Hey friends, I’ve been knee-deep in my wildflower garden lately, trying to keep everything happy and growing through this Phoenix summer heat. Gotta feed those bees and hummingbirds! The thinned-out spots needed something tough, so I’m going with sunflowers. I’ll report back in six to eight weeks, fingers crossed.

One of my cute little plant umbrellas blew away while protecting a new hibiscus (if any neighbors suddenly have a random little green umbrella in their yard, please bring it home!).​

I’ve also been tackling some indoor projects: installing new blinds and replacing an old 80s pocket door with something way prettier to let more sunshine into a darker corner of the bedroom.

Oh, and I’m psyching myself up to repot my monstera. It’s officially outgrown its pot and I’m ​k​inda terrified the diva is going to throw a tantrum and punish me. Heading to the Arizona Worm Farm soon for some worm poop to make fresh worm tea (don’t worry, it’s strictly for the plants if I invite you over for dinner or drinks, LOL).

The last couple weeks have been extra sweet with all the Father’s Day and 4th of July posts you guys shared. So many great photos I turned into custom greeting cards. If you posted something cute and I saw it, check your mail! And if you don’t post pics on social media and want a card, send it to me and I’ll send you a smile in your mailbox

Dad’s eight giant palm trees got trimmed this week and the neighbors are gonna have to work hard to beat his pile for bulk pickup

Dad also found a new place for some healthcare stuff. Big props to the VA’s new place over on 32nd Street, it looks amazing! And poor Darci’s playpool sprang a leak. Explaining “downtime and drying time” to her was not easy. She is not happy!

Got some great news on the awesome Buckeye listing. Hoping for smooth sailing to closing later this month so our clients can fully concentrate on their new home.

New buyer coming into town from the PNW too. I’m already chilling the cold refreshments and ready for the “it feels like I’m standing in front of an open oven door” comments from someone used to summers in the 80s with light rain. (It’s a dry heat, right?)

Might have a rental with a pool coming soon in the west valley (close to Buc-ee’s, so there’s that!). Let me know if you know anyone looking!

I’ve also been working my tail off for a month building a new website and moving hosting. Check it out if you get a chance: https://dedeforwood.com . Also in the graphic design stage for a guide book I’ve been working on for almost a month. Hope to be able to share it with you soon!

Open houses this weekend, so say a little prayer for the girl pulling in open house signs with oven mitts, playing Frogger in traffic while the pavement is lava, and that I don’t eat all the open house snacks if it’s not crowded!

Summer is one of the most challenging times of year for animal shelters. Kitten and puppy season brings an influx of homeless pets, while adoptions often slow down, leaving shelters overcrowded and stretched for resources.

That’s why BISSELL Pet Foundation is partnering with shelters and rescues across the country to help more pets find loving homes through reduced adoption fees of $70 or less. Find a participating shelter and meet your new best friend: ​
​https://apps.pets.maricopa.gov/adoptpets/

Also, put this on your calendar: Stealing Hearts Rescue is doing their awesome bowling fundraiser August 8! We hope you’ll join us for a fun-filled afternoon of bowling and supporting the mission of Stealing Hearts Rescue. We’ll be hanging out, enjoying refreshments, hoping to win in the silent auction, and bowling of course, all to raise money for a great cause. Mark your calendar for August 8th from 11am–3pm in Phoenix! Check out the Link for more info and to sign up ​Can’t make it? There are other ways to help.

Stealing Hearts is also hiring! Are you one of those people that’s happy with the label “crazy dog person”?! Do you want to make a difference and feel fulfilled with your work? If so, you may be just who ​t​hey're looking for! ​SHR is hiring​!​T​hey're looking for passionate animal advocates who are interested in working with large breed dogs. ​They want to hire one or two mature individuals who are willing to work 25 to 30 hours a week (weekends included) as shelter staff. Persons applying must be physically able to handle big dogs and all that goes along with their care. Shift staff will be feeding, cleaning, exercising, and spending time with ​their wonderful shelter dogs until they are adopted. ​Therstaff makes a difference in our dogs’ lives everyday.​ Being used to large dogs and having some dog-handling skills are necessary for this position.

If you have any interest or questions, please email Toni at [email protected] . ​

Well, the Phoenix Valley housing market is shifting into a balanced, buyer-friendly phase. Homes are taking a bit longer to sell, averaging about 55 days. But demand is still steady. Buyers have plenty of negotiating power, and sellers are adjusting their prices to match what buyers want to pay. Here are the key details I’m seeing:

What this means for you: Buyers, you’ve got time to look and room to negotiate. Sellers, price it right and stage it well. The right buyer is out there. Small investors, good opportunities in rentals and well-located properties.

