Officials Shut Land Sales In Far SouthWest Valley

The Arizona Republic reports that the Arizona Department of Real Estate put a stop last week to what it alleges was a plot to illegally subdivide nearly 400 acres of desert land in the Tonopah area, near Thomas Road and 411th Avenue.

The department ordered the activities near Tonopah to cease and summarily suspended the licenses of Valley real estate brokers Kenneth Graham and J. Roger Alquist, and salespeople Dore Plaff and Matt Hiatt. According to the article, a series of transactions among a small group of people and organizations carved the land into more than 125 smaller parcels, raising the price along the way.

The department alleges the transactions were illegal because sellers did not demonstrate the availability of water or take steps to ensure roads, sewer systems and utilities in the area. More...