The Phoenix real estate has been challenging for most sellers recently. With interest rates at the highest point in 8 years, buyers are seeing high mortgage payments and don’t want a lot of extra costs when they move into their new home. As you look to list and sell your home, there are a few options that can leave you with more money or less money at the close of escrow. Here are a few business basics to protect you when you look to sell:

• Presentation - Most buyers are picking homes to see on the weekend from a variety of websites such as Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia, Redfin and more. Buyers are also using a variety of devices like smart phones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers. Buyers pick out 6-8 homes to see on Saturday after reviewing 50-100 homes more online. The point is that If your online presentation is not good enough to make the short list, buyers will not be seeing your home on Saturday. So, what is the plan to make the short list for viewing on Saturday?
• Buyer Qualifications - The purchase offer had a great price, but the lender is unable to document the buyer’s down payment. After 30 days, when the home does not close on time, the lender breaks the bad news to the buyer, seller and agents. Agents should be reviewing buyer qualifications with the lender prior to contract acceptance and should have a plan to get updates throughout the escrow period. Without that plan, your home may not be closing on time, if at all.
• Negotiating Offers – What happens when you wait 3 months and only see 1 offer? If you want to move, then you will want to find every way to keep that buyer and get the home closed. You may have heard, “The Devil is in the details.” That is always the case when a seller depends on that one offer to get the home sold! Great agents are great negotiators and realize that there is always more than one way to make the transaction close. Does that buyer really need a new A/C unit or new roof? Or does the buyer need “peace of mind” that the home will not fall apart after the close of escrow. There are many solutions of “peace of mind.” Agents that are great negotiators will know those solutions may make you more than you pay in commissions!
• Follow-up Plan - After you have your home sold, what are the next steps to closing escrow? Details, details, details! Remember, while you are packing the boxes for the moving truck, the buyer still needs to complete inspections, loan paperwork and title work. Lenders require more documentation than ever before. So, if you are going to be moving on time, there needs to be a plan to get all of this done. A good plan not only keeps you, the seller, informed, but also keeps the buyer on track for an on-time closing.

Do you want to learn more about ways to sell for the best price? Contact us at (602) 753-0177 or www.MyAZHouse.com

Our clients have presented us with many unique situations when selling their Arizona Homes. Whether moving out-of-state to take a new job, hoping to buy a bigger home with a pool, needing to be in a new school district, or looking to downsize to a home that is more manageable, our clients all had something very important in common. Each had future plans – plans that depended heavily on how the logistics of the sale were handled and the financial results of the sale. 

Marketing and Selling Homes is Serious Business. 

A well-planned and executed sale of a home allows the homeowner to move forward with their next phase of life. However, mistakes may cost thousands of dollars and hours of stress when escrows are canceled. Nothing may be more important in the transaction than the knowledge and experience of the agent giving you advice. So, here are a few good questions for you to ask your agent:

• What do you know about the area? At times, knowledge of the area can be the key to selling a home. Buyers that are new to the area need to know information about schools, movie theaters, shopping and more. An agent who lives in the area can help buyers identify how they will enjoy the area – and many times, the home will sell quicker.
• How do you market my home? Believe it or not, some agents think that ordering a “for sale” sign and putting your home in the multiple listing service (MLS) is how to sell a home. This is only the beginning! Great agents should be able to deliver to you a written marketing plan tailored for the Phoenix Real Estate market along with success stories from using that plan. 
• How much are the costs of selling my home? In order to plan for the future all homeowners with Phoenix Homes for Sale need to know the amount of money they will have after the sale of the home. Great agents should be able to estimate the cost of real estate commissions, title fees, loan costs, repair costs, and property taxes. 
• When will the buyer’s loan be approved? Without loan approval, the sale of the home cannot close escrow. In tracking a lender's process, a great agent should know how to use the LSU (Loan Status Update) form, what “PTD” conditions are, and what is the time needed for a lender to get loan documents to title after full loan approval. Being able to track the lender's progress is essential for a seller to know whether they will close on time or not.
• What is breach of contract and how do you handle this? In the Arizona purchase contract, the seller is unable to exit the contract while the buyer retains over five exits from the contract. However, if the buyer is in breach of contract, then the seller may exit the contract. Breach of Contract occurs when the buyer takes actions that are contrary to the written contract. This is a serious situation that experienced agents should have a plan to handle.  

Do you want to learn more about how to make your home-selling process go smoothly? Contact us at www.MyAZHouse.com or 602-753-0177.

Join us for a community shred-a-thon and help support local families in need! We'll be collection donations for the Kyrene Resource Center while offering free document shredding – just in time for spring cleaning.

