Foodies are Coming to Scottsdale on Vacation

It’s time to start the official countdown to the Great Arizona Picnic and the Scottsdale Culinary Festival from April 17-22! We have our travelling knives and forks ready to go because we are ready to visit and EAT!

If you haven’t yet visited Scottsdale Arizona, then this is the perfect opportunity to do so. First, the weather in April is FANTASTIC (as it is most of the year, too!), and the food is…well…DELICIOUS! Just imagine a huge community picnic set in the midst of the quaint and picturesque Old Town Scottsdale. Really, it’s a feast for the eyes and the tummy!

There will be 50+ food vendors, 5 specialty areas, live music, and the Travel Channel’s Adam Richman of Man vs. Food fame, and Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods will be in attendance cooking and joking around as they always do! All the food is sample size so you can taste a bit of everything from tacos to crab cakes to food truck specials.

Now we have a great idea for the loyal followers of AZ Golf and Home. We have amazing vacation rentals with top notch kitchens that will allow you to whip up some culinary treats in your very own space. No cramped hotel rooms allowed! Even better, how about combining a visit to this amazing epicurean event with a few rounds of golf at some of the world’s best golf courses? Of course we can arrange that, too! Rentals are filling up fast so please call us today to secure yours. 520-877-7924

Ahhhh…good food, great golf, beautiful accommodations, amazing setting…It’s good to visit Scottsdale Arizona in April!

The Difference between Playing Golf in Arizona and Florida

The very first difference is that you may well see one of these on a golf course in Florida but you will never see one in Arizona! And, while you may run across a snake or two in both states, the snakes in Arizona rattle in warning if you get too close to one.

 

 

But beyond the wildlife on the golf courses in Arizona, it’s the weather and the breathtaking landscapes that really set it apart from Florida. Because Arizona is a desert state, AZ’s humidity and rainfall are far lower than Florida’s. While it does get hot in the summer, it’s dry heat and not the wet, gloppy Florida humidity. And, we don’t have those menacing gnats and other annoying bugs buzzing around while we play in AZ! The winters are mild and considered “sweater weather” in both places, but Arizona does get more sun and fewer heavily cloudy days. It’s a golfer’s paradise on more days than not in Arizona!

 

 

The scenery in Arizona is hard to beat. You can be standing on a green and look in one direction and see mountain terrain. Then turn to look in another direction and view a valley dotted with cacti. In Florida, there is the ocean (and Gulf) but you’ll never spy a mountain vista from the 9^th hole.

 

 

We’re not Florida bashing but we do want to point out that Arizona is not just the premier vacation spot for those who live “West of the Mississippi”. We are open and welcoming to all our neighbors and want you to visit to play golf (especially Tucson Golf!). We may not have Disney World but we do have world-class golf resorts and the beautiful scenery one would expect from the Grand Canyon State! Oh yeah, and we don’t have any alligators!

Tiger Woods Says NO to Belly Putters

We wrote about this topic last year when Keegan Bradley became the first winner to use a belly putter/long putter at a Grand Slam event. Now there’s a new development and Tiger Woods is getting involved and helping golf’s governing bodies to write rules against “body anchoring” a club. This could be bad news for Keegan and Webb Simpson, but good news for golf traditionalists.

So what are the recent stats of the pros swinging the long putter? According to Sports Illustrated, these are the numbers:

• Seven of 30 players who competed in last year’s Tour Championship used one, including the victor, Bill Haas
• Five of the winners in the last seven regular-season Tour events
• Eight of the 24 competitors in the Presidents Cup

Gary Van Sickle, Senior Writer at Sports Illustrated, has written a great article on this subject including some great quotes about belly putters from golf pros over the years. We’ve included the best ones here:

“I believe putting is the art of controlling the body and club and swinging the pendulum motion. I believe that’s how the game should be played.” -Tiger Woods, on belly putters, 2012

“I think it’s simply another step away from a game that’s been played for 300 years.” –Geoff Ogilvy, on alternative putters, 2011

“The belly and the broomstick are definitely superior methods. I don’t see any reason why a guy can’t be phenomenal with those putters.”–Johnny Miller, 2011

“They definitely should be banned. Nerves and the skill of putting are part of the game. Take a tablet if you can’t handle it.”–Ernie Els, on long putters, 2004

So what do you readers think about the long putter? Good for the game because it helps some golfers improve arguably the toughest part of the game. Or, it’s ok for the amateurs but doesn’t belong in the tournaments?

