![](http://www.scottsdalepropertyshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Homesmart-Elite-group-e1513988435246.jpg)
We’re here to sell houses and chew bubblegum. We’re all out of bubblegum.
Soliloquy
A well-heeled businessman strode into the foyer of a nondescript office building. Tossing a nod over his shoulder at the exiting secretary who held the door for him, he failed to suppress the knowing grin that tugged at the corners of his mouth. A quick appraisal of the surroundings threatened to dampen his buoyant mood, however. The threadbare plaid couch in the waiting area appeared to be a reluctant holdover from his grandparent’s den, circa 1981. Were it not for the well-thumbed magazines littered about the adjoining table, he would not have believed that clients were actually expected to plant their backsides into the hungry springs that surely laid in wait just beneath the sweat-stained fabric. The secretarial desk, vacant now that the evening receptionist had departed, seemed smallish somehow. The faux wood laminate counter tops didn’t mesh with his recollection of level four granite, either. The walls needed a coat of paint. The soothing antique white had faded to a sickly yellow.
How does someone run a business like this, he wondered.
A low, reverential whistle interrupted his silent consternation.
“Well, look at you,” the familiar voice gushed. “I’m still paying for those shoes, you know.”
He felt a twinge of remorse as he looked down at the Italian leather loafers. Whoever heard of tapping a line of credit for footwear? The moment quickly passed. The projection of success was a cornerstone principle to the manifestation of such.
“What price can you put on comfort,” he retorted.
“Sixteen hundred dollars and twenty eight cents.”
“Bah, it’s like walking on clouds. Besides, how can you possibly remember the exact amount?”
“Come on back,” his counterpart responded by way of an invitation.
Settling into the chair opposite the desk in his host’s office, he considered the barren wall to his right.
“Where are the awards?”
“Packed them away last year.”
“Why? I worked my butt off for those.”
“The game has changed, Junior. In case you haven’t looked around lately, people are hurting. Shoot, we’ve done our own share of hurting. Nobody cares about your sales records.”
For the first time, he really studied the face in front of him. The florescent lighting of the private office revealed deep creases that had remained hidden in the shadows of the dank reception area. The urgency in the red-rimmed, greenish-brown eyes was as palpable as the fatigue. There was an unmistakably hard edge to the countenance that seemed at odds with its hound dog expression. He was looking into a face that had seen too much combat.
“You didn’t invite me here to talk about my shoes.”
“You’ve always had a good head underneath that fifty dollar haircut. It’s time you started using it,” came the cryptic reply.
Sensing it was not his turn to speak, he let the silence expand before his counterpart continued.
“For starters, the cars, the vacations, the nights out … you’ve gotta knock all of that stuff off. It’s time you started hanging on to the dough that earned you all of those plaques,” he said, motioning to the empty wall.
“But-”
“No buts. Look around, Chief. This is what’s waiting for you if you don’t get it together.”
He clamped his mouth shut, deciding to let the enigma in faded blue jeans say his piece. The sooner he got out of here, the sooner he’d make it to the range. He didn’t have the slightest idea where the slice in his fairway driver had come from, but he needed to get it ironed out before the charity tournament on Saturday. Children’s Leukemia this time? Diabetes Awareness? He couldn’t remember.
“Moving on,” his appointed conscience interjected. “The real reason I asked you here today is to clear the air about the message you are promoting. Torpedo the kids’ college fund if you like, we’re resilient, but your clients deserve better from you.”
Kids, he thought as he folded his arms and sat back in the chair, bracing for the sanctimonious diatribe that was sure to follow. As in plural?
“Bear with me one second.”
His host pulled a worn, blue notebook out of one of the desk drawers.
“Hey, I’ve been looking for that,” he objected.
“Confiscated for your own good. Our own good. Let’s take a look at what you have been telling consumers, shall we?”
A brief pause accompanied the turning of pages.
“July 7th, 2004. You told Mr. Davis that if he didn’t buy now, he might soon be priced out of the market.”
“I was right! By December, prices in the neighborhood he was looking in had risen an additional ten percent –”
“And now it’s down forty percent. I know you thought you were looking out for his interests, but you only considered the short term prognosis.”
“That’s not possible! Property values never decline in Scottsdale! We’ve been historically undervalued, especially compared to California. We’ve remained stable when other markets have tanked!”
“February 2, 2005. You told Mr. & Mrs. Flemming that the forthcoming bubble was a media myth.”
“Maybe not a myth, but it’s definitely a media creation! If the talking heads wouldn’t go on the news scaring the beejeezus out of buyers every night-”
“Right, Katie Couric created no-qual financing and the subsequent investor-driven spike of artificial demand that led to a massive housing glut and a skittish buyer pool. God help us if Anderson Cooper ever goes on air to tell us about the Easter Bunny.”
“You’re telling me they’re right?”
“You don’t know the half of it,” his colleague responded with chagrin.
“Yeah, yeah, well hindsight being twenty twenty …”
“March 8, 2006. You opined to Mrs. Sanjeve that the market still had some legs.”
“Things have slowed down, sure, but prices are still inching up,” he responded meekly.
