Real Estate Information Archive

Cute. Cozy. Charming. Almost 1200 square feet of comfy living await you at 3635 E. Montezuma Ave. Comprised of 3-beds and 2-baths, a spacious living area, kitchen, breakfast nook and interior laundry room. The exterior offers a fenced, grass backyard with a large, covered deck, plus a spacious shed complete with electricity. The home offers some energy saving features also, such as a solar fan in the attic that automatically turns on when the temperature reaches 80-degrees, to disperse the heat of those warm, Arizona summer afternoons, as well as a radiant barrier in the rafters, and the back of the home is south-oriented for a possible solar option. The HVAC has been recently inspected and given a clean bill of health, and the entire home has been recently rodent proofed. All of the above is situated on .21-acres and was built in 2003. To see additional pictures and view the virtual tour, please visit www.3635Montezuma.com

MLS # 518301. Priced at $234,500

Every morning, it’s the same thing. You get out of bed, take a shower, burn the toast and then curse the smoke detector. Although its singing the song of its people can be incredibly loud and awful to hear, the truth is that smoke detectors save lives. So, while your smoke detector may sing way off tune, it’s trying very hard to protect you and your family from smoke- and fire-related hazards, like your morning toast.

It’s time to check your smoke detector batteries yet again — and to learn more about those white pucks that hang out on the ceiling. Meet Your Friendly Neighborhood Smoke Detector.  Every single day, your smoke alarms hang around next to the ceiling, just waiting for something to go wrong. They don’t ask for much, which is why most people tend to forget they even exist. But the job they do is vital to the safety and security of not only you and your family, but the families that neighbor you. You’ve heard it a hundred times: check your smoke detector batteries. Check those batteries! Hey, by the way, have you checked your smoke alarm batteries? But for most people, that’s as intimate as they ever get with these clever devices.

Here are some things to know about smoke detectors:

1. Working smoke alarms give you additional escape time in the case of an actual fire. Thirty-eight percent of home fire deaths from 2009 to 2013 were do to a lack of functioning smoke alarms. In the homes that had smoke alarms that failed, 46 percent had missing or disconnected batteries.

2. Best places to install smoke alarms are in each bedroom, in halls outside of bedrooms and in every major living area. Why so many? Closed doors can slow the spread of smoke and living areas on upper or lower floors may have a significant blaze going before smoke is noticeable.

3. Interconnected smoke alarms are considered the safest option currently on the market. These alarms are connected to each other and often directly powered through your home’s electrical system, with a battery backup. When one detects smoke, they all go off. It can be annoying if you tend to burn the toast, but when it’s a real fire, all that noise will be a life saver.

4. Smoke detectors work in one of two different ways. One type, called an ionization detector because it uses electrically charged particles to detect smoke in the air, is faster to respond to flaming fires with small smoke particles. The other, known as a photoelectric detector, uses beams of light to check for smoke particles in the air. These are better for smouldering fires. Both will get the job done, though!

5. Most people don’t realize that smoke detectors need maintenance, too! You should check the battery monthly and use the bristle attachment on your vacuum to clean any debris off of your detector twice a year. You’ll also want to change the battery twice a year. Many people do this when they change their clocks for Daylight Savings Time.

6. Smart Smoke Detectors can save you money on insurance. It’s true! If your smoke detectors are connected via WiFi, they can call for help or send you a message about their status. Many insurance companies love these features, as they reduce the amount of damage insured homes suffer in case of a fire. Break out the cool new tech and reap the savings!

7. There are other, similar detectors on the market. While you’re shopping for smoke detectors, you may come across heat or carbon monoxide detectors. These units look very similar, but they function very differently. Heat detectors literally detect high heat, so aren’t very fast to respond in a residential setting. They’re best used in small, confined spaces. Carbon monoxide detectors, however, are very suitable for home use. They measure the amount of carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas created by combustion, in the air. If dangerous amounts are detected, you’ll know and be able to make your home safe again. Most homes use these in conjunction with smoke detectors.

When you put your home up for sale, one of the best ways to determine the asking price is to look at comparable sales. There’s rarely a perfect apples-to-apples comparison, so a pricing decision often relies on comparisons to several recent sales in the area. Here are five criteria to look for in a sales comparison.

