By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team Many homeowners today face a serious housing dilemma. They love their home, its location, and even their neighbors. But they’ve outgrown the space. Do they trade up to a bigger or better house, thus entering a busy real estate market, or stay put and renovate? Most homeowners have never sold and bought at the same time, nor have they lived through a renovation. Both experiences are incredibly stressful, and many people don’t know what to expect. Here are some tips for making an informed decision.

Know what you’re getting into

It’s helpful to know that it is cheaper to stay in your current home and renovate than it is to sell your home and buy a bigger one. And renovating isn’t as big a deal as one may think. If you go into it with an open mind and full awareness, it’s not so bad. However, some people are just not cut out for living with dust, disruption, and a little bit of chaos. Living through a renovation means a constant stress is hanging over you. If you can’t take that in your life, don’t fool yourself.

Check your finances

The most important thing you need to do is understand your home financial situation. Do you have equity in your home? If so, how much, and would you need those funds to either renovate or purchase the new home? Is a home equity line of credit available to you? Using that money provides the mortgage tax benefit for the interest, which makes an equity line a no-brainer. What would you need to spend on a new home in your desired location? Just like when you first got pre-approved to purchase the original home, you need to get pre-approved and run the numbers. You may find that the house you can get isn’t much bigger than where you are, or that you have to change areas to get more space.

Define your renovation requirements

What exactly is it that you need? An extra bedroom or bath, more family or community space, a larger kitchen or a master bath? Put it all out there and prioritize. Can these changes be made within the envelope of your current home, or would you have to expand outside your walls? Renovating inside might mean that you need to leave the home for some time, while an expansion might allow you to stay in the home during the renovation.

Research zoning and building codes

Learn how building and zoning laws will affect your plan to renovate. Find out if expansion is even a possibility. Many people think that finishing the basement is as easy as putting up some walls and carpet and moving the TV downstairs. But did you know that you likely need two forms of egress or certain height and insulation to make a finished basement meet code? A few hours of an architect’s time can help get you the information you need. If you want to add on, make sure that your lot is big enough. Town zoning laws only allow a certain percentage of the lot to be covered. If you’re at your max, you’re out of luck. Set-back laws might mean that you can only expand in the front or on one side of the property. You may find out immediately that what you want to do simply isn’t possible, and the decision is made for you.

Don’t over-improve for the neighborhood

You need a master bathroom and family room or some extra square footage, but will the neighborhood support it? You don’t want to be the biggest or best house on the block when you go to sell. A big master suite or designer kitchen may be just what you want, but will future buyers pay for it? Do some research, talk to a real estate agent and attend open houses in your neighborhood. If you don’t know, ask. But do not embark on a large renovation project if you can’t get your money back when it’s time to sell.

Get ready for a different kind of stress if you move

Purchasing a new home and selling your existing one simultaneously means instant stress that is intense and compacted in a short period. The stress may come in the form of carrying two mortgages, getting a bridge loan or waiting for your home to get an offer. Remember how you felt when you purchased your first home? Now double or even triple that.

Expect the expenses

When you sell your home, you need to pay the real estate commission and transfer tax on the sale, and you may be taxed on any gain. When you get a mortgage for the new home, expect more loan and title fees upfront. While many closing costs and transfer fees are tax deductible, you don’t realize anything from these expenses. The $10,000 in fees might be better spent toward a new bathroom. Before you decide to explore this path, gather some information about costs. Deciding whether to trade up or sell and buy is incredibly personal. The most obvious thing to do is to check your finances, and see what is out there on the purchase market. Learn what’s happening and understand how you would fare. And even if it’s intimidating, seriously consider renovating. It is incredibly rewarding to be able to make your home even more custom to you. Please note that this Scottsdale Real Estate Blog is for informational purposes and not intended to take the place of a licensed Scottsdale Real Estate Agent. The Szabo Group offers first class real estate services to clients in the Scottsdale Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area in the buying and selling of Luxury homes in Arizona. Award winning Realtors and Re/MAX top producers and best real estate agent for Luxury Homes in Scottsdale, The Szabo group delivers experience, knowledge, dedication and proven results. Contact Joe Szabo at 480.688.2020, info@ScottsdaleRealEstateTeam.com or visit www.scottsdalerealestateteam.com to find out more about Scottsdale Homes for Sale and Estates for Sale in Scottsdale and to search the Scottsdale MLS for Scottsdale Home Listings.

