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MaracayHomes is pleased to offer this complimentary newsletter to homeowners,buyers, sellers, real estate professionals and friends of the company.We hope you find the information helpful such as tips for buying andselling a home, industry and market trends, home building news,exciting new products, community activities and more.
Don't make a move without a Realtor®
“People need to remember, this is the most challenging market ever,” said Brett Barry, of Realty Executives in Cave Creek. “Homes are selling,” he stressed, “but there’s real competition.” Sellers, Barry said, should bear in mind two things: “Prices are still declining – and time is money. If you spend four or five – or more – months trying to sell your home, you are losing money.” David MacIntyre, head of Arizona Best Real Estate agrees and says that both individual home sellers and organizations look to the expertise of licensed real estate agents to achieve a successful sale. He points out that “Selling a home for the most money in the shortest period of time is the goal of major corporations, from HUD, the VA and the Federal government to banks.” Without exception, these businesses all use Realtors® to help them reach that goal with real consistency.
First and foremost, “Professional Realtors® know what’s going on in the market months before results are printed in newspapers and magazines,” MacIntyre said. “You need someone to connect the dots and make sense of the market for you,” said Barry, “give you real perspective and help you price aggressively.” In this market, understanding the nuances of local market conditions is a key element in forging a perspective that can help to best position a home for sale. “Realtors® network,” Lorraine Bond, of Long Realty in Oro Valley, said, “and that’s just one of the things that give them a significant advantage over the general public in selling a home.” Bond is correct. According to studies done by the National Association of Realtors®, more than 80 percent of real estate sales are the result of agent contacts through personal acquaintances, previous clients, referrals, friends and family. Additionally, Bond noted that in marketing a home, a Realtor® will have way more resources available – beyond the MLS - to help sell your home. While advertising is a distinct portion of marketing, the kind of media and frequency of advertising depends greatly on the specific property and market. A Realtor® who’s familiar with the market and community in which the property is located will understand what and how much advertising will gain the best results without overexposure, which could present an impression that the property is distressed or the seller desperate. A good Realtor® will develop a custom plan of advertising and marketing for your home, Bond noted, and will use multiple resources, including online marketing and advertising, print, Realtor® events, public open houses, and individual appointments. Before that, though, the Realtor® will objectively assess your home, and suggest a course of action that may include specific home improvements or landscaping. “It’s very difficult to see your home objectively, and even more difficult to assess your furnishings – after all, it’s your ‘stuff,’” said Bond. “People should understand that if your Realtor® makes the suggestion, they’re speaking from market knowledge and background,” Barry said.
This can include everything from key repairs such as roof repair to furniture placement and window treatments, and goes beyond such standard advice such as “lose the clutter” and cleaning. Pricing is another area in which your Realtor® can be of great help. From a buyer’s perspective, 80 percent of your home’s marketing effectiveness rests within its pricing. Because most buyers ask their agents to look for homes within specific price ranges or “up to” a specific price, your Realtor® will help you understand price points for homes in your community. Typically, buyers are looking at as many as 15 to 20 homes at any one time, and are shopping within specific price ranges. Your goal, with your Realtor’s help, is to be the “nicest” home a potential buyer will see within a specific price range, and which will then be compared to other homes in that range. This means that, if your home is priced at, say, $149,900, your home will be compared to properties priced in the $140,000’s. Priced at $152,500, you’ll be compared to and compete with homes priced as high as $159,000. This small difference can be critical to success in selling your home. Bond added, “Your Realtor® can help you determine what to do and how to do pricing and marketing most effectively. More than this, your Realtor® will handle all of the details attached to advertising and marketing, showing your home, and negotiating and closing a sale. Your Realtor® is trained and positioned to negotiate strongly on your behalf, knowing when to counter-offer or draw the line on inspection repairs. “And the Realtor® will watch the details of your sale, guiding you through the process and helping to insure that it goes as smoothly as possible to a good finish.” Experience in interpreting the nuances of negotiations also helps Realtors® read situations and respond appropriately. Knowing, for instance, that a potential buyer has already sold their home means that they may be more willing to negotiate and settle quickly. Moving to accept a new job may also spur a buyer to make an offer and move forward rapidly. “You need someone who is on your side as an advocate,” MacIntyre said. “Your Realtor® will consult, negotiate and oversee all the details of a successful sale.” In the end, marketing, pricing, and the condition of the home are integral keys to selling a home. Trained professionals have gained real expertise and background in the current market, using tools every day that ordinary homeowners don’t have. “Realtors® sell houses,” said Lorraine Bond. How to choose a Realtor® Lorraine Bond, Brett Barry and David MacIntyre offered these tips to help homeowners select the Realtor® for their home sale.
