Phoenix Metro Real Estate and Community News

Are you planning on selling your home? Studies show that “Staged” homes will sell faster and for a higher price than homes that are vacant or not staged. Many sellers will turn to professional home stagers to prepare the home for sale before listing the home with a Realtor. Here are some great tips that will allow you to maximize your selling price:  

The Staging rule of thumb to keep in mind: You are trying to help potential buyers feel that your home will become their castle. To do this, just remember that appealing to a home buyer’s five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch, will be the key to successful staging.

Sight – Light, bright homes with neutral colors and a few colorful accents appeal to more buyers. Bold, vivid colors may be more “you”, but remember that you’re trying to provide more of a “blank canvas” that a potential buyer finds attractive now but can also visualize making their own.

Sound – Ever heard the expression “the silence was deafening” or “quiet as a tomb”? Well, walking into a totally-silent home can be like that – possibly eerie or oppressive, but rarely welcoming. Leave some soft, light music playing to help provide a tranquil, inviting ambiance.

Smell – Make sure to avoid any strong aromas. Of course, it makes sense to make sure noxious smells like pet odors, last night’s fish dinner or poker-game cigars are not the first thing to hit a potential buyer as they enter your home – but don’t forget that exotic incense, heavy floral accents and even cleanser smells can be offensive to many. Make sure your home is aired out well, and then provide simple, clean, subtle aromas with the restrained use of potpourri or air fresheners.

Taste – Could a plate of fresh-baked cookies entice a buyer? Maybe, maybe not – but it would certainly make your home more memorable.

Touch – Physical comfort is important. Remember that “Ahhhh!” feeling you get when you walk into a cool building, getting out of the heat of summer? Any Realtor showing your home – and any potential buyer – is going to be much more comfortable in your home if your AC is set appropriately. Be careful not to over-cool (or over-heat!) but do try to make your home feel comfortable to visitors.

Do you need help with staging your home before putting it on the market? We would love to help. Contact us at www.MyAZHouse.com or 602-753-0177. 

Owning a home isn’t just about having a place to live — it’s about building stability, wealth, and freedom for your future. Here are some of the biggest benefits:

1. Tax Advantages

Homeowners can write off mortgage interest on their taxes, which can add up to significant savings each year.

2. Long-Term Appreciation

Real estate is a tangible asset that often appreciates over time. In Phoenix, homes typically increase in value by 3–5% annually. Even in a challenging market, many homeowners (myself included!) have seen their properties sell for tens of thousands more than their purchase price.

3. Pride of Ownership

When you own, the choices are yours: paint the walls any color, install new floors, design your dream kitchen, or set up that three-stall garage/man cave. Unlike renting, you don’t need a landlord’s permission to create the home you love.

4. Stop Throwing Money Away on Rent

Renting means your hard-earned money is gone each month. For example:

• $1,000/month rent = $12,000/year
• $60,000 in 5 years
• $120,000 in 10 years
• $240,000 in 20 years

That’s money you’ll never get back — while a mortgage builds equity.

5. Building Equity Over Time

Every mortgage payment reduces your loan’s principal. On a $150,000 loan at 4%:

• After 5 years, you’ve paid down about $14,593 in principal
• After 10 years, $32,147
• After 20 years, $79,749

That equity belongs to you — not your landlord.

6. Freedom From Payments One Day

Once your mortgage is paid off, you own your home outright. No more rent. No more mortgage. Just peace of mind.

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✅ Bottom line: Purchasing a home is one of the smartest long-term investments you can make. The longer you own, the more equity you build — and the stronger your financial foundation becomes.

📲 Want to learn more? Contact us today at 602-753-0177 or visit MyAZHouse.com.

More Exposure Means More Buyers 

The day is here! You need to move and get your home sold ASAP. In marketing your home, the concept is simple, “The more exposure you get for your home, the more potential buyers you reach and the faster the sale and a higher sales price. However, Seller beware! Some agents may not have a marketing plan and some agents may not really understand how to use that marketing to get buyers through your front door! If buyers do not see the interior of your home, they are not going to decide to purchase your home. Here are some questions to consider:

Does the Marketing Plan Focus Local and Worldwide? Our Phoenix market typically receives about 40% of buyers from out of state and the other 60% are local. Recently, our team got call from a buyer in another state about our listing. The buyer found the presentation of our listing online. Unable to find a local 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.

