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Small Town Living and Real Estate in Yavapai County with Kirsten Olson (Part 1)

Judith:[00:00:00] Well, today I am here with my lovely friend, Ms. Kirsten Olson. And if you've ever wondered about Yavapai title in Yavapai County, which is where the Verde Valley's located, we are gonna talk all about that today. So stay tuned. Kirsten is going to share everything she knows. Oh my gosh and more now so with that being said, I just wanna go back, just so you guys know, I met Kirsten, oh gosh.

When I first moved up here. Yeah. Up north. And I was in Prescott. Yeah. And I was doing property management and I'm not exactly sure 'cause Kirsten would drive around and deliver commission checks. Oh yeah. Yeah. And I think that's how I originally met you was you were delivering commission checks or something, I don't remember.

And I wanted to market myself. Yes, yes. At this [00:01:00] property management company. That's where I started, was in property management. And Kirsten was so sweet and she, she volunteered to help me with my marketing and she helped me put together, I think my first, postcard. Postcard, yeah. My first, mailing mailings, mail.

Got your labels, everything. Yes, my labels, all these kind of stuff. And I was just reaching out to homeowners well landlords and tenants that I was working with, and I just wanted them to know who I was, and that's how Kirsten and I met. And then we just sort of kept connected. We talking, just kept going.

Yeah. Yeah. We should, we just became friends. We friends. That's best. Put lot of copy later. Yes, yes, yes. We did just keep going. And so, basically she and I have become very good friends. Yes. And, she's always been very supportive of me in my changes with real estate because I've been with one brokerage.

Then I switched to my current brokerage, my [00:02:00] home group, which I love. And in the interim. Kirsten's been there helping me with marketing and that's one of the things that the title agencies do for us, is helping real estate agents with marketing. So let's talk about that a little bit. Tell me what do you do for us to make us look good?

Well, it's very interesting because you do have laws and everything else that we have to follow under the guidelines for. So what in Yavapai County that we can do is we do help with creating postcards. We do have printers that will print them and they charge for it, but we do have access to all the homeowners in the area.

Ah, and we get that data from Yavapai County. So we can go to an agent and say, you wanna look at non-owner occupied, you wanna look at owner occupied. We can pull all that data. We usually do it in a label format. Sometimes they want it in Excel. Then we can go ahead and send it to the printer. They can print 'em right on the postcards, or we can give you labels, and that's usually one of the things that we do.

A lot of the [00:03:00] stuff you and I spent time talking over was technology. Yes. In our industry, it's continuously growing in the technology. Yes. And so. That never stops. No, that does not stop. And I have to say that that's part of the reason that you are seeing us on YouTube is that we have to be where you are.

If, if you're on YouTube, then we need to be there. I wanna be where you guys are and I wanna address your questions and concerns. Part of the reason that I'm talking with Kirsten isn't just 'cause she's my friend. She is, and I love her dearly. but Yavapai title is my favorite title. Agency, I, I, it is, they are wonderful.

They have offices everywhere that I do business and I try to be really conscientious of if somebody's closing on a house in Camp Verde, I use the Camp Verde Yavapai title office and the title agents there. If they're [00:04:00] in Sedona. Yeah, I use that one. Yeah. So I try to be location specific because it makes it easier for the seller usually.

Yes. 'cause their house is there. So, and it makes it sometimes easier for the buyer because that's where they're gonna be buying a house, and they may or may not have already moved there. But I just try to support the different offices right where the house is. So, so I have a lot, they have a lot of locations.

They, we are the largest in Yavapai County. So let's talk about, we actually have one in Camp Verde, one in Sedona, one in Cottonwood office, and then over on the other side of the mountain. So if you're not familiar, you have Jerome over there, and then probably the mountain just breaks us. Yes, the Mingus Mountains.

We have one in Prescott Valley, one in office in Prescott, one on Montezuma, one at Prescott Lakes and one in Chino. So we are the largest title company in Yavapai County. But that's not, I love that. All we are, I love that because we have a sister company. Which is Pioneer title. Oh yes. I use Pioneer title too.

And so we are the largest in the state. Oh wow. See [00:05:00] I was just told that Yes, I did not know that. I didn't know that either. I just learned it. Oh well. And now I feel better because I do use Pioneer title. Yeah. Quite often, often as well. so now I feel better 'cause they're sister agencies. Yeah. Yeah. I'm very loyal to my allegiances.

Yeah. and Yavapai title has been around how long? 61 years. Yavapai title is a locally owned and operated with local employees, that live in the communities that they work, which is really a benefit because some of the larger ones aren't familiar with our land and in our land here especially. Oh yes. In my area, which I work in the Prescott area, we have mining claims and we were an old mining town, so some of our CCNRs say that you can't have single women.

