Liz's Havasu Lifestyle Blog

Real estate trends are showing that Americans want smaller homes and they are willing to forgo many of yesterday's popular rooms in order to accommodate their lifestyles.  As we have all seen over the past year, real estate has not been 100% sure for anyone and it's been traumatic for many people.  Therefore, home buyers just want authenticity. 

Today, buyers are looking for cost-effective plans that have focused on the home's space and homes that are "green" in design from the beginning.  Many buyers are looking for a smaller home than their current one. 

Here are some "must have" features in today's real estate trends:

* Energy-efficient items - Energy- efficient appliances, high-efficiency insulation and top window efficiency.  These are among the top "green" features in today's real estate trends.

* Large kitchens - Many families spend a lot of time in the kitchen.  Therefore, large kitchens with an island and granite countertops are a must have.

* Main-floor master suite - This is one of the most popular features of today's real estate trends, especially for empty-nesters.

* Home office/study - Many people are preferring this space over a formal dining room.  The home theater may also be another room addition headed to the scrap yard.

* Outdoor living room - This is one space that continues to grow in popularity.  More people are just simply willing to spend more time outdoors.

* Stone and brick exteriors - Vinyl and stucco are no longer making the cut.

* Master suite soaker tub - Whirlpools were once very desirable to many homes.  But now, they are not as desired as oversized showers with seating areas.

* Two-car garages - Even three-car garages are popular.  The third-bay garage is now used more often for additional storage.

Today's real estate trends are changing in many cases, but definitely not in all.

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The 8^th Annual Havasu for Youth fundraiser is scheduled for this Friday, February 19^th.  And, although tickets sales aren't booming, many are still expecting a great turnout.

There have been over 140 tickets sold so far. 

Tickets can be purchased for $40 and include a Cajun dinner complete with lemon butter tilapia and blackened chicken, red beans and rice, cornbread and King cake. 

The event will be held at Lake Havasu City's London Bridge Resort Convention Center at 7:00pm.  There will be an action featuring an automated scooter, an autographed basketball, a bracelet, a $750 spa-treatment, tickets to the Phoenix Zoo and Sea World, and gift baskets.  There will also be great jazz music by the Wes Humphrey Trio band.

The Havasu for Youth annual fundraiser benefits several programs including Youth Enrichment Scholarships, Peer-to-Peer Tutoring and Mentoring, You Go Girl and Wise Guys workshops, Project Graduation, and Child Enrichment Funds.

The nonprofit program started in 1979 to help educate and empower the local youth of Lake Havasu City to lead productive roles on society.

If you would like more information about the program, you can contact them at (928) 453-2426.

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While housing numbers remained stable in January, the expected rise of foreclosures never came, which was extremely good and hopeful news for Lake Havasu City officials.  It's looking like the worst may be over.

The median residential home price seems to be holding steady for now.  The real estate market in Lake Havasu City doesn't seem to be going up or crashing down like it did just one year ago, making this an overall good sign. 

The median home price in Lake Havasu City is currently $145,000, with the majority of listings between the price range of $100,000 and $200,000.  And while the real estate market has been a buyer's market for several months now and is finally leveling out, there isn't much hope for a seller's market in the immediate future.

For sellers, it may still be another year or so before the market starts going back up for them.  As long as there are still markets trickling with foreclosures, you won't begin to see substantial home value increases.

Professionals of the National Association of Realtors® still claim that there will be a sharp rise in foreclosures.  However, local professionals of Lake Havasu City are skeptical that it will actually hit Lake Havasu City.

Lake Havasu is definitely a unique town; therefore, its uniqueness may keep the city out of the foreclosure trend.

Lake Havasu City real estate statistics:

Houses sold in January 2010 - 121

Houses sold in January 2009 - 85

Median home price for January 2010 - $145,000

Median home price for January 2009 - $154,000 

January 2010 was a good month considering it's usually the worst month for closing on real estate property.  And February is already looking even better.

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Spring frenzy activities are already in the air in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.  And residents learned thrifty spending habits for their arts and crafts hobbies in the "Dollar Bin Bonanza" during Tuesday afternoon's 10^th Annual Spring Frenzy.

The Lake Havasu City Aquatic Center celebrated the 10^th Annual Spring Frenzy with classes hosted by crafts specialist Barb Steffan from Michael's Arts and Crafts, who showed everyone just how easy it is to make great arts and crafts with inexpensive items.

With everyone hurting for every dollar they make, it's important to find ways to spread it thin.  And that's what Michael's Arts and Crafts is trying to show the residents of Lake Havasu City.  Michael's just opened its doors to the community last year, so this is a great way for them to show our community just how much they care.

Barb Steffan did a great job of showing those who attended how you can get creative with your arts and crafts without limiting yourself at an inexpensive price.

So, let's get crafty, Havasu.

With a slow recovery from the recession, most homeowners are unlikely to be building, decorating or remodeling.  However, if you are one of the few who does plan to update your home, there are some home improvement trends of 2010 to keep in mind.

2010 Home Improvement Trends:

Color: The key shades to go with include classic neutrals with highlights of exotic bright colors.  Check out these color palettes:

* Canvas - deep gray-browns and gray blues, chalky white and muted beige.

* Grace - pale butter, sea foam and bronze-gold.

* Zest - gray, white and black mixed with high energy yellows.

* Pink City - spicy oranges, pinks, grays and chocolate-brown.

Home Décor: The key look for many areas around the country include a sophisticated, sleek yet comfortable style, which is known as "soft contemporary".  One or two eye-catching accents are what you want to move toward with home décor. 

Furniture: As the environmental movement gets stronger, more furniture is being built using recycled metals, sustainable woods and natural fiber fabrics.  Red is expected to be the trendiest accent color for furniture.

