"AS IS" This home has a great open floor plan with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths on one level.  Needs a little TLC but offers a large eat in area with a bay window off kitchen.  Split floor plan with master separate from the rest of the bedrooms.  Master is nice sized and has a large walk-in closet and full master bath features double sinks.  Covered patio and large backyard.

Clean bank owned home with 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths. Large living room and easy to work in kitchen. Carpeting throughout except in kitchen and bathrooms. House sits on an extra large lot with a nice sized backyard. Conveniently located near amenities. Nice family home or great investment property.

Charming, well maintained home in non-HOA area.  Located close to all schools and just a short drive to I-10, here's your opportunity to own a great home for a great price.  Soaring vaulted ceilings, plant shelves, covered patio, low maintenance landscaping in both front and back are just some of the features that make this home appealing.  It's a short sale, but with a little patience, it could be yours.  Fantastic starter home or income property.  Very clean and well maintained.

• 3 bedrooms and 2 baths in 1308 sq ft of livable space
• Spacious kitchen with island
• Located close to schools
• Full master bath with dual sinks
• Covered patio and low maintenance landscaping

NEW carpet just installed!  This popular spacious single level floor plan offers split master, kitchen appliances, and landscaped front & back yards.  Split master has dual vanity and large walk in closet.  Back yard is huge and has a fire pit with bench seating and a fenced grassy side area that works great as a dog run. 

• 2 bedrooms and 2 baths in 1357 sq ft of livable space
• Open Floor Plan With Master Split From Other Bedroom
• Vaulted Ceilings
• Full Master Bath
• Huge backyard
• Yard Watering System in Front & Backyards
• Firepit With Bench Seating
• Community Water Park

 Large, open floor plan with 2935 square feet with 5 bedrooms and 2 3/4 baths. One full bedroom and bath are located downstairs for quests. 4 bedrooms including master bath is upstairs. Master bath has nice size 3/4 bath with spacious walk-in closet. Living room has high vaulted ceilings with accent windows to allow sunlight in. Formal dining room off the living room or enjoy informal family meals in the dining area off the kitchen. Full appliances are included as well as the refrigerator. Spacious family room is adjacent to the kitchen. Backyard is low maintenance. 3 car garage is an added bonus.

Wonderful mountain views await you from the back of this great horse property located on a completely fenced 1.5 acres of land.  Just a short drive to I-10 and the Fry's shopping plaza make this an exceptionally great location.  Several upgrades in this home make it a very special living space also.  The bedrooms are good sized, ceramic tile flooring throughout for ease of care, and a huge oversized laundry room with pantry that accommodates an office space, or use it for additional storage.  Call us today for an appointment to view this great home.

*3 Bedrooms and 1 3/4 Baths in 1362 sq ft of livable space
*Great room with plant shelves
*Formal dining area
*Roomy kitchen with pass through so the cook is included in all activities
*Lights and fans are on remote controls
*Master bedroom has his and her closets and a sliding glass door to back yard
*Soaring vaulted ceilings make home feel more spacious than square footage indicates
*Corral with 3 stalls for horses
*All 1.5 acres of land are fenced with top rail
*80 gallon water heater new in March 2010
*Oversized covered patio with ceiling fans
*Mountain views

Beautiful 2 year old home that's never been lived in and it's move in ready.  Lots of features to this home to make it a happy place to live.  If you want semi country living, but still be close to all amenities, this might just be the place for you. Located close to golfing, shopping, dining, medical facilities, easy access to I-10, yet in a rural setting, you have everything you need for a comfortable life.  Please call us today for an appointment to view this great home.

*3 Bedrooms and 1 3/4 Baths in 1410 sq ft of livable space
*Great room with dining area
*Vaulted ceilings
*Ceiling fans
*Ceramic tile flooring in all areas except bedrooms
*Oversized laundry room has plenty of storage area
*Breakfast Bar
*Extended garage with opener & utility door to outside
*RV gate & parking
*Block fence on both sides of home

Lovely Home ready for your pickiest buyer! Not a short sale or Bank Owned!! NO HOA!  RV gate. 3 br 1 3/4  bath, 1536 sqft , built in 1993, vaulted ceilings, covered patio and tile roof. Oversized garage measures 21X24 and has pull down stairs for the attic with storage above the garage and electric opener. Kitchen has lots of storage & counter space with pull out lower drawers in cabinets, corner Lazy Susan, island, solid surface countertops and backsplash. All appliances stay including refrigerator. Reverse Osmosis and Water softening system. Security system. Large master bedroom with deep full length closet and master bath that includes step in shower and double sinks. Hall bath is spacious as well with tub/shower combo and double sinks. Fans in all rooms. Laundry room is a great size with cabinets over the washer/dryer and on opposite side of room. Beautifully landscaped back and front yards and spacious covered patio. Come see this one right away!

