In this economy once a home owner has determined they cannot sell their home for the price they want, some of them turn to renting the home. One factor not to be forgotten when homes are rented are the Home Owner’s Association (HOA) rules.
If you are the owner of a home, be sure that the renter is aware of the HOA rules and be sure they understand they must abide by the rules. For example many Arizona HOA communities have rules that say no cars can be parked in the roadways overnight. Or another common rule related to parking is that no trucks or cars with signage can be parked outside of a garage. Unless advised, the renter may end up parking their vehicle with signage in the driveway instead of the garage, or parking in the roadways, or allowing friends to park there. But guess what, you the homeowner will be the one who gets the violation letter from the HOA and have to pay any fines that may be associated with the violations.
Some HOAs have rules that might not be easily evident to someone who is renting and not familiar with the customs in an area. For example, here in the Gold Canyon Arizona area we have communities that are considered “dark skies” communities. A “dark skies” community is treasured by those who love the desert and being able to star gaze with no light pollution. Along comes the unaware renter who changes their outdoor lights to very bright flood lights. The community gets upset and the landlord homeowner gets the violation notice.
A big HOA issue relates to landscaping. Most HOA groups have rules that basically say the landscaping must be maintained to certain standards. If you are the landlord/home owner you will want to be sure this is taken care of. If the landscaping gets scrappy the home owner will be the one who gets the violation letter. Many home owner/landlords decide to include in the monthly rent enough money so they can pay to have a landscaper come by and take care of the yard. This way the landlord knows it is taken care of and is not caught by surprise when they get violation letters if the renter decides not to have very high yard maintenance standards.
Along with the basic tasks a landlord needs to do in order to rent; such as checking credit records and criminal records, they also need to take the added step of being familiar with all the HOA rules and regulations and being sure that their tenants are aware of these as well.
Most renters do not want their neighbors to be angry at them and will comply with HOA rules without it being an issue, but the homeowner/landlord must be the one to advise the renters of what the rules are.
If you are are interested in what the average price per square foot was for homes sold during January 2010 across the entire Phoenix Valley then below is a partial list of some of the major communities across Phoenix.
Click here to continue to the data, community by community.
We ran across an Internet tool that may be helpful if you are a landlord who handles your own credit checking for potential renters? MySmartMove.com is an Internet tool you will likely want to keep on file.
This website tool will do a credit and criminal check on your renters for about $25. As a landlord you register for free. When you have a potential renter you enter their email address on the site. The website then sends a link to the renter and they enter their information and pay for the credit check. You, the landlord, then receives a credit and criminal search report from TransUnion.
(Note – we are not affiliated with this website in any way, and have not been compensated in any way to write this blog post. Simply we ran across this website and thought it may be helpful to you landlords out there.)
Beginning back in 2002 by two mothers, the non-profit group called Cinderella Affair began. Born to fulfill the dreams of high school junior and senior girls who cannot afford the funds needed to buy prom dresses and accessories, the organization helped around 300 girls in the first few years. But this past year because of the brutal economy, the group gave away close to 1200 prom dresses.
Now in need of replenishing their closets for this years juniors and seniors, they are having a dress drive this year February 8th – 21st.They need more than 1000 dresses donated this year.
They also need additional volunteers to help sort the dresses before they are given away and to help with other tasks. Once the dresses are donated they have to be reviewed, mended if needed, and maybe dry cleaned. There are many things that a volunteer can take part in.
Clean out your closets of un-needed party dresses, dressy shoes and purses and accessories. The girls who receive these dresses get to participate in their proms – a once in a lifetime event – which otherwise they would not be able to afford to do.
Residents and visitors of the East Phoenix Arizona Valley area need not travel far to get entertainment. There are events held throughout the year at the regional Queen Creek Arts Center in Queen Creek Arizona. Located at 22149 E Ocotillo Road in Queen Creek, this facility brings entertainment excitement such as Cats, The Wedding Singer, as well as new offerings.
Coming up on February 13th, 2010 is an offering called FoodFight! Billed as a musical comedy for waist watchers it should prove to be a laugh filled evening. Tickets range in price from $28.00 – $65.00. In addition to theater offerings the venue has offerings such as Country Western Concert Series and other special events.
And for corporations and other private entities the facility can be rented on non performance days.
East Valley residents do not have to drive far to get top quality entertainment. For more information you may call 480-987-7469.
Changes are coming for home buyers wanting to buy homes using a FHA loan. The FHA sent out a press release on their proposed changes. More details are said to be coming forth by end of January 2010.
Here are some of the major revisions that have been announced:
1. Mortgage Insurance Premium – up-front to go from 1.75% to 2.25% and monthly fee of .55% may go up accordingly as well 2. FICO scores of 580 and below will require 10% down instead of the 3.5% minimum. Most lenders have their own guidelines already in place and require a 620 score to begin with so this ruling will not effect most 3. Reduce allowable seller concessions from 6% to 3%
The govt has announced a temporary policy that will expand access to FHA mortgage insurance and allow for the quick resale of foreclosed properties. This move was in an effort to stabilize home values and improve conditions in communities where foreclosure activity is high.
The waiver will take effect on February 1, 2010 and is effective [...]
Interested in what the average price per square foot was for homes sold during November 2009 across the entire Phoenix Valley?
Below is a partial list of some of the major communities across Phoenix.
When buyers are ready to buy a home, they must be pre-approved for a loan, if they are planning to use a loan, and not cash to buy. There is a form in Arizona called a Loan Status Report which must be signed off by the lender who is pre-approving them for a loan.
A mistake [...]
Bob and Carolin are full time East Phoenix Valley Realtors and owners of Benjamin Realty LLC. They live in Gold Canyon Arizona year-round and work with clients in Gold Canyon as well as the entire East Phoenix Arizona Valley. Combined they bring more than 20 years of real estate experience to help clients who may want to sell, buy, relocate or invest. Bob and Carolin have worked as "The Benjamin Team" for past 8 years since living in Gold Canyon. Prior to Arizona, Carolin also worked as a Realtor in Washington state for more than 10 years.
For web visitors they produce Benjamin.com with real estate info about the Phoenix real estate marketplace, along with links direct to the MLS. They also produce GoldCanyon.net which is Gold Canyon Arizona's community website. And a new entry to their web efforts is the blog called 'Meals for 'Real' ", where 'real' estate agents, Bob and Carolin bring 'real' recipes' about 'real' food.
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