What is there to do in Tubac Arizona?

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Tubac Arizona

So living in Tucson for a month allowed me to see what there is to do down in the Southern part of Arizona. 
Tubac, Arizona is south of Tucson about 20 minutes.  I drove down there last weekend from Mesa,  Arizona and it took about 2 hours.  Not a bad drive at all. 

Tubac is a little town off of I19 and if you blink you will miss it.  So, make sure you pay attention.  You go down I19 South until you see the exit for Tubac. 

The main reason people visit Tubac is to shop at different stores that have some really amazing art work, jewerly, pottery, and much more.

You can spend a couple of hours there and still not see every store.  You can get some great deals because everything there is negotiable.  You can bring them down at least $20.00.  Some stores don’t negotiate at all, mostly the jewelry stores.

Watch the video and see just a glimpse of what you can find there.  I visit a lot of places in the area and Tubac is a great bargain hunters destination and a great place to visit.

Customer Satisfaction

Take a minute to check out a satisfied customer’s email:

 

Mr Glenn Sanford and Mr Brian Culhane,
I just wanted to take a moment and say thanks for the invite yesterday to your special event.  It was a pleasure meeting both of you and I am truly excited about formulating a mutually beneficial business relationship with Phoenix Power Search.

The reason for this e-mail, it pleases me to no end to have to send out an e-mail like this….especially at this time in which everybody is dog eat dog to make a buck. While many of us are quick to send out e-mails to point out the negatives in someone’s actions, we seldom take the time to provide praise when earned. I know we need to recognize people for their accomplishments, and I know you probably don’t always see your people get the Kudo’s for “doing it right.”

I’ve been around home buying for quite some time in my life since about 1982. And have had the opportunity to deal with a myriad of different real estate companies. Some of the companies had outstanding programs in place but lacked in the quality of their personnel. Others had great working staff who treated you politely, but only if they thought you would buy with them. For the first time in my house hunting experience I was fortunate enough to, due to an employee of yours be a part of house hunting that is exceptional in all facets. In the last two months that I have been working with your company, I am appreciative of the relationship, kindness and customer service I have acquired from one of your employee’s, Rachel Anderson.

I would like to take this opportunity to applaud  Ms Anderson on her outstanding display of patience, prompt call backs and customer service. Ms Anderson consistently handled all requests made by me in an expedient and professional manner. She had a sense of sacrifice in order to ensure that I was taken care of, no matter what the cost was to her. Her sense of loyalty is to be commended, and mirrored, as she focused on accomplishing the goal at hand.

Her action has personified the sometimes rarely utilized attributes of a person that cares about her customers, that I have seen since I have moved in my first house back in California. For this , I thank and commend Ms Anderson. Your company as far as I am concerned will have a good business relationship with me and any one I know who is looking for a home.

Yours truly Jim

How low will Real Estate go?

Do you still think Real Estate prices are going down? Did you know that now we are starting to experience bidding wars on some properties in different locations? Some sellers are doing the same thing banks are doing and creating bidding wars. You might see a house you like, but there could be 20 other people interested in that same house. You can get outbid, because your offer is lower what the market value is. This is happening a lot in Tempe right now. Tempe, Arizona is sought after because it is a place where you can easily rent out your house to college students. People buy 5 bedroom houses and easily rent it out to 7 or more students. See the Tempe in Touch website for more information on Tempe. http://www.tempe.gov/ Arizona is experiencing amazing prices in great locations, but we are also seeing sellers holding off now for the best offer. So keep in mind, you have to make sure your best offer is not just in the price, but also in the concessions you ask for in closing costs. © iStockphoto Sources: Moody’s Economy.com, Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Association of Realtors. Historical data on the spending power, unemployment, housing and credit availability of America’s 50 largest metropolitan statistical areas, as defined analyzed by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, were analyzed using calculations from Moody’s to determine how much each area’s home prices would have to change to bring that particular housing market back to a state of balance. Here are some projected numbers for Arizona. We are projected to hit bottom in June 2010. Phoenix, Ariz. (Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale metro area) Price correction necessary: 27% Median income: $38,360 Median home price: $155,900 Unemployment rate: 6.9% Projected bottom: June 2010. If you want more information on the market or any other information regarding Arizona Real Estate, contact me directly. Rachel Anderson 480-309-7968 or rachel@phoenixpowersearch.com

