Animals of the MLS

We've had mostly pets of the canine persuasion in Animals of the MLS lately, but this week shows us a friendly feline who isn't afraid to be front and center. Cats can be hit and miss when it comes to entering in to a property where they dwell. You have the neighborly variety that will run up to greet you and perhaps rub against your legs a few times in an attempt to coerce you in to scratching their head if only for a brief moment. Then you have the skittish types who will run away and hide as soon as they hear the front door being unlocked. Clearly this tabby is ready for their close-up and unafraid of the agent snapping pictures of their domicile.  

Having cats as pets when you're attempting to sell your home can be tricky. They aren't like dogs who can be easily kenneled for the most part. I've been an agent long enough to have cats scurry out the front or back door as soon as it's opened and lead both myself and the potential buyers on a wild chase to track them down. I've also been startled half to death by a fleeing feline that seemed to come out of nowhere in an attempt to seek shelter from the invading strangers. Neither scenario help sell a home. It can be a major distraction and leave a negative impression on a home shoppers experience in the home which is the last thing a seller wants to happen. Unless your pet can be completely removed for showings or placed in a secure area so as to not interfere with a buyer walk through it's always a possibility that your pet could be a hindrance to a home sale. 

As for the picture itself it seems as though the agent used a "fish eye" lens to capture the entirety of this space. While I understand the motive behind using such a lens all it succeeded in doing was to create a blurry, rounded photograph that doesn't highlight either of the room's selling features. A wide-angle lens would have been a much better choice along with clearing out the clutter stacked against the wall in the walkway and of course convincing our furry friend to move out of the way.  

If you're selling your home in Gilbert, Arizona or the East Valley let the experts at Zion Realty help you. We take professional photos and put together a perfect marketing strategy to sell your property. Contact us Today!

What Girl Scout Cookies taught me about Business

Who doesn't know about those bite-sized, irresistibly tasty treats called Girl Scout cookies? That's a rhetorical question of course. Everyone knows them and loves them. Whether you're a fan of the traditional Thin Mint or prefer the chocolate, coconut combination in Samoas each person has their favorite. Beginning in 1917 sales of Girl Scout cookies as a way to finance troop activities proved to be a prosperous endeavor. In the early 1920's they were sold for a mere ¢25 to ¢30 per dozen. Today, it's estimated that nearly 200 million boxes of cookies are sold each year. 

So how did Girl Scout cookies go from a single recipe for a simple sugar cookie to a multi-million dollar franchise? As entrepreneurs and small business owners, what can we learn from the success of such a humble conglomerate?

They don't over-sell themselves

Girl Scout cookies are only available for a limited time each year. The build up and anticipation for their arrival is almost palpable. Upon seeing that first social media post or stumbling upon a table full of cookies and smiling Girl Scouts outside of your local grocery store, it doesn't take long for word of mouth to spread that Girl Scout cookies are back and ready to be consumed. 

There's a lot to be said about driving up demand for your services or your product by not saturating the marketplace. Part of what makes Girl Scout cookies so special is that you look forward to them every year like a holiday, your birthday, or a significant anniversary. Farmer's markets can drive demand for a seasonal fruit or vegetable because of it's limited availability. Clothing companies can create a buzz around a certain style, print or design by only releasing it's production in controlled quantities. 

How can you create a demand for your service or commodity? Should you run an annual contest or raffle for individuals to win your services for free? What can you do to create a frenzy around what you provide potential clients and customers? 

They come to you

Girl Scouts don't sit behind an office desk or hide behind their mobile devices an social media accounts to sell cookies. They go to their customers. They smile, shake hands, and have conversations with their potential patrons. How can you resist pulling out a few dollars from your wallet when a pig-tailed, happy young woman is working her tail off trying to sell you a box of cookies? Diabetes or food allergies aside, it's nearly impossible to reject the sales pitch of a Girl Scout. 

So if a ten-year old budding entrepreneur can stand out on their neighborhood street corner and sell cookies, why do you find it so hard to strike up a conversation with any individual who you think can benefit from the services of your company or business? When is the last time you purposefully and intentionally made it your mission to meet people face to face? On-line marketing and blogging is certainly an excellent way to reach a mass audience but there is no substitute for personal interaction. Study after study show that an individual is more likely to use your service or purchase your product if they connect on a humanistic level with the person providing it. We buy Girl Scout cookies in part because of the joy we get when we see that smile on the face of the girl who is selling them. That's personal connection. 

Each cookie is differently delicious

Variety is indeed the spice of life. I've heard full-grown adults have serious and heated discussions regarding which Girl Scout cookie is most enjoyable. Do people passionately discuss your services or products in the same manner? Will your past clients get just as excited when the topic of your industry comes up? Are they ready, willing, and able to defend their favorite attribute of your company? 

