Get Your Home Guest-Ready (Without Losing Your Mind) By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team

By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team Just once, wouldn’t it be wonderful to enjoy entertaining your friends and family rather than focusing on the clean up and preparation? You can! All you have to do is adopt a foolproof pre-entertaining organization method: the “GO” approach. Often, we prepare for events focusing on details that our guests will never really notice. The truth is, you can do far less preparing than you think. The “GO” approach is all about “guest observation.” In other words, to get your house pre-organized for a party or the holidays, think about what your guests will observe, rather than all the things you think you ought to do. Guests adhere to a particular pattern when they enter your home. Usually they stop in four locations, and in a specific order: the front door, the kitchen, the bedroom, and the bathroom. Focus your efforts on these four locations using the GO approach so you can lighten your workload and increase your time spent enjoying the holidays.

Start at the front door

The front door is where you can set the first impression for how you manage the “look and feel” of your organized home. Just tackle a few key tasks:

1. Shake out the outdoor mat and sweep.
2. Place a flowering plant outside on a table at the front door (even if you have a small apartment or bungalow).
3. Write a little note saying, “I’m/We’re seriously thankful you’re here. Welcome!” The note transforms your guests’ frustration from traffic or family upsets while in the car to feeling appreciated. It also sets the tone of care and kindness before they even enter your home.

The kitchen

Typically, guests come to the kitchen first to drop off a pie, salad, or bottle of wine. Now, the turkey in the oven usually provides the yummy aroma, but how do you handle those first visual impressions, including having the proper tools and space for cleaning up after the meal?

These high-impact tasks will help:

• Clear the clutter from the counters. Remove small appliances, bottles of vitamins, piles of paper, phone chargers, and put it all in a box labeled “stuff from kitchen counter.” Place it in the garage or even the trunk of your car, if you’re short on storage space.
• No time to clean the oven? Line it with tin foil to give it a clean and shiny look inside.
• Break out a fresh sponge for doing dishes. Place a notecard above the sink that says “I’m thankful for your help with my dishes. I appreciate you.” Guaranteed your guests will smile and pitch in. If you wind up stuck doing the dishes on your own, that little note you wrote will surely remind you of your self-worth, and those dishes won’t seem like such a chore.

The bedroom

Next, your guests will need to put their coats and bags somewhere; the usual spot is in a bedroom. How do you hide the mess and clutter? Try my “dim some” lighting method. That means dim most of the lighting in the room with some lighting on an accent piece. If you don’t have a dimmer switch, change out your light bulb to a lower wattage, or change the bulb to a colored bulb of your choice. You can also change the lamp shade to one that is orange or yellow to give the room a warmer hue. If you have a pretty picture or photo, put an accent light on that piece to divert attention away from messy areas.

The bathroom

The key here is to keep your guests’ embarrassment level to a minimum and their impression of you at a high. An overflowing toilet is something guests will remember (especially if it happens to them). If you minimize the possibility of mayhem before it starts, you’re golden.

1. If the toilet is a little wonky, help out your guests with a cute sign that says “Hold handle down for 10 seconds” or “Jiggle handle to flush.”
2. Have a plunger nearby.
3. Put a spray deodorizer on top of the tank.
4. Keep lots of extra toilet paper stored in an obvious location.
5. Embroidered or white guest towels can be intimidating for folks to use for fear of ruining them. Use paper towels with a holiday design and place the trash can in a visible spot.
6. Finally, a small bunch of beautiful flowers (such as an orchid or sweet-smelling roses) will serve you more here than a centerpiece on the table.

Eliminate obvious stains and odors

While making beds and putting away laundry are definite pre-hosting, don’t forget to focus on the obvious — stains and odors — before your guests do! Here are a few last-minute tips that will leave you proud and your guests impressed:

• Hang scented pine cones near key hooks and plants, inside closets, at the front door, above litter boxes, or on door handles in the bathroom.
• Rustle up some vanilla extract from your spice rack and dab it on light bulbs around the house. As the bulb heats, the pleasant vanilla scent lingers.
• Most of us have little stains in our carpet. If you do, too, spray shaving cream on the stain to bring the dirt to the surface. Pat with a paper towel and vacuum. (Note: Always test new stain treatments in a remote area of the carpet or rug first.)
• If you have a scratch or nick in your wood table or other wood furniture, try rubbing a walnut on it to make it less noticeable.

And remember, whatever you do, don’t sweat the small stuff. Your guests will remember the tone your attitude sets more than anything else. 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.