By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team No matter how many great political or lion-eating-dentist costumes we’ll see this year, being an adult at Halloween can be a bit of a bummer. Between obligatory “clever” costumes and the egregious lack of candy at most adult-themed Halloween parties, there’s not a lot of giddiness left in the holiday for the grownups. In honor of the bygone days of candy-trading and itchy wigs, we rounded up a few of the fun, quirky, nostalgic spooky traditions of yore — some of which are alive and well today. Maybe we can’t trick or treat anymore, but we can delight in remembering the highlights of our childhood Halloweens.

Trick or treating

Ah, door-to-door sweets retrieval from strangers. It’s the day every kid looks forward to all year, but how on earth did this tradition come about? Turns out trick-or-treating actually has a couple of sources. One is the early Celt tradition of dressing up like demons at the end of the year — the idea being, if you ran into one, he’d think you were part of his posse. The other is a later practice from the Middle Ages known as “souling,” in which poorer members of the community would go to wealthier homes on All Souls Day and offer prayers for their dearly departed in return for “soul cakes.” Over the centuries, soul cakes gave way to Snickers and prayers gave way to tricks, but the practice of going house-to-house remains.

The classic witch costume

Before TV and movies made vampires and werewolves and witches ridiculously attractive, there was the classic witch, made famous in “The Wizard of Oz” and beloved as everyone’s last minute go-to costume. All you needed was a broom, which your parents were no doubt super happy to surrender for a night, and maybe a pointy hat — which, as it turns out, wasn’t actually associated with witches until the 18th century. Bonus points for green facepaint and nose warts.

Front lawn graveyard

Let’s be honest. We’ve all been secretly terrified by this. Maybe you passed the yard while out on a jog, maybe you were a kid trick or treating, but at some point, those bones sticking out of a well-manicured lawn took you by surprise.   Yearning to re-create this childhood favorite in your own yard? If you can’t get your hands on plastic gravestones, there’s always the classic “dead body in the front yard” thing. Just make sure everyone knows it’s fake, unless you want the cops to show up. Seriously.

The Monster Mash

Okay, so maybe it’s not “cool” to dance to, and you still regret that time you chose it at karaoke, but you gotta hear this song at least once in October, right?   Inspired by ’60s dance records and the simultaneous horror movie craze, Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s “Monster Mash” actually topped the charts when it was released in 1962 — and again in 1973. How about a 2015 revival? Put it on repeat at your Halloween bash and see if it catches on.

The Singing Ghost

Speaking of Halloween music: Once motion activation got going, you couldn’t trust any doorway. Things have gotten a little more sophisticated since, but step under any awning on Halloween night in the ’90s and there was a solid chance you were going to hear this “eerie” tune.

The ‘Scream’ mask

Ah, “Scream.” It brought Neve Campbell back to the silver screen, knocked off Drew Barrymore in the first scene (spoiler alert?), and gave teenage dudes everywhere the perfect Halloween costume to terrify and annoy their friends from 1996 to this very day.

The Addams Family

Whether you watched the show in the ’60s or the movies in the ’90s (ideally both), the Addams are the iconic “all together ooky” Halloween family you know and love — and fear. (Unless, of course, you were a fan of “The Munsters,” instead.) Bonus points to the mysterious and spooky gang for offering a huge variety of fun Halloween costumes, most of which are relatively easy to pull off —except for, say, Cousin It. Nobody wants that much hair in their Halloween candy.

Jack-o’-lanterns

Believe it or not, the reason we all have to struggle with these kits every October is because of an Irish folk legend about “Stingy Jack.” This Jack dude apparently tricked the Devil — twice! — and wasn’t allowed to go to Heaven or Hell upon his death. Instead, he was doomed to roam the earth forever with a coal lantern which, for some reason, he put into a turnip. Fast forward a few centuries and “Jack of the Lantern” becomes jack-o’-lantern, pumpkins take over for turnips, and Stingy Jack, for all we know, is still wandering around, turnip in hand. Please note that this Scottsdale Real Estate Blog is for informational purposes and not intended to take the place of a licensed Scottsdale Real Estate Agent. The Szabo Group offers first class real estate services to clients in the Scottsdale Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area in the buying and selling of Luxury homes in Arizona. Award winning Realtors and Re/MAX top producers and best real estate agent for Luxury Homes in Scottsdale, The Szabo group delivers experience, knowledge, dedication and proven results. Contact Joe Szabo at 480.688.2020, info@ScottsdaleRealEstateTeam.com or visit www.scottsdalerealestateteam.com to find out more about Scottsdale Homes for Sale and Estates for Sale in Scottsdale and to search the Scottsdale MLS for Scottsdale Home Listings.