Does the Marketing Plan Focus on Presentation? The internet has huge potential to market our listings, but it also is risky. While allowing agents to showcase a home’s best features, the internet can also make a home look bad. Buyers have many homes to choose from and if a buyer does not like your presentation, they will not schedule a showing. When photos present homes that are cluttered, need paint, have small rooms, and are dark, buyers are going to eliminate these homes and not see them. If the presentation of a home is good, buyers will want to see more of the home and will schedule a showing.

Does the Marketing Plan Focus on Details of the Home? The Phoenix MLS allows home owners and agents to add lots and lots of features to their listings. Important upgrades like granite counters, RV gates, energy efficient upgrades, cul-de-sac lots, vaulted ceilings, etc. are very important to buyers. Many buyers will search for these important upgrades on the internet through Bing, Google and other websites. 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 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 Home? 

We can help! Contact us at (602) 753-0177 or MYAZHouse.com 

Have you been out to see the builder model homes? You may notice that builders load tons of upgrades into the model homes. The builders know that the look and feel of the home is super important to the buyer and if they get the buyer excited about the possibilities, then it will lead to more sales. As a homeowner and a potential seller someday down the road, getting the buyers excited about your home will lead to a higher sales price!  If you make a few upgrades to your home now, you will also get to enjoy the changes before you move. Now, don’t overspend on your improvements, but here are a few that can make a huge difference when you sell.

• The Kitchen – The kitchen is where improvements go a very long way. New cabinets, countertops, and appliances will add a lot of value. Don’t feel like you need to turn your kitchen into a gourmet kitchen! There are a lot of ways you can update your kitchen to the current trends and stay on a budget. Keep in mind that giving your kitchen a cohesive contemporary look is the best way to add value to your home. 
• Landscaping – If you yard is feeling more like a jungle or desert than a place where kids would like to play, then it might be time to make a few changes! Whether you like desert landscaping or something a little greener, color and cleanliness is the key. Buyers are always looking for a yard that is well kept, but that will also be fun to hang out in after work. Putting a in a handful of plants will go a long way to dressing up your front or back yard. If a buyer can picture outdoor living and nightly barbeques, then you are on the right track.
• Flooring – Updating your flooring is a great way to get a completely new feel throughout your home. New carpet, new tile floors or hardwood floors can make a home feel newer and it will appeal to younger buyers.
• Paint - Without a doubt, a new coat of paint on the walls goes a long way to refreshing a home. Stay away from colors that are too bold and stick with colors that are more neutral. Earth tones and two-tone paint styles are the trend lately and appeal to younger buyers. 
• Bathrooms – In bigger homes, the master bathroom is a great area to look at spending more of your upgrade budget. However, in smaller homes, it can be hard to get your upgrade dollars back in bathroom remodels. As you look at remodeling your bathrooms, light and water fixtures are a great way to spruce up the area without overspending. 

Do you want to learn more about this subject or other ways to get the most money from your sell? Contact us at (602) 753-0177 or www.MyAZHouse.com.

Pricing a home correctly is defined as pricing a home in a price range of comparable other homes sold in the last 3 to 6 months. A home priced more than 5% under the lowest sale may be considered underpriced. A home priced more than 5% above the highest sale may be considered overpriced.   

In considering a list price, you might want to consider:

• Appraisal – What is the highest potential appraisal value of my home? One of the main reasons to price a home correctly is to avoid appraisal issues. 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 your 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.
• Active Home Sales – How many homes are active in the MLS in your area? This is important, because this is a list of your competition who are seeking to steal your buyer!  The winner gets to move, and the loser gets to wait for the next buyer.
• Location, Conditions, and Terms – Keep in mind that if your home has issues in any of these areas, buyers will want a discount the price to deal with the issue. If you are able to fix the issue up front, your home is much more likely to return market value and to sell quicker!

Do you want to learn more about this or other ways to get the most money from your sell? Contact us at (602) 753-0177 or www.MyAZHouse.com.

When preparing a home for sale, often you are dealing with a whole lot of logistics and people. Managing painters, landscapers, handymen, stagers, and photographers takes up time, and agents often overlook marketing location.

