Weekend Warrior | August 28-30, 2026

 ☀️🏡SOLD! Under Contract the First Weekend on Market!☀️🏡

 Weekend Warrior: And Just Like That...We're Moving Again 🏡

It feels like someone flipped the switch this week.

Mortgage applications are up, our calendars are stacking, we’re getting close on a few contracts before we even hit the weekend, and we’ve been busy behind the scenes prepping some really great new listings — including one coming soon on the Tempe/Chandler border with a HUGE pie-shaped lot tucked at the end of a cul-de-sac. 👀

But as usual, the real estate is only part of what’s happening around here.

This week we got a tour of the new Gilbert Advocacy Center, an organization we’re proud to financially support and one we’re excited to bring you more volunteer opportunities with in the future. First up, though, we’ve got an SOS for THIS Wednesday: ICAN needs volunteers for their Me & My Family Night, and many of you Weekend Warriors have jumped in to help with these nights before. If you’ve been looking for an easy way to get involved locally, this is a good one.

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Curious What a Zillow Showcase Listing Looks Like? Check This One Out...

A Zillow Showcase listing gives a home a more premium presentation on Zillow, with enhanced visuals like high-quality photography, video, interactive floor plans, and a more immersive listing experience designed to help the property stand out. At the Amy Jones Group, that premium placement matters because buyers are often deciding which homes to click on before they ever schedule a showing. The more attention, engagement, and time we can earn online, the better chance we have to turn that interest into showings, offers, and ultimately the strongest possible outcome for our sellers.

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We also closed on a brand-new home for a family right here in Gilbert and then got to turn around and partner with her local business. Those are some of our favorite full-circle moments — helping someone find their community and then getting to support what they’re building inside of it.

And speaking of community, Verde events are FINALLY back next month and we cannot wait. Add that to new listings, closings, contracts, volunteering, local businesses and everything happening around the Valley, and there is no shortage of ways to get out there this weekend.

So much to do. So many ways to build community — and so many places to find your next one.

Let us do it with you. ❤️

 Our Homeownership Education Portal Is Live

One of the biggest misconceptions about buying a home is that you have to have everything figured out before you reach out to a real estate agent. The truth is, most people don't know where to start - and that's exactly why we created this resource. We're excited to announce our new partnership with FirstHomeIQ, bringing a complete Homeownership Education Portal to the Amy Jones Group website. Whether you're dreaming about buying your very first home, wondering how much you should save, trying to understand credit and financing, or simply curious about how the process works, you'll now have access to trusted, easy-to-understand education all in one place.

We believe buying a home shouldn't feel intimidating. It should feel empowering. The more you understand the process, the more confident you'll be when it's time to make one of the biggest financial decisions of your life. The portal is designed to let you learn at your own pace with articles, videos, calculators, and educational tools that answer the questions most buyers have long before they're ready to tour homes. Even if buying is still a year - or a few years - away, it's never too early to start building your knowledge. Of course, education is only one piece of the puzzle. Every family's goals, finances, and timeline are different, which is why we're always happy to sit down, answer questions, and help you create a plan that's personalized to you. Think of the portal as your foundation—and our team as your guide whenever you're ready for the next step.

Whether you're a first-time buyer, planning your next move, helping an adult child prepare for homeownership, or simply curious about what's possible, we invite you to explore the new Homeownership Education Portal. Because informed buyers make confident homeowners - and that's exactly what we want for every client we serve. 💛

📊Market Watch: The Opportunity Is in the Details

The Greater Phoenix market is still sitting in a mild buyer’s market overall, but at this point that label may be one of the least interesting things about the data. Depending on where you’re looking, what price point you’re shopping in and whether you’re buying resale or new construction, your experience can look completely different from the Valley-wide headline.

As of mid-August, active inventory is essentially unchanged from this time last year at about 23,600 homes, while the median sales price continues to hover around $450,000. Closed sales are slightly ahead of last year, even with listings under contract down about 4.7%, and the median home is taking roughly 47 days to receive an accepted contract. That generally means buyers have more breathing room than they did during the frenzy years, but we’re also starting to see a little movement in the other direction. The average Cromford Market Index is up 1.2% from last month, with 10 Valley cities currently moving in a direction that favors sellers and eight moving toward buyers.

And that’s where the geography really matters. Much of the seller-friendly movement is coming from the Northeast Valley, where higher-end demand remains stronger and summer inventory is traditionally lighter. The Southeast Valley has also started to show some modest improvement after a weaker stretch, while Phoenix, Pinal County and much of the West Valley continue to give buyers more leverage. In other words, there isn’t really one “Phoenix market” right now. There are a lot of smaller markets operating at the same time.

🏡 Buyers: Don't Assume the Sticker Price Is the Deal

Affordability continues to dominate the conversation, especially for first-time buyers, but looking only at the Valley-wide median price can give you the wrong impression about what is actually available. The median single-family home sold so far this year is about 2,001 square feet at $450,000, which is larger than many first-time buyers actually need. Once you start shopping below that median—or looking in areas where sellers have more competition—the opportunities can look very different.

