Agent hosts limo tours of available homes

Valley real estate agents are getting creative when it comes to convincing wary buyers that a down market is the perfect time to nab hot deals on homes.

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Later this month, West USA Realty agent Kent Gagon will begin hosting limousine tours of foreclosed and bank-owned houses in Chandler, Scottsdale, Gilbert and other East Valley cities.

The first tour on March 21 is open to 16 people and will visit 20 to 30 homes, ranging in price from $160,000 to $400,000 in Ahwatukee Foothills and Tempe.

Buyers must be pre-qualified by one of Gagon’s lenders.

Find more information at www.allarizonarealestate.com.

Show appeal

With more than 50,000 Valley homes for sale and competition escalating, some agents are going the high-tech route to draw buyers and sellers.

Video tours have climbed in popularity in recent years, as an alternative to virtual tours, which use still photographs. Gilbert-based Show Appeal says videos are especially effective with out-of-state buyers.

The company produces commercial and residential real estate video tours, complete with voice-over narration, and then places them on Web sites such as Realtor.com and YouTube.

The company said it has seen the various search engines generate 50 more views per week for a listing.

TOP SELLERS

The housing downturn hasn’t stopped the Valley from proving it’s still a real estate powerhouse.

Gilbert’s Power Ranch and Pinal County’s Johnson Ranch developments were recently named two of the top 10-selling master-planned communities in the nation last year, according to a survey by real estate advisory firm Robert Charles Lesser & Co.

Power Ranch came in at No. 2 with 888 sales.

Johnson Ranch ranked No. 7 with 591 sales. Peoria’s Vistancia development also made the top 10 rankings.

All three of the communities were developed by Sunbelt Holdings and will total 25,500 houses at full build-out with more than 13,000 already sold.

SERENO CANYON

In Scottsdale, a new custom home community is expanding. Crown Community Development recently picked up another 20 acres of land for its Sereno Canyon project, situated at Happy Valley Road and 122nd Street. Six more home sites will be added to the 128-lot development.

The builder has sold 11 home sites since June, with more to be released for sale in mid-2008. Sites average 2½ acres and range in price from the low $700,000s to $2 million.