You can't tell. Did you hear that? Say that again. You're not allowed to have single women in your subdivision. You're not allowed to have black people in your subdivision either. Granted, these CCNRs cannot be enforced, but back when they were created in the 18 [00:06:00] hundreds was a different time. But Yavapai title's been around since 1964.

We are the oldest title company in the community. Wow. I love that. I love that. And you used to work, you've been in the title agency world how long? 30 years. Whew. I know. I'm so sorry. Makes me feel so good. It just makes, I love it. I love it. I know, but that just, what the, the reason I asked was not to embarrass Miss Kirsten, but

to point out that she has a lot of knowledge, a lot of experience, and that's why I wanted to do the little chat with her. Oh, you're so, because she understands. Title agency. She understands the needs of our buyers and sellers here. Oh yeah. In this county. This is a massive county. This county covers. We are the largest county.

Yeah. In the state. In the state, yeah. Okay. So now, again, [00:07:00] most of my business, now I, I'm really trying to stick to the Verde Valley side, but. I have a love for the Prescott side 'cause that's where I started. And I like that. So when I say I cover a large territory, it's not just Verde Valley, it's all of Yavapai County.

Which, where does it go to and from? I don't even know for sure. So our borders in Yavapai County, part of Sedona is in Coconino, which is like the Flagstaff area. That's a different county. And then part of it is Yavapai County. And then we go to, like, gosh, I wanna say. Parts of Wickenburg Congress down there.

Oh really? That far? Yeah, that far. Wow. Yeah, so it's very How about how far down? 17 to Black Canyon City. Okay. You go down to black. Okay. That's us still. Yeah. So like all court junction, that's part of us now going north. I'm not, I know we have Ash Fork. I'm not sure where we go Seligman wise. You're in Seligman?

I'm pretty sure. 'Cause I, I've done a, is that still Yavapai County? Okay. I'm sure that's, I'm not sure where that border [00:08:00] is because I did a, I did a, transaction in Seligman and I'm pretty sure that was still Yavapai County. So then that's got a. Yeah. Border two. Yeah. That's gotta be Kingman area. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Which is, you know, I mean, it's, it's huge. It's huge. So, you know, just, I, I don't cover all of that anymore. It's a lot of driving. It's a lot of driving. Yeah. I mean, it, it is from my house to Seligman one way is two hours. And honestly, I don't feel that I'm serving my clients. As well when I am not as familiar with the area.

Yeah, no, I agree with you. and that I can't be as, right on top of things as quickly. Right. Because that's a whole day right. Of my time, two hours out, two hours back, whatever I'm doing there. Right. And that's it. So a, a lot of times I may know the area, but I may choose to have someone else work that

listing or that transaction, that buyer. That's smart. That's very smart. It's just, I think that's just being [00:09:00] respectful. Yeah. To my people. So one of the things that I like about Yavapai title is that they give my clients both sellers and buyers discounts. My gosh. So you wanna, gosh, talk about that. Who, what kind of, who gets discounts?

Wow, there's a long list. so we, well have, we have time. Go for it. We are regulated by the state banking and so therefore, in state insurance we actually have filed rates and for our filed rates, we have discounts for seniors. We have discounts for first responders, discounts for, non-profits.

Discounts for, vets. Vets, of course. Yeah. Which you always love that. Which I love that, that you love that because I have, most of my clients are veterans. Yeah. You have a big heart for veterans. I do. and we have discounts, I think for first time home buyers. yeah. Repeat buyers. Oh yeah. You do have one for repeat ones and for investors.

Investors, yeah. So yeah, there's, I know there's a lot of'em and usually we can [00:10:00] find a discount. Now, granted, you can't combine all the discounts. You can get one or the other. Sorry. Yeah. I wish could, but No. Yeah, yeah, I know. But they, but they do work. You really work very diligently to try and find what fits best.

So you've got, you know, you've got military discounts. Yes. You've got veteran discounts. You've got, I mean, I think they even do retired military. They might, I'm not sure. there's another one that, because that one previous companies wouldn't, wouldn't do teachers. Yeah, they do. Teachers. Teachers.

That's huge. Teachers get a discount. That's huge. Any, any first responders and that includes fire police, EMT, nurses, usually nursing, doctors, not so much doctors. Sorry, doctors. Yes. Sorry. Apparently, apparently they're in a different tax bracket. Sorry, I don't know why, but anyway, there you go. But yeah, that's one of the other reasons that I love using Yavapai title is because I am always watching out for my clients.

