I have taken the plunge to seriously change my health including weight loss and dietary changes. When I made the decision I knew that in order to make a profound and long-lasting change I would need help. I contacted a sports nutritionist and exercise coach (Xavier Lenyoun with Xtreme Fitness). He performed a series of tests and extensive questions to determine my current situation and where I wanted to end up. I am not an exercise fanatic (to say the least) and am looking to head into the second half of my life in good physical condition with a high energy level. Now we start. We will exercise together, review my meals my fat loss and lean muscle gain. He will coach and mentor me to achieve more than I could do on my own. It is a long term relationship commitment.
Choosing a partner to help in your housing and real estate investments is just as valuable. When your first purchase with an agent is complete the relationship shouldn't stop there. If you are planning to build wealth through real estate or understand that your circumstances will change and so will you housing needs you need to cultivate the agent relationship. As an agent we are constantly bombarded with information about how to continue the relationship with clients, but relationships need two people to make them work. If your agent connected with you and understood your needs don't let them go. Respond to them when they send you information, send referrals their way. You will be building invaluable relationships for the future.
Apr. 3, 2008 - April Plant Workshop In Prescott Arizona
Anyone who has lived in Prescott for very long can tell you that allergy season is here in full force. Because of the wind and the plants that have been introduced to our area that are not native we are experiencing an increasing severity in allergies. Using plants that are native to the area is very important for many reasons, most especially for preserving soil integrity and for water conservation. The Highland Center is having a spring workshop and sale of native plants.
I love wine. This is not news to those who know me. I love trying new wines, visiting wineries and orchestrating wine pairings. Over the years of some unfortunate purchases of cases of desert wine I have developed the three winery rule. That means that no matter how tempting I will not purchase any new wine if I have already visited three wineries on any one day. The reasons for this are pretty obvious. After three wineries our judgment begins to become impaired. The tasting, sights and sounds become blurred and what looks and tastes like a good idea can prove to be poor choice for your lifestyle.
The same can be applied to house hunting. When looking for a home try to limit your previewing to a few homes a day and in the same area. Take notes and get a feel for the community. Take some pictures, if you like the home talk to the neighbors. Savor the process and with the help of a knowledgeable agent you will find the perfect match for you and your family.
Note: Speaking of wine be sure and check out Hawaiian coffee and wine shop in Prescott Lakes. Clyde Woods has done a phenomenal job of assembling terrific reasonably priced wines from some of the finest boutique wineries in the world.
Mar. 18, 2008 - Taking your instincts to the next level
Your instincts may be good but a coach can help
Our two collies Spencer and Linus just completed their first day of herding school. It is truly a thing of beauty to watch these animals perform the tasks that they were created for. Collies are herding dogs and they didn't need any encouragement to understand that they were there to round up the sheep. What they did need was direction and instruction from the teacher in best technique and most efficient movement in herding the livestock.
It is like that in many areas of our lives, including Real Estate. You may have good instinct for bargains and an understanding of the contract process but having a knowledgeable agent to help facilitate the deal and guide you through the tumultuous market conditions can make the difference in how well you play the game.
Mar. 14, 2008 - Take time to prepare for home purchase
February was quite a month in Real Estate. We are feeling the full effects of reduced loan options for buyers and widening gap in knowledge of lenders keeping up with current market conditions and loan products. It is more critical than ever to get pre-approval for your loan and to understand what type of home your loan allows. Remember, with the sluggish market conditions you have the ability to get everything done before you begin to look for houses. There are many bargains right now and in order to take advantage of them you want to have your agent negotiate from a point of strength, which means approved financing through a knowledgeable lender.
FHA loan has made a tremendous resurgence for the entry level buyer with little money to put down. Here is a link to FHA guidelines but check with your lender for specifics to your situation.
Mar. 10, 2008 - FHA Increases Loan Limits for Prescott
FHA Loan Increases for Prescott Arizona
FHA has increased the loan amounts for homes purchased in Prescott.
New limits are:
$390,000 for a single family home (previous $271,000)
$499,250 for a two family home (previous $347,000)
$603,500 for a three family home (previous $419,400)
$750,000 for a four family home (previous $521,250).