Well look no further!  This home has a beautiful tiled mosaic foyer and as you come in you are welcomed by the great entertaining kitchen that opens to vaulted ceilings and the great room. The wrap around staircase leads you upstairs to the 4 bedrooms and 2 full baths, along with the upstairs laundry and the desk enclave.  The oversized backyard is fully landscaped and includes a covered patio and self cleaning pool.

*4 bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths in 2354 sq ft of livable space
*Vaulted Ceilings
*Tile throughout the downstairs
*Mosaic foyer/entry
*Sunscreens
*Upstairs laundry
*Self cleaning pool
*Oversized lot with huge beautifully landscaped backyard

Wonderful single level floor plan with high ceilings & an extra large living/entertaining area! This home has lots of over sized, upgraded tile in all the right places as well as upgraded carpet & pad exactly where you want it. The huge master suite, split away from the other bedrooms, is light & bright & has a large glass separate shower, huge window over the garden tub, dual sinks, & a walk-in closet. This 2nd home has only been lived in for about 10 weeks this year. Many upgrades including custom color tall cabinets in the kitchen, baths, hallway & laundry room, granite kitchen counters, GE stainless steel appliances plus an upgraded double door GE Profile refrigerator, pantry, remote fans & plantation shutters throughout. Home is plumbed for R/O & water softener. Beautiful home is truly a must see!

Unfortunately, most short sales can take 3 to 4 months for lender approval, which means it is even more important to get your home on the market now so that the potential buyer has enough to time close escrow before the expanded first time homebuyer and repeat homebuyer tax credit deadlines become an issue.  There is a great misconception that listing your home during the holiday months of Nov and Dec is a waste of time.  Nothing could be further from the truth, especially with the expanded home buyer tax credit!

The new laws require a signed purchase contract before the end of April 2010 with closing occurring before the end of June 1020.  If you think that you may be a good candidate for a short sale, get your home on the market with a broker who is highly experienced with successful short sales as soon as possible!  As CDPE's (Certified Distressed Property Experts) we understand the process needed to stop the foreclosure action by your lender.  Wouldn't be nice to know your family could enjoy the holidays without worrying about a possible foreclosure? 

For more information about the short sale process, visit our website at www.CasaGrandeShortSales.com

1.      There is less competition for buyers. Most sellers erroneously believe buyers don't buy during the holidays.
2.      Winter prospects are more serious buyers. Why look at homes during this time if you aren't serious about buying?
3.      Your home looks better during the holidays with all the fresh holiday decor.
4.      The Expanded Home Buyer Tax Credit, for First-Time Home Buyers and Existing Home Buyers (specified criteria applies as defined by law).  If you plan to sell and take advantage of lower prices and interest rates, you must have an accepted purchase contract on the new property by the end of April and close escrow by the end of June 2010.  This gives you just five months to sell your home and purchase a new one!
5.      You may receive more money for your home now because you have less competition with other properties.
6.      Throughout the holiday season, it's reasonable to restrict showings during your personal family events.
7.      Buyers have more time to look at homes during the holidays, especially during vacations.
8.      January is traditionally the biggest job transfer month and you must be on the market NOW in order for those homebuyers to find your home.
9.     By selling now you can have a delayed closing or extended occupancy until the beginning of 2010, if you want it.
10.   When you sell during the winter you have an opportunity to buy during the spring, when more homes are traditionally on the market.
11.   You may have fewer actual showings, but more qualified and motivated potential buyers.
12.   Corporate transfers, who need to buy a home now, can't wait until spring. 
  
The expanded and first time homebuyer program is available to those who meet ONE of the following three conditions:  They are buying their first home, OR they haven't owned a home in the past three years, OR they have owned a home for 5 out of the past 8 years and are buying a new property they intend to live in as their primary residence.  In this case, you do NOT need to sell your present home in order to buy a new one.  If you meet one of these three criteria, you may be able to receive an $8000 or a $6500 TAX CREDIT!

The tax credits are simply that...a CREDIT against taxes, not a tax deduction.  Selling during the holidays ALWAYS makes sense.  And now the new and expanded tax credit provides even MORE reasons to list your home at this time.

If you are thinking of selling a home in the Casa Grande Valley, from Maricopa, to Arizona City, to Coolidge or Robson Ranch in Eloy, we'd be happy to provide a free, no obligation consultation to discuss your options.  For more info, visit our websites at www.CasaGrandeShortSales.com, or www.YostHomes.com.

