Realtor Thursday

A conversation with Amy Jones a Sun Lakes Resident and REALTOR with RE/Max Excalibur located at 4921 S. Alma School Road, Chandler.

Sun Lakes, Arizona is located about 20 minutes Southeast of Phoenix and East of Interstate 10 off of Riggs Rd.  Sun Lakes has consistently ranked in the top 20 Active Adult Communities in the country.

Sun Lakes encompasses 3520 acres developed by EJ Robson beginning in 1972. There are 5 separate country club communities within Sun Lakes, each with its own amenities including 5 golf courses, several swimming pools, club houses and tennis courts.

The communities were built in the following order:

1. Sun Lakes #1 ~ The first phase which was started in 1972.
2. Cottonwood
3. Palo Verde (Gated)
4. Ironwood  (Gated)
5. Oakwood (Gated) ~ The final phase which was completed in 2005.

Why do people choose Sun Lakes for their full time or vacation home? It’s the “Resort Lifestyle” that wins every time. Combine that with a home for every budget and you’ve got a winning combination.

Sun Lakes, AZ offers spectacular lakes, clubhouses, walking paths, dining, recreation, golf, fitness, tennis, swimming pools, hobbies, social groups, dancing, service clubs, health and support groups, along with religious organizations are all available to you at your leisure.

The People One of the most exciting aspects of Sun Lakes is its residents who come from all over the country and even beyond the US border. Many of our newest vacation homeowners are our Canadian neighbors. Just listening to the many regional dialects at one of the community pools and you soon realize it’s quite a melting pot of regional diversity and no matter where you’re from, you will undoubtedly meet someone who’s from the same area.

I recently asked several of my past clients and Sun Lakes neighbors why they chose Sun Lakes.

Jim & Laurie Burke put it this way ~ “Everyone we talk to here relates a story about being attracted by the weather (glorious), the location (convenient), or the activities (plentiful). But once here the talk is about the great times spent with friends and family. And the same thing is happening to us. From the gang at the Tennis Center, to the “dog people” on the walking trails and Diamond Lake, to our friendly and helpful neighbors we have always felt welcome. It is a nice feeling to arrive here in August without knowing a soul and by March we have formed so many friendships. And now when we talk to our many friends back in cold and damp New England we talk less about the weather and more about how nice life is in Sun Lakes.”.

Economy & Prices Home prices in Sun Lakes have been impacted by the recent economy however, not as much as in other communities. Many, if not most, of Sun Lakes residents are financially secure and were not involved in the loan products that played such a big part in the decline in values in other areas.

Bottom out One of the questions on everyone’s mind these days is “the bottom” and have we seen it. That’s a great question and if only I had that crystal ball! I will say that home pricing declines have slowed. We are not seeing the drops we were seeing a couple years ago. In fact, we actually saw some appreciation over the past few months so I think that’s a strong indicator of a market that is healing.

The Future The future is bright for Sun Lakes. The homeowners recently purchased the amenities from the developer and this will ensure the common areas are maintained the way every homeowner wants to see them maintained in order to preserve our property values. Sun Lakes’ convenient location with easy access to shopping and airports are other strong assets.

Words of Wisdom What’s important for home sellers in Sun Lakes to understand is the way the real estate business has changed. It’s no longer good enough to have a few “not so good” photos on the MLS. Your home has to SHINE. So it’s important to find a Real Estate Agent who can do that for you.

Changing with the Times I realized about 10 years ago that the Internet was going to change the face of real estate. I knew that we had to change our marketing from print to the World Wide Web. Many of my Agent friends scoffed. They said the Internet was a phase. 10 years later and my business is booming. I’ve been recognized by the Phoenix Business Journal as one of the top 50 Real Estate Agents in the Phoenix Metro area. Where are the agents who shook their heads and called me silly? Most of them are out of business. We have to change with new markets. We have to be forward thinking. Our clients deserve it.

Preparing to Buy If you’re thinking of buying a home it’s important to align yourself with a real estate professional who you can communicate with. It’s probably the most important part of the process. If you and your Agent are not on the same page, the process will not be fun. If it’s not fun…you’re doing it wrong.

Having fun in Real Estate Home buying and selling should be fun. You should be laughing at whatever the experience throws at you. One of the funniest experiences I’ve had happened when I was showing property to a family…husband, wife and 2 children. I had made appointments at several homes and we began our home tour. At about house #4, I rang the bell and when there was no answer, I took the key from the lockbox, opened the door and that’s when it happened. Taking 2 steps into the home we all froze at the site of the stark naked homeowner standing in the middle of the living room. Time stood still. I shook it off and threw my arms around my family and herded them back out the door, closing it behind me. We stood there for a minute and I asked them if they had seen enough of the house to want to go back in. Their answer? “What house?”.

About Amy Jones

I am a full time, top producing REALTOR® specializing in Sun Lakes and the surrounding East Valley. I am not from Arizona, but I got here as soon as I could, relocating from Kenosha, Wisconsin in 2001.  I’m happily married and the proud mom of 2 daughters and loving nana to 3 grandchildren.

I’ve earned a lot of real estate “Top Producer” awards and Ok…awards are cool and might show you that I’m more than competent. But really…that’s not what it’s all about for me.  What really matters is the people who put their trust in me. How would I take care of my daughter’s real estate transaction?  How about my best friend’s?  Well, that’s exactly how I take care of my clients.  I know for a fact that you get what you give and that’s why “It’s like working with your best friend!” is more than just a tagline.

My name is Amy Jones and you can find me at www.AmySellsAZ.com.

I am also the author of 2 blogs ~ www.SunLakesBlog.com and www.PhoenixArizonaRealEstateBlog.com.

Contact me if you’re buying or selling a home in the area and see for yourself why “it’s like working with your best friend!” 480-250-385

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This guest post is part of our Realtor Thursday Series. We invite realtors from towns and cities all over the country, big or small, to participate. Our goal is to “travel” to as many towns as we can in every state. Every town is unique and wonderful to our readers. If you would like to showcase your town, your neighbors and your talents as a realtor, please contact us at liz@dalesiegel.com

Original run date July, 2010.