I’m helping folks navigate this by running custom CMAs, spotting concession opportunities, and making sure ​you don’t overpay or undersell in this shifting market.

Quick Win for Property Owners

Every piece of legislation opposed by the Arizona REALTORS® was defeated this session before it ever reached the Governor’s desk (things like short-term rental caps, rent control, and just-cause evictions). And several good bills got signed into law: stronger protections against deed fraud and squatters, limits on crazy development fees, more HOA transparency, and more. Big thanks to the folks fighting for private property rights!

Friday Mortgage Talk

Mortgage rates are holding pretty steady this week with not a ton of drama. Current rates in Arizona are hovering around 6.63% for a 30-year fixed and about 5.88% for a 15-year fixed (as of July 9th). What’s affecting rates right now:

If you’re thinking about buying, refinancing, or just wondering what this means for your situation, shoot me a message. Happy to run some numbers and chat through your options or refer you to a trusted, local, competent lender.​

​15234 W Polk St, Goodyear, AZ 85338

This light and bright beauty in the desirable Rancho Mirage community is move-in ready with some GREAT updates! Flexible 4 bed / 2 bath layout. The 4th bedroom has a cool arch that can easily be opened up for extra entertaining space (I’m thinking foosball table, anyone?).

Big enough pool to cool off and refresh, but small enough that it won’t murder your water bill. And the solar? So much solar you folks who run hot can set that thermostat LOW and still smile at your electric bill.

Updated kitchen, spacious living areas perfect for entertaining or just chilling, split floor plan with a generous primary suite and walk-in closet. Private backyard oasis with covered patio, sparkling pool, synthetic grass, and pavers.

Easy highway access (but not too close to the noise) and super convenient to shopping, restaurants, I-10, and Loop 303.​ Want to see it? Let me know. Happy to set up a showing!

Do you own a home? How does that factor into your wealth? Did you know I offer a free monthly snapshot of your home’s (algorithmic) value? It can help you take control of tracking your home wealth, keep an eye on your home’s equity, loans, value, market trends, and more!

See the power of extra principal payments or refinancing at the right time. Build wealth faster. Know exactly when to buy, sell, rent, or remodel to maximize your investment.

I’m happy to tweak your value by updating your monthly snapshot as often as you like. Go to ​https://dedeforwood.com/HomeValue and you’ll get a really detailed analysis in your inbox every month, and it’s free! Happy to help you know what you own.

I’ve completely revamped and redesigned my weekly events suggestions on my website! Check it out at https://dedeforwood.com/valley-living . I update it every Thursday (even created a webcrawler in Python. Yeah, I’m a developer now, just kidding, it’s Grok, to scrape for events I don’t know about from all sorts of sources). Here are some fun ones coming up:

Here’s your July 10th weekly insider with the newest inventory homes and New Build communities in and around Phoenix. You can view them all on my ShowingNew site.

$801,729 – Violet ​at  Las Ventanas - RV Collection  by Mattamy Homes, 5Br 3.5B​

​$2,900,000 – Martel Prairie​ at Toll Brothers at Adero Canyon-Adero Collection, 4Br 3.5Ba

$749,750 – 5524​ at Bella Pasa by Bela Flor Communities, 3Br 2.5Ba

$440,990 – Prism​ at Stonebridge Manor​by Starlight Homes, 4Br 3Ba

Featured Communities

Don’t forget to take me with you and let me register you before you visit a new build model home community or register on their site (feel free to browse mine though), so I can translate those New Build contracts (8 zillion pages on an iPad isn’t conducive to major research), represent you, have your back, get you the best perks and incentives, and fight to make sure you get all agreed-upon items on time and on budget!

Heads up, friends. Traffic is gonna be extra spicy this weekend with several big closures. Give yourself extra time and maybe plan alternate routes if you’re heading out.

Real-time info at AZ511.gov or the app. Stay safe out there, and maybe avoid the oven mitts and Frogger if you can!!

​Y’all, we got our first real furnace blast of heat this week​, plus the wind. What was up with that? ​(Anyone seen a little green umbrella?). Please keep an eye on your beloved old folks​ and neighbors. We could’ve had a tragedy here this week if an observant power-walker hadn’t noticed someone in trouble.

Also, keep an eye on our 4-legged friends (and wildlife if you can), and just a reminder that if you walk your dog in the heat, you need to do it barefoot in a fur coat so you know how it feels, you big Jerk!

And don’t even get me started on the people who try to HIKE with their dogs! It’s 115! Thanks for being part of my world. I’m here if you need me (personally or professionally). To the friend who I KNOW needs to talk, I’m here.

Lastly, to all my Mad Monster friends, have a BLAST this weekend! Say hi to everyone for me, especially Damian, my favorite transport!

​DeDe