Girl Scout cookies aren't just one trick ponies. They provide multiple taste experiences for their customers to enjoy. Having a singularly focused business can certainly be profitable but what happens when the shifting tides of the economy or wholesale industry-wide changes occur making your one trick obsolete? Working only a single targeted audience and providing a limited scope of products or services may pay off in the short-term but you'll increase the odds of survival over the course of time if you supply your customers with a multitude of options. There's a reason why the Girl Scouts have expanded from that one sugar cookie recipe to a dozen flavorful and unique choices. Do you think they would be as popular today if they never expanded their repertoire to maximize their client base? 

They elicit an emotional response

Whether you get sentimental enjoyment out of supporting the Girl Scouts themselves or bask in the opportunity to savor those precious boxes of delectable desserts, Girl Scout  cookies connect to you on a personal level. As a small business owner, the more you relate to your clients and customers the greater your chances of gaining their business. Don't just be another company. Do you have a back-story? Why did you get in to the industry you're in and why should that resonate with others enough for them to choose you over a competitor? Give your audience a reason why they should feel good about using your services or purchasing your products. 

They create brand loyalty

Other companies throughout the years have attempted to copy the cookie recipes of the Girl Scouts. Sure, they may come close in taste, shape, size, and texture but they're not Girl Scout cookies. They are simply masquerading as such. They don't come in those same colorful boxes with happy children depicted on them. You don't get the same enjoyment knowing your cash is going towards a good cause instead of padding the revenues of a billion dollar corporation. Girl Scout cookies have a tried-and-true loyal following of consumers who won't accept any substitute other than the real thing.

Do you provide such an exceptional experience to your clients that no other business in the area could ever get them to defect away from what you provide? As a small business, our goal should be to deliver such a magnificent service or product to the marketplace that, while others may attempt to duplicate, they will never be able to elicit the same brand loyalty. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. You should strive to be so distinguished that others dream and scheme of ways to copy the same business model in hopes of achieving even the slightest bit of success you have gained.  

They aren't that complicated

Baking cookies isn't exactly rocket science. It doesn't take a Nobel prize winner to follow a recipe. However, in the early days of Girl Scout cookies hundreds of hours used to be spent mixing, baking, packing, and slaving over hot ovens to get their product to market. Throughout the years quicker, more efficient, and more cost-effective means of creating these treats have been implemented which streamlined the entire process. The business model of the Girl Scout cookie franchise isn't complicated either. Make the cookies, pack the cookies, sell the cookies. 

How complicated is your business plan? Have you gotten so caught up in chasing every latest program or technological tool that promises to deliver a better experience for your customer that you've completely lost sight of why you started your business in the first place? When is the last time you examined your companies processes to discover ways of  improving functionality and operational habits? Being a business owner doesn't have to be complicated. See a need, fill the need. 

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If you're like me, you can learn a lot from Girl Scout cookies. What started in humble beginnings has grown in to a dominant franchise. They haven't strayed from their core principles, all-the-while consistently providing a superior product and service that continues to gain in popularity with each passing year. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a box of Thin Mints in the freezer that I must attend to. 

Zion Realty is a locally owned real estate brokerage in Gilbert, Arizona. If you or someone you know are interested in purchasing or selling property in the Gilbert or East Valley Area, contact us Today! We would love to build trust and loyalty with you through our extensive knowledge and hard work. 

The Most Expensive Home sold in Arizona last week

The most expensive home that sold in Arizona last week is a California style mansion situated on almost 7-acres of the most prime Paradise Valley land you can buy! The main home is just over 10,500 square feet with an additional and separate 1 bedroom, 1 bath guest house. The exterior of this luxury property features clean, straight lines, decorative columns, and the quintessential red tile roof. Sitting at the base of Camelback Mountain, the sprawling and seemingly endless lush, green landscaping provide a picturesque view worthy of the $6.25 million dollar price tag. But the exterior amenities don't simply stop with the breathtaking views. This property comes with a full-size basketball court, expansive putting green, batting cage, citrus orchard, vegetable garden, equestrian arena, corral, and 4-stall horse barn. 

The interior of this lavish estate is gorgeous but tastefully designed. The curved and rounded walls and ceilings throughout the home are fun and playful. It may sound crazy to say but luxury properties of this magnitude have a tendency to lack useful design and overall functionality but each room in this home provides more than enough space to stretch out. Travertine, dark wood cabinets and floors, along with a rich, off-white paint scheme is classy yet neutral enough to allow any decor style to fit in. It's also no surprise that a property with this much to offer only lasted less than 30 days on the open market and was sold in an all-cash deal. The new owners certainly understood the exclusivity and uniqueness of the place in which they now call home. Click on the picture below for the full MLS listing:

Location: Paradise Valley

Size: 10,567 sqft

Bedrooms: 5

Bathrooms: 6

Lot size: 293,372 sqft

If you are in the luxury home market and want a list of luxury homes available in Arizona, contact us Today! We'd love to help you find your dream home!

