2 New Communities Coming to the Phoenix Metro Area by Mattamy

There are 2 new communities coming to the Phoenix metro area!!

The first new home subdivision is in Chandler / Tempe called Rhythm. This new development in Chandler / Tempe has sparked a lot of interest and is scheduled to open in the fall of 2016. The second subdivision is called Encore at North Shore in Gilbert on McQueen South of Elliot, this is also scheduled to open late fall of 2016. The Encore at North Shore will feature all new home designs not used in any of the other Mattamy Homes subdivision and it also is a gated community. Currently the designs are in the final stages of city approval.

 Mattamy Homes is the builder of these two subdivisions and they are out of Canada and they have currently 11 subdivision including the popular Eastmark in East Mesa under construction or completed in the valley of the sun. Mattamy Homes also has plans to start construction on 6 more locations including the two mentioned above.

As more information becomes available, I will post it here on my blog. If you are interested in see homes for sale in the Phoenix metro area, click on the link below.

http://www.leeehrkesellsazhomes.com/

Why You Should Be Excited About the Housing Market

Why You Should Be Excited About the Housing Market

 

If you are in the market to buy or sell real estate, click on the link below:

 http://www.leeehrkesellsazhomes.com/sell/

 What an amazing year 2015 was for home sellers, and 2016 promises to be even better. By December of 2015, with 5.26 million sales, we had seen a more robust housing market than we've seen since 2006. In fact, as of early 2016, America's housing market had spent 43 consecutive months as a seller's market. Lawrence Yun, the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) chief economist chalks up the heavy sales volume to "the prospect of higher mortgage rates in coming months and warm November and December weather."

Get Very Excited if You Plan to Sell Your Home This Year
The combination of high demand for homes and shrinking inventories produces a seller's market and typically signals rising home prices. While many forecasters expect home prices to continue rising this year, they caution that they won't climb as quickly or as much as they did last year. "The NAR is calling for a 4.4 percent increase in existing home prices this year and 3.4 percent in 2017; other economists and strategists also put 2016 price growth in the 4 percent to 5 percent range," claims NAR's Adam DeSanctis.

In addition, inventories of available homes rose slightly last month. Whether or not this signals a trend toward a more balanced housing market remains to be seen. So, yes - although it sounds trite - the best time to sell your home is right now, while inventory is still low. If you will be selling a home priced in the low-to-middle price tier for your market, expect it to go quickly and for top dollar. You will have little competition and the demand in this price range is strong, according to Shu Chen of CoreLogic.

While this type of market makes it easy for home sellers to become complacent, if you expect to get top dollar for your home and want it to sell quickly, do the work required to ensure that it's in move-in condition.

Buying a Home This Year?
While it may seem like there isn't a whole lot for homebuyers to get excited about this year, there is one bonus for you: low interest rates. In fact, according to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey, 30-year mortgage rates fell in April 2016 to an average of 3.59 percent across the country, down from 3.65 percent the same time last year.

Combine the low rates with more relaxed lending guidelines and there is definitely good news for the 2016 homebuyer. Lower mortgage rates mean a lower monthly payment, which means you have more purchasing power, and that additional power can "mean the difference between buying a 2-bedroom home versus a 3-bedroom one; between buying a home with large closets versus small closets; and, between buying an upgraded home versus a dated one," according to Dan Green at The Mortgage Reports.

Another reason to get excited: It appears that those deep-pocketed investors who pay all cash for homes have left the market. Last year, 33.9 percent of all home sales were to cash buyers, the lowest rate since 2008, according to Molly Boesel with CoreLogic. While there is still plenty of competition out there from other homebuyers for homes in good locations and in decent condition, the playing field is a bit more level.

Yes, there is still a lot of competition from other homebuyers. This makes it more important than ever to have all your ducks in a row before making an offer on a property. Ensure you know exactly how much you can spend and that you've obtained a preapproval letter from your lender. Make your offer stand out from the others by keeping it lean and mean, with the shortest time periods for contingencies as possible. While we're still in a seller's market, come in with your highest and best offer. The market moves too quickly right now to assume the seller will negotiate over price.

Finally, if you've been sitting on the fence waiting for prices to come down, jump off. Home prices are currently rising twice as quickly as incomes, and it doesn't appear the situation will change in the near future.

5 Tips for Buying a Home

Looking to buy a home? Here are five essential tips for making the process as smooth as possible.
Get your finances in order.
Start by getting a full picture of your credit. Obtain copies of your credit report. Make sure the facts are correct, and fix any problems you find. Next, find a suitable lender and get pre-approved for a loan. This will put you in a better position to make a serious offer when you do find the right house.
Find a house you can afford.
As with engagement rings, there’s a general rule of thumb when it comes to buying a home: two-and-a-half times your annual salary. There are also a number of tools and calculators online that can help you understand how your income, debt, and expenses affect what you can afford. Don’t forget, too, that there are lots of considerations beyond the sticker price, including property taxes, energy costs, etc.
Hire a professional.
While the Internet gives buyers unprecedented access to home listings and resources, many aspects of the buying process require a level of expertise you can’t pick up from surfing the web. That’s why you’re better off using a professional agent than going it alone. If possible, recruit an exclusive buyer agent, who will have your interests at heart and can help you with strategies during the bidding process.
Do your homework.
Before making a bid, do some research to determine the state of the market at large. Is it more favorable for sellers or buyers? Next, look at sales trends of similar homes in the area or neighborhood. Look at prices for the last few months. Come up with an asking price that’s competitive, but also realistic. Otherwise, you may end up ticking off your seller.
Think long term.
Obviously, you shouldn’t buy unless you’re sure you’ll be staying put for at least a few years. Beyond that, you should buy in a neighborhood with good schools. Whether you have children or not, this will have an impact on your new home’s resale value down the line. When it comes to the house itself, you should hire your own home inspector, who can point out potential problems that could require costly repairs in the future.

To start your home search now, go to http://lee-ehrke.kw.com/

3 Tips for a Higher Home Appraisal

Jun 15, 2016

Category: Selling

It may seem that homebuyers and sellers don't agree on much, but they share one important concern: that the transaction is successful. This comradery is never more evident than during the appraisal process. It's only natural, since the results of the appraisal can send the deal spiraling out of control.

Appraisers take into account many factors when determining the worth of a home. While some of these, such as location, can't be helped, there are things a homeowner can do to ensure that the home is appraised for maximum value.

1. Information is King
Appraisers don't spend a lot of time in the home. In fact, Brian Coester, chief executive of appraisal firm CoesterVMS, tells CNBC that the interior inspection typically takes 30 minutes or less.

"After inspecting thousands of homes, it does become quite easy to quickly assess the amenities in a home," reiterates Ryan Lundquist on Sacramento Appraisal Blog. That isn't much time to make a good first impression, so line up those ducks in advance of the appraiser's visit. The first one should be a packet of information that you can hand the appraiser as he or she speeds out the door after the inspection. This packet should contain not only the basics about your home but anything that will help back up the buyer's offer.

Include a fact sheet about the home with the address, the year the home was built, the square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and the size of the lot. Also include a listing of recent sales in the area, especially if you know of any for-sale-by-owner homes that have sold or homes that sold for less than they should have for any reason. For example, a home may have been sold to a relative, or the owners may have sold quickly to take a job out of town. Yes, the appraiser has access to recent home sales, but there's always a chance he or she may miss something.

Create a list of any improvements you've made to the home. List them by date and include contact information for the contractor who did the work.

2. If It's Broken, Fix It
The appraiser will assign the home with what is known in the business as an "effective age."

It's largely based on the condition of the home and how well it has been maintained. This age may be older or younger than its actual age. "Say you have a cracked window, thread-bare carpet, some tiles falling off the shower surround, vinyl torn in the laundry room, and the dog ate the corner of the fireplace hearth, these items could still add up to an overall average condition rating as the home is still habitable, however your effective age will be higher resulting in comparables being utilized which will have the same effective age and resulting lower value," Doreen Zimmerman, an appraiser in Paradise, California, tells the Wall Street Journal.

Fix anything that will age the home in the eyes of the appraiser.

3. Give the Home a Quick Cleaning
Most appraisers will tell you that it doesn't matter if your home is clean or dirty - it has no bearing on its value. We, on the other hand, know how illusions can sell, and if a clean house gives the illusion that the home has been well-maintained, what harm can it do to clean it before the appraiser's arrival? I don't know about you, but before I trade in a car at the dealership, I give it a good cleaning.

"Things like overgrown landscaping, soiled carpeting, marks on walls - those do affect value and are part of the property's overall condition rating," Dean Zibas, of Zibas Appraisal in San Clemente, California, tells the Wall Street Journal.

While some things impact a home's value more than others, the bottom line is that the process can vary by appraiser. Anything you can do in the three areas listed above has the potential to streamline the appraisal process and increase the value of your home. Plus, going through these steps prior to listing your home will only help increase the number of potential buyers. And ultimately, selling your home is what it's all about.

For a free Personalized Estimate of your home's value, contact The Ehrke Team at:
 http://www.leeehrkesellsazhomes.com/sell/
 
Provide By: Market Leader

Tips for Growing an Herb Garden

Tips for Growing an Herb Garden

Herbs are some of the easiest, most versatile and useful plants to grow. If you're going to start a garden for the first time, try growing herbs. Many of them grow with very little care, and if you live in a condominium or townhome with limited space, herbs can easily be grown in containers. Whether you've got acres of land or just a few pots on a patio, here are a few tips for growing a successful herb garden.

Tip #1: Grow Herbs You'll Eat

There's no sense in growing herbs you won't eat. Do you enjoy a nice caprese salad of tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil? Do you like your mojito with plenty of mint? What about pan-fried potatoes with garlic and rosemary, or lentils simmered in broth with a few thyme sprigs? Think about your favorite recipes. List the herbs used in each, and grow the herbs you will eat.

Tip #2: Prepare the Soil to Grow Your Herb Garden

Although most herbs will tolerate dry, rocky soils, it is best to grow herbs in a dark, crumbly, fertile soil that has plenty of organic matter and good drainage. One of the best tips for growing an herb garden is to work in plenty of compost, worm castings, and fertilizer before planting. By preparing the soil, you'll give your herb garden the best possible chances for success.

Tip #3: Understand Each Herb's Need for Water

Many herbs, such as bay and lemon balm, produce the most intense flavors in poor, dry soils. However, each herb is different. Some herbs, like mint and catnip, for example, grow best in moist soils. Novice gardeners often think that more water is better. If a plant looks like it's struggling, just add water, right? Unfortunately, no. Each herb has different needs for water, and if you water some herbs too much, you will cause them to rot at the roots and die. Most garden plants need an average of one inch of water per week. Some will need more, some less. If you take the time to research the herbs you're going to grow, you'll know where you need more or less water.

Tip #4: Group Herbs with Similar Growing Requirements

Once you have a list of herbs you wish to plant in your herb garden, sort through the list and group them according to their sunlight and water needs. Plant the herbs that need a dry, sunny site in an appropriate area of the garden, and group the herbs that need moist, shady sites in an area with the proper conditions. This will give the herbs the light they need and make watering easier.

In a sunny site you might plant basil, chives, oregano, dill, rosemary, sage, tarragon, and thyme. In a shady site, try planting any of the mints, wild ginger, nettle, parsley, catnip, sweet cicely, and monarda.

Tip #5: Create a Garden Design That Works With Your Style

Herbs have been cultivated for thousands of years, as far back as ancient Egypt and ancient Rome, in monastery cloisters, knot gardens, and parterres. They can be as simple or complex as you want to make them. If you only have a tiny space on a patio, use a strawberry pot and plant each pocket with a different herb. In a grouping of pots, you can plant several herbs and easily grow the most common herbs used in cooking. If you have a townhouse and are limited to a small planting bed area, nestle a few herbs among shrubs and perennials. These informal solutions are great for small spaces.

If you have more space, you can create an herb garden that is as formal or informal as you like. If formal is your style, consider a classic knot garden design. The layout can be a square, rectangle or symmetrical arrangement of geometrical shapes with low, clipped herb borders and straight lines. Lavender and tightly clipped box hedges can serve as borders, and bay trees can be clipped into topiary shapes.

No matter what your style, you can grow an herb garden.