Rachel Anderson Realtor – Buyer Special…

Rachel Anderson

Realtor – Buyer Specialist Rachel has real estate in her blood, as a Daughter of a very successful real estate family from Wyoming, her earliest memories as a child are going with her Dad to list houses and get them ready for showings, of course afterward He would always get her Dairy Queen ice cream for helping. A former Meeting Planner for the (ABA) American Bankers Association for 4 years in Washington, DC., Rachel feels her past experience translates well into Real Estate, by always going above and beyond in everything she does. Here Motto is “You really have to prove to people you are worth their time. Your first impression can be your last”. Being a former soccer player, dancer and all around athlete has shaped Rachel into a fighter and a leader as she fights for her clients and leads her peers in the industry by example. Rachel is a successful negotiator and always keeps her clients aware of current market trends, banking changes and cutting edge technology for home searching. A team player and motivater, Rachel chose BuyerTours Realty because the dynamic of the company. “It is a strong company and the team is great.” You can count on Rachel to handle any Real Estate related need you may have.

What are the tenants rights? What are t…

What are the tenants rights? What are the landlords rights? There are so many issues when it comes to being a landlord, what are your rights? Do you feel you get no where and when you can’t get a hold of the tenant, can you just show up at the property and change the locks?

I am sure a lot of people have experience frightening stories when it comes to being a landlord, or a tenant. Why is it we trust a complete stranger to treat our home the way we would want it to be treated?

I have had amazing luck when it comes to renting my townhouse. Everytime I go over to my place, I open up the house and it looks nicer and nicer each time.

Has anyone had bad experiences being a landlord or tenant? What has your experience been and what have you learned? I would like to know.

Showstoppers Live, I went to this last n…

Showstoppers Live, I went to this last night and let me tell you I was happily surprised.

A friend of mine mentioned he wanted to go watch this show where people impersonate famous singers. My first thought was, I don’t want to go watch Elvis live in a Casino in Arizona. But I am so glad that I went and enjoyed the show.

The tickets are FREE!! Check out the website for more information:

http://www.casinoarizona.com/showstoppers.aspx

Yes free, we got there around 8:30pm and it is first come first serve for a show that begins at 9:00PM. We got really good seats, they do have smoking and non smoking sections so we sat in the non smoking section. We ordered two drinks upon arrival and watched a great show.

The first entertainer was Reba McEntire, I am not a huge country lover so I thought great, but come to find out I was sitting there singing along to all of the songs she performed. There were back up dancers in tiny outfits so the men loved it. Another performer, was Garth Brooks which turned out to be my favorite, funny I should be a country lover.

Donna Summers, Elvis and Jim O’Brien also perfomed and honestly there was some great talent there.

So if you are visiting from out of town, stop by the Casino Arizona, Tuesday at 7:00PM or Wednesday at 7:00PM or 9:00PM for a really good time and a FREE SHOW.

Fore more information on this or any other fun things to do in Phoenix contact me directly, Rachel Anderson 480-309-7968 or email at rachel@phoenixpowersearch.com

Tombstone Places in Arizona, that I neve…

Tombstone
Places in Arizona, that I never thought were in Arizona.

Tombstone Arizona is south of Tucson right before you get to Sierra Vista. It is a huge tourist spot and lots of things to do and see.

You feel like you are back in the 1800’s as you walk the streets of the town. Cars aren’t allowed up and down the streets, you have to ride horseback or walk to get anywhere. You here gun shots and hear screams coming from the saloon you just ate lunch at, because another person has fell victim to the violence(all acting of course).

You can eat lunch in some of the original saloons from back in the day and also stay the night in the most haunted rooms in the hotels.

If you come out to view homes, it is a must see on your list of things to do.

Follow this link for more information:

http://www.cityoftombstone.com/index.html

Tombstone
Contact me directly for more information on this “must see” while you are in Arizona or any other “must see”, I am video taping everything now, so you too can be someone I shoot a video for.

