Weekend Warrior | August 3 - August 4, 2024

Greetings, Weekend Warriors! 

Phew...This feels like the longest week of the month and we're only a few days in! We saw some BIG changes in the real estate industry this week and you probably saw a LOT of news coverage that to be honest, mostly made NO sense to us. These radio and tv outlets have made some pretty wild claims about what has and hasn't changed for home shoppers - and as usual, there's a lot of click bait built into their headlines.   

This week, we saw changes that mostly centered around increased transparency with buyer and seller clients and the requirement to have an employment agreement signed with a buyer’s agent prior to viewing property. The employment agreement has lots of different options in it and puts you in the driver seat when choosing your agent whether you are buying or selling a home. When it comes to selling, there are some new ways for you to articulate the concessions you are willing to offer and lots is being left up to the offer process, which we think is a good thing for our clients! 

Our buyer and seller strategy sessions remain some of the most comprehensive in the industry, in fact - we've been doing it this way for a long time. We sit down, we cover your needs and wants, we talk logistics and how it is all going to come together, and we share with you a little bit about how we work....and then we get to work. We are confident that clients of the Amy Jones Group will continue to be some of the most prepared consumers stepping out in the real estate market.

As always, we strive to serve you through education and empowerment - on all things real estate and community.  If you have any questions or concerns about what you've seen in the news lately, our calendars are ALWAYS open to sit down and chat about how these events will impact your home search. With Summer winding down and the kids getting back to school, be sure to take a peek at what we've got coming up next including a Fall Movie event you are not going to want to miss!

Summer is Coming to a Close...

The Case-Shiller® Home Price Index® numbers are out this week covering the period from March to May of 2024, so keep in mind - the release of this data comes a good three months after most of these homes closed. If we look at the month over month changes though, the Valley is showing a rise of just about a 1/2 percent putting us in the top 15 nationwide for year over year price improvement at about 4.5%. 

If we were to look back at our average interest rate over that time we’d be certainly sitting higher than we are today which makes me wonder, could it be possible that prices will rise even faster once interest rates drop and that it might not even take all that much of a drop for them to pick up the pace? While we can’t guarantee the rate at which that might happen we can absolutely make a correlation between the number of people shopping and lower interest rates and the number of people shopping and prices - more competition from more people will most certainly push those prices up. 

Thinking about your cash to close and remembering that includes the cost of securing money through a lender, the cost of obtaining a clear title and the transfer of title and the cost of having a fiduciary represent you through the entire process - the question remains, what impact to your purchasing power would an increased sales prices have on your bottom line?

As we wait patiently for numbers to come out from the closing of our first month of the traditionally slowest quarter in Arizona real estate, we’re seeing 2 cities showing an increase in their index over the last month meaning that the gap between available homes and ready, willing and able buyers is growing with an emphasis on decreased inventory. 

Sellers are still facing the challenges of proximity to new builds with clearly posted concessions to buyers agents, a greater level of inventory and options, and killer rates - but for many, they are building on the outside of their comunities first and I know of at least a dozen buyers who are either going to wait it out until they get to the interior lots or end up going resale. 

I’m curious, when was the last time you bought a home in the Arizona real estate market and what do you remember most about the process? I’d love to hear what sticks out for you and share with you what might have changed since then that could possible give you a leg up.

These homes went quickly and we've got the stories to tell! From downsizing and moving closer to family to relocating out of state for a new job, you never know when life is going to pop up with a plan of its own! The good news is that we've helped thousands of families just like yours through all kinds of moves BIG and small and we've got the resource list to back up your next move. From movers to painters to remote signers and everything in between prep day and closing day - we've got you covered. Our team excels at the communication and negotiation needed to navigate a balanced market - want to know the three biggest things we see getting in the way of closing day? Message us and we'll give you the details as well as a custom property evaluation report to give you an idea of where you stand with equity. 

Calendar of Events - Drives, Donations, Volunteer Days, and More!

We just finished our school supply drive for Community Bridges and it was absolutely incredible. We are so grateful to all of you that donated, spread the word, and joined us in packing backpacks for some very special students in Mesa as they headed back to school this week. As we close out the summer months including our water drive for Cultivate Goodness, we've already started to look ahead and have two more opportunities for you to join us in giving back. As part of our upcoming movie event, we'll be collecting donations for Hands on Greater Phoenix,  a nonprofit volunteer management organization that connects volunteers with community needs. We'll be looking for items that they can use for their Fall service projects including canvas bags, journals, mural brushes, fabric markers, regular markers, laminate sheets, cardstock, velcro, rulers, and stickers. Message us for the Amazon link and watch for more details on this fun September donation drive and a save the date for our September Volunteer Event at the Welcome to America Project in Tempe on September 12th from 10am to 1pm. 

We're All Settled In!

We just wrapped up our move from Stearman Drive in Chandler to the Expansive complex just down the road and have loved seeing some of you stop by this past week! We were able to meet with a family relocating to the area at our office and help one of our buyers get some boxes for their big move - a gift from one of our clients who just closed - a perfect match! Our new office address is 1820 E Ray Road Suite C4 in Chandler's 85225 zip code! We love our new set up and will be having a few open houses once the weather cools down a bit but in the meantime, just let us know if you'll be in the are and we'll make you a cup of coffee!

Welcome to the highly sought after amenity rich Alamar community of Avondale, Arizona. This single level 2335sf David Weekley Home is show ready with 3 bedrooms, a double door office, spacious kitchen and greatroom, and a professionally landscaped backyard with growing trees & a covered patio to enjoy Arizona sunsets year round with no neighbors behind. No need to wait 10-12 months to build the popular Cedarcrest floorplan new when this extremely lightly lived in home is ready for you today! This Avondale neighborhood is spread over 1,150 acres, including dozens of parks, miles of trails, and expanses of recreation space including a neighborhood pool, dog parks, sport fields & courts, outdoor gathering venues, events & more right in your backyard, Alamar is more than a place to live - It's a lifestyle!

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