. This has been the strongest increase in home value since February of 2006 when it rose 8.7 percent.

In addition to home sales, foreclosures and short sales have also shown movement in the market since 2011, down 30 percent from June of 2011. Short sales accounted for 12 percent of June sales and foreclosures accounted for 13 percent. Analysts predict that the amount distressed properties will continue to drop as more home owners become current with their mortgage payments.

Reports show that the market is back on the rise, and the increase in home prices and decrease in foreclosures and short sales are just a couple aspects that prove this.

If you have any questions regarding the real estate market, feel free to ask. Also, if you or anyone you know is interested in buying or selling Fountain Hills real estate, contact me! I look forward to speaking with you!

Tina Nabers
Nabers Property Management & Real Estate
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Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Turn Your Fountain Hills Home into a Stay at Home Vacation

Have you ever wanted to take a vacation, but just didn’t have the time to do it? Well, here are some ways to turn your Fountain Hills home into a stay at home vacation. Enjoying your home is important, but turning it into your own little sanctuary is even better.

With summer in full force this year, you should be able to enjoy it, from the comfort of your Fountain Hills home. There are many ways to relax in your own yard. A great way is to hang a hammock; it doesn’t matter if you have two perfect trees to use, or if you plant sturdy posts in your yard to hold it. Rocking back and forth, or just laying down to enjoy a good book, nothing says summer like a hammock.

Restoring your outdoor furniture is easy, and great for when you have company over. Looking at your furniture from last year you may see a vinyl strap missing, or a hole in the seat of a fabric chair, but all these repairs need is a quick trip to the fabric store to buy a simple piece of fabric, or a new strap to repair to chair.

Inviting friends and neighbors over for a barbecue at your Fountain Hills home is another excellent way to enjoy the summer at home. Installing what some call an outdoor kitchen is one way to do this, but another, simpler way is to install a low maintenance grill. While dining during the day, a wonderful idea to enjoy the weather without being beaten down by the sun is to put a simple cover over your table. Planting tall posts and attaching a sheet will create a cover for your table, but will also be sheer enough to enjoy the day.

Another addition to create a vacation feel at home is to install a bench. This bench can be stationary and placed in the front of back of the home, to just enjoy the silence after a long day. Or maybe you would prefer a swinging bench to hang from a front porch to sit and socialize with neighbors.

Creating your stay at home vacation is simple with these quick tips.

If you or anyone you know is interested in buying or selling Fountain Hills real estate, feel free to contact me! I can’t wait to hear from you!

Tina Nabers
Nabers Property Management & Real Estate
Check Out My Website
See Homes for Sale in Fountain Hills
Become a Fan on Facebook
Find Out More About Investing on Facebook
Connect With Me on LinkedIn
Contact Me

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Simpler Forms for Fountain Hills Home Buyers

When sitting down to figure out your mortgage and other aspects of the home buying experience, sometimes the forms you are filling out just make no sense. Thankfully, new and simpler forms are about to appear in Fountain Hills.

Being able to understand your mortgage is very important. Recently The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced that they were thinking of a redesign to make the forms more user friendly. With simpler forms Fountain Hills home buyers won’t feel as nervous purchasing a home.

Buying a home is one of the biggest decisions of your life. Having someone sit there with you and explain everything that is going on is great, but being able to figure out most of it yourself is even better. With simpler forms you will essentially be able to sit down and read over what you are signing, rather than trusting someone else to tell you what you are signing.

Two sets of disclosure forms are required when buying a home. Sometimes these forms can be confusing, and even have similar information leading to even more confusion. These forms will soon be replaced with “Loan Estimate” and “Closing Disclosure” forms. With differing the forms home buyers will be able to easily understand what exactly they say and the difference between them. The process of filling out paperwork for your Fountain Hills home won’t be as nerve racking, if you fully understand everything you are reading and signing.

It is reported that making forms simpler for the home buyer will make them feel more comfortable with their decision. You will feel a sense of relief as you sit down to fill out the paper work for your new home and you understand everything.

If you have any questions, or are interested in buying or selling Fountain Hills Real Estate, feel free to contact me today! I look forward to hearing from you!

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Profit From Your Fountain Hills Estate Sale

When you look around your Fountain Hills home, do you see clutter? Estate sales aren’t usually known as money makers, but there is a way to make a profit from it!

