Chris Hallows

My father-in-law has a simple but somewhat discomforting statement he shares that “everyone wants to take your money; no one wants to give you any.” While it’s a bit pessimistic, it does ring true that self-advocacy while navigating your financial wellness is critical. In more layman’s terms, you need to look out for yourself and watch that bank account! This is especially true for homeowners. You may think that you just set it and forget it, but you could be losing not only hundreds but … [Read more...] about Silent Budget Killers for Homeowners

The state of the 2025 Housing Union has been a complex one. According to Redfin, only 28 homes out of 1,000 nationally changed hands. This is one of the slowest housing market shifts in 30 years. With record high home prices, many buyers remain sidelined. While sellers may then outweigh buyers in some markets, they aren’t as motivated given that 70% of mortgages remain below 5% and current rates remain at a 10 year high in the low 6% range as of the time of this article writing in late November. … [Read more...] about Exploring 50-Year, Assumable and Portable Mortgages

If you are reading this, my guess is you are either someone who bought a home in the last few years with these elevated rates OR you’re someone who has owned a home for some time and have additional financial goals you are looking to accomplish with your equity. Either way, the good news is that August bought a lot of very good data and sentiment with it and the outlook for mortgage rates in the next six to 12 months is very positive. Yes, I know, it seems like the boy who cried wolf, as many … [Read more...] about Defining the Perfect Refinance

This column offers some speculation on the market cycle, but the bottom line that I want to start with is that no one truly knows exactly where real estate is going to be next week, next month, next year, etc. Real Estate is Not a Day Trade We can look at historical trends and can draw some broad likelihoods, but they are not and cannot be pinpoint accurate. Why? Because there are too many variables. We have local market supply and demand dynamics – city, state, national, international … [Read more...] about Three Things Every Buyer and Seller Should Know Right Now

Let’s be honest – if you had to form an opinion RIGHT NOW on the housing market, you’d probably pull from the anecdotal evidence of your own or close contacts’ recent experience and from any brief cover stories from mainstream national media. Those are certainly data points to be considered but can be far from painting a full picture. Broad stroke statements and alarmist conclusions make much better headlines and clickbait when the reality is there is a lot of nuance in our current market. We … [Read more...] about Reality in Realty: Numbers Don’t Lie

A long, long time ago – long before HGTV, in a time and place hardly imaginable to our modern world, humankind decided that roughing it all the time “out of doors” was for the birds and began a trend that would forever shift our world. Yup, indoor living has really taken off as a pretty serious trend. Some of the earliest shelter building may have been as early as 400,000 years ago, with signs of actual “home décor” showing up as early as 100,000 years ago. Today, housing and related services … [Read more...] about The Indoor Living Trend Isn’t Always About the Money

Are we having fun yet? Yes, as exciting and/or scary as it may seem, we are experiencing many historic moments here in the market. We are working toward what feels like the end of an inflation cycle with economic conditions we’ve not seen since the 1970s and 1990s. That cycle has put us in 25- to 30-year highs for mortgage rates. At the time of writing this article in late April, the proposed tariffs – rivaling those not seen in more than 100 years—are on a temporary pause, but we’ve not fully … [Read more...] about Math Through History: Recession = Lower Mortgage Rates = Home Appreciation

The lyrical question from the 1980s Clash hit song is likely being repeated in 2025 among Flagstaff residents. “Should I stay or should I go?” The phrase itself seems disarmingly simple, yet we all know it’s a very layered and complex question. I’m sure that can be the case for most places where people get comfortable, but Flagstaff and Northern Arizona also have a unique emotional appeal. Maybe it’s the proximity to nature, the small-town charm and the massive biodiversity in a small radius, … [Read more...] about Flagstaff: Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Taking over or “assuming” a seller’s mortgage seems like a fantastic idea if they have something, say, in the 2%-3% range, given that current average 30-year fixed rates are hovering in the 6% range. Loan assumptions are a hot topic over the last two years and a loan function that we still get asked about on a weekly basis. I hope this serves as an educational column to set a bit of the record straight that – while they can be amazing – more often than not, it’s not truly viable or advisable for … [Read more...] about Can I Take Over the Seller’s Low Interest Rate?