CAMP OPENS FOR THE ARIZONA CARDINALS

If you don't already know, I am a huge Arizona Cardinals Fan! this year I decided to head up to Flagstaff and watch the first practice under new head coach Ken Whisenhunt. My good buddy, Dale Hahne, his twin 3 year boys, Nicholas and Andrew, and I headed up north for Flagstaff early Sunday.
What a beautiful day ranging form 60 degrees to 80 degrees depending on if you were in the sun. The sund was not out much, threatening rain most of the day. We had several sprinkles but no real rain. We could see off in the distance the lightning and rain, but it stayed away from practice. The weather was a nice change and a very relaxing get away.
I have not been to a Arizona Cardinals training camp for at least 5 years. This one struck me as much more organized than I remembered. Football season is on us and we can only hope the Arizona Cardinals pay us back for years of loyal misery.
The team looked great! Both Matt Leinart and Kurt Warner were hitting their targets. The team ran many different drills and it was fun to watch. The receivers went against the d-backs (not the Diamondbacks, but defensive backs) for most of the day. It as especially exciting when either Anquan Boldin or Larry Fitzgerald, caught the ball. The showed in each touch their superstar status. The fans cheered several times. I look forward to a season full on Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald connections for TOUCH DOWNS!
The EDGE, Edgerrin James, looked good too. He hit some holes and always took it down the field for the end zone. Both Marcel Shipp and J.J. Arrington were busy. It looks like the Cardinals will be using both players in the back field to confuse defenses.
At the end of practice we met our 2nd round draft pick, Alan Branch. He was over signing autographs with the crowd. He is a very cordial young man for his mammoth size! He said he cut 45 pounds prior to camp, wow he must have been huge.
There was an obstacle course for the kids and other play events. Dale took both Andrew and Nicholas through all the events. They had a blast. They were so cute running around with their mini football and Nicki kept throwing that football all around. Andrew was so funny he kept referring to the team as Baseball instead of Football. They had so much fun and I enjoyed watching them play.
There were about 1,000 fans watching practice although many cut out early fearing rain and lightning. There was plenty of room to double the amount of people watching. I highly suggest a great little family get away. Cruz up to Flagstaff and watch YOUR ARIZONA CARDINALS practice.

Great Early Morning Ride

As many of you know, I started mountain biking about 3 years ago. I love the sport. Yesterday morning I went for my little 40 minute route through the mountains at McDowell Mountain Ranch. It was beautiful and peaceful. The trail is changing due to the summer rains. We haven't had much rain, but it affects the trail instantly. My ride took me up Taliesin Trail from 107th and Gelding. I rode up to the beginning of Lost Dog trail, which took me to the saddle separating McDowell mountain Ranch from the neighborhoods around Anasazi elementary school. A rocky jeep trail takes you to the saddle, it is an intense ride. My good friend and riding buddy, Troy Williams, named this section of the trail "the mother" for good reason. It is always an exciting ride, it took me over a year to conquer "the mother" and I always get my heart rate over 170 bpm. Riding down is quite exciting too. One wrong move and you are eating rocks and boulders.
On the way down I split over to Quartz trail. It is a great downhill ride. One of my other riding buddies, John Todaro, favors the challenge of riding up Quartz trail. I think of it as the REWARD for a good hard ride. It has very fast down hill runs and quick twists and turns. You finish the ride going through the wash separating Cimarron Hills and Chastle Chase. The Quartz trail then dumps me onto 105th Street by the McDowell Mountain Ranch community center. What a thrill this ride is and usually I am 35 minutes from departure at this time. I love it! It gives that awesome feeling of accomplishment, of outdoor exploration and of physical exertion. But the ride is not over yet. Now I have a 5 minute ride up and down 2 hills, just over a mile, to get home. A great early morning ride always makes for a great day!

Jeff

Where Buyers Found The Home They Purchased

In every industry an incredible amount of research is conducted every year for the purpose of marketing products. Real estate is not the exception. The National Association of Realtors conducts a major marketing study every year. I recently read the most recent release, “The 2006 National Association of Realtors profile of Home Buyers and Sellers.” It was the first time I read the report and it was very interesting. The report was conducted by interviewing over 7,500 home buyers and sellers in 2006. The most interesting part of the report to me deals with Marketing.