This is great news for those looking to purchase with a low down payment (FHA currently requires a 3% down). Check with your local lender to find out details. If you don't have a lender familiar with FHA you won't do much better than Laurie Moore of Guarantee Mortgage.
If you are looking to see limits outside of Prescott check out the HUD FHA limits page.
Feb. 7, 2008 - Voters Turnout in HIgh Numbers in Yavapai County
Yavapai County voters turn out in record numbers to vote in primary.
It looks like about 49 percent of all eligible voters turned out to cast ballots. This is outstanding and brings me back to the reality of how important this election is to the American people.
Jan. 11, 2008 - Featured Home Friday - Sandretto Hills
Featured Home Friday -
Today's featured home is located approximately 5 miles from historic downtown Prescott in the Sandretto Hills Subdivision. This neighborhood is suburban with stores walking trails and well maintained homes. The lots are spacious (this home sits on .24 acres) and backs up to public land with unobstructed views of granite mountain and thumb butte. The sunsets are spectacular.
The floorplan is open and spacious and it has a 3 car detached garage and room for RV parking.
Asking price for this 3 bedroom 2 bath with split floor plan is $319,900.
Note: Since the primaries are in full swing thought I would throw my opinion out there. We still have freedom of speech, right?
Okay Iowa results are in and New Hampshire votes today. I am not sure if it matters. Frankly I am not sure whoever gets elected matters, at least from this crowd. Maybe we are all just tired of the phony rhetoric. But of all the BS floating around, the candidate that fascinates me the most is John Edwards. Edwards is by far the richest of all candidates, worth an estimated 45 million. This is probably the most out of touch candidate in a field of bizarre characters.
We don’t want your money!
Listen John, I think I can tell you that the average American does not want to take away your wealth and redistribute it. What most Americans want is there own wealth! We want the opportunity to do what you did and to not be afraid that once we do it you are going to take it away from us.
Two Americas.
There are two Americas alright, the one of opportunity, like the one where you and your friends live and the one where the majority of us live. You have had the friends and breaks that we all want. You lived the American dream and that’s what we all want and if we can’t quite achieve everything we wanted we want the opportunity for our children to take it to the next level (just like you did).
Get in touch with the real people.
We are all struggling to build wealth for ourselves and our children. You want to help equalize everything? Show us how you did it and get out of our way so we can try. Open doors for us (in trade, cheap seed money, better education and tax breaks to name a few). Support our businesses, help us to grow and put more people to work so they in turn can gain experience and have their shot.
This is not 1929. Get over your Woody Guthrie syndrome. It is the old premise, just teach us to fish and if you really want to help, give us a basic pole and show us a couple of spots. We’ll do the rest ourselves. That is what America is all about!
A new blog feature for 2008 is Feature Home Friday’s looking at a current listing and providing information about the local area things that are not always apparent in the MLS or Realtor.com information.
Today’s featured property is located in Chino Valley.
Chino Valley is about 15 miles north of Prescott Arizona. It is mostly rural and has been cattle grazing and ranches for the last 100 years.
Natural Aqua Firs provide a surprisingly good source of water. Much of the area is on well water and septic.
Like most of the west CV has experienced a boom in housing both in small acreage and subdivisions.
With the Safeway and new Walgreens about 10 minutes down the road and new services scheduled to come in within the next few months you have a terrific opportunity to enjoy a rural life without having any inconvenience.
This is horse property in the heart of cowboy country
The modern farm style home is bright and open with soaring ceilings in the great room, downstairs master suite with beautiful bathroom and a family friendly kitchen. A 3 stall stable with plenty of room for tack and storage has it’s own driveway. Lot’s of flat space to create an arena. Very unusual flat buildable area for a property with such amazing views. Almost 7 acres of quiet and privacy. Just reduced to 449,00!
Jan. 2, 2008 - Why Do You Want To Buy Real Estate?
