By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team “A Rose by any Other Name”, is Not Just a Rose. And, a house is not just a house. The luxury home market is truly unlike any other real estate market. Real estate is not simply real estate when the buyers are looking for something other than a solid roof overhead and a piece of property to call their own. For one thing, people who are investing in luxury homes now are, predominantly, not affected by the rising interest rates—something other home buyers will be considering. The country’s luxury home buyers are not being impacted by interest rate increases, and many state they will continue buying luxury items for their homes. As a matter of fact the luxury market is doing very well, and there has only been a slight lowering of sales on the lower end luxury market. People buying luxury homes are looking for something a cut above. They want the amenities in the home to reflect the leisurely lifestyle they are living. Some of the top features desired in luxury homes are: Security systems, gourmet or designer kitchens, and home theaters, which can seat six or more, and wine cellars. 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 Dramatic landscape plans create luxurious spaces for relaxing and entertaining Whatever it may be called—arbor, colonnade, conservatory, deck, loggia, pergola or pool house—the outdoor structure is a significant component of today’s modern American garden. Outdoor structures can be used as transitions between one part of the garden and another, or they may connect the house to the yard. In the articles that follow, you’ll discover how a simple curving wall can contain a luxurious outdoor retreat that’s used throughout the year. You’ll be intrigued by waterfalls and pools sculpted from a steeply sloping backyard. Talented designers, of course, are key: Their vision can turn the simplest landscape into a practical yet exceedingly stylish haven. This landscape plan is a very unusual one. The backyard is short and shallow, completely unsuitable for the large entertaining area with swimming pool that the homeowners desired. Pool designer Carrie Luttrell of NVBlu Inc. says the solution was to link a rear patio to the side yard, which was just big enough for an expanded patio and a negative-edge pool suitable both for adults and active children. However, because the yard slopes up toward the street, Luttrell explains, instead of having a negative edge on the far end of the pool that disappears in the distance, the negative edge on this pool serves as a small waterfall that is viewed from the patio entertaining area. A hydrotherapy spa at one end accommodates eight adults, and it, too, has a waterfall that appears to cascade from the pool into the spa below it. “We wanted to mimic the same negative-edge effect,” says Luttrell. While Luttrell was responsible for the entire design, the patio was installed by Statz Stone and Structure, which also worked with the homeowners on the striking plantings that surround the area and complement the landscape in the distance. 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,ScottsdaleReal Estate TeamArizona Luxury Kitchen Design: Today’s expensive homes are only as luxurious as the kitchens they contain. Luxury kitchens call for extraordinary details along with the use of rich materials and colors. Ultimate Investment: As the most valuable room in any house, a luxury kitchen adds tremendous worth to a home. Unlike an expensive car, which can depreciate quickly, an expensive kitchen is an investment that creates value over a longer period of time. Price Points: In my experience in the kitchen remodeling industry, I’m convinced that the old adage “You get what you pay for” holds true when it comes to building kitchens. Luxury appliances and expensive kitchen cabinets will last much longer and retain their value far better than mid-range and low-end options. I’ve seen mid-level cabinetry crumbling and falling off the walls after only 10-15 years. Cheap import cabinetry may “look” luxurious today but will end up in a dump in a very short time. Your best bet is to buy it right the first time. Considering a luxury kitchen design is a great place to start. Luxury Kitchen Cabinets: Cabinetry is the largest and most important investment in any kitchen remodel. Luxury kitchen cabinets often feature high-end American woods like Cherry and Walnut with rich, dark stains. Exotic woods such as Sapele Mahogany or Brazilian Cherry can take it to another level. Specialty painted and glazed finishes can also make for a luxurious kitchen. For a downright opulent look, some cabinet finishers use gold leaf to accent cabinetry details. High-end kitchens often feature flush inset, frameless, or beaded inset cabinets with deluxe undermount soft-closing drawers. Luxury Appliances: To create a beautiful focal point in the room, an artfully crafted wood hood makes a stunning design statement. For extra elegance, luxury appliances can be framed in with decorative carved posts or fluted columns. Occasionally the appliances themselves are panelized with wood. Luxury kitchen sinks can be crafted of heavy gauge stainless steel, polished or hammered copper, or even marble or granite. 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, ScottsdaleReal Estate Team Arizona Here are some more creative items for luxury landscaping: Outdoor Landscape Lighting One may not immediately think of landscape lighting as being one of the key components to luxury landscaping, but when we consider that almost every event hosted on a large estate occurs at night, it becomes readily apparent just how crucial landscape lighting is. Professional outdoor lighting provides visibility in gathering and transit areas, and it magnifies aesthetic by adding special decorative effects to specific forms and elements of interests. Patio lighting, pathway lights, custom pool lights, special garden lighting, fountain lighting, and concealed tree lighting are just a few examples of landscape lighting techniques that make a property safe and comfortable to move through so people may enjoy its many finer nuances at any hour of the night. Due to the highly individualized and personal nature of custom home architecture, it is impossible to apply any type of “formula” to luxury landscaping. Every property has to be treated as its own unique world and developed with the intention of creating an outdoor living experience that is uniquely expressive of the architecture of the house and the lifestyle of the owner. In-depth consultation with the client is absolutely necessary in order to gather all the facts required for such a design, and the materials used to build landscaping elements have to represent the highest grade and quality of manufacture in order to ensure the impeccable results that people expect from an investment of this magnitude. 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, ScottsdaleReal Estate Team Arizona Here are some additional ideas for luxury landscaping: Parterre Gardens A large percentage of luxury landscapes tend to rely upon traditional European gardens for the organic symmetry and balance essential to creating a superior outdoor living experience. The parterre garden is one such form, and it works much better on a large property than it does on a smaller lot. In France, parterre gardens were originally intended for human traffic, being design around intersecting gravel pathways that allowed people to stroll through middle of the garden as they viewed it. This design is not always easy to replicate in the average Houston yard due to the size restrictions that smaller properties present to us. However, on larger properties in River Oaks and Tanglewood, for instance, there is often sufficient acreage for us to build a traditional parterre garden that provides both an aesthetic and a special area where guests can walk and congregate. Rose Gardens Parterre gardens are a specifically French form, however, and may not work with every type of home architecture. Custom home design today can be very eclectic, so not every property we call upon can be enhanced by a specific cultural form. Some large homes feature a blend of European styles and require luxury landscaping plans that support their overall aesthetic without relying too much on any specific European region or time period in history. These estates will always benefit from a simple, yet carefully planted and maintained rose garden. This is because roses, like fountains, have become symbolic of luxury and wealth in both canonical and popular culture. Virtually any style of home or landscape will greatly benefit from the contribution they make to the landscape. Custom Hardscape Design As essential as high-end aesthetics is to any luxury landscape, it is equally important that we always keep in mind that larger properties are developed for the express purpose of entertaining large groups special guests, family, and friends. Not only do landscape architects have to labor very hard to create impeccable forms and outdoor structures to please the sensibilities of these guests, but they must also make these forms and structures safe, easily accessible, and comfortable for the many people who will be attending functions that hosted at the estate. Custom paving and special hardscape design must be utilized to build such structures as motorcourt parking areas, pathways and walkways, and patio seating areas. These hardscapes require a skillful blend of special design and superior grade materials so as to compliment the surrounding terrain and the architecture of the house. The size of each structure must also be calculated on the anticipated number of guests attending specific types of events. 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 Arizona A luxury landscaping includes everything people typically associate with an upscale home. Both organic and inorganic elements work together to create a sense of refinement, and functionality is designed with maximum creature comforts in mind. Home entertainment and private events also play a major role in luxury landscaping, because most clients who invest the large sums of money required for this high-end service are looking to share the experience of their homes with honored guests and close family members that they invite to their estate for special events, removed from the busy crowds and jostle of the nightlife abroad. Custom Swimming Pool Design Virtually every luxury landscape has a custom swimming pool that has been specifically designed to support multiple aesthetic elements and scaled proportionally to its surroundings. The shape and size of the pool should complement the geometry and symmetry of custom home architecture, and it should also aesthetically blend with surrounding outdoor structures and work in harmony with any organic elements that surround it. Custom Fountain Design Water fountains are iconic symbols of luxury and wealth. They add dimension to the landscape and create a sense of décor, regardless of how large or small they are. Larger estates typically have multiple water fountains built throughout the property. There can be one a larger, central fountain that acts as the focal point for a main gathering or seated area. Smaller fountains can be built to add dimension and form to custom gardens. Still other, more private areas, may have a small water fountains built only for the enjoyment the homeowner or a few very close friends. Such smaller, custom fountains are often used as centerpieces for private sitting areas and morning gardens where homeowners can quietly read the paper in the morning, and enjoy the sunlight streaming through the trees in the late evening when the sun goes down. 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, ScottsdaleReal Estate Team Arizona In enhancing your real estate values, these items are important to consider:

• Observe what other people are doing with their home landscaping designs. When possible, discuss with them the reasons behind their choice of home landscaping elements and the intentions behind them.
• Magazines, books, television and the Web all provide an abundance of information on what kinds of home landscaping designs are currently “selling.”
• Consult with a professional in the landscape design field.
• If you don’t want to pay for a landscape designer’s advice, at least try to mine some ideas from your local nursery.
• Real estate agents see the reactions of potential buyers to home landscaping day in and day out; consult with them on trends.

Remember, potential buyers may not share your personal tastes — that’s what necessitates all this research on your part, as the seller. For instance, you may not mind spending time puttering around outside, may have no desire for water features on your landscape, and may not care about winter color. But the trend has been for homebuyers to seek:

• Low maintenance home landscapes. For instance, if there’s a choice between a dwarf version of a tree and a larger version, choose the dwarf tree– it won’t need to be pruned as much.
• Artificial ponds, fountains and waterfalls. The most striking landscape designs have a focal point, or accent. A well-executed water feature is a focal point that can set your property apart from the rest.
• Year-round visual interest. Evergreens and many berry-producing shrubs are excellent antidotes to winter bleakness.

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 Arizona An elegant home landscaping design increases real estate value. By how much? Well, the average figure yielded by studies over the years is a range of from 5% to 10%. Let’s just use the 5% number as an example, even though that figure is on the high end. Putting that percentage increase into perspective: for real estate valued in the $2,000,000 – $3,000,000 range (before considering its home landscaping), an effective home landscaping design could add $3,000,000 to its value. How often do you get to make a $3,000,000 decision? Get the idea? The home landscaping issue amounts to a major decision in your life. It’s important that such decisions not be based on arbitrary ideas, or criteria overly personalized. This is not the time to get in touch with your inner self. In making a $3,000,000 decision about a stock investment, you’d want hard, objective facts to guide you, right? At the very least, you’d like to explore the ideas of others, wouldn’t you? Well, you need to seek the same kinds of guides in the matter of home landscaping design. But what might those guides be? And how do you ascertain what kinds of home landscaping represent the current trends for the real estate market? Fortunately, the resources for home landscaping design ideas are so numerous that your challenge will be not in finding the ideas, but in sifting through all of them and prioritizing. In addition to the selling trends, you’ll always want to provide your home landscaping with as much potential as possible for fall color and beautiful winter scenes — because this never goes out of style. In our next blog there will be just a few tips for mining home landscaping ideas. 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.