Finding Your Home – Page 3 – The "Prescott Pickle Lady"

Buying Sight Unseen

Once upon a time it was unheard of to buy a house sight unseen. Covid changed all that. Watch this video to learn about the great process we use to make sure our buyers get the house they want and sellers can trust them to follow through.

Video Transcript

good after oops I jumped ahead sorry gotta move fast yeah I can’t I got a Sprint he has to Sprint yeah with the pickle lady good afternoon this is Diane and Randall bro coming to you from Prescott Arizona our favorite little mountain town that we retired to about seven years ago no we’re not retired by work well true we moved here we moved here yeah we retired from Paris I guess I think it’s just wishful thinking yeah I think you’re right we retired from Parenthood we didn’t do that we had been empty nested so we started a whole new chapter chapter and here we are here we are in Prescott Arizona and loving every minute of it that’s right now one of the things we wanted to talk about today is sight unseen yeah so this is when people put an offer on a home that they have not physically seen and this is uh controversial a lot of sellers don’t like it with good reason yes uh it’s not it’s not it’s not a rule that’s etched in stone though so that’s why we wanted to talk about it yeah so a lot of folks are out of state and they see a house they identify a house on MLS they’re like oh my gosh this house looks really interesting and they give us a call what are your thoughts and what we always do is we say you know what let us go preview it for you we will do a walk through video that makes you feel like you’re standing right next to me walking through the house just like if you had an appointment you were local then we send it to them we edit it we Randall sets it to music he he does a voice over and we send it to you at that point if you still are really interested then we suggest let’s put an offer in and you get down here as fast as you can so you can see it in person so most of the times people love the video they’re like wow I think only one time somebody said no I changed my mind most of the time we have sold many many houses site unseen in person um particularly if people have already been to Prescott and we coach people on oh actually yeah we know that if you haven’t been here you really don’t know the neighborhoods you want to make an offer based on a video we’re going to try to dissuade you yeah but if you know the neighborhood you’ve been here you’ve selected you know I want this neighborhood in Prescott Lakes I want to view you know I want to be in a gay I want to be a gay community you know and you’ve seen all these things before uh you know with our video it’s kind of like having been there absolutely um but a lot of I can’t say a lot because uh it used to be in during covid uh they would say if they haven’t physically been in the house we’re not going to take the offer and in part that was just because every home was getting like 30 offers so you’re trying to come up with any excuse at all to cut people out now it’s more of a buyer’s market and seller agents have learned well you know maybe we should we should think about this um once you go under contract with the house the first thing that happens is the inspection period inspection period is 10 days so all you as seller you’re on the hook for setting for 10 days the worst that can happen is you go 10 days and then they say no I really don’t want the house and then you don’t get the earnest money I guess during covet people were being very aggressive I heard a story someone had never been to Prescott before put an offer in a house site unseen and they went under contract the inspection period starts and then she finds out that it snows here yeah oh I yeah so I understand from the seller Sellers and seller seller agents listing agents point of view you know you have to be responsible about that and we are quite responsible we communicate very much everything all that Prescott what it’s about what the town is like with the weather is like we’re very communicative so if you get a sight unseen offer from us yeah it’s going to be a good one people are completely educated about what they’re getting into then they have 10 days they hurry up and get down here they look at it and then usually I mean I’ve never had I think I had one person back out usually we go to you know people like I do love it which is you know make it happen people who you know they they come they see the house they’re in the house they love the house they put the camp in their tent in the house and stay there for three days and then during the inspection period you know they still bail out it’s it happens there’s a certain percent for whatever reason whether it’s buyers cold feed or a loan issue or it doesn’t inspect out well there are any number of reasons why something could fall out that’s right uh our percentage of people who do sight unseen offers that fall out is about the same as our buyers who uh who have been in the homes and that’s just because we are very uh responsible what’s the word I’m looking forward we we understand we try really hard not to bring people’s bad offers that’s not good for that’s right you it’s not good for your seller it’s not good for us and in the end it’s not good for our powers that’s right so if you’re thinking I’m out of town how am I supposed to do this if I see a house I’m going to miss out on it we’ll help you through that process yes we will we will completely educate you we will video for you we’ll talk to you we’ll go through each stage of it and then you know we’ll try to write up a contract so you can get down here and it won’t be sold from underneath you so uh we work really hard to make that happen for you so don’t think how will I ever achieve this it’s doable it’s certainly doable uh one thing you can do if you’re on our website you can look around for property videos uh and you can kind of see the style of videos that we do and I mean we walk through the home with the camera it’s like walking through the camera slow yeah and you know people really feel like they they have seen them I agree yeah all right so that’s it so if you’re thinking how will I achieve this and I’m long distance well it could happen Captain we’ve done this before we know what we’re doing we know what we’re doing we know we know a few tricks of the trade we’re gonna make it happen and try to make it uh as stress-free as possible for you okay so that’s our deal with side unseen don’t be afraid of sight unseen yes whether you’re a buyer or your seller excited insane particularly if it comes from the pickle lady that’s right yeah we’re gonna try hard we will okay my friends that is our tip for the day and we sure hope you’re having a beautiful day out there take care bye

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Solar Snags

Here in sunny Prescott, solar energy might seem like a no-brainer. But if you're considering installing a solar rig on your home, you'll want to check out this video to make sure you understand all the pros and cons - especially how it can affect the sale of your home.