Finally, take the long view. “Remember, you need to sell your home to be able to complete purchase on your new one. And it’s a home, a place to be sheltered, to enjoy and live life,” Barry said.
Most Affordable Homes in Vistancia and Front Yard Landscaping is Included!
Join in the celebration as Maracay Homes opens new models in the award winning master-planned community of Vistancia in Peoria. Maracay offers the most affordable homes in this popular master-planned community with prices starting at $169,900. Seven spacious single and two-story plans range from 1601 to 2774 square feet with up to five bedrooms and four baths. Our newest models feature soaring nine foot flat ceilings and garage extensions among many other standard attributes. For a limited time, a front yard landscaping package is included at no additional charge!
Vistancia is designed to completely satisfy the needs and wants of the community. Kids learn and grow in nearby top-rated schools. A myriad of shopping opportunities and a bustling business core along the 303 transit corridor assure that the best keeps getting better, and more convenient, for Vistancia residents.
Every Day. Everywhere. Every Family.
There is, of course, much more that Starlight does, beginning with ongoing support and community for children, parents and siblings in all 50 states, Canada, Australia, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Well-respected in the hospital and medical community, Starlight works directly with families, children and siblings both in the hospital and afterward. When a child is diagnosed with a serious illness, the day-to-day joys of childhood take a back seat to the rigors of treatment and hospitalization. For more than 25 years, Starlight Children’s Foundation has dedicated itself to improving the quality of life for children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses and life-altering injuries by providing entertainment, education and family activities that help them cope with the pain, fear and isolation of prolonged illness. Starlight brings together experts from pediatric health care, technology and entertainment to create programs that educate, entertain and inspire seriously ill children. Whether it’s finding friends online, learning more about a disease, or just spending time together as a family, Starlight’s programs help children and families cope with the challenges they face daily. While children are hospitalized, Starlight offers Fun Centers™, PC Pals®, Youth Lounges/Care Rooms and more. Fun Centers are mobile entertainment units with DVD players and the latest Nintendo game systems that are rolled right to the bedside, while PC Pals provides laptops with a variety of entertaining and educational software, including Starlight Starbright’s media programs and filtered Internet access so kids can email and instant message friends and family. There’s also Starbright World, the premier online social network for kids with chronic and life-threatening medical conditions and their siblings. Teens can post photos, chat, post blogs and bulletins – and make new friends in similar situations. Just two years ago, Starlight expanded its Arizona activities to include Great Escapes. These monthly fun, recreational events and activities give children the chance to simply have fun as a family.
Jo Ann Yeo, community development officer for Starlight Children’s Foundation Arizona, said, “We are currently seeking members of the community that are interested in volunteering time or resources to help us brighten the lives of seriously ill children and their families in Arizona.” She explained that volunteers are needed to work with the organization’s Leadership Council, Young Professionals Group, Great Escapes and more. The Leadership Council takes an active role in helping to implement the Foundation’s donor and fund-raising programs and events, as well as acting as goodwill ambassadors. The Leadership Council also plans the Foundation’s annual fund raising event, the Starry Soiree. The Young Professionals Group meets monthly to brainstorm and plan events to raise awareness and funds for Starlight. Great Escapes volunteers not only help to raise funds and secure donations for these events, but also help coordinate activities and logistics during events to provide children and families real escapes from everyday cares and concerns. Volunteers also assist with hospital-based parties and events, so volunteers with special skills in performing arts, arts and crafts, photography, decorating, graphic design and language skills are much needed. “Every year, we touch the lives of more than 50,000 children and their families in Arizona,” Yeo said.
With attention focused on the illness and the sick child, finding a sense of normal family life and staying in touch with siblings and other family members can sometimes seem impossible. Starlight offers children and families not just time out from the reality of illness, but also time and space to reconnect and reunify. “Volunteering is a great way to help, and we need assistance with almost everything you can think of, from speaking on our behalf to office assistance to language interpretation, as well as our formal groups and committees,” she continued. “I remember so clearly when one of the parents said, ‘Starlight helped us be happy again. They bring the fun back.’ “Our volunteers really are the spirit and breadth of our work. They help us make a huge difference.” If you, your group or your family would like more information about becoming involved with the Starlight Foundation in Arizona, call 480-280-5289, or go to www.starlight.org/arizona. Tickets available now for Starlight’s annual soiree! Starlight Arizona’s signature fund raising event, the Sparkling Starry Soiree is set for March 21, from 6 to 9:30 p.m. at a luxurious North Scottsdale home. Cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction and dancing to the quiet jazz of Jay Soto create an elegant evening and perfect opportunity to learn more about the magic of Starlight. Tickets, $125 each, are available by calling 480-280-5289 or email joann.yeo@starlight.org.