I want my sellers and my buyers to not spend any money. They [00:11:00] don't need to because buying and selling a house is expensive. Stressful. And it's, it's, and stressful. Very stressful. So whenever I can bring some discounts to the table. Yes. by using a title agency that Yes. Acknowledges my clients and what they are.

And. We can take a little bit off. It, it helps. It helps. It helps every bit, helps. Our economy right now is a little stressful for people. And so, you know what, if we can make it a little bit easier, let us, please let us, absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. And that's kind of the thing that, I also like working with Yavapai title.

Every one of the title agents I've ever worked with has just been absolutely so great. That's awesome. They, they, they communicate well, they follow up, they, stay in touch with my clients either side, and they, and they just make it so easy. And when my clients have questions, they are very good at explaining the answers.

Well, yeah. They're especially title questions with first time home buyers. Oh, that. [00:12:00] You get this little list and it says, here are all the ways that you can take title on your property. And they just call me and I'm like, you need to call your title agent. Well, and here's the thing, truthfully be told by law, you can't tell 'em.

We can't tell 'em. We can just give them the information, explanation and, and ah, yeah. Okay. So we're, by law, we're not attorney, so we. Ah, good to know. Yeah. Well, it describes on there. It does. You can kind of read it. It does, and figure it out. But I mean, you can give examples and I give examples. Will it be like this or this?

Or this or that. Well, and I tell 'em, this is what I do. This is for me and my husband, or this is what we normally see. Right. But it really depends on Yeah, yeah. What your example might be. Correct. And so it's like, I can't really tell you 'cause I don't know. Honestly, we can't tell them which one to pick. No.

Because we don't know. And nor is it any of our business, what your relationship with your people that may be on the loan and or not on the loan, but you want on title. Correct. So we don't know what their estate's gonna be, how they wanna [00:13:00] plan it. We don't e Exactly. And that's exactly, and really when it comes back to taking title, that's where it comes from is, is if I was to pass, what, what do I want my estate to do?

And that's why we can't, so we usually tell 'em to talk to an attorney or their CPA because of That's true. That's very true. You made me think of a question there. Oh my goodness. Um.

I do that too. I forget what I, I, I'm sorry. I forget. Okay. Well, because I'm listening, we'll come back to it. Yeah. Okay. So that's why I didn't remember it, because I was listening to what you said. So that's a good cue. I have good listening skills. Good for you. Because I was focusing on what she was saying.

No, you come back and I. Go. Just text me tonight at 10. It's okay. Answer. Yeah, I'll do, I'll do that. What was that, what I'm talking about? Let's incorporate that. so yeah, so I like that. And, the agents, the title agents are great and they're very seasoned. Yes. You know what, that's something that you, you don't see, although across the board and depending on where you're coming from in the country [00:14:00] is some of, we do have escrow officers and we do have title officers and the escrow officers handle the paperwork.

The title officers actually verify the properties. Free and clear and can transfer, but our escrow officers are usually about, I'm gonna say 15 to 20 years of experience. Wow. Which is not common. That is amazing. And sometimes you have some that have like 10 or 15. It, it's just a different level of experience.

Understanding, which is huge in our industry because we do have clients coming from other areas of the country. Yes. Who don't understand how our state runs for escrow and title. Yeah. Okay. So there's two things. Uh oh, you got you. But here's the one. No, no, no. So the one I remember what it was is that you were talking about that they do title research.

Yeah. So what kind of things could people run into that might interfere with. With title, transfer of title. Oh, tell me a horror story. Okay? Because I'm telling you, they're out there and I pray every time I get something with land, I go, please, dear Lord, don't let me have any [00:15:00] title issues. Well, okay, so one that's happened

somewhat recently is in the Prescott area. Our demographic is older and so oftentimes people will come here to retire. They love our seasons, they love our outdoor activities, our golf, all of that. and I'm sorry to say, but you know, sometimes they passed. And so we had a situation where mom and dad both passed and it went into the kids as beneficiary.

There were eight children. And in trying to get all eight to sign off on it and go to probate and everything else, we started having the siblings pass on. Oh my God. So, no way. Which then in turns, what happens is that not only do you have to have mom and dad's estate tell you who's supposed to get the proceeds.

But from that, if the proceeds are supposed to be divided out between eight siblings and one of the siblings pass away, then that needs to go to probate to tell us what, because really what escrow is [00:16:00] here in our state is we're instruction takers. We're a neutral third party, and we take instructions. It can become a nightmare.

So, yes, Scott, I'm gonna, sorry, sorry. I would, if that were, if that were my transaction, I would have nightmares. I mean, oh, the poor escrow officer was so frustrated. Awful. Yeah. I mean, oh my God. The likelihood of that happening, thankfully, is very slim. Very, very slim. Wow. That's crazy. Yeah. that is crazy.

