Phoenix, AZ Real Estate Video Blog with Monique Walker

What are Our Team Members Thankful For?

There are many great Phoenix area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a Market Analysis so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (602) 413-8195 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Our team is here today to say thanks. We are so thankful to be in the real estate industry, serving amazing clients like yourself. We are very proud of our team, and we want to share with you what all of our team members are thankful for.

Our transaction coordinator is Seng Lhotka. Her job is to take all the escrows from pending to close, handle all the other closing details, and make everything as smooth as possible. She is most thankful for living in the beautiful sunshiny state of Arizona, having grown up in the cold winters of Minnesota.

Sara Barker is our listing coordinator. Her job is to market each of our homes beautifully to get them sold quickly. This holiday season she is thankful to be a part of our team and for being able to spend the holiday with her son.

As a buyer specialist for our team, it's Holly Huntimer’s job to save you time and money while finding your next home. This Thanksgiving she is very excited to enjoy the time with her family and get her hands on some of that delicious cranberry sauce!

Tom Ross is our preferred lender at Nova Home Loans and is thankful for the opportunity to work with us and share some of his knowledge with us on our videos. We are thankful for Tom, too!

And of course, I am Monique Walker. During Thanksgiving, I am most thankful for my two little girls, Sol and Alejandra. I can't wait to spend the whole day with them!

If you have any questions, or would like to tell us what you are thankful for this holiday season, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

You're Hurting Your Future Spending Power by not Buying NOW

Today, special guest Tom Ross from Nova Home Loans joins us to give us some great news! Interest rates are still incredibly low and are as good as we've seen them in two years. There are a couple of key reasons for this:

The Federal Reserve has stopped quantitative easing. This essentially means they're done printing free money and the dollar is getting stronger.
Europe is about to fire up the printing presses. In short, Europe plans to start printing money, effectively devaluing their currency.

There are a lot of great opportunities out there right now. It's a phenomenal time to take a look at where you're at and see if you can start saving today. To get in touch with Tom, you can reach him at (602) 791-5861. Give him a call to see how you can maximize your mortgage savings today!

November 1: Battle of the Sexes Tennis Festival

As many of you know, I am on the board of The Guerrant Foundation, a non-profit whose main purpose is to provide small business loans for the world's poor. Ann Guerrant, the company's founder, is a friend of mine and I have seen first-hand how passionate she is about her mission and how careful she is with the money we raise.

The Guerrant Foundation provides small business loans as little as $40 to as much as $400 that change people's lives. This kind of work provides small business owners with a starting point, which they can then build off of and thrive from. Check out a short video about the foundation here.

I am on a mission to raise $5,000 this year for the foundation by November 1, 2014. That is the date of our most important event of the year, the Battle of the Sexes Tennis Fundraiser. 8 women (including myself) and 8 men will be battling it out on the court to see who will prevail, in an ode to the 1973 Battle of the Sexes match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.

I just wanted to take this time to cordially invite you to the event, which will be held at The Phoenician Resort on November 1st, from 2-4pm. There will be plenty of music, food, raffles, and of course, tennis.

Please consider making a donation to this noble and growing foundation today. Whatever you are able to give helps. All you need to do is CLICK HERE to donate.

Check out some of the photos from last year's event below, and GO HERE to see the entire photo album!

If you have any questions about the event, please feel free to give us a call. We'd be glad to answer them for you.

Fixing Water Damage in Your Home

We have had some really crazy weather in Phoenix lately. 6 inches of rain in one day? It doesn't seem possible, but we are now dealing with the repercussions of the flooding and have been running into a lot of issues lately with water damage. We want you to make sure your home is safe from lingering damage, so we have invited Bruce LaBell, from Royal Home Inspection Services to explain to us the steps you need to take to protect your home from water damage.

Home inspectors like Bruce are first going to look to see what's happening on the outside of the home. If your home lies on a negative grade, you are in danger of letting water seep into your home. If water appears to seep in, the next step is checking the walls.

After they check the outside of the home, inspectors will then head inside to determine the extent of the water damage. To do this, they will use moisture-sensing tools to determine if water has, in fact, leaked in. The next step is opening up the wall in the affected area to dry everything out.

