eastern time. follow this program on facebook, twitter and instagram. importantly, tell us what you want to hear and see on this program. i'll tell you next time. that will do it for >> i'm bob massi. for 35 years, i've been practicing law and living in las vegas, ground zero for the american real-estate crisis. but it wasn't just vegas that was hit hard. lives were destroyed from coast to coast as the economy tanked. now it's a different story. the american dream is back. and nowhere is that more clear than the grand canyon state of arizona. so we headed from the strip to the desert to show you how to explore the new landscape and live the american dream. i'm gonna help real people who are facing some major problems, explain the bold plans that are changing how americans live, and take you behind the gates of properties you have to see to believe.

at the end of the show, i'll give you critical tips you need to know in the "massi memo" because information is power. and the property man has got you covered. [ woman vocalizing ] thanks for joining us. i'm bob massi. frequent viewers of this program have seen me highlight some of the amazing work done by the charity building homes for heroes. they're a national non-profit that builds or modifies beautiful mortgage-free homes and gifts them to injured veterans and their families. >> we'll gift a home this year every 10 days. >> it started in 2006 by businessman andy pujol. >> building homes for heroes is my way to serve our country, to serve the united states of america. >> but the story of how the group came to be is what brings me here to tucson, arizona. in 2003, army sergeant mary herrera was a military police officer

serving near fallujah, iraq. she was working as the gunner on the lead humvee of a convoy when, suddenly, they were ambushed. >> i see two guys up on the bridge. by the time i looked up, we were already getting hit. >> wow. mary was immediately hit in the arm by ak-47 fire. >> i immediately start to suppress fire with -- with the machine gun. and i got hit the first time on my upper right bicep. i could still use my arm. i could still suppress fire. >> so it's still functional at that point. >> it was still functional. it was still functional at that point. now, i'm holding the rifle and firing. and all of a sudden, my right hand falls to my left. >> all functions gone? >> all functions gone. the only thing attaching my hand to my arm was skin. my vehicle commander looks at me. and the look on his face told me that the arm was gone. >> wasn't good. yeah. >> yeah, it wasn't good. >> she lost sensation in her arm. and the doctors said she probably would lose it completely. >> the first thing that i heard was she's alive

and she's gonna make it. but, uh, she's being seen by the doctors and the surgeons and everything. >> how many surgeries did you have? >> i've had, uh, 23 surgeries. >> is there any other future surgeries you need? >> oh, absolutely. >> mary recovered at brooke army medical center and, through some fellow injured soldiers, met andy pujol. >> that's when andy, you know, decided that it would be a good idea to be able to give back to those who had given us so much and, you know, give 'em a home. >> we made a promise to gift homes to veterans. >> when he launched the charity, mary acted as an unofficial spokesperson. >> she jumped onboard. she helped from day one. she joined in every effort, every endeavor. >> i was so proud of her because she wanted to help others like her. and that really helped her, too. >> and i wanted to help her to help others.ut she guided me every veteran who receives a home from building homes for heroes, she has her name on it. there's a place in every single home where mary's heart is.

>> she never asked for anything for herself. but andy always wanted to give her a home. >> andy says to me, "mary, um, i want you to be one of our home recipients." and he announced it during the gala at the golf house. >> he has a tendency to do those things, doesn't he? >> he likes to surprise. >> he's all about surprising. >> she just kinda laughed and chuckled and -- and said, "no. no, no, no. but i know a really good veteran that needs a home." and that was always the answer. she always had another veteran that needed our help, that needed a home. >> i was like, "no, no. i'm not with building homes for heroes, you know, to receive anything. i'm just here to push the -- the gifts out." right? >> but andy finally convinced her. >> you can't argue with andy when andy's made up his mind. so, you know, here we are now, standing in this beautiful home. it's been nothing less than a godsend. it's the absolute american dream. >> we have received this beautiful, wonderful opportunity from chase. >> chase donated a formerly foreclosed home,