3 Things to Do When Your Neighbors List Their Home for Sale By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team

By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team Most people think their real estate concerns end once they’ve closed on and moved into their new homes. But given the constant access to information and the changing nature of society today, smart homeowners know that their real estate awareness should continue after the closing. When a neighbor’s house goes on the market, there can be some important implications for you. Here are some tips for staying real estate aware.

Document important disclosure items

For the most part, good fences make good neighbors. But sometimes the folks on the other side of the fence don’t cooperate, and unresolved neighbor conflicts tend to arise when one of the homes goes on the market. Have a property line dispute or an issue with a broken fence and want to make sure that the new buyer knows about it? While sellers in most states have a duty to disclose issues to potential buyers, not all areas require this. Do your new neighbor-to-be a favor and alert the seller’s agent to anything the buyer needs to know about your neighbor’s property.

See things differently

Open houses allow buyers to spend some time exploring a home, but these events also present you with a chance to see your home from your neighbor’s perspective. Once, at a busy open house in San Francisco’s Noe Valley neighborhood, an open house visitor made a somewhat obvious beeline for the back of the house. He immediately got on the phone, and was clearly communicating with someone about where he was standing, and giving orders to move left and right. It turned out this visitor lived in the home behind, and was checking to see the neighbor’s view into his home. The open house is your chance to check your home’s paint job from the neighbor’s yard or simply to see your home from a different perspective.

Know and learn the market in real time

Typical sellers claim and save their home online, but also keep searches going after the fact. Why? To keep tabs on the market, see the comps and have a real-time sense of what’s happening nearby. Just like when you were a buyer, knowing about the area and types of homes in the market is a good move for any homeowner. Take a neighboring home for sale as an opportunity to see what the market bears. You can also learn about the latest trends in home design. Speaking to a real estate agent can help inform you of changes to property taxes, or how assessments are changing in your town. A smart real estate agent, working their listing, will be an incredible resource to would-be clients down the road. Leverage their experience when your neighbor sells. Take note when your neighbor goes to sell their home. It’s not just a time to nose around, but to document, inspect or learn from the home sale. Some homes get listed once in a lifetime. Take advantage of the opportunity. 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.

The Magic of Division By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team

By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team Division is one of the coolest magic tricks a gardener can pull off. It involves digging up a single plant, breaking it into two or more pieces, and replanting them to multiply all by themselves — until you decide to divide again. So, really, plant division is multiplication. (Mind blown.)

Why and what to divide

Dividing a plant not only creates “new” plants, it also rejuvenates old, congested plants, and allows you to pull out any diseased portions or weed roots in the process. Best of all, making new plants from your existing landscape plantings will save you a lot of money, especially if the plants in question are expensive or hard to find. Any perennials, grasses, bulbs, or suckering shrubs are good choices for dividing, as long as each division has a sturdy, rooted base that can grow independently. However, there is a handful of plants that don’t like to have their roots disturbed, including lupine, poppy, false indigo, butterfly weed, peony, and sea holly to name a few. A good rule of thumb is to avoid dividing plants with a taproot (a downward-pointing root that resembles a carrot).

When to divide

Some gardeners (the author of this article included) choose to divide whenever it’s convenient. For example, if you’re digging up plants while rejuvenating a garden bed, you might as well divide them before replanting. If you’re repotting an overgrown houseplant, it makes sense to break it up into smaller plants while it’s out of the pot. Generally speaking, the best seasons to divide are in spring or fall. If you’re dividing a hardy plant, do so in fall so the roots have plenty of time to grow, giving the divisions a hearty head start. Divide tropical plants in summer when they’re most active, but do it when rain is in the forecast so that they’ll become better established. Divide cold-sensitive plants in spring, especially if you live in a particularly cold climate. Divide plants on overcast days if possible, or wait until the late afternoon so that the newly exposed divisions won’t be scorched by direct sunlight.

How to divide plants

Start with a plan for your divisions so that they can go right into the ground without drying out. Proper preparation will allow the new divisions to become established and thrive. Prepare the new planting site by pulling all weed roots, removing spent mulch, fluffing up the soil with a cultivator, and adding some well-rotted compost and topsoil. Now it’s time to remove the “mother” plant. Cut a circle around its dripline (the soil beneath the outermost leaves) to loosen up the soil. A small transplanting shovel is ideal for most perennials, but a full-sized shovel will also work. Gently lift the entire plant out of the soil by rocking your shovel like a lever at different points around the plant. Remove the plant with your hands and place it in a shady spot to begin dividing. Dividing is often as easy as loosening up the soil and pulling apart the plant with your hands, but some plants require more effort. Pull apart the uprooted plants with the tines of a cultivator and slice right through the roots with a clean, serrated knife, in a sawing motion. You may also cut through the root ball with a sharp shovel. To prevent moisture loss and help the new divisions get started, cut off the upper two-thirds of their leaf growth. New growth will quickly return, and the plants will fill out entirely within a year.

