Technology is wonderful, the world is at your fingertips and information is never more than a mouse click away.  At least, that is how it works on paper, but when house hunting it can be aggrevating, especially when looking for a house in Phoenix from the other side of the world in England.  Military service dictates that I conduct my retirement home search on the internet and with that said, I wanted to share some of my experience with those of you in the same boat.  Before I begin, it must be said that my wife and I do know the area and have been back twice to look at houses all over the valley (as Brad and Stacy can attest… bless their hearts for running us around for two weeks straight!!!), so we know which builders and floor plans we like, which greatly enhances the search, or at least narrows the field.  However, I digress, so without further whining, I give you my list o’stuff (and why you to keep in your back pocket as you venture out in the big bad world that is the greater Phoenix housing market.

• 1) Before even thinking of looking for a home, find yourself a good Realtor….as a matter of fact, don’t finish this blog until you agree to work with a realtor! This step is the MOST IMPORTANT and has saved ourselves time and effort. We are blessed to have the Sundin’s in our corner and they have been invaluable in assisting with looking at houses (and taking loads of pictures) which they duly send via e-mail. The web-site is invaluable in looking at homes, but we requested pictures in an attempt to see the house on our end here in England. While not a perfect substitute for being there, the pictures help in making a decision on whether to submit a contract or not. **Your realtor will draw up the contracts, assist with market analysis, as well as any other questions you have…if your realtor does not offer these services, move on to one that does. We bid on the house we are under contract for as I write this via e-mail as the Sundins offer a wide range of services and know the area, hence our ability to close the deal from England. Again, if you are not getting this service from your agent, find one that does!
• 2.) Do your homework! It’s your home, you will have to live with it, but your realtor will prove to be an invaluable asset, however there is more than enough information on the web to assist you with the location of schools (and if they are good), shopping, access to highways etc. I literally spend about six to eight hours a weekend, if not more, reading about the market, local area facilities, jobs, you name it and I have probably read about it on the internet, but please be wary of the source. Use your internet search engine to find anything and everything about the area you are interested in, especially chat rooms of residents living in the neighborhood. I will also refer to my number one tip, hire a good realtor, they are the focal point for most of your questions and believe me when I say we asked a million questions!
• 3.) Once you have decided on a property or three (always have a back-up plan…I learned this lesson while in the Air Force!) you will want to bid and again I refer back to the sage advice of HIRING AN AGENT! We were able to sign the contracts via e-mail, which is pretty cool, yet very stressful due to our current location in England, however everything ran smoothly. We utilized the web sites listed on our contract to do more homework about the area we are purchasing in.
• 4.) Gather all the information your banking institution will require (believe me, they will let you know exactly what they require to underwrite your loan) and fax it to them soonest. This part of the purchasing process will take care of itself, as your financial institution will coordinate with you as to how they want your documents forwarded to them, but be prepared because they will ask that you send them a bevy of documents!
• 5.) Your realtor SHOULD recommend you have the home inspected prior to going to contract…do yourself a huge favor and PAY the money for the piece of mind of knowing what you are purchasing. We did and we are very happy with the result, that is we know the exact condition of the home from someone who is working for our best interest (and unbiased I might add). This inspection is an overall condition of the home and should not be confused with the mandatory appraisal.
• 6.) Finally, keep your agent abreast of everything you are doing, or better yet, let them guide you in the process, but either way, HIRE AN AGENT!

Liz and I are almost finished with the single biggest purchase we will ever make.  We have been very happy, yet somewhat stressed, by the whole idea of purchasing a home via phone and internet/e-mail.  The Sundins have been great and we look forward to moving into our home soon and we hope you have just as much luck as we have, but remember, do your homework because you make your own luck and I am sure you will be pleased with the result when all is said and done.  If you have any questions about our experience, please submit a comment and I will get back to you soonest because at the end of the day, we are all in the same situation and I would love to help out where I can.  Until next time, take care and good luck finding your dream home, I am sure we did!

$7.87 Million - PARADISE VALLEY!

Here are last weeks highest home sales in the Valley published by AZCentral.com. The most expensive home sold was a Paradise Valley home for $7,871,083. The new home is located on the southwest side of the Camelback Golf Club in Paradise Valley.  The following are last weeks top sales:

$4,300,000 - Brand new home on east of Paradise Valley Country Club in Paradise Valley

$3,916,646 - Brand new Montelucia Villa at La Posada south of the Paradise Valley Country Club in Paradise Valley.

$3,775,000 - A 2,168-square-foot home (with pool) originally built in 1959 north of the Phoenician Golf Club in Paradise Valley.