2007 has been successfully put to bed and in the Real Estate world 2008 is still bloated and sluggish. Locally 312 listings expired (meaning they did not sell during the contract period). It still leaves us with over 2400 listings on the market. That is double what inventory levels were on average from 2000-2005. Land listings are even more out of whack with over 3500 lots or parcels for sale in the area.
What does all this mean for you?
Well, it depends on who you are.
Flipper aka short term investor
If you got in on the buy and flip mania that ended in 2005 and look at real estate as a liquid asset then you are done. Your day has past. That includes those who were third party investors and those living in the home but looking to unload in 2 years with a 100% profit.
Homeowner
You bought your house because you needed a place to live; you liked the area and neighborhood. You are going to do okay even if you bought in ’05, if you are able to stay in your house for a few more years. If you bought 5 or more years ago and need to sell stop trying to make a killing and just make a decent profit. Once your house is sold you are going to have a great choice in your next purchase.
First time buyer
You are holding all the cards. If you have good credit and stable income with some money down you can findgreat deals to get you into a home that was beyond your ability just 2 years ago.
Wealth building long term investor
You have hit the jackpot. There are and will continue to be great opportunities to actually purchase properties with positive cash flow and long term growth potential. This is the time that the rich get richer and the simple facts are that real long term wealth is achieved through real estate holdings.
So not only are the markets local but the reasons for buying are personal. Real Estate is a buy and hold investment opportunity that will bring wealth to those who can play the game. Just as with any investment strategy you have to understand your tolerance for risk and ability to ride through blips in market conditions. Then you can decide what category you fall into. One thing is for sure if you are serious about passive income and building long term wealth real estate should be part of your plan.
Dec. 14, 2007 - Waiting for the Perfect Time To Buy
There was an article in the Daily Courier Real Estate section today entitled “Mortgage Rates Rise Disappointing Would-Be Home Buyers”. The article says that interest rates increased this week from 5.96 to 6.11. 5.96 are the lowest rates have been in two years.
Today’s buyers seem to be completely paralyzed as they wait for that “perfect time to buy” which they seem to think will come and be clearly recognized. What are they waiting for? Well, the lowest price and the lowest interest rate. These two items very rarely coincide and how do you know what the lowest price is? You know it when the prices start to climb. It’s all hindsight. Right now interest rates are low and most sellers are willing to negotiate. Do your homework by finding an area that you love, get a good mortgage broker to find you the loan that fits your circumstances and make an offer. Five years from now we will look back on this time as the best Real Estate market for buyers that we have ever seen. That is the perfect situation.
There was a great article on the Fast Money website today by David Teten and Scott Allen entitled "One persons network is another person's spam". This problem is one that is much discussed among technology savvy Real Estate agents. Misunderstanding about what spam is abounds and of course as the housing market continues to change and growth slows many spam companies move in on desperate or uninformed agents to sell their services. I have said in previous posts that it seems that Prescott area agents have just discovered the email flyer for their listing and are spamming at incredible rates. Our local association of Realtors is complicit in this practice by providing access to email addresses without guidelines matching today's technology.
But what was more interesting about this article were the points made in how we will use our social networking platforms such as faceboook, linkdin, twitter, etc. to promote ourselves and our businesses. I am involved with all of these social networking sites but am proceeding cautiously in how I develop these relationships in regards to business. If you are not authentic in your approach by establishing connections with people you will be seen as nothing but a huckster (did I just say that?) and quickly lose credibility. A problem that already plagues this industry.
Although a little lengthy this article is worth a read to anyone interested in using social networking for business relationship building/strengthening, especially the suggestions on how to approach your social network regarding newsletters and other bulk email.
Social Networks aren't the quick fix relationship builders that some seem to think. All relationships worth anything take time to build especially when trying to establish trust and loyalty. It has always been that way and why operating your own business successfully requires time and effort. If you don't love your business and enjoy the non-monetary rewards of building relationships with others and providing them with education and information you will quickly become frustrated and when this happens you lose your perspective as to what is appropriate. If you don't know what your clients/associates definition of Spam is maybe it's time to ask.
