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.
Do You Have an Easement? Part 2.
Impact on Property. The effect of an easement can be generally regarded as positive or negative. A "beneficial easement" benefits the owner of the land subject to the easement, such as one which enables utilities to be supplied to the property. A "burdensome easement"...
IRS Announces Opportunity Zone Designations.
Want to pay less tax on your real estate investments? A new community redevelopment program for economically distressed communities called Qualified Opportunity Zones (QOZs) offers significant tax benefits. One of the incentives works like a 1031 exchange, allowing a...
Preparing For Your Move, Part 4.
Things Not to Pack. Federal law bans moving companies from transporting “hazardous materials”. They also will refuse propane and oxygen tanks, weed killer and pesticides, gasoline tanks, ammunition, batteries, charcoal, pool chemicals, liquid bleach and nail polish....
WARNING: Some Improvements Can Raise Tax Bills.
Owners tackling a remodeling project may want to consider how it could impact property taxes. Renovations could result in an increase in assessed value by the county assessor. Ordinarily in the Phoenix metro area any upward adjustment in assessed value would only...
What Age Group Buys the Most Homes?
According to the NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, Millennials are the largest share of recent home buyers at 36%, with 65% of them being first-time buyers. Gen Xers are 26% of recent home buyers, with younger Baby Boomers coming in at 18%. Older Baby Boomers...
Do You Have an Easement? Part 1.
What are They? An easement is a permanent right of one person to use another’s real estate for some specific use. The area covered by the easement is typically a portion of a property, the area of which is calculated by a surveyor and depicted on a recorded document...
Have you Received $ in the U.S.?
If you’re a Canadian and have received money from a U.S. source when you are here, you may have to file a U.S. tax return. That is because the U.S. may believe you owe taxes on that money. If you are a snowbird and spend a limited amount of time in the U.S., your tax...
Preparing For Your Move, Part 3.
The 'Not to Exceed' Estimate. When you ask the mover to provide an opinion of the cost, one option is a ‘Binding Not-to-Exceed’ estimate. With this type of estimate, if your actual weight is more than the written estimate, you'll pay for only the amount of the...
Median Can be Misleading.
Housing price stats are often given through a "median price.” A median price is that which is right in the middle, so that half of the homes sold were priced more and the other half less. But they can be distorted by sales of homes at the fringes of the market - by...