Video Transcript

good afternoon good afternoon folks hi hi hello hello Bonjour you know all those things that’s right multilingual there you go she’s the pickle lady I am this is a pickle that’s right Diane and Randall bro here coming to you uh your local Friendly helpful Realtors here in Prescott Arizona and we are here to talk about sometimes it’s the bane of my existence it makes me take a deep breath yeah so we’re here to talk today about solar solar can be a four-letter word yeah in my world all right so first off solar is available here uh some of the newer construction homes come with solar uh for the most part when people come from Why So Little? other areas where there’s a lot of solid they’re surprised there isn’t more of it there isn’t more of it right they’re like how come most of the houses here don’t have them well here’s the thing um our utilities are quite inexpensive yeah uh our electric bills are not super high like in some other areas of the country and people are getting these Sky High you know 900 electric bills it just doesn’t happen here so the financial component of solar is not that compelling here the people they do solar It’s Green, But… they’re for the most part it’s to be green uh absolutely most people here who do it now Phoenix absolutely they meet solar they’re running that AC constantly we don’t have a three-digit temperatures so we don’t have to run our AC we’re not running at 105 like it is down in the valley yeah that’s right um it’s very temperate temperatures here especially during summer it’s just not that bad we might get in the 90s you know and then you know uh it cools down to the 70s so we’re not really hitting that AC so hard that solar would be a positive thing we have the sun form but it the energy that it produces is a war as much as that’s right energy produced in other areas and Owned vs. Not so now I love own sonar I will say that ohm solar if you want to put solar on and you really want to help the environment and I appreciate that and I honor that I think that’s a beautiful thing and you pay it off I love it even more but if you put solar on and you take a sixty thousand dollar loan to have uh solar installed uh you should know most people who buy your in the future who might want to buy your home are not interested in assuming that loan yes most people are like I don’t want to pay how much did you pay it down ten thousand yes I don’t want to buy a 50 000 solar system I don’t want to take over this lease and I don’t want to pay it off so you’ve had sellers in their 80s and they they take out you know a 30-year yeah you know lease on solar it’s like what do you thinking and that’s not yeah well somebody is somebody’s not you know yeah they’re doing a sell job yeah and so it’s very important and so it can be a real deterrent to potential When it’s a Deterrent buyers yeah so what’s your name yeah unless you can find a buyer first of all you to find a buyer is willing to do it you’ve cut your buyers at least in half yes uh because they’re going to have to take over the lease and a lot of them they worry about you know the roof Other Worries and was it installed properly that’s right you know is it going to be damaged if they remove it and so you’ve got it opens up a whole can of worms it does um particularly if it’s leased and they don’t want to take over the lease you have to remove it it it can be a real nightmare if it sleeps we have yet to work with a lease company that makes that process fast easy yeah it’s a pretty it’s a grueling process a grueling process so if you are thinking Pay it Off about doing solar at least here in Prescott yeah pay it off pay it off because yeah yeah you’re probably going to end up having to pay it off when you go to sell yes anyway just the buyers that’s true most of the buyers will say okay I’m interested but I don’t want to take this on they have to pay it off yeah so be prepared if you were thinking about putting solar on your house here in Prescott uh there’s a lot of pros and cons Pros and Cons so the pros are I mean if you get it and you pay it off then you have you know what 60 dollar bills or less way less that can be a great thing that’s it can be yeah it can be a very good thing now some of the buildings of Mandalay in particular I know they’re doing solar in a lot of their new homes and you know that’s part of the deal it’s part of the package and it’s owned you know you’re not you’re not uh leasing it separately so you’re not going to have that same the same number of issues but our advice When it’s a Benefit is if you’re thinking about doing solar make sure you pay it off and then enjoy all the perks and the Beautiful benefits of uh owning your own solar and then if you ever have to sell your home it’s a real positive for incoming buyers yes they don’t want to lease it though they don’t want to lose it but you’re going to get all your money back but that’s when we’ll go for a premium if it does have solar absolutely and we’re saying this is and it’s owed yeah and it’s on this is 2023 uh solar technology is improving all the time that’s right you know they may come up with something that changes the whole aspect the the costs and all this so this may change but as of now given the technology that’s in place if it’s a new home and Retrofitting they’re incorporating solar as part of the package that’s okay that that’s a pretty good deal but if you have a home and you’re thinking about retrofitting I would I would discourage that yeah just just looking at this from the point of view of a realtor right it makes your home harder and trying to resell yeah for sure for sure so that’s our little tit solar yeah not again solar I think solar is amazing yeah I think solar is great and by the Diane Beats Lease Companies way if if you do have a home that is leased it has lease on solar there is no one better on the planet than bulldogging the the lease companies to get them to do the thing in the pickle lady we just released her to you know release the dogs and uh let’s slip the dogs of war or whatever it is because she goes after him and she is Relentless yeah they hate me but uh it’s not a pleasant it’s not a pleasant uh yeah happening for anyone so no so keep that in mind solar can be a very positive thing if it’s owned otherwise I don’t know yeah so that’s our tip of Wind Down the day yes do you want more tips we have plenty for you and a place to go is pickle four one one.com there’s a free information site whether you’re a buyer seller or somewhere in between there is something waiting for you that will inform astound and entertain you and it’s all absolutely free that’s right she likes much feel so silly all right everyone out there hope you’re having a great day and we hope you uh this was informative for you about solar absolutely we’re here to serve take care bye

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Water Worries

Worried about water issues in Arizona?  Well, in this episode we discuss the communities that are having trouble and what that might mean for the city of Prescott.

