By Eric Ravenscroft, CRS
Owner, The Ravenscroft Group at Real Broker · Former Director of Wealth Management · Formerly FINRA-licensed (Series 7, 9, 10, 63, 66)

Published Nov 3, 2026 · Updated Nov 13, 2026
Market data through Nov 2026 · 29 min read

Should you invest in stocks or real estate? For most people building long-term wealth, the better question is how much of each, and in what form. Stocks give you liquidity, instant diversification and decades of compounding. Real estate gives you rental income, leverage, appreciation and tax advantages that a brokerage account simply can't offer.

I spent 15 years in financial planning, including as a Director of Wealth Management, helping clients build stock and bond portfolios before I became a REALTOR®. That background shapes everything I do: I don't look at a rental as a standalone purchase. I look at it as one holding inside your whole financial picture, the idea behind my guide to real estate as an asset class. It's the same approach behind the complimentary financial plan I build for clients.

I also practice what I write about. I own a portfolio of rental properties here in Greater Phoenix alongside a stock portfolio, and the balance between the two shifts with the opportunities and value available at the time. When stocks look expensive and a well-priced property pencils out, I lean toward real estate, and the reverse holds too. My background is also why CPAs and tax advisors around the country trust me with their clients' Arizona real estate investments.

The principles apply wherever you invest. I use Greater Phoenix, where I live, work and own rentals, as the real-world example throughout, because local data beats generic averages. Whether you're considering Arizona investment property for the first time or adding to a portfolio, this guide covers how the two asset classes really compare, what the Phoenix and Scottsdale markets look like right now, how the three rental strategies differ, which tax rules matter in 2026, and exactly how I evaluate a property before recommending it.

Real estate vs. stocks: an honest side-by-side

Neither asset is "better." Each wins on different measures, and the right mix depends on your income, timeline, taxes and how hands-on you want to be.

Where stocks shine

A broad U.S. stock index has historically returned roughly 10% a year before inflation over long periods, though with sharp drops along the way. You get that exposure with no tenants, no repairs and no phone calls at 2 a.m. Stocks are also easy to rebalance, borrow against or pass to heirs.

Where real estate shines

Real estate returns come from four engines at once, and leverage magnifies all of them.

Here's leverage in one line: if a $450,000 home bought with $112,500 down rises 4% in a year, that $18,000 gain is about a 16% return on your cash, before income and expenses. Leverage cuts both ways, though. The same math magnifies losses, and a property that loses money every month can drain the stock portfolio it was meant to complement.

What the last 10 years actually showed in Phoenix

Theory is useful, but data settles arguments. Here's what $62,500 became over the 10 years from August 2016 to August 2026, invested three different ways.

What the data says: Phoenix home prices alone trailed the stock market. With a mortgage, though, the same price growth turned into an equity return that outpaced it, before rent and costs, which can add to or subtract from that result. That's leverage at work, and it's why financing and cash flow deserve as much attention as appreciation.

Timing matters more in real estate

A 10-year window flatters anyone who bought in 2016. Here's the same Phoenix index from four different starting points, all measured through August 2026.

Source: S&P Cotality Case-Shiller AZ-Phoenix Home Price Index, not seasonally adjusted, Jan 2000 = 100; latest value 324.9 for August 2026 (FRED). Price only; excludes rent, costs and leverage.

Buyers at the 2006 and 2022 peaks are the reason I underwrite every property on cash flow and a realistic price, not on the hope of appreciation. Stocks have timing risk too, but you can buy them a little at a time. A property is one large purchase at one price.

Benefits and drawbacks at a glance

Every asset has trade-offs. Here they are side by side, so you can weigh what matters most for your goals.

What about REITs? The middle ground

Real estate investment trusts are companies that own income-producing property and trade like stocks. They're a popular bridge between the two worlds, and they're worth understanding before you buy a rental.

My view: REITs are a reasonable way to add real estate exposure inside retirement accounts, where liquidity and simplicity matter most. Owning property directly is how you get leverage, depreciation that shelters your own income, and control. Many of my clients hold both.

Should you invest in stocks or real estate? Often, both

In wealth management, the goal was never to pick one winning asset. It was to build a portfolio where each piece does a specific job. Investment real estate fits that framework well.