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May 16th | 11am-1p
KWRP Office
2077 E. Warner Rd., Suite 110

Brought to you by the Thompson Group

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The Kyrene Family Resource Center supports basic needs in order for all Kyrene students to achieve their maximum potential. Kyrene families and employees are welcome to receive support with immediate needs, including: food, gently used school clothing, hygiene supplies, school supplies, and connections to outside agencies and resources.

The Kyrene Family Resource Center strives to support Kyrene students with basic needs to help students achieve their best in school!

The day is here! You need to sell your home. The next steps are to find a real estate agent familiar with the Phoenix MLS, put your home on the market and negotiate a contract. The #1 rule in selling your home is to get you home Tons of Exposure. The more exposure you get for your home, the more potential buyers and the faster the sale and a higher sales price for your home. Seems simple, right? Well, here are a few things to consider when going to market:

• Focus Local and Worldwide. Recently, our team got call from another state about one of our listings. The buyer who happened to have cash for a purchase found one of our listings on the internet. Unable to find a local Phoenix Real Estate agent the buyer called us directly to purchase the home. The buyer said, “Your home is beautiful.” While our seller took credit for the beautiful home, we took great pride in showcasing the home with our elite marketing plan.
• Focus on the Internet. The internet has huge potential to market our listings, but also is very risky. While allowing agents to showcase a home’s best features, the internet can also make a home look very bad. Dark pictures, pictures of small rooms, pictures of the commode, and even the lack of any pictures will dissuade buyers to not look at your home. The presentation of a home over the internet should entice a buyer’s interest to see more of the home by scheduling a showing.
• Focus on the Phoenix MLS. The Phoenix MLS allows home owners and agents to add lots and lots of features. Important upgrades like granite counters, RV gates, energy efficient upgrades, cul-de-sac lots, vaulted ceilings, etc. are very important to buyers. And may buyers and buyer’s agents will search for these important upgrades on the internet and the MLS database. Every time a buyer searches for features, and finds your home, the buyer is likely to want to see inside your home. 
• Don’t Forget Traditional Advertising. With smart phones, tablets, and many other tech devices, it may be easy to forget the traditional advertising. However, traditional advertising is still very successful for attracting buyers. Newsletters, Just Listed Notices, and Color Flyers are still huge for getting the attention of buyers. While younger buyers under the age of 30 will start their search for a home on the internet, many older buyers will start their search with the newspaper or from items received in the mail. On a daily basis, many Phoenix Homes for Sale can be found in the local paper.

A great marketing plan includes aspects of all these items and any other ways of getting buyers to see your home. Remember, the name of the game is exposure, exposure, exposure. Do you have more questions? Do you want to learn more about this or other ways to get the most money from the sale of your Phoenix Arizona Homes? 

We can help! Contact us at (602) 753-0177 or MyAZHouse.com to get started!

There are lots of great houses on the market and finding your home can be a lot of fun – especially when you avoid trouble as you shop. Here are few misconception pitfalls to look out for:

• “Don’t worry about the particulars – the financing will take care of itself. Just start looking.”  Understanding your financing is a crucial part of the process. Many buyers start out immediately looking for that perfect home and fail to prepare by asking their lender lots of questions. What are the costs of your loan? What will your monthly payments be and what will they include? What is PITI? Fixed rate or variable? Being well-informed and having a good understanding of the financial options in front of you will help avoid finance problems. 
• “Focus on the home you need – you’ll be there for a long time.” Many buyers only think about the here-and-now and few think about resale when they purchase a new home. After all, you’re just now “buying” a home – why worry about selling, right? Well… buying a home is usually about making an investment in the real estate as well as selecting a great place to live. At some point in the future, it’s likely that your family will get bigger, a job will relocate you, or some other reason to move will come up. Considering “now” what future buyers may like in your home can be very important to maximizing your future resale value. The better your resale value, the more money that will go into the bank or may be used for a future home purchase.
• “We’ll find what we like, negotiate a price, and then we’ll worry about making financing an offer.” Sellers want to know that you are a solid, “bona-fide” good buyer who will be able to close on their home, before they will accept a contract to sell their home. Sellers generally will go with the first bona-fide buyer who will pay their price; however, it is very unlikely a seller will say “yes” to an unprepared buyer. Showing that you have your financial “ducks in a row,” is also likely to get you a better deal on your purchase.
• “I’ve looked the house over; we don’t need a fancy inspection.”  Over and over again, I hear buyers tell me that they don’t want to pay $300-$400 for the inspection of a home that’s for sale. While it’s true that most home inspections find relatively minor defects typically less than $1,000 to correct, some inspections turn up issues in excess of $5,000-$10,000. You’re about to invest tens of thousands of dollars in a home – it makes great sense to invest a few hundred to help assure that your investment is a wise one.   
• Find a great real estate agent to help! Working with the *right* agent will greatly improve your whole buying experience. A real estate agent with the right background can help with every step of the buying process, from analyzing your home needs, to finding the right home, to negotiating and closing the deal. An agent should be working with you to make your home-buying dreams come true.