Junky Real Estate Listing Data and Listing Aggregators

Most real estate consumers are familiar with the big listing aggregators – Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor.com. It’s true that these are very easy to use, and easy to search websites that warehouse millions of real estate listings. Long gone are the days when a realtor would print-out dozens of pages of MLS listings for a prospective buyer (or seller for comps). But, there’s still a problem with the listing data – no matter where it’s found – and it’s the classic “garbage in, garbage out” scenario.

This is important to understand given that some real estate brokers are pulling their listings out of the aggregators’ websites because they believe the consumer is ultimately shortchanged by erroneous data. Furthermore, they claim that on an aggregator’s site, the consumer is also steered to a broker that is likely not the listing source but one who paid a fee to the aggregator to have its contact information attached to the listing. Again, it’s assumed that the consumer will suffer from dealing with a broker who doesn’t know anything about the listing and if the listing data’s wrong, well, you can see it’s a conundrum of sorts.

But before we go any further in the discussion we ask readers to remember the basic goal in the real estate game is to sell the property in the shortest length of time for the best possible price. Period.

If a listing agent doesn’t take the time and effort at the beginning to correctly input the data about the property, then the listing information will be wrong on every platform and not just the aggregators. In most cases, that isn’t the aggregator’s fault; it’s the agent’s fault. The property owner will likely pay quite a bit of money to the listing agent when the property is sold so there should be some pressure on the listing agent to at least get the property facts right. We triple check our listing data because we know it’s our duty to our clients.

Now, there is some weight to the argument that those paid-for broker adverts at the bottom of the aggregator’s listing page unfairly steer the consumer away from the listing agent. The listing agent’s information is there but at the very bottom of the page and without the call to action “contact agent” form and button. We don’t think it gives an unfair advantage to these other agents who pay to have their name and contact info attached to certain zip codes on real estate aggregator websites. It’s part of a free and competitive market system and if Agent Y wants to pay to have her name above ours on one of Mountain Vista Real Estate’s listings that’s ok if it helps to get the property sold.

We want to know what you think – both consumers and real estate professionals. Do you think real estate aggregator websites are good for the industry? Or, do they junk up the web with bad data and agent steering to the detriment of the property owner and buyer?

Suds & Swings – Celebrate Great Beer and Pro Golf in Tucson this February!

There are two great events in Tucson at the end of February and we knew we had to give our readers the scoop! Or maybe we should say the suds and swings?

During the week starting Saturday, February 18, the great city of Tucson will celebrate two unrelated but distinctly enjoyable events – the annual Accenture Match Play Golf Championship and the Arizona Beer Week festival. What could be better than drinking high quality beer while watching the world’s top golfers compete (no car driving allowed, of course!)? We can’t think of much, but did we also mention the weather will be sunny, dry, and warm? Yes, that does make it even better!

We’re selling tickets to the Accenture Match Play event. You can buy them by emailing Jay@tucsongolf.com. Also, you can email him to reserve lodgings (hotels or vacation condos), schedule tee times at the dozens of great golf courses in the area, and just to chat about living and playing in Tucson. Jay would love to hear from you – he gets really grouchy if he feels ignored! (But don’t tell him we said that!)

While we’re not selling tickets to the Arizona Beer Week events, we will be attending some of them! You may just find us at the Thunder Canyon Brewery tossing back a Deep Canyon Amber or a Windstorm Wheat. We love hand-crafted beer, and Tucson is home to some of the best breweries in the Country, we are proud to say!

So what are you waiting for? Book your trip today to visit us during the week of February 18. Watch some golf at the Accenture Match Play Tournament, and drink some great beer during Arizona Beer Week. What an amazing way to spend a spring break!

Playing Golf Will Help You Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

Statistically speaking, this is the time of year when a majority of New Year’s resolution makers will buckle and break those resolutions they so boldly announced on New Year’s Eve. It’s the one month mark that seems to be the length of time that most people can either do something (i.e. exercise) or not do something (i.e. smoke) before giving in to temptation or giving up in frustration! We want to help you get over this danger zone and continue to keep the resolutions you made on New Year’s so that you can look better, feel better, and be a better you in 2012. And, it shouldn’t be a surprise that we believe golf is the key to keeping your New Year’s resolutions!