1. It diversifies what drives your returns. Stock prices react to earnings, interest rates and sentiment, often within hours. Rents in a growing metro respond to jobs, population and housing supply, and they move slowly.
2. It adds income you don't have to sell for. In retirement, selling stocks in a down year locks in losses. Rental income can cover expenses while your portfolio recovers.
3. It shelters income from tax. Depreciation can make a rental's cash flow partly or fully tax-free on paper. In some cases, short-term rentals can offset W-2 or business income.
4. It hedges inflation. Rents and replacement costs tend to rise with inflation, while a fixed-rate mortgage payment stays the same.
5. It gives you control. You can add value with a renovation, change strategies or refinance. You can't do that with an index fund.

The math: one year, two portfolios

Stocks earn through dividends and price growth. A rental earns through cash flow, loan paydown and appreciation, plus tax benefits. Here's how a year breaks down when the same $240,500 goes into each.

How much real estate is right for you?

There's no universal number, and my own mix isn't fixed either; it moves with where the value is. I look at four things with every client: how much cash you can invest without touching emergency reserves, your tax bracket and income type, how much time you want to spend, and your timeline.

A 35-year-old physician with high W-2 income and a 401(k) full of index funds may benefit from a short-term rental's tax profile. A 60-year-old couple nearing retirement may care more about steady, low-maintenance income from a long-term rental bought with a larger down payment.

The Phoenix Metro market today

Greater Phoenix has moved from the frenzy of 2021 and 2022 into a steadier, more balanced market. That's good news for disciplined investors: more inventory, more negotiating room and less pressure to overpay.

• Prices are steady, not surging. The metro Phoenix single-family median held flat at $480,000 for 2026 through October, according to Phoenix REALTORS® (AZ Big Media), after a June median of $515,000 with sales up 10% year over year (ASREB). Buyers have more room to negotiate than at any point in years.
• Borrowing costs are high. Freddie Mac's 30-year fixed average was 7.18% for the week of November 5, 2026, its third straight weekly decline and down from 7.40% in mid-October (RISMedia; FRED). Investment property loans usually price higher still. See my 2026 new construction investor rates.
• Rents have cooled. New apartment supply pushed multifamily vacancy to about 12.6% in late 2025 (Marketplace Homes). Well-located single-family rentals tend to hold up better, but rent assumptions need to be conservative.
• Landlord-friendly rules. Arizona law bars rent control, and cities stopped taxing long-term residential rent on January 1, 2025 (Arizona Department of Revenue).

Where Phoenix Metro investors are looking

Single-family year-to-date medians from Phoenix REALTORS®, as reported by AZ Big Media in November 2026 and September 2026; Chandler from AZ Big Media's November 2026 market update, which gave no year-over-year change. Metro-wide, the 2026 median is $480,000. Prices vary widely by neighborhood, and I pull current comps for every property I analyze. For month-by-month detail, see my Phoenix housing market updates and best areas to buy in Phoenix in 2026.

Three strategies: LTR, MTR and STR

The property is only half the investment. The strategy you run it under decides your income, your workload and your taxes.

Long-term rentals: the steady foundation

Arizona made LTRs simpler: since January 1, 2025, cities can no longer charge transaction privilege tax on residential rentals of 30 days or more. You still must register the rental with the county assessor. The trade-off in 2026 is thin cash flow at today's rates. Many Phoenix LTRs bought with 20% to 25% down break even or run slightly negative each month, so the return comes mainly from appreciation, loan paydown and tax benefits. That can still be a smart diversifier, but only if you go in knowing it.

Mid-term rentals: the Phoenix sweet spot

MTRs are furnished homes rented for a month or more. Greater Phoenix has steady demand from traveling medical staff at major hospital systems, corporate relocations, insurance claim housing and winter visitors. Furnished monthly rates often run well above unfurnished leases while staying outside short-term rental licensing and city lodging taxes. Expect higher costs for furniture, utilities and turnover, plus more vacancy between stays. My guide to short-term vs. mid-term rentals in Phoenix goes deeper.

Short-term rentals: highest upside, highest effort

Scottsdale is one of the country's strongest STR markets, driven by golf, spring training, resorts and major events. Arizona law limits how far cities can restrict STRs, but the rules are real: Scottsdale requires a city license for any property rented for less than 30 consecutive days, at $250 per property per year, along with neighbor notification, liability insurance and other safety requirements (City of Scottsdale). Repeated violations can bring fines and, under state law, a ban on using the property as an STR. HOA rules can also prohibit them, so I check CC&Rs before you ever make an offer.