Video Transcript

that’s right okay he’s talking about javelinas yet again we do have some nice javelinas our regulars will remember the skunk pig that’s right yeah that’s right so we are here to talk about something that keeps popping up quite a bit lately yeah and we thought it was very important to bring up and discuss and address and that is the issue of water water uh is there going to be water shortages here in Prescott yes the short answer is no no no people come up here oh yeah I heard Prescott’s Running Out of Water absolutely yes we’re not running out of water I just I I don’t know where it comes from I know a lot of people have in other areas of Arizona make presumptions or assumptions whatever you want to talk about however you want to call it about Prescott they don’t live here they don’t really fully understand um it is not an issue here yeah um there are some towns in Prescott mostly down in the valley that are experiencing water shortages and issues kind of on the west side I think Buckeyes 101 yeah Buckeyes one of them correct so it is my tenuous understanding of their situation not our situation yeah so these communities were built and they did not provide for water at least one of them was taking uh now the I guess it’s the Ohio some Colorado River some river is being uh reallocated so uh Scottsdale cut them off yeah Scottsdale was kind enough to kind of share for a while and now times have changed so they’re worried it’s been getting a lot of press because uh these towns are pulling from aquifers I guess and if they pull too fast they will lose flow and lose their water supply so this is a big deal the only thing that would make it worse is if it were in any way our problem here in Prescott it is not uh so I don’t know how they’re going to solve their problem but we do not it is unfortunate it does happen as things develop and people spread out I understand um but here in Prescott we have to have a hundred year plan so any major development that comes in has to prove they have access to water in the aquifers for at least 100 years yeah yeah and that’s not pulling from the awkward yeah they have to come up with some other source most of the town is pulling from an aquifer so snow falls further north than us where all the mountains are like Flagstaff and all that and that water flows downhill we are about a quarter mile lower than Flagstaff so we we get flow at this point in time we are pulling from the aquifer all new construction we’ll have to have a 100 year plan that’s outside of the aquifer uh we are degrading our um our aquifer at point two percent a year 0.02 it’s a very small amount which means that the aquifer will dry up in about 450 years right they’re already on it and they’re already trying to address it to bring us to even so we’re not depleting anymore so uh we are managing it well we don’t have a problem and no one anticipates a problem over a very long time and we’re already intervening so yeah we’re wet we’re pretty Progressive we’re uh look ahead we plan ahead um so if you come to Prescott don’t have any fears about water restrictions or water shortages or running out of water the other thing to consider is we are pretty much a rock city we don’t have a lot of Lawns we don’t have any agriculture here where we’re watering lots of crops and tomatoes or almonds or whatever we don’t have any of that so there isn’t a lot of draw on the water everyone is pretty much very escaped here your front yard is Rock uh low you know plants that take low watering strip system I lived in Texas Force 17 years I had more water restrictions in Texas all the time I have water restrictions no running water between this time and this time I have yet to receive anything like that here like any notification to please you know not use as much water between five and not anything like that so um when you’re coming here I know it’s a big concern for a lot of people and it should be rightfully so but here in Prescott it is not an issue we are really working hard on keeping this to be a non-issue yeah yeah so so responsibly managed yes and uh yeah we don’t have a sprinkler system we have drip systems yeah and it literally drips yeah so you don’t have that yeah we don’t have any of that and this spraying water we just have little slow drips this little Chinese water yes that’s it so uh the people who are coming in they’re not they’re not really demanding a whole lot of water we do take showers we do drink water yes bathroom yeah that’s about it and there are golf courses but you know there are golf courses not enough since yeah so keep that in mind um if that is one of your concerns we just wanted to allay your fears that um really not water here is not a big issue and it’s not going to be an issue for the foreseeable future as well so I know there is some talk in other towns but keep in mind that’s in the valley yeah that’s down in the Phoenix area more the desert heavy desert oh they do have some places outside of Prescott um uh in Dewey Humboldt the Dewey Humboldt area the paulden area where there was uh mining where some of the water has been contaminated that’s not anywhere close to us correct us right so not not to worry here aquifer we don’t know no no no it’s all good it’s all good water is our tip for the day so if you’re getting the tips the place to go is pickle411.com our buyer a seller or somewhere in between there is something there waiting for you that will Amaze the sound and form and destabilize your whole life yeah you’ll get destabilized because you’ll be so excited about it coming here you’re ready to throw your life that you have into uh into a bin and start over that’s right have a big glass of water yeah there you go all right friends we hope to hear from you soon take care and have a wonderful day bye cheers cheers

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Clever Low-Pressure Tactic

Buying and selling real estate can be one of the highest stress situations you'll ever face... or you can turn the tables and make it downright enjoyable.

In this episode, we reveal a little-known low-pressure trick that lowers your stress and gives you the edge in negotiating.

