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Understanding Mortgage Closing Costs
Congratulations! You are prequalified for a home loan. You have been saving for a down payment, and suddenly you realize…
Real Estate Agent’s Guide to Teams
Are you considering building a team for your real estate business? What an exciting time! As popular as real estate…
How To Market Your Rental Property To Stand Out
Marketing is the key to maximizing the revenue potential for so many products, and vacation rentals are no exception. For…
Big Questions & Big Answers from Our Leader, Sarah Richardson
What do consumers want from their real estate agent? High touch and a high level of service go hand in…
Historic Preservation – What Realtors Should Know
Any Realtor who has been in the Valley over the last several years should now be well aware of the…
Understanding The Home Loan Process: AAR Purchase Contract
As a buyer, there are certain contractual obligations you must meet when purchasing a home with lender financing. In lieu…
Is Investing In A Vacation Rental A Good Idea?
Seems like an easy yes or no, right? The answer is like most, it depends. It depends on your goals,…
2021 Housing Market Update: What You Need To Know
When people see you as a leader in the real estate community, it’s common to get asked about the state…
Realtor Tips For Selling A Historic Home In Arizona
A historic home in Arizona? Almost sounds like an anomaly. Surely there is nothing old enough to be historic in…
Introducing Tru University
When I started Tru Realty back in 2010, I was shocked by the quality of trained agents in the market.…
Terms To Know Before Applying For A Mortgage
As someone who has been in the real estate industry for over 30 years, I admit, the acronyms and terminology…
Rise of The Monthly Vacation Rental
Looking to hold onto your home after you move, but nervous about renting it out? Do you wish you can…
How to Get Started in Multifamily Investing
For many individual investors, graduating from single-family rentals to multi-family properties is the next step toward generating passive income and…
Why We Developed a Seller Contingency to Adapt to Low Inventory
Year over year we are facing over 40% less inventory in the housing market than this time last year. To…
3 Tips For Buyers in a Seller’s Market
Being a buyer in today’s real estate market is a bit like competing in the Hunger Games. Sellers are receiving…
Introducing Tru Historical – a Division of Tru Realty
Tru Realty is excited to announce the launch of Tru Historical, the fifth division since the real estate company expanded…
Top 5 FAQ’s I Get Asked As A Real Estate Broker
As the Designated Broker of Tru Realty, I field quite a few questions from agents, varying from policy and compliance…
Real Estate Wholesaling During A Pandemic
Wholesaling real estate has gone virtual and now is your time to expand. The global pandemic has changed the way…
Why Hire A Manager For Your Vacation Rental?
Winter is here, which means it’s peak season for vacation rentals in Arizona. Visitors are especially drawn to the Phoenix…
Tru’s Guide To Virtual Real Estate Transactions
Wow, what a year it’s been … pandemics, social change, disputed elections, it just seemed to go on and…
Housing Market Trends: Realtors, Don’t Lose Momentum During the Holidays
Many people look forward to the holidays as a period when business slows down and more time is freed up…
Residential Real Estate Contracts 101
A real estate contract is an integral part of buying or selling a home. Its primary purpose is to…
What To Ask Your Agent When Purchasing A Luxury Home
If you are in the market to purchase a luxury home, we know you have very specific wants and…
Benefits Of Building Your Own Real Estate Team
Many successful real estate agents reach a point in their career where they feel limited by what they can…
Update on the Phoenix Commercial Sector in a COVID-19 World
You may be wondering just how the pandemic has affected the commercial aspect of the real estate market in…
Work-Life Balance For Realtors In 2020
I know it’s not necessary to go through a litany of reminders on just how this global pandemic has…
Market Outlook: Arizona is a Business-Friendly Hotspot
Arizona is known for having over 300 days of sunshine a year and great weather pretty much all year except…
How to Protect Yourself When Showing a Property
Under normal circumstances, you wouldn't let just anyone come into your house and look around. However, when you are…
What’s Really Going On With Vacation Rentals?