“You had to know things were getting ready to go sideways. Prices may have held steady before the coming plummet, but days on market were starting to pile up. Homes that received five offers before the sign even got planted in the front yard were now taking thirty to sixty days to sell. The writing was on the wall, you just couldn’t interpret the black and white truth through those rose-colored glasses of yours. Heck, you nearly got caught holding an investment property yourself.”
“I believe in our market. Scottsdale has always been the apex destination in Arizona. Our values don’t decline. Ever.”
“There’s that pre-bubble thinking again. Watch that reliance on past performance, Champ. Any market that relies on human buyers and sellers is subject to downs as well as up. No more fortune telling, you understand me? From now on, save the tea leaves for the missus’s iced chai lattes.”
“She doesn’t drink chai,” he answered.
“She will.”
“Okay.”
“August 18, 2007. Right before their portfolio took an irreparable beating with the jumbo loan market disintegration, you advised the Echols that they act now before interest rates rise.”
“Wait a minute, 2007? That one’s not on me!”
“Oh, you’re right. My apologies. Forgot which market I plucked you out of. Do me a favor and send in 2007-2008 on your way out, would you? He should be here by now. Looks a lot like you, just a little stressed out.”
He chuckled.
There was a knock at the door.
“That must be us now.”
Instead of the expected visitor, however, a young woman poked her head into the room.
“Okay, your hour’s up. I’m sorry, but I really need the room back now,” she said.
He looked at his younger self and gave an embarrassed shrug of his shoulders before nodding in the direction of the new arrival.
“Tracey here just got her license in the fall.”
A rueful shake of the head accompanied another pause. He glanced down at the neatly packed duffel of personal affects at his feet, wondering for the umpteenth time if the makeshift home office would hold it all. He raised his head and found the eyes of his disbelieving doppelganger.
“Last piece of advice. Spare yourself the martyr act and list some freaking REOs.”
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*PLEASE NOTE NO CAREERS WERE HARMED DURING THE WRITING OF THIS FICTION*
Just stretching my creative legs a bit, people 😉
![The Day the Deal Stood Still](http://www.scottsdalepropertyshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/late-e1273777809423.jpg)
The Day the Deal Stood Still
The closing table is no place for incompetence. The crescendo to a Real Estate transaction, the signing of loan documents and the final settlement statement is representative of a successful navigation of the escrow obstacle course. If it were a cinematic experience, an empowering musical score would soar over the montage of conquered struggles that it took to get to this point. While a few credits have to roll before the buyer can officially call the property home, namely lender funding of the loan and recordation of the deed, smiles and handshakes accompany the last executed signature in the two inch stack of paperwork, nonetheless. In years past, agents and consumers alike have been spoiled by the well-oiled machine that was the title and escrow field. Catastrophes arose, catastrophes abated and we lost our minds if a closing was delayed twenty four hours by unavoidable eventualities.
These days, I consider myself lucky if a closing isn’t delayed two weeks and my clients draw anyone other than Sparky, the one brain-celled signing agent.
With new disclosure regulations, a completely different settlement statement and a host of new concerns with the transfer of clear title due to the pervasiveness of foreclosure and short sale properties in our midst, an accomplished escrow officer has never been more vital to the process of a home sale. Unfortunately, many of the good ones were forced out of the industry when the market hit the skids in 2007. When sales finally began to rebound, the major title/escrow companies restocked their ghost offices. As the predominance of these properties were distressed, however, it was the REO (bank foreclosures) and short sale divisions that welcomed new staff. The resale divisions remain largely undermanned.
The REO division of a title company is an entirely different universe. Like that of a REALTOR who specializes in listing bank property, transactional volume is ludicrously high. Too many files on too few desks. You can imagine how this translates to the urgency with which your file gets treated. Another component that is not necessarily to the buyer’s benefit is the relationship between the bank and the title company they have procured. Supposedly a neutral third party whose purpose is to convey the property from the current owner to the buyer, the myth of its transactional Switzerland is a tale taller than the Alps. If the sheer dollars involved in a title company’s relationship with a bank (or the bank’s asset management affiliate) does not dictate outright obedience to the demands/whims of one party over the other, it sure does influence behavior. I have been nonplussed during the course of bank property transactions (the buyer MUST use the bank-selected title company if his/her offer is to be accepted) in which the title company is the one contacting me with seller demands, essentially performing the role of the listing agent by proxy.
It is expected that one will have to tolerate a third party that is subservient to its master in a bank property sale (and not overly concerned with getting the file closed in a timely fashion to boot), but problems are now creeping into “normal” resale transactions between living, breathing human buyers and sellers. For starters, with many resale divisions depleted of adequate staff, it is not an unlikely scenario to get stuck with an escrow officer who primarily handles REO accounts. Flip a coin between whether said officer is overworked or under-experienced, but too often lately a less than exemplary job is being done. Documents are not being requested/delivered on time, assistants are left to answer questions they are not ready to field, communication between the officer and the buyer’s lender is nonexistent … I’ve even encountered “signing agents” at closing who are neither the selected escrow officer, nor capable of explaining the documents upon which they want your signatures. One clown literally tossed the paperwork in my lap and told me to explain it all to my clients. Had I not been rendered utterly speechless, I would have ordered the hall monitor to escort the fresh lad to detention.
Mind you, these are not mom & pop style title companies, but reputable names that do a very high volume (perhaps too high?) of business.