1.  Location: Homes in the same neighborhood typically follow the same market trends. Comparing your home to another in the same neighborhood is a good start, but comparing it to homes on the same street or block is even better.

2.  Date of sale: It varies by location, but housing markets can see a ton of fluctuation in a short time period. It‘s best to use the most recent sales data available.

3.  Home build: Look for homes with similar architectural styles, numbers of bathrooms and bedrooms, square footage, and other basics.

4.  Features and upgrades: Remodeled bathrooms and kitchens can raise a home’s price, and so can less flashy upgrades like a new roof or HVAC system. Be sure to look for similar bells and whistles.

5.  Sale types: Homes that are sold as short sales or foreclosures are often in distress or sold at a lower price than they’d receive from a more typical sale. These homes are not as useful for comparisons.

The minute Seasons change, everyone in real estate starts justifying why “Now!” is the best time to sell your home. And when it comes to Fall, the main reason real estate agents give is because there are usually less houses on the market to compete with. Or, the buyers in the market are more “serious”.

To me, the best reason for selling in the Fall (or any other time of year for that matter) is because you need to. If you don’t need to sell…wait. Not until Spring. Wait until you need to. Wanting to sell your house isn’t a bad reason. However, selling a house is a pretty big decision, and too many homeowners put their homes on the market prematurely.

The problem with that?

Since they don’t “need” to sell, they often overprice their homes, which leads to their listing becoming “stale.” That leads to giving buyers the impression that something must be wrong with the house…and often selling for less than the house could have. “Need” is not always easy for a homeowner to pinpoint. Many homeowners will even say they don’t need to sell. But in my experience, if someone is even thinking about selling their house, there is usually a need. It’s just hard to put a finger on.

So, if you’ve been thinking about selling, but aren’t quite sure if you need to… …give me a ring, text or email and I’ll help you figure out if you truly do have a need, or if it makes sense for you to wait until Spring…or the Spring after…or the Spring after that.

If you are thinking of selling, but not just yet, we have a great booklet that we can send you, at no charge, hassle or obligation, entitled “How To Prepare Your House For Sale.” Just let me know if you’d like it, and it’s yours!

But if you do need to sell, the Fall is certainly a fine time to sell. (And yes, you are still able to get the same booklet as mentioned above)! ;-)

If you’re thinking about selling your home, the time to make the move is NOW. According to Realtor.com’s recent Housing Shortage Report, the US is experiencing its most severe inventory shortage in twenty years. And a recent Trulia report found that home inventory dropped a whopping 10.5% in Q4 of 2017—the biggest drop the market has experienced since mid-2013. In addition, the Trulia report found that homes across all categories—starters, trade-ups, and premium—are the most unaffordable they’ve been since Trulia started tracking the data. And while this is bad news for people looking to buy a home, it’s great news if you’re looking to sell. Low inventory is creating competition for homes across the nation, and that competition is driving up prices, making it an ideal climate for sellers.

The Takeaway This competition and low inventory isn’t going to last forever; in a recent article, economics experts from Realtor.com predict house inventory to start increasing towards the second half of 2018 (largely due to new construction). If you’re thinking about selling, now is the time to act.

Thanks to historically low inventory and an extremely competitive market, home prices across the nation have been steadily rising in recent years. And according to expert predictions, it doesn’t look like that trend is going to change in 2018. According to CoreLogic’s recent Home Price Insights report, home prices are expected to increase by 4.3% in 2018. While that’s less than the 2016-2017’s year-over-year change, which came in at 6.3%, it’s still a significant increase. If you purchased a home for $200,000 today, that same home is projected to cost you an additional $8,600 by the end of the year. Homes have steadily been getting more expensive, and they’re just going to continue to get more expensive in the upcoming year. Buying at the start of 2018 can save you thousands (even tens of thousands) of dollars vs. waiting until the end of the year to make a purchase.

The Takeaway If you’re thinking about buying a home in 2018, talk to your real estate agent and start looking at properties before prices start to spike.