Now more than ever, it’s hard to keep up with the news and know exactly how the current pandemic…
5 Important Things Realtors Look For In Title Companies
At Tru Realty, we are purposefully picky when it comes to choosing our partners. One of the more critical…
Commercial Lease Considerations for Tenants in Today’s Pandemic Reality
If you are a current tenant in a commercial lease, you may be able to use some advice on…
A Tru Answer for Every Real Estate Need
At Tru Realty, we are proud of our hard earned reputation as a leading brokerage in the Valley. We have…
Moving to Arizona: A Realtor’s Guide
Are you or someone you know relocating to Arizona? If so, I want to be one of the first to…
Certain Service in Uncertain Times
It’s not uncommon to hear news reports of dire economic conditions that negatively affect the real estate market. Could the…
The Modern Real Estate Agent
Research shows that at least 80% of consumers currently seek a more positive experience with their Realtor. I am absolutely…
Tru’s Guide To Understanding Home Inspections
As a home buyer, the excitement you feel after finally finding your dream home and having it under contract is…
Tips For Buying Your First Vacation Rental Property
A vacation rental is not just an investment, it can also be an escape. Some folks enter the vacation rental…
How Our Real Estate Brokerage Uses PropTech
PropTech is changing the industry for real estate professionals. As an industry leading brokerage, Tru Realty is embracing it. It’s…
What We Look For In A Tru Agent
A career in real estate can be incredibly fulfilling and financially rewarding. The misnomer is that it’s easy. To be…
How To Price A Luxury Home For Sale
Pricing a luxury home for sale is much more complex and detailed than you might think. As with any home…
Current Trends In Commercial Real Estate
Business is booming! Commercial vacancies are lower in the Phoenix market than we’ve seen in recent years specifically for multi-family,…
What I Wish I Knew Before Starting In Real Estate
One of the greatest things about a career in real estate is that we all find our way to this…
Sarah’s Takeaways From Inman Connect NY 2020
Inman Connect New York kicked off the conference season this past January! It’s an exciting time of year when real…
7 Steps To Get Organized: Realtor Edition
As a real estate agent - the level organization, attentiveness, and attention to detail you put forth can make or…
Introducing Tru Vacation Rentals
Tru Realty is ready to announce the launch of Tru Vacation Rentals. This exciting initiative will be led by Director…
Sarah’s Market Predictions For 2020
Being the best real estate brokerage in Phoenix means you can’t rest on your laurels. At Tru Realty, we stay…
What You Need To Know Before Leasing Commercial
While leases can vary widely from one property to the next, there are several types of leases that are commonly…
Tru Vision in 2020
As we wind down the year, I am nearly overwhelmed with so many different feelings. Maybe it’s the time of…
How to Become a Successful Luxury Real Estate Agent
There are several things to consider when making the transition into selling luxury real estate. Being a luxury agent is…
Realtors: Before You Give Up, Read This
To me, there’s never been a more exciting time to be a real estate agent. The landscape is as competitive…
The Mindset of a Top-Producing Agent
Whether you’re just getting started in real estate or a Tru veteran in the industry, people and relationships are your…
The Kind of Real Estate Agent You Want To Be
Scenario 1: Imagine you are working with a buyer who has decided to write an offer on a listing that…
We’re Better, It’s Tru
At Tru Realty, we strive to stand out in what is arguably the most crowded, most competitive industry in the…
Metro Phoenix is a Magnet for Small Investors
Living in Metro Phoenix, announcements from companies establishing or expanding their operations here seem as constant as the Arizona sunshine.…
Commercial Real Estate Financing Options
Brokers and bankers are more likely to approve a business loan if your business has a history of profits stemming…
The Power of Mentorship for Success in Real Estate
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” -African Proverb. A common…
Like My Post to Be a Better Agent
In order to keep up with this rapidly changing and competitive industry that is real estate, agents have adapted to…
Sell Homes, Not Legal Advice
In an effort to provide the very best service to our clients and to continually educate our agents to be…
The Simplest Way to Sell Your Home: iBuyers vs Traditional
One of the more inconvenient aspects of buying a new home—and offloading the old one—is lining up the move-in and…
How To Win At Choosing An Investment Property
It's important to understand property class and area class before diving into commercial real estate investing. Understanding how property class…
3 Ways Real Estate Agents Can Stand Out From The Crowd
The real estate industry is competitive. There’s no question about it. Buyers are competing with offers, investors are trying to…
Arizona Is Growing, The U.S. Is Watching
Recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau revealed that for the third year in a row, Maricopa County had the…
Things Are Heating Up At Tru Realty
As a real estate agent, there is really no other brokerage that I’d rather be affiliated with than Tru Realty.…
What Is Tenant Representation?
Tenant representative brokers are exactly what the name entails. We represent the tenant and handle this aspect of commercial real…
Is The Real Estate Industry Recession-Proof This Time Around?