Video Transcript

hello this is Diana Randall bro here coming to you live from Prescott Arizona we’re happy to talk to you about if you’re thinking about moving and you’re like wow I gotta sell first I don’t know what a drag I can’t get my time frame to line up so we wanted to talk to you about buy first then sell yeah it’s a new program it’s designed to help you out one of the things we observed is that when we have buyer we have buyers that are um full of cash a lot of times what they’ll do is they’ll just buy a house right they’ll buy a house they’ll move their stuff in and then they sell it really reduces the uh the pressure associated with the whole deal uh it doesn’t force them into a house really quick so they have the time to find exactly what they want and when they’re negotiating on the buy side they’re not under time pressure they usually negotiate better deals and on the sell side same thing they’re not in a hurry and so they can negotiate a better deal uh not a lot of people fall in that category and unfortunately they can’t um enjoy those benefits but now there’s a new program that’ll do that and it’s called buy then sell so buy themselves yeah it’s great so we have a number of contacts that we can connect you with where you can get a bridge loan but it’s not the bridge loans of yesteryear this is a really great product uh you can identify a home here in Prescott that you absolutely love you don’t have to worry about losing out because you’re under a contingency and perhaps your home didn’t sell in time so you can identify it put the offer in if you qualify if you qualify depending on your credit of course if you’ve got great credit you get cash up front from the company they give you the cash up front for you to buy the home that you’ve identified here in Prescott you then can negotiate better right because you quote have a cash deal yeah from the from the seller’s point of view your offer is a cash offer it’s considered a cash offer which always gets priority always a cash is King cash will win out on any kind of bidding war that you may be in so you will win that you’ll get the home you’ll get to move in you’ll you’ll get to slowly but surely move in without all the pressure of oh my gosh I’ve got to sell my house and now I got to get the house packed up and I got to get out of here this lets you have some Breathing Room it lets you identify the home you love you won’t lose it you can buy it you know it’s there it’s safe it’s sound it’s waiting for you you can slowly start to move in yeah then you can stage your existing home that you want to sell and and not have to worry about being there and Fielding calls for showings and all that you pack up you move here to Prescott you let it sit there yeah you let it sit there while it’s selling and it’s a lot less pressure it’s a lot less trouble yeah uh you don’t have to keep your house picked up and cleaned while you’re waiting for the next showing you don’t have to sit there and be like I have 10 days to get this sold otherwise I’m going to lose my house in Prescott yes all that foolishness goes out of the window yes the good thing is there are fees associated with getting the buy then sell program but here’s the thing the amount of money that you pay is offset by the extra money you’ll get by being able to negotiate better deals on your buy side and your sales side that’s true and honestly we’ve done this a couple of times and it’s almost a wash I mean it really ends up being very cost effective yeah and when you just think about the the reduction in pressure dealing with the movers the moving right and the state the logistics the logistics yeah it’s just kind of a no-brainer kind of a no-brainer the other good thing is I think a lot of people think oh if I get a bridge loan I’m then paying two mortgages I’m paying the mortgage on my existing home and I’m paying the mortgage on no you have up to a year to get your existing homes sold yes you do not have to pay any not even interest during that time frame now the interest is accrue yeah it’s a crew but it’s not like you will have an additional house payment or interest payment to make during that year process it won’t take you a year to sell you might accrue a little interest for two or three months yeah that’s it then you sell you pay off the bridge loan yeah boom comes out of your comes out of yourself it’s a beautiful thing if you have amazing credit uh and you qualify we highly suggest it because sometimes we get people who come in they absolutely fall in love with a house and they’re heartbroken because they know I don’t even have my house on the market yet right there’s no way I can get this together I can get this sold to purchase this one right and it’s very upsetting you know to leave a home you love that you’ve you really want so we think it’s a great product we’ve had enough friends uh it’s a great idea use it and I love it if you think about it you the pressure is okay so let’s say you sell your home first well now you got to find a home really quick and you don’t want to that’s a lot of pressure you gotta hustle down here and yeah I gotta find it got it and you’re gonna settle for something maybe that’s not on the market right because maybe that perfect one isn’t quite there it isn’t there so you’ll be like well this one is okay I mean you’ll you end up settling we hate when our clients we want you to be happy we don’t want you to settle we want you to be happy and excited or you find the perfect home and you put an offer in it’ll it’ll have to be a contingency yeah so you’re going to have to pay top dollar yep and then you’re going to have to Discount your home wherever you live now to get it to move as fast as possible hustle it’s just it’s you’re behind the eight ball this gets you out from behind me so if you are fortunate enough to be in a position that you could qualify for this bridge loan product hey it’s something to really consider if you really had enough and you want to get out of Dodge where you are yeah there’s other options available to you yes that will help you get that done faster and quicker now we have no vested interest in this at all oh absolutely no actually we’re not allowed to have any vested interest in the lenders that we we recommend to you just to be clear yes and if you want to do it the hard way you know we’ll help you that’s what we do absolutely do it well uh but this is another option for you so something we just thought we’d throw that out there to you folks out there and um who are still thinking of the bridge loan as the olden days when you had to pay all this extra payments every month just wanted to give you a little heads up the product has changed it’s very effective it’s easy and it’s well worth it if you are ready to really make the change and you don’t want to wait another six months absolutely so that’s our tip of the day tip of the day if you’re in the tips the place to go is pickle411.com that is our free information site whether you’re a buyer seller or somewhere in between there is something waiting for you there will Amaze astound and entertain you and tickle your funny bone heavily hopefully all free all three all right thank you for listening we appreciate your time and have a great day bye

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Parties on the Terrace

Some of the most happening social events around Prescott are the parties held on the terrace at the clubhouse in Prescott Lakes.  Even if you don't live in this subdivision, you can still join in.  In this episode, we explain how that works and why you don't want to miss out.

Video Transcript

good afternoon my fellow pickle peeps hello hello hello Diana Randall bro here coming at you from Prescott Arizona happy to be here yeah we’re starting off our new year yeah we’re getting the gears going uh we’re excited to be back in the action started some action and we had a lot of fun uh New Year’s Eve New Year’s Eve great time and so we wanted to talk about we actually live in Prescott Lakes we wanted to talk about the amazing social amenities that Prescott Lakes has to offer all right so if you don’t know Prescott Lakes Prescott Lakes is the largest subdivision in city of Prescott and I believe it is the second largest in the Prescott area there’s one subdivision on PV it’s a bit bigger yes it’s a big place they have about 1500 Lots probably about and now I’m saying maybe 1300 1350 have been developed totally yeah just some idea how big that is so Under the Umbrella as I call it of Prescott Lakes are about 13 different neighborhoods yeah we all go to the one center of the of the whole development which is the club and uh so there they have a private restaurant it’s amazing they always have something fun going on always always always and now that covet is lifted we’re back back in action so we wanted to talk about this New Year’s Eve we actually went to the club it was open for New Year’s Eve they had a live band they had an amazing Buffet um and we had a good time The Time Of Our Lives it was a good time yeah just to be clear so if you live in Prescott Lakes you will belong to the club that those two go together it is uh it’s not optional you you pay monthly dues you belong to the club you belong to the athletic center uh and if you’re interested that we can give you more information so here’s a great idea if you’re looking here in Prescott you find a house that you absolutely adore and but you want the social amenities that Prescott Lakes has to offer but your home Falls outside of that jurisdiction so to speak you can get a social membership I think it’s 60 or 65 dollars a month and that enables you to come to the restaurant and enjoy all the social events that they have one being uh New Year’s Eve we were there you could get tickets to that and you could go the other being um party on the Terrace which is always fun right yeah so the party and the Terrace they do that two three times a month oh I don’t know that much but yeah well it depends on the month this month they’re doing I think they have three of them but uh it depends on the month but uh yeah they’ll have live bands uh there’s a nice Terrace outside the club and has a beautiful view uh the weather’s good they’ll do it outside there’s a fire pit people hang out by the fire pit they’ll have live music they’ll have a great buffet dinner yeah it’s really uh dancing drinking it’s lovely it’s lovely lovely the other good thing is uh there are clubs within the club here at Prescott Lakes and with the social membership you are allowed to join some of those not all but some if it doesn’t involve the athletic center you can still come do bridge club book club The Women’s Club uh there’s a variety of them that are open to you so if you’re new here you can still kind of enjoy some of the Prescott Lakes social amenities we have a lot of friends who do not live in Prescott Lakes proper but they belong and we go out we have a great time yeah and meet them for dinner meet them for lunch the club is always having amazing brunches they have a beautiful Easter brunch Mother’s Day Mother’s Day Father’s Day so if you’re always kind of Prescott legs they’re essentially two options if you’re a big golfer you may want to join the golf as a golf membership golf memberships are not uh limited to just people in Prescott lake so you get a golf membership for a little bit more you’ll get access to the Athletic Club and everything so right uh if you do that it what you pay is marginally more than what you would pay if you lived in Prescott if you’re not a golfer do the social membership 60 65 absolutely no-brainer have a good time yeah and we’ll see you there you know eat in the restaurant we’re always there and it is a tremendous way to meet people new to the area yeah lots of people are not from here and they become members and it’s great to meet people and make some new connections yeah absolutely we highly recommend it we love the club we love the social membership so don’t be sad like oh I love what it has to offer but I bought a house outside of Prescott Lakes not to worry yeah we can still make it happen and you can have fun and we’ll see you there absolutely okay another tip if you’re into tips check out our free information site you can reach it at pickle411.com lots of information about real estate about events things to eat places to go things to do it’s all there whether you’re a buyer seller somewhere in between there’s something waiting for you that will Astound an amazing maybe I hope so all right friends that’s it for today have an awesome rest of your day take care bye

