Retreats Arizona Living - April 02, 2023

Understand market statistics

Justin Torstad, Owner/Realtor, Libertas Real Estate, said a prospective agent should be asked whether they have compiled any market statistics in addition to comps (comparable sales). “Also, what about recent sold data that shows typical list-price to soldprice based upon how long the homes were on the market?”

Consider chemistry

Ann Schude, Team Leader with Instasold at Keller Williams Integrity First, said one thing that is ofen missed is looking for an agent you have chemistry with. “Tere are some agents who are chameleons and can acclimate to any condition/client, however, that is few and far between,” she said.

It’s a job interview!

Experts advise interviewing an agent inperson, since you will (ultimately) be paying them to work for you. Here are some important questions to ask agent-prospects.

Ann Schude, Team Leader with Instasold at Keller Williams Integrity First

• Are you a solo agent or do you work on a team?

• If I become your client, what would you expect from me?

Connie Sana, Those Callaways, Brokered by eXp Realty

• How many homes have you sold in my neighborhood?

• How will you price my property?

• What makes you stand apart from other agents?

• Where can I see homes you’ve sold in the past?

Eric Gibbs Sr., 2023 President, Arizona Association of REALTORS®

• What is the extent of your experience with listings and sales?

• What is your marketing plan?

We appreciate all the kudos and congrats we’ve received on our first two issues of Retreats Arizona Living — thank you! We plan to continue to show of the beautiful Valley of the Sun while highlighting ways to help you find a home, in whatever form that is, that is perfect for you and your family — in other words, a personalized retreat.

Welcome to Retreats Arizona Living!

Phoenix: Where your home is truly your retreat

Speaking of retreat: There are many definitions of “retreat” including a hideout, a getaway or — our favorite — a sanctuary. Because your personal retreat — your home — should be your private sanctuary, a place where you can live, laugh and love with those closest to you. And that’s why we think it’s so important to ofer information on how you can make that happen, whether you see your retreat as a new-construction single-family home, a new-to-you resale, a condo, an apartment or a senior living residence.

This month’s issue of Retreats Arizona Living focuses on the fact that many folks need to sell a current residence before they can move on to their next retreat. We’re providing advice from local experts on how to choose a real estate agent to help you with the sale of your home, how to

get your home in tip-top shape and ready to sell, and what alternatives there are to a traditional sale. We also have some welcome financial news for homebuyers seeking an FHA-backed mortgage: In late March, the annual mortgage insurance premium (MIP) that’s required with every FHA loan regardless of downpayment, dropped by more than a third from .85 percent to .55 percent of the total loan amount for loans with less than a 5 percent downpayment. Plus, what would April in Arizona be without wildflowers — read on to see where you can enjoy this stunningly colorful show put on by Mother Nature.

While you’re here, we invite you to check out our Community Listings pages where you can find information on some of the area’s most soughtafter new-construction communities being built by some of the Valley’s most respected builders.

Daren Freeman, Real Estate Advisor with The Studebaker Group at NORTH&CO.

Tom Niva

Tom Niva, PUBLISHER Retreats Arizona Living

“Once you fnd an agent LISTEN TO THEM. It makes no diference who you hire if you're not open to allowing them to use their skill and knowledge to get you the most you can for your property.”

—MONIE WILDER, 72 SOLD/HAGUE PARTNERS

Two Beautiful New Tri Pointe Homes Communities Opening In The Southeast Valley

By Hanna Scott

Tri Pointe Homes (formerly Maracay®), currently has 15 actively selling neighborhoods across eight communities in the metro Phoenix area, with a new community and a new neighborhood recently opened in two prime areas of the Southeast Valley.

2,665 square-feet to approximately 3,124 square-feet with four to five bedrooms, 2.5 to three baths and three-bay garages. Sentinel at Oro Ridge features a trio of single-level floor plans — Lowell, Pearce and Cholla. Depending on the plan, customers can personalize flex spaces such as ofices, game rooms and outdoor living areas. A sampling of additional options includes an extended primary suite, an executive kitchen and a fifth bedroom or GenSmart Suite®. Sentinel at Oro Ridge provides easy access to community trails and parks; San Tan Regional Park is just minutes away.

