East Valley Real Estate FAQs, Tips & Community News
Whether you're buying your first home in Gilbert, selling in Chandler, or exploring new construction in Queen Creek or San Tan Valley, you've come to the right place. This resource hub is designed to answer the most common real estate questions we hear from Arizona buyers and sellers — and to keep you informed with the latest local market insights and community news across the East Valley.
Frequently Asked Questions About East Valley Real Estate
Is now a good time to buy a home in the East Valley?
The East Valley — including Gilbert, Chandler, Mesa, Queen Creek, and San Tan Valley — remains one of the most desirable real estate markets in Arizona. While market conditions shift, working with a local agent ensures you get current data on home prices, inventory, and interest rates specific to your target neighborhood.
How do I know what my East Valley home is worth?
Home values in the East Valley vary by community, lot size, upgrades, and recent comparable sales. A free Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) from a local real estate professional is the most accurate way to determine your home's current market value.
What are the best neighborhoods in Gilbert and Chandler for families?
Gilbert and Chandler consistently rank among the safest and most family-friendly cities in Arizona. Popular master-planned communities, top-rated schools, parks, and easy freeway access make both cities a top choice for relocating families and move-up buyers.
How long does it take to buy or sell a home in Arizona?
In Arizona, most residential transactions close within 30–45 days of an accepted offer. Selling timelines vary based on pricing, condition, and current market demand. Browse our latest articles below for up-to-date guidance on buying and selling in today's East Valley market.
Scroll down to explore our latest blog posts, local market updates, and expert real estate tips for the East Valley.
June 7, 2023
The Mighty Morphin Mortgage Ranger: Blue Collar Loans
My six-year-old son put me up to that. He wanted me to be the mighty Morphin mortgage ranger, which I find hilarious. But in all seriousness, Blue Collar Loans is my company. My wife and I own Blue Collar Homes and Design, which is our real estate company. We're more than welcome to help you guys in any situation. We can help with the full process. We're very experienced realtors here in the Valley in Arizona and willing to help in any way we can.
June 7, 2023
Choosing the Right Realtor: 4 Questions to Ask
Looking for a realtor? Here are four questions you need to ask a realtor when you're interviewing them to see if they're going to be a good fit for you. Number one, do they listen to you and do they fully understand what you're looking for in a home? Number two, do they have resources that you could use during the transaction, whether it be a lender or a title company, or after the transaction maybe a referral list for contractors to do work or make repairs or updates to the home? Number three, make sure that they're available. They answer their phone, text message, email. And number four, that they understand the process. Make sure that your realtor that has actually bought a home themselves before. Make sure that they understand the financial process. Make sure they understand the inspection process. And most importantly, make sure they understand they work for you and they understand the contract that you're signing. You just have to be careful nowadays.
June 7, 2023
Avoiding Trigger Leads: The Unethical Practices of the Real Estate Industry
Have you ever pulled your credit and been called 30 times regarding a mortgage rate? Well, in our industry, we call that trigger leads. And unfortunately, it's, in my opinion, one of the most unethical processes that takes place in the real estate industry. So keep in mind, if somebody's cold calling you in order to talk to you about mortgage rates, they're probably not the best fit for you. Look around, talk to clients, talk to friends, talk to your realtor. They always have somebody who's been vetted who will likely give you the better experience and in most cases, a better financial situation than somebody who cold calls you out of the blue. You know, unfortunately, a lot of people have turned this industry into a car salesman type situation where people are calling you and calling you and calling you and turning into spam and getting you frustrated. Well, don't let that happen. Take control of your situation.
June 7, 2023
Home Warranty Insurance: The Pros and Cons for AZ Buyers & Sellers
What is a home warranty? Most realtors are very big fans of home warranties. When I speak to most clients, buyers and sellers, they either love them or they hate them. Think of them as insurance policy if for some reason one of your appliances break or your ceiling fan doesn't work after closing or heaven forbid it's 115 degrees outside in Arizona and the day after you move in, your AC goes out. That is a great reason to have a home warranty. That will save you a lot of money. Another reason us realtors recommend it, especially to our out-of-state clients, is if you don't have any trades that you know and trust locally, it's a great option. They have vetted trades that they use on all of their properties that they manage. Reach out to one of us and I'll let you know who we recommend.
June 7, 2023
Do You Need a Mold Inspection in Arizona?
