Have yourself a merry little Christmas and a wonderful New Year’s!

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I hope you had a wonderful 2020, all things considered. It’s been a unique year for nearly every one of us (to say the least), but we’re thankful that it’s also been a phenomenal one for the real estate world. In fact, despite all the craziness that unfolded in the world, we managed to do better this year than almost any other year in the past, and for that, we thank you.
Thank you for your business, and thank you for sending over referrals. It’s been an honor to serve your friends, family, colleagues, and fellow community members. We want to wish you and your loved ones a very merry Christmas, joyous holiday season, and prosperous new year. We’re excited for 2021 and the prospect of helping even more buyers and sellers accomplish their real estate goals.
If you’re considering makin. ...

Here’s why current mortgages rates hover around 3.5%, not 0.5% or 2.5%.

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Oftentimes, people will wonder why mortgage rates don’t follow suit when the fed funds rate drops significantly—as was the case at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and our current recession. The truth is, in today’s market, mortgage rates are not determined by the fed funds rate.
Though not calculated on the fed funds rate, mortgage rates do align closely with the 10-year Treasury yield. If you look at the history of the 10-year Treasury, you’ll notice that that yield tends to be about 2% lower than mortgage rates.
Back in 2007, when we saw the market crashing, mortgage rates were at 6.5% to 7%, and the Treasury yield was at 4.5% to 5%. It took a couple of years for the Fed to step in and start buying Treasury bonds, which caused the rates to go down.
 
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The 10-year Treasury ! ...

Despite all the economic turbulence caused by the coronavirus, it's been business as usual for real estate.

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How is the coronavirus affecting the real estate market? Sales-wise, it’s been business as usual, and we haven’t seen a drop-off in prices either so far. The same can be said on the mortgage side of things. Part of the government’s $2 trillion-dollar stimulus package involves them buying down rates, which makes now a great time to buy or refinance. ...

In today's market, real estate transactions can move really quickly. In fact, we got some of our recent listings under contract in less than one week. However, these decisions can also take quite some time when our clients have different life factors that influence that decision. 
But that's ok with us. We stick by our clients throughout the whole process, even if they are years away from buying or selling. Take it from Kathy, who recently said this on our Facebook page: "Rob Hale stayed in touch with us for over a year and a half until we were ready to sell our home, and we appreciated his time to keep in contact with us."

We just got a different client under contract whom we had originally met with two years ago. We gave them some advice on how they could update their home, knowing they would sell within a few years. And it worked! They have been able to enjoy their updated home, and also see it quickly go under contract once they were ready to sell.
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If selling your house is a possibility anytime soon, then you should be thinking about what to do to prepare. 
Working with sellers is definitely one of our specialties, so we have many clients who reach out when they are ready. When we sit down and talk through the numbers, they are often surprised when they learn how much more money they can get if they do at least a few simple updates. Most of them end up taking some of our advice by changing paint, flooring, landscaping, etc. 
However, it always makes me a little sad to see people go through the work and investment just in time for someone else to enjoy it. But every once in a while, I come across a savvy client who made the updates with enough time to enjoy before selling! 
The lovely Queen Creek home pictured below is a great example. Using some of our advice, the sellers updated the home about two years ago, and it is still in pretty much perfect condition. It shows wonderfully, and looks as though they finishe8 ...