I have been a Realtor selling homes in the Phoenix metro area since 1995. I was raised by Realtors (mom, dad, aunt, sister, step dad, grandmother) so I have been exposed to this industry since being a child. I looked to the report for answers about MARKETING homes for sale. Where is the best place to invest my time, money and effort to expose the home to more buyers? In the report there is a section about buyers titled “Where Buyer Found The Home They Purchased.” I found this most interesting. It supported what I had been taught, my experience told me and what most industry experts say. One must understand what the National Association of Realtors was looking for. It wanted to determine where the buyer was FIRST exposed to the home, whether they bought it on their own, through their agent, from the listing agent, from a builder or even from the seller directly. The report states the following:


Where Buyer Found The Home They Purchased

(Where)--------------------------(Study)------------(Remove Builder & FSBO)

Real estate agent --------------------36% ----------------40%

Internet ----------------24% ----------------27%

Yard Sign ----------------15% ----------------17%

Referral by friend or family ----------------8% ----------------9%

Builder ----------------8% -------------------

Print advertisement ----------------6% ----------------7%

Seller directly/knew the seller ----------------3% -------------------N/A



When discussing residential resale we can take two of those categories out of the mix. That is Builder and knew the seller, because we are not dealing with new homes or For Sale By Owner homes (FSBO). FYI, did you know 42% of homes sold as a FSBO are sold to a friend or family member.

I created another set of numbers by removing both builder purchases and FSBO transactions. That would give us a better picture for the residential resale market, which affects me and my clients.

What I think is most important is the growth of home buyers finding their home on the internet. If you really think about it, most of the homes designated as “Real estate agent” are also Internet. Why? When I work with my buyers I email them a link directly into the internet for them to search or I search the internet to find homes for them. Therefore, somewhere close to 67% of buyers are first exposed to the home they buy through the Internet. The research shows 17% are from the Yard Sign. I have experienced this fact over and over. The reality is most of our sales where we represent both the buyer and seller are from sign calls. Next is referral by friend or family. This is why it is important to send us those referrals. Lastly is Print newspaper, magazine or advertisements with 7%. The public construes this as meaning the local paper when in fact it is 100’s of different Lead Generation periodicals combined.

Here at The Cameron Team we focus our marketing efforts towards the most effective advertising to reach the most buyers. Call me anytime for a FREE Total Market Overview and to learn about the most effective marketing in today's market.

New McDowell Mountain Ranch Listing - 14219 N. 109th St

New Listing Near Kierland - 6240 E. Evans Dr.

WHAT CAUSES PROPERTIES TO STAND OUT IN TODAY’S MARKET

Last month I went to a Tom Ferry real estate seminar. There were about 500 agents in attendance. Tom Ferry is one of the top real estate “Gurus” in the nation and coaches Realtors. Every time I go to one of these events I am shocked at how much I learn. I was invited to join Tom and 8 to 10 other top agents for lunch and a mastermind group. It was amazing and I was honored to be part of such a “brain trust” for our industry. Tom spoke about the fact that what is happening in our market is happening just about everywhere and the things we can do to be the best REALTORS®.

In our mastermind group, we discussed what our individual experiences were and what was working right now. Tom also shared with us, from a mastermind group of over 100 of the top agents in Orange County, “What causes properties to stand out today.” After great detail and discussion on this topic the group came up with this list:

WHAT CAUSES PROPERTIES TO STAND OUT TODAY

1. Price – the best property for the price. Today’s buyer wants the best DEAL.
2. Buyer Incentives – seller buying down the loan or closing costs, flat panel TV etc.
3. Professionally Staged – a home must show great.
4. Commission – offering a higher commission to the buyer’s agent.
5. Exposure & Marketing – no price on ads, “price special this weekend only”, “Drastically reduced”, “$100,000 off the price”
6. Accessibility & Ease to show – lockbox and cooperative sellers.
7. Different financing options
8. Location
9. Upgrades & Finishes
10. Layout & Floor plan.

He addressed the group for comment and acknowledged that the last 3 are basically specific to the home and difficult to change. We discussed the list and our group agreed. He then asked, “What is your experience in giving a commission bonus to the buyer’s agent?” Several commented on how they had tried the incentive and did not find it very helpful. His group came to the same conclusion and he stated “the first three are all that count; and today everything comes down to PRICE.” So, although the group came up with this list of 10 ways to make a home stand out, they then qualified their list with only the top 3 really have any affect.This truly is nothing new. But, it is great to find out the top agents here in the valley and in other states are coming to the same conclusion. In today’s market, homes are selling. They are the best homes for the best price! It still amazes me how so many people think an ad in the paper helps sell their home, yet when they are looking for a home they rarely look in the paper.

