Gilbert, AZ Real Estate News

By Brian England, MBA, GRI, REALTOR® Real Estate in East Valley AZ
(Arizona Focus Realty)
🚙AI in Brian's World 2023 ☀️For ALL of Your East Valley AZ Real Estate Needs📞Call or 🙋‍♂Text Brian at 480-773-2370📨Email Brian  ~  Search the MLS for FREEI don't know much about AI so I really look forward to reading the posts for this challenge and learning a bit more about it. When I think about the AI that is part of my life currently, two things come to mind, my robot vacuum and My Boy Blue. My robot vacuum is nice and I appreciate that it keeps the dust and dirt off the floor since I enjoy walking around my home barefoot, haha. It doesn't seem very smart at times and even though I think it is supposed to learn and get better over time, I don't see it happening. I was going to make a joke about it, but I will refrain since I know a lot of the readers get offended fairly easily these...
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By AZ Mortgage Broker: Michael George, AZ Mortgage Rates
(Arizona Wholesale Mortgage Inc.)
About four (maybe 5) years ago, I went on an appointment to try and qualify a certain family for a mortgage.  This was before I was "the boss." I was just a "Senior Loan Officer", beating the streets for any mortgage clients that I could find.  I used to always offer to drive to them if they were too busy to visit my office and this was one of those cases. I pulled Mom and Dad's credit over the telephone and inquired as to their income. I did my loan officer type calculations and figured out that I could qualify them for an Arizona FHA mortgage, but very little else.  (This was before the Option ARM.) When I walked into their apartment, I was a bit taken aback.  It was a young couple with four children and they were living in a two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment.  One bedroom for the p...
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By Elena Thurston, Family Real Estate Specialist
(Keller Williams Legacy One)
If you are reading this, it means you actually want to know what the market is doing in the East Valley (Ahwatukee, Apache Junction, Chandler, Gilbert, Gold Canyon, Mesa, Queen Creek, Sun Lakes, and Tempe).  Decipher these numbers how you wish.  Or call me with any questions.  In the last 30 days:13,221 homes have been on the market.  1623 of them have gone "pending" or in plain English, have sold.  That pending ratio is 12.3%.  1572 have gone from pending to sold in the last 30 days.  The average sold price was $478,578.  Homes were getting about 96% of what they were asking.  The average days on market was 120.   The easiest way to find current homes for sale in the East Valley, is to search the MLS system through free on my website.  You don't even have to register, how easy is that?...
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By Reveille Schaeffer
(Arizona Focus Realty)
Time and time again my staged listings are selling. I am convinced that spending the money to stage a home is well worth the investment. I just sold a Gilbert home in two days that we had staged - the same Gilbert home sat on the market for 8 months last year with no offers. A little time, energy, and money up front will save a tremendous amount of time, energy and money in the end!
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By Jenny Howie
(Keller Williams Realty Southeast Valley)
DO YOU KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON? When you are a full partner in our brokerage you will attend partners meetings that are held two times per month in the training room. Find out what is going on in our market center. Updates from Broker Joe, special events, awards and more! Don't miss it...EVERYONE IS WELCOME! Contact us when you are interested!
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By Elena Thurston, Family Real Estate Specialist
(Keller Williams Legacy One)
Even with the slowing housing market, homes continue to go up in Gilbert and real estate continues to clip along. Homebuilders including Taylor Woodrow Homes, Lennar, and Cachet Homes are planning to bring about 3,600 houses to the southeastern sections of Gilbert. Gilbert real estate is perceived as an infill community, which may be fueling popularity of new home projects in the area, said Jay Butler, director of Realty Studies at ASU. In January, Gilbert was the third largest issuer of residential permits in Maricopa County. Some of the new real estate developments include Layton Lakes, a 1,965-home Lennar project at Lindsey and Queen Creek Roads; Adora Trails, a 1,871 unit planned community at Riggs Road in between Val Vista Drive and Higley Road which will have numerous builders; Sh...
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By Elena Thurston, Family Real Estate Specialist
(Keller Williams Legacy One)
So you've just moved into your incredible new home and one thing is keeping you up at night. No, it's not buyer's remorse. Your amazing real estate agent made sure that wouldn't be an issue. It's the fact that you got such a great deal on your amazing new home in Gilbert (or the surrounding area) that now you don't have enough furniture to fill it up!! Well, You Gotta Know about Cortate Furniture. If you're like me, you would love new furniture but there is no way on this green earth, that you are paying retail for it. And however much you love a bargain, searching and hunting on Craigs List and eBay is just way too time consuming. Enter Cortate Furniture. In a little white barn, in the middle of fields is the best priced furniture on the planet. The story goes that a smart woman who wa...
