Buy a House With a FREE Realtor®!

Did you know? When you buy a home it doesn’t cost you a dime to hire a Realtor®!

That’s right!

How is this possible? Well, the seller pays the commission! When you sell your home, the listing agent charges the seller a percentage for commission. That percentage is split between the selling agent and the buyer’s agent.

Why? In order to list your home on the Multiple Listing Service, where everyone who’s looking to buy can see it, you have to offer a commission. So the selling agent lists the percentage a buyer’s real estate agent will get paid listed with the rest of the home’s information.

So it’s a no-brainer to hire a Realtor®, whenever you buy a home. Why wouldn’t you want to hire a professional, who can negotiate for you, when it doesn’t cost you a dime? You get a lot of protection, advice, and solid experience when you decide to hire a Realtor®. So DO IT! It’s completely FREE! Let’s work together and find you, your perfect home!

Watch to learn more:

5 Reasons to Buy a House in the Fall

Fall isn’t thought of as “the best” time to buy but that may be changing. Savvy buyers have an advantage when shopping for a home during the fall season. So here’s 5 reasons why fall is a great time to buy a home.

1. Year-End Tax Breaks: any mortgage interest or property taxes paid by December 31st are tax-deductible for that year. This could increase what you get back or reduce what you owe the IRS.

2. Less Competition: The National Association of Realtors® reports that almost half of the homes sold, happen between May and August. Luckily fall is the best time in Arizona for the weather, so house hunting will be cooler and even less stressful. You could avoid a bidding war, since most people wait until summer!

3. Eager Sellers: not all homes will sell during that summer rush. So homes on the market during the fall will have sellers that are ready to move on. That may allow you to negotiate a better deal, with less competition.

4. Less Expensive to Move: with most people focused on the holidays, moving companies have lighter schedules than during the summer. Pricing and scheduling during this time of year may be more flexible.

5. Quicker Transactions: title companies are also experiencing a slow down as transactions tend to decline in the fall and winter. Pair that with a motivated seller and you could be in a house before the holidays hit!

If you’re ready to buy and just have been waiting for more homes to come on the market, let’s start looking now. You may end up finding the perfect deal, that you would have missed or had more competition on during the summer months.

Ready to start looking? Email me at kyle@teamclayton.com!

How to Lose a House in Today's Market

Home buying is one of the biggest decisions we make in our adult life. Unfortunately, there are tons of things that can make a deal fall through– especially if you aren’t working with an experienced professional.

Here are 10 ways you might to lose out on your dream home (and how to avoid them):

1. You don’t have enough saved for a down payment. Surprise! Houses are expensive. The down payment for which you’ve spent so much time saving might not be enough. In addition to closing costs, there can also be other fees. Make sure that you have significant cushion savings, in addition to whatever you plan on putting down for your house.

2. You don’t have your ducks in a row. Staying organized is essential when you’re house hunting. Are you serious about the bid you’re putting down? Make sure that you’re fully aware of all deadlines, contingencies, and paperwork involved in moving forward with your home purchase.

3. You’re shopping out of your budget. Looking for houses way outside of your budget is the first way to “lose a house”—you’ll just be losing a home you never had a chance of having. When you shop above your budget you’re sure to find a dream house that’s nothing more than that: a dream.
   
   Plan for the strong possibility of putting in an offer above asking price. This may mean looking at homes listed a few thousand below your budget to create padding in your budget to make a higher offer. 

4. You lose a bidding war. Quick, decisive, assertive—these are all necessary traits to winning a bidding war. Working with an agent who can negotiate on your behalf is a great way to ensure you play your cards right.

5. You come down with a case of buyer’s remorse. Buyer’s remorse plagues homebuyers across the nation. What’s the most obvious symptom of this condition? Cold feet. Sales contracts fall through all the time because buyers back out at the last second, succumbing to the fear of such a life-altering decision. Trust your gut.

6. You close too slowly. Sellers are trying to get sales contracts through as swiftly as possible. In this climate of high demand and limited inventory, residential real estate is a hot market. There will almost always be someone behind you, vying for your potential future home—if you really want it, work hard to satisfy the seller and make things official as soon as possible.

7. You don’t have an experienced agent. None of the above issues are simple. Having someone on your side that knows the ropes of the home buying process is the most valuable tool in your box. Your agent is there to take the brunt of the work off your shoulders and hold your hand along the way. Let a professional help you with the most important purchase of your life.