We thought about simply writing a list of the most common New Year’s resolutions, but since playing golf offers multiple benefits (yes, we are biased but there’s scientific proof backing us up!) it also address multiple resolutions.  First, here are some of the basic facts about playing a 9-hole round of golf:

• How long does it take to play?
  • It should take 10 to 12 minutes per hole with a foursome. A little under 2 hours average for 9 holes.
• How many calories burned?
  • Walking: 721
  • Using push cart: 718
  • Using caddie: 613
  • Riding in a cart: 411
• How many miles walked?
  • Not riding in cart: 2.5
  • Riding in cart: 0.5

So now armed with these basics, which New Year’s resolutions can be accomplished by playing golf? Some of the benefits of playing golf are obvious from getting physical out on the course. Others are less obvious because they are by-products of getting out there on the course. Either way, golf is good for you in many ways including keeping these common New Year’s resolutions:

• Exercise – 90 minutes of activity two or three times a week is a great way to get exercise and when you walk the course carrying your clubs it’s cardio, too!
• Lose Weight – as long as you don’t overeat after you play then your weight loss diet will benefit from the calories expended during a round of golf. If you continue to eat properly, your golf play will result in a few pounds lost each month when you walk the course when you play. It may not seem like a lot but just add up the lost pounds at the end of the year. You’ll need to buy some new pants!
• Stop Smoking – outdoor exercise has long been known to promote smoking cessation. When you walk the golf course and carry (or push) your clubs, you’ll need the ability to breath easily because it is a cardio workout. How many times have you seen someone smoking on a treadmill? The same concept applies with golf – you may try to smoke on the course but you won’t want to after you climb that first hill and find yourself out of breath.
• Socialize – most often golfers play in a group and that can be very important for socialization purposes. Even if you’re not a big talker, it’s important to have social connections with other people for emotional and mental well-being. Playing golf lets you bond with others and whether for business or pleasure or a combo of both it’s a social game and that’s important to personal well-being.

And, FYI many golfers claim that walking the golf course actually makes you a better golfer because you will better understand the course – literally! When you walk the course you will better see the lay of the land and have time to plan your club selection and shot strategy.

So if you feel like you’re in a danger of breaking a New Year’s resolution or you just want to feel better physically and mentally in 2012, play a few rounds of golf each week. You’ll feel better and likely look better, too – we promise!

Benefits of Hiring Property Managers for your Rentals

Turnkey vacation rentals available for sale now! www.weknowtucson.com

A few weeks ago we wrote a blog post about making money in 2012 with rental properties. It is a very popular article that receives hundreds of visitors each week so we decided to do a follow-up story about the next step in your real estate investing plan and that’s what to do after you buy the rental property. In one sentence we can tell you – hire a property manager!

There’s no question that selection of the right rental property is the most important decision to make, but once you buy one it’s now time to make money with it. We won’t lie to you – owning a rental property can be a lot of work. You have to maintain and improve the property, advertise for and then vet tenants, and after all of that you become a landlord. Each of these tasks isn’t too bad on its own, but you will need to do all of them and do them well to be successful and make money which is why you bought the rental property in the first place.

Usually the biggest hurdle for property owners is their lack of knowledge of the area. Unless you buy a rental property in the same town in which you live, it’s likely that you will not have a keen understanding of the best handymen in town, tax and other municipal issues, best places to advertise for tenants, and highest rental rate the market can bear. Property managers know the locals and understand the market.

Hiring a property manager makes sense because the manager will take care of the following duties:

• Inspect and maintain the property
• Advertise vacancies
• Screen prospective tenants
• Handle tenant inquiries/issues
• Connect you with tax and other professionals who will help you with deductions and other property matters
• Help you to set the best rental rate

Here at Mountain Vista Real Estate we not only help homeowners to sell and buy houses but we also offer property management services to our many clients who own vacation rentals here in the land of sun and golf! Owning a vacation rental is an obvious choice for anyone who regularly plays golf and wants to fund their golf hobby by owning a vacation property rental. We work hard to make sure the property is perfect for the owner when he/she visits, and then we keep it well maintained and occupied for those weeks and months the owner is out of town. Yes, it’s a lot of work, but owning a rental property can also make good economic sense. When you’re ready to find your ideal vacation rental property please give us a call. We have a lot to show you!

New Hope for Underwater Homes?

Now that we no longer have holiday music playing in the car, it was time to catch up on some news from NPR on the radio. The first story we heard this year was about a nonprofit group in Boston that has convinced Bank of America to write down principle on underwater home loans and sell them to the nonprofit at today’s market value. The nonprofit then sells the home back to the defaulting homeowner. This is exciting news in the world of real estate.

Boston Community Capital’s executive director Elyse Cherry has been working on this effort for the past few years, and she said it’s finally now at a point where the big banks understand this solution is far better than the costly and expensive foreclosure process.

