Blog
N. Mark Kramoltz, JD, GRI, CIPS writes blog articles on the metro Phoenix, Arizona, national and global real estate markets. Written from his perspective as a designated broker and real estate attorney, his articles avoid the inaccuracies and vacuous industry propaganda common to most real estate writings. He also blogs about animals (mostly dogs in the military) due to his love of pets and military history.
2025 Luxury Market Soars.
Phoenix metro sales volume in 2025 in the $1 million plus range increased about 14% over 2024, outperforming every other market segment. 2025 also recorded the highest number of $1 million plus sales in the past decade, even as total market sales stayed below the post...
Access: A Reason Homes Don’t Sell, Part 3.
Changing the chosen showing time. Don't try to negotiate the time the agent wants to show except if absolutely necessary. There is a reason the agent is asking for that time. Realize that scheduling is already being worked around the separate availability of two...
Global Home Buying Recovering.
In International Purchases Collapse I detailed how foreign buyers had deserted the U.S. But between April 2024 and March 2025, global home seekers purchased 33.2% more homes year over year. That was the largest jump in international activity since before the Covid...
The Cats that Saved Leningrad during WW2, Part 1.
During the siege of the Russian city of Leningrad from September 1941 to January 1944 hunger and starvation was the norm. Rats in the surrounded city swarmed the bakeries and food storage facilities, eating the limited food that was available. In an effort to cure the...
Can You Have a Horse? Part 2.
Part 1 discussed the necessity of investigating neighborhood horse privileges under CC&Rs. But even if there are no CC&Rs or they are silent, governmental regulations also impact the legally of equine ownership. In Phoenix the Zoning Ordinance restricts the...
Reasons for and Solutions to Loan Rejection, Part 1.
A loan rejection is not necessarily final, but it is up to you to do what is necessary to convert the transaction to one that meets underwriting requirements. This series provides three reasons for failure to be approved and their solutions. No. 1. Credit score too...
Access: A Reason Homes Don’t Sell, Part 2.
Reason #2: Appointment Only. As stated by Redfin, "buyers want access to your house when it works for them." Which means your home needs to be available to buyers as much as possible. So try to avoid putting an obstruction like "By Appointment Only". Sometimes a...
Scottsdale No. 1 For Golfers.
A study by the Action Network ranked the best destinations for golfers for 2025. 411 cities were analyzed for course availability, accommodation costs and annual temperature and precipitation. Five Arizona cities finished in the top 5, with Scottsdale slotted no. 1,...
Let Us Value Your Home.
There are online home evaluators that can provide a “guessestimate” of your home’s value like Zillow, but there’s no substitute for a real comparable market analysis (CMA). Unlike the internet valuation programs, a CMA compares your home to a limited number of others...