Treeland, Chandler

SENTINEL AT ORO RIDGE

33580 N. Maverick Mountain Trail, Queen Creek 85142

Tripointehomes.com/SentinelLiving

480-418-0790

Grand opening: March 2023

From the high $500s

Sales ofice hours: Daily 10 a.m.–6 p.m. except Fri. 1–6 p.m.

TREELAND

1427 E. Cherrywood Place, Chandler 85249

Tripointehomes.com/TreelandLiving

480-418-0790

Grand opening: April 2023

Pricing: Anticipated to be from the high $600s Coming soon, sales ofice hours: Daily 10 a.m.–6 p.m. except Fri. 1–6 p.m.

Sentinel at Oro Ridge, Queen Creek

Nestled at the foothills of the San Tan Mountain Range, Sentinel at Oro Ridge is an amenity-rich 52-home neighborhood located within the Oro Ridge planned community. Available in Spanish, Farmhouse and Desert exterior styles, homes range from approximately

Elevated Design Premium Locations Exceptional Value

At Tri Pointe Homes our goal is to make a premium lifestyle possible for customers, whatever their price point or life stage. With our suite of programs from our Flex Design® and professional Design Studio consultants that help homebuyers select carefully curated styles to create a home that fts their distinct lifestyle, to our LivingSmart® program which ofers cost and environmental savings, we’re here to help fnd the perfect home for you. We invite you to discover our innovative, design-forward homes today.

P 480.571.1116

W TriPointeHomes.com/Arizona-Living

Treeland is a beautiful 86-home gated community nestled on 26 acres that formerly served as a plant nursery. Blessed with a premium setting in the Ocotillo area of Chandler, Treeland ofers four single-level home plans (Clifton, Calderwood, Elden and Cholla), ranging from approximately 2,427 square-feet to approximately 3,199 square-feet, with three to four bedrooms, 2.5 to three baths and three-bay garages. In homage to its

former life as Treeland Nursery, Treeland boasts a bevy of nursery-inspired community gardens, greenspaces and towering palm trees — when you step on-site, you’ll instantly feel a connection with nature. The community is close to a wealth of dining and high-end shopping venues, plus it’s not far to the U.S. 60 and Loop 202 freeways, the Paseo Vista Recreation Area and Tumbleweed Regional Park and Rec Center.

The prices of our homes, included features, plans, specifcations, promotions/incentives, neighborhood build-out and available locations are subject to change without notice. Stated dimensions, square footage and acreage are approximate and should not be used as a representation of any home’s or homesite’s precise or actual size, location or orientation. There is no guarantee that any particular homesite or home will be available. Some amenities may not be constructed. Builder reserves the right to change the size, design , confguration and location of amenities not yet constructed and does not warrant the suitability thereof for any use or for any person. Builder does not warrant the suitability of any trail for any use or for any person. No information or material herein is to be construed to be an ofer or solicitation for sale. A Broker/Agent must register their client in person on client’s frst visit at each community for a Broker/Agent to receive a commission or referral fee, if available. Not all features and options are available in all homes. Unless otherwise expressly stated, homes do not come with hardscape, landscape, or other decorator items. Any photographs or renderings used herein refect artists’ conceptions and are for illustrative purposes only. All sales are conditioned upon buyer’s acceptance of the Final

Report

Report) for

Community, which will

posted on the AZ Real Estate Department’s website when issued. Our name and the logos contained herein are registered trademarks of Tri Pointe Homes, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. © 2023 Tri

Arizona Contractor, Tri Pointe Homes Arizona Construction, LLC (ROC No. 172120). All rights reserved.

