The Evans Are Buying A House Week 2

THE EVANS ARE BUYING A HOUSE WEEK 2

So I told you earlier in the week, my husband and I are in the process of buying a new (to us) home.  As a real estate agent, it’s always good to go through the home buying and selling process every so often to remind yourself of some of the fun things that your clients go through each time they buy or sell.  No two contracts or experiences are the same, so an agent who knows the ins and outs of it and can do a little empathizing is always a nice thing to have.

So far in our journey we have followed the steps I outlined for you, in a previous blog, to the letter.  We are firmly pre-qualified for our loan, we narrowed our search down by what we were looking for and we went out and found the property we want to buy.  We went back to the office and wrote up our winning offer and now…….  We wait!  So normally there is a response time that is added to an offer that states what time the buyers would like to know whether or not you are going to accept their offer or counter offer or if you’ve chosen another offer instead.  Once this response time expires, the buyer is no longer bound by their offer.  So what happens when they don’t respond to your offer by the designated time?

To answer that question I would probably ask you another question.  What do you want to do?  If you are so in love with the house that you are willing to wait to hear from them, we would either write an addendum to extend the response time or just sit back and wait for their response.  If we had found another house that we liked better, we could then make an offer on that new home and let this one go.  As your agent, I would always want to chat with the listing agent to find out what was going on.  In our circumstance, the buyer is trying to get details from the builder of their new construction home as to when they are going to finish so that we can write in a good closing date for everyone.  We don’t want anyone to be homeless, so it is in our best interest to wait.  Most of the time a simple phone call can help answer the questions about the delay and help everyone make better decisions. 

If this is the biggest of our challenges in buying a home – well, it’s just not much of a challenge is it.  Pretty much guaranteed that there will be something a bit more interesting in the process of buying or selling a home, but for now, you can just follow along with us on our journey to ownership on a new home and glean any little tidbits we can share.  As always, we are here to be a resource for you and to help you get all of your real estate related questions answered!  Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us via phone, text, or email!  Visit our website by clicking here and you can find all our contact information, search for homes that are listed on the MLS, or get a free/instant home valuation to help you determine what your current home might sell for in this market. 

Want to see more Gilbert homes listed for under $300,000?  Click on any of the pictures or the link below.  

Click here for all the results

Eastmark Homes In Mesa Arizona

EASTMARK HOMES IN MESA ARIZONA

Rising from the ashes of the old General Motors Proving Grounds, you may have noticed a new kind of community. If you haven't noticed, well than you're missing the next big thing in master planned communities. Eastmark is springing up in East Mesa and bringing with it some really exciting innovations! Eastmark covers 5 square miles in the south east area located near Ellsworth and Ray Roads.

Community is the name of the game for Eastmark residents, in fact they call it their “Heart”.  The development sports many greenbelt areas, a large Great Park, splash pad, pool and so much more.  It also has an event center for community events and other areas of enjoyment to bring its residents together. With the most recent opening of the community pool, the residents of Eastmark are ready to welcome in the Arizona summer!

If you are looking for a new type of community, Eastmark may fit the bill for you.  With any new construction development, we have just ONE CAUTION!  When going to visit the models to see if this community is for you, you will want to TAKE YOUR OWN REALTOR with you on your FIRST VISIT!  While the agents that are sitting in the models are probably great agents and may even take good care of you, they are there to represent the builder’s interests, not yours.  They are hired by the builder and have their best interests in mind.  You deserve to have your own representation and the only way you can do that is by taking your realtor with you to view the models on your FIRST VISIT!! 

We are available and ready to assist you with your new build purchase as with any of your resale home purchases.  Each type of transaction takes a different specialty and you will want an agent that is great in all types of home purchase transactions.  Let us join you on your next outing to “look at the models”.  Actually, we love it as much as you do!!!  We are here to be your resource for all your Arizona real estate buying, selling, or renting needs!  Contact us today!

Curious to know what your home might sell for in today’s market?  Click here for your free, instant home valuation.  No obligation!

Want to see some of the homes for sale in the Eastmark area?  

Click here for all the results

Phoenix Pet Expo This Weekend

PHOENIX PET EXPO THIS WEEKEND

Are you a pet lover?  Are you looking for something fun and different to do with your pet this weekend?  Check out the Phoenix Pet Expo out in Scottsdale.  It is being held out at West World on Saturday, April 16th and Sunday April 17th. 

