Mary Maxie's (maxiemary) Blog

Phoenix File: What is a "Cloud" on the title of a property? A cloud on the title most commonly results from issues such as: -A recorded contract for deed that has not been removed from the record, but under which the buyer has defaulted. -A recorded option that was not exercised, but still appear...

Phoenix File: Avoid ID Theft How to Avoid ID Theft Here are some ideas you can easily implement, to lessen the possibility of identity theft: •1.        Order checks with only initials instead of first and last name. A thief won't know how you normally sign your name, but the bank will know. •2. ...

Phoenix File: Not all comparables are equal Example 1: Two houses exactly the same, same area, same sale price. One includes 5% commission plus $1000 bonus to buyer's agent, plus 2 year home warranty, plus 6 months HOA fees. the other has 2% commission only. Should they be equal comps? Example 2:...

Phoenix file: What Today's Buyers Want in a Home The new American dream home is not your parents' house. Thirty years ago the American dream home was a 3 bedroom, 2 bath ranch house, on a quarter acre lot with a 2 car garage. Today the most popular home that attracts buyers is a 4 bedroom, 2.5 b...

Phoenix File: Tips to pain free packing and safe moving •-          Fill a china cabinet with light weight soft things like stuffed animals, balls of yarn, quilts, artificial flowers and greenery. •-          Fill a fridge or washer/dryer with pillows, wicker baskets or plastic items. •-         ...

 Phoenix File: Mary's Not So Funny Real Estate Stories Mary's not so funny real estate stories: One lady told me her realtor gave her his lockbox key & combination to go look at houses by herself. She kept it for several weeks looking at houses whenever she wanted. This is against all real estate...

Things to do in Phoenix this weekend Pianist Roger Williams is visitng the Musical Instrument Museum tomorrow for his annual birthday Piano Marathon. He will be playing for 12 hours on his 86th birthday, to draw attention to the importance of music in schools. You can hear him any time Fri. Oct 1...

Who sets value of comaprables in Phoenix? Who sets the value of comparables in Phoenix, in Arizona and in fact all over the country? Is it the appraisers? Is it the banks? Is it the builders? An appraiser, as I understand it, is an independent, unbiased, objective professional who measures the va...

Phoenix File: Watch Your Internet Reputation More internet users are monitoring their online reputations using search engines. According to research from the Pew Interent and American Life Project, 57% of adult internet users now use search engines to find information about themselves, up from 47...

Phoenix File:Canadians Top Foreign buyers in USA More foreign buyers showed interest in purchasing US properties in 2009, according to the National Association of Realtors NAR's 2010 Profile of International Home Buying Activity. More than 1/4 of realtors (28%) say they worked with at least one i...