PHOENIX — Who would’ve thought during a pandemic that Phoenix would be one of America’s hottest housing markets?
According to Valley realtors, people are moving from California, Seattle, Oregon, the Midwest and the East Coast.
Some people are coming here to retire, while others are relocating for their jobs as more companies are moving to the Valley.
Therefore, it’s hard to buy a house right now because supply is low and demand is high.
So we talked to a group of realtors to find out the ins and outs of buying the house of your dreams: Mike and Jessica Hoffman with Hoffman Realty Group at HomeSmart, and Bobby Romero, Holly Henbest, Elyus Black and Jeremy Rangel, who are all with Realty One Group.
Here are their four secrets to buying your dream house and getting a leg up on the competition:
Write a personal note
“We do recommend people writing personal letters, personal bios, including photos of maybe their job, family, dog, whatever it takes to make that difference and make your offer stand out,” said the Hoffmans.
They recently had a client who was a nurse write a letter to a homeowner, who was also a nurse. And because of that personal connection, their client got the house.
Find out what the seller is looking for
We know cash is king, but it’s not everything. Romero suggested accommodating the seller. You can do this by looking to see if the seller has a certain close date or make a higher earnest deposit.
“I also have some people who are waiving appraisal contingencies, so if the home doesn’t appraise, they continue to move on and close on the house,” said Romero.
Leaseback to the seller
Henbest was closing on a house, and offered this example, “Our buyers are buying the house, and they’re going to be leasing it back to the seller for a period of time because the seller needed the money out of their house to be able to buy their next house. They weren’t having any success on contingents on buying another house they needed that cash ready. And now they can proceed with a house and get moved.”
Choose the right agent
All our realtors stressed how important this is, especially right now when the competition to buy is so fierce.
They advise that choosing the right agent means finding someone who is on your time.
So the moment you want to see a house, whether it’s during the week, mornings, or nights, they’re there for you.
Black also added, “I think it’s a good idea to interview agents when you’re starting the purchase process or when you decide to buy a home… Ask an agent how they might navigate and mitigate potential roadblocks that could prevent your offer from being accepted.”
Finally, if you don’t get the house you wanted, Henbest said don’t be discouraged.
“If it’s meant to be it will be and it will happen. And you have to do your best to be aggressive and put your best foot forward. And a lot of people who are missing out on opportunities, maybe there’s a reason. Maybe there’s a silver lining why they haven’t gotten what they’ve gotten so far. But the right one is coming.”