On a weekly basis, we get a number of questions about the local area around our listings. Many buyers are new to the area and have lots of questions about the location of your home. If buyers are able to get excited about the location of your home, then they will make better offers!

Great amenities around your home may include award-winning schools, shopping centers, specialty stores, movie theatres, restaurants, community parks, community pools, and great freeway access. The more you and your agent can present to a buyer, the better.

Another factor in a location is proximity to great employers. If your home is near big employment centers or big employers are moving into the area, those employers can be great avenues for marketing your home. Buyers prefer shorter commutes, so there should be a plan to market to any job seekers that want to live in your area.

There can also be negatives to your location. There may be issues with the local schools, extra commute times to work or proximity to harmful noisy roads. Rather than ignore the negatives, it is important to address and come up with solutions that will work for the buyer. While fixing some location issues is not possible, it is usually possible to find alternate solutions to satisfy and get a buyer excited.

Summing up, one of the most important skills a real estate agent will bring to a seller is the ability to market location. Do you want to learn more? Contact us at www.MyAZHouse.com or 602-753-0177!

The Phoenix real estate market has been challenging for most sellers over the last 12 months. As you look to list and sell your home, there are number of options that can leave you with more money or less money for that new purchase.

When the market is challenging, we also see loads of agents struggle to stay in business. Most are eager, but few understand the business basics of tougher markets. Many are unaware of how to communicate value to a buyer that will allow a seller to net a higher price. Here are a few business basics to protect you when you look to sell:

• Presentation: Most buyers are picking homes to see on weekend from a variety of websites such as Zillow, Realtor.com, Truilia, Redfin and more. Buyers are also using a variety of devices like i-phones, i-pads, laptops and desktop computers. Buyers pick out 8 homes from reviewing 50, 100 or 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 for your listing to make the short list for viewing on Saturday?
• Follow-Up Plan: After you have your home listed, the next time most homeowners hear from their agent is when an offer is presented. But what happens when an offer does not come for 30 days? What happens when agents are showing the home, but there are no offers? What happens if there are not enough showings. Agents should have an action plan to consult with homeowners and make as needed to get the home sold.
• Negotiating Offers: You receive and offer, but it is $30,000 below anything you can accept. What is your agent’s plan now? Do you remember back when you listed your home and the agent reduced their commission to get your real estate listing. That may be your first sign that your agent does not have strong negotiating skills or confidence in those skills. A great agent should always have a game plan for getting the initial offer price higher. 
• Buyer Qualifications: The purchase offer came in at 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.

Do you want to learn more about ways to get the best price for your home? 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 your neighborhood, put your home on the market and negotiate a BIG sales price. You might not have seen the latest Arizona purchase contract. Filled with 10 pages of legal jargon and multiple addendums, the lack of understanding of the Arizona purchase contract is an easy way to give away thousands of dollars even though you may sell your home for Big $$$. Here are few items to watch for that can affect your bottom line: 

• Buyer Loan Costs. Many buyers need help with the purchase cost and like to write offers asking for the seller to pay their loan costs. And if the overall contract sales price is right, paying the buyer loan costs might be well worth while. Generally, the request is made as 3% of sales price. Initially that amount may not seem high. However, when considering a sales price of $200,000, 3% of sales price works out to be $6000 – not a small sum of money. Instead, consider offering a compromise: have the buyer pay only half of the loan costs or a set amount instead of a percentage of sales price.
• HOA Transfer Fees. Did you speak with your homeowner’s association (HOA) before listing your home? The amount your HOA will charge to transfer your home to a new buyer is great information to know. We have seen HOAs have charging in the range $500 - $2500 to transfer the property. With HOA transfer fees being a negotiable item, a seller may be able to pass this cost on to a buyer.
• Home Warranty Costs. As a rule, buyers of most Arizona homes expect sellers to pick up the cost of a Home Warranty. The Home Warranty will cover the buyer for one year in case some of the working components in the house break. The home warranty also protects the seller from being pursued by a buyer who feels that an A/C unit, hot water heater, or other expensive item died prematurely. A typical, basic Home Warranty plan will cover most items and can be obtained for under $450. But watch out – some buyers will ask for plans that can cost twice this amount.
• Appraisal. Did you and your real estate agent have a conversation about what price the property is likely to be valued by an appraiser? Will your home appraise for the sales price on the contract? Sellers may accept contracts for sales prices that have no chance of being supported by appraisal. Mr. Seller, beware!  The appraiser may submit an appraisal for thousands less than the contracted sales price. If the seller forgot that the purchase contract is subject to the appraisal, the seller may have packed up the house and secured a new place to live. When the appraisal comes in below sales price, the seller is generally between the proverbial rock and a hard place. They’re forced to decide: “Do I accept the new sales price and take a financial hit, or do I cancel this contract and try to sell the home again?” Keeping in mind that most sellers are moving for significant life reasons such as job transfer, bigger home or changes in lifestyle, the seller generally must accept the financial hit or give up on the timelines and main reasons for moving. 

