October 7-8, 2023

Welcome back Weekend Warriors! This weekend has brought some WIND which in Arizona is equivalent to the beginning of Fall this time of year. It's deceptively cool outside those windows and we're here for it! We sent out some cute BOO bags this month to some of our local neighborhoods and its been so fun to see the posts of how they've traveled around. If you are looking for a fun BOO bag idea, text BOO to 480-250-3857 and we'll send you our template and a few goodie ideas! In the meantime, the calendar is filling up with a TON of events - we've got our calendar packed with Open Houses and first time home buyer seminars, trainings for our agents, volunteer opportunities for our community and so, so much more. But we're not the only ones with the full calendars - have you bought your tickets for the Pumpkin & Chilli Festival or the Vertuccio Farms Fall Festival yet? This is our favorite time of year for so many reasons! 

But, before we get too ahead of ourselves - we should also mention that we are definitely starting to see an increase in questions about "is now a good time to..." fill in the blank with YOUR next real estate move - somewhere between Labor Day and Halloween and just before the holidays really get underway is pretty typical. Sometimes it's about buying a house and moving out of a rental and other times its about putting your home on the market because you really just CANNOT keep working at that desk in the closet. This year, the questions have centered more around interest rates and how to buy those down, what kind of help is out there for down payments and closing costs and HOW to buy a house right now when so much of your money is tied up in the house that you have. Of course we're also getting, "Our house doesn't work for us anymore but I'm not giving up my low payment and rate" and our answer is, you probably shouldn't. Interest rates have been challenging but there are options - and most people want to know what they are.  

So if that sounds like you, then call us! We want to know what questions you have, what's keeping you up at night, and how we can help. In this week's edition of Weekend Warrior, we've brought you OUR take on the real estate market - so check it out and ASK away! But don't worry, we've also got some really fun events we've got coming up including a BIG way to give back in October , something fun we've been cooking up for Halloween, and so much more! Oh, and did we mention The Amy Jones Group is GROWING? Some of our best team members have come as referrals from people YOU KNOW so if you've got a real estate professional in YOUR life that would love to partner with us, can you do me a favor and send them our way? We so appreciate you!

Last year buyers and sellers had a hard time wrapping their head around the health of the market with falling prices - however those who bought, have equity in their home ranging from 5-10% today already covering their purchase costs and move-in expenses. As we shifted into 2023, the concern became increasing prices and the potential loss of concessions -  but even those buyers who bought, have equity in their home ranging from 3-5% today still covering their purchase costs. 

So how do you know if it’s a good time to make a move? I’d say, if you can afford the monthly payment of the house that suits your needs and it solves a problem for you - could be getting out of a rental and starting to build equity of your own, could be your house doesn’t serve you post-covid and trying to time the market has proven costly, could be that a job change or life change necessitates it, or it could be that you are sitting on a savings account of equity and want to move money around to change your overall monthly expenses. Paying 7 or even 8% interest on your mortgage doesn’t seem so bad if you use some of your equity to pay down those 20-25% interest rate credit cards. Your mortgage payment is only part of your overall monthly budget but it is an important one.  

Listen in as we start there and work backwards and don't miss our Gilbert Sun News article for more on our take. Want even more market news? Stay tuned to our Facebook and Instagram where we provide real estate updates every Monday and Friday and if you are really wondering what these changes mean for YOU, click the link below to book a strategy call with one of our team members and let's get to work!  

Community on Purpose and the Amy Jones Group will be partnering with eXp Extend a Hand's annual day of service this week on Tuesday, October 10th from 8:30am - Noon with nearly 100 volunteers at Chandler-based nonprofit AZCEND. In partnership with several local companies who have provided paint supplies, a muralist, gardening tools and plants, sand for a sandbox and so much more we'll be painting their education center, organizing the food bank, sprucing up their outdoor landscape and garden, putting together snack kits and birthday cards for the senior center and more! You can still Sign Up Here to volunteer (all ages welcome!) or help support the event by providing some of the donations the center has requested. If you aren't able to make it but looking for a way to give back this holiday season, join us as a volunteer or a drive through participant at the Haunted Car Wash later this month or at Flourish in the Community in November where we'll be volunteering at ICAN in Chandler. There are so many exciting opportunities to serve this holiday season - sign up and stay tuned for more to come!

Flourish is a two day women's conference centered around the whole woman and focusing on Financial, Business, Parenting, Marriage, Health and Spiritual fulfillment. Learn from dozens of speakers over the two day period or join us just for the community service project kick off, Flourish in the Community. Details regarding the event, sponsors, ticket prices, and of course how you can get involved for FREE are found at www.theflourishevent.com.

The Women in Leadership event was a massive success with more than 60 women in attendance at Parlay Kitchen and Cocktails in Chandler on September 1st. Heading into the weekend, these women got to hear from C. Renee Mangum on the power of confidence, your personal brand, and knowing your UNIQUE self in order to step into your BEST self. The breakfast was amazing, the networking and company was powerful, and we're gearing up for our LAST one of the season on December 1st with a fashion show benefitting AZCEND Community Center in Downtown Chandler. If you haven't gotten your tickets yet, this one WILL sell out so be sure to REGISTER today! 

😲 In Case You Missed It!