Rachel Anderson 480-309-7968 or rachel@phoenixpowersearch.com

203K FHA Loan, the light at the end of t…

203K FHA Loan, the light at the end of the tunnel!

I have finally found the light at the end of the tunnel for a lot of my buyers.

I have been out showing homes with potential buyers who are getting frustrated with the whole process. We will write up a contract on home that they love only to find out there are 4 other contracts on it and all above asking price with cash.

Now with a Loan called the 203K FHA loan, this process will start to become less of a hassel for a lot of buyers. This loan isn’t a new loan, it is just a revised loan and works best in the market we are currently in.

Haven’t heard of it??

Well a lot of people don’t know about it. Here is some information below:

What is it?
The FHA Streamline 203K is a rehabilitation loan that works like a construction loan. A first time buyer is able to buy a home and include rehabilitating construction work in the mortgage to fix items in the house. The loan amount consists of the purchase price of the home plus the construction costs for the work to be performed after close.

For Example: $100,000 purchase price of home
$20,000 Contracted improvements (cabinets, countertops, flooring, appliances, paint, etc.)
$120,000 Total Loan Amount

What do I write the sales contract (offer) for?
The offer is the purchase price of the home only. Do not include the cost of repairs anywhere in the sales contract or offer. In the example above, the purchase price on the sales contract or offer would be $100,000.

How much can I spend?
FHA has limited the Streamline 203K program to a range between $5,000 and $35,000.

What can I spend the money on?
There are not too many limitations on what the improvement money can be spent on. There are some very specific items that cannot be included such as landscaping and structural changes. Pool repairs may be included depending on the lender, but new pool construction cannot be added.

Does the house need to be FHA qualified?
No. This is an improvement loan. As long as the items that would disqualify the home from being acceptable by FHA requirements are contracted for as part of the construction work, then the home qualifies.

Is this loan harder to qualify for than a traditional FHA loan?
No. The requirements to qualify are the same as a traditional FHA loan.

Can the construction work start prior to close?
No. The transaction must close. The funds to pay the contractor come from escrowed funds at the closing.

How do I go about contracting the work?
It is recommended that you work with a general contractor that can perform all construction tasks. It is also important that the contractor be experienced in FHA guidelines so that they can include any FHA required items in their contract.

There is a lot of information out there for you, why not use a company that has it all. Contact me Rachel Anderson, with BuyerTours/HomeSmart team and let us do the leg work for you.

For more information on this loan or any other Real Estate information please call me direclty at 480-309-7968 Rachel Anderson or email rachel@phoenixpowersearch.com

Ok, we all know that we have had to make…

Ok, we all know that we have had to make some drastic cuts in our spending and pull back on luxury items that we are used to doing. I have some great ways to cut your expenses in half and I hope you will comment on things that you have found useful for you!

For the past 2 months I have made a pledge to cut back on luxury items and will continue to cut my expenses in half for the next 6 months. I have been challenged by some friends to see if I can cut back on some key expenses that I don’t need. For example, pedicures, manicures, shopping, movies, dinner dates with friends, spa days, etc.

Some of the list above I haven’t done in over a year, but that is a Laundry list of items a lot of girls love to do. So here are some things I have done to cut back on my expenses.

I am sharing this with you because I think it is important that we cut back. Appreciate the things we have, and one day we will be thankful we did.

1. If I want to get a pedicure, I get together with some friends we have a “spa night”. I have a foot spa I got a long time ago I bring it to a friends house we exchange toe nail polish, watch American Idol and do each others feet. We spend $0 dollars and spend quality time together.

2. When I look in my closet and say,” I have nothing to wear”, I start trying everything on and mixing and matching my outfits, by the end of a couple of hours, I have 4 new outfits that I would never think to put together, and I don’t want to go shopping.

3. My hair is short, so it needs to be cut often to keep it looking nice, I style it different ways, wear hair clips and find new ways to make it look NEW. I can go up to 3 months without a hair cut now, before it was every 3 weeks or so.

4. Wash my car at the $4 car wash instead of the $15. This saves a lot of money and the $4 is just the same as the $15 you just have to dry it yourself.