which was completely gutted and renovated. >> building homes for heroes was able to make this home fit my needs as far as my injury, where my injury might be 10 years from now, whether or not i still have my arm. the floors, you know, they were porcelain or ceramic, very slippery. because of my injury, i'm not asteady on my feet.so i. we ripped out the ceramic ooring. building homes for heroes asked me what i wanted in the kitchen because i might not keep my arm forever. so by putting these, um, handles that are easy for me to grab with one hand, doing the soft close, the open and soft close. um, they also did, uh, one of these here where i can just pull it down with one arm and pull it back up. >> very functional for you. >> right. mm-hmm. the master bathroom is probably the main thing. building homes for heroes gutted the whole bathroom, redid it. and it's a therapeutic tub. >> i can see the jets, huh? >> the jets. >> this is like a jacuzzi. >> yeah. and you can change the pressure. >> how does that help the injury you've sustained? >> well, it relaxes the nerves

that have been tensed up throughout the day. >> of course. >> it's a lot better to take a bath than to take a pain med. >> no question. building homes for heroes -- they never consider the work to be truly done. now, it's years later. they are still improving mary's home, completely overhauling landscaping and the backyard. >> we took out about 175 tons of dirt and grass and debris from the backyard. my overall goal was to make sure she had a beautiful backyard that she was able to maintain with no problem. >> they've redone the whole backyard and front yard, made it so functional for the kids. they've done a remarkable job. >> she hasn't seen andy in years. but we decided to bring him out to arizona with us for a little surprise. andy pujol. >> yes. >> what does he mean to you? >> he's nothing less than a family member to me. he's been a great father figure for me. [ gasps ] andy! >> [ laughs ] >> andy. >> hello, beautiful.

>> andy. [ indistinct conversation ] >> yeah, i'm gonna. >> oh, i love you. >> when you look back, as tragic as it was, it's a blessing that you're here. >> it is. and it's the best thing that ever happened to me. >> in what way? >> you know, serving in iraq and coming back with the injuries, it opened me up to a whole different perspective of life. and the best part about it is we need americans like andy pujol. oh, what a wonderful surprise, andy. i love you so much. >> i missed you. >> it's the best way to teach your children to serve others. >> mm-hmm. it's a good idea. good perspective on it. >> it's a great -- yeah. it's a great way for them to grow up and know that the american people, you know, made this happen for you, you know. so it's your turn to turn around and serve others. >> mary allowed us the opportunity. and we've all heard of the movie "pay it forward." and mary has paid it forward 1,000 times over.

n we comck to rent or buy. y.'s a question millions face i'll give you the information you need to know before you decide, up next. [ woman vocalizing ] whoooo.

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>> welcome back. i'm bob massi, the property man. for decades, the american dream was home ownership. >> ♪ ain't it good to come home ♪ >> over the years, the amount of people owning homes steadily grew. that is, until the housing collapse and the foreclosure crisis began reversing that trend. >> there were a lot of people where were forced into rentals because they were not able to make their mortgage payments anymore. >> every day, more than 2,600 new renters enter the market. so what happens? rental inventory gets squeezed, and rents increase across the country.

>> a lot of new homeowners especially are paying extraordinary amounts of rent. >> so now the tide may be about to turn again. >> we're seeing individuals that had to rent starting to come back into the marketplace to purchase. >> how do you know if you should rent or buy? >> like any large financial decision in your life, i think that requires a lot of thought, uh, a lot of planning, and a lot of consultation. >> first of all, you have to really evaluate your situation to see where you do stand financially. >> getting with that mortgage person early on is -- is very important. they can look at your credit scores. they can look at, um, you know, your history of income. >> take the time to do a buy-versus-rent comparison, factoring in your specific circumstance. >> what are your needs for your family, for you? is it a good school district? do you prefer a pool? what do you want out of the home? and then let's talk about what you can afford. >> realtor.com has

a rent-versus-buy calculation where you can input the location you're looking at, a potential purchase price, and a potential rent. >> take care of pregnant wife. that's you. >> chris and kat moved to arizona and decided to look into buying a home. >> we were kinda looking at both options of renting and buying. >> what made you decide to buy as opposed to continue to rent? >> the affordability was almost equivalent to what renting would be here. except we had more square footage and a yard. >> their realtor showed them this 1,400-square-foot three-bedroom home. >> we definitely saw it as an -- an investment, where renting, that's not even an option. it's always just giving out money. >> growing up, um, i really, uh, valued my parents and how they -- they bought a house and just how much it appreciated over time. >> so what things did you look into financially? >> in addition to, i mean, the mortgage, this house had an hoa. >> homeowners association. >> mm-hmm. homeowners association. >> remember, home ownership's costs are much