Once all the water damage is dried, Bruce or another one of his mold assessment technicians will test to make sure no mold is growing inside of the house. It's important to catch mold early on because it starts growing in 24 hours and starts spreading in 7 days.

If you have any questions about protecting your home from water damage or are curious about what your next step should be, please give us a call. We can get you in touch with somebody who will be able to take care of your needs.

What's Going on with Interest Rates and What Does it Mean for You?

Today, we have our good friend Tom Ross from Nova Home Loans joining us to talk about a favorite topic of his - interest rates. While the general trend for current rates is in the low 4% range, it's hard to be definitive since the rates themselves are largely determined by an individual's credit score.

If you haven't heard, Fannie May has recently made a huge announcement. Their policy usually stipulates that you must wait 7 years after a foreclosure before you can get a conventional loan. However, if you filed for bankruptcy and included your home with it, you can now get a home loan 4 years after foreclosure. This is huge because there are probably many buyers out there who don't even know they are now eligible for a loan!

Home sales are currently down 20% and we're seeing a pretty balanced market, so now is a good time for buyers to start their home search. If you know anyone that is looking to buy a new home, don't keep us a secret. You can reach Tom at (602) 791-5861 or Tom.Ross@NovaHomeLoans.com. We're always here to help make your real estate venture a successful one!

Meet the Newest Member of Our Team: Chris Walker

We are excited to announce that we have a new director of business operations and marketing here at the Monique Walker Team: Chris Walker! On the business operations side of things, Chris will be implementing new systems and software to enhance an already efficient and expeditious process. For marketing, he will lead our software and social media efforts, which will result in increased exposure for our selling clients, faster close of escrow, and an increase in net profits for our clients.

Chris is a fantastic addition to an already stellar team. Monique has been in the real estate business for 11 years and professionally trained by one of the most reputable coaching programs in the U.S. for 8 years. She was rated the #1 Re/Max Excalibur agent in 2012 and 2013 and the #2 Re/Max agent in Arizona in 2013. This kind of success is reflected in the number of families her team has been able to help - 80 in 2012, 100 in 2013, and 80 already this year to date! As you can see, the Monique Walker Team keeps getting better and Chris is only going to add to the success.

If you are looking to buy or sell your home in the Scottsdale area, give us a call or shoot us an email. If you're selling, we will net you the most amount of money in the quickest amount of time on the sale of your home; if you're buying, we'll help you find your dream home in a professional and expedient manner. Get in contact with us soon for the best real estate experience in town!

How we helped Priscilla sell her home by following through and doing what we’ll say we’ll do

"I was very happy with the experience and the results we received. I’ve never really worked with a team before and I think it worked out very well because if there was one person dealing with one aspect, I could just contact them. They did everything they said they’d do, which means a lot. They communicated exactly what they would do and what I needed to do and the communication factor was really a big plus."

How you can get back in the housing market after a short sale or foreclosure

Today we're here with our preferred lender Tom Ross with Nova Home Loans. What we want to talk to you about today is getting back in the housing game after having a short sale or foreclosure. This happened to many of us between 2008 and 2010 and right now there are a lot of options for you to get back out there and get back into a home.

The fastest way to get back into a home is with Nova Home Loans. If you went through a strategic short sale or foreclosure, meaning that you were only laying on the mortgage and not anything else, you qualify for our Home Again product. You can get this loan one day after a short sale or foreclosure and you can get up to a million dollars. You do need 25% down, and it has to be a strategic default for you to qualify.

For conventional financing on a foreclosure, you will have to wait 7 years no matter what. The good news for those of us that had a foreclosure in 2008 is that next year you will be able to buy again. For conventional financing on short sales, you basically have 3 tiers:

The first tier is 20% down, which you can get after 2 years.
The second tier is 4 years after a short sale and 10% down.
The third tier drops to 5% down after 7 years.

For FHA financing, foreclosures and short sales are treated equally. It's a 3 year waiting period either way. The FHA price is maxed out at $271,050. VA financing is also an option and with this loan you can purchase again only 2 years after a foreclosure. If you have a good credit score, you could qualify even sooner.

Nova Home Loans has a great credit services department. You can contact them to figure out where you are at with your credit and where you need to be. Many of our clients have utilized this service and have really patched up their credit scores and gotten some solid advice.

