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.
Don’t Pay Mortgage Insurance.
A new program is providing lender-paid private mortgage insurance on conventional loans through December 31, 2019. Save big when you buy a home by avoiding the traditional 20% down required to avoid monthly PMI payments. You can avoid PMI by putting down 15% as little...
Can You Ban VRBOs?
State law allows owners to rent out their homes short term, subject to certain administrative rules. So they can’t be banned by cities, and counties. But in response to “party house” type problems, state law allows cities to prohibit short-term rentals from hosting...
Get a Deduction for Pet Expenses.
SimplySOLD donates food and supplies and makes monetary contributions to local animal charities. You may do the same, and if you incur pet expenditures in your home, you could be entitled to a tax deduction. For example, taking care of or fostering a charity’s pets....
Shopable vs Negotiable Home Buying Costs.
A service is shopable in the home sale process if there are different providers which quote different prices. An example of shopable service costs are a home warranty and a home inspection. But escrow and title services (the biggest costs) are not really shopable in...
Kurt the Doberman.
Kurt was a Doberman that landed on Guam in WWII on July 23, 1944. The next day Kurt led Marines climbing the hill above the beachhead. It was a crucial moment, as the Americans were trying to secure a foothold on the island. Kurt set out, zigzagging in front of the...
Real Estate Best Investment.
Bankrate.com reports that 31% of people believe that #realestate is the best long term #investment to build wealth. The stock market was a distant second at 20%. The #Phoenix area’s home value growth shows this belief is reality.
HOA Renter Laws, Part 2.
In Part I of this blog (https://tinyurl.com/yxud3rpj), I discussed the limited info an HOA can request from renters. But what if those renters are short term, VRBO types. Can HOAs regulate or ban them? State laws prohibits it unless its already in the CC&Rs. The...
Seller Financing Restrictions.
If you are thinking of selling your property with a carry back loan, the Dodd-Frank Act created rules applying to residential seller financing. A carry back loan makes a property more attractive as a buyer doesn’t have to come up with the entire purchase price in...
Horrifying Home Stories for Halloween, #2.
An agent checked out a new listing of an old home. All of the bedrooms of the home were in the basement. The agent walked down the stairs into a long, dark hallway that lead to what appeared to be the master bedroom. Every turn she took in that room she felt someone...