Take a Moment to Thank a Veteran by Joanna Fuchs

Did you know? The Social Security Administration reports that one quarter of those who are age sixty-five today will reach age ninety, and ten percent will make it past age ninety-five. So if you want to be financially set during those golden years, finance experts say you should avoid these top 3 retirement blunders.

1.) Draining your retirement accounts: Dipping into your retirement accounts early might seem essential at the time, but it can hurt you in the long run. While loans can be taken from 401(k) accounts and IRA money can be withdrawn early for certain needs financial advisors suggest keeping your hands off that money so that it can accumulate compound interest. That interest can add thousands more to your account balance at a time when you’ll truly benefit from it.

2.) Not budgeting for health care: Medical expenses can be a major cost in retirement and one that is often neglected. It’s easy to underestimate health care costs and find yourself in the red financially. The best plan of action is to carefully review your Medicare options with a professional to pick the best plan for you and budget accordingly.

3.) Taking Social Security benefits too early: Retirees can begin benefits as early as age sixty-two. However their monthly balance will be lower than what they could receive if they wait until the full retirement age of sixty-six. In fact, delaying taking social security benefits could give retirees an extra eight percent for every year they wait to claim benefits, says T. Michelle Jones, a certified financial planner and vice president at Bryn Mawr Trust.

When it comes to developing a retirement plan, it pays to avoid these top 3 retirement blunders and maximize your savings. For more tips on retirement or if you’re looking for an Arizona retirement community please contact Sharon Mason today.

Little ghouls and goblins everywhere are gearing up for Halloween this Tuesday. And with a bit of preparation, you can help to give your grandchildren a safe and memorable Halloween. Here are some great safety tips for trick-or-treating with grandkids.

• Bring along a flashlight so that you and your grandkids can avoid tripping on the sidewalk.
• Remind all of your younger grandkids to cross the street at corners and crosswalks rather than jaywalking.
• If your grandkids are wearing dark robes or other clothes that are hard to see at night, this may pose an issue when crossing the street. So having glow sticks or reflectors can help make them easier to spot.
• Don’t let your grandkids bring any sharp weapons or dangerous props with their costumes. Swords, knives, and similar costume accessories should be short, soft, and flexible.
• Be sure to check all of your kids’ candy at the end of the night.
• Enter homes only if you’re with a trusted adult. Only visit well-lit houses. Don’t stop at dark houses. Never accept rides from strangers.
• Never walk near lit candles or luminaries. Be sure to wear flame-resistant costumes.

Some parents and grandparents will skip trick-or-treating and opt for a party. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, this is the perfect opportunity to provide healthier treats for trick-or-treaters such as low-calorie treats and drinks. A variety of fruits, vegetables, and cheeses are also recommended.

However you choose to spend Halloween with your grandchildren, have a safe and Happy Halloween!

September became the fifth month this year to post a decline in home sales compared to a record-setting 2016, while marking the 71st consecutive month of rising sale prices year-over-year, according to the October RE/MAX National Housing Report. Joining August, July, April and February, September home sales dropped 4.2 percent year-over-year in the report’s monthly analysis of housing data in 54 metro areas.

Going in the opposite direction, the Median Sales Price increased to $225,000. Though the lowest price since March, it was 2.3 percent higher than September 2016. The last month when home prices did not increase year-over-year was October 2011. Three-quarters of the way through 2017, other notable numbers from the RE/MAX National Housing Report include:

• In the wake of Hurricane Irma in early September, Miami saw home sales drop 35.2 percent year-over-year. Houston, meanwhile, posted a 3.2 percent gain despite the impact of Hurricane Harvey in late August. • Days on Market declined by one week, from 56 in September 2016 to 49.
• At 3.6, the Months Supply of Inventory was the lowest of any September in the report’s 9-year history. Twenty-three markets are at 3 months or less.
• Mirroring this, inventory dropped 14.1 percent year-over-year, with 46 metro areas seeing fewer homes for sale. Year-over-year, inventory has declined every month since November 2008.

Of the 54 metro areas surveyed in September 2017, the overall average number of home sales decreased 14.9 percent compared to August 2017 and decreased 4.2 percent compared to September 2016. Download your copy of the October 2017 RE/MAX National Housing Report here.

If you are looking to sell your Arizona home or are ready to buy a home in a luxury Arizona retirement community, please contact Sharon Mason today.

Now more than ever, Valley baby boomers are embracing the empty nest and choosing to buy a home to support their new lifestyle. Currently, there are over 76 million baby boomers, and this new wave is looking for housing solutions to allow them to keep an active lifestyle and age comfortably. The baby boomer demographic is helping drive the demand for 55+ Arizona retirement communities encompassing everything from working boomers to snowbirds and Arizona retirees. Here are 3 ways baby boomers are affecting the housing market.

