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.
Use the SimplySOLD Library to Learn About International Buyers.
As a Certified International Property Specialist, I have learned a lot about doing business with foreign buyers of Arizona real estate. To increase my knowledge of the Canadian consumer, this summer I became a member of the Canadian Snowbird Association (“CSA”). CSA...
Are Foreign Buyers Losing Interest in U.S. Real Estate?
Sales of homes to foreign buyers have been strong in the south and southwest for years. The National Association of Realtors®' 2012 Profile of International Home Buying Activity showed that those sales equaled $82.4 billion for the past year ending March 2012, up from...
Renovation Funds are Available from FHA.
Did you know the government will give you the money to renovate a FHA home? One of the most overlooked FHA programs, the 203(k) loan, can help if buying a home that needs work using a FHA loan. 203(k) loans are the Department of Housing and Urban Development's primary...
Can there be a Boom without Bust?
Part 3. Is Canada’s real estate market headed for a repetition of bust and its plunging values and distressed sales experienced in Arizona? They don’t think so. Do they know something we don’t - or are they nuts? There definitely are differences between the two...
Are Canadians in Denial, eh?
Part 2. The Canadian real estate market is booming, but there are signs all might not be well. Some of those same indicators were present when Arizona’s real estate market tanked, so we in Arizona know them when we see them. Read on and see if you know how to...
Is Another Boom Going to Bust?
Part 1. The Canadian real estate market has been very strong for a long time. Continued rising prices would appear to be unsustainable, as they can’t continue indefinitely. We learned that lesson in Arizona when our real estate boom busted. But Canadians claim that...
Dead Men don’t Tell Tales (Part II).
Around Halloween last year I wrote a blog about gruesome surprises found in homes for sale. It seems that agents are continuing to find all kinds of disturbing things in homes and foreclosures. In Milwaukee an agent found a very dead occupant on the stairs in a home...
Why you Should Put your Rental in an LLC.
Renting a property, whether a residential or commercial rental, is generally considered to be a high liability business. As a result, reducing the possibility that creditors (which could include an aggrieved tenant) can reach your other assets is critical. That is...
Is Your Agent Disloyal? (Part 5) – A Solution to Dual Agency.
In my previous 4 blogs, I have shown that dual agency is bad for you as a consumer of real estate services. Exclusive, single agency is in your best interest as a buyer or seller, as then your real estate agent is in fact “yours,” and his or her loyalty is not divided...