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By Elena Thurston, Family Real Estate Specialist
(Keller Williams Legacy One)
Here is a little sprinkling of some great Gilbert, AZ neighborhoods.  Check back often, as I will keep adding here.  Starting on the North side and working down:Val Vista Lakes - I have written about Val Vista Lakes before, it definitely deserves mention as a great Gilbert neighborhood.  It combines a great location, with a fabulous clubhouse including a sandy beach that kids can't get enough of.  Along with an excelling school and a huge range of homes, this Gilbert neighborhood is one to check out.  Freestoneneighborhoods - any of the neighborhoods around Freestone Park has some Gilbert real estate worth looking at.  They range from smaller duplexes to regular family sized to McMansions.  Proximity to the great city park lends itself to steady appreciation and entertainment for the wh...
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By Elena Thurston, Family Real Estate Specialist
(Keller Williams Legacy One)
Greetings!  Hope you are happy and healthy.  Included in this month's letter, is the infamous "Realtor Calendar".  After I didn't reorder them in December, many of you asked when I was sending them out.  I took that as a good sign and got them reordered.  I hope you enjoy it.  I am thinking about doing a magnetic shopping list this summer.  Is that something you would like?I realized recently that in every letter I say the market is going strong but I never tell you why.  Arizona State University has an incredible Realty Studies program that spits out all kinds of statistics every month about the current real estate market.  Jay Butler, head guy in charge, said that the average home price rose $4,000 from December '06 to January '07, to $260,000.  Now, he also makes mention of the fact ...
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By Elena Thurston, Family Real Estate Specialist
(Keller Williams Legacy One)
As previously mentioned in Episode 1, John and Jane were ready to go on their first day of house hunting.  With two small children and Grandma in town, we were only allotted 2 hours for our venture.  That meant we decided to forgo fixer uppers in North Mesa where John works, and stick with fixer uppers and new homes here in Gilbert.  We started with a nearly new home in the neighborhood they are renting their current home.  Obviously the benefit is that they already know the area and have friends.  The bad news is that there is hardly any yard, it doesn't have the coveted 4th bedroom/guest room/playroom, and it's at the tip top of their price range.  Next we went to an older Gilbert home in a good area, with a nice yard and no HOA.  There we were able to realize that Jane for sure wants...
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By Elena Thurston, Family Real Estate Specialist
(Keller Williams Legacy One)
So, you're hunting around, you've decided on AZ because you're finally sick of cold/earthquakes/hurricanes/floods/out of control housing costs, take your pick.  But you're not quite sure of where to settle down and call home.  To help you out in this important decision, I'm going to run a series of the Top 5 Things about each East Valley city, Gilbert, Mesa, Chandler, Queen Creek, and Tempe.  So without further ado (drumroll please..)Gilbert AZ!5.  It's GREEN!  Not many places in the Valley of the Sun can shout that acclamation.  Sure, Gilbert's nowhere near as green as most of the country.  But in comparison to almost every other Phoenix suburb, Gilbert neighborhoods are downright tropical.  Every community has at least one neighborhood park, there are tons of city parks, along with do...
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By Elena Thurston, Family Real Estate Specialist
(Keller Williams Legacy One)
A pretty constant question I hear from soon-to-be clients is "What will I get my money out of?"  Everyone knows that eventually they will sell and they'd like to enjoy some upgrades in their home.  But what is the best use of a remodeling budget?  Pretty much everyone agrees, it's the kitchen.The overall look is heading towards cleaner, airier, sleeker - but still traditional.  The popular Tuscan look that is so rustic, warm and inviting is still working but make sure you don't overdose into the heavy English Country look that is out.  These days people like to see some contrast, either with colors or materials.  Yesterday the hot topic was the cabinets, today it's the countertops.  Granite is still very popular but right on its heels are the quartz products that mimic the look but are ...
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By Elena Thurston, Family Real Estate Specialist
(Keller Williams Legacy One)
ASU Realty Studies has produced their report for the Phoenix-area sales in January.  The number of homes that sold fell about 1,000 from December to January.  Not a huge suprise since homes that close in January are usually decided on in December.  Not too many home shoppers in December.  However last month was the slowest January for resales since 2003.  The median price for a resale climbed about $4000 from December to January, landing at $260,000.  Jay Butler, the director of the Realty Studies center and general voice of real estate statistics and opinions, said the size of the home sold in January also climbed, so the higher price is due partly to a greater percentage of bigger houses selling.  The median square footage in January was 1,700 compared with 1,620 sq ft in January '06. 
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By Elena Thurston, Family Real Estate Specialist
(Keller Williams Legacy One)
I firmly believe that every community is what you make of it.  If you want a wonderful community for you and your family to live in, you have to help that happen.  Volunteering is not only a great way to help your neighborhood, it's a great way for other family members to learn about real life and grow together.   Personally, I work with a group of teenage girls as a kind of mentor.  We meet at least twice a week for different activities and enjoy fun activities like camping, rock climbing and water-skiing.  It's a great way for me to get out of my rut of mommy-hood and real estate and help others at the same time.  My boys know that I love to help other people even at the expense of personal time and my husband is a wonderful support, even using vacation time to be home with the kids w...
