When Tucson Sand Meets the Sky

The Tucson real estate scene is definitely affected by the scenery.  Unique mountain vistas and night city views are value enhancers for the upper end market (500K plus).  No two views are the same and are purely objective and nearly always world class.  Shutterbugs abound in Tucson and the surrounding areas since there is never a shortage of subjects or material.  Every day is a good day to photograph because of the weather.  Photography is a popular hobby for Realtors because of their experience with cameras in the every day marketing of properties on the Internet.  Of course one view that all Tucsonans enjoy are the breathtaking sunsets.  Again, no two are alike and nearly all are world class when the desert meets the sky.

Out door Kitchens in Tucson are very popular.  My wife and I are in the process of having one built and we are very excited as we do approximately 80% of our home cooking on the grill.  This one will include a large beehive fireplace, four burner grill, outdoor fridge, outdoor sink and built-in ice chest for the adult beverages.  Tucson living is at its best when experiencing life on the out side.  Many cool evenings and afternoons can be just the thing to clear your head of working in an office all day.  We love our time together here and in most cases, constructing a professionally built feature that blends in well with your home will add value to your property.  This one obviously is not quite finished (check with me in a week or so) but we should fully operational for evening cookouts and happy hours in June.

It struck me last week while visiting my brother in Alaska, that Tucson weather makes life in general that much simpler.  No studded tires that have to be switched out by May, no shovelling sidewalks, no driving through stop signs because to do so would jeapordize your momentum up the hill. 

Real estate in the Anchorage area has not fluxuated near as much as the rest of the country, true….and the summers are fabulous, not to mention the experience of nature on steroids.  Alaska is truely a different world compared to Tucson Arizona.  I, however now believe that Alaska is probably a young mans game in the winter.

Tucson is one way to an easy life in the Winter, especially if you’re over forty or so.  Tucson has no earthquakes or thirty below zero or twenty one hours of darkness per day in the winter months.  Tucson is bright and warm which makes it year around.  Year around hiking, golf, swimming, tennis, fishing and meals on the patio.

Have a good week Rangers and appreciate the warmth!

The Tucson Market is showing signs of recovery ever so slowly.  On the heals of a national publication that pegged Tucson as the number one market for residential investment, we have noticed that listings we have in the average price ranges ($160,000) are flying off the shelves.  Properties priced $200,000 down to $50,000 are often responding to multiple offers, which gives the advantage to buyers with large amounts of cash to put down. 

We are also seeing welcome activity on our higher priced listings ($300,000-$1,000,000).  This is due to the fact that you can acquire much more with much less.  Lower interest rates and much lower prices are allowing home buyers to take notice of gated communities in the foothills or custom built homes on acreage.

The movement is still slow compared to 5-10 years ago, however it is a great feeling here in Tucson that we are recovering nicely!

Lets you and I together do something DIFFERENT today because we want DIFFERENT results in a particular area of our ambitions.  If you are not making progress in business, health, or relationships, then do something different in that particular issue…It is your choice.  Every moment of every day is a choice that we can make generally, providing there is no chronic disease that prevents us from making the right choice.  For most of us, making the different choice will be easier than we think.  We fail to act in a different direction because of our fears and the momentum of our habits.

Today I’m going to make those calls I usually put on the back burner, make the lean choice at dinner, and show my wife and girls that I love them. 

Have a good week Rangers!

We as Realtors have a big responsibility in informing the Buying and Selling community about what is relevant in the real estate market.  This is nearly a sacred trust that consumers must have for the real estate community because after all, this is a huge investment of time and resources for the typical buyer or seller.

One of the typical examples right now and for the last few years is how the distressed property market has actually changed the face of the real estate industry.  Agents that represent buyers now have to be fully educated on the REO’s or bank owned properties and the buying or selling process.  The buyers agent must set proper expectations for buyers so that they know how communications and time lines will work, how to submit offers and what to expect when there are multiple offers.  This is all so different now compared to real estate just five years ago.

When pursuing a short sale, again, knowledge and communication are the key on both sides of these transactions.  If the listing agent is not experienced and knowledgeable, the deal is most certainly doomed to fail.  If the buyers agent is not up to date on the current processes, the buyers don’t know what or when to expect the transaction to proceed.

These processes and success rates have improved and will continue to improve.  Agents have become better agents and will continue to adapt to our ever changing market…..Have a good week Rangers!

Every year at this time I make the long climb up that ladder to work on our coolers.  We are one of those families that has over the years switched over to the A/C upgrades for our house while keeping hold of the old coolers as well.  We like the coolers this time of year because of the low humidity however they are some work.  This year I had to replace the celdek pads on the master coolers (two units).  Also on one of the units I had to install a new float valve.  Now, you can hire someone to do these start up procedures or you can do it yourself.  It’s always somewhat of a challenge, however I get a large sense of satisfaction knowing that at least I can do this one thing on maintaining my own property.  I also get:

Nice cool air flow through my house while keeping the windows open.

Humidity that helps my lungs, my plants and my cigars (loosing the cigars would help my lungs also)

Low low electric bills compared to A/C.

In late July, I will make that long climb up the ladder to turn off the coolers and change over to A/C.  Our bills will go up but we will still have cool dry air so we can sleep tight at night.  Then in Sept/Oct we will switch back to the coolers once more before winter.  I take care of the coolers myself, but for everything else…..I hire somebody.

By converting part of your IRA into a self directed IRA  you will gain access to cash that can be used to purchase Tucson real estate investment properties.  As per the national article from a couple of days ago, Tucson is currently ranked as the number one place in America for real estate investors to put their dollars right now.  To take advantage of this wonderful opportunity, contact your local IRA custodian to explore putting your savings to work.  Then contact your Tucson real estate professional to help you find the perfect investment property.  Your IRA can be put to work as a stand alone asset, down payment or pooled with other like minded investors with IRA’s.

Have a great weekend Rangers!

Tucson residential real estate has bottomed out.  Major publications this week have pegged Tucson Arizona as the number one place in America to invest your residential real estate dollars.  This is because our prices have bottomed out, cost of living is low, no natural disasters, low unemployment (under 8%), beautiful vistas and the greatest weather on earth.  Most agents I talk to are complaining about the low inventory and the fact that buying a favorable property in Tucson in the 200K price range has become very competitive (multiple offers).