2 Ways to Strengthen Your Phoenix Home Offer without Increasing Price

February 23, 2011 By

Multiple Phoenix home offer scenarios requires Buyers to keep on their toes during negotiations

Arizona Phoenix Home Offer
This does not necessarily mean a higher purchase price. In this market, multiple offers on homes and competition among buyers can be common.   There are ways to strengthen your Phoenix home offer other or in addition to raising the price to make your home offer more competitive.

1. Increase your Earnest Money to strengthen your Phoenix home offer

The earnest money is due once you enter a fully ratified agreement with a Seller and usually due within 24 hours or 1 business day. Unless otherwise negotiated the earnest money will remain refundable through your inspection period and if you are financing your Phoenix home purchase through the inspection period in the event the appraised value does not meet or exceed the purchase price and through closing day if for some reason you are unable to qualify for your loan.  That being said a higher earnest money amount can make your offer more desirable to a Seller.   Ask yourself, If everything else remained the same with two competing offers regarding price, loan type, inspection period, etc and you were the Seller would you consider the offer with $10,000 earnest money stronger than the offer with just $1,ooo?

2. Strengthen your Phoenix home offer by reducing inspection period time

This does not meant to waive your inspection period and this blog post does not advocate that you do so.  Each property, each offer, and more importantly each Buyer is different with different comfort zones. Each Phoenix home offer is structured with terms on a case by case basis. With that being said it should be noted that a shortened inspection period time could be appealing to a Seller. This negotiation tactic is most practiced by Phoenix real estate investors that are happy with the condition as-is provided they get their offer accepted at a certain price. Also, this does not leave out the possibility to have a professional inspect the home before you even write your Phoenix home offer!

If you are a cash buyer than you will want to write an offer that can close in 5-7 business days or upon completing your Phoenix home inspection. Of course there are things out of your control such as the HOA taking their full 10 days to get the resale statement to the title company which could make your offer take longer to close but that’s okay. As long as your Phoenix home offer shows you are ready to close quickly with HOA and other parties permitting your offer will be stronger than a cash buyer asking for a full 30 day close for obvious reasons.

A good real estate agent will be savvy with effective negotiation strategies to increase the strength of your Phoenix home offer.  Do you have any negotiation tactics that were successful? Please share your experiences regarding your Phoenix home offer with our readers by posting your comments below.

Filed Under: Phoenix Bank Owned, Phoenix Foreclosure Homes, Phoenix Foreclosures, Phoenix Housing Market Tagged With: , , , ,

11 Steps to Buying a Phoenix Home Series-Closing

February 3, 2011 By

Your almost ready to move into your Phoenix Home

Phoenix home closing
When do I get the keys?  A question that is commonly asked by anxious home buyers anticipating getting settled into their sometimes long awaited Phoenix home. The answer=As soon as it records.  In most cases Buyers can not take occupancy of their Phoenix home until the transaction closes and records. This is especially the case if you are buying a Phoenix foreclosure home.  However, this is a negotiable term and in some instances you may be able to occupy the property earlier than closing.

Review of the Phoenix home transaction from contract to close

Your Realtor should inform you on each phase and what to expect as you move along.   The key milestones leading up to this point from the time your Phoenix home contract was accepted (assuming you are financing your purchase with a loan) are outlined below;

  • Escrow
  • Loan application
  • Due diligence
  • Appraisal
  • Underwriting
  • Loan docs
  • Final walk-thru
  • Signing
  • Funding and recording
  • Occupancy/Keys :)

Prepare so your Phoenix home transaction is a smooth one!

With a positive attitude, a little education on the Phoenix real estate market and an experienced Realtor by your side, your Phoenix home transaction should go off without a hitch!  Upon this conclusion to our  11 Steps to Buying a Phoenix Home Series (and for a shameless plug :)) we would like to remind you to contact our team of experienced Buyers Agents today to get started with your Phoenix home search.

Our Phoenix home listings below are updated in real time so please take a moment to browse recent Phoenix foreclosures below:

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Filed Under: Buyer Programs, First Time Home Buyers, HomeBuyer Info, Phoenix Bank Owned, Phoenix Foreclosure Homes, Phoenix Foreclosures, Phoenix Housing Market, Primary Feature Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

11 Steps to Buying a Phoenix Home Series-Writing Your Offer

January 24, 2011 By

Negotiating your Phoenix home offer can be a very exciting time

Writing an offer on an Arizona Phoenix HomeIn today’s Phoenix real estate housing market it is important that when you find that perfect home that you really love you do not hesitate to write an offer. Prior to writing an offer on a Phoenix home you should understand the nuts and bolts of the purchase contract.  Your Realtor should be available to help guide you through the real estate purchase contract but they will not interpret it for you. You are expected to read the real estate purchase contract thoroughly and ask any questions you may have for clarification.

The main terms to consider when writing an offer on a Phoenix home are:

  • Purchase price
  • Earnest money
  • Contingency terms
  • Inspection period

Want to review a copy of the Arizona Residential Real Estate Purchase Contract?  Just drop in your email below and we’ll send you a copy.

The purchase price is obviously something your Realtor will consult with you about and will also be no higher than your pre-approved loan limit at your desired down payment amount.

The default inspection period in the Arizona Residential Real Estate Purchase Contract is 10 Calendar days.  If you do not change or waive this in your offer you will be asking for a 10 day inspection period.

Contingencies are clauses in a contract that give either the buyer or seller a way to get out of the contract if certain conditions are not met. There are endless types of contingencies and they are negotiable but the three most common that are default when writing your offer on your Phoenix home are;

  • loan–regarding Buyers ability to qualify for financing
  • appraisal–regarding purchase price vs. appraised value
  • inspection–regarding completion/satisfactory home inspection

Your Realtor will help you through the entire offer writing process on your Phoenix home

The right Realtor for you is one that is knowledgeable, accountable and helps you understand the the home buying process.  It is important to find a Realtor that you trust and feel comfortable with that will represent you and your best interests. Our team of real estate agents in the Phoenix-Metro area are ready to assist you with all of your Phoenix home buying needs.