5. Set my air conditioner to 80 during the day. I usually like it cooler, but I am usually gone all day.

6. There is a place called Plato that actually buys your old clothes, and I have a lot of those. There are some brands that they look for, but if you don’t wear them, take them in and see what you can get for them, then always donate to a clothing store after.

7. Use, less!!! I use less paper towels, conditioner, all of the toiletries, save money by using less. If you tend to over load on the toothpaste make an effort to use less.

8. Drive when only necessary, if you can walk or ride a bike do it, even with gas cheaper you can save money by walking to a friends or grocery store, you get exercise and fresh air.

9. I highlight and dye my own hair, why spend $200 when you can get the same out of a bottle. Always make sure you know what you are doing, or get a friend to do it for you.

10. Only purchase what you need at the grocery store. I used to buy to loafs of bread because it is 2 for $5, but one loaf would always get moldy. Or the same with salads, one will always rot before I get to eat it.

Here is a short list of items I have done, please share some of your list with me. It is a time to save and share, so please do so~

Also, if you are finding you are needing more information on the housing stimulus plan and if you qualify for a home loan modification, visit www.makinghomeaffordable.com

Thanks for reading and leaving comments, I appreciate it.

If you want more information on this or any other blog I write about, please contact me at 480-309-7968

This is a list of top 10 things you must…

This is a list of top 10 things you must know about short sales before you consider putting a contract on the home.

1. Short Sale prices aren’t approved by the bank. The price you see via the MLS listings are not the approved price that the bank will consider. There are times, where the bank has approved the price, but more then likely its a price the listing agent and seller have come up with.

2. Most people when obtaining a loan have 2 mortgages, so not only do you have to get approval from the 1st mortgage, but they must obtain approval for a second. Usually, when the first approves the sale, the second follows. There are times that the second does not approve, and requests that the buyer(s) come out of pocket to pay the remaining.

3. Low ball offers, aren’t taken seriously by the bank. If you have a listing that says, approved by the bank @ $350,000 then you make an offer @ $250,000 you will get no response or one that takes forever. Banks are already losing money from the short sale, so they aren’t going to lose even more with a low blow offer.

4. Don’t have your heart set on a short sale. Short sales are a very long process, which is opposite of their name “SHORT”. Usually short sales are taking 6-8 months to close. It can take up to 3 months to receive a response. In between that time, paperwork gets lost, communication is very hard and buyers walk away from deals they have already put money and time into.

5. The bank has all of the power when approving short sales. They will pick the most appealing offer. They look for highest and best, sometimes they want the largest down payment, or they won’t even bother with a buyer who is getting financed.

6. Agents can only fax all paperwork into the negotiator who is assigned to your file. Agents can’t email or call about their deals, in most cases, banks want faxes only. They will not accept any other forms of communications. In this day and time that makes communicating very difficult.

7. Repairs are very hard to get done with a short sale. If you see a house and you want repairs done after your inspection period, you should consider doing the repairs yourself, or make an offer on a foreclosure property where they sometimes do repairs.

8. Once you get approval from the bank, you must close on time. There is very little room to negotiate the closing date. If the bank says we close on May 1, then you close on May 1. If that doesn’t work for you then the banks will move on to another contract. Also, once you get approval from the bank, you can’t decide that the bank has taken forever to respond to you, so I will wait to respond to them. Banks don’t wait around for you to respond, they will move on to the next offer.

9. Make sure you stay on top of everything during the process. When emails are sent to one person copy everyone, your loan representative, title, listing agent, your husband and or wife, EVERYONE. Communication is key during this process. If someone is left out of the loop then they can be two steps behind everyone else.

10. Make sure you know what you are getting into and understand the waiting process. If you are in a rush to purchase something or if you want something that is less hassel, then short sales are not for you. You really need to be able to wait out the banks. Buyers are sometimes left high and dry and the banks aren’t held responsible for not meeting deadlines, keeping track of paperwork and communicating during the process.

All in all short sales can be good buys, but the process finds buyers struggling what to do during the wait process. If you find you have more questions or concerns and want to discuss this further, please contact me directly Rachel Anderson 480-309-7968 or rachel@phoenixpowersearch.com