Notes from the North Valley

October 26, 2026

Most sellers walk their home every day and never see it. That is what living somewhere does. So before a home goes on the market, I ask sellers to walk it one m

October 25, 2026

The question usually comes up in a panic. A buyer is a few days from closing, the lender asks for proof of insurance, and the first quote that comes back is hig

October 24, 2026

Every landlord knows the lease end date. Fewer treat it like a deadline. The result is a unit that sits empty for weeks while parts get ordered and vendors get

October 23, 2026

Relocating to the Phoenix area usually means buying a home from a distance. You tour on video, sign on a laptop, and manage the inspection by phone. Most of tha

October 22, 2026

This question shows up every year about the time escrow letters go out. A homeowner with a fixed-rate loan opens a notice from the servicer, sees a new monthly

October 21, 2026

This one comes up after closing more than before it. A buyer gets a home warranty with the purchase, something breaks a few months later, and the claim comes ba

October 20, 2026

This question comes up at nearly every signing table, usually as a joke that is not entirely a joke. The closing package on a financed purchase can run past a h

October 19, 2026

This question shows up from almost every first time buyer, usually about three weeks in. The honest answer is that it is the process, not you. Buying a home is

October 18, 2026

When a listing is getting showings but not offers, most sellers reach for the price. It is the lever everyone knows. There is a second lever that gets less atte

October 17, 2026

Every seller eventually asks some version of the same question: what happens to my sale when there are more homes listed than there are buyers looking? The hone

October 16, 2026

Adjustable-rate mortgages come up in conversation whenever buyers start comparing the starting payment on a fixed loan against the starting payment on an ARM an

October 15, 2026

The question shows up in some version every few weeks: I am two or three months into a loan with a lender, things have gone sideways, and I feel guilty even thi

October 14, 2026

The question comes up in some form every week: we have a low rate on our current home, and we want to move, but giving that rate up feels like throwing money aw

October 13, 2026

A question renters ask me, usually after running the numbers a few times: would you buy a house if it meant putting the rest of your life on hold?

October 12, 2026

A question I hear from buyers who have been saving for a while: I have enough cash to pay off my car. Should I do that before I apply for a mortgage?

October 11, 2026

A question I hear from both sides of a sale: the inspection turned up something real, so what happens next? A sewer line issue, a worn roof, an aging air condit

October 10, 2026

Winter in the North Valley is mild compared to most of the country, and that is exactly why exterior upkeep gets skipped here. The desert still brings winter ra

October 9, 2026

Buyers plan for the down payment for months, sometimes years. Then the lender sends a figure called cash to close, and it is larger than the number they saved f

October 8, 2026

A first-time buyer asked this recently, and it is one of the better questions a buyer can ask. Most people shop by monthly payment. Very few look at the total.

October 6, 2026

A Phoenix North Valley REALTOR on the crash people keep waiting for, with current data from NAR, Case-Shiller, Freddie Mac, MBA, ICE and the New York Fed.

October 6, 2026

A question I hear from people who own one or two rental homes: why spend money on a house that is working fine? It is a fair question. The answer is that a hous

October 6, 2026

WARNING. THIS IS NOT A CHANGE COMING SOMEDAY. It is already happening, and it may have already happened to you.

October 5, 2026

A question I hear from sellers a few weeks into a listing: if I lower the price now, will buyers think something is wrong with me or with the house? It is a fai

October 4, 2026

A question I hear from buyers once they are under contract: if I lock my rate today and rates come down next week, am I stuck? The honest answer is that it depe

October 4, 2026

What happens in the Arizona purchase contract's inspection period, what the SPDS and BINSR are, when the clock starts, and how buyers keep their earnest money. Plain language from a Phoenix north valley broker.

October 4, 2026

Pools are part of life in the Phoenix north valley. Here is what a buyer should inspect, what ownership involves month to month, and how to decide whether a pool home is the right fit, without hype.

October 4, 2026

Master planned communities in the Phoenix north valley can carry a Community Facilities District assessment, a Special Assessment Improvement District, and HOA dues on top of property tax. What each one is, where to find it, and how to budget for it.

October 4, 2026

The most common question buyers ask is whether to wait for lower mortgage rates. Here is a way to think about it that does not depend on predicting the market, plus where to get today's actual number.

October 3, 2026

The question I hear from sellers goes something like this: a company offered to buy my house for cash, should I take it? My answer is always the same. I cannot

October 2, 2026

The question I hear from renters is usually some version of this: is my credit good enough to buy? The better question is what a lender is going to see when the

October 1, 2026

Let me name the worry directly. A seller looks at what homes nearby are selling for, looks at the loan balance, and realizes the sale might not cover it. It fee

September 24, 2026

Let me name the fear directly, because I hear it in seller meetings all the time. If a buyer asks for a concession, the seller assumes it means something went w

June 13, 2026

I'm driving to 4th and Pierce this afternoon to see this in person. Here's what the public record says about the Louis Emerson House, Robert Young, and the June 19 hearing, before I go look at it myself.