1.) Active lifestyle: Boomers today are more active than their parents were are healthier than ever before. As a result, home builders are developing homes with easier access to recreational amenities. Active adult retirement communities encompass a variety of activities such as gyms, pools, hiking trails, and clubhouses.

2.) Commute locations: Developers are also watching the trend of working boomers, and are building new communities near business districts or public transportation. They are also providing newer homes with offices to accommodate those who work from home.

3.) Close to home: According to a study by Pulte Group, more than sixty percent of baby boomers want their home in retirement to be within the same state they live, while a third of boomers want to live within twenty miles of their children or grandchildren in retirement. Because boomers are looking for a place that appeals to their current and future retirement needs developers are building more retirement communities near suburbs and neighborhoods to accommodate the aging population.

If you’re looking to downsize or find the perfect Arizona retirement community to enjoy your golden years, please contact Sharon Mason to schedule an appointment to view my exclusive listings.

Summer is at a close and ended with strong home sales despite weak inventory according to the September 2017 RE/MAX National Housing Report. August sales topping July by 2.8 percent, but finishing 0.84 percent below August 2016 which remains the best August in the report’s nine year history. Houston, where Hurricane Harvey made landfall on August 25, already experienced a 21.3 percent drop in sales from July and a 27.5 percent decline year-over-year.

U.S. home sales in August extended a summer of strong demand and weak inventory that once again resulted in listings with short shelf lives. In addition to the normal late summer real estate trends, a primary focus during the next month will be on housing in specific markets affected by natural disasters like devastating wildfires and hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Other notable numbers include:

• Inventory in the report’s fifty-four markets declined 3.9 percent from July and 13.7 percent from a year ago
• Days on Market have dropped to forty-seven – the fastest listing-to-sale average for any August.
• The Months Supply of Inventory, while continuing to rebound from a May low of 2.6, settled at 3.1 months and set another report record for August.
• After hitting $239,950 in July, the median sales price dipped to $236,475 in August but still finished 5.4 percent higher year-over-year.

“Overall, we’re still seeing home prices rise year-over-year at just above historical averages -- even with slightly declining nationwide prices in August, which is an expected annual pattern,” said Adam Contos, RE/MAX Co-CEO. “The data shows that home hunters continue to experience very limited inventory and increased competition, and home sellers are benefiting from quick sales for top dollar.”

Want to know more about the current real estate market? Click here to download your copy of the September 2017 RE/MAX National Housing Report. If you are looking to sell your Arizona home or are ready to buy a home in a luxury Arizona retirement community, please contact Sharon Mason today.

When it comes to managing your retirement accounts, you used to have to get all the information you needed in person. But today, innovative technology is changing the way active adults manage their lives. And though older Americans are typically less likely to change their ways, there are a lot of technological advances that can make money management easier and save time. Here are 3 smart ways to use technology to manage your retirement money.

1.) Online retirement calculators: A comprehensive retirement planning spreadsheet takes some time and knowledge to customize for your needs. If you aren’t up for the task, free online calculators make the calculations for you. A few popular tools are Personal Capital and NewRetirement. Personal Capital is a free online service that aggregates all your financial accounts using secure connections. NewRetirement takes your detailed financial information, such as income, expenses, investments and desired retirement age, and funnels it into a comprehensive analysis.

2.) Online budgeting software: Online budgeting tools securely import your bank and credit card transactions and empower older adults to set up budgets and track spending automatically down to the penny each month. These products can help identify excess spending and opportunities to save more. A few popular online program options include Mint, EveryDollar, and You Need a Budget. Each program is individually designed to help with goal setting, budgeting, and more.

3.) Robo advisors: Traditional advisors offer one-on-one guidance and allocate your money based on a set of recommendations. However, a new breed of online advisors has risen to popularity. Robo advisors take the emotion out of financial planning by using algorithms to build your asset allocations based on your personal situation. Instead of manually managing your money, robo advisors do it automatically. The advantages are that fees are much lower and investment decisions are done by a computer instead of a human, eliminating bias and emotionally driven mistakes. Two of the larger robo advisors are Betterment and Wealthfront. These services use algorithms to build your portfolio based on your investment objectives and life stage.

Which of these 3 smart ways to use technology to manage your retirement money will work for you? If you would like more information about retiring in Arizona or if you’re looking to buy a home in an Arizona retirement community, please contact Sharon Mason today!