Keep the home fires burning safely
Of course, using any type of fireplace or stove means taking extra precautions, especially if there are young children nearby. If you’re using a portable stove indoors or out, you’ll want to remember to keep those stoves or heaters at least three feet away from anything that might burn. That includes furniture, people, pets and the living room drapes or patio shades. Make certain that you don’t use a stove or heater to dry clothing or blankets, and never leave children alone with that stove or near a fireplace (even if the fireplace is screened). If you have a wood-burning fireplace or stove, make sure you burn only seasoned hardwood. Never put trash, cardboard boxes or Christmas trees into your stove or fireplace since they may contain toxins and can increase the risk of an uncontrolled fire. Make sure the flue is opened before you light the fire, and make sure the chimney is clean and free of any blockages or leaks. A screen or door in front of the fire will help reduce the possibility of accidental burns, and will help keep embers inside the fireplace. Remember that any time you use any type of heating equipment, a furnace, fireplace, wood stove or kerosene heater, there is a possibility of carbon monoxide (CO) build-up in your home.
These simple steps can keep your family safer as you’re building happy family memories of warm winter evenings spent enjoying the great indoors.
Homebuyer, Abhijat Goyal, was the other lucky prize winner of a VIP trip to Domaine Chandon Estates in Napa/Sonoma County. The Goyal family entered the prize drawing while shopping for a new home and viewing the models at Maracay's popular Legend Ridge community in Gilbert. Congratulations to our prize winners and thanks to everyone who visited a Maracay Homes community during the fall promotion. Please come back soon to see what's new!
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For most of us, it’s no secret that the real estate market nationwide is challenging. In Arizona, it’s also easy to agree that the market can be even more so.
On a national average, in fact, homes listed by Realtors® sell within less than five months. Additionally, median sales price in agent-assisted sales is often nearly 30 percent higher than those sold without a Realtor®. There are several reasons for that dynamic.
Industry sources such as the National Association of Realtors website, Realtor.org note that Realtors® are uniquely equipped to assess a home’s comparative value and how it will be viewed by potential buyers. Showing many homes to a multitude of potential buyers gives Realtors® singular insight into what attracts – and conversely, puts off – potential buyers.
At Vistancia, the best amenities are masterfully woven throughout an accessible yet intimate living environment so residents enjoy an active lifestyle right at home. From the beautiful community center and aquatic park to golf set within tall native grasses to brisk morning walks along the Discovery Trail, Vistancia offers everything you could ever ask for from a community.
Other included special touches are high-low shelving in secondary bedrooms, body sprayers in the master bath (per plan), overhead reading lights in the master bedroom, and kitchen pot and pan rollout shelves for ease and convenience. 
For more than 15 years, the Starlight Children’s Foundation has been helping seriously ill children and their families in Arizona rediscover the child in childhood and the fun in family life.
Great Escapes are entirely underwritten by Starlight and corporate partners and donors, allowing families to participate without worry about any organizational details or expenses.
When a child or teenager has a serious or life-threatening medical condition, everyone in the family is affected. Time spent in doctors’ offices, having tests done, or in the hospital fractures family life in a myriad of ways.
Winter in the desert means chilly evenings almost everywhere in Arizona. There’s nothing like the glow of a warm evening fire to chase away the chill and help make everyone feel toasty and cozy inside or even on the patio.
If you have a fireplace or heater inside your home, it’s smart to have at least one CO alarm near your sleeping areas. Make certain your gas appliances or fireplaces are properly adjusted and serviced, and never use a gas or charcoal grill inside your home or in a closed garage.
Maracay's First EVER Inventory Home Sale in fall 2008 had some great bonuses besides spectacular pricing on remaining move-in ready homes. Diane Heller (pictured right), Broker for Arizona Real Estate Agency in Peoria, won the Realtor drawing for an all expense paid trip to California's Wine Country. Diane registered 
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