PrescottScott's Blog: All Categories

Much like distant cousin, the Millionaire, the Thousandaire takes great care with finances.  Often the Thousandaire has real estate holdings, stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.  Leverage and timing are forefront in the thoughts of this investor.  Credit card balances are often, if not always, paid in full as this type of liability has no inherent tax advantage.  However, bank financing of real estate holdings is filled with abundant tax benefits and is not an opportunity that is likely to be passed by the successful Thousandaire. 

In Prescott, real estate investing has been a profit center for many investors over the years.  Changes in the marketplace are viewed as opportunities and necessary occurrences by those willing to accept the risks and rewards…

Now more than ever, the financing part of any real estate transaction is critical.  With lending criteria tightening and home valuations declining (for now), lenders are reviewing standards regularly.  Therefore real estate agents need to constantly enhance their lending resources for their clients.  At Realty 2000 Town & Country we are doing our best to provide those resources.

As a continuing segment in our Stars series, tonight we present to you – The Lender Stars.  Now keep in mind as agents we are discouraged from recommending or endorsing professional services.  However, we are often asked to provide guidance in many different aspects of the real estate transaction.  That is how the Stars Series got started: to inform our friends and clients about…

When a client approaches me with the possibility of listing their home, I'll often ask them if they have thought about leasing.  When the market is bad for sellers, I figure people would appreciate my honesty by mentioning attempting to rent.  After all, what is the point of losing money if you don't have to?

Sometimes selling is the only option.  In that case, I generally get into a discussion about expanded marketing options.  For example, I'll ask the person:   Are you familiar with agents that are members of multiple associations?  In addition, I'll ask about what type of video production would you like to employ to market your home?  What about toll-free hotlines with fax back fliers... are you familiar with those?

Membership in multiple…

In Northern Arizona, septic tanks and inspections are a common part of our local real estate transactions.  Here are some of the key parts of a typical Arizona Septic Tank dig, pumping and inspection, brought to you by the fine folks at JT’s Septic on Highway 69 in Dewey, AZ.  Tel. (928) 632-7077.

1 – The Truck


In order for the inspection to take place, all of the effluent much be pumped out in order for the inspector to view the lining of the septic tank.  The truck has a massive pump and containment to effectively remove all effluent from the subject property.

2 – Probe for the Tank
  

A thin probe with padded handles is used to locate the septic tank.  The techs know nearly every shape and size of tank in operation, so often they can… Read Full Post

Buyers are in the catbird seat this Saturday, with dozens of open houses in Yavapai Hills, between Prescott and Prescott Valley on Hwy 69:


A couple of years ago, sellers were not able to spell "open house".  I had a listing agent tell me once, "Why bother with buyers, they are too much trouble.  Better to list and wait for the phone to ring."  Well, now things have changed and the market is more balanced in favor of buyers.

Prescott real estate is best found online with the Prescott Arizona Map Search page at PrescottScott.com, your tool for easy property searches.  I meet a lot of folks driving around burning that $3 gasoline, but seeing many homes that do not meet their needs.

With your email address and the Prescott MLS locator, you can… Read Full Post

Consumers have more power than ever before.  Why?  Information, of course.  But sometime there is so much information that people become paralyzed with choices.  I call it the "Ice Cream Store Syndrome".

64 flavors and 5 dollars, what do I pick?  How about a vanilla cone, please.

The design goal of PrescottScott.com was to simplify the Prescott Real Estate decision process for everybody.  Thanks to the programming ability of my host, Real Estate Webmasters, the entire Prescott Arizona Area MLS is available to the public in a very easy to use format.

All you need is an email address and to visit www.prescottscott.com/search.php to begin.  Here are the steps:

1) Register, using a valid email address
2) Select your target city
3) Select your… Read Full Post

For those of us who have bought and sold our own real estate, making our move with a home or land purchase or sale is a normal and hopefully regular and profitable activity.  However, as real estate agents and REALTORS ® we find that many of the people we serve are new to the arena, or at least have not done transactions regularly.  How do we help the public better understand the nature of our often misunderstood real estate climate?

I like to stress execution.  One of my favorite New Yorker cartoons was about a therapist who had a patient on the couch and would say to him:   “Woulda, coulda, shoulda. Next!”

Sometimes I hear similar stories from my clients in regard to the real estate market.  Although I would never minimize the gravity of making a… Read Full Post