Let’s get started!  Find at www.MyAZHouse.com or 602-753-0177

The 2025 buyers’ market has passed and 2026 promises lots of hopes for sellers looking to get their home sold at a great price!  As the real estate market normalizes to a more traditional market, here are a few tips to consider to be sure your home is not overpriced:

• Comparable Sales for last 90 Days – Is your home priced right according to comparable properties? Comparable homes that have sold recently can give you a great idea of how well your home may appraise and what buyers in your area are willing to pay for a similar property. However, these sales may not give a good idea of what the market is doing now and may not indicate a price reduction is needed 
• Active and Pending Listings - Active listings give you a great idea of other inventory you are competing with to get your home sold, but Active listings are all UNSOLD properties. If you are looking for successful sellers, check out Pending Listings as these are all sellers that are 2-4 weeks away from being Sold!
• Showings – How many showings are you getting each week? If you get a lot of showings and an offer a week, then you are close to selling!  Or has it been a few weeks since you last saw a buyer’s agent in your home? If so, you are probably overpriced and need to discuss a price change.  
• Market Changes and Activity – What is the market doing? Are Employers hiring or laying off workers. Are interest rates higher or lower? What’s new on the local MLS? Is there a lot of inventory in the area from builders or bank owned properties? Does your area attract lots of first-time buyers or move-up buyers? All great questions to ask when deciding on how high or low to price your home.
• Do you really want the truth? Being honest about the situation may be painful for sellers and real estate agents. However, getting the pain out of the way, allows for a realistic discussion about what is necessary to get your home sold. Also, the discussion allows for ways to bring in more buyers, reduce costs, and take advantage of the market. 

Do you need to get your home sold? Contact us at www.MyAZHouse.com or 602-753-0177.

Many of my clients consider remodeling a home prior to selling the home with the hope of getting a higher price. Picking out new flooring, paint, fancy new counters for the kitchen and other upgrades for your home is a lot of fun. Upgrades in your home will also allow your home to sell quicker. Before you begin, you may want to consider what you home may sell for and what the appropriate budget for your project will be.

When I look to purchase and remodel homes, I look for properties that one might consider a “diamond in the rough.” Generally, a home that is 20-30 years old needs a facelift to look trendier and more modern. Buyers generally like these older homes if the interior is updated to reflect the current housing trends. As I put together a budget to renovate the home, I consider: 

• Appraisal What is the highest potential appraisal value of my home? Even when a seller sells a home above the market value, if the lender’s appraiser will not support the sales price value, the home will only close at a price the appraiser will support.
• Comparative Market Analysis Most real estate agents can perform a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) when a current appraisal is not available. A comparative market analysis should give an accurate idea of how a home stacks up against comparable sales within a mile radius of your home. All comparable sales used should be no older than 6 months to give a correct approximation of the current market.
• Pending Home Sales Pending Listings or homes that are currently under contract waiting to close escrow may indicate where the market is headed. If pending properties are selling for less than previous closings, then the market is declining. If pending properties are higher than previous sales, then the market is appreciating.
• Neighborhood Competition What do the recent sales in the neighborhood reflect? How many homes are currently active in the area? If other sellers are renovating homes prior to selling, then top market price is probably in place. If the owners are not renovating before selling, then the top market price for a renovated home is likely higher than recent sales. 
• Remodel Costs When you feel comfortable with what the top market price is in your area, consider establishing a budget for your project. Picking out all the upgrades is fun, and you could easily overspend on the project. Keeping your remodel costs close to your designated budget will allow you to recoup your costs when you sell. 

Do you want to learn more about renovating your home before you sell? Contact us at (602) 753-0177 or www.MyAZHouse.com.

January 2026 is turning out to be a great time to purchase a new home! Lots of new inventory, no bidding wars, and attractive mortgage programs are allowing buyers to lock in good long-term investments instead of renting!

