We’ve moved…A new station and a new time – we’re so excited!
In this show we talk about our teams, our passions and all of the things we’re working on to support our community. Oh, and we get back to getting Ryan a date (800+ credit score ladies).
It’s an introduction of sorts for our new audience on our new station, The Fanatic (https://www.1580thefanatic.com/).
Not new to the show? You’re still going to learn something new about us and of course get in a few good chuckles. Join us!
Episode Recap
FRIENDLY TAKEAWAYS:
- Hello sports fans!
- Change your car’s fluids during the summer.
- Position your offer so that the home seller accepts it.
- Support your community.
Talking Sports Here on our New Station: The Fan
We’re excited to be on our new station, The Fan! We’ll talk cars, sports, and real estate here on this great sports station. As lifelong NY Jets fans, we’re happy to be on a sports station. Check in with us each week for our take on the NFL games, too, assuming they’re able to play this year.
Who do our teammates root for?
- Ryan Steckelberg, the mortgage expert: Iowa Hawkeyes, Northern Iowa basketball fan and the Arizona Cardinals.
- Matt Watson, State Farm Risk Advisor: Detroit Lions, his own youth wrestling and baseball teams
- PK Jordan, Divorce Mediator: Chicago Bears; huge soccer freak, especially the youth leagues
Summer Car Maintenance: Change Those Fluids
The number one maintenance thing you can do in the summer is changing your oil. Your car has nine different fluids. Changing those fluids is the best thing you can do to keep your car running. Get your car’s owner’s manual and check the fluids schedules — then divide that by half. The more you change your fluids the better your car will do. If your manual says 10,000 miles or 6 months, change it out at 5,000 miles or 3 months, whichever comes first. Even if you don’t drive your car much, you need to change those fluids.
Get to know Friendly Auto Centers, AAA Top Shop two years in a row and two-year nomination for the BBB Ethics Torch awards. We’ll take great care of your car. Plus, our work is lifetime warranty, guaranteed, including a 3-year, coast-to-coast warranty.
Ryan Steckelberg, Your Mortgage Expert
The very single Ryan Steckelberg shared his background and what they need to know about mortgages today. From Cedar Falls, Iowa, he moved to AZ twenty-five years ago and has been racking up awards and loyal customers ever since. Is the market okay? He’s done as much in the first six months this year as all of last year. His angle is making sure he is taking care of clients, getting them the right loan, and being transparent. He wants your loan to close on time. If he has to, he’ll beat builders’ own rates!
At VIP Mortgage, they have a team of fifteen, including processors and loan officers. They are all experienced and licensed.
So, what’s the deal with Quicken Loans going public? Is this like the iBuyer apps who are loyal to shareholders rather than sellers and buyers? Felecia, of Platinum Realty, is a professional, full-time Realtor who will fight for you like no app can do. You’ll save yourself so many headaches in this sellers market when you work with a seasoned pro.
How to Get Your Offer Accepted in a Sellers Market
The market is a sellers market, which means the seller has the advantage. An escalation clause puts in automatic bids up to a certain amount. We’re seeing more of these in this market.
How can you be competitive in a tough market? Five things:
- Price. Is it fair and competitive? In a market like this, buyers may pay more than appraisal.
- Cash. A mortgage is cash in 30 days, so it comes down to price either way. It does help mitigate risks of the buyer not qualifying in the end.
- Closing Date. You want this as close to the offer date as possible. 28 days is ideal, but we see 30-45 days. The key here is to know the motivation of the seller. You might need a 6-week closing date? Matching that up to your needs is key.
- Home Warranty. Don’t make this contingent on the sale, but try for it.
- Inspection. This can be the hardest part. Be ready to negotiate anything that pops up in the inspection. In this market, it is important to know what to ask for and what might kill the deal.
Later, we’ll talk about how to get your offer accepted.
Insurance for that New Home with Matt Watson
Once you buy a home, how do you get it insured properly? If you have a mortgage, you have to have insurance. But having the right insurance is important. With your car, it’s the law. The key to working with a pro like Matt Watson is that he’ll help you get the right coverages. He’ll sit down with you and understand what you’re protecting. You work hard for your home, your assets, your money. Matt will make sure that you keep all that protected — a wall of protection.
When you do business with Matt Watson State Farm, you’ll also be giving back to the community. He gave back 20% of premiums to help the community during the COVID crisis.
Using Mediation to Save Money on Divorce and Leases
PK Jordan joined the show to talk lease negotiations. She’s super grateful for this whole Drive Friendly team and how they all support each other. Matt Watson recently really came through for PK. It’s relationships like these that last and are really helpful. Ryan has helped her clients. Felecia has helped her with her real estate transactions. And of course, she takes her cars and refers her clients to Steve and Friendly Auto.
As a mediator, she wants people to know that, in divorce, COVID is either strengthening couples or breaking them apart. If things are rough, divorce may not be your only option. Look at counseling or other services to try and save the marriage. If it just won’t work, then mediation is the way to go. If you hire separate attorneys, you’re going to pay way too much for your lawyers to fight each other and drain your bank accounts.
With COVID, we’re also seeing a lot of small businesses having to decide whether or not to close their doors. You have options, and PK offers a free consultation to help you make that decision, to consider all of the options. There is likely room to negotiate your lease and save yourself thousands of dollars should you need to exit out of your lease.
We’ll dive deeper into divorce and leases with PK in later shows.
Being a Good Community Partner
Supporting the community is near and dear to the hearts of everybody on the show. All of us are business owners, and it’s important to us to give back.
- Matt Watson State Farm: Matt has always been about giving back, ever since he opened his doors. He works with Big Brothers/Big Sisters because he was a little brother growing up. That’s helped him develop his core values. He also works with the Community Alliance Against Family Abuse, College Bound, and others.
- Friendly Auto: Steve grew up in tough times, on the other side of government cheese. So he works closely with the Southwest Food Bank donating food and fixing their trucks for free. Steps to Recovery Home is another group he supports, a place that helps recovering addicts get back into the community. It’s all through a thrift store, so he finds items to donate through his U-Haul clients. Felecia also supports College Bound along with Matt. They work to help East Valley underprivileged kids to get scholarships to ASU. Last year they had 24 full-ride scholarships. This year, it looks like they’ll top 50 scholarships!
- Ryan Steckelberg: VIP Mortgage gives to Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Boys and Girls Clubs and over 20 local charities. They’re always out there feeding those who need it.
- PK Jordan: She runs the Laloboy Foundation, which provides counseling stipends to help those who need help some counselling. She will also be doing seminars on internet safety for kids. Kids are in crisis right now.
Wrap Up
Until next week, Drive Friendly Arizona!
