Animals of the MLS

We've got a curious treasure hunter for this week's featured pet on Animals of the MLS. Are they trying to figure out where they buried that chew toy their owner gave them the day prior? Is that a possible mid-afternoon snack they've just happened upon? Perhaps a strange cat got in to their yard and decided to use it as a litterbox. Whatever the case may be they are on the job! They'll figure out what it is they're looking for even if it means spending the entire afternoon pacing around the backyard sniffing everything in sight which might have included the agent taking this photo!

Regardless of what has the attention of our four-legged friend one thing is for sure; They don't care about the agent taking pictures of their domain at this moment in time. Whatever they are being distracted by is certainly more important than a stranger with a camera. This appears to be a friendly pet as the agent doesn't show trepidation being in the backyard with them. However, as always, it's a good idea to remove the animal from the premises or have them kenneled for showings. There are many buyers who are uneasy around animals even if they are docile and domesticated...read more. 

Homes for Sale in Gilbert, Arizona under $200,000

Since the economic recession Gilbert, Arizona has seen home prices steadily increase. This has been a positive sign for homeowners as very few mortgages are left underwater. The negative aspect of home values increasing is the decreased affordability that comes along with those gains. 

First time home buyers and others looking to call Gilbert, Arizona their home town are finding it increasingly difficult to locate a suitable property under the $200,000 price point.There have already been 524 single-family homes, 141 townhomes, 9 patio homes, and 22 apartment style homes sold below $200,000 in Gilbert so far in 2015. The size of home a buyer can get for that price in Gilbert has also decreased. At the beginning of 2015 for under $200,000 a buyer could have gotten a home size in the range of 1,600-1,900 square feet. As prices have increased throughout the year a potential buyer may have to choose a home as small as 1,100 square feet in size if their budget only allows them to purchase up to the amount of $200,000...read more. 

My best advice for a new Real Estate Agent

I began my Real Estate career in 1998. A lot has changed in that time. Economies have crashed and been rebuilt. New technologies have allowed home buyers to take more control of their own home searches. Mobile devices and electronic signatures have revolutionized how business is done. Some advancements have been positive and some have had their drawbacks. No matter what changes come to the industry one constant remains; We help people buy and sell homes.   

There wasn't social media back when I got licensed 17 years ago other than AOL chat rooms (if you're too young to know what AOL and chat rooms are then you don't know how good you have it). Dial-up modems were still prevalent. High-speed Internet connections weren't available in most places. We did business the old fashioned way. We talked to people. I know that sounds like such a foreign concept to anyone under the age of 30 but it's true. We actually went outside, met people face to face, introduced ourselves, and asked how we might be able to help them with purchasing or selling a home. 

When you're fresh out of real estate school you have a crisp new license but no idea what homes are worth or the reasons why buyers should purchase a property in one neighborhood over another. One of the best pieces of advice I received when I first entered real estate was to go on as many home tours as possible so that I could learn neighborhoods, markets, and price points. However, since the creation of the MLS and dozens of National real estate portal websites, home tours are barely a blip on the radar anymore as anyone with an Internet connection can search for homes on-line. 

The other bit of guidance I received as a new agent was to find a seasoned veteran or mentor in your office that would be willing to look over all of your contracts and paperwork before you turned it in to your broker. This would minimize any embarrassing slip-ups or corrections that would need to be done and also be a good learning experience for you as you honed your craft under someone much more skilled than you. But office environments have changed since I began my career. Very few agents even go in to a designated office on a daily basis. The advent of the home office and mobile technologies have almost made a traditional office a thing of the past. It can be difficult for a newly licensed agent to track down a learned sage to have a true mentor-ship. 