Where Have All The Buyers Gone?

Here we are in mid July and the softest part of the market this year. This is typically the peak of our market here in the greater Phoenix area. What is happening? The amount of listed homes per week is way down. Unfortunately, the number of homes purchases per week is following the same pattern and is at the lowest level since the year 2000. Remember about 300,000 homes have been built here in the Phoenix Metro area since 2000.


We started the year with so much promise; February was awesome and was showing signs of a pending recovery with strong home sales. Then the sub prime fall out in March took us out of recovery mode. But we persevered and our market was looking good into the 3rd week of May. What now? Higher interest rates were the next culprit to home sales. It is amazing to see how sales follow interest rates here in Phoenix. The valley is a very interest sensitive area. That was followed by too much negative press. The general public is aware we have not hit bottom yet.
I must say, the signs are there that a bottom is near. Why do I say that? Well in 2005, everyone was talking about making money in real estate; the quick flips. Now, most everyone is talking about the declining market. This is a contrarian indicator.


Here we are, what do we do? I want to say first of all that I don’t make the market; I only do my best to interpret the market. I don’t think our market is crashing, but the bottom is still in front of us. When will we reach it? That will actually occur differently in each part of town and neighborhood by neighborhood. It is all about supply and demand, plus a return of the buyers. So, if you are a motivated seller (one that wants to sell in the next 12 to 18 months), then stick to the basics. First, keep it clean and staged well. Fix repair items and showcase your home for the buyer. Second, be very cooperative in showing your home, make it available. Third, this market is all about price. You need to have the best selection for the best price, so the next buyer chooses you. Check your comps, not the sold comps those are too old today. Anything over 30 days from COE is too old. The Pending comps and your competition are where you get your best direction. What other choices does the next buyer have? BE THE BEST CHOICE.
How do you know if you have a proper price? The only way to know if you’re priced right is to see how your price is influencing buyers. Remember, about 90% of buyers in the Phoenix area are searching on-line prior to viewing a home in person. The internet is great, but it has created some problems. We can only look at how many of those buyers were motivated enough to get out and actually go to your home and view it. What we expect today is an average of 1.5 to 2 showings per week. If you are not getting that, then your home is over priced. One may say it is not the price, but yes it is; if no one is coming it is price. If you are achieving the showings, yet not selling, then you have to review what the buyers’ feedback is about your home. This is difficult; it takes a lot of time and effort for agents to get quality feedback from other agents. The difficulty is for a listing agent to reach a buyer’s agent. They rarely return phone calls and most do not give out their cell number. Once reached, most agents will give fair feedback about your home, especially when their buyer is not interested in purchasing it. Follow the direction of the feedback with reason and adjust accordingly until your home sells.


Remember as a home seller you want to “lead” this market, not “chase” the market. A quick example of that is as follows:
Say the most recent comparable sale for a home was 60 days ago and it sold for $400K. A good agent reads the market and directs the seller to list the home for sale at $380K. However, the seller lists home at $400K. 30 days later seller says, OK take me to $380K, but the market has already adjusted to $365K. The seller feels they have lowered and should now sell. This repeats several times and the seller is down to $350K, they feel this is it this is a great price. But until the seller jumps out and “leads” the market they will continue to “chase” the market down and loose more and more equity.


These numbers are only used as an example to convey the meaning of “lead” vs. “chase” the market. However, I have seen this played out over and over again in our market.
One may ask how I know if I am leading or chasing the market? That is what a qualified Realtor is for. No one really knows what the value of any given home is right now in a declining market. But a home that is properly staged, given access to the market and priced reasonably is where we start. From there it is a manner of gauging the activity and feedback, then responding properly. We continue this process until the home sells. It is a very difficult process because there are always exceptions to the rules. Remember a home is a very emotional and subjective purchase. However, today’s buyer is pretty savvy and has VALUE on the mind.
Many people point out to me that the average prices are not down. I agree with that statement. The average price has stayed fairly level. It is the product mix that has changed things. More homes are selling in the $500,000 to $1,000,000 and higher price ranges. This causes the average to stay constant during price declines. So, another way of saying this is that prices are down, but there are more homes selling in the higher price ranges.


If you or anyone you know is even considering buying or selling a home, call The Cameron Team and get the best representation. Know your market before entering it! I am in the process of creating a blog to record market information for access at anytime. I hope you all find it useful.