8. Your inspections aren’t timely. If you’re lucky, all you’ll need is one inspection. However, the inspection is just a first step. If an inspector discovers any problems, you’ll have to start making appointments with specialists to look further into the house’s issues. Don’t waste any time getting the inspections going or you might find yourself without a house to inspect.

9. Your Seller receives a low appraisal. An appraisal that comes in lower than anticipated is always taken by the seller as a personal blow. This proves to be an issue for the buyer, too. Either the seller will become difficult or, even worse, you’ll have to pay the difference between the appraisal and the sales price out of pocket.

10. You can’t secure a mortgage. You’re so close to the finish—and then your mortgage application is declined. Nothing will lose you a house faster than the inability to pay for it! Apply for pre-approval so the seller knows that you’ll actually be able to buy their home; don’t wait for something to go wrong. If you are proactive throughout the buying process the odds of you losing the home are significantly slimmed.

Have questions or need an experienced Realtor® to help you win? Email me at Kyle@teamclayton.com or call 623-334-5144.

Pathway to Purchase Program

The Pathway to Purchase Program is down payment assistance of up to 10% of your purchase price! That's a huge help for homebuyers! Even better, is that this assistance can be used for down payment and closing costs! 

Could this open up the possibility for homeownership to you? Let's talk!

When you decide to use this assistance, you must buy within the covered zip codes listed. You cannot buy a home outside of those areas. So that is a limitation but for that much of a boost, it may be worth it in the long run. 

You'll get a 30-year fixed rate, FHA loan, which is perfect for a first-time homebuyer! You just have to meet a minimum credit score and have a debt to income ratio of 45% or lower.  The property also has to be your primary residence but you don't have to be a first-time buyer!

As a Realtor®, I am really excited about this program and I hope it can help a lot of people looking to buy. So if you're interested in more information, email me at Kyle@TeamClayton.com! I'll send you a flyer with more information and a lender you can reach out to sign up!

Let's get you in a home! 

Get Your Home Summer Ready!

Summer is here and the heat warnings have already been issued! Keeping your home cool and saving money on energy costs, is a battle we all fight this season. Here's some tips to keep your home energy efficient. 

Air Conditioning: If you need to get your A/C serviced, now is the time. A check-up is always cheaper than dealing with a sudden emergency.

1. Have them also check your temperature splits, to make sure your not losing precious cold air anywhere between the unit and the interior vents. 
2. Replace your filter every month too! Don't use a thick filter, it makes your A/C work harder.

Programable Thermostat: your power company probably has a 'peak usage' timeframe, so program your air conditioning to that schedule. When you're away from home, bump the temperature up. Then have it bump down a few degrees, an hour before you usually get home. 

Seal it up! Think of your home as an envelope, we want to make sure it is all sealed up!

1. Check the weather stripping on your doors, if you can see light, then you need to adjust your seals.
2. Take your A/C vents off and calk the space between the duct and drywall. 
3. Check your attic insulation for gaps or leaks. 
4. Get a home energy audit from APS or SRP.

Check your Fans: make sure your ceiling fans are rotating counter clockwise during the summer. This moves the hot air down with the cooler air, creating a more even temperature. 

Suncreens: keeping the sunlight from entering your house is the best way to keep it cool. So investing in sunscreens on all your windows, helping to lower your energy bills. Plus you'll have some more privacy with the blinds are open!

Selling Your House in The Summer

Summertime means businesses in general are seeing increased sales. The days are longer, people are going on summer vacations, and maximizing their time outdoors before it's too hot. So now may be the perfect time for you to sell your house! Here's some tips:

More Buyers: Typically, people start looking for houses in March and the search for the perfect home can take quite a few months. So by the time summer rolls around they're ready to buy! That means more eyes on the market and if you sell in the summer, you could get a lot more traffic!

Keep it Cool: If buyers are out and about  during the heat of the day, a cool house will feel like a refuge! Pair that with a house that shows well and you'll stand out in their minds. Make sure to turn the A/C down a little lower than normal, so they can cool off while they tour your home. 

Longer Days: Even in Arizona, the longer days help more buyers search for houses. If you work until 5 pm, during the summer you have daylight until almost 8 pm! That leaves so much more time to see as many houses as possible. 

Outdoor Space: It may be getting too hot out, but buyer's still want that outdoor living space. They may be looking for a house during the summer but they'll be living in a home as the temperatures start cooling down. Keep the grass green, trim all the bushes, and create some seating areas. Bonus: add some seasonal flowers to brighten it up!