There are a lot of extra terms you can request that will NET you more money from your sale and provide for a better close of escrow. In most cases all you need is a little upfront planning. Do you have more questions? Contact us at (602) 753-0177 or www.MyAZHouse.com.

The name of the game in real estate is location. Some say, “Location, Location, Location” because it is so important.  When preparing a home for sale, often you are dealing with a whole lot of logistics and people. Managing painters, landscapers, handymen, stagers and photographers takes up time, and agents often overlook marketing location. Many buyers are new to the area and have lots of questions about location of your home. If buyers can get excited about the location of your home, then they will make better offers! 

Great amenities around your home may include award winning schools, shopping centers, specialty stores, movie theatres, restaurants, community parks, community pools, and great freeway access. The more you and your agent can present to a buyer, the better.  

Another factor in a location is proximity to great employers. If your home is near big employment centers or big employers are moving into the area, then those can be great avenues for marketing your home. Buyers prefer shorter commutes, so there should be a plan to any job seekers in your area.

There can also be negatives to your location. There may be issues with the local schools, extra commute times to work or proximity to harmful noisy roads. Rather than ignore the negatives, it is important to address and come up with solutions that will work for the buyer. While fixing some location issues is not possible it is usually possible to find alternate solutions to satisfy a buyer.

Summing up, one of the most important skills a real estate agent will bring to a seller is the ability to market location. Do you want to learn more? Contact us at www.MyAZHouse.com or 602-753-0177.

A home that shows exceptionally well helps arouse the prospective buyer’s emotional desire to buy quicker and at a higher price. First impressions count! That’s why neat, clean homes get snatched up and others just sit on the market. Builders of homes in the Phoenix Real Estate market spend 1000’s of dollars to stage a model home properly. They do this for good reason. Buyers will buy the perceived value of the property... the image and feeling that they get from experiencing the property.  

Stand across the street and look at your home from a potential buyer’s viewpoint.  Next, go to the corners of your back yard and look at your home with the critical eye of a buyer.  Consider the following:

• The buyer’s strongest first impression of your home is with the front outside entry and door. Make this area fresh and inviting with plants, flowers, and as needed, fresh paint. Make purchases which enhance the appearance of your home—large planters, new entry mats. You can take these items with you to your new home!
• Is there ‘clutter’ in the front or back yard? Debris, leaves, dead branches, old swing sets, broken lawn furniture?  Pick up tools and toys from the yard. Put garbage cans in the garage and shut the door.  Are there too many cars parked in the front or driveway?
• Is the lawn trimmed, edged, weed-free, and fertilized? Edge between your lawn, drive, and walkways. Are the flower and shrubbery beds pruned, free of debris, and fresh looking? Do they need fresh mulch or plants? Repair cracks and pull weeks from walkways and the driveway. If you are an absentee seller, make arrangements for lawn care.
• Is the exterior paint fresh? Hose it down to remove dust and cobwebs. Touch up or repaint as needed. The expense of repainting has an excellent return on the dollar.
• Are all outside systems working? Is the sprinkler system functioning properly? Have the cooling and heating units been serviced?

Selling your Phoenix Arizona Home isn’t a single event – it’s a process. And part of that process is getting your home itself prepared to sell. As you prepare to put your home on the market, make sure to pay close attention to how your home is prepared to show – it can make all the difference in the world. 

The Thompson Group is well versed in home presentation and can help you get your home ready to sell. In today’s market there are thousands of Phoenix Homes for Sale. If you don’t want to be just another home on the Phoenix MLS, give us a call today and we’ll help you stand out from the crowd. Contact us at MyAZHouse.com or 602-753-0177 to get started!