There is going to be something for everyone here!  According to the show’s producer, Ethan Barnett, “There are no other expos like ours, where you can bring your pet to the event, and you can interact face to face with exhibitors and try products with your pets.”  From vendors, interactive activities with your pet, adoption opportunities, training demonstrations, and an obstacle course; all the way to vaccinations, micro-chipping, nail trims and much more! 

Children are welcome, so please bring your little ones so they get to interact with the pets as well.  And lest you think that this is just for dog’s, let us correct you!  This event will have birds, hamsters, and just about anything else you can think of.  Come see what pet would fit into your family.

Looking for more information?  Visit the Phoenix Pet Expo’s website directly athttp://phoenixpetexpo.com/

Curious to know what your current home might sell for in the current market?  Click here for your free instant home valuation.  No obligations. 

Want to check out other homes for sale near the West World area?  Click on this link or any of the pictures below for the full list!

Click here for all the results

Summer Swim Lessons In Mesa

SUMMER SWIM LESSONS IN MESA

Right now in Mesa, there are 859 homes for sale that have a pool.  As a former City of Mesa lifeguard and swim teacher (yeah, it was a lot of years ago, but still), I feel it is important to remind everyone that summer is coming and with that comes SWIMMING!  Mesa Parks and Rec sent out an email with this information in it and we thought it would be important to share it with you.  

Mesa residents can start registering their children for swim lessons this week and any non-Mesa residents can begin registering on on April 18th.  Registration can be done one of three ways...

1.  In person - head on down to the Mesa Parks and Rec Office at 200 S. Center St. Bldg. #1, Mesa, AZ.  They are open Monday - Thursday from 7:00 am to 5:30 pm.

2.  By mail - send your registration to Mesa Parks and Rec at PO Box 1466, Mail Stop 7010, Mesa, AZ  85211

or 

3.  Online - our favorite.  Click here to link over to the online registration.  https://apm.activecommunities.com/mesaaz/Home

Class descriptions, fees, fee assistance (for city residents only), locations and schedules can all be found at www.MesaAZ.gov/pools or you can call the city at 480-644-2352 for help or more information.  

Help us keep all the kiddos out there safe and share this information with your friends and family members who have a pool at their home!

Curious to know what your home's current valuation is?  Click here for a free, instant home valuation.  No obligation!

Want to check out more Mesa homes with pools?  Click on this link for more!

Buying A First Home

BUYING A FIRST HOME

Buying a home for your first time or your 10th time; you would think it would get easier.  My husband and I are back in the process of buying again too and boy, it's so much more fun to help others buy their homes than it is to buy my own.  Oh the stress!!!!  I remember and this experience will once again help me to remember the pain of all of my cute clients as well!  

The first time or the 10th time, however, the steps are the same.  Let's review...

Step 1:  Talk with the lender.  You will need to get pre-qualified (or even better, pre-approved) by a lender.  So to find out how much house you are qualified to buy, start here.  If you aren't sure if you're ready to buy a house, start here.  Most lenders have great credit repair services that they will offer you for free and they will help you get ready to buy that house!  Need a referral, call us today and we'll be glad to get you in contact with some of the best lenders out there!

Step 2:  Pick your real estate agent.  Not all agents are created the same!  At the very least, find an agent with at least a few successful deals under their belts and have a good working knowledge of the market you want to buy in.  Need a good list of interview questions (yes, we are willing to answer them for you too), contact me and I'll send them over to you with our answers already filled in.

Step 3:  Have a thorough "Buyer's Consultation" with your agent.  Be sure that everyone is on the same page as to what you are looking for and what price point you want to stay at.  Nothing is worse than being shown houses that you fall in love with only to find that you can't afford them.  Your agent should prepare a list of homes that meet your search criteria and explain to you how they work so you know what to expect.  

Step 4:  Get out there and get looking!  You shouldn't have to look at 300 homes to find the right one.  With good communication, this should be a fun and relatively quick process to find a great house that fits your needs.  

Step 5:  Write a winning offer.  If you want to know about how to do this, you'll have to come and talk to me.  (I'm not sharing all my trade secrets in a blog!!)

Step 6:  Go through the escrow process.  Again, your agent will be guiding you through this process.  Inspections, due diligence, appraisals, title research, HOA information, etc.  The list goes on and one and you will definitely want a great team helping you through this.

Step 7:  CLOSING!  Oh the day you've been waiting for!!!  

So why this is a bit of a simplified list, this gives you a general idea of the process of buying a home, either for the first time or the 10th time.  