We generally, and in our, in our state, it's very interesting. You don't have to sell property that has access. You have to disclose it on your preliminary title report or your commitment for title. if you do or you don't, and in your Verde Valley area. We had a title officer who said, there is access, which means that you can get to the property.

What they failed to recognize was that there was a big ravine that you couldn't get your car through and how they were technically get Yes and watch. And [00:17:00] her reaction, how they technically could get to the property was not the legal access. The legal access was going through this ravine and coming out the other side, which you couldn't do with four wheel drive.

You couldn't do it with any kind of vehicle. Hmm. And then it became an issue because. It was not viable. And so yeah, that's what we do. I love it. I love it because if there's no access, there has to be an easement, and an easement means. That basically you have to have the property surveyed, and depending on how it's set up, you're gonna have some neighbors and you may have to have the neighbors agree that they will give you a portion of their property to use to get from their property to your property, and you can see it go 10 or 11 neighbors that you're driving through their property to get to yours.

Yeah, it can become very cumbersome. It can become very drawn out. Sometimes legal counsel gets involved. Definitely a surveyor, because they create the legal description on that easement. Oh yeah. On that little easement. Yeah. Yep, yep. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Well, [00:18:00] and that actually is not that unusual. Not here, here because.

We're so, we're rural, we're very now, in another one of my videos, Verde Valley activities, you'll see that one, you can go look for it. I talk about it being a rural area, but we're not like boring here. When I grew up, I grew up in a town of 700 people. Oh gosh. No. There was nothing to do. No, I mean, seriously, there was nothing to do unless you drove at least an hour.

And that was sketchy even so, I mean, I grew up in the middle of nowhere. This is not that kind of No rural, no. This is rural and there's big pieces of land. Yeah. But there is something to do usually within 30 minutes of where you live or less. Oh gosh, yeah. And it's a very active community, even though there's a lot of retirees who live here.

It's an extremely active community. Yeah. Verde Valley is very active. The Prescott side, I mean, I come over to the Prescott side all the time because [00:19:00] I love the activities here. I don't wanna, I'm not the person who just goes, you know, 10 miles in their neighborhood and goes home. I'm like, if it's within an hour, I will do it.

So Well, and here's the thing. I don't know if you know, we send out a calendar of events Yes. Every month. Let, let's talk about that. That's, this is, that's just what's happening here. Okay. But we send out a calendar of events of what's happening in Yavapai County to list off all of the stuff that's going on.

It's usually way over packed because when you take our side and the Verde Valley side and you, there's so much going on all the time. And that's, and you send that out once a month or once a week? A month. Once a month. Yeah. We do. Do you should go to once a week? Well, we do a video. We do a video on social of just what's going on that weekend.

Okay. And then we start highlighting a couple things, but like, we're in fall. So you had the pumpkin fest going on? Oh yeah. I think, oh yeah. That's so gorgeous right now. Oh, I know. And then the sweet corn and, and your area. Oh my gosh. You guys have the best farms over there. Oh my gosh. That is where you go for produce.

Yes. Do, if you haven't done a video, that's where you gotta go. Yes, we, we do. We have great produce. We have [00:20:00] farms on the Verde Valley side and what I will do, because you said you do a video. Yeah. We'll put your link to social media. Okay. And we'll obviously refer to Oh thanks Yavapai title and here so you can all like know all about Kirsten and Yavapai title and how to connect with them through social media and things like that.

Yeah. Because I think that one of the things that is really important for people. To know that are considering living here is activities. Oh, gotcha. What do you do here? Oh, gotcha. And I always say, if you're not doing something and you're bored, if you're bored, it's 'cause you're not trying to do anything.

No. You're not trying No. To find things to do. No. and like I said, I'll just refer back to the video that I did on activities in Verde Valley because. That's just a little tiny, tiny little nugget out there. Well, it changes with the seasons out. Exactly. Exactly. And that's the wonderful thing. It's not the same old stuff.

It changes Yes. Continuously. Yes, exactly. And that's one of the things that I like about living [00:21:00] here, is the seasons. Now the other thing, I'm gonna talk to Kirsten about Uhhuh. It's not Yavapai title. She's not told me any of these questions, so she's winging it. So am bear with me. Bear with you. Okay. What do you got?

How long have you lived here? Oh my gosh. My parents moved up here back in the mid seventies, early seventies. So our 4th of July parade, which some of you may have known about our oldest rodeo, used to have a lot of horses. Oh, we didn't have a lot of vehicles. Not that they weren't, I mean, there were, but we just had a lot of horses.