Dustin Revella via Tri Pointe Homes

Dustin Revella via Tri Pointe Homes

Courtesy Tri Pointe Homes

Courtesy Tri Pointe Homes

What to focus on when getting your home ready to sell

No. 1 answer: Depersonalize, declutter and deep clean

BY PAULA HUBBS COHEN

Before you put your current home on the market, what (if anything…) should you fx-up or at least freshen-up?

Depersonalize and declutter: “Remove family photos and personal memorabilia. Tis can help buyers envision themselves living in the home,” said Connie Sana, Tose Callaways, Brokered by eXp Realty. “Also, consider hiring a professional stager to declutter your home.”

Paint: “Paint the home in subtle colors that allow buyers to visualize their personal décor,” said Eric Gibbs Sr., 2023 President, Arizona Association of REALTORS®.

Landscaping: “Don’t forget to tidy up the landscaping!” said Justin Torstad, Owner/Realtor, Libertas Real Estate.

Clean — we mean really, really clean

Best advice we heard: hire someone to deep clean your house to make it sparkle.

“Cleanliness and simplicity go a long way and are easily accomplished without having to spend a ton of money,” said Daren Freeman, Real Estate Advisor with Te Studebaker Group at NORTH&CO. “We tell our clients to think what a nice AirBnB feels like … clean, simple and not overly cluttered.”

Consider afordability

Monie Wilder, 72 Sold/Hague Partners, suggests marketing your property as it is. “Afordability is in jeopardy and can really impact the top potential of a property,” she said.

Where NOT to spend money

Tere are a number of areas where experts advise you NOT to spend money when getting your home ready to sell. Topping the list: avoid major renovations. While minor repairs and updates can help improve your home's appeal, those in the know say that signifcant renovations may not be worth the investment.

BY PAULA HUBBS COHEN

There are numerous companies whose mission is to take a lot of the time and inherent hassle out of the homeselling process — two of the more wellknown are Opendoor and Oferpad.

An easy process

“Sellers visit Oferpad.com, enter their address and answer a few questions about their home,” said Stefanie Layton, Oferpad’s Vice President of Investor Relations and ESG. “Sellers will receive a cash ofer within 24 hours.”

Similarly, at Opendoor, sellers fll out a questionnaire about their home “and instantly receive a preliminary cash ofer,” according to Chelsea Goyer, Head of Brokerage at Opendoor.

What happens next

At Oferpad, Layton said sellers can accept the cash ofer or choose to list their home with an Oferpad agent. “If a homeowner decides to accept the cash ofer, they pick their own closing date,” she said. If a customer chooses to list their home rather than take the cash ofer, they will be ofered benefts such as free house cleaning, landscape maintenance and pool cleaning.

Customers that sell to Opendoor can also close on a timeline that suits their needs, Goyer said. “Homebuyers can browse homes, schedule tours — in-person or virtually — and create ofers,” she said, adding that for customers who are buying and selling at the same time, Opendoor will line up the purchase and sale in one transaction.

A simpler solution for some folks

“Customers come to us with diferent life situations, but their reason for using Opendoor is always that they want a simpler way to sell and/or buy their home,” Goyer said. Layton agrees, stating: “Te

simplicity of working with one company looking to remove stress from the homeownership experience ofers value whether they choose to utilize our cash ofer or our listing service.”

Your mileage may vary

Each situation is unique, fnancial needs are personal and timelines can vary tremendously. Ergo, a traditional sale may work very well for some people, while others appreciate companies that streamline the hassle. As part of the sales process, sellers need to decide which scenario best meets their needs and suits their specifc situation.

“Open the windows to get as much light as possible into the home, take weird stuf of the walls and get the yards as presentable as possible.”

—MONIE WILDER, 72 SOLD/HAGUE PARTNERS

Getty Images

Getty Images

Getty Images

Place, Casa Grande 85122

From the lower $300s

khov.com/McCartneyRanch

602-671-0027

SCOTTSDALE HEIGHTS

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602-671-0611

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Resort-style 55+ active lifestyle community 20818 W. Pasadena Ave., Buckeye 85396

From the mid $500s khov.com/VictoryVerrado 602-671-3511

SANTANILLA

Spacious homes on larger homesites 3146 E. Brigadier Court, Gilbert 85142

From the mid $600s

khov.com/Santanilla

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WEST

On-trend Looks interior collections 16950 N. Dante Court, Maricopa 85138

From the mid $300s khov.com/WSRS

602-671-0452

SANTA ROSA SPRINGS

K.HOVNANIAN ® HOMES | TRI POINTE HOMES

Photos by Shell Photographics via K. Hovnanian Homes

More

in your pocket

FHA lowers mortgage insurance premium

Homebuyers seeking an FHA mortgage just got some great news.

In late March, the annual mortgage insurance premium (MIP) — required with every FHA loan regardless of downpayment — dropped by more than a third from .85 percent to .55 percent of the total loan amount for loans with less than a 5 percent downpayment. Te reductions were recently announced through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).

Te mortgage insurance premium is the fee that homeowners with FHA-insured mortgages pay to insure their mortgages, on top of monthly principal and interest. It has two parts: the up-front premium and the additional annual premium. Te percentage on the total loan for the up-front premium remains 1.75 percent.

Lowers costs for some homebuyers

But the lower annual MIP will save a homebuyer in the Phoenix area purchasing a home for about $415,000 with, say, 3.5 percent down, about $1,200 a year, said Lisa Lund, broker/owner of the Lund Mortgage Team in Glendale. If a borrower makes a downpayment of 5 percent or more of the purchase price, MIP has dropped from eight-tenths of a percent to half a percent now, she said adding that this reduction in MIP “allows for a lower monthly payment and therefore will encourage buyers who are on the sidelines or who were not qualifying before.”

Chris Haggard, president of Tucsonbased mortgage broker Horizon Financial Center, agrees. “Te drop in MIP has made FHA loans a more competitive solution,” he said. “As a mortgage broker, I’ve seen how FHA borrowers are beneftting from lower overall costs. For many of our frsttime buyers purchasing with less than 20 percent down, we are now fnding FHA can be a less expensive solution than a conventional loan.”

Photos Courtesy Tri Pointe Homes

BY DEBRA GELBART

“The lowering of the monthly FHA MIP gives the average buyer about $15,000 more in home-purchasing power than before.”

—LISA LUND, BROKER/OWNER, LUND MORTGAGE TEAM

Getty Images

Wild for wildfowers!

BY PAULA HUBBS COHEN

If you’ve lived in Phoenix a while, you know that springtime afer a lot of rain means one thing: stunning felds of wildfowers all across the Valley’s urban mountains and hiking trails.

Where to find them

In Maricopa County parks, there are regularly scheduled ranger-led hikes focusing on wildfowers; visit maricopacountyparks.net for more info. If you’d rather go it alone or with friends, wildfowers are usually seen in and around the following Phoenix-area Parks and Preserves. Note that trails are marked with a difculty rating of ‘E’ (Easy), ‘M’ (Medium) or ‘D’ (Difcult).

Estrella Mountain Regional Park

• Rainbow Valley Trail (M/D)

• 14805 W. Vineyard Ave., Goodyear

Lake Pleasant Regional Park

• Pipeline Canyon Trail (M)

• 41835 N. Castle Hot Springs Road, Morristown

Dogs! A Science Tail

Snif out the science behind puppy love!

BY PAULA HUBBS COHEN

Phoenix ofers lots of fun things to do, from hiking to hot air ballooning to checking out cool exhibits at local museums and other venues. Phoenicians who love their Fido-friends might want to schedule a visit to the Arizona Science Center to explore a fun-filled interactive exhibit focused on two main themes: (1) the extraordinary way our canine companions see, hear and smell their surroundings and (2) why humans and dogs are so often best buds.

The national tour of Dogs! A Science Tail is sponsored by PetSmart Charities. Locally, the exhibit is sponsored by PetSmart, SRP, Two Pups Wellness Fund, and U.S. Bank. The exhibit will be at the Arizona Science Center through April 30.

WHAT: Hands-on exhibits help you explore the world from a dog’s perspective. Learn how the ability to understand and communicate with each other makes the dog/human partnership so fulfilling.

Throughout April, the Science Center is also hosting canine community days, adoption events and more.

Lost Dutchman State Park

• Jacob’s Crosscut Trail (E) and Treasure Loop Trail (M)

• Both at 6109 N. Apache Trail, Apache Junction

McDowell Sonoran Preserve

• Gateway Trailhead (E/D)

• 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy, Scottsdale

Phoenix Sonoran Preserve

• Apache Wash Trailhead (E/M)

• 1600 E. Sonoran Desert Drive, Phoenix

Piestewa Peak

• Quartz Ridge Trail #8A (M)

• Trailhead located at northeast corner of 32nd Street and Lincoln Drive, Phoenix

South Mountain Park and Preserve

• Las Lomitas (E) and Javelina (M/D)

• Both at 10919 S. Central Ave., Phoenix

Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area

• Spur Cross Trailhead (M) and Elephant Mountain (D)

• Both at N. Spur Cross Road, Cave Creek

Usery Mountain Regional Park

• Merkle Trail (E) and Pass Mountain (D)

• Both at 3939 N. Usery Pass Road, Mesa

CANINE COMMUNITY DAYS

WHAT: Get to know local organizations who are making a diference in pets’ lives.

WHEN: Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in April

ADOPT A FUR-EVER FRIEND

WHAT: Adopt pups from the Arizona Animal Welfare League, Arizona Humane Society, HALO Animal Rescue, Lost Our Home Pet Rescue and Maricopa County Animal Care and Control.

WHEN: April 29

MOBILE VET CLINIC

WHAT: Learn what a typical day is like in the life of a veterinarian and learn how to become a vet by exploring the Arizona Humane Society’s Healthy Tails Mobile Veterinary Clinic.

WHEN: April 29 & 30

Eleven Beautiful New-Build Communities

FROM THE LOWER $300 s TO THE UPPER $800 s

K. Hovnanian® Homes builds homes for everyone. Whether you’re looking for your frst home, your next home, or a home to retire in, we can help you fnd it. With communities in Maricopa and Pinal Counties, there is no shortage of options. Contact us today!

Ask Us About Lower Interest Rates*

Take advantage of our fnancing options and lock in a lowered interest rate - making it easier for you to close on your home.

Victory

Verrado, LLC. At. K. Hovnanian’s Four Seasons communities, at least one resident of each household must be 55 years of age or older. A limited number of residents may be younger than 55. Artist rendering; illustrative purposes only. Prices subject to change without notice. ©2023 K. Hovnanian Great Western Homes, LLC. K. Hovnanian Arizona Operations, LLC. ROC 188563. ©2023 K. Hovnanian Arizona New GC, LLC, an Arizona limited liability company. ROC 277023. Special Financing Incentives may vary and are subject to change without notice. Special Financing Incentives may not be combined with any other ofers. Seller contribution limits apply and may afect maximum fnancing. Maximum closing cost assistance may vary based on the purchase price, product and occupancy. Special Financing Incentives are based on the use of K. Hovnanian American Mortgage, L.L.C. (“KHAM”). K. Hovnanian American Mortgage, L.L.C. 3601 Quantum Boulevard, Boynton Beach, FL 33426. NMLS #3259 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess. org). Licensed by Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions. Lic. #906585. See a Sales Consultant for full details. Equal Housing Opportunity.

at The Retreat

From the low $600’s

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From the high $800’s

YOUR [SPECIAL] PLACE

Home should be a place that refects your needs, embodies your style and enables you to live your best life. It’s why Cachet is committed to building high-quality Arizona homes and inspiring communities that embrace the qualities you desire most.

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VOTED THE #1 PRODUCTION HOMEBUILDER BY RANKING ARIZONA – 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 AND 2023