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Hotel Recommendations

Heading to Prescott to check out the city?  In this episode, we give our thoughts on the best places to stay... which may surprise you.

Video Transcript

hello hello hello this is Diana Randall bro here coming live to you from Prescott Arizona and uh we’re launching into a happy 2023. woohoo absolutely can’t wait so we were already into the first week of January and we are pleasantly surprised tons of calls right tons of calls tons of calls things are picking up it’s heating up again so it’s been a great first week of January lots of people coming in for the first time to visit and the number one question is where should we stay where should you stay where should you stay when you come here well we kind of are of the penguin of the we are of the opinion we are of the opinion I’m struggling with my words today that’s why I’m here that’s right Mr sidekick’s gonna fill in for me when I can when I can’t get it out but anyway um instead of trying like an Airbnb or something like that we kind of think just go with the old tried and true you’re going to be busy we’re going to be looking at houses yeah uh stay around the square then when you’re done you can easily walk to some nice restaurants see some of the nightlife on Whiskey Row and uh so our top three yeah would be Spring Hill Suites Spring Hill Suite so Spring Hill Suites is a couple of blocks from the main Square here obviously it’s a chain hotel so you know exactly what you’re getting right if this is your first visit to Prescott I wouldn’t go too far off the beaten path in terms of your hotel Choice there are some old sort of I don’t know one-off hotels you know they’re not chains and you may like that kind of thing but if you get into some place the room is small or the bathroom is weird or you run out of hot water don’t be so Charming yeah it’s going to color your whole visit to Prescott so I first trip in just driving through chains yeah and Spring Hills is a is a great choice it’s comfortable they have breakfast there and it’s close to the square another good one is the Hilton Garden which is a relatively new hotel a little more upscale about the same distance from the action uh that one is on Montezuma at the end of Sheldon Spring Hill is on uh Sheldon Sheldon yeah right now uh Spring Hill is super close too you go a couple of blocks to my favorite one of my favorite restaurants papa is Italian all within walking distance My Thai Cottage oh yeah exactly and the same thing with the Hilton yeah Hilton Garden there’s a great restaurant called Triple Creek in Hilton Garden a number of places within a block there’s a great pizza place there’s Farm Provisions lots of good stuff so all within walkable distance and you know you can feel safe you don’t have to worry it’s all great neighborhoods honestly there really isn’t anything unsafe around Prescott yeah negotiate across in the street absolutely easy walking easy walking the other one we also like to recommend is the haciampa Inn yes so this is a old school yeah Lovely Hotel beautiful great Lobby great bar there come on all Art Deco the rooms have been recently renovated we can’t really say well we haven’t seen them so we can’t really say yay your name on the runes themselves but if you absolutely have to do a non-traditional Hotel a non-chain Hacienda and it’s probably your best bet so charm 1927 1927 it is a block from the square super location yeah they have amazing restaurant there a great bar with music sometimes and and it’s just extremely Char I mean completely Art Deco yeah it’s lovely don’t blame us if you don’t like the room yeah I can’t vouch for the room but we have heard that they’ve recently renovated and um we hear it’s nice it’s where we always like to meet our clients too yeah yeah we always meet in the lobby we chit chat before we head out for the day and all of these are also good places to stay when you finally pull the trigger you get your house here sometimes there’s a lapse when you’re waiting for the moving van to come all of these offer long-term renting so if you have a week where you’re waiting to get in your house yeah they have some sweet hotels further afield actually when we moved here we stayed in the Spring Hill Swim sure did uh they allowed pets which yes we had three of them at the time yeah so uh yeah that that it it and it was very comfortable and very nice yeah so for all of my fellow pickle peeps out there who were thinking about uh upcoming visits uh those are the top three that we would recommend for your initial visit then as you come here and you get your feet wet and you learn more the lay the land you might discover something else you might want to try but I think just for the first time these are great ones to stay in terms of being close to the square and we’ve had a lot of friends who’ve done who’ve stayed there and then they said wow it was good for us to stay there because then we discovered restaurants and we really learned more about Prescott yeah so that’s our Spiel for the day tip of the day so if you are looking to come to Prescott anytime soon check out those three hotels book your appointment call us up we’ll have a good day we’ll go take you on a nice tour of the city as well as look at some great houses absolutely we got plenty more tips for you if you’re into that if you want to check them out you can go to pickle411.com that is our free information site whether you are a buyer seller or somewhere in between there is something there that will Astound you that’s right so you should check it out all completely free free yeah Free People free absolutely we don’t charge anything yeah real estate and we’re here to serve you we are full service it’s full service full service all right that’s it for today have a lovely lovely rest of your day and uh here’s to a beautiful start to 2023. Cheers

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Asbestos

Older homes can have dangerous stuff in them... things like asbestos.  In this episode, we discuss common places where asbestos can lurk and what to do if you find it.