Do you typically have a mold inspection in Arizona? While mold is very important that we all know, we typically don't need a mold inspection unless we see some type of substance that potentially could be mold and or there's a red flag, maybe a long time water leak, something of that nature that would cause a mold inspection. I've only had to do it a couple times in my career selling hundreds and hundreds of homes here and it typically costs about $500 to have a nice thorough written mold inspection and report.
June 7, 2023
Why You Need a Home Inspection When Buying a Home
You definitely need to have a home inspection. I can tell you any home me and my husband have ever purchased, whether we're living in it or we're using it as a rental property, we always, always, always have a home inspection. There's two main reasons. The obvious reason is to make sure that the four walls around you are safe, sound, and secure. You want to know what you're getting into, even if the seller is not going to do any repairs. Second thing is repairs. It gives you an opportunity to negotiate as a buyer with the seller to do repairs that are necessary in the property. Us as realtors typically recommend only asking for repairs that are major, not a light bulb or smoke detector. What we really care about in Arizona is roof, AC, swimming pool, and the equipment. Anything major like that. Appliances, things of that nature. We're not looking for little handyman stuff.
June 7, 2023
Get Homeowner's Insurance: What to Know & When to Buy
What is homeowner's insurance and when should I get it? We recommend setting up home insurance and starting shopping during the first 10 days of your inspection period. That way you can find out if there's something crazy that pops up. For example, in Arizona, the very few basement homes that we have, we find that they tend to be quite expensive, like three or four times the amount of regular homeowner's insurance. This is because, one, they're few and far between, and two, the insurance companies see them as being a little bit more risky than a regular homeowner's policy. For example, someone with decent credit, we find they're typically going to spend somewhere between $600 and $700 a year for homeowner's insurance in our metro Phoenix area.
June 7, 2023
Avoid Mistakes When Buying a New Construction Home
Avoid mistakes when buying a new construction home. One of the most common mistakes buyers make is they enter into a new sales office without their representation. In Arizona, the sales office representative does not introduce or represent you, especially when it comes to your fiduciary expectations. They work on behalf of the builder. So it's important for you to find a local and experienced agent who, number one, is experienced with new construction to help you avoid issues, which can come in the form of inspection issues, issues with appraisals, issues with over-improving a property, issues with overpaying for a property. And last but not least, if you're an experienced realtor, they do know that there are additional incentives that will be available that nobody's actually advertising, especially when it comes to using a builder's lender or title company.
May 30, 2023
Save Thousands with Blue Collar Home Loans' Strategic Refi Program!
Given today's crazy market with interest rates and housing affordability obviously in question, we have been over here at Blue Collar Home Loans looking at some alternatives of saving some people hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars. We have an exclusive strategic home loan refi program which allows us to take a 15-minute check and review your credit, review your debts, review your monthly expenditures, and identify key opportunities there to take advantage of in terms of using equity in your home which may or may not be available you know in a year to six or 12 months depending how volatile the market is to pay down debts that can overall change your monthly expenditures as a whole. Now yes, interest rates may be higher than what your other rate is, however it makes the most sense in a lot of people's situations to lower your total expenditures while paying a little bit higher interest rate on your mortgage which is tax deductible.
May 3, 2023
"Mortgage Secrets Revealed: Which of These 3 Loan Programs Is Right For You?"VA, FHA, and Conventional Loan Programs Explained #valoan #fhaloan #conventionalloan #militaryloans
Are you a veteran, current military member, or just looking for a new home? Check out our government loan programs - VA loan, FHA loan, and the conventional loan. With low down payments and flexible qualifications on an FHA loan, you can be sure to find the right program for you.
What type of loan programs are out there? So we have a couple different government programs. Your standard government program is a VA loan for our veterans or current military. We have an FHA loan who requires only a 3.5% down payment and are not as stringent when it comes to qualification purposes. And you have a conventional loan. A conventional loan is typically for somebody who's going to put a larger down payment down. Keep in mind, any time you put less than 20% down, you typically have mortgage insurance unless you're getting a VA loan. VA loans do not have mortgage insurance. So you want to shoot for at least 20% down if you can swing it to purchase the house. Otherwise, you're paying a premium, we'll call it, to use the bank's money to finance more than 80% of the property. Reach out to us if you want a couple lender referrals. We'd be happy to give you people we've been using for years.