New construction is still one of the clearest examples. Builders continue to offer significant incentives, including closing-cost assistance, rate buydowns and financing packages designed to move standing inventory. But an incentive isn’t automatically the same thing as a good deal.

One of our agents worked through exactly this with a buyer recently. Instead of automatically taking the builder’s advertised incentive package, they asked what the cash price would look like without those incentives baked into the deal, brought in the buyer’s own lender, compared the options side by side and ultimately closed at a price that gave the buyer equity on day one.

That’s why we don’t want buyers shopping from the flyer. The better question isn’t simply, “What incentive are they offering?” It’s, “What combination of purchase price, financing, concessions and long-term monthly payment gives me the best overall outcome?”

And resale sellers are negotiating too. In the $300,000–$400,000 range, 70% of sellers over the last three months contributed toward buyers’ closing costs, with a median contribution of $10,485—often including some form of mortgage-rate buydown. Add in the fact that six Valley cities are currently classified as buyer’s markets and several West Valley and Pinal communities are still moving further in that direction, and buyers who understand where their leverage is may have considerably more options than the headlines suggest.

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Is It Too Late to Sell Your Home This Summer?

By late July, it’s easy to assume the main selling season has come and gone. Spring listings have closed, school calendars are back on the refrigerator, and fall no longer feels far away. If selling has been on your mind, waiting until next year can start to sound like the sensible choice for your household and plans, but the calendar alone shouldn’t make that decision for you, especially here in the Valley.

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 ...Continued from above

...Continued from above

Today's market isn't asking buyers or sellers to move faster. It's asking them to prepare better. Buyers can negotiate—but the best deal may not be the one with the biggest advertised incentive. Veterans may have new benefits that materially change their cost of owning a home. Sellers have an opportunity right now to prepare thoughtfully before fall inventory begins increasing rather than rushing to catch up once everyone else decides to list. There is opportunity in this market for almost everyone. The trick is knowing which opportunity is yours—and building the strategy early enough to actually use it.

Elevating the Luxury Real Estate Experience

Luxury real estate is about much more than a home with a higher price tag. It's about thoughtful representation, strategic marketing, trusted relationships, and understanding that every client's definition of luxury is different. That's why we've expanded the luxury resources on the Amy Jones Group website—to give buyers and sellers a place to explore not only Arizona's exceptional properties, but also the expertise, global connections, and personalized service that make a difference when navigating the luxury market.

As members of the Luxury Real Estate network, our clients benefit from far more than a designation behind our name. Sellers gain access to one of the world's largest luxury real estate platforms, connecting their home to qualified buyers both locally and around the globe. Buyers gain access to an extensive network of luxury professionals, exclusive opportunities, and experienced guidance throughout every step of their search. Combined with more than two decades of experience serving the Phoenix metro area, these relationships allow us to deliver local expertise backed by international reach.

Whether you're considering the sale of a luxury property, searching for your next home, relocating to Arizona, or simply exploring what's available in our market, we invite you to browse our Luxury Real Estate resources. Our goal has never been to impress clients with credentials alone. It's to show how those relationships, designations, and partnerships translate into better marketing, stronger representation, broader exposure, and an elevated experience from beginning to end. 💛

One of our favorite parts of pictures like these is getting to look back at all the ways this community continues to show up for one another. 💛 Just last week, more than 50 local business owners joined us for our quarterly Business Mixer, where we packed 50 Confidence Kits for distribution to local schools, nonprofits, and group homes—and together raised more than $700 for our Rhinestone Ranch project with Branching Out. That project is where so much of our heart is focused right now as we help transform four bedrooms inside an East Valley home for girls who have experienced exploitation into spaces that feel safe, comfortable, beautiful, and truly theirs. There are opportunities to purchase specific items for the home or make a donation toward everything from bedding to an entire room, and every single contribution gets us closer to welcoming these girls home. 💛

And there are plenty of ways to simply get together, too! Our Verde events are back with Movie Nights, Tuesday Play Dates, and the Girls’ Night Out series—including Pilates & Prosecco coming up in September. We’ve got fliers and details for all of the upcoming events below, so save a few dates, grab a friend, bring the kiddos, or find the project that speaks to you. Around here, community isn’t a side project—it’s woven into everything we do, whether we’re serving together, doing business together, or just creating an excuse to spend time with the people we love. And as always, we’d love to know what local charities and causes matter most to you. Tag us when you share their needs so we can continue finding ways to connect this incredible community with opportunities to show up. 💛

We’ll be sharing more behind-the-scenes, event updates, and ways to get involved over the next few weeks - so if you’re not already following along on Instagram, that’s the best place to stay connected and see it all unfold in real time. 💛

Around here, events aren’t just things to attend - they’re how we build relationships, strengthen families, and create lasting memories together. If you’re looking for a way to plug in, serve, or simply spend time with great people, there truly is something for everyone this season. 💛

Weekend Events