If you've been tracking with me so far you've hopefully found the common thread in my musings to this point. Everything has gone on-line. For better or worse most business is now conducted in the virtual realm. Aside from showing up to a listing appointment or taking buyers out to view properties I could perform an entire transaction without even meeting my clients face to face. Marketing and advertising yourself can all be done across a website, social media, blogs, and other forms of on-line communication. But because of so many technological advances what many new real estate agents fail to understand is the foundation of any successful real estate career begins with interacting and meeting people. No, I'm not talking about texting, Snapchatting, Facebook messaging, or any other form of impersonal interaction. I'm talking about shaking hands, making eye contact, and being in front of a real live human being. 

My advice for new real estate agents goes completely against the grain and direction of society. Put down your phone, walk away from your computer, go outside, and talk to people. Are electronic forms of marketing and communication a bad thing? Absolutely not. They are a necessary part of the shifting landscape of doing business. However, it can be a stumbling block to a firm foundation. Real estate is a people business. Inherently our customers and clients want to know that we are genuine, trustworthy, and professional. You can't get that feeling from an on-line persona. 

Business professionals and individuals can pretend to be anything they want to be on the Internet. It's extremely hard to fake it when you're face to face. Your true personality will show through. This goes for clients as well. There will be some people who you will choose not to work with because of how they acted when you were in front of them. 

It's a great big world full of real, live, walking, breathing men and women who need assistance in purchasing or selling a home. Go meet them. Get to know them. Have conversations and ask questions. Let them tell you how you can help them. The best part about it is that it's free. It doesn't cost you anything but your time. You'll be inundated with emails and phone calls from companies telling you for a few hundred or even a few thousand dollars a month they will send you leads. First of all, you will find that the overwhelming majority of these paid leads are D.O.A. Secondly, as a new agent you won't have the money or resources to afford such useless services. 

At the risk of sounding like a crotchety curmudgeon the younger generation has started to lose the ability to have meaningful and personal relationships. Well, that's what real estate is all about. We help people buy and sell homes but we invest in their lives along the way. When you get your license, start making the investment in to people and the return you get will be immeasurable. 

The Most Expensive Home sold in Arizona last week

We're back in the DC Ranch Silverleaf neighborhood for this weeks installment of the most expensive home that sold in Arizona last week. A little history lesson of the area reveals that the Silverleaf name comes from the historic mining claim that was filed on the property in the late 1800's and was later used as a cattle ranch. Who would have known all those years ago that this land would become one of the most expensive places to own property in all of Scottsdale. The purchase of this $2.79 million dollar home was a cash deal and is no exception to the rule that Silverleaf is a premier and coveted neighborhood. Nestled against the McDowell Sonoran Preserve the new owner of this fine luxury property is guaranteed breathtaking and private views of the magnificent desert surroundings...read more. 

September 2015 Market Report - How much is my Gilbert, AZ Home worth?

Every home owner wants to know how much their property is worth. Prices have long since stabilized for the most part here in Arizona and the dramatic shifts in upward and downward pricing have largely ceased. Bidding wars are few and far between and are only reserved for those most sought after locations around the Valley where properties rarely come available. But what can a home owner expect to get from their Gilbert, Arizona home? The current Sold to List ratio for September 2015 dipped below 97% which shows a slight decrease from August. This was a moderate decrease and not at all unexpected for this time of year. Other than the small drop from February to March of 2015 and again from June to July this Sold to List ratio has seen a steady gain since the beginning of the year...read more. 

What I learned in Real Estate this week - 10/18/15

I had an opportunity this past week to bring a new agent on underneath my brokerage.This particular new agent used to be a real estate investor that I knew from several years ago. I handled a few of their transactions but I never felt completely comfortable doing business with them. They are the type of person that is fully satisfied walking the fine line of ethics and isn't afraid to spend a lot of time in all of the grey areas of life and business. 

They had been in California the past few years flipping houses and working different investments and they decided that Arizona was truly where they wanted to be. They moved back, enrolled in real estate school and decided to begin a different chapter of their lives. Instead of relying solely on investing they had a desire to handle the other side of the real estate spectrum being an agent...read more.