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.
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...
Horrifying Home Stories for Halloween, #1.
About a week prior to close of escrow the sellers received a letter from a person called “The Watcher.” The letter claimed a right of possession to the home. Following close of escrow, the buyers began receiving threatening letters from The Watcher, who advised the...
Chips.
Chips was a German Shepherd-Collie-Siberian Husky mix in the American army during WWII. During the invasion of Sicily in 1943, Chips and his handler were pinned down by an Italian machine-gun. Chips broke from his handler and jumped into the Italian pillbox, attacking...
Insurance Coverage for ReModels, Part 2.
In Part 1 (https://tinyurl.com/yyzlf5qf) I discussed checking that the contractor has injury, property damage, workers' compensation and liability insurance. I also suggested purchasing builder's risk insurance. Another option is completed operations insurance....