After your initial information is gathered many ask for negotiation fees to be paid up front.  I'm also seeing marketing from real estate brokers who are requiring sellers to pay money up front for these services.  My understanding is that licensing through the Arizona State Banking Department is required in order to negotiate financing on behalf of another party.  There is absolutely no reason or requirement to pay any fees for someone to negotiate a loan modification and I hate to see people who can't afford to pay these fees get taken advantage of.  Simply go to www.MakingHomeAffordable.gov and you'll find information to help you determine if you would qualify for a mortgage modification.  The bottom line is that there are no fees to be paid upfront to any company to participate in the government's loan modification or refinance program.

I get so frustrated when financially distressed homeowners get caught up in these scams and pay their hard earned money to folks who pocket the funds and then the property still goes to foreclosure!  There are a few requirements that are necessary for a loan modification:  the homeowner must have income that can be verified, they must qualify for that payment (it's almost the same type of application process as when they originally applied for and qualified for the original loan), and must be able to AFFORD the new payment.  Homeowners can pursue a loan modification and a short sale at the same time.  There is ALOT of financial information required for both these processes and if you are filling out one set of financial documents, it's just as easy to fill out both!  If the loan modification isn't approved, or the new payment offered isn't affordable, the short sale can be pursued instead. 

One business model for short sales involves a professional looking company who offers to solve all your financial problems, including a loan modification and/or a short sale.  They make an offer to purchase your home with a short sale, and then go to the mortgage company for approval of that short sale amount.  Once they receive approval they list the home for sale and attempt to find a buyer who will subsequently purchase the property at a higher price.  When the date of closing occurs the investor closes the short sale with the lender, and then resells the property (or flips it) to the new buyer, pocketing the difference as profit. 

Our office has been approached by several of these companies, asking us to list the property for sale.  We have declined these listings because I believe it's WRONG.  Taxpayers are funding this bailout of major banks and lenders.  If the property will sell on the open market to a second buyer at a higher price, then I believe it's morally wrong to participate in a "flipped" sale where the investor pockets the difference.  If the home is truly being sold short of the loan balance, and at market value, then there isn't room for profit for the investor between the short sale and subsequent sale.  While this practice might not be labeled fraudulent at this point, if you really look at this practice from an arms length position, in my opinion it's wrong for private investors to profit from a short sale where taxpayer money is being used to pay the difference between a loan balance and market value.  I believe it is wrong in the same way as it is wrong for the CEO's of these failing banks to pocket enormous paychecks and bonuses.  I've spoken to some of these business people who insist this practice isn't wrong because they are fulling disclosing the fact that the property is being resold to the mortgage company approving the short sale.  Just as it might have been "legal" for home repair contractors to greatly inflate repair prices for necessary repairs following Hurricane Katrina, I still believe it was morally wrong.

I'm proud to be part of an organization that is truly making a difference in people's lives.  That's the Distressed Property Institute.  There are currently over 8000 Realtors in the US who have spent their money and their time to take the intensive training courses to become certified as a Certified Distressed Property Experts.  These Realtors don't charge fees upfront to homesellers, and they are negotiating hundreds of short sales on a weekly basis.  The Institute continues to provide support on a weekly basis as short sale practices change and they've developed a complete system to give homeowners the best chance possible to successfully avoid foreclosure.  If you or someone you know is having difficulty making their payments, or owes more on their property than it's current market value, recommend that they find a Realtor who is a CPDE.  Consumers can access the Institutes' website at www.cdpe.com to locate a CDPE near them.

In a nutshell, renters must now be allowed to remain in the home for the duration of their lease, even if the home is being foreclosed on.  The new law gives renters a minimum of 90 days notice before they must vacate.  If a new buyer plans to personally occupy the property, or the tenant's lease is month to month, or there is no lease at all the tenant is entitled to at least 90 days notice.

If there is a lease, tenants will be allowed to stay for the remainder of the lease before the foreclosing lender or new owner can proceed with eviction.  If a state offers greater protections to renters, the new law allows the stronger protections to apply. 

This bill is important and timely, because it specifies that tenants have rights and gives them protections they did not have previously.  As a broker who provides property management services, I'm thrilled that we have some guidelines that allow us to treat the tenant fairly.  Without this law, we were required to enforce the provisions of the existing lease. 

If an owner was attempting to negotiate with their lender for a loan modification, refinance or a short sale, we often didn't know until the day before the scheduled foreclosure if the the lender would postpone or stop the foreclosure auction.  This left the tenant in a precarious and stressful situation, not knowing whether or not they'd have to move.  As the property manager, my hands were tied, as I was unable to alter the lease without the owners permission, and they frequently are working furiously to keep the property. 

This new law provides a policy whereby tenants have rights, property owners have new guidelines to follow and landlords, new purchasers and lenders all know where they stand.

