Shopping for Homes in Every Season

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There is much debate as to whether any particular season is better for purchasing a home. Potential buyers in the market for downtown Phoenix condos might want keep a couple of things in mind as they browse the tempting array of Scottsdale condos currently for sale throughout the seasons.

Generally, the housing market wakes up as winter ends and along with it the annual sales and inventory lows of December and January. People start looking seriously in throughout the end of winter and early spring, with peaks of search activity in March and April, slight dips in May and peaks in June and July.

Winter

For buyers, winter can be a great month to purchase a new home. During the holiday season, far fewer people are out looking, giving you a better chance to snag one of the Scottsdale condos of your dreams. With less buyers to deal with, realtors can be more flexible with their schedules and have the time to really get to know you and understand exactly what you’re looking for. Incredibly, the best day of the year to buy a home is actually Christmas day: sellers are more inclined to be feeling generous, fewer other buyers are out looking and home prices are at their 12-month December low.

Spring

In spring, flowers push up towards the sun and the housing market blooms with scores of new listings and for- sale signs. This could be the perfect time to scout around for downtown Scottsdale condos. Everyone is looking for a deal, and the market is flooded with inventory, more than at any other time of year. Spring brings a lot of activity because both buyers and realtors are glad to be back out after the long winter, and a purchase in spring can mean a timely move after school is over. Amazingly, Easter Sunday is the second best day of the year to buy a house. However, spring isn’t always the best month for buyers, as the competition for properties is high, meaning multiple offers may cause you to pay more than you planned for Phoenix condos.

Summer

The housing market continues to be strong throughout the summer, with listings tailing off a bit towards the end of the season. Often, people who are relocating want to be sure they’ve sealed the deal and closed on the home in time to move and get their kids settled before starting a new school in September. There’s plenty of inventory, but, as in spring, prices tend to be higher and there’s lots of competition for desirable properties, which could mean a stressful bidding war. Homes look their summer time best, with colorful shrubs and flowers and plenty of friendly neighborhood bustle.

Fall

Autumn brings falling leaves and falling inventory, particularly toward late November, but early fall is the busiest season next to springtime for home sales. Buyers are often looking toward tempting autumnal benefits. Property taxes and mortgage interest are both deductible from gross income, providing tempting year-end tax breaks, and the season’s temperate weather is perfect for moving. Many realtors have found that autumn’s buyers and sellers tend to be more serious and motivated, unlike the “window shoppers” of spring.

Whatever season brings you within reach of your ideal home, always remember to stick to your budget and only make an offer that you can reasonably afford. Getting prequalified for a mortgage will enable you to act quickly if you find the Scottsdale condo of your dreams.

If you are looking for a condo to buy in Tempe, We Know Urban Realty will help you find the perfect place. Their realtors are experts when it comes to urban living. Visit the site to see what's available right now: http://weknowurban.com/

How to Know When You Are Ready to Buy a House

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Owning your own home is one of the prime goals of most adults in America. However, the events of the recent mortgage crisis also taught buyers to avoid jumping into a home purchase too quickly. 

Owning a house has many benefits, but it also comes with many responsibilities. Potential homebuyers should take a close look at a number of factors before making the move into home ownership. These factors can help you decide whether to look at single-family homes or downtown Phoenix condos to suit your needs.

Financial Readiness

Before considering purchasing a home, you should do a careful review of your financial condition. You should have a steady income with a minimum amount of personal debt. If you have outstanding debt, such as student loans, car loans or other indebtedness, try to pay it off before making your home purchase. Check your credit score to ensure there are no unpaid bills on your record. Your credit score should reflect your ability to pay bills reliably so that lenders will offer a good interest rate.

Consider How Long You Expect To Stay

If you plan to stay in the area for at least five years, home ownership provides better financial incentives than renting. However, the costs of financing, moving to, furnishing and decorating a new home can add up quickly. It will take at least five years in a new home to make up for these expenses. If you plan on staying in the area less than five years, it may be more financially savvy to continue to rent for the duration.

Willingness To Take on Maintenance

Home ownership also brings along with it the need for regular maintenance of exterior features. The thought of constant home maintenance chores can deter individuals from making this investment. They may not want to spend time and money on lawn care, roof maintenance and other issues.

After-Tax Cost of Ownership

Potential homebuyers should also look at additional expenses that affect the cost of home ownership. Taxes and insurance premiums can be expensive in some areas. If you are trying to stay within a budget, consider these expenses, as well as tax benefits that will accrue from home ownership.

