MARKET · AUGUST 31, 2026 Monday Market Update: The Middle Stopped Moving Supply is rising because buyers stepped back, not because sellers showed up. The Signal Months of supply climbed to 4.3 from 3.6 a year ago, a 19.4% increase, and almost none of that came from sellers flooding the market.

DESIGN + BUILD TIPS   What to Fix Before Selling a House in Phoenix: A Contractor's 2026 Roadmap Last updated August 2026 by Nick Calamia, REALTOR® and Licensed General Contractor (ROC 350115) THE SHORT ANSWER Before selling a Phoenix home, fix the three things that kill deals here: roof underlaymen

LOCAL LIVING   What Is Driving Home Values Along the Camelback Corridor in Central Phoenix Last updated August 2026 by Nick Calamia, REALTOR® and Licensed General Contractor (ROC 350115) THE SHORT ANSWER The Camelback Corridor is the office and retail spine along Camelback Road from roughly 16th Str

DESIGN + BUILD TIPS   What You're Really Paying For When You Buy Premium Paint (A Phoenix Reality Check) Everybody who's ever stood at a paint counter has faced the same three-word question: good, better, or best? Most people freeze, grab whatever the guy points at, and hope for the best. I get it.

DESIGN + BUILD TIPS   The Right Curtain Length for Every Window (A Phoenix Contractor's Guide) Curtains are the fastest cosmetic upgrade that reads as expensive. But here's the thing most people miss: the length is what separates a room that looks custom from a room that looks like a rental. I've wa

DESIGN + BUILD TIPS   The Best Flooring for Phoenix Basements and Lower Levels in 2026 Let's clear something up right away. Basements are rare here, and there's a good reason for that. Most Phoenix homes sit on a slab because the climate never forced us to dig deep for a frost-protected foundation.

      MARKET · AUGUST 24, 2026 Monday Market Update: More Homes, Fewer Sales Active inventory crossed above last year for the first time this cycle while monthly sales touched a new low, even as Fountain Hills answers Paradise Valley with a 10% jump and the West Valley flips to the metro's most buye

DESIGN + BUILD TIPS   You've Been Using Your Bathroom Fan Wrong This Whole Time Almost everybody flips the fan on when the mirror fogs up. That part is easy to remember. What most people get wrong is what happens after the water shuts off, and here in the desert that mistake is quieter and more expe

DESIGN + BUILD TIPS   The Best Drip Irrigation Systems of 2026 for Phoenix Yards (From a Licensed GC) I get asked about drip irrigation more than almost any other exterior topic, and it makes sense. In the Valley, your landscaping is either an asset or a liability, and water is what tips the scale.

DESIGN + BUILD TIPS   5 Future-Proof Home Upgrades You'll Wish You Knew Sooner Design trends are fun. They're also fleeting. The bold tile you fall in love with today can read dated before the grout has even cured, and I've watched plenty of Scottsdale sellers quietly regret a splashy remodel that a

      MARKET · AUGUST 17, 2026 Monday Market Update: The First Amber Light Pre-foreclosures have climbed to 3.9% of contracts, a distinct upward trend worth honest attention, while Paradise Valley crosses 200 and the softness shifts to the middle of the market. The Signal The most important number t

DESIGN + BUILD TIPS   The Plumbing Disaster Nobody Sees Coming: When Phoenix Cast Iron Pipes Crumble I've walked hundreds of Phoenix homes as both a REALTOR and a licensed General Contractor, and I can tell you the scariest problems are almost never the ones you can see. A cracked tile you notice. A

DESIGN + BUILD TIPS   4 Ways to Remove Paint From Plastic Without Wrecking the Surface Here's a truth I've learned wearing both my REALTOR hat and my General Contractor hat: paint jobs don't fail on the wall. They fail on the edges. A gorgeous accent color in an Arcadia great room gets undercut the

DESIGN + BUILD TIPS   The Best Roof Underlayments of 2026 for Phoenix Homes, Vetted by a Licensed GC From the street, a roof looks like a couple of tilted planes that shed water. Simple. But it's really a system: decking, flashing, vents, sealant, the finish material on top, and one quiet layer that

      MARKET · AUGUST 10, 2026 Monday Market Update: Why the Average Home Doesn't Exist In July, 62% of Greater Phoenix closings sold below the average price per square foot. The gap between the average home and the typical home keeps widening, and it changes how honest pricing gets done. The Signal

DESIGN + BUILD TIPS   Window Fans in Phoenix: What Actually Helps (and What Resale Says About Your Cooling) Every spring I get the same question from clients: "Can I use a window fan to cut my summer bill?" It's a fair one. Window fans are cheap, they pull outside air in and push stale air out, and

      MARKET · AUGUST 3, 2026 Monday Market Update: Real Prices Slip, the Crown Changes Hands Adjusted for inflation, Phoenix homes cost 14% less than at the 2022 peak, while Paradise Valley quietly completes its climb to number one. The Signal The week's most interesting story is what prices look l

DESIGN + BUILD TIPS   The Best Quiet Generators for Phoenix Backup Power, Tested Through a Contractor's Lens Here in the Valley, a power outage isn't a candlelit inconvenience. It's a 115-degree afternoon with no air conditioning, a fridge full of spoiling food, and a house that heats up fast. That'

      MARKET · JULY 27, 2026 Monday Market Update: Paradise Valley Jumps 23%, Real Prices Stand Still Paradise Valley posts the largest monthly gain of the summer and closes to within ten points of first place, while the metro's new $454,000 median high hides prices that are flat to falling in real

DESIGN + BUILD TIPS   11 Types of Plumbing Pipes: What Each One Does and What It Means for Your Phoenix Home's Value Most people never think about the pipes behind their walls until something goes wrong. Then it's a Saturday night, there's water on the floor, and suddenly the material a builder pick