Labeling your sale as an estate sale, or moving sale, is more likely to bring people there. A garage sale indicates someone trying to get rid of their junk. Having a moving or estate sale makes the buyer think that you need to liquidate your home, not just get rid of things. While naming your sale in a professional matter helps, it is also beneficial to place signs for it in high traffic areas. While posting a sign in your neighborhood helps, posting them on local busy street corners is more effective. The more people that see your signs the more you will sell.

Having special offers is great too. Placing a broken table in the front with a free sign will get people to stop, and once they stop they are most likely going to start looking around. Also, giving discounts to buyers that spend a lot of money is great. If they are spending 50 dollars at your sale, make it known that are you going to cut it down to 45. Don’t be afraid to bargain. When buyers approach you and ask for a lower price, feel free to lower it, however don’t lower it so much that you feel you are practically giving it away.

How you place your items is especially important. When putting out your items, don’t clutter your tables, space everything out so the buyer can see everything you have. Having to rummage through a box to see what is in there isn’t a selling point. Items that are similar, place next to each other. If you have tools you are selling, put them all next to each other. Even labeling helps. If an object is somewhat foreign but highly priced, make sure the buyer knows exactly what it is.

When to have your sale is sometimes hard to figure out. Checking with your municipal leaders is important to make sure you can have a sale on certain days. Starting the sale early in the day is best because on the weekends people are up early. Not leaving it open very late is a great way to get more traffic. Buyers aren’t out at 7:00 looking for estate sales.

Hosting a sale in Fountain Hills is a great way to get rid of things you don’t need. Following these tips will bring more people and a larger profit your way.

If you have any questions regarding Fountain Hills real estate, feel free to contact me today!

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Hi, my name is Tina Nabers. Selling Real Estate in Fountain Hills is not a job for me, it's a lifestyle. I relocated with my family from Tempe, Arizona in 1973 and began working in what is now the oldest real estate office in Fountain Hills (Nabers Realty) in 1977. I have literally grown up in Fountain Hills since it began.

I am a full time Realtor and believe ongoing education is key to staying on top of the dynamics of the real estate industry. Besides taking the required 24 hours of education every 2 years, I like to take additional real estate classes to further expand my awareness of the changes occurring yearly in this industry. I currently hold the designations of Accredited Buyer Representative, Graduate of the Realtor Institute and have my e-Pro designation which is the National Association of Realtors Technology Certification Program.

With my dedication, knowledge and reliability, I have assisted hundreds of Buyers, Sellers, and Investors realizing their dream of owning real estate in Fountain Hills. I'm sure I can help you too! I know the market and the market trends, after all, I've lived thru a couple of them myself over the years! THIS IS THE BEST PLACE TO LIVE, WORK & PLAY. I know because I do!

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Nabers Property Management & Real Estate is a full service real estate company with over 30 years of experience serving the community of Fountain Hills, Arizona. Conveniently located in the center of town, we invite you to stop by our office and introduce yourself. We are members of the Scottsdale Association of Realtors, Arizona Association of Realtors, National Association of Realtors and the Multiple Listing Service.

Whether you are a first-time buyer, property owner or investor, long term tenant or a visitor looking for a seasonal rental, Nabers Property Management & Real Estate Company can assist you with all your real estate needs.

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Fountain Hills has been well known for its Fountain, its Great Fair, its Fountain Festival, its magnificent mountain views and very friendly people. Back in 1993 it was voted as one of the "50 Fabulous Places to Raise Your Family" and was featured on Oprah. After that review the community quickly became both a vacation Mecca as well as a place for permanent settlement. Accommodations from resort condos, bed & breakfasts and full service hotels have attracted vacationers as well as home hunters and investors. In the May, 2006 issue of the Phoenix Magazine's Annual "Best Places to Live" in the Valley, Fountain Hills was voted #1 out of 22 Valley communities!!

It was based on such issues as property tax rate, population, crime, school test scores and student-teacher ratios, park acreage and miles to Sky Harbor Airport, to name a few. When asked by visitors if Fountain Hills is a nice place to live we suggest they go to any local grocery or retail shop and at random, ask any shopper the same question. Obviously, residents will give the most objective answer and, as we can corroborate, we feel it is "one of the best places to raise a family", live, work and play.... Read more about Fountain Hills!