The moral of the story? Unless you are purchasing a bank property, and thereby resigned to the amusement of escrow fate, you have a choice in the matter. As the buyer, you get first crack at naming the title company in your initial offer. Sellers (upon direction from their chosen representatives most often) may list their own preferred company amongst the terms that are countered, but don’t cave. Unless your agent can point to specific, positive dealings with said officer/company in the past, I urge you to stick to your guns. Going back four or five years, a title company was largely a disposable part of the negotiation. As long as you got your price, you let the other party get the perceived “win” of naming the company. The recent changes to the escrow landscape make such a laissez faire approach to the title work fraught with peril. Make this term non-negotiable. More often than not, the other party will buckle rather than lose a sale over what many still consider a minor point.
When selecting a company, your chosen agent is the best source of advice. We have favorites for a reason, and it is not monetary. Through trial and error, we find excellence in all of our affiliates. When we find a diligent service provider, we are loyal. In this day and age, though, a little prevent defense is still warranted. Ask your agent who underwrites the title policies of his recommended escrow company (title and escrow are not necessarily synonymous) before satisfying yourself as to its viability.
I happen to use Jenny Werner with First Arizona Title. Her policies are underwritten by the big boys at First American. She chaperones her files quite adeptly to prevent avoidable delays and miscues, and is very responsive to consumer questions/concerns. Whether you employ me to assist you in the purchase of a home or not, I highly recommend you write Jenny’s services into the agreement. Your movers and peace of mind will thank you for it. Eventually, the other party will as well.
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Jenny Werner, First Arizona Title
11333 N. Scottsdale Road
Suite 160
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
Phone: (480) 385-6500
Fax: (480) 385-6800
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Negotiation
Ninety two contentious minutes into a 90 minute contest, the pitch is littered with casualties. Spent forwards, midfielders and fullbacks slogging wearily through stoppage time. Lungs seared from fruitless forays into the opposing half of the field, calves and hamstrings cramping from dehydration, members of both squads looking to the official for mercy.
Stop the game already, their eyes plead. In their weakened states, they are satisfied with a draw. Nil-nil. No glory, but no shame either. Just end this madness and take away the pain.
Not me. I play this game to win. Always. Fighting through elbows and spikes-up challenges all afternoon, I await my chance. That one bounce of the ball that will loose me. A coiled spring, all I need is one step and I’m gone. The jamoke trying to defend me does not have a prayer. Just let the ball squirt free along this right sideline. Just once.
And then it happens.
A poor touch by the center midfielder and the shining sphere of possibility bounces my way. Twenty yards in front of me with no defender in sight, the ball urges speed into my heavy legs. My shadow senses the moment, too. It’s a footrace.
Not feeling the handful of jersey being tugged from behind, ignoring the attempts to ensnare my feet, I rocket past my rival. He might as well be dipped in lead and cast in stone. Are my feet even touching the ground?
By the time I reach my quarry, I’ve built a full head of steam. The sweeper is running headlong towards me, but his is a fool’s errand. Lothar Matteus himself stands no chance at this very moment. A quick juke to the left followed by a step-over to the right, and his legs are agape. A deft touch of the ball through his wickets and I blow past his shoulder to recollect what is mine.
I see the referee out of the corner of my eye, surprised into action. He’s glancing at his watch, but he knows there will be resolution before putting lips to whistle. The linesman is galloping up his sideline in vain attempt to follow the action. Forget it, old boy. You will be a distant spectator to this penultimate play.
It’s just me and the keeper.
Having utterly stonewalled my mates thus far, my foe is formidable. Six foot four and full of muscles.
I choose my angle of attack and approach at 3/4 speed. All the while, competing voices in my head are shouting instructions:
“Deke it past him low and hard! ”
“Wait for him to go into his slide, then lift the ball over him!”
“Blow right past him and dribble the ball into the net!”
“Blast it into the upper 90!”
I ignore them all. I have been here before, and my body knows what to do. Years of practice guide me through the next three seconds. The crowd disappears. The field becomes the neighborhood park where I spent the weekends of my youth. I see the orange cones staggered over the next ten yards and navigate them flawlessly. Drawing my right leg back powerfully, I don’t even look at the hard-charging goalie.
BOOM.
All of my remaining energy and force are transferred into the ball. I know I’ve caught it well because I don’t feel a thing as I strike through it. Utterly drained and yielding to momentum, I fall forward with the shot. I hear the shrill hiss as the ball charts a path to destiny. Lifting my face from the ground to track its flight, I see it just nick the goalkeper’s outstretched fingertip. Enough to alter its path? Hard to say.
And so I watch. And I wait.
![The Case of Paul Slaybaugh and His Accidental Relocation Team](http://www.scottsdalepropertyshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/mpj043735800001-e1273589337804.jpg)
The Case of Paul Slaybaugh and His Accidental Relocation Team
It will come as no ground-shaking revelation that I want your business when you buy or sell a home in Scottsdale, Paradise Valley or the greater Phoenix area. It’s what I do, and I solicit that business, sometimes subtly, sometimes beat-you-over-the-head-with-my-resume overtly, within the confines of this blog on a daily basis. While there is little mystery in the primary services I offer to local consumers (“buyer’s agent,” “listing agent” and “headache sherpa” are all acceptable guesses), there is another aspect to this diligent Realtor’s usefulness that is sometimes overlooked: the quality referral.