Planting divisions

To plant, lay out the divisions in the new planting site, giving them ample room for a few years’ growth. Dig a hole for each division, leaving a small mound of soil in the center of each hole. Hold the divisions over the mound so that their crowns (where the plant originally emerged from the ground) line up level with the surrounding soil, and fan out the roots over the mound. Replace the soil with a hand trowel, and use the back of the trowel to pack the soil in place. Finally, water the divisions deeply to ensure there are no air pockets that will dry out the roots. Once you’ve planted each of your divisions, add a 1.5-inch layer of mulch to your bed to keep the soil moist and prevent weeds while you wait for the plantings to fill in. This is the important part: Water newly planted divisions regularly until they’re firmly rooted and self-sufficient. A tell-tale sign that a plant needs water is when the leaves start to wilt or dry out. 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.

4 Reasons to Go to Open Houses (Even If You’re Not Looking to Buy) By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team

By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team After a seller has staged their home and listed it on the market, it’s likely their real estate agent will recommend holding an open house. Home buyers flock to these events for a chance to get a peek inside the closets and stroll through the rooms. But not everyone who attends open houses is looking to buy. Here are four opportunities open houses present if you’re willing to devote your weekend afternoons to them.

Learn from listing agents

Would-be sellers and nearby homeowners represent a large portion of open house traffic. You can use the open house not only to see what’s for sale and the price of comparable homes, but also to learn about the market. Pick the brain of the listing agent to get his or her take on what’s happening in your area. Real estate agents tend to be aware of market changes well before the mainstream press.

Check out home design trends

Sellers generally put their best foot forward. Some go as far as making cosmetic updates or design/staging changes before putting their homes on the market. They likely rely on their real estate agent to suggest the latest and greatest looks in the market. So if you’re planning to list a home that needs updating, or you aren’t sure where to begin when it comes to choosing paint colors, countertops or bath fixtures, going to open houses will allow you to see styles and designs. Even if you’re not looking to sell, you may get some design inspiration to make your home feel like new.

Get referrals for contractors or designers

Want to be connected to a good local designer or contractor? Ask the real estate agent selling the home you liked if they can get you the contact information. Although getting referrals from friends is also a good idea, seeing the finished product in an open house can inspire you to replicate what that owner did, and how they did it.

Fuel your daydreams

For dedicated real estate buffs, browsing the ‘for sale’ sites and flipping through listing photos isn’t enough. If you’re truly obsessed, you hit the open houses in your area to tour the home for yourself. 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.

Working With a Design-Build Team to Create Your Dream Home By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team

By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team

Building your dream home from scratch is a daunting task, especially if you’ve never worked with an architect, builder, and design team before. To make the project a little easier to wrap your head around, here’s some advice from construction professionals.

Do your research

The building process isn’t short, so make sure you are happy with your team — you’re stuck with them for a long time. This requires doing a little homework. To start the building process right, you’ll want to do the following:

• Conduct extensive online research to make sure you’re using a reputable builder
• Get referrals from friends and family
• Look at examples of the builder’s current work

Nikki James, studio manager at Ashton Woods, a builder and design studio constructing homes in the South and Southwest, recommends visiting a builder’s model homes and those under construction. It’s fine to even be a little sneaky, says Jesse Fowler, president of Southern California-based Tellus Design + Build. Pop in at a construction site unannounced to see what the job site looks like. Workers not wearing hard hats or lots of garbage on the ground are red flags.

Ask questions (and more questions)

You need to understand the parameters of what the builder is doing for you, advises Roger Kane of Kane Built Homes in Massachusetts. And you get that information by asking questions. Make sure the builder can execute what you want, because not all builders can accommodate custom designs. One of the first things you should do before meeting with your team for the first time is to identify what you don’t know, and then eliminate that doubt. If this is your first time building, there are probably going to be a lot of things you don’t know, and that’s fine, Fowler says. There are no dumb questions. Here are a few starter questions:

• What exactly are you paying for?
• Do you need full architecture/design/build services, or do you just want a blueprint?
• How much time should you allow?

