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.
Pay Less Property Taxes in Valley of the Sun.
According to a recent study by SmartAsset, homeowners in 13 Arizona cities pay 2% or less of their yearly income on property taxes. Several Valley of the Sun suburbs rank among the top 10 least expensive in property taxes out of nearly 350 American cities. In Tempe,...
Reasons for and Solutions to Loan Rejection, Part 2.
Debt-to-income ratio too high. Underwriting guidelines set maximum ratios of total debt payments to income. Debt payments include mortgage payments, property taxes, homeowners' insurance, mortgage insurance, and payments that extend beyond the next six months...
2025 Luxury Market Soars.
Phoenix metro sales volume in 2025 in the $1 million plus range increased about 14% over 2024, outperforming every other market segment. 2025 also recorded the highest number of $1 million plus sales in the past decade, even as total market sales stayed below the post...
Access: A Reason Homes Don’t Sell, Part 3.
Changing the chosen showing time. Don't try to negotiate the time the agent wants to show except if absolutely necessary. There is a reason the agent is asking for that time. Realize that scheduling is already being worked around the separate availability of two...
Global Home Buying Recovering.
In International Purchases Collapse I detailed how foreign buyers had deserted the U.S. But between April 2024 and March 2025, global home seekers purchased 33.2% more homes year over year. That was the largest jump in international activity since before the Covid...
The Cats that Saved Leningrad during WW2, Part 1.
During the siege of the Russian city of Leningrad from September 1941 to January 1944 hunger and starvation was the norm. Rats in the surrounded city swarmed the bakeries and food storage facilities, eating the limited food that was available. In an effort to cure the...
Can You Have a Horse? Part 2.
Part 1 discussed the necessity of investigating neighborhood horse privileges under CC&Rs. But even if there are no CC&Rs or they are silent, governmental regulations also impact the legally of equine ownership. In Phoenix the Zoning Ordinance restricts the...
Reasons for and Solutions to Loan Rejection, Part 1.
A loan rejection is not necessarily final, but it is up to you to do what is necessary to convert the transaction to one that meets underwriting requirements. This series provides three reasons for failure to be approved and their solutions. No. 1. Credit score too...
Access: A Reason Homes Don’t Sell, Part 2.
Reason #2: Appointment Only. As stated by Redfin, "buyers want access to your house when it works for them." Which means your home needs to be available to buyers as much as possible. So try to avoid putting an obstruction like "By Appointment Only". Sometimes a...