By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team Real estate markets ebb and flow just like the seasons. The spring market starts hopping when the sun comes out, flowers bloom and winter is over. Conversely, fall signals the beginning of a slower market, which could be good for buyers. If you’re in the market for a home, here are some reasons why fall can be a great time to buy.

Leftover spring inventory may result in deals

Home sellers tend to go on the market for the first time in the spring. They often list their homes too high out of the gate, which could mean that a series of price reductions follow during the spring and the summer months. These sellers have fewer chances to capture buyers after Labor Day. By October, buyers are likely to find desperate sellers and prices that may, in fact, be below a home’s true market value.

Fewer buyers are competing

Families who want to be in a new home by the beginning of the school season are no longer shopping at this point. These families have exited the market, which means less competition. That translates into more opportunities for buyers. Taking out an entire segment of the housing market provides millennial, single, and baby boomer buyers some breathing room. You’ll likely notice fewer buyers at open houses, which could signal a great opportunity to make an offer.

Motivated sellers want to close by the end of the year

While a home is where an owner lives and makes memories, it is also an investment — and one with tax consequences. A home seller may want to take advantage of a gain or loss during this tax year. Buyers might find homeowners looking to make deals so they can close before December 31st and get that tax benefit. Ask why the seller is selling, and look for listings that offer incentives to close before the end of the year.

Homes for sale near the holidays signal a motivated seller

As the holidays approach, the last thing a homeowner wants is for their sale to be dragging on and interrupting their parties and events. If a home has not sold by November, and it’s still sitting on the market, that homeowner is likely motivated to be done with the disruptions caused by their home being listed for sale.

Many homes don’t show as well once the landscaping fades

The best time to do a property inspection is in the rain and snow, because the home will be truly exposed for buyers. The same holds true for fall, when flowers die, trees start to shed their leaves, and beautiful landscapes are no longer so lovely. Scratching the surface of the pretty spring home season and fall reveals home flaws, making it a great time to see each home’s true colors. It’s better to see the home’s flaws before making the offer, instead of being surprised months after you close. Please note that this Scottsdale Real Estate Blog is for informational purposes and not intended to take the place of a licensed Scottsdale Real Estate Agent. The Szabo Group offers first class real estate services to clients in the Scottsdale Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area in the buying and selling of Luxury homes in Arizona. Award winning Realtors and Re/MAX top producers and best real estate agent for Luxury Homes in Scottsdale, The Szabo group delivers experience, knowledge, dedication and proven results. Contact Joe Szabo at 480.688.2020, info@ScottsdaleRealEstateTeam.com or visit www.scottsdalerealestateteam.com to find out more about Scottsdale Homes for Sale and Estates for Sale in Scottsdale and to search the Scottsdale MLS for Scottsdale Home Listings.

By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team The leaves changing color indicates the season has changed, and so follows your home decor. Decorating for the chillier fall months means incorporating warm and inviting colors and textures into your home’s interior design, specifically in the kitchen. Try these four tips to create a cozier kitchen for fall.

Weave in dark textiles

Fall means decorating with gorgeously textured throws, pillows, and table linens. Introduce your kitchen to an autumnal palette using dark, natural window coverings and similar table linens for a cozy effect. This look juxtaposes raw texture with soft details like fresh fruit, warm placemats, and smooth surfaces.

Bank on butcher block

Found most often in farmhouse-style or rustic homes, butcher block is great for countertops and tables because it’s durable and looks better the longer you have it. If you’re thinking about switching out your countertop, consider butcher block for a warm, inviting feel. If you don’t want to commit to a full countertop, try a large cutting board or table to add earthiness to your kitchen.

Add pops of color

If your kitchen has a blank space or accent wall, consider painting it for an inviting scene. For the fall season, you can choose to use warmer, darker colors like a deep red, warm orange, or olive or brown tone. Don’t want to paint an entire wall? Select a piece of art or two featuring deep and rich colors to create a cozy ambiance. You could even paint your cabinets or counters.