With all this being said, if you would like to know more, we would invite you to our Home Buyer's Seminar this month.  Click here to get more information on this seminar and to register.  Friends and family members are invited as well, so feel free to share the information.

Want to know what your current home is worth in today's market.  Click here for an instant, free home valuation.  

As always we are here to be a resource to you with all of your real estate questions!  Call, Text, Email or visit our Website!  

Want to see other houses in the area we are buying?  

Click here for all the results

Your Red Door Team Is Hiring A Part Time Systems Administrator

YOUR RED DOOR TEAM IS HIRING A PART TIME SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR

Your Red Door Team, a local real estate team with Keller Williams Realty East Valley is looking for a Systems Administrator.  Who do you know that would be a good fit for this team and this position?  Please share this with anybody looking for a great opportunity with a growing team!

What we are looking for:

This person relishes the opportunity to build, implement, and manage multiple systems. The Systems Administrator is deeply committed to completing tasks the right way with a high degree of quality. This person has immense focus and can do one thing for a long time without getting distracted. This individual may exhibit some drive and desire to influence; however, the overriding marker of his/her behavior is persistence and stability.

A Systems Administrator is deeply committed to supporting the lead agent in achieving greater and greater levels of success, and to growing his/her own skills and developing into a supportive leader within the team..

Job Standards

1.Primary Objectives – What are the major objectives or outcomes to be accomplished by the person in this job?

•Build, implement, and manage all systems for sellers, buyers, lead generation, database management, information management, and back-office support

•Oversee contract to close systems

•Create and maintain an operations manual that documents all systems and team standards

•Coordinate the purchase, installation, and maintenance of all office equipment

•Keep the lead agents informed regarding any problems or issues that need to be handled

2.Regular Work Activities – What are the most frequent and essential work activities in this job?

•System development, implementation, and administration

•Information management

•Vendor relations

3.Key Skills – What behavioral traits, attitudes, and skills are required?

•Excels at technology & social media

•Self-monitored

•Goal oriented

•Strong written and verbal communication skills

•Exceptional organizational and project management abilities

•Great ability to focus

•Concerned about doing things the right way

•Calm under pressure

•Learning based

•Service-based attitude

•Proven ability to succeed

4.People Contacts and Interactions – What are the primary people contacts in this job?

•Lead Agent – daily

•Agent Team– daily

•Administrative Team (as appropriate)

•Vendors – as appropriate

5.Compensation – based on qualifications

MUST HAVE AT LEAST A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA.

PLEASE EMAIL YOUR COVER LETTER, RESUME AND LIST OF REFERENCES to Chelsea@YourRedDoorTeamAZ.com

Ishikawa Elementary School Annual Carnival

ISHIKAWA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ANNUAL CARNIVAL

Your Red Door Team (previously - The Evans Team) is thrilled to be involved with our community elementary school ISHIKAWA for our 3rd year!  The Ishikawa School Carnival will be held on Friday, April 1st from 5 to 8 pm.  The carnival always hosts great rides, games, booths, food and everything else you would expect at a great school carnival.  Proceeds go to the school's PTO fund which in years past has purchased computers and other needed items for the students!  Your Red Door Team members are pleased to be sponsoring the Jungle Bounce House and will be there that night handing out goodie bags and answering any real estate related questions that you may have.  Come by and get your free goodie bag! 

Ishikawa Elementary School is a wonderful school with wonderful teachers and administrators and we at Your Red Door Team at Keller Williams Realty East Valley are proud to be partnered with them to support our students!  Ishikawa is located at 2635 N 32nd St, Mesa, AZ 85213.  Please come out and support your dragons!  ISHIKAWA DRAGONS RULE!!!

 Want to see what your house could sell for in this market?  Click here for our free, instant home valuation.

Stunning move-in ready treasure in the highly sought-after Hermosa Vista Estates w/ no hoa! This single story 4 bedroom home offers an open floor plan with a large front living room & back great-room w/ huge kitchen and walk in pantry. The large kitchen has quality cabinets with island and breakfast bar for entertaining guests. Beautiful master suite comes with neutral paint throughout and new flooring. The updated tile flooring is in all the right places and the vaulted ceilings gives the rooms a larger open feel. The pristine play pool is very inviting w/ its covered patio for shade and nicely landscaped yard w/ watering system. You won't be disappointed.  

Want to see more homes for sale in the Ishikawa Elementary School boundaries?  Click the pictures or the link below to see what is currently available for sale!  

Click here for all the results