Lifestyle Factors

Individuals who own a home generally spend a great deal of time at home. They may enjoy being away from crowded urban areas and want a large home for entertaining and houseguests. However, other people enjoy the hustle and bustle of the urban scene, and tend to spend their leisure time away from home at the theater and in restaurants. These individuals may find that a Scottsdale condo or Phoenix condo better suits their social and leisure tastes.

Real Estate Market Conditions

Another factor that can influence your ability and timing in purchasing a home is the local real estate market. Prices can vary greatly within one area or even one city. Different types of housing can also vary in price. The value of condominiums in many urban areas can often be much more stable than housing in outlying areas. This trends makes Phoenix condos or Scottsdale condos worth considering for many homebuyers.

If you are looking for a condo to buy in Tempe, We Know Urban Realty will help you find the perfect place. Their realtors are experts when it comes to urban living. Visit the site to see what's available right now: http://weknowurban.com/

Creative Culinary Experiences in Phoenix and Scottsdale

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Phoenix and Scottsdale are known for the creativity of their restaurants and ability to offer very different culinary experiences and atmosphere to its appreciative customers. Scottsdale itself boasts of having more than 400 restaurants featuring every type of "melting pot" cuisine and cross-border influences, some of which is taught in the local top-rated Le Cordon Bleu culinary school.

Rustler's Rooste

8383 South 48th Street, Phoenix (South Mountain)

This steak house is Western-themed and greets customers of all ages with a a real live steer at the door and a giant slide that takes them down to the restaurant at the lower level. This two-story restaurant and saloon with a huge patio with a terrific view is situated on a small hill overlooking a golf course in the Arizona Grand Resort. It has been family owned and operated since 1971. The waiters dress up in boots and cowboy hats and boots, a western band plays every day, and there is rattlesnake and fried bread as well as excellent tender prime rib on the menu.

The Duce

Downtown Phoenix

This former warehouse features an old-style gym with a couple rounds of boxing with the South Central Mad Dogs boxing crew or training one-on-one with their house boxing coach. They also serve country-style eats, including breakfast or a rack of smoked ribs, and classic cocktails such as a fresh-squeezed Mimosa.

Rosie McCaffrey's Irish Pub

906 East Camelback Road, Phoenix

An Irishman named Seamus opened a little bar in downtown Phoenix, sold it, and opened this one named after his beloved wife, Rosie. Featured is battered fish and chips and a whole wall of whiskey. This place is packed on the weekends because people love being around others who are having a good time.

Virtu

Old Town Scottsdale

This charming tiny Mediterranean cafe with Southwestern zest is tucked away in the Bespoke Inn and has a world-class menu. When open just a few months, the eatery appeared in Esquire Magazine's annual "Best New Restaurants in America". Be sure to make a reservation if you want to sample the grilled octopus or the other unique selections.

Cafe Monarch

6934 East 1st Ave., Scottsdale

Experience a truly unusual dining ambiance in a cozy cafe that features one of the most unique brunches in town and monarch butterflies fluttering at a distance on the sun-drenched patio. The small brunch menu offers either a Sweet or Savory option of hand-crafted fresh and seasonal delightful dishes. Lunch and four-course dinners are also served.

The Mission

3815 North Brown Ave., Scottsdale

Celebrate a special occasion with a candlelit upscale dinner of a fusion of modern Spanish and Latin American flavors using a traditional "plancha" style grill, which infuses the traditional essence of mesquite and pecan wood. Try the Crispy Cola Pork Belly, the Pork Shoulder tacos with a house pineapple glaze, hand made corn tortillas, and other amazing dishes.

If you are fortunate to live in one of the Scottsdale high rise condos located in downtown Scottsdale, you are perfectly situated to check out and enjoy the dining experiences offered above.           

Nothing beats the class and elegance of urban restaurants. Living in the heart of the city gives one access to these establishments. If you are looking for a condo to buy in Tempe for your ASU student, We Know Urban Realty will help you find the perfect place. Their realtors are experts when it comes to urban living. Visit the site to see what's available right now: http://weknowurban.com/

What Is A Brownstone?

The brownstone is a type of apartment or condominium that harks back to construction style that was popular in the early 19th century. As the middle class grew in America, they wanted something more than the plain wood or brick facades often found in residential construction. The brownstone offered a charming but affordable elegance that has lasted to the current times. Brownstones are just one of the many styles of buildings found in downtown Scottsdale. The area has experienced rapid growth and a variety of Scottsdale high rise condos are available.

The Traditional Brownstone

The authentic brownstone rowhouse was first found in the eastern parts of the United States, with some in Chicago and other areas. These homes were built as single-family, multi-floored residences, but they were later broken up into separate apartments, which then became popular as condominium homes.

The rich, chocolate-brown stone is a type of sedimentary sandstone, found in a number of areas of the country, but most famously in Portland, Connecticut. Quarries were found near avenues of water transportation, which made them cheap and convenient for building. Also, the dark sandstone was easy to carve into elaborate designs, which made it a popular choice for builders. However, the term "brownstone" was soon used to describe any multi-level rowhouse construction, whether or not it is made of the original brownstone material.

Popularity of Brownstone Condominiums

Since their introduction in the 1800s, brownstones have had varying popularity. The original brownstone material was soft and unsuitable for the rigorous winters in the Northeast. The sandstone was subject to flaking and required considerable maintenance to preserve its appearance.

Even with this drawback, brownstones have enjoyed a surge in popularity, as people recognize the value of historic construction and the graceful styles of bygone ages. Today, renovated brownstones in many parts of the country garner high prices in the real estate marketplace.

Brownstone-Style Homes in Scottsdale
Scottsdale is one of the most rapidly growing areas in the country, with a wide range of homes, condominiums and apartments being constructed to fill the growing needs of the community. Many new residents arrive from other areas of the United States and want to settle in residences that remind them of their former hometowns.

Recognizing this trend, builders have been constructing condominiums that are similar in styling to the old brownstones of the East and Midwest without the need for renovations. These structures have none of the drawbacks of the old construction materials, yet provide the urban feel and sense of history of the traditional architecture style.

Urban Living in Scottsdale

Scottsdale, Arizona is the perfect place to settle because it combines an urban feel with greater convenience for residents. Downtown Scottsdale offers walkable pedestrian areas, retail shops, restaurants, art galleries and variety of nighttime entertainments.

The Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts provides a range of cultural activities throughout the year. Scottsdale warm year-round weather allows residents to congregate outdoors in a number of venues. For urban living at its best and activities for every taste, Scottsdale high rise condos offer many advantages.

Living in the heart of the city gives one access to variety of retail stores, restaurants and night time entertainments. If you are looking for a place to buy or rent in Scottsdale, Phoenix and Tempe area, We Know Urban Realty can be of great help. Visit site: http://weknowurban.com/

Student Housing or Tempe Condo for Your ASU Student?

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Your baby is all grown up and ready to head off to ASU in Tempe, Arizona. Among all the other decisions that must be made, it's important to remember that housing can seriously affect how a student performs in college.

ASU's policy is, "All first time freshmen students (defined as students who have compiled fewer than 25 hours of college credit) are expected to live in Arizona State University housing on the campus where their academic major is located for the entirety of their first academic year."
However, roommate disputes, waiting for an open machine at the laundromat, and loud dorm room parties can create quite the stressful situation that distracts from academics.

That's why many parents decide to buy a condo for their child to live in during their remaining college years, considering it an investment. While it may sound a little like over-kill initially, this purchase can be a wise choice that actually helps pay for your child's college education in the end.

Paying rent vs paying a mortgage

Rent for student housing adds up fast; in fact, housing is frequently the 2nd highest cost of attending college, only being beat-out by tuition. ASU's dorm fees range between $5,500 and $8,000 per school year.

Condos in Tempe range from $170K to 360K. With today's interest rates that means the monthly payments will run about $1,000 to $2,000 per month.

When you buy a condo, more than just your child can stay there. In fact, many Tempe condos are large enough for 3 or more additional students to stay with your child. That's a lot of rent you'll be collecting to put towards the mortgage payment. In the end, you may find that your child is essentially living rent-free. Additionally, as you're collecting those rent checks, you'll also be building equity.

Once your child graduates, you can hold on to the condo and continue to rent it out, which can help pay off any student debt your child has. Or, depending on how the real estate market trended during the time that passed, you can sell it for a profit.

Choosing roommates

Odds are that, at one point in your life, you've had a roommate straight from hell. Perhaps he/she cheated off your homework, stole your food, or liked to throw loud parties during finals week. Either way, a horror-story roommate can cause enough distraction to lower your child's grades.

When staying in student housing, your child has practically no say over roommates. Sure, there are dispute resolution policies put in place to help keep relations between roommates good, but frequently these practices don't work.

When you're the landlord, however, you and your child will get to choose who he/she lives with. This extra bit of control takes a lot of guesswork out of the process.

Younger children can stay

For families with more than one child to put through college, purchasing a condo in Tempe makes even more sense. As each child comes of age, he/she can stay in the unit when attending school. Meanwhile, you'll still be building equity and saving money off of rent; it just makes good financial sense.

If you are looking for a condo to buy in Tempe for your ASU student, We Know Urban Realty will help you find the perfect place. Their realtors are experts when it comes to urban living. Visit the site to see what's available right now: http://weknowurban.com/