Tucson AZ Real Estate

Even in the throws of triple digit temperatures there are times you  get out of the car and find yourself smiling.  Let me explain.

Divine Intervention or Serendipitous Occasion

Almost everyone trying to sell a home in Tucson reads the papers and listens to the news and is lead to believe the sky is falling and they are doomed.  Their house will never sell and if it does they will end up loosing money.

It leads some to put extra effort into making their home stand out from the rest.  I wrote about this last week in Leave the AC ON.  (It was this same house, yes the AC was on)

One of those extra efforts came in the form of hanging a decorative wreath on the front door.  This time of year with the summer heat here in Tucson it is hard to keep living plants, well living.  As an alternative to this the home owner hung the wreath on the door.

We went to this home the other day and as we walked to the front entryway I noticed the wreath was different.  I thought the lady of the house had added a dove to the top of the wreath.

Thinking to myself “This is a nice touch” when suddenly the dove flew off about 1 inch above Barbara’s head as she was opening the door.

We go in and I’m smiling (I smile a lot) and she said “What was that?”  I told her it was a dove that almost flew right through her hair.  (You can always create a moment of panic saying anything might be in her hair).

What was a dove doing on the door?  I had a hunch.  I took out my pocket camera, held it over my head at the top of the wreath and snapped off a shot.  Looking at the picture confirmed my suspicions.  The dove had built a nest on top of the wreath.

I showed Barbara the picture of the nest with the two eggs in it waiting for mom to return.  I kept hoping she would return to the nest so I could get a shot of the door with her on the nest, but no such luck.  I guess my serendipitous moment didn’t include that shot.

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At first they look like Palm Trees in need of a trim, they are located at the edge of a swimming pool.  However, if you look close you will discover they are not palm trees at all.  They are three old guys in disguise looking at people in the pool below.

I hope by now you are saying “You’ve Got to be Kidding Me”.  Yes, I am : )

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I Want . . .

1. I want a car that runs on water, gets 100 mpg and cost under ten thousand dollars.
2. I want a camera that has great focus, depth of field, and zooms a mile with image stabilization to the images are always sharp and in focus.
3. I want an acre with a guest house 4 bedrooms 3 baths 3 car garage for $150,000 in Tucson.

Which of the above seems the most likely? None, 1, 2, or 3.

I want a million dollars in the bank ($100,000 in 10 different accounts of course) and a barrel full of spending money.

Almost anyone can get an idea of what homes are selling for in any given area of the country with a few minutes spent searching properties on the Internet. It would be a good idea to run some searches for what you are looking for in a Tucson Home instead of listening to the media wonks saying the sky is falling and expecting you can come out and pick up a “Great Deal” in Tucson real estate.

Here is a snapshot look at Average Sale Prices for residential real estate in Tucson

There are some very good propertys at very good prices in Tucson. But this is not a disaster market. People are not giving away their homes. We still have the best weather and beautiful mountains for views which won’t be going away anytime in the next billion years.

When it says “Just reduced by $35,000 for quick sale” doesn’t mean the sale price is $35,000. Those bargains don’t exist.

The real killer is when we find a great deal, even a Gonga Deal and the buyer doesn’t realize it. It requires a little home work to educate yourself of the market as ir really is and not as it is portrayed in the media.

I’m looking on line right now for places that will sell me a barrel full of spending money “Cheap”. Oh, and I’ll take that car too if anybody has one.

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To measure or not to measure that is the question

Since we work with lots of clients, many of them buyers, we find there are two types of buyers when it comes to buying a home. Those that measure everything and those that measure nothing. There are a few that measure a little, but not enough of them to call them a group.

Those that measure nothing

I am of this group. I don’t carry a tape measure with me when I’m looking to buy a new home. I just look and pretty much know if it will work or not. Maybe it comes from years spent in my woodworking shop.

Most measuring has to do with furniture. If it requires getting rid of something and buying a new piece of furniture so be it. I do make sure everything will go through the doors. Since I only buy single story homes I don’t have to consider if things can make it up stairs and around corners. I think that about sums it up for most of us that don’t measure. Continue Reading »

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It was more than thirty years ago I spent six months in Japan. It was an amazing experience. I learned a lot about Japan and still remember a few words and phrases.

When I got back people would ask what it was like being in Japan, the food the people the transportation, the electronics. But the funniest question of all was “Did you see any lions?”

After further inquiry it was obvious they thought Japan was just like images they had of Africa. people living on savannahs in grass huts and hunting lions. It was a funny moment.

You want What? A Home on a River?

We get people who want to move to Tucson contacting us to describe what they want in a home. This often includes things like where they want to live as much as in what kind of home. It might seem obvious to you to check out a place before you decide to move there especially if there are hobbies and interests you really want to pursue.

Tucson does have a couple of rivers, but mostly it has washes. There are some homes located on rivers, but those rivers don’t have any water in them. (with one exception). It makes me smile when we get a request like:

• “I want a home on a river”
• “We are avid kayakers we have to have a place to kaya.”
• “We love to go fishing so we want to be close to a good place to catch fish.”
• “I’m a lawn mower salesman in the summer and snow mobile/snow blower salesman in the winter. How’s the market in Tucson?”

Yeah, I made that last one up. But the rest of them we have been asked. Even the couple that we into diving were interested in moving to Tucson. Move to the desert in the mountains to go diving?

If you are thinking about moving to Tucson it would be a good idea to visit here first. It would be a good idea to Google Tucson and read about it. It would be a good idea to know we have rivers but they don’t have any water in them before you pick out your home on a river.

Now Lake front property, that’s a different story, just like homes with a basement. Oh, by the way, you might see a lion in Tucson, we do have some wild mountain lions here. But we don’t live in grass huts instead we live in Stucco Huts.

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