Since 1978, Sun City West has been the place to be for active, 55+ adults who enjoy staying active, social and physically fit. Designed by Del Webb Corporation, which successfully created and grew Sun City into its current proportions, Sun City West is a modern, thriving community that blends culture and a pleasant atmosphere into one of Arizona’s premier retirement areas. Supermarkets, banks and retail stores, as well as pharmacies, post offices and fitness centers, make Sun City West an all-inclusive active adult community. You’ll find outdoor walking tracks, dance studios and ballrooms, and tennis courts all over this 15,000-household community, which means everything you need is within a several-block radius.

A healthy mix of single-family and attached homes await you in the affordable Sun City Westretirement community gives the area a diverse, multi-faceted feel. Single-family homes range from cozy, 920-square-foot houses to roomy 3,500-square-foot residences. People who prefer attached homes can enjoy a wide variety of floor plans ranging from 744 to 1,996 square feet. Sun City West’s huge variety of homes, its exciting amenities and its close proximity to Arizona’s largest city, Phoenix, make it the perfect place to call home for active seniors from all over the country.

From billiards to outdoor concerts, Sun City West is packed with things for active adults to do. With more than a hundred clubs that span a wide range of interests, including card playing, arts and crafts, and music, the sense of community in Sun City West makes it one of Arizona’s most sought-after retirement destinations. The Sun City West Arizona R.H. Johnson Recreation Center is 118,000 square feet of activity-packed space in the center of 48 acres of beautifully landscaped property that Sun City West residents are welcome to enjoy year-round. Three more expansive activity centers dot this bustling community, which makes it easy to access all the things you love.

When you’re ready to explore everything that Sun City West has to offer, contact Sharon Mason for a personal community tour. I’ll help you find the perfect house in one of Arizona’s premier retirement communities so that you’re free to do the things you love with family and friends!

Monday, September 4th is Labor Day in the U.S. The holiday will be celebrated by U.S. families around the country with picnics, barbecues, road trips, and sports events. Labor Day unofficially signals the end of the summer vacation streak for many and is an observed federal holiday for most businesses but do you know why? Here are 5 fascinating facts about Labor Day.

1.) Labor Day has a rich history centered around workers and celebrates the contributions and achievements of the 155 million men and women who are in the U.S. workforce. Originally it began in 1872 in Toronto, Canada but quickly made its way south to the U.S.

2.) The first U.S. Labor Day was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, planned by the Central Labor Union. The Labor Day parade of about 10,000 workers took unpaid leave and marched from City Hall past Union Square uptown to 42nd street, and ended in Wendel’s Elm Park at 92nd Street and 9th Avenue for a concert, speeches, and a picnic.

3.) In the late 1800s the average American worked twelve hour days and seven-day weeks to eke out a basic living. Children as young as five years old worked in factories and mines.

4.) Traditionally people did not wear white or seersucker clothes after Labor Day as it unofficially marked the end of summer.

5.) Labor Day, celebrated in some countries as May Day or International Workers Day, started in Chicago as a protest campaign in support of the eight-hour workday. The year in which the eight-hour day was firmly established was 1916 with the passage of the Adamson Act. This was the first federal law regulating hours of workers in private companies.

While July home sales decreased slightly, homes sold at a faster rate than any month in nearly a decade, according to the August RE/MAX National Housing Report that analyzes housing data in fifty-four metro areas. July home sales declined 0.8 percent year-over-year, and the Median Sales Price of $239,950 – while slightly lower than June’s – was 7.4 percent higher year-over-year. Homes sold quickly in July, with an average forty-five Days on Market, a record low for the report.

Other notable numbers from the August 2017 RE/MAX National Housing Report include:

• Sales increased in nineteen metro areas even as home sales declined 0.8 percent compared to July 2016.
• The Median Sales Price of $239,950 was the highest for any July in the nine-year history of the report.
• Inventory dropped 14.1 percent year-over-year, with forty-six metro areas seeing fewer homes for sale or remaining unchanged. Year-over-year, inventory has declined every month since November 2008.
• Months Supply of Inventory hovered at 3.1 months, a new July low in the report.

“After a jump in home sales in May and June, it’s not unusual to see a dip in sales in July,” said Adam Contos, RE/MAX Co-CEO. “This summertime slowdown is a national trend that we sometimes see this time of year, even though this month’s decrease was razor thin. Low inventory continues to constrain the market. Successful buyers will have to be prepped and ready to act fast to purchase listings that, on average, are selling in record time.”

Want to know more about the current real estate market? Click here to download your copy of the August 2017 RE/MAX National Housing Report.

If you are looking to sell your Arizona home or are ready to buy a home in an active Arizona retirement community, please contact Sharon Mason today.