How many homes are for sale in Gilbert, AZ - January 2016 Update

What is the Absorption Rate when it comes to real estate? The Absorption Rate chart shows how long the current inventory of properties would last at the current rate of sales. If no new properties were added to the market, and sales continued at a steady pace, the Absorption rate indicates the number of months required to sell all the properties on the market. In a healthy real estate market this number should hover around a 3-Month average. As you can see the Gilbert, Arizona real estate market has been below that mark for over a year meaning demand has been slightly outweighing supply.

The busy Spring and Summer real estate market is quickly approaching and with only a 2.35 month supply of homes currently available we might see some stiff competition for homes that get put up for sale in the coming months. The good news for buyers is that more sellers tend to enter the Spring and Summer real estate market to counter balance the increase in buyer demand. However, the Gilbert. Arizona market is still seeing a high level of competition in the first time home buyer market. Homes in the price range between $200,000 to $300,000 are being bought up the quickest and some are receiving multiple offers within the first few weeks of being listed for sale. But armed with a little knowledge and a hard-working real estate agent from Zion Realty snapping up that perfect home before another buyer gets to it should be a little less stressful!   

If you need more information on homes for sale in Arizona or to find out what your current home is worth contact us Today!  

Animals of the MLS

We've got two penned pooches on this week's edition of Animals of the MLS. Our four-legged friends don't seem to appreciate being locked up and confined to this backyard prison.  I'm guessing on any normal day these two companions roam their territory free to terrorize any neighborhood tabby that happens to dare sit on their fence. I bet after many spirited games of tug-o-war they lounge around during the afternoon in the shade or inside on their owners favorite furniture. I'd venture to guess that the bigger dog lets the little one win every once in a while just to help his ego. 

Having two animals to kennel can be quite burdensome when putting your home up for sale. Each time your agent calls to let you know of an interested buyers intention to view your property, gathering up your family pets can seem like a hassle. However, understand that not all individuals are fond of furry creatures. There are those that have an actual fear of dogs or cats and will not even include your property on their list of possibilities if there are animals present. Kenneling or removing pets is the best way to provide a safe viewing experience for a potential home shopper. 

As for the picture itself this is yet another example of a non-professional photo that was not worthy to be used as a marketing tool to sell this home. Other than highlighting the fact that this home has two resident animals and showing that the owners have installed a pet fence this photo does nothing to enhance the sale-ability of the property. I can't remember ever having a client purchase a home because of a designated dog run being available so this area of the yard certainly did not need to be singled out as a desirable feature of the home. There is little reason to have even taken this picture let alone upload it to the MLS and include it in the listing. 

If you're selling your home in Gilbert, Arizona or the East Valley let the experts at Zion Realty help you. We take professional photos and put together a perfect marketing strategy to sell your property. Contact us Today!

Open House - 1063 E Shannon Court Gilbert, AZ 85295

Zion Realty proudly presents 1063 E. Shannon Court for sale for the first time since being built.  A rare opportunity to purchase one of only four homes in the entire Springtree subdivision of Gilbert that were built on almost 1-acre of land. Meticulously cared for by it's only owner, this dream home offers amenities that are usually found only in Million dollar listings. At 3,800 square feet, this 4 bedroom & 3 Full bathroom home also includes a loft and separate sitting area/den off of the master suite. One bedroom and one full bathroom are located downstairs making a perfect In-Law or guest suite. Upgraded and modern kitchen provide the household chef everything they desire. A 3-car garage and separate custom built storage shed allow for ample storage. One step in to the fairy tale backyard and you'll understand the full scope of this unique property in which weddings have been held.

A walking path outlines a wonderland of greenery, gardens and fruit trees. Covered gazebos, stone walls, and trellis bridges join together an amazing fire place, in-ground fire pit, and multiple entertaining spaces. The custom built horseshoe/gaming pit, grass play area, and sparkling swimming pool will provide endless hours of enjoyment. This home has never been listed for sale before now. Come and see your new home before it's too late.

Click HERE for the complete MLS Listing. 

Open House information:

Date: February 27, 2016

Time: 11:00 am to 3:00pm

Location: 1063 E. Shannon Court Gilbert, AZ 85295

Here are a few more highlights of this magnificent property:

Come see your new home Today! If you are a current home owner and desire this same level of expert and professional service contact us at ZionRealtyAZ.com to set up a free home evaluation and listing consultation!