Blog
Latest NewsN. 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. Due to his love of animals and military history, he also frequently writes about dogs, cats and horses that have played a role in military conflicts. Subscribe to his blog now!
Buy A New Home.
New home sales in the Phoenix metro area were up 36% in October 2019 over that same month in 2018. In addition, single-family building permits in October 2019 were the most issued since July 2007.This means new home construction is finally catching up after years of...
Don’t Turn Off Buyers!
Many people decorate their house for the holidays. But if you’re selling your home, you don’t want to go to overboard. Experts say to choose what you put up wisely. In general, don’t clutter or over crowd the interior or yard of your home with decorations. Too many...
War Dogs on Guam.
After the events set forth in my Kurt the Doberman blog, the Marines declared Guam secure after three weeks of fighting in 1944. But some 8,000 Japanese soldiers remained, hidden in the jungle. The war dogs were asked to find them. “That’s the worst fighting you can...
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....