Buying a Home in Scottsdale
Someone who walks the houses with you, tells you what is wrong with them, and negotiates like it is her own money.
What you actually want from a buyer's agent
Not listings. You can find those yourself, on your phone, in about four seconds.
What is genuinely hard to get is someone who has walked through several hundred houses in this valley, tells you what is wrong with the one you are standing in, and negotiates as though it were their own money.
I have sold around three hundred homes over more than twenty years here. I am a strategic advisor rather than a transactional agent, which in practice means one thing: I would rather lose a sale than watch you buy the wrong house. I have talked people out of homes they were excited about. It is the least popular part of the job and the most valuable.
Talk to me before you start looking
How I work with buyers
I walk the houses with you. Not a link in an email, not a handoff to someone else on a Saturday. Me, in the house, with you.
I say what is wrong out loud. Twenty years of walking houses means noticing what a first visit hides and a listing photo is arranged around. Which way the yard faces and what that means in July. What that addition was and whether it was permitted. Why the house has been sitting. What the repair everyone is stepping around is going to cost you.
You get ready before you look. Pre-approved, not pre-qualified, and clear on what your budget really buys here. The house people lose is almost always the one they were not ready to write an offer on. The full step-by-step is here, including what you sign before touring and exactly when your earnest money is at risk.
What happens, in order
We talk first, before any houses. What you want your days to look like, what you will not compromise on, and what your number realistically buys in the areas you are considering.
Then you get pre-approved and we put the paperwork in place. Since August 2024, a written buyer agreement is required nationally before touring a home, and it can cover a single property, a single day, or longer. What I am paid is negotiable, agreed in writing, and you will know it before you see a house.
Then we look, at fewer and better homes. When we find it we write an offer built on more than price, because timing, contingencies and structure frequently decide who wins.
Then inspection, appraisal, loan approval and closing, run so the ending is boring. Arizona closes through escrow and title, with no attorney at a settlement table.
Where I help people buy
Across Scottsdale, Fountain Hills and North Phoenix, including DC Ranch, McDowell Mountain Ranch, Grayhawk and McCormick Ranch.
Arriving from out of state? Start here instead. Outgrowing the house you are in? This covers the sequencing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you tour homes with me, or send me listings?
I walk them with you. Sending links is not the job. What is worth paying for is someone in the house with you who notices what a first visit hides and says so.
What do I need before we start looking at houses?
Pre-approval from a lender, not pre-qualification, and a written buyer agreement, which has been required nationally since August 2024 before touring a home. That agreement can cover one property, one day, or a longer period.
Would you really tell me not to buy a house I love?
Yes, and I have. I would rather lose a sale than watch someone buy the wrong home. You can overrule me, it is your decision and your money, but you will have heard the case against it first.
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Ready to make your move with Jen Keene?