Nov. 29, 2007 - Clients are Cutting Off Their Nose To Spite Their Face
Well it has begun in earnest. The seller/investor/developer…you name it has begun blaming the listing agent for their dilemma. My team associate was informed today by a long term partner whom he had made a heap of money over the last few years that he was giving the commercial listing that he had worked for over a year and a half to another agent. Never mind that he had, at the first sign of the slow down, worked creatively to split and sell pieces of this property and marketed it with the same urgency as if it was his own. Another agent not affiliated with our team but representing a neighboring subdivision from ours was fired and replaced. I could go on with several other examples but if you are an agent you have your own stories. I happen to know that each of the examples cited were wrongly dismissed. These agents had poured considerable time, effort and money into these projects and felt that they would be treated with professional courtesy and respect. Unless you have been living under a rock for the past year you certainly know what is happening in real estate. No one saw the extent of this problem and we still don't know what is going to happen. But what is an agent to do when the seller is ready to shoot the messenger. I have tried to reason with my clients regarding the realistic price and the length of time selling their asset is going to take in this current market. Some listen and some don't. I am spending about 30% of my expected commission up front on marketing.
This turn of events gives me pause. My philosophy has been that I am a partner with my clients. I don't sugarcoat and continually feed them facts. It is important now more than ever to establish ourselves as not some interchangeable entity that can be discarded without cost but as a professional partner who has as much at stake as any other partner. Maybe it is our own fault in how we have presented ourselves in the past but that time is gone and we have to reinvent our image or we will be nothing but a car salesman on a generic lot, interchangeable and not important in the scheme of things. We will become obsolete.
Vicki Brannock is a Real Estate agent in Prescott Arizona. You can email me at Vicki@Prescott-re.com
By now most Real Estate Agents are beginning to feel the effects of the current market slowdown. If you are a Real Estate Professional you probably know several colleagues who have given up on their career and sought other employment. It is a natural thinning out of a bloated industry. Nothing wrong with that. What I find interesting and quite frankly a little disturbing is what these former agents are gravitating towards for employment. So far I have seen them waiting tables, as store clerks and stockers. What I have not seen is movement into other professional fields. I am seeing them in generally unskilled positions. This is pretty interesting. People who over the last several years were entrusted with what was probably a person's biggest investment of their lifetime seemingly have no transferable skills in business. I know there is an argument for agents as being primarily sales professionals but I see this differently. Paperwork is becoming more complex as are transactions. Now more than ever understanding and using basic business protocols and management practices are necessary in facilitating successful Real Estate transactions. Although each State regulates the level of involvement in the process here in Arizona we have quite a bit of responsibility in the transaction. Shouldn't we at least have enough education and skill to qualify for other business jobs? Until the Real Estate industry takes itself seriously with increased educational requirements and continuing education credit classes that require critical thinking skills how can we ever expect to change the perception of the general public that we are true professionals?
I was privileged to attend PodCampAZ this weekend with some of the innovators on blogging, video and podcasting. It was not only informative but fun!
For those of you with homes on the market it has given me marketing ideas for ways to sell your homes and for those of you looking to buy, ways to help you find the perfect house for you. The sessions also confirmed to me that while the Real Estate industry is embracing some of the new technology out there it has a long way to go to really maximize its use in helping clients achieve their goals.
If you have your home listed with me expect some communication regarding new marketing techniques that we will be implementing over the next few weeks.
If you are looking for a home to purchase stay tuned, we will be rolling out better ways to help you in your search. In the mean time please feel free to get in touch with me if you have any questions or would like to talk about what we can do to help maximize your exposure in this market.
Oct. 26, 2007 - Save a Tree Eliminate Unwanted Catalogs
Are you drowning in mail?
This time of year seems to bring every imaginable catalogs to my home. Many are unwanted and seem a wasteful use of paper and environmentally irresponsible.
Well now you can do something about it. A new not for profit service offers the ability to "opt out" of catalog mailing lists that you don't want. Simply go to their website and register. It's good for you and the planet.
I have a lot of friends and family in San Diego that I am worried about today. Some have had to evacuate their homes.
Here in Prescott we have some of the same fire concerns, hilly areas, windy conditions and difficult to navigate roads in the mountains. Below is some information from the US Fire Administration on what you can do to maintain your home to minimize the risk of spreading fires.
Wildland fires destroy hundreds of homes and acres of land every year across the country. Fire-safe landscaping is an effective tool that creates an area of defensible space between your home and flammable vegetation that protects against devastating fires.
The United States Fire Administration (USFA) encourages you to keep fire safety at the forefront by learning how to landscape and maintain your property to minimize possible fire damage and slow fires if they start. Remember, fire safety is your personal responsibility... Fire Stops With You!
Defensible Space Works
During the 2003 raging California fires, a number of homes were saved as a result of the owners' careful pruning and landscaping techniques that protected their homes. In a fire situation, the dead trees and shrubs surrounding your home act as fuel for fire. Removing flammable vegetation reduces the threat of fire. Follow these basic rules to create defensible space that works.
Remove all dead plants, trees and shrubs from the site.
Reduce excess leaves, plant parts and low-hanging branches.
Replace dense flammable plants with fire-resistant plants.
The choice of plants, spacing and maintenance are crucial elements in any defensible space landscaping plan.
Tips for a Fire-safe Landscape
Create a defensible space perimeter by thinning trees and brush within 30 feet around your home.
Beyond 30 feet, remove dead wood, debris and low tree branches.
Eliminate small trees and plants growing under trees. They allow ground fires to jump into tree crowns.
Space trees 30 feet apart and prune to a height of 8 to 10 feet.
Place shrubs at least 20 feet from any structures and prune regularly.
Plant the most drought-tolerant vegetation within three feet of your home and adjacent to structures to prevent ignition.
Provide at least a 10 to 15 foot separation between islands of shrubs and plant groups to effectively break-up continuity of vegetation.
Landscape your property with fire-resistant plants and vegetation to prevent fire from spreading quickly.
Choose Fire Resistant Materials
Check your local nursery or county extension service for advice on fire resistant plants that are suited for your environment.
Create fire-safe zones with stone walls, patios, swimming pools, decks and roadways.
Use rock, mulch, flower beds and gardens as ground cover for bare spaces and as effective firebreaks.
There are no "fire-proof" plants. Select high moisture plants that grow close to the ground and have a low sap or resin content.
Choose plant species that resist ignition such as rockrose, iceplant and aloe.
Fire-resistant shrubs include hedging roses, bush honeysuckles, currant, cotoneaster, sumac and shrub apples.
Plant hardwood, maple, poplar and cherry trees that are less flammable than pine, fir and other conifers.
Maintain Your Home and Surrounding Property
Maintain a well-pruned and watered landscape to serve as a green belt and protection against fire.
Keep plants green during the dry season and use supplemental irrigation, if necessary.
Trim grass on a regular basis up to 100 feet surrounding your home.
Stack firewood at least 30 feet from your home.
Store flammable materials, liquids and solvents in metal containers outside the home at least 30 feet away from structures and wooden fences.
No matter where you live, always install smoke alarms on every level of your home. Test them monthly and change the batteries at least once a year. Consider installing the new long-life smoke alarms.
Septic systems are vital to our rural area and so is maintenance. Poorly maintained systems can cause ground water
contamination and create unhealthy living conditions for local residents. University of Arizona has a great article about
septic maintenance that I have posted to my website click on the picture to view or download.
And as a bonus there is an article at the end about bunnies!
Dishing it up- information and opinons on market trends, issues, technology and advances in Real Estate and related industries by Vicki Brannock, e-pro, ABR.
Comments are Encouraged! Please note comment area below each post.
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scott in the Sandretto Hills Subdivision. This neighborhood is suburban with stores walking trails and well maintained homes. The lots are spacious (this home sits on .24 acres) and backs up to public land with unobstructed views of granite mountain and thumb butte. The sunsets are spectacular.
Support our businesses, help us to grow and put more people to work so they in turn can gain experience and have their shot. 
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Like most of the west CV has experienced a boom in housing both in small acreage and subdivisions.
