Pre-Listing Checklist: How to Make Your San Tan Valley Home Compete With a Model Home

How do I get my house ready to sell when buyers are also touring brand-new model homes? In San Tan Valley, many buyers walk through a builder's staged model on the same weekend they see your listing. You don't need to remodel, but you do need to close the "new" gap. Here's the checklist, in the order we'd tackle it.

Weeks 4–6 Before Listing: Fix and Inspect

• ☐ Get a pre-listing inspection. Buyers comparing you with a builder warranty want reassurance. Fix what's reasonable, and price honestly for the rest.
• ☐ Repair the small stuff: leaky faucets, sticky doors, cracked tiles, missing outlet covers.
• ☐ Service the A/C and keep the receipt for buyers.
• ☐ Check the irrigation system and replace dead plants.
• ☐ Consider a home warranty to offer buyers.

Weeks 2–3: Refresh

• ☐ Paint the main living areas in fresh, neutral colors.
• ☐ Deep clean: carpets, grout, windows, baseboards, ceiling fans.
• ☐ Declutter and depersonalize. Model homes feel big because they're empty.
• ☐ Trim trees and refresh the gravel or rock in the front yard.
• ☐ Replace dated light bulbs with consistent daylight bulbs.

Week 1: Present

• ☐ Professional photos (non-negotiable)
• ☐ Staging where it helps, especially the living room and primary bedroom
• ☐ A "what's included" sheet: finished backyard, window coverings, fencing, pool, appliances

The "What's Included" Sheet Is Your Secret Weapon

A new home's base price often doesn't include backyard landscaping, window coverings, fencing or a pool. Put everything your home includes on one page and leave it on the counter. It helps buyers compare the all-in cost, not just the sticker price.

What Resale Homes Offer That Builders Can't

• Mature trees and shade
• No construction traffic
• A 30–45 day close, versus months for a built-to-order home
• An established neighborhood where you can see what's next door

FAQ

Should I do a pre-listing inspection in San Tan Valley? It's often worth it when you're competing with new construction, because it removes uncertainty and lets you fix issues on your own timeline.

Do I need to stage my house? Not always, but buyers are comparing you with professionally staged models, so at minimum declutter and use professional photos.

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Pricing and concession strategy matter as much as prep. Read the full guide: Selling Your San Tan Valley Home When Builders Are Offering Incentives.

The Kallhoff Team | RE/MAX Premier · 📞 480-275-9566 · Free market evaluations for San Tan Valley & Queen Creek homeowners

Retiring to San Tan Valley or Queen Creek? A Healthcare Checklist for 55+ Buyers

 

Is San Tan Valley a good place to retire if healthcare access matters to you? It's getting better every year, but where you buy matters. The hospital, the new specialist campuses and the future cardiac lab are all concentrated along one corridor. Here's what 55+ buyers should know before choosing a neighborhood.

The Key Facts

• One full-service hospital: Banner Ironwood Medical Center, 37000 N. Gantzel Rd. (Gantzel & Combs)
• Cardiac cath lab coming: part of a 32,000-sq-ft expansion targeted for December 2027
• New cardiology offices: Tri-City Cardiology (27 board-certified physicians) is the first tenant at Terraza Medical Village, about 2 miles north of Banner Ironwood
• Orthopedics nearby: OrthoArizona opens at Ironwood & Ranch in Q1 2027
• Cancer care: the closest major center for most residents is Banner MD Anderson at Banner Gateway in Gilbert

The Healthcare Corridor: Gantzel Rd and Ironwood Dr

Most of the new medical investment sits along the north–south Gantzel/Ironwood corridor between Ocotillo Rd and Combs Rd. If being close to care is a priority, start your search there:

• Encanterra (Queen Creek), a resort community with select 55+ Trilogy neighborhoods near the San Tan Mountains
• North San Tan Valley neighborhoods near Ocotillo & Ironwood
• East Queen Creek communities near Combs Rd

South San Tan Valley (the Hunt Highway corridor) is still reasonably close to Banner Ironwood, but it's farther from the Gilbert hospitals.