If you have any questions about credit or financing, please feel free to give us a call. We would be happy to help you.

Sell Your Home Fast and at Top Value

Today we’re here to let you in on some secrets that will help you sell your home quickly and at the maximum value in the Greater Phoenix area. Many sellers aren't aware of insider secrets that could help them solve their real estate problems.

Lucky for you, we’re here to show you four easy tricks that will make selling your home a walk in the park:

Accentuate the positives of your home: We’ll walk through your home and make suggestions on how to give it the “wow factor” buyers are looking for. Whether it is deciding which walls need to be painted or what furniture should be removed, we’ll help make the crucial decisions that will help sell your home.
Hire a professional photographer to take knock-out pictures: It’s no secret that buyers in today’s market rely heavily on the internet. A handful of professionally done pictures of your home is all it takes to catch the eye of most buyers. It sounds simple but makes all the difference for buyers who browse homes online.
Price your home to sell: Because buyers have a wide-range of options in today’s market, pricing is crucial. If you price your home too high, buyers will pass it over and go to the next one.
Hire a great agent: It’s important to hire an agent that you trust and depend on. An agent should have 5 or more year of experience and should sell 40 or more homes annually. You can’t put a price on expertise!

Selling your home is easy when you have the right information.

Let us help you sell your home quickly by providing the proven tools of the trade for your convenience.

If you have any questions about preparing your home to be sold in the Greater Phoenix Area, you can call us at (602) 413-8195 or email us at Monique@MoniqueSells.com.

Monique Walker Reviews - Angie Heguy

(I was referred to Monique Walker from the broker I work with and I am so grateful for it! Monique is really good at what she does and so is her team. She is straightforward and knows the market very well. My house was hardly on the market because it sold so quickly! We had a deal that had fallen through but it went right back under contract and it was just really fast. We also got market value for the home which we were happy about. Monique is so easy to work with and has great recommendations. I wouldn’t recommend anyone else!)

A 1031 Exchange can Save You Money on Taxes

What is a 1031 Exchange?

Today I have Dave Tornell with me to tell us about what a 1031 Exchange is and how it could affect you and your real estate endeavors in Phoenix.

A 1031 Exchange is a section of the tax code that allows investors of investment properties to defer their taxes when they sell. This is the simplest form of it. Broadly stated, a 1031 exchange is a swap of one business or investment asset for another. Although most swaps are taxable, if you come within 1031, you’ll either have no tax or limited tax due at the time of the exchange.

So, when you sell your residential rental, commercial property or land, the IRS gives you the benefit of deferring your taxes if you use a 1031 Exchange.

As far as the transaction goes, it's a regular real estate transaction except prior to the close of Escrow, you have to arrange a 1031 exchange with a company like Dave's (IPX 1031). Once you set up a 1031 exchange agreement, the proceeds from the sale of the property are set up into an account instead of being given to the seller. This account is held for the investor by a qualified intermediary (which is required by regulations) until a replacement property is found.

A client has 180 days to purchase a new property from the close of Escrow on their property, and has 45 days from the sale of their former property.

There are some rules you have to follow when doing 1031 Exchanges, but the big benefit is that you can save 15-30%.

However, primary homes, secondary homes, and vacation properties do not qualify for 1031 Exchanges. Fix-and-flip properties do not qualify either. However, you can use this exchange for land that you own or on residential rental properties. Anything held for investment or anything used for business can qualify for a 1031.

There is a lot more information that we could continue talking about, but we don't want to keep you all day. If you want to reach Dave for more information, you can call him at (602) 793-1558 or email him at david.tornell@ipx1031.com. We highly recommend Dave and his company to any of our clients here in Phoenix.

In the meantime, more information on 1031 Exchanges can be found here: http://www.1031.org/about1031/faq.htm

As always, if you need any assistance buying or selling in Phoenix, please contact me and I would be glad to speak with you. If you need any more information on 1031 Exchanges, please feel free to call me.

Let us Find the Right Financing Plan for You

There are many great Phoenix area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a Market Analysis so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (602) 413-8195 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Today I am here with my preferred lender, Tom Ross, and we are going to be talking about some typical loans that you might run into. We want you to be prepared to make informed decisions when you decide to participate in the Phoenix real estate market.