Yeah, it was a lot of horses. But no, I've been here since the seventies. I graduated high school here. Okay. Okay. No, no. That's why I'm waiting for you to ask when. No, no, no. We're not gonna do that. We're not gonna, we're not going to do that promise. Thank you. You can Google her if you really wanna know.

Kirsten Olsen. KI rt. Oh, Mant man. There you go. Oh man. So anyway, the reason I asked is that you know [00:22:00] this area extremely well. Yeah. Oh yeah. You know, the people, you're well connected. you know, and, and here's the funny thing is that you focus mainly on the Prescott side. Yes. And, but that doesn't mean you don't know everybody on the Verde Valley side.

No, no, no. It's one big. Company, one big happy family. Yeah, and And I have a counterpart over there. Well, actually I have two. Lucy Estrada. Yes. I've worked with many years at a former company, and then we just hired a new gal, Shannon, oh, I have not met her yet. Shannon Murphy, and she's been working in that area over there.

I haven't met her. For years. Okay. Years. Yeah. Okay, cool. But if you haven't gone to the Verde Valley, you definitely need to do Old Town Cottonwood. Oh yeah. I love Old Town Cottonwood. I love We're doing Walk on the Main Walk On the Main tomorrow. Are you? Oh, the food is to die for. I'm just telling you right now.

We have good food over there. They have amazing food. I mean, literally, I will drive from here to go to lunch over there. I mean, that's really [00:23:00] bad. Where would you like to go? We haven't had lunch together in a while. They do that today, but hey. Yeah, yeah, yeah. and then my parents love your trains. Oh yeah.

Yeah. 'cause you have the Verde Valley train. Yes. And then you have the Blazing El Ranch. Oh, yeah. I talked about both of those in the Verde Valley activity. That, those are amazing things. And for a community that is not a metropolitan area, it is awesome that you guys have this. Now we don't have any trains over here.

Mm-hmm. We have no trains. We have no Blazing El Ranch. No. No, we're not. Yeah, we have, we have car shows. You have car shows. They have more car shows, which I do like. Yeah. And, and things. You can also Williams Yes. Is still, Williams is still in Yavapai County. Yes. And they have the train that goes out of Oh, of Williams to the Grand Canyon.

Yes. That's like a whole day thing. That's gonna be polar express come winter. Ooh. Yeah. So all the people that have little kids or wanna go get cocoa Yeah. They give them bells. Cool. And the Williams one? Yeah. Or the Verde Valley one. Because they do a Polar Express [00:24:00] for Verde Valley. Do they? Do they? Yes.

Okay. I didn't know that. I knew they did the one in Williams. Yeah, I didn't know that. Yes, they do. They do. I'm like, I'm not going on that with them little kids. I'm just kidding. I go the Champagne wine one. Right. The chocolate and wine. That's another name. Oh, that's the video that you post? Oh yeah. Meat drunk on champagne and chocolate.

This is a great train. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry, we digress. Sorry. We digress. But that's what friends do. So I, I have to say, I mean, part of the reason that, I wanted, Kirsten is number one, she's my guest. Very good friend. Oh, and she's funny. Oh gosh, I'm not sure. She's funny. She does videos all the time. She posts funny things all the time.

She is the marketing person for Yavapai County. Yavapai title. Title, sorry. County in y. Caba County. Yeah. Yavapai title in Yavapai County. Oh my God, yes. When I first came here, I did not how to know how to say that word. No. A lot of people have a hard time with that. I like, how do you, it's, here's the thing, is this not true or what?

You've [00:25:00] lived here a long time. Yeah. You have to look at a sign and you have to go, is this English? Spanish or Native American, native American. And here's, and that's how you can figure out how to pronounce things. And here's the funny thing and, and you guys will do it too, you'll look at the sign, 'cause Yavapai is spelled Y-A-V-A-P-A-I and most people are like, yah.

Yep. Yep, yep, yep. Yappa pie. That's usually how the ghost, and, and it's, and I have a horrible time with English language, so Yes, she, she's eng, she speaks English very, very. Poorly. But anyways, Yavapai. Yeah, no, it's funny. Yeah. Yeah. There's mostly, it's Indian. Yeah. Yes, yes. And, and honestly, that's something you need to remember moving here is that, um, and Verde Valley means Green Valley, but it's Oh, Spanish.

It's in Green Valley. Yes it is. So Verde is, is Spanish Valley is English.

Well, I hope that you enjoyed the first part of the interview with Ms. Kirsten, and [00:26:00] now that you know a little bit more about Yavapai title stick with us because in part two, we talk about living in the community and what it's like living in a small town.