Filed Under: Buyer Programs, HomeBuyer Info, Phoenix Bank Owned, Phoenix Foreclosure Homes, Phoenix Foreclosures, Phoenix Housing Market, Primary Feature Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

11 Steps to Buying a Phoenix Home Series-Home Search

January 21, 2011 By

The Phoenix home buying search process is an exciting experience!

Phoenix home search
It’s a very exciting time to be shopping for your first home of even your second or third if that is the case. The main thing to remember is there is a method behind the madness so to speak and a systematic approach to the home buying process is the best way to stay focused, save time and reduce stress. If you have read the previous posts to this 11 Steps to Buying a Phoenix Home Series that are listed at the top of this page you already know that addressing credit issues, selecting a mortgage specialist, getting pre-qualified and selecting a Realtor preceding the home search phase of the Phoenix home buying process.

Be realistic with your Phoenix home buying wish list

It is important to determine from the start how much Phoenix home you can afford and where you can afford it. Since you already analyzed your monthly budget you know what a comfortable mortgage payment would be and when you are pre-qualified, depending on the fluctuation of rates, you should know approx. how much you can spend on a Phoenix home and stay within your monthly budget. This is the top of your price range. Locations and neighborhoods are going to have different price ranges to buy into a specific area.

Also, certain amenities you may desire such as a basement, no HOA, upgraded lot sizes, horse privileges, golf course communities, proximity to schools or work, etc will help determine which areas of the Valley you can consider and still stay within your price range.  If your desired amenities do not meet your acceptable price range you will have to modify your wish list accordingly. Your Realtor should be able to tell you exactly what areas of the Valley fall within your budget and meet your other Phoenix home wish list requirements and also which amenities you may have to compromise in order to be within a certain area. Once you find the right balance you can narrow your search to specific neighborhoods, communities and/or geographical boundaries.

Foreclosures are great first time Phoenix home buying options and offer a great value

The current real estate market is distressed and as a result there are foreclosure homes throughout the entire Phoenix-Metro area and neighboring Valley cities. Many times these home are move-in ready (despite what some new home builder advertisements like to depict), and foreclosure homes also may qualify for free home warranties, closing cost incentives and down payment assistance programs.  Overall a Phoenix home purchase that is a foreclosure (bank owned) property overs first-time home buyers and second home buyers or investors a great value.

Click here to search foreclosures in all Phoenix-Metro Valley cities to find your Phoenix home.

Filed Under: First Time Home Buyers, HomeBuyer Info, Phoenix Bank Owned, Phoenix Foreclosure Homes, Phoenix Foreclosures, Phoenix Housing Market, Primary Feature Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

11 Steps to Buying a Phoenix Home Series-Financing

January 14, 2011 By

Secure a Phoenix home loan before you start your home search

Phoenix home loan
If you have been following the future posts in this 11 Steps to Buying a Phoenix Home Series we touched briefly on how to establish or clean up your credit if needed. Now for the purposes of this series moving forward we will assume you have a least a 620 credit score, a steady documented income for the previous 12 months and your DTI is 41% or less as indicated in our previous post regarding debt-to-income ratios…the next step is to get pre-qualified with a Phoenix home loan.

Ask for referrals to qualified Phoenix home loan specialists

Word of mouth is the best way to find a great loan specialist for your Phoenix home loan and your Realtor is a great place to start. Your Realtor should have excellent referrals for you as they tend to use the same preferred lenders over and over again that make them look good and give their clients the best service available. Just like any business if you do a good job, word gets out about your services and others refer you business. I do not recommend just haphazardly going online and completing online questionnaires or applications. 9 times out of 10 your information is sold and you can get bombarded with loan professionals. Find a few that come highly recommended by asking your family, friends, neighbors and Realtor and start there.  A lender should be able to take a phone application and/or secure online application and have answers for you the same day. Unless of course you go to a brick and mortar bank where a pre-qualification can take up to five business days.

Understand the terms and fees associated with your Phoenix home loan

After you complete the application process via online, over the phone or in person you will be provided with a pre-qualification letter that will state the amount of financing you qualify for. In Arizona specifically your Phoenix home loan qualification letter may be issued on as an LSR or Loan Status Report. An LSR will be required to write any offer and typically required prior to view homes. If this is your first time buying a home and applying for a Phoenix home loan you will have several questions. Your lender should be able to tell you your rate (which can still change until you lock it), your estimated mortgage payment including taxes and insurance, your estimated closing costs to bring to the closing table (which you can negotiate the Sellers contribute to), and your required down payment for your particular Phoenix home loan program. First time home buyers will typically use an FHA loan with 3.5% of the purchase price required as a down payment.

Example: 100,000 purchase price x 3.5% = $3500 down payment

There are also Phoenix home loan programs such as a USDA loan which allows first time home buyers to purchase at $0 down provided the property is located in a qualifying area. Phoenix-Metro areas that qualify mainly are Queen Creek, San Tan Valley as well as parts of Apache Junction.

The next step once you receive your Phoenix home loan qualification letter is to select a Realtor to represent you if you have not already done so which we will discuss in the next post in this 11 Steps to Buying a Phoenix Home Series.

Filed Under: Financing, First Time Home Buyers, HomeBuyer Info, Phoenix Bank Owned, Phoenix Foreclosure Homes, Phoenix Foreclosures, Phoenix Housing Market, Primary Feature Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,
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