3/17/17 – 3/17/18 (Sedona):

Total Closed Sales: Up 19% from 186 to 221 from this time last year, and up 6% from Dec. ‘17

Median Recorded Sale Price: Up 7% from $490K to $523,500 from this time last year, and up 1% from Dec. ‘17

Price Per Square Foot: Up 1% from 248 to 251 from this time last year, and up 1% from Dec. ‘17

Days On Market: No change; stayed at an average of 147 days. However, this figure is up slightly, 2%, from Dec. ‘17

3/17/17 – 3/17/18 (Cottonwood):

Total Closed Sales: Up 5% from 325 to 342 from this time last year, and up 3% from Dec. ‘17

Median Recorded Sale Price: Up 12% from $200K to $223K from this time last year. However, this is a slight dip from Dec. ’17, down about 1%

Price Per Square Foot: Up 9% from 134 to 146 from this time last year, and up 2% from Dec. ‘17

Days On Market: We are seeing a 10% increase in the time a house sits on the market, from 107 days on average to 118, and up 1% from what we were seeing in Dec. ‘17

Market Stats Update for December:

SEDONA:

Total Closed Sales: Up 15% from 181 to 209 (over the same time period last year). However, it is down slightly from 215 which we saw last month.

Median Recorded Sales Price: Up 9% from $475K to $519K (over the same time period last year). This is about a 1% gain from this time last month.

Price Per Square Foot: Up 4% from $238 / sq. foot to $248 / sq. foot. No change from this time last month.

Days On Market: Down 8% from 157 to 144 (over this same time period last year).

COTTONWOOD:

Total Closed Sales: Up 4% from 321 to 333 (over this same time period last year). As we saw with Sedona, this figure is also slightly down from the 340 we saw last month.

Median Recorded Sales Price: Up 14% from $197,250 to $225,000 (over this same time period last year). No change from this time last month.

Price Per Square Foot: Up 9% from 131 to 143 (over this same time period last year). No change from this time last month.

Days On Market: This has crept up slightly over this time last year by about 9%, from an average sale taking 110 days last year, to about 117 days current day.

With a continued low inventory driving the prices, we are still in a Seller's market.

If you would like a brief, no obligation Marketing Strategy Review, please feel free to contact us, we are here to help; team is what it takes!

"One Call Gets Us All!"

From our family to yours, we wish you a blessed holiday season and hope that all your holiday wishes come true!

Good Friday to you all! I just wanted to take a moment and let you know some "good news!" The housing market in Sedona, Cottonwood and the Verde Valley continues to improve! Have a look at the numbers below.

Sedona (11/17/16 - 11/17/17):

Total Closed Sales: Up 26% from 171 to 215 (from this same time last year and up 3% from last month).

Median Recorded Sales Price: Up 10% from $467,500 to $515,000 (from this same time last year).

Price Per Square Foot: Up 6% from $233 / sq. ft to $248 / sq. ft (from this same time last year and about 1% gain over last month).

Cottonwood (11/17/16 - 11/17/17):

Total Closed Sales: Up 6% from 321 to 340 (from this same time last year and up about 1% over last month).

Median Recorded Sales Price: Up 15% from $195,000 to $225,000 (from this same time last year and up about 1% over last month).

Price Per Square Foot: Up 10% from $130 / sq. ft. to $143 / sq. ft (from this same time last year and up about 1% over last month).

If you or someone you know is looking to sell or buy, please don't hesitate to contact us. We are here to help you or them with all of your residential real estate needs!

AULT&ASSOCIATES - Team Is What It Takes.

Home Inspections:  Why a Seller Should Have a Home Inspection Prior to Marketing

We highly recommend that our sellers get a home inspection "to prepare the property for marketing." Those words are actually used by us as the opening to our Marketing Remarks in the MLS listing so that buyers know that the seller has done his/her due diligence. In addition, this technique is done almost exclusively by Ault & Associates in our listings. Other agents ask us how we get our sellers to do this and wish they could do the same. We tell them that we believe in it 100%. The result is two-fold: 1.) Other agents in the MLS know that when they bring a buyer to our listings, there will be no surprises. Too many sales fall out of escrow during the inspection process because of surprises. And, 2.) The Seller usually gets a better price to begin with since the buyer has nowhere to go with his offer; he can no longer come in low because he believes that the roof may be bad or the heating and cooling are unknowns in this older home. Those questions have been answered by the home inspection report which becomes part of the seller's disclosure items along with receipts for work performed.