Pony 4 Precious: Where Compassion Meets Connection for a Life-Changing Experience

With the U.S. economy on everyone’s minds right now, questions about the country’s financial outlook continue to come up daily states Mike Eastwood Chief Executive Officer at West USA Realty of Prescott. The one that seems to keep rising to the top is:  when will the economy begin to  recover ?  While no one knows exactly how a rebound will play out, expert economists around the country are becoming more aligned on when the recovery will begin. According to the latest  Wall Street Journal  Economic Forecasting Survey , which polls more than 60 economists on a monthly basis,  85.3% believe a recovery will begin in the second half of 2020   (see graph below): There seems to be a growing consensus among these experts that the second half of this year will be the start of a turnaround in this country. Chris Hyzy,  Chief Investment Officer  for  Merrill   notes : “We fully expect the economy could begin to pick up in late June and July w...

With stay-at-home orders starting to gradually  lift  throughout parts of the country, data indicates homebuyers are  jumping back  into the market. After many families put their plans on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, what we once called the busy spring real estate season is shifting into the summer. In 2020, summer is the new spring for real estate states Mike Eastwood Chief Executive Officer of West USA Realty of Prescott. Joel Kan ,  Economist  at  The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)  notes: “Applications for home purchases continue to recover from April’s sizable drop and have now increased for five consecutive weeks…Government purchase applications, which include FHA, VA, and USDA loans, are now 5 percent higher than a year ago, which is an encouraging turnaround after the weakness seen over the past two months.” Additionally, according to  Google Trends , which scores search terms online, searches for  real estate  inc...

Before he died, a grandfather said to his grandson; “Here is a watch that your great grandfather gave me. It is almost 200 years old. Before I give it to you, go to the jewelry store. Tell them that I want to sell it, and see how much they offer you." The grandson went to the jewelry store, came back to his grandfather, and said; "They offered $150.00 because it's so old." The grandfather said; “Go to the pawnshop." The grandson went to the pawnshop, came back to his grandfather, and said; "The pawnshop offered $10.00 because it looks so worn." The grandfather asked his son to go to the museum and show them the watch. He went to the museum, came back, and said to his grandfather; “The curator offered $500,000.00 for this very rare piece to be included in their precious antique collections." The grandfather said; “I wanted to let you know that the right place values you in the right way. Don't find yourself in the wrong place and ge...

One of the biggest questions we all seem to be asking these days is:  When are we going to start to see an economic recovery. Mike Eastwood Chief Executive Officer of West USA Realty of Prescott states.  As the country begins to slowly  reopen , moving forward in strategic phases, business activity will help bring our nation back to life. Many economists indicate a recovery should begin to happen in the second half of this year. Here’s a look at what some of the experts have to say. Jerome Powell,  Federal Reserve Chairman “I think there’s a good chance that there’ll be positive growth in the third quarter. And I think it’s a reasonable expectation that there’ll be growth in the second half of the year… So, in the long run, I would say the U.S. economy will recover. We’ll get back to the place we were in February; we’ll get to an even better place than that.   I’m highly confident of that. And it won’t take that long to get there.” Nonpartisan Analysi...

There are many  benefits  to working with a real estate professional when selling your house states Mike Eastwood Chief Executive Officer of West USA Realty of Prescott. During challenging times like the one we face today, it becomes even more important to have an expert help guide you through the process. If you’re considering selling on your own, known in the industry as a  For Sale By Owner  or  FSBO , please consider the following: 1. Your Safety Is a Priority During this pandemic, your family’s safety comes first. When you FSBO, it is incredibly difficult to control entry into your home. A real estate professional will have the proper protocols in place to protect not only your belongings but your family’s health and well-being too. From regulating the number of people in your home at one time to ensuring proper sanitization during and after a showing, and even facilitating virtual tours for buyers, agents are equipped to follow the latest industry...

While growing up, we were taught by our parents and grandparents that owning a home is a financially savvy move. They explained how a mortgage is like a “forced savings plan.” States Mike Eastwood Chief Executive Officer of West USA Realty of Prescott. When you pay rent, that money is lost forever. When you make a mortgage payment, much of that money accumulates as equity in the home. So, what exactly is equity? The equity in your home is the amount of money you can sell it for minus what you still owe on the mortgage. Every month you make a mortgage payment, and every month a portion of what you pay reduces the amount you owe. That reduction of your mortgage every month increases your equity. A recent  study  by  CoreLogic  explained that homeowners gained substantial equity over the last twelve months, and are essentially sitting on large sums of cash in their homes. In the study, Frank Nothaft,  Chief Economist  for  CoreLogic  explained: ...

Today, many people are asking themselves if they should buy or sell a home in 2020. Some have shifted their plans or put them on hold over the past couple of months, and understandably so. Everyone seems to be wondering if the market is going to change and when the  economy  will turn around states Mike Eastwood Chief Executive Officer at West USA Realty of Prescott. If you’re trying to figure out what’s going to happen and how to play your cards this year, you’re not alone. In the Prescott Arizona market, we are seeing multiple offers on homes that are for sale Some have had up to eight offers in a twenty-four hours period. This spring in the  2020 NAR Flash Survey: Economic Pulse , the  National Association of Realtors  (NAR) has been tracking the behavior changes of homebuyers and sellers. In a reaction to their most recent survey, Lawrence Yun,  Chief Economist  at NAR, noted the beginnings of a turn in the market: “After a pause, home seller...

While many people across the U.S. have traditionally enjoyed the perks of an urban lifestyle, some who live in more populated city limits today are beginning to rethink their current neighborhoods States Mike Eastwood Chief executive Officer of West USA Realty of Prescott. Being in close proximity to everything from the grocery store to local entertainment is definitely a perk, especially if you can also walk to some of these hot spots and have a short commute to work. The trade-off, however, is that highly populated cities can lack access to open space, a yard, and other desirable features. These are the kinds of things you may miss when spending a lot of time at home. When it comes to social distancing, as we’ve experienced recently, the newest  trend  seems to be around re-evaluating a once-desired city lifestyle and trading it for suburban or rural living. George Ratiu,  Senior Economist  at  realtor.com   notes : “With the re-opening of the econo...