Just in the last 4-5 weeks we found ourselves swamped: listings, buyers, lots of activity.

Something about the impending cooler weather gets people’s juices flowing.

That activity is born out in what the Big Brains™ at the Cromford Report are seeing in their tea leaves.

“For the monthly period ending September 15, we are currently recording a sales $/SF of $139.28 averaged for all areas and types across the ARMLS database. This is up 1.1% from the $137.83 we now measure for August 15.”

6-month moving averages for price per square foot for the areas of CenPho which contain most of the historic and downtown neighborhoods. No wild swings here.

It is interesting to note that, despite the strong seller’s market, the active list prices are still a little bit above the final sold price. “On September 15 the pending listings for all areas & types shows an average list $/SF of $146.50, up 0.6% from the reading for August 15.”

That means that properties sold for about 6% less (in PPSF) than what they were listed for. That’s expected as people negotiate prices. Further, these numbers are from all areas. So, you may not see that drop off everywhere.

That’s good news for buyers. Even in this strong market, it does not hurt (unless you know there are other offers coming in) for you to try to slice a little off that price.

Its also interesting to see that the distressed sector of the market is back to pre-recession levels. “Among those pending listings we have 92.4% normal, 2.8% in REOs and 4.8% in short sales and pre-foreclosures.”

In other words, no, there really are not many distressed properties out there anymore –he says for the benefit of those who call him every few weeks asking if they can find a foreclosure to purchase for half the going market rate for homes.

Same historic and CenPho zip codes, 3-month moving average.

The Crazy Cromford Calc Crew™ is predicting slightly higher prices still in October. “Our mid-point forecast for the average monthly sales $/SF on October 15 is $140.36, which is 0.8% above the September 15 reading. We have a 90% confidence that it will fall within ± 2% of this mid point, i.e. in the range $138.27 to $143.91.”

Again, this is county-wide. It could be higher or lower, depending on the area.

The nice thing is, dear reader, that your Get Your PHX Team really knows the neighborhoods. So, we can help you take advantage of these trends, regardless of whether you are buying or selling.

Contact us for more at 602-456-9388.

Don’t you hate it when people start talking about the holidays in October?

Well, hate away, because here we go (with our apologies).

Our friends at Going Green House have some tips for you, which I think you can also apply to preparing to list your home.

Fall is finally here and the holidays are approaching fast. Before you know it you’ll be scrambling to get every thing in order before your houseguests arrive.

To take some of the stress off this holiday madness, it’s beneficial to be proactive about cleaning your home.

You know. Plan ahead. The thing we all find difficult to do in our hectic lives. But you can break up the task with a pre-holiday deep clean—hitting all those areas that you don’t typically get to during your regular maintenance cleanings.

That way, you won’t have to worry that your mother-in-law is judging you for those cobwebs growing in the corner.

To help get you started, here is a list of deep cleaning items to add to your pre-holiday prepping:

Kitchen

• Wipe down all kitchen cabinets and drawers free of dust, fingerprints, food and drink splatter
• Clean inside the oven and make sure to clean the range top, face, and hood
• Clean inside microwave
• Wipe off any dirty knobs, light switches, outlets, and windowsills
• Dust or wipe clean light fixtures and blinds
• Use a vacuum extension or duster to get rid of any cobwebs near the ceiling

Bathroom

• Wipe down fronts of all cabinets and drawers and any shelving with damp rag
• Dust or wipe clean light fixtures and blinds
• Wipe all baseboards, door frames, and light switches
• Wipe all bathroom fixtures, including towel and toilet paper holders
• Don’t forget the base of your toilet!

Main Living Areas

• Dust or wipe clean all blinds and windowsills
• Use a Swiffer duster or damp rag to wipe all fan blades and light fixtures
• Wipe clean all baseboards, doors, and door frames
• Clean any dirty or dusty light switches and outlets
• Use a vacuum extension or Swiffer duster to get rid of cobwebs hiding in the corners
• Clean all sliding glass or entryway doors, making sure to wipe the threshold
• When dusting furniture, use a damp rag in order to collect more dust and prevent settling
• Vacuum all couches and upholstered furniture free of pet hair, dust, and crumbs

April Prothero of Going Green House

This may seem overwhelming to add to your regular cleaning routine at first, but if you get started now, you’ll be a lot less stressed about having a sparkling house when the holiday craziness reaches its peak, or when you are about to list your home.

And of course, if you already have a lot on your plate, April Prothero and the Going Greenhouse crew would be happy to help alleviate the stress. Call her at (602) 476-9321.

If this tip is helpful, or if you need more advice on getting ready to list your home, contact the Get Your PHX Team at 602-456-9388.

Have you ever come home to find to find a post card that says “We’ll buy your house.”?

It often looks a lot like this. More recently, the design has improved, making it look like a well-established real estate investment firm has identified your house specifically –rather than by computer algorithm.

They are funny, if it weren’t for the fact that they represent such a loss for home sellers.

They almost always include some text talking about how great your house is, even though the author has probably never seen your home.

They always promise to purchase your home for cash, quickly. Sometimes they tell you that this is a limited time offer because the buyer “has other possible investments.”

So, like any scam, it has the complement, the enticement and the deadline.

Don’t be fooled. More likely than not, the people sending this to you can buy many homes and you don’t need to respond by any deadline.

Similar to this deal are the companies that tell you they can help you sell your home “as a For Sale By Owner” (FSBO), thus saving you money on commissions. Don’t buy it!

But, more importantly, these ads are more likely to lose you money, and maybe more.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Watch the ball! The promise is that you will make more money for your house when you “don’t have to give away 6% to realtors.” But, bear in mind that often times these investors offer you much less than you would “lose” by hiring a realtor.

2.  With a realtor you have somebody knowledgeable in the market who is contractually-obligated to protect your interests. Whereas these “investors” give you an offer and claim that it saves you the cost of paying an agent (6% usually), what they don’t tell you is that you probably could have brought in much more than that 6% or so by having an agent who knows the local market and knows how to do comparables.

3. Fees, fees, fees! Often there are fees that exceed what you would have paid a realtor. This is similar with the FSBO companies. I spoke to one person recently who was thinking of selling a home like this. He said that he was avoiding commissions and that he would not have to worry about doing any repairs. I asked him what fees they were charging and he replied “12%.”My jaw dropped and he explained that this was okay because he would not have to spend any money cleaning up the house or preparing for sale. I could see in his face change as I walked through the numbers for him. “On a $300,000 house, the difference between the 6% commission and the 12% fee is much, much more than you would ever need to hire a team of people to clean your house for you and make minor repairs. You could save thousands of dollars. What could you do with an extra $3,000 or $4,000?”

He is reconsidering that decision.

4. Realtors are licensed professionals for a reason. Its easy to think that realtors just list homes and drive around in expensive cars. But that’s not the reality (says the guy with the 2007 Prius with 170,000 miles on it). We are required to take 24 hours of continuing education every two years and we are liable for mistakes that we make. This is important when you consider things like disclosures. What happens if you don’t disclose something properly when you sell a house as a FSBO? You could find yourself in court, costing much more than you thought you would save.

If you have been tempted by the FSBO pitch or the “We buy houses” pitch, we are more than happy to analyze their offer for you. No cost. If I’m wrong and you could do better selling those ways, I’m happy to admit it. But if I’m right, please consider allow us to make a listing presentation to explain what do to sell your home.

Call us at 602-456-9388 for more.