$3,600,000 - A 7,927-square-foot home with pool originally built in 2006 on the southwest side of the Camelback Golf Club in Paradise Valley. Home was purchased by Phoenix Suns forward, Boris Diaw.

If you are looking for an uber luxury home in Scottsdale or the metro-Phoenix area, call The Sundin Group at (602) 697-3093…exclusive Real Estate Team for Scottsdale.com. Search the Phoenix MLS with our new map search at www.TheSundinGroup.com.

If you are a financially distressed seller, there may be a glimpse of light at the end of that long, dark tunnel…take a look: 

“WASHINGTON (AP) — Fannie Mae will allow more struggling homeowners to sell their homes for less than they owe on their mortgages . . .”

“Real estate agents, meanwhile, have been frustrated by what they see as lenders’ reluctance to approve short sales. A national survey of 3,000 agents. . . .found that, on average, loan servicers take more than four weeks to respond to offers from would-be buyers, often resulting in a sale falling through.”

(Quick comment from Stacy…Our experience tells us if you are dealing with Countrywide…R-U-N!!! Their response time is MUCH greater because at last check they had around 35,000 default homes. I would say take that the “4 weeks” mentioned above is more like 4 months if Countrywide is in the picture and expect to have your agent send them all the paperwork at least 8 times because they lose everything. Again, this is just our experience with working with Countrywide on a short sale since NOVEMBER that still doesn’t have any approval on the multiple offers we have on a home with some being over what the list price & some breaking the bank even!!!! Also, our title company (Equity Title) has told us that they’ve found that those who enter into a contract with a short sale are typically not the one who ends of buying it.)

”There’s a little tension there between the agent role and the lender role,” said Brian Chappelle, a partner at Potomac Partners in Washington, a consulting firm to the mortgage industry. ”It is a balancing act.”

April 11, 2008
“Fannie Working on Mortgage Plan” - Click HERE to Read Full Article
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, MSN Money

Own real estate in Mexico - Rocky Point Luxury Home For Sale

GORGEOUS 3 BR/2BA 2,385 sq ft home PLUS 2,000 sq ft patio on almost a quarter
acre beachfront property! 

Listed for sale at $1.4M US Dollars.

This beautiful, custom designed and built beach house sits on 886 square meters
of prime, private beach front on prestigious Playa Miramar near Puerto Peñasco,
just ¾ mile west of the magnificent Mayan Palace. THE PROPERTY HAS A BANK
TRUST DEED!!! It features extra large bedrooms, closets and extensively custom
tiled bathrooms. The entertainment area starts in the huge great room with 15’
tall ceilings, vega beams & large floor to ceiling bee-hive fireplace w/gas logs.
The commercial kitchen features every amenity including a pantry, and opens to
an expansive dining area. There are 2000 square feet of patio (both in front
and back), covered and uncovered. The master suite boasts private patios,
fireplace with gas logs, an oversized main bedroom, walk-in closet and huge
master bath with snail shower, two lavatories and ceramic tile throughout.
The #2 and #3 bedrooms share a spacious ‘Jack and Jill’ bathroom and for
guests or entertaining there is a powder room.

Contact The Sundin Group (www.TheSundinGroup.com) for more information on this home
at (602) 697-3093. To view additional photos, click HERE.

Lot size = 9537 sq ft lot
66 ft wide beach frontage area
6 Burner commercial oven and range
Trash Compactor
Dishwasher
Disposal
Microwave
High efficiency refrigerator/freezer
Oak Cabinetry throughout
Satellite TV/Internet
Ceiling fans throughout
Surround Sound
Custom Doors/Windows
Window coverings
Central A/C and Heating
High capacity solar electricity
Gray water recovery system
Ship to shore VHF radio
12 KW backup generator (L.P. Gas)
Clothes Washer/Dryer
Chest Freezer
50 gallon water heater (gas)
Drip irrigation system
Oversized water cistern
1000 liter gas tank
Detached 2 car garage
Automatic garage door
Tile countertops
Saltillo tile floors inside and out
All furniture and fixtures
Fanosa panel construction
8’ privacy wall

Because we are the exclusive Real Estate Team for Scottsdale.com, we are often asked how the Scottsdale housing market is weathering in this housing slump. We always stay current on how our market is performing & try to find as much research as possible to answer these questions, and to pass along to our website users. Today we received a 10-PAGE Scottsdale Market Update from Security Title which is a great report that outlines Scottsdale’s zip code 85260 and has tons of graphs & statistics for the following:

• Current housing prices for homes listed for sale
• Trends in pricing
• Current levels of supply & demand
• Value metrics