Your 55+ Healthcare Checklist

1. Drive to the ER at rush hour from any home you're serious about.
2. Check your Medicare Advantage or supplement network for Banner and Dignity affiliations.
3. Find your specialists first. Cardiology, orthopedics and oncology can decide which side of town makes sense.
4. Ask about single-level plans in communities near the corridor. Many new builders offer them.
5. Know your backup hospital. Dignity Health Mercy Gilbert and Banner Gateway are the next closest full-service options for most residents.

FAQ

Is there a hospital near Encanterra? Banner Ironwood Medical Center at Gantzel & Combs is the nearest full-service hospital to most Queen Creek and San Tan Valley 55+ communities.

When will Banner Ironwood have a cardiac cath lab? Completion of the expansion that includes it is targeted for December 2027.

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The full guide covers larger hospitals, what's being built and drive-time tips: Hospitals & Healthcare in San Tan Valley and Queen Creek.

The Kallhoff Team | RE/MAX Premier · 📞 480-275-9566

General information only, not medical advice. In an emergency, call 911.

12 Most Popular New-Home Amenities in 2015

DAILY REAL ESTATE NEWS | MONDAY, MAY 18, 2015

Master bedroom walk-in-closets and a laundry rooms are the top features that builders are most likely to include in a new home this year, according to a survey of builders conducted by the National Association of Home Builders.

"Both features speak to improving organization and storage characteristics of new homes," according to NAHB on its Eye on Housing blog.

Read more: The Room Millennials Say Is Essential -- and Why You Should Stage It

Greater energy efficiency amenities also were ranked more important, with low-E Windows coming in No. 3 on the most likely amenity list on new homes. Energy-Star rated appliances and windows as well as a programmable thermostat also rated high.

The following were ranked as the most likely features and amenities to be included on an average single-family home in 2015:

1. Walk-in closet in master bedroom
2. Laundry room
3. Low-E windows
4. Great room (kitchen-family room-living room)
5. Energy-Star rated windows
6. Ceiling height on the first floor of 9 feet or more
7. 2-car garage
8. Programmable thermostat
9. Granite countertop in the kitchen
10. Central island in the kitchen
11. Bathroom linen closet
12. Front porch

On the other hand, the features identified in the survey as the most likely to be included in new homes this year are:

1. Outdoor kitchen (cooking, refrigerators and sinks)
2. Laminate countertops in the kitchen
3. Outdoor fireplace
4. Sunroom
5. Two-story family room
6. Media room
7. Two-story foyer
8. Walking/jogging trails in the community
9. Whirlpool in the master bathroom
10.  Carpeting as the flooring on the main level

Source: "What Builders Are Building," National Association of Home Builders Eye on Housing Blog (May 13, 2015)

http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2015/05/18/12-most-popular-new-home-amenities-in-2015

www.KallhoffTeam.com

Landlords Say They're Raising Prices Again

DAILY REAL ESTATE NEWS | THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2015

CEOs of the largest companies renting out single-family homes say they plan to raise rents up to 5.7 percent this year.  Investors are switching their focus from buying properties to optimizing the revenue from the thousands of properties they bought, taking advantage of the increased demand for rental homes, Bloomberg reports.

Read more: Why Renters May Be in Trouble

“In the 2015 rental season, we’re really seeing the ability to move rents,” David Singelyn, chief executive officer of American Homes 4 Rent—the largest publicly-traded single-family landlord, with about 35,000 homes—said at a recent conference in Miami Beach, Fla.

Large-scale investors—those who purchase at least 10 properties a year—have spent about $68 million snatching up 528,000 single-family rental homes since 2011, according to a report last month by Haendel St. Juste, a Morgan Stanley analyst. Now the CEOs of Silver Bay, Starwood Waypoint, American Residential Properties, and Blackstone Group all say they plan to raise rents this year.

“We are focusing aggressively on rent bumps,” Stephen Schmitz, American Residential Properties CEO, said during a panel discussion. “There’s a supply imbalance in some markets. The same thing that keeps occupancy high also drives rents.” Schmitz says they plan to bump up rental rates by 4 percent on renewals and up to 5.7 percent for new tenants.

Source: “U.S. Single-Family Landlords Are Raising Rents, CEOs Say,” Bloomberg (April 21, 2015)

http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2015/04/23/landlords-say-theyre-raising-prices-again

www.KallhoffTeam.com