First off, there are 4 main loan types: FHA financing, conventional, VA financing, and there is also jumbo financing.

FHA Loans: This loan requires the smallest minimum down payment of 3.5%. It will cap at $271,050 dollars, so buy whatever you want, but you're going to have to put down whatever it takes to get to that $271,000 mark.
Conventional Loans: You can get this financing for as little as 5% down. The loan amount is up to $417,000 dollars, and the cost of conventional mortgage insurance at 5% down is typically cheaper than FHA mortgage insurance.

With a 680 credit score, conventional should come out to cheaper monthly payments than FHA. If your credit score is under 680, FHA may be the best way to go.

VA Loans: This is Tom's favorite loan product because they have a $417,000 dollar loan amount for 100% financing. There is no mortgage insurance and you also get better rates than conventional loans. They also have a great jumbo loan product available.
Jumbo Loans: If you're in a situation where you need to finance a house that is worth more than $417,000 dollars, you will generally need to put down at least 20%. There are also other products that will get you in there for 10% down.

Hopefully this information has been helpful to you. If you have any questions about loans, then please give Tom a call at (602) 791-5861 or email him at tom.ross@novahomeloans.com. I refer all of our clients to him, and they are always satisfied with his services.

As always, if you have any comments or questions, please feel free to contact me. I am always willing to help with any of your Phoenix real estate needs.

Use my Free Home Assessment to Prepare for a Seller's Market

Greetings from Scottsdale, Arizona! It is 85 degrees and sunny here as April rolls in and the market here is getting as hot as the weather. April is actually our best month here for selling homes. This is because it is absolutely gorgeous outside.

So with that being said, I want to give you an idea of what's happening in our market right now as traffic begins to increase during this month.

From MLS statistics, we can see that there are 5 months worth of inventory here.

This will give us a neutral market, so buyers and sellers will have equal opportunities to get great deals.

What I foresee happening in the next 30-60 days:

Buyer demand will increase rapidly this spring / summer.

This will create a seller's market.

With this in mind, I want to give you an opportunity to find out what your home is worth.

Whether you're just curious or if you're serious about selling, now is the time to find out, because the market is moving very quickly right now and you'll be left behind if you wait.
Luckily, I have a free home assessment on my website for you to use.

You will see a banner below that will be asking you what your home is worth. Fill that out for me and include any information about whether you have had your home remodeled or any other new construction done in the recent past.

So, if you're looking to purchase or sell a property in the Scottsdale area, then please contact me because I would be glad to help you out. Our performance will outsell any promises out there. You can call me at (602) 413-8195 or email me at Monique@MoniqueSells.com

Avoid the Pitfalls of Internet Home Searches

Today I will talk about the pitfalls of online home searches because you need to know that the information you find on Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor.com is not always accurate! I can't tell you how many times my clients have called me thinking they had found the perfect home, and then I check the MLS (the accurate search engine for realtors) and have to break the bad news to them.

Another reason to be wary of these websites is that they will sell your information. What I mean by this is that they will track your activity on the website, and when you request to speak to a realtor about a property, you will likely not actually be speaking to the listing agent. It will actually be three or four other realtors that will bombard you with questions about your search activity.

If you're a seller, there is no accuracy in the listing of your home. Each website uses different algorithms to come up with a price for your home, so there is no consistency. These websites also gather their information from the county assessor's office, so if you've had an addition on your home that wasn't recorded by the assessor, then your value will not be accurate on those websites.

These websites do not take into account the changing conditions of the real estate market. March has been a very good month for us here in Phoenix and Scottsdale, but these websites will not aggregate that into their property information. They don't show you whether it's a buyer's market or a seller's market. The information they use is outdated, and usually consists of market data that is at least 3 months old.

If you're a serious buyer looking for your next dream home, call me so I can find it for you. If you're a seller, please call me too because my performance and experience will outsell any promises out there.

Consider me your top real estate resource in the Phoenix and Scottsdale areas.

Introducing my Real Estate Professionals to You & How We Work to Save You Time and Money

Today I am going to step out of the limelight and introduce my team that helps me bring excellent service to you. We all work very hard here, and I thought I'd let my team introduce themselves and how they can help you as a client.