The tax playbook: stocks vs. long-term, mid-term and short-term rentals

Tax treatment is where real estate most clearly complements a stock portfolio, and where the three rental strategies differ most. (For a broader overview, see my real estate tax strategy page.) Below is how each one is taxed in 2026: what you get, how to qualify, and the traps that catch investors. Two habits from my wealth management years apply to all of it. Look at after-tax returns, not headline returns. And make tax decisions before you buy, not in April.

At a glance: how each strategy is taxed

Summary only. Each row is explained below, with sources linked.

How stocks are taxed, and the tax tools they offer

Stocks have real tax advantages, and a good plan uses them fully before reaching for real estate.

• Preferential rates. Long-term capital gains (shares held over a year) and qualified dividends are taxed at 0%, 15% or 20%. Short-term gains are taxed as ordinary income.
• Net Investment Income Tax. An extra 3.8% applies to investment income once modified AGI passes $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married filing jointly). It applies to taxable rental income too.
• Tax-advantaged accounts. For 2026 you can defer $24,500 into a 401(k), plus an $8,000 catch-up at 50 or $11,250 at ages 60 to 63. IRA limits are $7,500, plus a $1,100 catch-up (IRS). Roth accounts grow tax-free.
• Tax-loss harvesting. Selling losers offsets gains, plus up to $3,000 of ordinary income a year, with unused losses carried forward. Rebuying the same security within 30 days triggers the wash-sale rule.
• Charitable giving and step-up. Donating appreciated shares avoids the gain entirely, and heirs generally receive a stepped-up basis.

Source: Kiplinger, IRS 2026 capital gains thresholds. The 3.8% NIIT can apply on top of these rates.

What stocks can't do: they generate no depreciation, so every dividend is taxable in the year you receive it. And outside the $3,000 loss rule, nothing in a brokerage account reduces the tax on your salary. That's the gap real estate fills.

The real estate foundations: benefits all three strategies share

1. Depreciation. You deduct the building (not the land) over 27.5 years, even while it may be appreciating. A $400,000 home with $80,000 allocated to land has a $320,000 basis, which works out to about $11,636 of deductions a year.
2. Cost segregation. An engineering-based study reclassifies parts of the property into 5-, 7- and 15-year property: flooring, cabinetry, appliances, fixtures, landscaping, fencing and pools. On a single-family home, it commonly moves a meaningful share of the building's cost into those shorter lives.
3. 100% bonus depreciation. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act permanently restored 100% bonus depreciation for qualifying property acquired after January 19, 2025 (Wiss). That lets you deduct everything a cost segregation study reclassifies in year one, rather than over 5 to 15 years.
4. Operating deductions. Mortgage interest, insurance, HOA dues, repairs, management, utilities, travel to the property and professional fees are deductible against rental income. Rental property taxes are deducted on Schedule E, so the itemized SALT cap ($40,000 for 2025 to 2029, phasing down above $500,000 of income) doesn't limit them (NAR).
5. The 20% QBI deduction. When a rental operation rises to the level of a trade or business, net rental income may qualify for the Section 199A deduction, now made permanent. The IRS safe harbor generally requires 250 or more hours of rental services a year.
6. Leverage-friendly tax math. Depreciation is based on the full purchase price, including the part you financed. On a 25%-down purchase, first-year deductions can exceed the cash you invested.
7. Arizona advantages. A flat 2.5% state income tax, no rent control, and no city tax on long-term residential rent since January 1, 2025 (Arizona Department of Revenue).

The depreciation math, visualized

Two charts show why depreciation matters so much: how cost segregation front-loads deductions, and how depreciation changes what you keep from the same income.

Long-term rental tax benefits: tax-sheltered cash flow

A 12-month lease is a "rental activity" under the passive activity rules. That shapes everything.

• Sheltered income. Depreciation usually wipes out the taxable portion of your rent, so the cash flow you actually receive is often tax-free in the years you own it.
• The $25,000 allowance. If you actively participate (approving tenants, setting rent, approving repairs), you can deduct up to $25,000 of rental losses against other income. It phases out between $100,000 and $150,000 of modified AGI (Journal of Accountancy).
• Suspended losses aren't lost. Above $150,000 of income, unused losses carry forward. They offset future rental income and are fully released when you sell the property in a taxable sale.
• Real Estate Professional status. If you (or your spouse) spend more than 750 hours a year, and more than half your working time, in real estate trades or businesses and materially participate, rental losses become nonpassive and can offset any income. It's a common strategy for households where one spouse works in real estate full time.