Sure, consumers think to seek the names of local contractors and professionals from their respective agents, but what of the out of area service providers? Whether the client is relocating or seeking assistance for a friend or family member in another location, they often take to the internet or phone book to find assistance. Little do many know that the very best resource for an out of area referral is none other than their own local agent.
In years past, we agents were often very brand loyal in the placement of our referrals. Whether due to a conscious effort to keep things “in-house,” a matter of convenience, or a case of hoping the same corporate shingle would translate to a similar work ethic/methodology, we were limited by available resources. These days, however, the explosion of Real Estate driven websites, blogging platforms and social media has helped connect forward-thinking agents in unprecedented fashion. Through said arenas, we are able to far surpass the dark age reliance on blind selection from an incomplete list or static resume. In the vibrant, transparent Web 2.0 world, true professionalism and terrifying idiocy are both quick to reveal themselves. Through years of interaction with agents across these forums, I have cobbled together a relocation team by happenstance. No longer do I have to cross my fingers when making a referral to another agent, as I have trusted professionals in countless nooks and crannies throughout the country.
Going back to Cali and need an agent to help you discover Topanga Canyon? I’ve got you covered.
Topanga a little spendy for your budget? Perhaps this Ventura County Realtor can find something more your speed.
Is the Pacific Northwest calling your name (or tapping it out via Morse raindrop code, as it were)? You will be in good hands with the best Salem, Oregon Real Estate agent (and part-time Paul tormentor) that I know.
From the stockyards of Fort Worth, Texas to the West Bank of New Orleans, my network is comprised of not only outstanding agents, but truly exceptional people.
Do your folks back East want to join you here in Scottsdale? I don’t blame them. Make sure they speak to this Colts Neck, New Jersey Real Estate agent. Whatever he tells them about me is a lie.
And your cousin needs an agent in Pennsylvania? Tell this West Chester, PA Realtor that Dimples says hello.
Tired of the rat race of the lower 48 and eager to get your Jack London on? Give my best to the Spouses Selling Houses in Fairbanks, Alaska when they find you the ideal wilderness retreat.
The online Real Estate community continues to prove a boon for consumers and agents alike. While information is readily available for most any need, information alone cannot supplant the first-hand experience gained through established relationships. Take advantage of the unexpected connections your chosen representative has forged during the growth of his/her online presence. If I don’t personally know an agent in a particular market, you can rest assured that a member of my relocation network will. Six degrees of Real Estate separation? Hardly. At most, I’ll require two.
Oh, and I also know to whom I wouldn’t send a client for all the consonants in Poland. Consult your Realtor if for no other purpose than to ensure that no Gorgons make an appearance on the short list of candidates.
My reputation is on the line when I trust another agent with my clients’ business. It is a responsibility I take seriously. No matter where your Real Estate need arises, contact me before going it alone. Chances are I am exactly one phone call away from ensuring that you or your loved one enjoy the Real Estate experience you deserve. It’s the next best thing to packing up your agent and taking him with you.
Of course, if you are moving to Bora Bora, I’m willing to commute.
![The Scottsdale Real Estate Investor: Bacterium or Probiotic?](http://www.scottsdalepropertyshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/bacteria-e1273545503846.jpg)
The Scottsdale Real Estate Investor: Bacterium or Probiotic?
Real Estate Investor.
The phrase alone inspires a host of reactions that run the full gamut between antipathy and, well, slightly lesser antipathy, depending on the audience.
As any semi-interested news watcher and industry blog reader can attest, the Real Estate investor is the greatest scourge to befall our fragile ecosystem since polybutylene plumbing. What, with the housing supply lines ill-equipped to handle the artificial demand, our flimsy pipes swell and burst when the pump and dump investment surge strikes a hapless market. Aside from the banks who flooded Wall Street with dubious mortgage backed securities that were chopped and reconstituted in more numerous and indiscernible ways than Joan Rivers’ alleged face, the fount of no-money-down investors is the most vocally derided catalyst of the Great Real Estate Bubble of 2005 ©.
Well, guess what? The investor is back … and that’s a good thing.
Hold your rotten tomatoes and easy with the pitchforks, if you will. How can I possibly opine that the reemergence of the buyer subset that sent values through the roof, only to crash them through the basement when they left a valley of foreclosed “investments” in their wake is a good thing? Is the demand any less artificial now than it was when the previous incarnation of ne’er do wells spiked our collective punchbowl?
In a word, yes.
The 2010 investor is not the fly-by-night operator who purchased the nearest home for sale at the conclusion of a four hour seminar on how to get rich in Real Estate investing with no money down. Shoot, who needed money down when you barely needed a pulse and a job to buy a house back then? No, today’s investor, by and large, is showing up at trustee sales and plunking down cash on a barrel. He has the skin in the game that his counterpart of yesteryear did not. He is investing in a very real sense of the word.