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By Elena Thurston, Family Real Estate Specialist
(Keller Williams Legacy One)
An interesting article in today's Arizona Republic talks about a sold home in upscale Ahwatukee that is across the street from a house that is "unusually painted'.  The neighbor house sold for nearly asking price, a rare thing in today's buyer's market.  People outside of the Valley may wonder why that is worthy of mention.  But here in the Phoenix the neighborhoods have a severe case of Stepford-ism.  Part of the point of the plethora of HOA's is to make sure everyone follows the same style, architecture and paint guidelines.  The anticipated result is that everyone's resale value will remain high.  However, as this article points out, that isn't necessarily the case.  The pendulum is swinging the other way, I think.  As the next generation is starting to buy, they are looking for home...
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By Elena Thurston, Family Real Estate Specialist
(Keller Williams Legacy One)
If you are thinking of settling down the in East Valley,  you might want to get an idea of the community and what it offers.  Here is a great list of things to do with your family during the month of February that will both show you the sights and enlighten your soul.    Learn to paint like professional artist, Mary Lou Stewart, whose works are on display at vision galler.  She will conduct a free painting workshop for agest 6-14, Feb 17, in two sessions, 10 am and 1pm.  The gallery is located here.  To register call (480) 917-6859.Trout Fishing In America is an eclective acoustic music duo hailing from Arkansas.  They are presenting an interactive song-writing workshop for children at 6:30 pm, Feb 15.  Registration is required and walk-ins are welcome if there is space.  It will take p...
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By Elena Thurston, Family Real Estate Specialist
(Keller Williams Legacy One)
While looking for a wonderful real estate agent to represent you and your family, there are a few things that will separate a really good AZ agent from the rest.  Do you know where and when the freeway system is building?  The Phoenix area freeway system is key to a good location.  Even if you don't have to commute, lucky you, the future value of your home can be seriously affected by the building and expanding of the system.  Do you know which areas are affected by snowbirds?  If your agent doesn't even know what a snowbird is, than keep looking...if you don't, shoot me an email.  Do you know where roof rats like to live?  Same comment as above.  Do you know the top three school districts in the Valley?  Even if you don't have kids, future resale is greatly affected by the quality of t...
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By Elena Thurston, Family Real Estate Specialist
(Keller Williams Legacy One)
With lots of talk of Trulia, Zillow, etc. many home owners and would-be home owners have questions about finding out how much a home is worth.  Let's break it down in plain English here.A home is worth however much someone is willing to pay for it.  An appraisal is what a lender thinks its worth to them.  A tax record, what Zillow's number is mostly based on, is what the government thinks its worth to them.  That number has the least bearing on your decision.Market value is what will entice a would-be buyer to put an offer on the home and what a real estate agent will try to determine.  When an offer is accepted on that home, an appraiser will use a very similar, but not the same, method to determine the appraised value.Market value is fairly easy to figure out.  It's not that mysteriou...
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By Elena Thurston, Family Real Estate Specialist
(Keller Williams Legacy One)
The City of Gilbert Parks and Recreation Department organizes an incredible amount of classes every year.  Ranging from Toddler Sign Language to Mother & Daughter Belly Dancing to Tae Kwon Do, there is something for everyone.  Luckily, all at very reasonable costs.  The only snag is that everyone in Gilbert, and their dog, wants to take classes.  Especially the kids' classes.  So you have to be on your toes or there's nothing left but Fairy Tale Ballet.  Not good for my two boys, I'll tell you that.  I don't even want to imagine the look on Daddy's face if I enrolled them in that one!So, sign up for the next round of classes is scheduled for Feb 20, 2006, 8 am.  If you've never used the online system before, you have to plan ahead.  Call (480) 503-6200.  They get you registered and give...
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By Elena Thurston, Family Real Estate Specialist
(Keller Williams Legacy One)
The Gilbert library is celebrating Family Festival Month in February.  There will be puppet shows, concerts, and even an Apache family dance performance.  This library is one of my favorites because of the many story times they have for lots of different age groups.  They also have lots of computers for kids to use.  The best part is the view.  The back of the library looks out over the Riparian Preserve.  Incredibly peaceful setting for reading.     Gilbert is a great place to live, filled with friendly neighborhoods and fun activities.  Especially when you have a friend to show you all the great spots.  Let me know if I can help your family find your next home in the Phoenix area!Where Integrity is Just the Beginning,Elena Thurston
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By Elena Thurston, Family Real Estate Specialist
(Keller Williams Legacy One)
The City of Gilbert is sponsoring a Dance featuring music from the 50s and 60s on February 16, 2007.  The Needham Twins will be the evening's entertainment.  Snacks and drinks will be available for purchase.  Tickets are $6 at the door.  Music starts at 7 pm and goes to 10 pm.  It will be at the Gilbert Community Center.  How fun!  It sounds like a great time. 
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