by Paul Slaybaugh | Apr 19, 2011 | This & That
“What do you mean I can’t back out on the inspection,” James “Jamo” Monahan demanded. “Say the frigging icemaker doesn’t work or something.”
“Like I told you earlier, James, er, I mean Jamo,” Agnes DeMerrit explained to her disingenuous client on the other end of the line. “There is no second bite at the apple once repairs are agreed to by both parties. Besides, your ten days were up two weeks ago.”
“Financing?”
“Your loan is approved,” Agnes responded, her short, grey hair losing pigment by the syllable.
“What if I go buy a car to screw up my ratios,” Jamo offered.
“That would be bad faith, James, er, I mean Jamo,” Agnes chastised. “It will cost you your earnest money.”
“Okay, the appraisal,” Jamo suggested. “We can still back out on the appraisal, right?”
“Appraisal came back at purchase price,” Agnes informed him.
“But you said it was ‘highly unlikely’ to appraise at the sales price,” Jamo exploded in her ear. “Now you’re telling me that I’m stuck in a deal at a price I never intended to pay? You listen to me, and you listen to me good. You better find me a way out of this contract or so help me God-“
Agnes pulled the phone away from her ear and took a deep breath. She despised working with investors. Absolutely despised it. Had she not run headlong into the driest spell of a forty year Real Estate career, she would have sent this creep packing so fast his Grecian Formula Plus infused head would have spun inside the raised collar of his pink imitation Polo shirt.
As a rule, she preferred buyers who were actually interested in buying.
“Agnes? Agnes?”
Her client’s strident voice sounded small and tinny from a distance. She took a moment to withdraw something from the desk drawer of her home office before putting the phone back to her ear. She absently unwound a snarl in the cord as she spoke.
“All done?”
Jamo’s silence answered for him.
“Good. Now I’m going to tell you exactly how we are going to get you out of this contract with your earnest funds intact so that you can pursue that new short sale in BFE that just hit the market this morning. If you’re ready to put on your big boy pants and listen, that is.”
“I’m listening.”
“Really listening?
“Yes, I’m really listening,” Jamo assured her.
“No, James,” Agnes rebuked. “I mean really listening.”
“Look, I’m listening, okay,” Jamo replied with exasperation. “I’m really, really listening. The world has stopped outside of this conversation. I’m on pins and freaking needles. Now pretty please with a cherry on top, just tell me what to do!”
Agnes whispered, barely audible.
“What,” Jamo asked.
She whispered again, slightly louder.
“What,” Jamo asked again, straining to understand.
Agnes waited a beat before giving the air horn poised over the mouthpiece of the phone one long, shrill blast and terminating the call.
“I said you’re fired, Jay-mo.”
by Paul Slaybaugh | Apr 19, 2011 | Featured Properties
UPDATE: THIS HOME HAS SOLD!
What do you get when you cross location with luxury? Timeless architecture with the latest cosmetics?
In the Scottsdale Real Estate world, you get a magnificently renovated McCormick Ranch home.
Boasting well over 3000 square feet, 4 bedrooms, bonus/game room and a pebble-tec pool, this is not your father’s McCormick Ranch.
Accustomed to step ups and step downs, low popcorn ceilings and other harbingers of bygone style? This expanded Camelot beauty will forever alter your impressions of the true potential housed within one of Scottsdale’s most sought-after communities.
In addition to the added bonus room, alterations since 2002 include a relocated front entry and expanded living / dining room, front courtyard with built-in water feature, smooth stucco exterior, dual pane windows, plantation shutters, surround sound, propane gas fireplaces added to living room and master (in addition to existing wood-buring fireplace in family room), stone (natural travertine and slate) and ceramic tile flooring, kitchen remodeled with granite counter tops & newer appliances and opened to family room, walk-in pantry added off breakfast nook, walk-in closet added to master bedroom (in addition to existing closet), master bath remodeled with travertine, pavers, built-in BBQ and fountain added in back yard, newer roof and A/Cs … this is most assuredly not the home that time forgot!
Value priced for the current market at $569,000
Not familiar with McCormick Ranch? You are in for a treat.
Featuring walking paths (Camelback Walk) that extend throughout the community and beyond, an unparalleled lake system, two 18 hole golf courses, restaurants, boutique shops, award winning schools, parks, greenbelts and more, McCormick Ranch is not only the first planned community in the Valley, but the one which all others aspire to be.
Learn more about the Palo Viento subdivision in McCormick Ranch.
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Contact Ray & Paul to schedule a private viewing of this fine McCormick Ranch home.
(480) 220-2337
paul@scottsdalepropertyshop.com
by Paul Slaybaugh | Mar 16, 2011 | Featured Properties, Scottsdale Real Estate
UPDATE: THIS HOME HAS SOLD!
According to Wikipedia, an anomaly is any occurrence or object that is strange, unusual, or unique. It can also mean a discrepancy or deviation from an established rule, trend, or pattern.
According to Ray & Paul, an anomaly is a home in McCormick Ranch with a 3 car garage. Or by alternative definition, a competitively priced home in 2011 that is NOT a short sale or foreclosure.
We just happen to have listed in our hot little portfolio a property that bucks several norms.
