The Phoenix Real Estate Advisor

At the Arizona Real Estate convention last week I attended a seminar on the generations and how they differ. This was very interesting and really explained a lot.  Here’s a breakdown-

World War II - born 1910-1920’s - This group tends to be very respectful, they are formal, proper speech is important, usually hide their feelings and won’t discuss taboo topics

Window generation - born 1930’s-1945 - They tend to be like the world war II generation, they were the first to have TV, being born during the great depression they didn’t have the secure life (what’s in it for me) like the previous generation.

The boomers - this group is divided into 2 groups, the leading baby boomers and the trailing baby boomers.

Leading baby boomers - born 1945-1955 - Big generation gap with world war II generation, they tend to be less formal, they are goal focused, beginning to discuss thier feelings more, still cause oriented and slang is starting to become more normal.

Trailing baby boomers - born 1956-1964 - The TV & big movie generation, TV/Movies took on a bigger role in their life, more informal then the leading boomers, first to have more working mothers and no fault divorce, they are less cause oriented, open to discuss their feelings and slang is totally exceptable.

Generation X - born 1965-1979 - Very informal, cynical and ironic, manners were not important to them, very direct and blunt, the first group to embrace technology, first to do more in groups, more self-centered then previous generations (think about the 80’s). This group is somtimes considered the lost generation because of their severe divide with the previous and future generations.

Generation Y - born 1980-1989 - The Supercommunicators! This generation once again established that manners and family are important, self-expession became important, tend to be impatient, direct & blunt, considered to lack communication skills but in reality they communicate more then other generations and they embrace diversity. Gen Y’s are considered to have better manners, a moral center and more socially aware then the Gen X’s. Sometimes Gen Y’s are considered the best group because they have the best parts of the past generations!

Think about people you know of all ages groups. You most likely will find they tend to be just like the generation they were born in!

Global warming….here to stay or a passing fad? I’m sure each of us have our opinions about this, some from the media and some built on research.  Bottom line is things have changed and the building industry is starting to follow suit.

You probably have noticed the increased attention to simple things like double-pane windows, high efficiency cooling systems, extra insulation, etc. Most people only give this a glancing look while thinking about their heating/cooling bills but some people are taking this to new levels.

Take a developer in the Camelback area that is building ultra-high standards of “Green Building” and a community called Aura at Camelback. They are building what is being called a “Substainable Luxury Living” which takes a socially and environmentally responsible approach to living.

 With 36 private residential retreats set on more than two lushly landscaped acres, Aura at Camelback offers its residents the opportunity to engage in the green standard of homebuilding, which for many, represents a necessary mode of living in the 21st century.

This is just one of the many communities that will start springing up throughout the valley. Keep referring back to this blog as I continue to update you on all the changes coming to the housing industry and how it will effect all of us.

I attended another interesting seminar today. It was a seminar on how to better handle Short Sales and keep people out of foreclosure.  While most agents think it’s “too hard” the reality is we are really the first line of defense for most people. With the help of agents that care about their situation they can spare their credit score a big hit (sometimes as much as 200-280 points). This combined with allowing people to stay out of foreclosure or bankruptcy makes it worth it.

Now I must say a lot of agents have no idea how to handle a short sale. Agents that bring buyers think it can close quickly…agents listing homes have no idea how much the banks will typically accept and the worst part can be the buyers agents calling every day or two asking “Have you heard anything yet?” that drive most agents crazy. The other side of the coin would be the agent that says they can help a client and then mess up the whole thing. The answer is better education and it would help if more agents persued this.

OK, so what are Phoenix, AZ agents to do? Should agents throw up their hands and say “I won’t show short sale homes” or “I’m not interested in listing short sale homes”? Well I guess the easy answer is YES and maybe with the amount of part-time agents in Phoenix they should do just that.

I’ve taken another path…I’ve educated myself, I’ve made sure I have the details and guidelines to ensure a smooth transaction. Armed with lists of bank’s loss mitigation contacts and a working undestanding of Short Sales I feel very confident helping people work through these tough times.

A report from “The Arizona Republic” says the following “It has taken Arizona almost 100 years of statehood to pull in 6 million people. The next 6 million will be here in less than half that time.” Will it take 15 years…20 years…or more? Nobody’s sure but one thing we all know is the people are coming.

For Real Estate agents and the retail industry that’s good news but for the community and state government that could be bad news. Are the communities ready for this growth? The article went on to say, “A million or more of these new residents will live in a triangular 275-square-mile area that touches Mesa’s southeastern border“.  That means up to 5 million will be moving to areas west of Mesa and right into my main market.

They specifically talked about Pina County regarding jobs “The region can’t afford to let Pinal County continue developing with a huge imbalance between residents and jobs, Tevlin told The Republic.”  I would say all the out-laying areas are in the same boat when it comes to jobs.  The goods news is I’ve noticed an increase in companies that want to locate in the near-in suburban areas.

Bottom line is Phoenix is growing, people are flocking to the Valley of the Sun and we will all benefit from this. It’s no longer mainly retirees that are making this move, it’s young people and companies.  For more information on the changes in the market please visit my website at www.ValleyREadvisor.com.

Well, here I am writing my first blog.  

I want to give you an idea of what to expect in the upcoming years that I use this blog.  First of all, I am hoping to keep it light and fun.  Secondly, I will write about real estate, the market, etc.  Lastly, I will write about other things I will call observations, thoughts, etc.

So, be patient with me while I find my voice, but I have NO doubt that I will……

Jay