Best fit: investors who want simple, tax-efficient income and long-term appreciation, and households under the $150,000 allowance phase-out or with a spouse who qualifies as a real estate professional.

Mid-term rental tax benefits: bigger first-year deductions, no lodging tax

With average stays over 30 days, an MTR is taxed as a rental activity, just like a long-term rental. The difference is in the details.

• Furnishings accelerate depreciation. Furniture, appliances, linens and electronics are 5-year property and qualify for 100% bonus depreciation. Combined with a cost segregation study, an MTR typically front-loads more deductions than an unfurnished rental.
• No transaction privilege or lodging tax on stays of 30 days or more. That's a real margin advantage over short-term rentals in cities charging 13% or more.
• No city STR license is required for stays of 30+ days, so there's less compliance overhead.
• Same passive rules as an LTR. Losses are passive, so the $25,000 allowance and Real Estate Professional rules apply. An MTR does not qualify for the short-term rental strategy described next.

Watch out: filling gaps with stays of under 30 days can trigger lodging taxes and licensing, and can change your average stay. Decide on the strategy up front and track it.

Short-term rental tax benefits: offsetting W-2 income

For high-income households, this is the most powerful real estate tax strategy available without becoming a real estate professional. It also has the most rules.

How it works

1. The 7-day test. When the average guest stay for the year is 7 days or less, the IRS doesn't treat the property as a "rental activity" under the passive activity rules (The Short Term Shop; Journal of Accountancy). It's treated like a business instead.
2. Material participation. You must also materially participate. The tests most STR owners use are 100+ hours and more than anyone else, including cleaners and managers; 500+ hours; or doing substantially all the work. Self-managing owners with a co-host often qualify; owners using full-service management usually don't.
3. Cost segregation + bonus depreciation. Together they create a large first-year paper loss.
4. The result. That nonpassive loss can offset W-2 wages and business income in the same year.

Limits and traps to know

• Excess business loss cap. For 2026, business losses can offset only $256,000 (single) or $512,000 (joint) of nonbusiness income such as wages. Any excess becomes a net operating loss carryforward (BiggerPockets).
• Hotel-like services change the rules. Offering daily cleaning, meals or concierge service can move income to Schedule C, add 15.3% self-employment tax and switch the building to 39-year depreciation. Standard STR turnover cleaning between guests is generally fine.
• Personal use. If your personal use exceeds the greater of 14 days or 10% of the days it's rented at fair rent, the vacation home rules limit your deductions (IRS).
• Records are everything. Keep a contemporaneous hour log, with dates, tasks and time, plus booking data proving your average stay. This is the most audited part of the strategy.
• Lodging taxes. Combined state, county and city rates are about 13.97% in Scottsdale, 13.07% in Phoenix, 14.27% in Mesa and 15.17% in Glendale (Northern Arizona University, July 2026). Guests pay them and most platforms remit them, but you need an Arizona TPT license for direct bookings.

Not just for W-2 earners. The same loss can offset other ordinary income, including traditional IRA withdrawals and required minimum distributions. Several of my retired clients have used it that way; see the IRA-to-STR case study.

For the full walk-through, see my short-term rental tax break guide for W-2 earners my short-term rental tax strategy guide, and two real examples: the Scottsdale bonus depreciation case study and the Palm Valley basement-casita STR case study.

Same $100,000, four different tax pictures

An illustrative first-year comparison for a married couple with $550,000 of W-2 income (35% federal bracket), investing $100,000 of cash.

Assumptions: 20% of value allocated to land; for the MTR and STR, a cost segregation study reclassifies roughly 25% of the building to bonus-eligible property, plus furnishings. The STR figure assumes about $15,000 to $20,000 of net rental income before depreciation, leaving a loss of roughly $85,000, a 7-day-or-less average stay and material participation. Illustrative only, not a projection; actual results depend on the property, the study and your CPA's review.

The takeaway: long-term and mid-term rentals mostly shelter their own income, while a qualifying short-term rental can shelter your salary. Stocks shelter nothing outside retirement accounts. That's why the right strategy depends so much on your income and how much time you can commit.