•    Sara Barker, Listing Coordinator: Sara's job involves all aspects of the listing and marketing of a home. She assists in administrative duties and also coordinates agents to show our listings. You can contact her at (602) 730-1983 or email her at LC@MoniqueSells.com

•    Seng Lhotka, Licensed Transaction Coordinator: Seng's job is to move your home from an accepted offer to a close of Escrow (in the smoothest way possible). She also handles many administrative duties which allows me extra time to buy and sell client's homes. Seng also fields lots of questions from clients, so feel free to reach her at (623) 330-2290 or email at Seng@MoniqueSells.com

•    Holly Huntimer, Licensed Realtor, Buyers Agent: Holly researches the market daily in order to find appropriate homes for buyers to save you both time and money. She also hosts open houses and previews properties. She really has become an excellent home-finder for our clients. She can be contacted at (623) 451-8494 or email her at Holly@MoniqueSells.com

•    Tricia Jefferey, Buyers Agent: Tricia assists Holly in finding homes so that you don't waste time or money in the process. Tricia has a good command on the local market, and helps find homes for buyers that will suit them for years to come.

Nova Home Loans can help you after a "strategic default" so you can own a home again!

Have you had a short-sale or a foreclosure in the past 2-3 years? Are you wondering about your financing options?

Your seasoning period will depend on what type of financing you're seeking. For example, veterans seeking VA financing will need to wait 2 years after foreclosure, and 1 year after a short sale. For FHA financing, you’ve got to wait a whole 3 years for a foreclosure or a short sale.

However, Nova Home Loans offers a Home Again Program that can benefit those with a strategic default on their mortgages.

After a strategic default, if you still have a 600 FICO score and can put 25% down, you can buy right away at Nova Home Loans.

If you don’t meet those requirements, don’t fret!

Nova offers an in-house Credit Services Department, where they can instruct you on what needs to be done to boost your credit and buy a home.

Nova will also work with a 700 FICO score so that at a closing, that score will jump to 720. That seemingly little jump will save you almost a $1,000. Sounds great right?

Best of all, this Credit Service offered by Nova Home Loans is completely free of charge.

If any of this information fits your situation, get in touch with us today!

Mobile: (602) 413-8195

Monique@MoniqueSells.com

Or call Tom at Nova Home Loans:

Mobile: (602) 791-5861
Tom.Ross@NovaHomeLoans.com

Is my project DIY or should I call a professional?

We all want to save money, so when it comes to projects in your home, you may be curious to know which you can do on your own and which you need a professional for.

The first thing to consider is you. For some people projects are fun and rewarding and for others they are stressful. Which one are you?

Next make a list of the projects you want done around the house and then evaluate that list. Is there anything on there that you have done before? Maybe it's painting or sanding a piece of furniture. These are great projects for you to do on your own.

How is your health? Some projects may require you to be on a ladder or lifting heavy things. Is that something you are comfortable with?

Always keep in mind, there are some jobs you need to leave to the professionals: electrical, plumbing, moving walls, etc. Your safety comes first!

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Why work with us?

Monique Walker has years of experience successfully buying and selling homes in the Phoenix market. She knows the neighborhoods, schools, and the local economy. Monique and her team do all the leg work, keeping you up-to-date with new listings and conditions as they impact the market. They provide resources to home owners and buyers throughout the process and help someone buy or sell a home every 7 days.

The Monique Walker Team will guide you through the complexities of buying and/or selling a house, eliminating hassles and stress. With an average list-to-sale price of 98% as well as over $142 million in career residential transactions, the Monique Walker team will show you why performance outsells promises.

Monique Walker

RE/MAX Excalibur

8510 E. Shea #100
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
Mobile: 602-413-8195
Fax: 480-248-2847
Monique@MoniqueSells.com

What our happy Phoenix clients have to say

Click to hear recent
testimonials from happy clients

Angie - “Monique is so easy to work with and has great recommendations."

Priscilla - "I was very happy with the experience and the results we received. I’ve never really worked with a team before and I think it worked out very well because if there was one person dealing with one aspect, I could just contact them. They did everything they said they’d do, which means a lot. They communicated exactly what they would do and what I needed to do and the communication factor was really a big plus."

Linda - "It was very good results. We had a fair offer, it went through very quickly, and I’ll be happy to work with her and her team again.They’re all just very good and that’s their normal business practice."

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