With the possibility of a recession looming, the leadership team at Tru Realty is starting to look at what the…
Tips For Working With Real Estate Investors
As real estate agents, we understand that the number one goal for our investor clients is to generate a return…
Let’s Talk Diversity in the Real Estate Workplace
With the media on high alert, it seems like the topic of diversity and inclusion in the workplace has been…
Why Being An Attorney Makes Me A Better Real Estate Agent
I fell in love with real estate over ten years ago. No, not from watching HGTV or because it’s in…
A Quick Sale With A Better Customer Experience
When you’ve been waiting at a stoplight at a busy intersection, perhaps you’ve noticed a handwritten sign tacked to a…
Social Media For Real Estate Agents: 3 Tips To Refine Your Reach
When I decided to focus my social media strategy a little over a year ago, I was able to build…
Make Focus Your Foundation
In real estate, it’s important that you don’t get yourself bogged down on just a couple buyers or sellers. It’s…
Real Estate Tools for Success
I’ve always maintained that new real estate agents need only a few important traits and a couple of important tools…
Announcing Tru Commercial, A Division of Tru Realty
Tru Realty is excited to announce the launch of Tru Commercial, a division of Tru Realty that will be headed…
Real Estate Success Begins with your Support Team
As a real estate agent, you are often times the one person responsible for all aspects of what is a…
Use Emotional Intelligence to Enhance Your Real Estate Career
Within the last decade, emotional intelligence has been recognized as a defining characteristic of effective leadership and business success. Today…
Painting the Picture Through Real Estate Staging
In previous posts, we discussed the importance of designing and presenting spaces that reflect the lifestyle of the home’s most…
Our Key To Success In 2018
As business owners, we are taught to constantly look ahead, be prepared, alter strategies and perfect our tactics. The end…
No Stale Listings
As a professional Realtor, you can never let one of your listings lag. If you are doing your job right…
Understanding the Needs and Desires of Luxury Home Buyers
Paradise Valley is often considered the epicenter of luxury real estate in the Phoenix area. This is due primarily to…
Be Thankful Real Estate Agents
On Thanksgiving, we take time to reflect on the many things we are thankful for in our lives. There are…
Tru’s Secret To Closing More Deals
Real estate agents both new and established are always looking for ways to attract more buyers, get more listings, and…
Luxury Real Estate Marketing Best Practices
The Difficulties With Luxury Real Estate Marketing The term luxury has become a diluted adjective in our real estate industry.…
The WHY Behind Being A Successful Real Estate Agent
It’s unfortunate but often times real estate agents can end up not having the best “rep” with the consuming public.…
Renovating Historic Homes in Phoenix, Arizona
Have you ever dreamed of remodeling a classic brick bungalow built in the 1920’s? A Tudor? A Hacienda? You are…
Finding Sellers And Winning Their Business
Successful real estate professionals understand the wide array of skills needed to sustain and grow your business. I honestly can’t…
The Future of Blockchain in Real Estate
Being the owner of a leading real estate brokerage in Phoenix has a tremendous amount of upside. Up until now,…
Tru’s Guide to Finding the Best Neighborhoods in Scottsdale
Are you thinking about a move to the beautiful city of Scottsdale? This architecturally diverse suburb of Phoenix has a…
Starting Your Real Estate Business Plan for 2019
It’s hard to believe that it’s already August and this year will be wrapping up in four short months. Maybe…
Hosting A Summer Open House in Phoenix
In the Phoenix real estate market, open houses are a great way to get more buyers into your home, create…
Creating A Sales Pitch For Real Estate Agents
As real estate agents, we essentially own and operate our own businesses. Yes, it’s advantageous for us to be affiliated…
Making The Right Connections at Inman
It’s Inman Connect week. I’m thrilled for a busy week in San Francisco giving speeches, networking, and sharing knowledge with…
Why You Need a Realtor When Buying Newly Built Homes
There are lots of people who just love to tour model homes. As a realtor and an interior designer, I…
The Benefits of Playing Fair in Real Estate
Some may think of real estate as a fast-paced, cutthroat business where only those with enormous egos and a blatant…
Our #1 Trait For Real Estate Agents
When I’m out bumping around town keeping the designated broker world going around and properly distanced from the sun, I…
How I Found The Best Phoenix Real Estate Brokerage
It's all very serendipitous! It took me a few years of not really knowing what I TRU-ly needed in a…
Improving Our Agents With Daily Real Estate Training
At Tru Realty we take a multi-faceted approach to our real estate agent training program. This allows us to impact…
Establishing A Proper Work-Life Balance
A career in real estate can be challenging. It literally is a career that allows you to work as hard…
Tru’s Guide To Phoenix Real Estate Wholesaling
Real estate wholesaling is a business strategy similar to fix and flipping homes. However, there are some important differences between…
Are You Buying A Home Or Buying A Deal?
