So, you want a 4-bedroom, eh?

If you’re in the market to buy a 4 bedroom home in the Phoenix area, you’re in luck – there’s plenty to choose from.  In fact, today ARMLS shows 7,005 active listings for 4 bedroom homes.   Thanks to the internet, SEO and perhaps a bit of PR, I get a fair amount of buyer leads via e-mail.  The most recent said the prospect “needs a 4 bedroom single level home to buy.” 

You would think that shouldn’t be too difficult of a request to make to your Realtor®, and don’t get me wrong, I’d love to help ‘em find the perfect house.  The problem is there are no other details.  Zip, zilch, none.  Not even a phone number that I can call to see if I can get more information. 

Of course I’ve sent e-mails back asking for more details, such as preferences regarding a geographical area, single level or multi-level, pool, number of baths, age of the property, and price parameters – Anything would help.

So, you want a Phoenix area home with four bedrooms? Maybe this will help:

4 bedroom homes priced to $100,000

4 bedroom homes priced from $101,000 - $200,000

4 bedroom homes priced from $201,000 - $300,000

4 bedroom homes priced from $301,000 - $400,000

4 bedroom homes priced from $401,000 - $500,000

4 bedroom homes priced from $501,000 - $600,000

4 bedroom homes priced from $601,000 - $800,000

4 bedroom homes priced from $800,000 - $1,000,000

4 bedroom homes priced over $1,000,000

The key to getting what you want is communication and that’s especially true in real estate.  Work with the other person in partnership and let them know what you’re looking for.  As agents, we have a number of elements we can tweak to better hone in on the perfect property – Give us as much information as you can, and we’ll be able to work smarter, faster and more successfully.

Phoenix area home specialists working with ARMLS can use a number of search fields in the system, including, but not limited to the following:

• Price
• City
• Zip code
• Beds
• Baths
• Square footage
• Type of dining
• Great room
• Lot size
• Dwelling type
• Subdivision
• Builder name
• School district or name
• Garage spaces
• Fireplace(s)
• Exposure
• Flooring
• Laundry
• Type of construction
• Roofing type
• Type of heat
• Number of days on the market
• Access to property photos
• Land lease
• Fix-up
• Lender owned
• Short sale
• Probate/estate

I often suggest to buyers just beginning to think about buying a home to sit down together and go through this list.  Identify what’s important and what’s not.  What the “have to haves” are vs. what are the “nice to haves.” 

And, no, we can’t do a search for just properties where there has never been a smoker, or cats have never lived there.  Or, the water heater is new. Or, if there's a door to the toilet in the master.