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.
Appraisal Concepts, Part 1.
How Real Property Is Valued. Having an understanding of appraisal concepts will help you understand how your property’s value will be determined. Appraisers find market value by analyzing real estate data utilizing three methods: the market data or comparable sales...
5 Repair Request Must Dos.
If you are buying a home, there may be items or components that need repairs. Here are 5 things to know when asking the seller to do corrective work: Let the small stuff go. You may offend the seller by asking for everything and so get nothing. Also realize you may...
Don’t Overprice Your Home.
When you hear from the media that it's a sellers market that's still not a reason to overprice your home. An intelligent price will be based on recent sales of comparable properties in the immediate area. If you price your home at or close to market value, it will...
The Ugliest Doberman.
Edmund Adamski was a WWII dog handler in the Pacific theater. He led patrols “on point” with his Doberman “Big Boy”. Being on point meant the furthest up front - the most dangerous position to be in due to the potential of being the first to be ambushed. But while on...
Most Popular Counter Top Choices.
As set forth in a previous blog The New No. 1 Counter Choice, Quartz is purportedly the most popular counter top material used by U.S. remodelers. Quartz is an engineered stone, composed of crushed quartzite and resins. Granite is used widely in the metro Phoenix...
Can You be Sued by Your Lender?
If your home is foreclosed on and your home is worth less than the loan, Arizona law provides for protection from being sued for that deficiency. This prevents a lender from recovering a money judgment against you if your home is “upside down” if the loan was used to...
Don’t Play the Waiting Game.
Various studies over the years have shown that some sellers delay putting their home on the market because they are waiting for the highest possible price. The problem with this approach is no one knows if any home or investment will increase in price, and when it...
Best Remodeling Projects.
Remodeling Magazine’s Cost vs. Value Report contains an analysis of how much the estimated cost of certain remodeling projects will be recovered upon sale. For the Mountain region of which Arizona is a part, a minor, midrange kitchen remodel is one of the best return...
Simon the Sea Cat.
Since the establishment of the Dickin medal in 1943 (see Animals Deserve Medals Too) , almost half the recipients have been dogs. But the medal has also gone once to a cat. “Simon” was adopted by the crew of the HMS Amethyst. Simon excelled in his assigned duty of rat...