Exit taxes and how investors defer them

• Depreciation recapture. When you sell, depreciation you took on the building is generally taxed at up to 25%. Bonus depreciation on 5-, 7- and 15-year property can be recaptured at ordinary rates. Recapture is the price of the early deductions. Plan for it; don't let it scare you off.
• 1031 exchange. Sell one investment property and buy another of equal or greater value within strict deadlines (45 days to identify, 180 days to close), and both the gain and recapture are deferred. Exchanges can repeat indefinitely. See why Phoenix works for a 1031 exchange and my complete 1031 exchange investor guide.
• Step-up at death. Heirs generally receive a basis reset to market value, which can erase deferred gains and recapture. The federal estate tax exemption is now permanently set at $15 million per person, with inflation adjustments (NAR). "Exchange until you die" is a legitimate estate plan, as our Glendale case study shows. My 1031 exchange guide to tax and estate strategy covers it in depth.
• Converting strategies. Moving a property between LTR, MTR and STR use is allowed, but it changes how the year is taxed. Talk to your CPA before switching mid-year.

Your tax-planning checklist

1. Confirm your goal. Are you sheltering rental income, sheltering W-2 income, or building a retirement income stream? The answer points to LTR, MTR or STR.
2. Talk to a real estate CPA before you write an offer. Confirm the strategy fits your income, filing status and other passive activity.
3. Price in a cost segregation study. Studies on single-family homes are typically a few thousand dollars, so check that the extra first-year deduction justifies it.
4. Time the purchase. Place the property in service before December 31 to claim depreciation for that year.
5. Set up clean books. Use a separate bank account and card, a property management or bookkeeping system, and, for an STR, an hour log from day one.
6. Track your average stay and personal use throughout the year, not just at tax time.
7. Plan the exit up front. Decide whether a 1031 exchange, a long-term hold or estate transfer fits, so recapture is a plan rather than a surprise.

The risks, and how I underwrite every property

Real estate isn't a guaranteed win. The main risks are vacancy, unexpected repairs, rising insurance and HOA costs, interest rate changes, local regulation, and the fact that you can't sell quickly in a downturn. Phoenix adds its own: summer heat is hard on HVAC systems, roofs and pools, and new construction can add rental competition.

That's why I never recommend a property based on a listing's "projected rent." This is the eight-step process I run first. You can test your own numbers with my real estate calculators.

1. Start with your portfolio, not the property. We review your goals, liquid assets, income, tax bracket and existing investments so the purchase fits a plan.
2. Set buy criteria. Price range, areas, minimum cash flow or cash-on-cash return, maximum renovation budget and acceptable workload.
3. Underwrite all three strategies. For each candidate property I model LTR, MTR and STR income using real comparable rentals, not optimistic averages.
4. Load every expense. Mortgage, taxes, insurance, HOA, utilities, management, repairs, capital reserves (roof, HVAC, water heater, pool), vacancy, furnishing and licensing.
5. Stress-test the numbers. What happens if rent drops 10%, vacancy doubles, or a $9,000 HVAC replacement hits in year one?
6. Compare financing options. Conventional, DSCR, larger down payments, rate buydowns and builder incentives on new construction.
7. Check regulation and restrictions. City licensing, HOA rules, zoning and insurance availability.
8. Compare to the alternative. If the property can't beat keeping the money in your portfolio on a risk-adjusted basis, I'll tell you.

Case studies: real estate vs. stocks in practice

The three scenarios below are illustrative, built from typical client situations and late-2026 assumptions (a 7.9% investment property rate and conservative rents). They aren't specific client results, and your numbers will differ. Real client results follow.

Client strategy: moving IRA money into a short-term rental

This is one of the most effective strategies I've helped clients carry out, and it's where my financial planning and real estate backgrounds overlap most. Several retired clients have withdrawn money from a traditional IRA, used it to buy a short-term rental, and used the STR loss rules and bonus depreciation to offset the tax on that withdrawal. The numbers below are illustrative, but the strategy reflects real client purchases.

The problem it solves

• Required minimum distributions. Traditional IRA owners must start taking RMDs at 73, rising to 75 for people born in 1960 or later. Those withdrawals are taxed as ordinary income whether you need the money or not.
• A tax bill for your heirs. Most non-spouse beneficiaries must empty an inherited IRA within 10 years, and if you had already started RMDs, they must also take annual withdrawals along the way (Schwab). Every pre-tax dollar is generally taxable to them, often during their own peak earning years.

