Barb's Blog

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Real Estate Agent - Cactus Mountain Properties, LLC
For all your real estate needs in Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler & Gilbert, ARIZONA
RECENT BLOG POSTS
. . .is someone who keeps you well informed of the ever changing mortgage incentives that the powers on high giveth and taketh away.  Bob Wasieko with Security Mortgage updated this morning the situation with the USDA Rural Housing loan program which has been available in the rural counties of Ar...
09/25/2009
Would it be ludicrous to propose that losing the Ameridream down payment assistance program is not the end of the world?  Sure, it's an inventive way to provide Buyers with the opportunity to get into a home with little money out-of-pocket and the Seller does receive a charitable donation on his ...
09/02/2008
The best advise I ever received when dealing with the bank in negotiating a Short Sale is "Don't take NO for an answer".   "No" doesn't mean "no", it means not now.  There is always someone who will say "Yes". Even if it means recalling the Loss Mitigation Dept. immediately following a phone conv...
08/05/2008
I went on a couple of Realtor Home Tours this week.  The tours were well-organized and very professionally run.  I was disappointed to see that only about 1/2 of those who sign-up for the tour actually attended.  I appreciated the ones that did.  This gives me the perfect opportunity to network w...
02/17/2008
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This is how I see it. . .This is the time to seriously consider making a purchase.  The Feds are due to lower the prime interest rate on the 30th of this month to 5.25%.  It will take a couple of weeks for this change to effect the bond market which will in turn lower home mortgage rates.  The go...
01/16/2008
I am always trying to keep up on the latest real estate marketing strategies.  My Managing Broker and I are working on a listing proposal that includes a Seller Concession being made with a full price offer up front as part as of the public remarks on the MLS profile sheet.  I have seen some of t...
11/02/2007
I held an Open House today in a condominium complex in an highly trafficed upscale neighborhood of Scottsdale, Arizona.  Thinking Sunday afternoon was prime time, I had high expectations of drawing a crowd. To my dissmal dissappointment I only had one neighbor stop by.  He was one of the original...
10/28/2007
My heart goes out to those who have lost structures and damage to properties in the Southern California area fires.  I especially send my heart-felt thoughts to those who are amongst our ranks of Active Rainers.  The real estate agents, brokers, lenders, title agencies, home inspectors, handymen ...
10/23/2007
I am thinking out loud!  How is it that the SELLER in a real estate transaction carries the burden of the cost of both sides of the real estate commission?  Why isn't it split equally between buyer and seller's agents and distributed at the close of escrow?  Wouldn't that help level the financial...
10/21/2007
I came across an interesting selling technique that goes beyond the box.  He called it a Reverse Offer.  When an interested buyer visits an Open House or is considering your listing along with another, shortly after present him with an offer, just as a buyer would, from the seller spelling out al...
10/10/2007
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Barb Merrill

GRI, Associate Broker
local_phone(480) 570-5263
smartphone(480) 570-5263
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Keeping well-educated on current market trends and issues is the best service I can give my clients. Whether a 1st time home buyer, a life change relocation, a 2nd home purchase or a seller which deserves the very best in negotiating skills enhanced by the information gained through blogging. The thriving economic enviroment of Arizona along with affordable housing is a welcoming home for everyone. This is what motivates me to provide excellence in the residential real estate field.