As a leading real estate brokerage in Arizona, Tru Realty has a responsibility to our clients and our realtors to…
Our Open-Minded Real Estate Agent Training
As a somewhat typical woman from the Midwest, I'd like to say I'm a fairly open-minded person. I think it…
How To Determine The Price of Homes For Sale In Phoenix
When getting ready to sell a home, there are several things you need to take into consideration. Here are the…
Tru’s Guide To Real Estate: Seller’s or Buyer’s Market?
In a highly competitive Phoenix real estate market that regularly sees thousands of new listings each month, the agents at…
Taking Pride In Our Diverse Workforce
Tru Realty has put diversity at the forefront of our corporate structure. It certainly doesn’t hurt to start at the…
Learning Beyond Real Estate School
The lure of independence and freedom to work on my own drove me to the real estate industry. At the…
Mastering The Art of Client Communication
Training real estate agents to be industry differentiators is a key responsibility that I have for the Tru Realty brand.…
Creating A Client-Centric Real Estate Brokerage
The typical consumer does not care how many awards you have listed in your email signature, on your business card,…
The Military Principle That Made Me A Better Real Estate Agent
I didn't learn how to be on time, how to be honest, or the value of completing a task with…
The 3 Things That Hold Up A Real Estate Transaction
For those of us in the real estate profession, I think we would all agree that our clients sometimes don’t…
Real Estate Leadership Grows From Within
The Tru Realty brand has staked an innovative position in the crowded and competitive industry that is the Phoenix real…
How I Used Facebook & My Brokerage To Build My Personal Brand
If you would have asked me a year ago how to use Facebook to perpetuate my personal real estate brand…
Becoming An Excellent Real Estate Listing Agent
At Tru Realty, we work to develop each and every skill set a real estate agent needs to have in…
Staying Tru To Your Real Estate Branding
Founded in 2010, Tru Realty was a labor of love for me personally. It was important for me to create…
Our Real Estate Training for the Home Buying Process
At Tru Realty, we take a comprehensive approach to the real estate sales process. Our real estate agent training not only addresses…
Enhancing Your Personal Touch Using Real Estate Technology
Not all real estate brokerages are created equal … the same can be said for realtors and the technology that…
Real Estate Relationships Aren’t Engineered
“Only a life lived in the service to others is worth living.”- Albert Einstein Like many people in the real…
The Three Reasons Why Our Real Estate Agents Flourish
When you obtain your real estate license from the ASREB, you are getting more than the legal validation required to…
Finding My One Tru Love
I love my job. I mean day in and day out, being the principal of a leading brokerage in the…
Your ‘Why’ Is Not Enough to Succeed
It’s a question I get asked quite often, “What have I done to become a leading realtor in the Phoenix…
The Tools Needed To Differentiate Yourself in Real Estate
I get asked all the time about what makes our real estate company in Scottsdale different from other brokerages. This…
Reflecting on Inman Connect 2017
It was the great Ernest Hemingway who once said, “write drunk, edit sober.” Having just spent a week at Inman…
Tru’s Guide To Real Estate: Managing Expectations
A realtor will wear many hats during a typical real estate transaction. At Tru Realty, we understand that a purchase…
Are Uber-like Brokers Worth Working For?
Uber has been in the headlines lately for all the wrong reasons. In case you’ve been selling caves instead of…
Tru’s Time Management Tips for Real Estate Agents
At Tru Realty, we're 100% committed to being successful, not only as a brokerage but making each and every one…
Is Your Broker Really Tech Savvy?
The Phoenix real estate market is most certainly a noisy one with almost every brokerage saying they use “advanced technology…
Not All Real Estate Agent Training Programs Are Created Equal
Just recently we had a realtor referred to us as a good fit for our brokerage. When we met, it…
Why Every Phoenix Realtor Needs Accountability Coaching
In order to be successful in real estate, you need a great deal of things. Brokerages provide some of those…
Tru’s Technology Advantage
How does technology make you a better realtor? This month we’ll cover a few ways that Tru Realty uses technology…
Phoenix Homebuyer’s Guide: 8 Tips to Remember
Phoenix homebuyers have a lot more than pricing to consider when purchasing a home; school districts, location, sun exposure and amenities…
Opening The Door To A Positive Mindset
In the business of Phoenix real estate, it is imperative that you possess a positive mindset. I say this knowing…
Success Is Yours To Be Had
There is no doubt that starting a career in Phoenix real estate can be challenging. Here in Arizona, there seems…
From Listing Homes To Lasting Relationships
You can simplify real estate by dividing it into two primary tasks; buying and selling. I personally enjoy both as…
Rise Above The Noise with an Investor’s Mindset
I was reading an article recently that reminded me how tough it can be for new agents just out of…
Our Most Valuable Investment
The increase in the number of agents coupled with the proliferation of technology has had a less than positive effect…
Company on Fire – Looking for Fire Starters!
The team here at Tru Realty wants to take a pause as we start 2017. It’s important to us to…
What Makes the Phoenix Real Estate Market Number One in 2017
Recently, realtor.com projected Phoenix as the nation’s hottest real estate market for 2017. At Tru Realty we are excited for…
Top Spots to Enjoy Phoenix Fall Weather
With the cooler temperatures of fall finally upon us, it’s time to get out and enjoy the best weather that…
The Tools Needed To Succeed In Phoenix Real Estate
Leading a group of aspiring realtors is a rewarding yet difficult task. Many new realtors are coming out of real…
6 Tips Every First Time Homebuyer Should Know
When it comes to buying your first home, the process can be overwhelming at times. Here at Tru Realty we…
4 Smart Home Features That Can Increase the Value of Your Home
At Tru Realty, we’ve taken notice of how important technology is to home buyers in the Arizona real estate market.…
The Making of a “Tru” Real Estate Agent
I feel like I’m overstating the obvious when I say that the Phoenix real estate market is extremely competitive. In my…
Tru Gives Back
At Tru Realty, we want to support our community by giving back. Often times, finding the right cause that has…
A Better World = A Better Brokerage
At Tru Realty, we are constantly looking at ways to use technology to better serve our clients. As our industry continues…
Ways To Protect Your Home While On Summer Vacation
Chris and I just got back from a much needed, overdue vacation in Colorado. We had a great time with…
How Social Media Has Skewed the Broker-Agent Relationship
As technology and social media have become more ingrained in our lives, so has our ability to turn to them…
A Tru Story by Sarah C. Richardson
From the grand opening of the brand new Tru Realty offices... "In business, I find that the better I know…
3 Tips for Getting to Know Your Neighbors in Phoenix
One of the factors involved in feeling truly comfortable in your community is the relationships that you'll been able to…
4 Financial Benefits of Home Ownership in Arizona
Home ownership may be one of the most common goals of adulthood, but there’s many benefits of home ownership and why…
Buying a Home in Arizona? Technology Is Your Friend
Tru Realty wants to be a resource to you need when buying a home in Arizona. We see both technology…
How To Get Ready for an Open House
You see them every weekend … open house signs. If you are selling a home in Arizona, your realtor may…
A Tru Look at Arizona Real Estate
Our Take On The Arizona Real Estate Market National data suggests that 2016 will be housing’s best year in a decade.…
Using The Internet to Help Sell a Home in Arizona
Using The Internet to Help Sell a Home in Arizona If you are trying to sell a home in Arizona there…
How to Determine the Price of Your Home
How to Determine the Price of Your Home Your friends at Tru Realty know that selling a home in Arizona…
Reduce Your Monthly Mortgage Payments
Follow These Tips to Reduce Your Monthly Mortgage Payments At Tru Realty, we realize that buying a home is most…
5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Home’s Curb Appeal
In Arizona, listing your home in a real estate market that is both competitive and fluid can lead to some…
Get Ahead In Real Estate By Embracing Technology
Like everything else in our world, technology has had a significant impact on the real estate industry. Websites and apps…
Check Your Real Estate Agent’s References
Four Excellent Reasons You Should Check Your Real Estate Agent’s References and Testimonials Checking Your Real Estate Agent’s References…
3 Improvements for An Energy Efficient Home
An Energy Efficient Home An energy efficient home is on the top of everyone’s wish list whether you are buying,…
Amazing Listing Photos Start With These 5 Simple Tips!
At Tru Realty, our team knows what it takes to be excellent in real estate sales. It requires us to…
Determining How Much of a Home You Can Afford
If you are first time home buyer or looking to buy a new home, Tru Realty wants to help you…
It’s All in the Title
Buying a new home is usually an exciting time in the lives of our clients. As realtors we want that…