In addition to securing an interest in the property with his own bankroll (thus making the prospects of simply walking away from a property that doesn’t return as hoped less palatable), the other crucial dynamic at play is the return of sanity to the overall investment arena. When investors were driving Scottsdale and Phoenix property values into the stratosphere back in 2005, there was little regard to the initial purchase price. Our entire market temporarily forgot that you make your money on the purchase. Buy a property right, and the return will be there when it’s time to sell. In the throes of insanity, investors were climbing over themselves and each other to purchase property, any property, for 50k over whatever ludicrous price was being sought by an apoplectic seller. Investors were betting on the come. Pay whatever now, and the joint will be worth 100k more in two months whether a hammer is ever swung in renovation or not. With the year long fervor, they got away with it … for awhile.
Today’s investor is not settling for just any property he can get his hands on, but is showing up at the courthouse and robbing the bank blind. Paying pennies on the dollar and rehabbing a previously dismantled home, his margin is large enough to bring the distressed apple of his eye to market at a price actually supported by recent sales comps.
The coup de grace? Today’s investor fills a need that the banks won’t. He is essentially financing the fix-up costs that many banks have abandoned in self-defense. Against a backdrop of tight lending purse strings, consider the difficulty many people have just in coming up with 3.5% or 20% down payments, let alone remodeling capital. With home equity lines all but vanished from the marketplace, that stripped bank-owned home bargain isn’t all that realistic for the buyer who doesn’t have the available cash to put it back together, regardless of how appealing the price tag. When you could tap a line of credit to finance improvements, it wasn’t that big of a deal to throw in some new carpet, counter tops and appliances after closing. Now, you have few options other than reaching into your own pockets. Thus, there is a sizable buyer pool for a move-in ready home. The well heeled investor who assumes the risk and fills that need is not to be derided.
Take the mom & pop homeowners who are unable to price their homes competitively due to high loan balances, mix with the interminable wait of short sales, fold in the distressed condition of much of the bank-owned inventory and bake at four hundred degrees to create a casserole of supreme frustration for many disenchanted home shoppers. A rehabbed home at an affordable price, if not the outright theft that was envisioned at the outset of their house hunt, begins to look more and more appealing to many buyers after getting an up close look at what the reputed bargains actually look like live and in color. In essence, by purchasing a property from an investor, a buyer has found an end-around to financing renovation costs.
If your last nickel is earmarked for your down payment, and you can purchase a renovated home at a fair market value that you can afford, don’t begrudge the man his margin. While the stereotype of the lecherous vulture remains, we would be remiss not to acknowledge the good he can, and does, bring to a market like ours.
Investors: they’re not just for nuclear Real Estate holocausts anymore.
McDowell Mountain Ranch in Scottsdale, AZ
McDowell Mountain Ranch is a North Scottsdale master planned community nestled in the foothills of the McDowell Mountains (inconceivable, I know). Originally developed in the mid ‘90s (with fill-in development continuing for the next decade) with subdivisions from well-known builders including Camelot, Shea, Woodside, Ryland, Del Webb, Edmunds, TW Lewis, etc, the once Northern outpost to Scottsdale has become much more centralized with the subsequent completion of the Loop 101 freeway and ensuing development. Home to some 4000 residences and 26 subdivisions, this model of low impact development has become one of the most sought-after communities in all of Scottsdale and features property styles for virtually every budget. From modest townhouses to gated enclaves of $1,000,000+ single-family homes, the community appeals to full-time and seasonal residents from all walks of life.
In addition to the ample choices of housing (comparatively newer by Scottsdale standards, I might add), McDowell Mountain Ranch has gained its name brand appeal through its amazing confluence of amenities. From the newly completed aquatic center (city park) to the various community pools, parks and centers sprinkled along the community-wide walking path system, there is little that is not offered here. Nature lovers and hiking enthusiasts will lose themselves in the raw beauty of the desert preserves which can be accessed through several trail heads. Boasting city and mountain views, the serendipitous challenge of the Sanctuary Golf Course is enjoyable to serious players and weekend duffers alike. Throw in the Alltel Ice Den (Phoenix Coyotes affiliate ice hockey center), Westworld (equestrian center), restaurants, shopping and conveniences, and McDowell Mountain Ranch is essentially a city unto itself.
As development continues in adjoining communities like Trails North at Horseman’s Park, Windgate Ranch and DC Ranch, this general area is where most Scottsdale home shoppers migrate for newer construction. Developed Northward from her shared border with Tempe, and essentially built-out save for a few isolated pockets, you either have to head North towards Pinnacle Peak (and beyond) or East towards Fountain Hills to find newer homes. Where many home buyers were once forced into the trade-off of an older property for a close-in location, the expansion of the Valley’s infrastructure has made that dilemma a thing of the past. With exit points at both Bell Road and Thompson Peak, McDowell Mountain Ranch enjoys the advantage of having two viable options for freeway access. Once on the 101, you can reach virtually any part of the Valley within 20-30 minutes.
For school information, community attractions and builder floor plans, please see below. Note that the floor plan library, while extensive, is by no means complete. We will be revisiting this post as we add additional builders/models to the list, so feel free to check back on occasion to keep tabs on our progress. Curious what the houses in this community are currently going for? Click on the map at the bottom of the page to view current active listings in McDowell Mountain Ranch.
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Schools:
Formerly bussed all the way down to Saguaro High School, McDowell Mountain Ranch high schoolers now attend Desert Mountain High on Via Linda just East of 124th St.