Real client results

These are investors I represented. Each result reflects that client's situation and isn't a promise of future outcomes. See more on my client wins and case studies page.

Short-term rental · Scottsdale 85254

$170K

below list on a turn-key STR

A furnished, income-producing Scottsdale home with seller-paid closing costs and a new roof, timed for a bonus depreciation strategy.

Read the case study →

1031 exchange · Vistancia and Verrado

~$1K

more net cash flow per month

Two brothers exchanged a $2 million California multifamily property into two Arizona single-family rentals, cutting property tax to about a quarter of what it had been.

Read the case study →

1031 · Estate planning · Glendale

$139,272

in taxes deferred

A California investor exchanged into a Glendale rental bought $20K under list with a cash offer, structured with her CPA and estate attorney for a stepped-up basis.

Read the case study →

See all client wins & case studies →

Minor typos are corrected; the wording is otherwise the clients'.

Frequently asked questions

About the author

Eric Ravenscroft, CRS

Owner & Team Lead, The Ravenscroft Group at Real Broker · Former Director of Wealth Management · CRS · GRI · ABR · MRP · SRES® · RSPS

Top 1% REALTOR® Across North America

Top 100 Greater Phoenix Metro

$100M+ Career Sales

Former FINRA Series 7, 9, 10, 63 & 66

175+ Five-Star Google Reviews

Real Broker: #2 in Arizona · #22 in North America

RealTrends #1: Buckeye · Litchfield Park · Goodyear · Glendale · Waddell

Eric founded The Ravenscroft Group at Real Broker after 15 years in financial planning, including serving as a Director of Wealth Management. Licensed through FINRA beginning in 2011, he held the Series 7, 9, 10, 63 and 66 licenses. CPAs and tax advisors around the country trust him with their clients, and he invests alongside them: he owns a portfolio of rental properties in Greater Phoenix in addition to stocks. Most agents can tell you about a neighborhood; very few can tell you what a property will do to your taxes, cash flow and long-term plan. His practice is built around answering both. Read how he went from finance to real estate.

He specializes in investment property, short-term rental investing, 1031 exchanges, new construction and California-to-Arizona relocation. He has closed more than $100 million in residential sales, earned more than 175 five-star Google reviews, and is verified by RealTrends as the #1 agent in Buckeye, Litchfield Park, Goodyear, Glendale and Waddell. He was also recently ranked #2 in Arizona and #22 across North America among all Real Broker agents. His commentary has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Morningstar, MarketWatch and MSN Money, and he hosts The House of Ravenscroft podcast.

Full bio & credentials · Client wins & case studies · LinkedIn · Book a call · eric@theravenscroftgroup.com · AZ License SA691304000

Keep reading: more for Phoenix investors

• Client Wins & Phoenix Real Estate Case Studies
• Real Estate as an Asset Class
• Real Estate Tax Strategy
• Short-Term Rental Tax Strategy
• The Short-Term Rental Tax Break for W-2 Earners
• Short-Term vs. Mid-Term Rentals in Phoenix
• Scottsdale 85254 Turn-Key STR: Bonus Depreciation Case Study
• Why Phoenix Works for a 1031 Exchange
• 2026 New Construction Investor Rates
• Best Areas to Buy in Phoenix in 2026
• Arizona Investment Property
• Palm Valley Basement-Casita STR: Bonus Depreciation Case Study
• The Complete 1031 Exchange Investor Guide
• Real Estate Calculators
• All articles on the blog

Disclaimer: This article is general information, not investment, tax, legal, insurance or lending advice. The scenarios and the IRA-to-STR figures in the case study section are illustrative and based on stated assumptions; actual results vary. Eric previously held FINRA securities licenses; nothing here is a recommendation to buy or sell any security or to take a retirement account distribution. Figures are estimates based on the sources above as of November 2026 and will change. Consult a CPA, attorney, lender and financial advisor about your situation. Eric is compensated by real estate commissions when clients buy or sell through him; he receives no compensation from any product, lender, platform or source mentioned. Past client results don't guarantee future outcomes, and client reviews reflect individual experiences; no compensation was provided for any review. Eric Ravenscroft, Arizona License SA691304000. The Ravenscroft Group at Real Broker.