more than just your mortgage. >> you've got also your operational cost. >> the prices of water and -- and gas and, um, all those additional things that sometimes are packed into a rental agreement. >> even putting aside hoa dues and insurance, there's property taxes, landscaping bills, water, sewer, and utility costs. >> if it's a home that, uh, is not energy efficient, you know, that could be a really large amount that you're paying monthly. >> what if an appliance breaks? what if, um, you know something needs to be fixed? you do need to have that money kind of set aside for an emergency situation. >> so all of that needs to be factored in the actual operation of the home. >> could you qualify for a mortgage even if you want one? well, sometimes first-time buyers have trouble because they've only rented before. they might not even have any credit established. >> there are programs that allow for a nontraditional credit. so we can check things like an electric bill, um, or even a cable bill. >> if renting is what works

for you, there's still a lot to think about before signing on the dotted line of that lease. a lease may not be a mortgage. but remember, it is a contract. and a contract is binding. >> you wanna have a good understanding of what your security deposits are for and what could happen that would make it, um, so that you wouldn't get that money returned. you wanna have a clear understanding, want your lease to spell it out very concisely. >> it's important money that a lot of times is hard to get back. >> we will walk through and double check every pie of the property. >> go into each room. check them out. make sure that everythg's in order. >> look at the windows and the light switches and the flooring and the walls. >> the way it looks when you go in, it better look close to that when you leave. if it doesn't, that security deposit we're talking about, you're never gonna get it back. when it comes down to it, deciding to rent or buy is a very personal decision that you have to make based on the specifics of your own situation.

so do your research before you make your move. up next, as the property man rolls along, we'll go inside this magnificent estate. you don't want to miss it. [ woman vocalizing ] we have a question about your brokerage fees. fees? what did you have in mind? i don't know. $4.95 per trade? uhhh and i was wondering if your brokerage offers some sort of guarantee? guarantee? where we can get our fees and commissions back if we're not happy. so can you offer me what schwab is offering? what's with all the questions? ask your broker if they're offering $4.95 online equity trades and a satisfaction guarantee. if you don't like their answer, agn at schwab. but i'm not standing still...

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>> welcome back. time now to get another peek behind the gates of a luxury property just hitting the market. this elegant 4-bedroom, 4 1/2-bath luxury home was custom built in 2014. it's currently listed for $5,995,000. i wanted a tour. so i turned to andrew beardsley, an agent with silverleaf realty.

so what makes this house so special? >> it's twofold. i think the location, northern scottsdale, a part of the dc ranch master planned community, close proximity to the silverleaf club and spa, and then, really, the overall design style. it's a very clean, formal mediterranean look. >> mm-hmm. >> and really get a sense for big, open spaces, 11-foot ors, 15-foot-plus ceilings. i mean, they really wanted to open this up to -- to show the grandeur. a lot of different styles could go in this home. if you wanna be a little more contemporary... >> you can. >> if you wanna feel a little more formal, like they have it set up now, it really can lend itself to a lot of different styles that people have. >> no expense was spared with the finishes. marble flooring, european oak, limestone, and marble countertops. >> you really see the care that was placed into the finishes, the furnishings... >> the top-line appliances were not just bought and placed here. they were built into the custom cabinetry.

>> they've got the wolf and sub-zero appliance package. you might not even tell, but it blends in like a nice piece that you would buy. >> it's like a piece of furniture. >> it absolutely is. you would never know. >> and, you know, the furniture, you know, i mean, it's elegant. but it's simple. >> right. >> you know, it fits the home and the character of the home and the whole ambiance of the home. >> and you can see how you would use this as a family. >> absolutely. >> have breakfast here. sit at the breakfast bar. >> absolutely. now we're into the master bedroom area. >> we are in the master suite, yes. you can see european oak wood floors, the very clean detail throughout, the sitting room behind us. you really have your own dream space back here. >> and with a view of where we, you know, the backyard, the guest house. >> you wake up to the best view in the house. >> yeah. >> you've got the private patio behind me that you can access. really, it would be hard to leave this space. >> let's go look at the bath area. >> oh, please. the marble flooring, his and hers sides. >> this brings a whole new definition to a closet, okay?