Current market statistics in Casa Grande show a 3.3 month supply of available homes, according to statistics pulled from the Arizona Regional Multiple Listing System.  That's down from a high of 19.9 months of listing inventory in December of 2007, which then dropped to about a 7 month supply through the summer of 2008, hovering between 10 and 13 months supply between Oct of 2008 and December of 2008, and dropping steadly to a low of 3.3 months supply of inventory in April of 2009. 

Does that mean it's time to break out the champagne and start dancing in the streets?  It certainly is great news to see that there are 34% fewer homes for sale, 56% more homes in escrow, and 32% more closed home sales in April 2009 than in April of 2007.  What's caused this huge change?  Incredibly low interest rates, an $8000 tax credit for first time homebuyers and dramatically lower sales prices have all caused the surge in buying activity. 

The median sales price of properies sold and closed in April of 2009 in Casa Grande was $113,412, down from $184,490 in April 2007 and $167,000 in April of 2008.  The median sales price declines have slowed significantly over the first quarter of 2009 and actually increased in April to $113,512 from a median price of $110,000 in February and March of 2009. 

Last month, the Federal Reserve cut interests rates for the sixth time this year in its efforts to restrain the credit crisis. The move that reduced the rate to 1% was a shot in the arm for Wall Street, which was up 10.1% last week. But what have all these cuts meant for the average consumer?

To find out, I spoke with Mark Vitner, Wachovia economist; Bill Hardekopf, CEO of www.LowCards.com; and Jeff Williams, a mortgage consultant with Allied Home Mortgage in Raleigh, N.C.

Here’s a breakdown on how they say the low interest rates have-or haven’t-affected some key consumer finance issues.

- Credit cards. Hardekopf said that lowering interest rates doesn’t automatically mean credit card rates will decrease. But over the past year, the rates cuts have kept the average advertised credit card rates stable at about 12%.

In other words, if you have good credit, you can still find low credit card rate offers. In fact, Hardekopf said that Capital One is currently offering zero percent on balance transfers and new purchases for 12 months.

“It’s certainly possible that others (credit card companies) will do the same,” Hardekopf said. The problem is that fewer people will qualify for the lower rates.

“The advertised rates are still low, but they are reclassifying the perimeters of what is considered good credit. Now, more people are falling into the average and poor credit categories,” he said.

To qualify for these low rates, people have to do everything possible to keep their credit score high, he said. That means pay your bills on time, don’t skip payments, don’t apply for a bunch of new credit cards, and keep credit card utilization low-at most, 30% to 40% of your credit limit.

- Mortgages. Many people assume that if the Fed lowers the interest rate, mortgage rates will also decrease. That simply isn’t the case, said economist Mark Vitner. He explained that mortgages are backed by mortgage securities, which aren’t doing well right now. Still, mortgage rates are hovering at about 6.45%, which is not nearly as high as in previous major economic downturns.

- Home equity lines of credit. This is an area where consumers may see some immediate relief, said Vitner. These loans are more closely tied to the prime rate, which moves in close concert with Fed interest rate cuts and hikes. “The interest cost on (HELOCs) will be less and make it easier on consumers. That frees up a little extra income for spending,” he said.

- Refinancing loans. Clearly, lower rates make refinancing cheaper. But determining whether this is a good option is a little more complex, said Jeff Williams of Allied Home Mortgage. If you have an adjustable home loan, it should be adjusting down, which is good and there is no need to refinance. But if you have an adjustable loan that is scheduled to reset at a much higher rate, refinancing may be a good option.

A number of banks are urging people to use the low rates as an opportunity to refinance into a 15-year or 20-year mortgage loan. But Williams said this may not be a good idea for everyone. He said that unless you are very secure in your job, it may be safer to stay with a 30-year loan, which typically has a lower monthly payment than a 15-year or 20-year loan.

- Car loans and personal loans. If you are shopping for new car or a personal loan, the lower interest rates will likely mean good news for you, said Vitner. “Lower rates means it’s cheaper to borrow money.”

- Saving accounts. Lower rates ultimately mean the money you earn on your savings will decrease. Now is a good time to shop around for the best rates. Hint: Online banks such as E-Trade Bank and HSBC Direct tend to offer higher returns on savings accounts and CDs than many traditional banks.

Source: RISMedia

$245,000
3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, 1667 Square Feet

Bay window formal dining, lovely living room with built-in entertainment center, breakfast area with gorgeous backyard views, 10 ft high ceilings, huge backyard with pool and maintenance free landscaping, and serene mountain views.

Scott Fisher will be at this home on Sunday, November 2 from 12 pm to 2 pm. Please call him at 520-836-1717 ext 111 or 520-208-5805.

Click here for a map of this location.