A house that someone bought several years ago for $300,000 may be worth only $150,000 today, says Ms. Cherry. If Boston Community Capital can purchase the home at the lower price, the group can offer a mortgage that a low- or moderate-income worker could afford. So far, homeowners who have repurchased their homes have seen their monthly mortgage payments drop from an average of $3,300 to $1,700.

The benefit to the bank holding the mortgage? They get to sell the asset at market value – albeit distressed market value – and clear it off their books without spending thousands on foreclosures.

The benefit to the defaulting homeowner? He can rebuy his home at current market value with a manageable mortgage payment based on real data about his income.

The benefit to the nonprofit? Eventually they will sell off these now stable mortgages to investors the same way banks used to do it. Then they will use that profit to make new loans.

It’s truly a win-win-win all the way around!

How to Make Money on a Rental Property in 2012

Readers of our blog know that we love to write about how great it is to live and play in Tucson and Scottsdale, Arizona. We won’t bore you (this time!) with a long list of reasons why you should buy a home or take a golf vacation in Arizona, but if you do need to refresh your memory then click here, here and here!

Today we’re writing about real estate investing and how you can make money on a rental property in 2012 if you follow a few very important rules. The first one is the most important:

Real estate investing doesn’t start with buying a rental property – it begins with creating the financial situation where you can buy a rental property.

Once you know that your finances are healthy enough to make a real estate investment, then it’s time to find a good one. Here are some things to look for:

• Location, location, location! – Think long term about whether this investment will be your retirement home or the place your kids will hang their hat during undergrad or grad school. That will help you to make your first big decision. Then check out properties that are both at and above your desired price point (remember that real estate often sells below its listing price in this economy). Never, ever buy more than you can afford no matter how tempting!
• Estimate the appreciation potential – once you have the neighborhood (location) narrowed down, now you need to find a property that with some minor cosmetic changes and renovations will attract tenants who are willing to pay the rent. And, there’s an expectation that at some point you want to be able to sell the property for a profit, and that leads us to the next point.
• Keep your expectations realistic – create a spreadsheet with all the area comps and be honest about them. You can also use online tools like Rentometer to check your rental price once you set it based on math and not emotions!
• Only act when there’s projected positive cash flow – Don’t be a speculator unless you can really afford to be one. To estimate your cash flow take the average rent for the neighborhood and subtract your expected monthly mortgage payment, property taxes, insurance costs and a generous allowance for maintenance and repairs. Don’t underestimate the cost of maintenance and repairs – that’s a rookie investor’s mistake.

The basics are really rather simple when it comes to making money on a real estate investment property. But, so many people during the housing boom acted without doing their homework. When you find a good neighborhood, a property at a fair price with realistic appreciation and cash flow potential, and your own finances are healthy then it’s time to act. Give us a call when you’re ready – we have some properties to show you!

Situated on the 17th hole of Vistoso Golf Course! This Luxury Vacation Rental is being sold turn key!

How to Sell Your Home During the Holidays

So many homeowners believe that this is the worst time of year to sell a house. Sure, it makes perfect sense if you think everyone is too busy with holiday shopping, vacation planning, and kids running amuck. But in reality, this is actually a good time of year to sell your home, and Realtor.com gives us some statistics about it.

“A recent survey of real-estate professionals by Realtor.com found that [the holidays] may not be a bad time to keep the home on the market. One reason: 79% of those surveyed think the buyers looking at this time of year are more serious. Plus, 61% said that less competition among properties is a benefit of selling at this time.”

They go on to give some tips about how to stage your house to sell during the holidays. Of course, non-religious holiday decorations are on the list. Also, to set the dining room table for a party, and get a fire going in the fireplace (if there is one). It’s all about showing the prospective buyers the lifestyle they are buying when they buy your home.

There are a few other ideas about the curb appeal part of selling your home that are especially important during the holiday season, and really all winter long. Spruce up your landscaping with mulch (if it hasn’t already snowed) or landscaping rock because dormant winter plants can be ugly. And, make sure your outdoor lighting works and is properly positioned to highlight your home’s architecture and landscaping. Remember, it gets dark outside earlier this time of year, and prospective buyers will likely see your home at twilight or nighttime.

A lot of people are looking for new beginnings and a fresh start in the new year. Take advantage of those mindsets and emotions and keep your house on the market and ready to show. You may just get your wish for a new house in the new year if you can sell your current home during the holidays!