Younger kids don’t have far to travel as both Desert Canyon Elementary and Desert Canyon Middle School are located right in McDowell Mountain Ranch (SE corner of McDowell Mountain Ranch Parkway and Thompson Peak).
In addition to the public schools, the Notre Dame Preparatory High School campus lies just outside of the McDowell Mountain Ranch borders off of Bell Road.
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Community Amenities:
McDowell Mountain Ranch Park and Aquatic Center
Westworld of Scottsdale Equestrian Center
McDowell Mountain Ranch Skate Park
McDowell Sonoran Mountain Preserves
Sanctuary Golf Course
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Builders | Floor Plans:
Camelot Homes | Vista | Castle Dome | Plan 932| Plan 932-5 | Pinnacle | Mingus | Crest| Summit | Ridge
Cachet Homes |
Centex Homes | Plan 732 | 733 | 734 (1st level) | 734 (2nd Level) | 736 (1st Level) | 736 (2nd Level) |Ladera | Montana | Tierra
Del Webb (Coventry) | Dante | Lido | Medici
Edmunds |
Engle Homes |
Greystone Homes |
KB Homes |
Maracay Homes | Plan 700 | McDowell| Mesquite | Santa Rita | Sierra | Talima
Presley Homes | Aruba | Key Largo | Molokai | Samoa | Victoria
Ryland Homes | Plan 610 | Plan 616 | Plan 622 | Plan 624 | Plan 1744
Shea Homes |
TW Lewis |
UDC Homes |
Woodside Homes | Plan 2 | Plan 2X | Plan 3 | Plan 4 | Plan 4X | Plan 5 | Plan 5X
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Latest Homes for Sale in McDowell Mountain Ranch
View all homes for sale in McDowell Mountain Ranch
I Do Not Have a Magnet On My Car (Redux)
I have been told that personal branding is a vital part of a successful Realtor’s marketing toolbox. Ad nauseum. To an extent, I agree. As any production-based entrepreneur will attest, competence is only part of the equation. If the general public does not know you exist, you will starve. It’s as simple as that. That said, there is a fine line between marketing your wares and losing yourself within a caricature. Personally speaking, I’d much prefer to be the guy whose name is passed amongst friends, family and co-workers than the floating head on the side of a bus. Appealing to the lowest common denominator strikes me as misadventurous in terms of cost (somebody, namely future clients, will have to take the expense of the ME ME ME based advertising on the chin) and reputation.
My choice? I choose anti-branding as my brand. In disavowing the frivolous and the cheesy, I opt for a quality over quantity approach to client acquisition and retention. In short, I hope for my service to speak in place of the glamor headshot on a bus stop bench.
Some chase the ambulance. Some let the ambulance chase them.
As such, I have assembled a loose collection of industry pet peeves which may help you determine whether or not my substance over style approach to the industry will mesh with both your disposition and expectations for your choice in representation.
I do not wear a nametag. This should be reserved for Walmart employees, mechanics and the truly forgetful.
I do not carry a clipboard. If you believe you require a prop to look more professional, odds are high you are right.
I do not wear a suit and tie. Nothing wrong with dressing for success, but a guy in a tie wants to sell you something. I want clients and customers to feel comfortable around me.
I do not have pictures of my pets on my business cards. “When the time comes to sell your most valuable asset, you can trust Paul Slaybaugh … and his kitty cats!”
I do not press said business card into the hand of every neighbor on my block. Probably a bad business decision on my part, but I never liked the idea of my neighbors ducking inside their homes to avoid “that guy” when they see me walking down the street.
I do not inform buyers, “This is the kitchen!” when showing a house. You’ve seen this agent on House Hunters. She doesn’t trust your ability to bridge the convection oven + refrigerator = kitchen divide.
I do not sell insurance or loans. Or pomegranate juice. Or encyclopedias. I sell houses. That’s it. If I’m good enough at it, there is no need to branch out into repping energy elixers on the side.
I do not work a good ‘ole boys referral network. I refer my clients to the best service providers I know with expectation of neither reciprocation, nor compensation. Too many great guys, but bad practitioners out there to gamble my client’s best interests with a “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” relationship. If I provide an affiliate’s name, it’s a name worth knowing.
I do not turn off my cell phone. I’m not always available to field a call, but the phone stays on. Some emergencies can’t wait for normal business hours.
I do not introduce myself at parties as “Paul Slaybaugh, Realtor.” Rest assured, you can let your guard down when we are off the clock without fear of a never-ending solicitation. I am a whole person. Real Estate is what I do, but not the entirety of who I am.
I do not sell houses. I help houses sell themselves. I can sell you a pen if you already have four, but I cannot sell you a house that you don’t want. Many agents put on a show for their clients in an effort to demonstrate just how salesy they can be when promoting their home. It’s a mistake.
I do not treat lenders, title officers, stagers or contractors as if they work for me. We’re all a team, with the client as captain. It is my goal to create an atmosphere in which all professionals involved will be eager to work with me again upon the successful conclusion of a transaction. It doesn’t serve my clients’ purposes to have the network of providers I rely upon cringe when my number flashes across their caller ID.
I do not put balloons on my open house signs. I don’t juggle or have pie-eating contests either. We are selling a HOUSE here people, not a set of Goodyears.