Know what you want

“Design inspiration can come from anywhere,” says James. She asks her clients to bring in plenty of pictures, scraps of fabric, or anything that speaks to their aesthetic. The first thing to do, Fowler says, is to figure out the look and feel that a customer likes, and weed out what they don’t like. It’s also important to know your limitations, though. James warns that you must make the structural selections for your floor plan before picking design elements so you know what you can and can’t have. For example, if you want a freestanding tub, you will first need to know if you have the right plumbing for it. An architect wants to know how you’re going to use your home, advises Kim Nigro, the architect at Chicago-based Studio Nigro Architecture. Tell your architect what you don’t like about your current home, and what your day-to-day needs are. This can be as simple as letting them know you shop at Costco a lot, so you want a big pantry, James says.

The details matter

You probably never thought about what kind of grout you want between your tiles. But these are the kinds of decisions you will be making. Ashton Woods gives its customers a checklist for details like this, and there are a lot of specific items on it, from what kind of edge you want on your counters to how many outlets and phone jacks you’ll need. This sounds overwhelming, but Kane’s advice is to just take it room by room. Start out with the basics. Determine how many bedrooms and bathrooms you need, then go inside each room and think about what should be in it. “Make a list,” he says. “’We want hardwood flooring; we need his-and-her closets.’ Make your own little notebook and just address every room. That’s a great way to start.“

Know your budget

The harsh reality is that you can’t buy something you can’t afford. So, do your math, and be upfront about your budget. “Not communicating a clear budget to a designer is a mistake,” Fowler advises. “Designers need something tangible. If you let them go wild, 99 times out of 100 they are going to do something you can’t afford.” There are good reasons not to pinch too many pennies, though. As the saying goes, “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” You probably shouldn’t go with the cheapest guy out there, Fowler suggests. A lot of builders, he says, cut corners by doing things illegally. Don’t get roped into a mess like that. Saving a few bucks now might end up costing you more later. James recommends doing things exactly the way you want them from the beginning, because remodeling later will cost you more money and more stress. “We see a lot of buyers getting nervous about spending too much. As people get closer [to finishing], they wish they had spent that extra money,” she reports. Spending more for quality products is another big consideration. Kane uses sustainable products for the exterior of his houses that last “pretty much a family’s life in a home — 30 to 40 years.” That’s good for the environment and your wallet, because regular maintenance like repainting the outside of a house can cost $15,000.

Be decisive

The biggest mistake Kane, a veteran homebuilder, has seen homeowners make is being wishy-washy with their decisions. Once a home is under construction, it’s important to have made all your major design selections. “Paint color’s not a big deal,” Kane says. “But you should have things like all your tile and granite picked out.” Why? Because at this point in the process, your selections could be backordered, and waiting on them is costly to the builder and to you. If you do tend to change your mind a lot, make sure you pick a builder with a good warranty program.

Communication is key

One core piece of advice from construction professionals: Keep the lines of communication open. The biggest mistake you can make, says Fowler, is leaving gray areas in your building and design plan. “I’ve heard horror stories, and most are because one party’s expectations were different from the other’s,” Nigro states. “The more developed drawings can be, the fewer assumptions the contractor will have to make.” And it’s not only important for you to communicate to your design team. The members of your team need to be on the same page with each other as well. “They need to really create a collaborative team,” Nigro says. “There are a lot of decisions to be made.” Fowler recommends getting the whole team together to meet each other and start working collaboratively from the start. Most times, he says, architects, designers, and builders who work in a community have met and done projects with each other before.

Consider the trends

More homes across the country are being built “healthy” or “green.” These are homes built with non-toxic, natural products and materials. Nigro says she used to recommend healthy building to her clients, and now people are coming to her asking for it. Another trend sweeping the nation is “mother-in-law suites” or homes that accommodate multi-generational families. Over the past five years, a lot of Nigro’s clients have started looking down the road to when older relatives might move in with them, or maybe their adult children will move back home after college. This could mean a separate apartment over a garage, or maybe a guest bedroom on the main floor. Why are trends an important factor to consider? It could help you sell your home in the future.

Have fun

“It’s important for us to personalize your home and make it yours and something that you’re proud of,” James remarks. If this means having a full basketball court right on the main floor next to the dining room, like one of Nigro’s customers wanted, then that’s what you should have! Custom features can range from practical to fantastical: Fowler has had clients ask for water pipes over their nightstand so they wouldn’t have to get up for water in the middle of the night; “living walls” (walls with plants or grass growing right on them); hidden cameras; and even an unexplained hole in the closet floor. Hey, it’s your dream house, after all. 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.