Video Transcript

hello hello hello hello peeps this is Randall and Diane bro here coming to you live from our little town of Prescott Arizona we are here to kind of talk about some things cut them Charlie Brown yeah you know poor Charlie Brown but anyway we are here to talk about something that you know eor-ish Charlie brownish related asbestos asbestos kind of the thing about asbestos is every year there’s less and less to talk about right asbestos has been identified as a problem since I guess the early 80s yep and uh for the most part it’s been eradicated in most homes certainly all new homes yeah uh but from time to time you have a home that dates back to the 80s no not even really it’s like 1974 earlier and maybe even I think 74 to 80 is you know because they were still using asbestos yeah some of the materials yeah yeah even though they said no more asbestos they grandfathered in existing materials so yeah so the the uh yeah so there’s no hard cut off like in lead-based pain correct our cutoff is 78 anything 70 and later you’re fine yeah that’s right and it’s a big No-No there’s no hard cut off in asbestos yeah but basically the most common uh things for asbestos sometimes they would do duct insulation uh we have yet to see that the one that is most common here and probably most common around right around the country is the dreaded popcorn ceilings yeah popcorn ceilings are notorious especially if they were put in in 1974 1975. although you were sitting in high cotton when you put up those popcorn ceilings everybody thought you were you know put the glitter in there I mean the glitter was even more that was an added step but you were pretty fancy if you were doing it along with your sunken living rooms the prince Acoustics but that’s right it does it is pretty cool but however is it fine if it just stays in place sure but boy if you try to remove that you’ve got to have that abated immediately super fine particles just floating you can’t even see it yeah if you if you are if you have a home you’re trying to sell and it has popcorn okay chances are it’s gotten asbestos nobody is going to want a popcorn ceiling nobody nobody you’re going to want to pull it down yeah even you know the people talk about oh Grandma’s gonna sell her home oh my God even grandma doesn’t want popcorn nobody wants popcorn anymore I really don’t think it’s all that bad I really don’t I mean it doesn’t really offend me but I’ve seen people accept really pretty gross stuff but popcorn ceilings for whatever reason the whole body wants popcorn so if they’re gonna buy your house they’re going to want to remove it if they’re going to remove it that’s a problem if there’s asbestos so you’re gonna have to Abate it you’re gonna have to Abate it and there are companies we can help you with every step of the way uh they will come out and take three core samples from three different locations in the home it is shipped down to Phoenix it is tested and then they give you the percentage um and they will then refer you to abatement companies of which we know you know several of them here I’m sure you ask for for popcorn sealants make sure you ask them to measure the square footage oh yes of the popcorn typically to Abate that to you know have it all scraped down if you do do have asbestos it’s about 450 a square foot a square foot yeah so keep that in mind it’s it’s not a cheap Endeavor to repair that and get it all cleared and then after it’s all scratched up that is good I should say that it is as of November 2022. that’s correct yeah that price written in stone remember Stone but yeah as a a and to make the math easy you might want to do five dollars a square sure the other thing is to once it’s uh abated you’re gonna have to do air tests that’s to demonstrate that there’s no asbestos in the air still uh still correct and that’s probably going to run you another 12 1200 1500 and there’s a separate company that yeah that will come out and test the air quality yeah generally all very important steps yeah generally they’re two two types of companies there is the inspection company inspection and they’re not the same because you don’t want one right you’re a baby we swear it’s all clear now no you need to have somebody that’s why they do it that way right so we have uh all of those people in place if you fall in love with something there’s some great great you know Brady Bunch houses here in Prescott yeah built in the 70s I love them they’re darling no we we’ve actually we’ve gone through an abatement uh you know we uh we were representing the buyer uh we had the popcorn inspected sure enough there was asbestos uh we asked for the repair the seller agreed to do that and the abatement company came in they wear their little booties and a little you know they take care of business and they you know they do all these plastic tunnels you know the the with the plastic that they put up yeah everything it’s hardcore and uh yeah but I mean they come in they do the job yeah they get out that’s done and it’s done well it’s done well and we tested everything was fine yep so it’s not a deal killer but in general I think for most people you’re probably looking at about 10 right uh to Abate that and so you are a seller uh we would advise you if you’ve got popcorn test it if it’s you know chances are it’s going to be bad well even if it’s all right so if you’re gonna if you’re gonna take down the popcorn test it first don’t just take down the pop never take down the popcorn ruin your health okay absolutely you first have to have it tested and uh and if it’s um if it there’s no asbestos you could think about leaving it up and you would have the documentation and demonstrate that there’s no asbestos right uh but for the most part you want to take down popcorn take down take down the pop before you before I love to eat popcorn I think it’s delicious do I want it in my ceiling not really not really but so that is our tip of the day for asbestos it doesn’t necessarily mean end of times end of the world I have to walk away from this house there’s some fantastic homes with beautiful bones they just need to you know get a little you know up with the time so don’t necessarily rule it out but you should be aware of the cost you should be aware that it can be fixed but always test test test test it’s very important very important so that is our tip of the tip of the day we’ve got lots of tips for you lots of tips yeah our free tips you can find at pickle411.com whether you are a buyer seller or somewhere in between there is information there waiting for you that will Delight astound and inform you that’s that’s a lot to deliver but we sure try I’m cocky and it’s good yeah you’re feeling strong today I’m feeling strong he still had a big bill of goods here yeah but reach out to us we’d love to see you we’d love to take you around give you a tour of our lovely town and see some awesome homes absolutely I hope to hear from you soon take care bye

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The 60% Rule

Chances are the Covid real estate market spiked up the value of your current home quite a bit.  So cool, right?

What many of our buyers don't realize, though, is that the same thing happened in Prescott.  So what you're looking for may not be priced the way it was before masks.

In this episode, we give our thoughts on where we stand in the post-Covid market and what you can expect to find here now.

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Under Pressure?

Buying and selling real estate is stressful, even under the best of circumstances.  So the last thing you need is a real estate agent using high-pressure tactics to move you forward when you're not really comfortable.  It doesn't have to be that way.  In this episode, we discuss how best to handle these people and these situations.

Video Transcript

you stress me so much I lose my voice it’s what you do oh my gosh okay hello hello hello peeps it’s right in my ear yeah feeling good I see that I’m feeling good about the peeps that are here punch you in your throat don’t scream in my ear all right this is Diana Randall bro here coming to you live Arizona as live as it can get yeah they took the stakes out of our heart and brought us back to life that’s right we are live as you just heard we are quite live yeah here to talk about pressure selling oh yeah so real estate agents are notorious among you know used car sales people and you know and I hate to be like high pressure high pressure and a lot of people think because we are real estate agents that we we are high pressure people yeah we are not we are not and uh we come from the fashion School of uh what’s the word phrase school of thought school of living School of the philosophy of life I don’t know I don’t know having bought several homes ourselves don’t appreciate high pressure I feel like when you see a home you like when I’m representing the buyer it should hit on all cylinders if you have any doubt we the pickle team here will never pressure you yeah that’s not what it’s about well it’s it’s about counterproductive and here’s the thing I mean if we really came at you and did the high pressure thing and forced you into a transaction that wasn’t meant to be that’s right it doesn’t matter how fast you try to make it happen real estate transactions take weeks right so you’ll have second thoughts if you mean you’ll have second thoughts it’s honestly totally no point at it that’s right and it falls apart um at the end and so you end up you know buyer’s remorse you walk away no one’s happy the seller isn’t happy you’re unhappy um so the best thing you know that we believe is when you’re excited and you feel right we are there for you every step of the way we’re going to try to make it happen uh present the best offer we possibly can and keep our fingers crossed that the other agent will present the way we present you know and um absolutely and we do the same thing for our sellers absolutely uh you know sellers generally sell you know listing agreements listing contracts if you get a listing agent you’ve signed a contract and they really want to hold you to it which again we think is sort of silly uh but some will and they’ll force you to stay with them you know otherwise you can’t you can’t sell your house into your contracts up uh if someone is is pressuring you to sign a contract or buy something that you’re not sure about or just moving faster than you’re comfortable stop stop I did just don’t it shouldn’t be this high pressure there’s no huge rush we’ve been on many listing appointments and uh some of the fellow you know sellers are like I I just I felt so pressured yeah and I I didn’t like that I felt very uncomfortable but I had to sign that afternoon right after a 30 minute meeting yeah we don’t believe in that no we’re going to give it to you we’re going to give it to you straight we’re going to chat with you we’re going to be up front we’re going to be honest and we’re going to let you sit on that overnight a couple of days whatever it takes think about everything that’s been presented yeah this is the most important financial decision you will ever make yeah you shouldn’t be pressured to buy or list your home yeah under any circumstances it is not very comfortable you need to be a part of the process because the thing is right we are going to be in a little relationship whether we’re selling or whether we’re helping you buy and we will be working together closely hand in hand for up to six weeks if you don’t have a good vibe with your agent and you don’t feel comfortable or you don’t feel heard or you don’t feel um like you can chat with them about concerns they’re not responsive that’s a long time to be under contract with somebody um so you know we’re no pressure yeah we’re low pressure we just feel like you know what if we connect we connect we can assure you 100 if we decide to work with us you are going to get the best representation you can ever have we are available we answer the phone all weekend we answer the phones up to 10 o’clock at night if you’re worried you’re scared something hot happens you know catastrophic we’re here for you to walk you through it and that’s how we roll and I was what’s the point of Happiness yeah yeah that’s kind of the role that we play absolutely one thing I should point out too there’s a good reason why salespeople in general real estate agents specifically use eye pressure tactics they work sometimes at least sometimes they work the high pressure tactics high pressure tactics sure so here’s the thing it’s a little bullying to me it’s bullying don’t worry don’t reward the kind of behavior that you don’t want yes same thing with telemarketers you know if you don’t like any telemarketing calls don’t buy anything from a telemarketer right because as soon as you do the world will get out and more people will call you don’t reward the behavior that you’re looking to stop we want to work together as a team with you whether you’re listing or whether you’re buying we want to be a team we almost become a mini family uh many many of our dearest friends started out as clients yeah absolutely and we like to connect with you not just in a business level but you know let’s get to know each other let’s understand each other let’s understand how you operate under pressure and vice versa we try to keep everything calm cool and collected for you during a very stressful time there’s no doubt about it and we try to make it fun and we do so if you meet with us we are super uber Luber Luber low pressure low pressure low pressure low pressure we are never going to make a hard sell on you we’re never going to say oh my gosh you have to do this or it’s over never never if you make a con Justified decisions chances are you going to pick us absolutely we don’t you know we want you to be comfortable we want you to feel confident and you will get the 100 if not more from us so don’t put up with that stuff don’t don’t put up with that stuff high pressure down thumbs down throw them out throw them out we’re here to help you and yeah and maybe have a little fun along the way as well and get you to the finish line which is the most important part not only to the finish line but to the Finish Line in a happy relaxed confident that the job’s going to get done situation that’s right you you know lots of communication important real estate tip if you want more tips yes we have plenty of tips for you people all over the place all over the place real estate Prescott living in Prescott thanks for doing impressive good things to eat and press good the way to say Prescott I mean we’ve covered a lot of ground and it’s all waiting for you it is all absolutely free absolutely and it is outrageously entertaining and informative and all the wonderful things that I can say about ourselves low pressure low pressure uh but check us out you can find it at four pickle411.com that is our information site hope you have a nice relaxing evening and goodbye from Diana Randall here your Prescott pickle team bye

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Magic of Photography

In real estate, the definition of a good photographer is someone who can make something look better than it is.  Whether it's the agent's photo on a for-sale sign or the shag carpet in the bonus room, what you see may not be what you get.  