I do not drop client names around the office. Or around other clients, for that matter, in an attempt to convince them of my importance. Aside from valuing your privacy in this modern TMZ world, who really cares? “Famous by association” is entirely overrated. I’d rather attain my promised 15 minutes through merit.
I do not attend tour groups for the scones and gossip alone. I’m there to work. The scones are great, though.
I do not advertise sales, incentives or gimmicks for the use of my services. I offer competitive fees, but I will not trick you into working with me. If you select your professional representative based on the allure of a complimentary fruit basket or shoulder massage, God speed.
And I do not have a magnet on my car.
If you think we would make a good professional match, drop me a line. It would be my privilege to represent you in the purchase or sale of your Scottsdale home.
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![1988 Called. It Wants Its Sign Riders Back.](http://www.scottsdalepropertyshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/old-school-realtor-e1273194654150.jpg)
1988 Called. It Wants Its Sign Riders Back.
There is nothing the Real Estate industry loves more than a good cliche. The more hackneyed the slogan, the more likely we are to roll it into our marketing campaigns. Take the expressions which appear on an old industry stalwart, the sign rider, with frightening regularity. Intended to separate a listed house from the herd, many of the verbal gutterballs instead relegate their hapless charges to the back of the pack. You’ve seen the repeat offenders and mocked not only their stunning lack of originality, but more to the point, their inability to inspire … well … anything within your consumptive little heart.
If you will humor the presumption, I’d bet my license that my attendant impressions from the following gambits jive with those of today’s buyer to the tee.
“I’m Beautiful Inside” is henceforth redubbed “Coyote Ugly from the Street,” or “Look Past My Goiter and Love Me For Me.”
“Very Special!” is not outwardly off-putting, but it carries a stunning lack of associative context. While I happen to be very special to my mother, the man on the street just might cut my throat for the eight bucks in my wallet. If one can’t think of anything in particular that is worthwhile about the property, “Very Special” seems to fit the vanilla bill.
The insecure younger sister to the first member of our list, “I’m Gorgeous!” is a tired refrain from a house who doth protest too much. When was the last time that the person who regaled you for hours on end with tales of a jet-setting fashion model’s life was a true American beauty? It just doesn’t happen. Such a lovely has learned that his/her stunning visage requires no hyperbolic self-aggrandizement. This house, on the other hand, is the eight foot sasquatch with bad skin who won’t shut up about herself.
“Terms” – While agents generally know this to mean there may be some kind of owner financing available, this one is just patently confusing to the general public. Of course there are terms. Whether you are selling a home or Pet Rock, all transferences of ownership come with terms. Such as, “You pay X, I give you house.”
“Voted First On Tour!” – Congratulations, you beat out two other houses for the distinct honor. Seriously, if the agent’s colleagues were so taken with the home, where is the procession of buyers? My first reaction to such a proclamation is to surmise that the home has hung around the market long enough to make it into a tour lineup. Must be overpriced.
“Pool” – What else needs to be said? Some might argue that isolating any one feature of the home is pointless without the rest of the details, but I say who cares how many bedrooms, bathrooms, square feet, etc this home has? It has “Pool.”
“Extra Special!” – Oh snap! Take that “Very Special!”
“Pride of Ownership!” – For every abortion of a house out there, there is a proud homeowner. Shoot, that same owner is likely just as proud of his forty year old kid who still lives in the basement. Forgive me if I don’t lean too heavily on the hubris of persons unknown.
“Original Owner” – The decor has remained hermetically sealed within this time capsule since 1958. Forensic anthropologists will break down the door in the year 2200 to study the long-term effects of asbestos on shag carpeting.
“Won’t Last!” – Wanna bet?
“Look Here >>>” – I love this one. I mean, I absolutely love this one. If you somehow managed to notice the evidently insufficient “For Sale” sign, you are prompted to look at it. By a rider whose visibility requires you are already looking at it. A paradoxical delight.
“Neighborhood Specialist” – Silly me. Here I thought the idea was to promote the house.
I ridicule the use of trite slogans on Real Estate sign riders only because I have been there, done that. I am not exempt from this carnival of pie-throwing derision. At some point along my professional arc, I have tried just about every silly rider there is to get the attention of passersby. Through trial and error, I have come to realize the only one that is consistently effective is a website address. Rather than trying to sell a home in one to three words, it’s best to utilize that space to send prospective buyers somewhere they can get all of the property details. Properly designed, said website will catch your fly in a sticky web of additional buyer tools and resources. The idea is to keep them coming back for more, with your home top of mind all the while. Don’t tell a buyer how beautiful you are inside as they pass by, direct them to a resource which shows them in painstaking detail. Don’t distill the core value of the home all the way down to “Pool.” Funnel them to a place where the pool, 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, upgraded kitchen, hardwood floors, new A/C and half acre lot share equal billing. This is how you best leverage a rider to trade up to its penultimate incarnation: “SOLD!”
Or you can continue to try to reel them in with your “Carpet Allowance!”
Your choice.
What Do You Mean My Home Warranty Doesn’t Cover That??!!