Nurture indoor plants

Houseplants are always good go-to decorations because they require little upkeep, and add a touch of freshness to any space. They are particularly useful in the fall because they can double as herb gardens or unique decor. Install a small indoor garden on your window sill or on a shelf near a window to have easy access to fresh rosemary, sage, and basil, even when the weather might not call for gardening. While these suggestions may seem small, they are great touch-ups to boost your festive theme this fall season. Add one or two, or mix all of the design tips for a home-sweet-home feel. Please note that this Scottsdale Real Estate Blog is for informational purposes and not intended to take the place of a licensed Scottsdale Real Estate Agent. The Szabo Group offers first class real estate services to clients in the Scottsdale Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area in the buying and selling of Luxury homes in Arizona. Award winning Realtors and Re/MAX top producers and best real estate agent for Luxury Homes in Scottsdale, The Szabo group delivers experience, knowledge, dedication and proven results. Contact Joe Szabo at 480.688.2020, info@ScottsdaleRealEstateTeam.com or visit www.scottsdalerealestateteam.com to find out more about Scottsdale Homes for Sale and Estates for Sale in Scottsdale and to search the Scottsdale MLS for Scottsdale Home Listings.

By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team Staging a home is like vacuuming before company arrives: You might not notice it when it’s done well, but you definitely notice when it isn’t. Fall’s biggest buyers are millennials with a sharp eye for detail and empty nesters looking to have some space to themselves, so it makes even more sense to set your home up to show well to these demographics. Since autumn is an especially homey time of year, it’s easy to add a bit of cozy comfort while keeping your place ship-shape for showings.

Set the scene

Do as much purging and packing as you can before beginning home showings. Store packed possessions out of sight in the garage or at a storage facility. Of course, furniture can stay, as long as it’s neutral and doesn’t take up too much room. It may seem counterintuitive, but pulling furniture away from the walls can make a room seem bigger, which is ideal. A few small touches are not remiss. A folded throw on the back of a chair is welcoming, as are a tasteful cluster of candles on the coffee table or a selection of nice-looking magazines.

Put a shine on it

Once you’ve de-cluttered, a good old-fashioned deep clean is the number one way to make a house shine. Don’t forget the “hidden” spaces that buyers may check, such as under-sink cabinets, closets and storage areas. It’s easy to become oblivious to things you see (and smell) every day, so hiring someone to come clean may be worth the investment if you’re short on time. Clear kitchen counters completely, except for perhaps a bowl of fresh apples or pears and a candle with a simple scent such as vanilla. Don’t forget the outside, too: Replace burnt-out bulbs on garage lights, sweep cobwebs, and power-wash siding or decks if necessary. A simple fall wreath and new welcome mat are effective and inexpensive improvements.

Let them in

Potential buyers want to be able to see themselves living in the home they’re touring, so safely stowing away your family photographs and mementos will easily free up visual space for their mind’s eye. Hanging mirrors instead will bring light and life to the space, making it look larger as well. Natural light is paramount to most buyers, so remove or open blinds and heavy curtains to keep rooms airy and bright. Inexpensive sheers on all of the windows will instantly lift visual weight from the interior. Fall days can turn gloomy, though, so be sure to have warm interior lighting ready to go if you need it.

Show purpose

Setting up spaces in a neutral and intentional way will also help potential buyers design their own ideal life in the house. If you’ve turned the dining room into a catch-all station, it’s time to let that dining room table be seen again. If there is an office space, keep it as streamlined as possible. Millennials will want to see a clean office space where they can envision telecommuting. While these tips may be inconvenient or expensive in the short term, they can pay off in higher sale prices and less time on the market. And since the bulk of packing and moving work will be done already, you’ll be able to smoothly transition once your home sells. Please note that this Scottsdale Real Estate Blog is for informational purposes and not intended to take the place of a licensed Scottsdale Real Estate Agent. The Szabo Group offers first class real estate services to clients in the Scottsdale Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area in the buying and selling of Luxury homes in Arizona. Award winning Realtors and Re/MAX top producers and best real estate agent for Luxury Homes in Scottsdale, The Szabo group delivers experience, knowledge, dedication and proven results. Contact Joe Szabo at 480.688.2020, info@ScottsdaleRealEstateTeam.com or visit www.scottsdalerealestateteam.com to find out more about Scottsdale Homes for Sale and Estates for Sale in Scottsdale and to search the Scottsdale MLS for Scottsdale Home Listings.