Trust a Professional: Whether you're buying a new home or on the resale market. Trust a full-time REALTOR® to help you because in a highly competitive market, you need that experience. Ask them how many transactions they do each year and then ask them how close to list price is their average sales price. That will tell you a lot about their experience. If they have the answers, that's a good sign.  

Have any questions? Let me know! I am happy to help you in any way I can!

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Buying a New Home with a REALTOR®

When you want to buy a new home, you need to get a REALTOR® on your side, even before you visit the model homes. This is a crucial step that can save you money but more importantly, ensure you have representation on your side!

Usually when you buy through a new home builder, you use their financing too. So no one is on your side for the purchase contract OR the financing. You're all alone and the builder uses that to their advantage sometimes. Having a REALTOR® that can look over the contract and ensure nothing extra is in there, or who's aware of rates and loan costs, making sure you don't over pay! If costs seem high, they'll encourage you to shop the builders lender. Always on your side.

Negotiation time comes and it's just You vs Them, and the builder has more experience. So you may not do your best negotiating when it comes to add ons, landscaping, finishes, and final price. Plus if the builder discounts homes after your purchase, are you going to walk in there and renegotiate your price? Probably not but a good REALTOR® can and should be doing that for you!

So grab your REALTOR® (me) and let's go look at model homes together! I'll get you registered with the builder and I'll stay by your side until move-in. Let's buy a new house!

What to Know About Real Estate Startups

They say things like, 'no hassle' and talk about taking the stress away when you sell a home. Real Estate Startups are popping up around town and while they may be good for some Sellers. However, here is some important information to know:

Profit Motive: these companies are backed by a lot of Venture Capital money, which means one thing: Buy Low and Sell High. The Startup may purchase your home but it will be for low market value because in order to make a profit, they have to sell your home for a higher price. That's your money being left on the table. 

One Sided Representation: when it comes to them buying your home, it's you and the Startup (a corporation). No one has your back in price or fee negotiations. (There's no negotiation when it comes to fees.) When the repair requests come in, are they negotiating on your behalf or their's? When you don't have representation it can cost you not only money but more importantly, time.

Higher Fees: if you think hiring a REALTOR® is expensive, wait until you see what these Startups charge. They are anywhere from 3%-6% higher than a traditional REALTOR®. Plus, if you buy and sell with one REALTOR®, they may give you a commission discount.

These are just 3 really important reasons to consider using a REALTOR® when you sell your home. Not only that, you're helping a small business and that agent's family. You have a relationship with that real estate agent and can call them if something is wrong. Do you think that startup is going to take your call after the deal is done? Not unless you have another house to sell. 

Team Clayton is committed to building relationships with our clients. So much so, that we have 5 free events every year ,that you can attend with your family. Movies, Pizza Parties, Happy Hours, and more. Once you sell with Team Clayton, you're our friend!

So, if you're thinking of selling, give me a call 623-334-5144 or email me, Kyle@TeamClayton.com

Down Payment Assistance in Arizona

Down payment assistance programs are talked about a lot but some how they're still confusing! So here is some of the information about down payment assistance programs in Arizona. You DO NOT have to be a first-time home buyer to qualify for some of these programs. 

Home In 5 Program: This is the most popular down payment assistance program. 

• 640 minimum credit score. Higher credit equals more assistance. 
• Debt to Income ratio needs to be no higher than 45%
• Online homebuyers course is required.
• You can only buy a primary residence for under $370,000
• No repayment is required after 3 years of living in home as primary residence.

What do you get? Up to 4.5% cash to help you with a downpayment. Now, that is the maximum amount of assistance, keep that in mind.

• Teachers, Veterans, Law Enforcement, First Responders get an additional 1% in downpayment assistance!
• 30 year Fixed Rate Loan.
• Your APR depends on the loan type and financial data. It will be higher than market rate.

This is the most popular program in Maricopa County. I have seen buyers get almost $10,000 dollars towards the purchase of their home. That is a huge help and depending on your Realtor's® negotiating skills, you may be able to buy a home with little money out-of-pocket. 

See also: Home Plus Program or watch this video!

So if one of your dreams is homeownership, this can take you one step closer! Talk to a mortgage broker and see where your at, then give me a call! I'm here to help you get the home you want and want the home you get!