And as a seller, if you think your home can compete these days without decent photography, guess again!  

In this episode, we share our thoughts on the magic of real estate photography and the first impressions it makes in the marketplace.

Video Transcript

hello hello hello hello hello peeps how’s it going out there here with pickle lady Diane bro realtor yep I’m psychic skunk Pig Randall you’re supporting her in any way that I can sometimes it depends on the day it depends on what she needs help with correct yeah true uh we are here today to talk about the magic of Photography magic or real estate photography real estate Photography in general I think all of us are familiar with filters lighting Etc what you see folks is not always what you get uh as you you know not that I’ve been on those dating websites but if you are sometimes you meet up and you’re like really yeah or my favorite is just look at a real realtor’s uh business cards yeah the business card they’re the sales signs yeah yeah those photographers magic they work their magic fading and switching total baby switch and the same thing when you are selling your home selling your home if you do not have a great photographer or great pictures it’s doing a huge disservice yes it’s not representing your home in its best light no pun intended uh so you have to be really careful you have to make sure you’ve got great photos of your home represented in its best all of the best features yes sunlight sunsets backyards drone shots yes you know uh aerial shots yes you really need to have somebody the pictures selling your house is a process and one of the very first steps is enticing someone into being interested in your home and that’s what the photography does if you have bad photography they’re going to fly right through it just cancel the listing and you know what else it’s not going to happen fellow agents who are house hunting for you will be like ah this one hasn’t looked so good and they’ll pass on it yeah um that is your first first impression both to yourself as well as to fellow Realtors who were looking for their buyers and stuff so always make sure uh let’s review the photos with your listing agent make sure to say can I see them first before uh make sure it’s up to your standards make sure it shows all of the best features of your home only you know what’s the best feature you live in it that’s right you know a photographer may come in and not know at four o’clock the sunset or five is amazing yeah um so make sure you fully communicate with the photographer so we can get the best shots possible and review say may I see them before you go live yes you should you should take a look look at them just make sure that if you were a buyer these pictures would make you want to would this draw you in would you be like wow that kitchen’s beautiful I’ve got to see that house yeah just just a a point that’s important I think it’s the photography in your MLS listing is not there to give you a tour of the home it doesn’t necessarily have to be comprehensive the function of the photos is to make people interested in the house and want to see it draw you in to draw you in that looks interest you’re looking for that that’s it you don’t have to have a picture of the toilet they know you have a toilet I I can’t say hi to MLS how many pictures of toilets and especially a toilet with the seat up oh my God yeah please now I have never seen a buyer see a picture of a toilet I gotta go see that one that is I’ve never made one of those crazy Japanese boys absolutely you have a standard even if it’s a high toilet you know those toilets that powder your bottom and everything else hell yeah I’m all about it [Music] so you know try to get someone who will represent your home and and it’s in its best light and for the buyer’s side you need to understand that a lot of times pictures are not what the home doesn’t look the way the pictures do yeah and that can be a positive thing or negative thing sometimes you see uh pictures they look wonderful hey kudos to the photographer right uh but you need to get somebody in there to see it in person and give you feedback so a lot of times absolutely the homes don’t come out uh are not as good as that you would think there are a couple of photographers who are Michael very good yeah they are amazing magic they’re Wizards and and vice versa so we’ve seen a lot of MLS listings where obviously the real estate agent just pulled out a phone and snapped a few yeah a few pictures that are not well lit they haven’t been photoshopped and make them nice and bright uh they just don’t look good yep and uh we’ll go see those too yeah and if we find a home that is really beautiful and the photography is not good on it guess what we tell our buyers move fast move fast coming low and let’s get this under contract before everyone else figures out sometimes it’s just not represented and that’s a boon to you so we love to go preview first and uh like I said so always be opened and don’t sometimes you see a house here like this is it I love everything about it I love the look of this house I love this and then we go see it you need to trust that we’re going to tell you the truth yeah those were amazing photos but you don’t want to be you don’t want to do it and we’ll do a walk through video too really hard to figure a walk through video yeah you do a walk-through video and you like what you see that you’re you’re basically seeing what you say as you walked in the hallway yeah some people are like no but I really really like it I’m like that’s fine let’s go through it you need to see it in person to get a better understanding perhaps since on a busy road perhaps it’s uh backs up to something you may not want to live or look and you don’t see it in the photos so keep your mind open don’t get your heart set on but that is the perfect house based on the pictures yeah it looks like hell and the pickle lady says no this is a good one yeah watch the walk-through video watch it you’re gonna love it so that’s our little tip for you people out there who are thinking about listing uh hopefully if you list with us we will share all the photos and let you see but always ask whoever you’re working with may I see first what’s happening and if you’re not happy demand better pictures that’s right because that can be how quick or how long your house takes to sell that’s right very important and if you’re a buyer know that some of these pictures it’s a lot of magic involved and I don’t want to don’t don’t set your heart on one home just based on the photos that’s right right all right so that is our topic of the day tip of the day you want more tips and place to go is pickle411.com that is our free information site whether you are a buyer seller is somewhere in between there’s something there that’s free and waiting for you and it will astound and rock your world perhaps perhaps if you have a boring life maybe yeah it’ll be at least one thing there really something that that you’ll be like it was helpful that would be something yes all right so we look forward to hearing from you take care and have an amazing day bye

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