New home construction: The short-lived era of McMansions popping up everywhere is over.  Now, people building new homes are definitely being more budget conscious.  Most are going back to the basics, only splurging on the master suite.  Energy-efficiency is also more important these days.

Landscaping: A hot trend for 2010 is organic vegetable gardens.  Even community gardens are a growing trend.  Other trendy plants for your garden include any green foliage, perennial bulbine and gold mound duranta.

Remodeling: Minor home improvements are a continuing trend.  Minor home improvements have been giving homeowners the most bang for their buck for some time now.

When you are considering any home improvement project, keep some of these trends in mind.

There's no doubt that every seller's dream is to receive offers from more than one buyer.  Though multiple offers were rare last year, now, in some markets and price ranges, listings that are priced just right are getting multiple offers.  Most of us automatically want to accept the highest offer.  However, this may not always be the best offer.  For example, if you have two high offers that are very close in price, you may want to counter the next best offer as a backup plan just in-case.   Therefore, if your first offer falls through for some reason, you still have the backup there.

When making a decision about which offer to accept, it is very important to review all conditions and terms of each contract, not just the price.  In some cases, the price may seem to be the highest.  But once you look carefully at the terms and conditions, you will see that some buyers are asking you to pay more fees, which bring down the price even more.

Sometimes it can be beneficial for you to accept a lower price if the buyer is willing to close quickly.  For some sellers, the close of escrow can be an important factor if you have already purchased and closed on another home.

Make your decisions wisely and always use a real estate professional.  They will help you every step of the way.

As buyers respond to the tax credit extension, home sales are jumping.  There are still plenty of homes to choose from, so homeowners are having to stay on top of their game.  Therefore, many of them are turning to home staging to make their home stand out from the rest.

Lately, homeowners and Realtors alike are talking a lot about a new home staging website that helps you virtually stage your home for a low cost.  VirtualStagingSolutions.com helps homeowners sell their vacant properties much faster than the traditional vacant home.

Through Virtual Staging Solutions, you can see what the property would look like if it were furnished in a variety of ways in order to show its full potential.  Many Realtors are now using virtual home staging tools as part of their key marketing tools.

So, how does virtual home staging work?  You simply use your uploaded photos of your home and begin adding various types of furniture to the photo.  It will appear as if the furniture is actually in the home.

Home staging has been a proven method for increasing the appeal of any vacant home on the market.  It also provides a large increase of value as a marketing tool.  Now you can stimulate the sale of your home with the help of virtual staging tools like those of Virtual Staging Solutions on a low budget.

Virtual Staging Solutions also provides a free listing of your property, which is suitable for all search engines as an added value.

So you just landed a job in this tough economy.  However, you will now have to relocate to a new state.  Whether you're moving because your new employer is asking you to or because your current employer is relocating their business and needs you to tag along, there are things you need to consider when relocating unexpectedly.

When relocating, you will be facing much more than finding a home, packing and moving boxes.  It can be huge step for any family.  However, there are steps that can make the transition a lot easier for everyone.

Here are some tips and advice to help you and your family make the most of relocating:

As a family, do your homework together: Research the area you will be relocating to on the Internet.  You can easily find city, state and school websites along with local bloggers who give a voice to the neighborhood.  Focus on real estate blogs to find the most information about the community you are relocating to.  Learning about the community as a family will help the transition go a little better.

Talk about the unknown: Don't let your "to do" lists get in the way of voicing your opinion.  Find time to talk with your family about how this move is affecting them.  At times, a big move can seem like a great adventure.  At others, it can seem like a nightmare.  Discussion is important to let everyone know their feelings are being heard.

Keep your hobbies alive: If you have a favorite hobby or sport, find where you can connect with that passion as soon as possible at your new location.  You'll feel more at home the quicker you connect.

Collect school and medical records: It's best to have these records before you get to your new location.  You'd rather not be stuck in an emergency without these records. 

Use the professionals at hand: Using the right real estate professional and mover can make the difference between relocation dream and relocation nightmare.  A real estate agent can provide you guidance and support during your relocation whether you will be buying a home right away or renting a home.  It's understandable if you want to do it yourself, but having professionals on your side can make the experience so much easier for your whole family.

As partygoers hit the streets, the local Lake Havasu City police are beefing up their patrol for New Year's Eve.  Police all across America want to keep drunken drivers off the roadways.  But Lake Havasu City will be going the extra mile to keep their streets safe and crowds controlled during Lake Havasu's first ever New Year's Eve public party.

There will be the regular amount of patrol officers on their regular shifts, but there will also be additional officers from the street crimes unit and special assignments unit helping out.  Patrol officers will be downtown to help control the crowds during the "Uptown Countdown" and all over the roads.  So, while you're out ringing in the New Year, be safe on the roads.

If you have to, make reservations with shuttle services to get you to and from your destinations or use a designated driver.  Just be sure you're not driving while impaired.  With so many officers out and about, you are sure to get caught.  Plus, you'll only be putting your life and other lives in danger when driving while impaired.  

Last year, there was a total of 6,757 total alcohol-related vehicle crashes in Arizona alone.  Of those alcohol-related crashes, 324 resulted in fatalities.  Mohave County reported 257 alcohol-related crashes, with 23 resulting in fatalities.  Lake Havasu City reported 55 alcohol-related crashes, with one resulting in a fatality.  These statistics are serious.  Therefore, it is important to be very careful when ringing in the New Year.

Here's to hoping your 2010 is a successful and progressive one.

Happy 2010 - Your Lake Havasu City Real Estate Professional ~ Realtor® Liz Miller