>> yes, it does. uh, this wouldn't be his closet. >> this is a room. this is a bedroom. this could be multiple bedrooms, actually. >> absolutely. you've got the full gym for the fitness buffs. e thing i can say about scottsdale, everybody seems to be fit. >> oh, yeah. absolutely. >> this is a room you could stay fit in, for sure. everywhere you go in this house, you are drawn to the natural light and beauty from the outside spilling in. the 7,600-square-foot formal mediterranean home sits on a lush estate hidden in the desert with just under 1 3/4 acres. so let's go take a look outside, because when i came through the front door, that's breathtaking. >> oh, yeah. everything in the home leads to the outside. >> i'm tellin' you, it reminds me of "the godfather." >> 1.7 acres out here, looking straight out to the mcdowell mountain preserve, unobstructed views. it just feels very private back here. this is your own private desert oasis, very lush. everything inside is leading

you to the outside. >> and nobody ever believes that a home like this would ever exist in the desert. i mean, really. >> and i don't blame 'em. >> the house features a truly relaxing oasis with a pool and spa and separate 516-square-foot guest house. i mean, i was inside the casita. i could live there and never leave. you've got the lap pool. >> absolutely. >> i mean, it has its own kitchen. it's self-contained all the way around. >> it's got its own kitchen. we're gettin' ready to walk past the -- the private spa over here. you can access it off of the patio off the master suite. >> yeah. >> the detail in the landscaping and the landscape architecture, and it really sets itself apart. other side, you've got the bocce court. so its an entertainer's dream. but it's also a great family home. >> self-contained. you don't have to leave. >> no. you really don't. >> if you don't wanna leave, you don't have to leave. when you look at this home and you see what comes with it and the ambiance that you create, almost like you're alone. >> absolutely. >> when i heard the price, i'm not saying that that's not a lot of money.

but i would have thought it would be more than that. >> you c really get a sense for the clean lines >>ery much so.cture. >> it really has a good blend of entertaining, family living... >> everything anybody could ever imagine in a home. >> right. >> at the same time, i have to say, as lush as it is, it feels lived in. it feels -- you could have a beautiful family in there and really enjoy the home. >> and it is. this is a family home. they've got young kids. they use the home. they use the pool. and it still shows like a piece of art. >> still to come, the "massi memo" with more information on renting versus buying and when it's time to take the plunge. stick around. [ woman vocalizing ] if you're 65 or older, you may be at increased risk for pneumococcal pneumonia that can take you out of the game for weeks, even if you're healthy. pneumococcal pneumonia is a potentially serious

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>> welcome back. i'm bob massi, the property man. and it's time for the "massi memo." earlier, we talked about renting versus buying and how you can know which is right for you. as with so much else, there's no magic answer. it depends on all sorts of different variables like how long you're planning on staying, what kind of financial resources and credit you have, what your priorities are in terms of location, transportation options, and amenities, and, of course, the total monthly costs of each. now remember, looking at monthly cost does not

just mean comparing rent versus mortgage payments. don't forget about things like hoa dues, homeowners insurance, property taxes, landscaping, utilities, water, and sewer. it goes on and on when you own a home. realtor.com has a rent-versus-buy calculator that is a great place to start. using it, you can see at what point home ownership pays off based on your specifics and then decide if it's the right move to make. whatever you do, do not make a decision like this on a whim. and don't listen to everybody, only people who know what they're talking about. do your homework. research your options. and make the smart move. that's all the time we have for today. be sure to send me your property stories, questions, or pictures of your property bloopers. send them to propertyman@foxnews.com. and don't forget to check us out on our facebook and twitter. there's also plenty more

information and videos on our website, foxnews.com/propertyman. i'll see you next week. [ woman vocalizing ] >> a precious heirloom... >> "this was once the property of george washington." you're a v.i.p. >> [ laughing ] yeah. >> ...and the pride of a modest family. >> my father was a truck driver. we got along, but we were very frugal. >> so how did she end up with washington's wallet? >> are you a descendant of george washington? >> no, i'm not. and it's quite a long story. >> a story about love of country... >> we want these things because we want a connection to these men. >> ...the allure of big bucks... >> i established a value for the wallet. >> it was a lot of money. >> ...and some good old-fashioned intrigue... >> someone took the wallet and disappeared. [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumble