Top 3 Reasons for you to love Productive Landscape

Productive landscape- just what the heck is it?  According to Team Maneely, with Homesmart Fine Homes and Land, productive landscaping is anything added to your landscape that produces a benefit for the homeowner.  It can be as simple as a fast growing shade tree creating a little relief from the intense mountain sun, or as involved as a floral arrangement used to attract hummingbirds.

For Team Maneely, we prefer to have a landscape that helps produce food for our family.  Our backyard contains six different fruit trees.  We have two peach, two cherry, an apple and a pear.   And this year our cherry crop is amazing, and it looks like the apple and peaches are well on their way too.  The poor pear just never seems to grow beyond microscopic size.  Along with our fruit trees we have an herb garden complete with rosemary, thyme, and mint, a large section of arugula, and a thorn free blackberry shrub .  We have been busy preserving our cherry harvest by canning. 

TOP THREE REASONS TO LOVE PRODUCTIVE LANDSCAPE

3.)  Give your property an edge and added value by having your landscape serve a unique purpose.  Love butterflies?  Make sure to incorporate the flowers they seek.  Enjoy bird watching? Include a feeder or bath to attract them.  Fancy yourself an Italian foodie?  Plant some tomatoes and make a sauce to knock the socks off your guests.  If you enjoy it, it is likely that others will too!

2.) Productive landscape creates a unique space.  I remember watching Dennis the Menace as a child and his affable elder neighbor Wilson spent a great amount of time with his prize garden.  At some point he even had created an award winning space as deemed by the garden society.  If you have a productive landscape chances are you have created a unique space that can be used as a selling feature for your real estate agent to highlight in marketing your property to others.   

1.)  Landscape that is productive serves a greater purpose.  We a little thought and ingenuity, you can have space that is even "brown thumb" friendly and easy to maintain but still serves a greater purpose.  For instance, here in Prescott Arizona, we conserve water.  Maybe your productive landscape are plants that are drought tolerant.  Perhaps you have added a water cistern to help collect rainwater for landscaping.  Both the rainwater collection and drought tolerant plants are productive landscape and will serve a greater purpose for potential buyers.  

Looking for a deal?

Head over to StoneRidge this weekend for the annual community garage sale.  The sale takes place Saturday May 16 from 7 a.m- 2 p.m.

One of my favorite parts of spring and summer are all the yards sales!  I have included some quick tips for both sellers and buyers to help you enjoy "sale-ing"

Seller Strategies

1.) Prep work:  Lots of work goes into a garage sale.  Make sure to remember old grocery bags for purchases, and change from the bank.   I generally get change for $100 in all denominations.  We save our change, so coinage is easy for us.  If you don't save your change, make sure that you have some of that on hand too.

2.)  Keep pets away from the sale.  Sure Fido is super cute, but some people are afraid of pets or may have allergies.  Safety is also a concern since there will be extra traffic.

3.)  Have a "Free" box at the end of the driveway.  Everyone loves something free.  I typically have mismatched items, small toys, etc in my free bin.

4.)  Lure traffic.  Put your best items close to the street.  Many people will drive by if they don't see items worth stopping for.  

5.)  Price appropriately-  Items should be about a third of their value.  Make sure large items, like a couch, have a large price sign.  

6.)  Consider allowing your kids to host a lemonade stand.  Often times, their lemonade stand is the most successful portion of our yard sale!  Plus with summer on the horizon, it gives them a little "mad cash" to spend on summer fun.

Buyer Strategies

1.) Dress appropriately, wear comfy shoes, and use sunscreen.  Bring your own sturdy shopping bag.  Make sure you have small bills and change.  You may wish to have newspaper in your car to wrap fragile items.  Tape measures are a good tool to have as well.

2.)  Arrive early for best selection, later for best deals.

3.)  If you are shopping for kids sporting equipment like cleats, draw their current shoes on a piece of paper to take with you.  

4.)  Let your kids pay for their items.  This is a two fold strategy.  Often kids will get a better price than a parent.  And it is a great learning opportunity for budgeting, math, and checking for correct change.

Tips and Tricks for a Smoother Loan Process VLOG #1

Welcome to our first Vlog!  Watch this video for some quick tips on lending.  Buying a home can seem like an overwhelming process and this is a good place to start.  There are many lenders to choose from, but they are not created equal.  Give us a call and we will help you find the best in the business while purchasing a home in the Prescott area.  You can check out more video on our YouTube channel "Mr. Prescott Real Estate", while you are there subscribe and keep up-to-date on real estate related news.

Have a great day and enjoy spring break!

Jason and Amy Maneely                                     
Team Maneely@gmail.com
928-925-6050-Jason
928-830-8282-Amy
www.TeamManeely.com

Home Inspection 101

When you buy a Prescott area home, you need to know exactly what you’re buying. Imagine how frustrated you’d be to find out that the hot water heater wasn’t working—in the middle of a shower! This is why you should have a home inspection before you buy your home. A home inspection is an important part of buying your home. Before you hire a home inspector, ask candidates a few questions to make sure you hire a trustworthy inspector.

1. What does your inspection cover? Not all inspections are the same. Ask for copies of previous home inspections so you can see exactly what they will check inside a Prescott area home. If you are concerned about something specific, like a leaky faucet in the bathroom, mention that to the inspector so they can check it out.
2. Are you licensed or certified? If you live in a state that licenses home inspectors, ask to see their license. At the very least, choose a home inspector who belongs to American Society of Home Inspectors. This shows a level of professionalism and education that you can trust.
3. What kind of report will you give me? You should expect a written report detailing what the inspector found. Most inspectors will give you a typed report within a week of the inspection. Make sure the inspector will be available to explain anything on the report that doesn’t make sense to you.
4. Will I be able to attend the inspection? If the inspector refuses to let you be present during the home inspection, find someone else. This is your chance to know exactly what you are buying and what potential repairs you or the seller will have to make.

As your real estate agent, I will guide you through the home buying process. Let me help you find your new Prescott home. Call me today at 928-925-6050 or email me at teammaneely@gmail.com.

Invest with the Best!

   Years ago, we advertised this as a great investment, just hoping to sell it.  We advertised it on FB, we blogged about it .  We tried to sell this bad boy ourselves to no avail.

Duplex exterior before 

Duplex living room before

Duplex bedroom before

Then, it happened! It dawned on us, why don't we buy this funky little duplex.  It was a banked owned property.  Bank was asking about 70 K and we eventually settled on 55K.  Cash sale, quick close, as-is.  The diamond in the rough was now ours.
We did some quick renovations since the property was vacant.  All new paint on the exterior.  I think Jason must have chalked for two weeks straight!  We had a couple contractors over to fix up the stucco on the exterior where AC units were installed.  Ripped out all the carpets, installed new laminate and painted the interior.  Some newer appliances rounded out the reno and we were ready to rent. Wham- bam- thank you mam!

Laminate flooring after (did this in all carpeted spaces)

Having previous experience both as commercial and residential landlords, screening your tenants is a must.  This little property was easy to rent and was fully rented for the entire two years we owned the building.  As time went on our rents increased from the low $500 to $625. (Just between you and I, our secret to high rent is that we allow dogs.  This is the major reason we use hard surfaces on our units)  We just closed escrow yesterday.  We sold our property for 135K, cash, 21 day close.  A great deal for both of us.

Breakdown:

55K for one funky duplex
+7K in renos, repairs
62 K invest

127K cash return on sale (135 k minus Realtor and Escrow Fees)
+25K in rents
152K

90 K Profit!  (not including tax depreciation write offs)

Stay tuned, we have another investment project coming up that will be taking us in a new direction....

To Flip or not to Flip- that is the question!

A couple of years ago, in 2012, my husband and I viewed several different REO properties as potential investments.  If you remember, this was the height to the real estate downturn and at one point there were over 200 hundred distressed properties in our local market.  On a fabulous fall day, we viewed a property at 38 Pinnacle Rd. in Prescott.  We toured the home, and we could see the potential. This home was built in the late 1970s and still had its modern charm.

Here are a couple of before shots:  From Top to bottom

Exterior front, great room, master bath

The house was located in a desirable neighborhood, had great bones, and oozed with potential. However, at its listing price with the amount of money it would take to bring the home back, it was out of our league. 

Flash forward to yesterday, December 18 2014.  My husband bellowed from the office that I just had to check out a house.  There it was, 38 Pinnacle Rd.  The property had just closed and was starting a new- modern life.  The property was on the market for almost a year (due to an over valued starting price- in my humble opinion).  Purchase price for the REO property was 285K.  Closed price after the rehab was $641K.  Pretty nice profit potential even considering carrying costs and remodel costs.  Check out the pictures below for the updates- I did not even recognize the exterior!

From top to bottom:

Exterior front (new driveway, clean up- same from door!), Kitchen (wall moved, new everything), Great room (flooring, fireplace surround), Master bath (what? no more sunken blue tub?) and a really cool Rear Exterior (nice clear railing and great photo- by Royce Stringer??)

  

5 Money Saving Ways to Winterize Your Home

Fall is here. The weather is cooler, the days are shorter and the trees are changing the color of their leaves. Fall is the best time to prepare your home for the cold weather season before the bad weather sets in. Here are 5 money saving ways to winterize your home.

1. Change your filters – Filters should be changed every 3 months, especially in the dry desert Prescott environment. If three months is too frequent for you, a good way to remember to change your filters is by the season. Once a filter starts to get clogged, your A/C or heater unit has to work much harder to heat/cool down your house. Filters are relatively inexpensive and can be picked up at your neighborhood hardware store or big box store like Walmart or Target. Remember to note the size of the filter before you purchase as there are many different sizes. 
2. Service your heater – Have your heater serviced before winter. Not only will this help you save on your monthly utility bill, it also ensures that your heater is in good working order. There is nothing worse than a heater malfunction on a snowy day. Trust me, I have been there. 
3. Reverse your ceiling fan – Putting your ceiling fan in reverse pushes the air downward into the room. By doing this simple step, the room will stay warmer, which in turn will help lower your heating bill. The way to tell if your fan is in reverse is that the fan blades are spinning counter clockwise. 
4. Turn down the thermostat – Turning down the thermostat can save you up to 50% on your monthly heating bill. Aim for setting the thermostat at 68 degrees during the day and 62 degrees at night for optimum savings. 
5. Take care of the pipes – When temperatures fall, water freezes. Take care of the pipes and hose connections that lead into the house. The easiest way to do this is to turn off any outside water sources in winter.  You can also buy insulated faucet sleeves that cover outside water spigots. These provide a layer of insulation to the water source and can be found at your local hardware store.  Also make sure you are aware of where all of the water shutoff valves are. 

With just a little money, time and effort, you will have a nice and cozy home for the holidays this winter. At the same time, you will keep your property maintained and in proper repair when and if you ever decide to sell. A well maintained home will bring top $.