Benefits of Owning a Home

• Homeowners write off interest expense of the mortgage on their taxes.
• Potential appreciation of a tangible asset. Average appreciation in PHX is generally 3-5% per year. That could be $12000-$20,000 in appreciation on a $400,000 home each year!
• Homeowners enjoy the pride of ownership. What color do I paint the walls, what kind of floors do I want, I love cooking in my gourmet kitchen, or working on cars in my 3 stall garage/Man Cave. The point being is that many decisions a homeowner might want to make may not be approved by the landlord. 
• Purchasing is better than renting (renting is throwing you $$$ away). At $2000/month RENT, you are burning about $24,000/year, $120,000 every 5 years, $240,000 every 10 years or $480,000 over 20 years. For the same payment, you could own a $400,000 home.
• A mortgage payment pays down the principal amount through the life of the loan. At the end of the first 5 years, a homeowner will have paid $14,593 of principal on a $150,000 loan at 4%. At 10 years, the amount paid is $32,147. At the end of 20 years, the amount paid is $79,749. 
• Once the loan is paid, you don’t pay rent or a mortgage.
• Tax deductions when you own a home includes being able to deduct the annual interest paid on your mortgage loan and property taxes for the home. Rarely thought about when you rent, but it can be a huge savings when you go to pay the IRS in April! 

Want to get started? Contact us at 602-753-0177 or MyAZHouse.com

More and more and clients are coming to us to discuss real estate needs in regard to their parents. As we discuss the logistics and strategy of selling the home, one challenge is generally driving the move. Our aging parent is dealing with a new health or memory issue such as Alzheimer’s that needs to be managed. At the same time, most families are not ready to deal with Mom or Dad’s new set of health issues, as most are still focused on raising their own family. 

With all of life’s current challenges and the new Health issues for Mom or Dad, we find that the home where Mom and Dad currently live suffers the most. Many times, the home will sell for $25,000 to $75,000 less than it should do to neglect and deferred maintenance. When the home sells, this could be money going into the bank to pay for long term care for Mom and Dad. 

Jamie Thompson is designated as a Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES). The SRES is rigorous education focused on developing understanding of needs of the 50 plus demographic. The SRES Council is known to have knowledgeable, passionate members that serve consumers in the 50 and older market.

Jamie and his staff have resources to help Mom and Dad during this challenging time. We know professionals that help with Medical Home Health Care, providing Caregivers, and Professionals that help Mom and Dad find Independent, Assisted Living or Memory Care Communities. 

As a real estate professional, Jamie’s goal is always to help Mom and Dad protect one of their most valuable assets, their home. 

Do you want to learn more? Contact us at (602) 753-0177 or www.MyAZHouse.com.

The day is here! You need to sell your home. The next steps are to find a real estate agent familiar with the Phoenix MLS, put your home on the market and negotiate a contract. The #1 rule in selling your home is to get your home Tons of Exposure. The more exposure you get for your home, the more potential buyers, the faster the sale, and the higher the sales price for your home. Seems simple, right? Here are a few things to consider when going to market:

Focus Local and Worldwide. Recently, our team got a call from another state about one of our listings. The buyer, who happened to have cash for a purchase, found one of our listings on the internet. Unable to find a local Phoenix Real Estate agent, the buyer called us directly to purchase the home. The buyer said, “Your home is beautiful.”  While our seller took credit for the beautiful home, we took great pride in showcasing the home with our elite marketing plan.

Focus on the Internet. The internet has huge potential to market our listings, but also is very risky. While allowing agents to showcase a home’s best features, the internet can also make a home look very bad. Dark pictures, pictures of small rooms, pictures of the commode, and even the lack of any pictures will dissuade buyers from looking at your home. The presentation of a home over the internet should entice a buyer’s interest to see more of the home by scheduling a showing.

Focus on the Phoenix MLS. The Phoenix MLS allows home owners and agents to add lots and lots of features. Important upgrades like granite counters, RV gates, energy efficient upgrades, cul-de-sac lots, vaulted ceilings, etc. are very important to buyers. And many buyers and buyer’s agents will search for these important upgrades on the internet and the MLS database. Every time a buyer searches for features, and finds your home, the buyer is likely to want to see inside your home.

Don’t Forget Traditional Advertising. With smart phones, tablets, and many other tech devices, it may be easy to forget the traditional advertising. However, traditional advertising is still very successful for attracting buyers. Newsletter, Just Listed notices, and color flyers are still huge for getting the attention of buyers. While younger buyers under the age of 30 will start their search for a home on the internet, many older buyers will start their search with the newspaper or from items received in the mail. On a daily basis, many Phoenix Homes for Sale can be found in the local paper.

A great marketing plan includes aspects of all these items and many other ways of getting buyers to see your home.  Remember, the name of the game is exposure, exposure, exposure. Do you have more questions? Do you want to learn more about this or other ways to get the most money from the sale of your Phoenix Arizona Homes? We can help! Contact us at (602) 753-0177 or MyAZHouse.com.