While many Scottsdale home buyers will grudgingly accept dated architecture as a trade off for the prime location of McCormick Ranch, we are proud to present a home in the prestigious Rancho Suggs McCormick subdivision that renders such need for compromise unnecessary.
View larger map
Map of the Rancho Suggs McCormick subdivision of McCormick Ranch
Learn more about Suggs Rancho McCormick
Boasting soaring vaulted ceilings, remodeled interior and exterior features and a unique floor plan (walk through a few homes in the area and you’ll understand how notable that truly is), the property at 8401 N 86th Way pairs the advantages of modern living with timeless community amenities.
Know what else you get with this updated home that you will not find in the newer developments up north? Try a 1/3 of an acre cul-de-sac lot (nearly 15,000 square feet). With two oversized lawn areas buttressing the swimming pool & spa, the back yard alone is worth the scant price of admission.
Property Features
4 Bedrooms | 2 Baths |2867 sq ft | 1/3 acre lot | Pool | Heated Spa | Culdesac | Granite Counter Tops| Stainless Steel Appliances | Porcelain & Travertine Tile | Vaulted Ceilings |2 Way Fireplace | Wet Bar | Remodeled Baths | 3 Car Garage | Plantation Shutters |Covered Patio | Smooth Stucco Exterior | Newer Roof & A/C | North / South Exposure | Chaparral High School District| Family Room | Huge Master Suite | Lake Community | Golf Community | Walking Paths | Neighborhood Parks
Offered for sale at the sublimely low price of $495,900
Still not sold? Why don’t you stretch your legs a bit on Camelback Walk, the multi-use trail system that extends throughout McCormick Ranch, as you think it over. Head west to stroll past Lake Margherite and the golf course(s) beyond. Head east to check out Cochise Elementary, Mountain View Park, Mustang Library … shoot you can walk / bike / crawl to the hospital (Shea North) at 90th St should this once in a lifetime opportunity have you feeling faint.
Did we mention this is not a short sale or a foreclosure? The price will just make you think it’s a distressed property, when in reality it is an impeccable property owned by real live humans. You know, people who can actually answer questions and respond to offers before the end of the calendar year and stuff.
As anomalies go, this wonderful home is a close second to the Sonoran Desert Emperor Penguin.
Don’t let this rare bird go.
Contact us to schedule a viewing today.
by Paul Slaybaugh | Mar 1, 2011 | Home Selling, Scottsdale Real Estate
Selling a tenant occupied home … how do I put this delicately … kind of sucks. That’s right, selling a home with a tenant sucks.
Why, you ask?
Because there is little to no motivation on the part of the occupant to participate in the process. Think about it. With zero financial stake in the sale of a property, why would anyone care to have their daily lives disturbed by pushy Real Estate agents and their snooping clients? As such, tenants tend to make home showings more difficult than owner occupants.
You want to show the home in an hour? No, today is impossible.
Tomorrow? No, tomorrow doesn’t look real good either.
Given that a landlord or an agent of the landlord cannot legally enter the premises in cases of non-emergency without permission or 48 hours written notice (under the AZ Landlord-Tenant Act), it is not uncommon to come across such tenant-occupied listings that require 2 days minimum notice prior to showings. These constraints cost owners more than a few showings, particularly those of the spur of the moment, I’m in town to buy a house today variety.
In a market choked with inventory, especially in the lower price points where rental properties typically live, few will bother looking at the homes that are difficult to view. There are simply too many readily accessible options to make special plans to see one nondescript investment property.
So how does the owner of such a home counter the tenant malaise that is killing his/her ability to sell prior to the expiration of the lease (inviting the holding costs and desperate pricing decisions that can accompany a vacancy)? By incentivizing the tenant to participate in the process.
It frankly amazes me that tenant-occupied properties are often so difficult to show when the remedy is so readily apparent: money.
Offer your tenant a discounted rate on the rent or nominal alternative compensation ($500 is a lot of money for the average tenant) if the home sells while they occupy it. By doing so, you will not only encourage your tenant to eagerly agree to the showings that were formerly abhorred, but will provide the requisite motivation for showing the home in its best condition as well. Get the tenant on your side by offering a stake in the outcome and watch the beds make themselves, the dirty socks disappear from the living room floor, the food-caked plates on the kitchen counter find their way into the dishwasher.
When you empower the powerless, everyone benefits. From the only perspective that matters in a Real Estate transaction – yours – that means minimized holding costs and maximized sales price. Cool beans.
Selling a home is not rocket science, just an exercise in the practical study and application of human motivation. For your own sake, you have to step outside of your head every once in a while to learn how to help others help you.
This is your Jerry Maguire moment. Don’t blow it.
by Paul Slaybaugh | Feb 28, 2011 | Home Buying, Paradise Valley Listings, Phoenix Listings, Scottsdale Listings
Looking for new construction homes in Scottsdale and the greater Phoenix area? You’ve come to the right place. Find your city of choice below and follow the links to a full list of all new homes currently listed for sale in the Arizona Regional MLS.
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New Homes in Scottsdale
New Homes in Paradise Valley
New Homes in Cave Creek
New Homes in Fountain Hills
New Homes in Chandler
New Homes in Gilbert
New Homes in Glendale / Peoria
New Homes in Mesa
New Homes in Tempe