June 9, 2026

The single most expensive mistake a seller can make right now is pricing based on attachment instead of comps.

June 9, 2026

Pricing right when buyers hold the cards in the Phoenix metro.

June 4, 2026

Zillow's revised May 2026 outlook projects declines in 309 of 894 metros. A 24-year North Valley REALTOR separates the national headline from a Phoenix-area search.

May 31, 2026

How the FHFA directive, Fannie Mae acceptance, and the Better and Coinbase early-access product actually work for a Phoenix buyer holding Bitcoin or USDC. The...

May 29, 2026

US median new-build price ~$390K, lowest since 2021. NAHB May 2026 HMI: 61% of builders running incentives, 32% cutting list. What this means for Phoenix North...

May 28, 2026

Canada Mortgage Delinquencies Jumped 52% in Q1 2026. Why a Phoenix-Area Buyer Should Even Care.

May 28, 2026

Better Home and Finance and Coinbase launched the first token-backed conforming mortgage on March 26, 2026. Here is what the product actually is, how the collateral mechanics work, and when it might fit a Phoenix-area buyer.

May 28, 2026

ATTOM's Q1 2026 US Foreclosure Market Report shows filings up 26% year-over-year. Here is the full picture, including the part the headlines tend to skip.

May 28, 2026

Cardone Capital, a $5.3B private real estate platform, just added 130 BTC (about $9.7M) on a market pullback. Here is what the move signals about how some large real estate allocators are thinking about diversification, and what it does not signal for a local buyer or seller.

May 27, 2026

Weekly Freddie Mac mortgage rate data with dollar-math impact tables for $400k/$500k/$600k loans, plus context on what each rate move means for North Valley...

May 22, 2026

Freddie Mac's 30-year fixed hit 6.51%. A 24-year North Valley REALTOR runs the real dollar math, explains what moves the number, and what to do this week.

May 11, 2026

Five mistakes that wreck Cave Creek home purchases: the March-weather trap, well and septic, the HOA, the lot, and Zillow's Zestimate. From a 24-year local REALTOR.

May 2, 2026

The $40K-under-list play for first-time buyers in the Phoenix North Valley. Cosmetic-only homes, sweat-equity work you can actually do.

April 24, 2026

How a first-time investor actually buys a rental property in the Phoenix area. Financing, cash flow math, year-one reality.

April 15, 2026

Buy a multifamily as an owner-occupant first-time buyer with FHA 3.5% down. The math, the management reality, the pitfalls.

April 6, 2026

Buying a home with 1-2 friends to qualify together. Loan structures, ownership structures, operating agreements, exit clauses.

March 29, 2026

Years 1-5 of homeownership on one income. Cash-flow reality, equity build, surprise expenses, the year-5 decision.

March 21, 2026

Buying a home when the decision is all yours. Financing on one income, the solo walkthrough, HOA math, negotiation, and what happens after closing. From a...

March 12, 2026

First-time selling? Pricing, prep, photos, the offer review, inspection response, appraisal, closing. The whole process in order.

March 4, 2026

Honest answers to 9 questions out-of-state relocators ask about moving to Phoenix. From a Phoenix North Valley REALTOR who moved here in 1997.

February 23, 2026

HOME+PLUS, Home in Five, Pathway to Purchase, and other active Arizona programs. The eligibility math, the loan structures, the gotchas.

February 15, 2026

The specific moves that actually shift a credit score in 60-180 days to qualify for a mortgage. No hype, no gimmicks. From a 24-year Phoenix North Valley broker.

February 6, 2026

Three options when the appraisal misses the contract price: bring the gap, renegotiate, or walk. What each costs and buys.

January 29, 2026

The 100+ page HOA disclosure packet you get before closing. Here are the four pages that actually matter.

January 20, 2026

The 14-page Seller Property Disclosure Statement. Where the truth usually lives and what to look for.

January 12, 2026

What inspectors look at, what they miss, how to read the report, what to negotiate and what to skip.

January 3, 2026

What earnest money is, where it sits in escrow, and the specific scenarios where you would forfeit it.

December 27, 2025

2-4% of purchase price. Lender fees, title, escrow, prepaids, mortgage insurance. The check beyond the down payment.

December 18, 2025

Pre-approval vs pre-qualification, what lenders look at, the 20% myth, picking the right lender. From a 24-year Phoenix North Valley broker.

December 10, 2025

The whole first-time buyer process, start to finish, in plain English. Money, team, looking, offer, contingencies, closing, the first 90 days. From a 24-year...