So you were a good little boy scout and extracted a home warranty policy out of the seller during the negotiations for your recent home purchase. Or perhaps, unable to coax the relatively small potato item out of the seller, you opted to take your agent’s advice and spend the $400-1000 to purchase one yourself. After all, it’s pretty cheap insurance against Murphy’s Law (which holds that no fewer than four items which were inspected and functional as of a two weeks ago will simultaneously explode upon closing). While I always advise my clients to seek the protections of a home warranty, at least for the first year in which they are getting accustomed to the workings of a new home, it would be irresponsible to overlook the shortcomings of such policies. Like any other form of insurance, they are not bullet-proof, all-encompassing panacea’s for the maintenance headaches that will dot a homeowner’s horizon.
All resale homes come with pre-existing conditions. Whether the shower valve leaks when engaged, or a faulty electrical breaker causes a circuit to trip (without fail during the penultimate moment of your favorite television show), I have yet to encounter the home that does not have its own idiosyncratic, malfunctioning cross to bear. A diligent home inspection should uncover the lion’s share of the problems, but some can and do slip through the cracks on occasion. “No problem,” the common line of thought goes, “I’ll just call my home warranty provider” to correct whatever problem rears its head. The premise itself is not faulty, as home warranties are attractive for their very nature of warding off the unknown, but the assumption that whatever breaks will be covered is patently false.
Like your health insurer, the home warranty company is making the calculated gamble that the cost of your policy will outweigh the cost of the claims/repairs racked up during the coverage period. Safeguards are put in place to minimize the provider’s exposure. For starter’s, whichever company you opt to employ will include verbiage somewhere in their policy that disavows any responsibility for deficiencies in the home which pre-existed the coverage period. In other words, DO NOT assume that you can simply call the home warranty company to make repairs to items on the home inspection report that the seller refused to address during the escrow period. While no representative from the home warranty company will inspect the home prior to closing to determine what is, and what is not an existing condition, you will have a very difficult time getting them to come out to make repairs the day after you close. They will fight that claim tooth and nail as a pre-existing item.
The next difficulty you may encounter with your warrantor is the “amateur installation” clause. This is another area in which you are reliant on the diligence of your home inspector. Should the seller (or any previous owner/contractor for that matter) have jury-rigged any wiring, improperly installed new A/C components or soldered a plumbing joint with all the refined skill of a narcoleptic baboon, the warranty company will deny the claim for any repairs related to such items. If your inspector discerns that the home has played host to amateur contracting hour over the years, either demand professional repairs be made by a licensed contractor prior to the close of escrow, or expect to finance those repairs out of your own pocket. You warranty provider most assuredly will not.
Lastly, the biggest difficulty that most new homeowners run into with their home warranty lies within the fine print of the specific coverages provided. Oddly enough, most people never think to actually read the policy until after the transaction has closed and something in the house blows up. Treated as an afterthought in which the buyer’s agent often suggests a reputable company while sitting around the closing table, the soon-to-be homeowner is never fully briefed on what gets fixed and what is beyond the scope of the policy. Depending on the options (offered at additional expense to the basic package) selected, many items that are assumed to be included actually are not. The major working components of the home are covered in all standard policies, but there is minutia with which to concern yourself. For example, while interior plumbing pipes are covered, showerheads and faucets may not be. Exterior water lines (sprinkler systems) and shut-off valves are often excluded from basic policies. The heating element in your built-in microwave should be claim fodder, but maybe not the lighting element. The garage door operator is typically included, but not the door or the mounting track.
Your home warranty will not cover a roof leak unless you have a Cadillac policy.
Other things to note with your policy:
- There will be a service charge every time the warranty company sends out a contractor, typically in the $50-60 range. If the item that needs repair is determined to fall within the scope of your policy, the warrantor will pay for all repair costs above and beyond that service fee.
- You may have to wrestle with the provider on major repair items. If your A/C goes out, you may have to deal with several band-aid type fixes before your warranty provider accepts the eventuality that the compressor needs to be replaced. Not a lot of fun when it is July and a hundred and ridiculous out, but an unavoidable part of the process in some instances.
- Call your REALTOR if the service department stonewalls a legitimate repair claim! We do not wield magic wands (not during business hours, at least), but we do have access to the proper ears to bend in such instances. While the service department is looking for a reason to offset expense and deny claims, we can go straight to the marketing department that solicits our referral business. The same rep who sends us promotional materials, attends our office meetings and leaves the occasional chocolate chip pecan cookie in our inboxes has a far greater incentive to keep us happy than the service department does for a single unhappy customer. I have gotten more than a few denials reversed by shaking this branch of the company tree.
A home warranty is a great and necessary thing, just be aware of its limitations. It is not wholesale insurance against any eventuality with the physical condition of your home. Read the actual coverages of prospective warranty companies before you purchase one. Employ a reputable home inspector to uncover all pre-existing or amateurish conditions to the extent that is professionally possible. Do not accept the sellers inevitable argument against your repair demands that the home warranty policy he/she is buying you will correct all items. Prepare to do battle with your chosen warrantor on high-cost items by familiarizing yourself with the scope of the coverage, enlisting the assistance of your REALTOR and sheer persistence.
As with anything, the protection of a home warranty is only as valuable as your understanding of it.
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Follow the links below for coverages and options from three large home warranty providers in Scottsdale and the greater Phoenix area.
Market Statistics: April, 2010
Arizona Regional MLS Market Statistics: April 2010
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Average Days on Market vs Average Sales Price
Average Days on Market vs Number of Units Sold
Sales Volume and Average Price
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