Tucson June Most Closed Transactions for 2009
July 1, 2009
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Waiting for the Numbers to Arrive
Covering the Tucson Real Estate Market gets to be a lot of fun during the past week and first week of the month. Honestly, most months the middle can be a little boring (LOL, maybe a lot boring).
We are into that first week of July; one day into the third quarter. The Stock market reacted badly yesterday, June 30th, because the April numbers were down. I have to wonder what deck these guys are playing from. The May and June numbers have been good enough that Jim Cramer, yes that Jim Cramer called Bottom on June 14th. I don’t know how much credibility you assign to him (bite lip don’t comment). But a lot of people blindly follow him and his advise.
June Closed Transaction Numbers
The entire month the number of closed transactions have been keeping a much brisker pace than any month yet this year. There was a time about half way through the month the average sale price was over $214,000. It is now back down to about $206,500.
Two days ago we were still a couple hundred short of June 2008’s 1069 closed transactions. In May I thought we would break or meet the 1070 from May of 2008, but that didn’t happen. We got close, closer than the statistics report indicated; 1016 as of right now, the report came in at 987.
Then last night we were only 35 short of 1070. I’m not publishing this post till after 5 pm when most brokerages close and stop entering sales for the day. But a sneak number at 4 pm. is 1095. I could publish but holding out for that last hour to see if we can get to 1100. Of course by the time you read this you will already know. Moving on. 5:32 pm 1099.
Well, guess that’s all I have to say : )
Post Tags: jim cramer calls bottom , June 2009 closed transactions , tucson real estate trend
Barbara Lasky Arizona Daily Star Gallery All-star
June 28, 2009
This article ran in the Sunday edition of the Arizona Daily Star about Barbara and her photos submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
Gallery All-stars
Where StarNet recognizes its most popular photographers from the readers’ photo gallery.
The Red Barn and Corral
Barbara Lasky really puts her camera to good use.
With the photos she creates, she illustrates a blog, advertises real estate listings, documents charity events and captures memories of frequent trips with her husband, Dave Smith.
“We try to go to different areas around Tucson,” she said. “Most recently, we went up the back of Mount Lemmon and down the front.”
Lasky is a Realtor, and also writes a blog with her husband, serves as the historian for the Tucson chapter of the Women’s Council of Realtors and volunteers for charitable causes. For example, she volunteered on the recent “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” project in January.
“That was so much fun,” she said. “I was the site coordinator — and I shot photos. I communicated with the production staff. When something was needed, (any skilled trade, catering, supplies, etc.) I’d tell Dave and he’d Tweet for it (on Twitter).”
You can read more about Barbara and see more of her photos at her profile as a Gallery All-star.
Post Tags: Arizona Daily Star Gallery All-star , Barbara Lasky Photos , Barbara-Lasky
Being Cruel isn’t Good Negotiating
June 26, 2009
There is a difference between being a good negotiator and being cruel. It is fine to drive a hard bargain and get the best price you can on a home purchase. Sale Price is market driven. Knowing how to drive a hard bargain can save you some money in the long run.
What we are seeing more and more are “buyers” who aren’t buying. What they are doing is writing contracts which take a sellers home off the market. Then before the inspection period is up they cancel the contract. But that’s not all, then a few weeks later they come back to the seller and renegotiate an even lower purchase price. Once the seller accepts the purchase price the buyer doesn’t continue.
It is like a game. A cruel game. If someone isn’t a serious buyer they shouldn’t be negotiating purchase prices if they don’t intend to purchase.
This is a bad example: I’m saying this right up front. There is a difference between swatting a fly and pulling the legs off it one at a time.
See I told you this was a bad example.
But I hope the picture sticks.
Please, don’t be a disingenuous buyer.
Post Tags: disingenuous buyer
Tucson Real Estate June 2009 Update
June 25, 2009
Pointing to a Good June
This evening as I pulled the data for the Tucson Real Estate Market daily update I see that we have landed on 800 closed transactions at the end of the day.
The unofficial goal for each month seems to be “Have at least as many sales as the same month last year”. This to date has been an unattained goal. We got close in March when we reached 923 to the 930 from March 2007.
This means the goal for June would be 1069 closed transactions. This is only one less than the May goal which was 1070, one we didn’t come close to reaching for May.
The past few days we have been seeing about 50 sales a day being recorded. Most have been on the lower end of Median bringing the Average Sale price down over the past week from about $214,000 to the $206,883 it closed at today.
We are in the final week of June countdown. This also concludes the second quarter of the year. We all await what the 3rd quarter of 2009 will bring the Tucson Real Estate Market.
Stay Tuned.
Post Tags: tucson real estate june 2009 update , Tucson-Real-Estate-Trends
Water It Does a Body Good
June 24, 2009
So I stole the Milk saying. This week it is to be in the trip digits all week. Meaning the AC will be cranked up and the water bottles will be filled and refilled more so than usual.
While the heat is high the humidity isn’t. That will change as monsoon season gets into full swing, but for now it is still relatively low. This means our bodies loose a lot of water and we don’t even notice it. Unlike the Midwest where you get out of the car and it look more like you climbed out of the shower. Here it can be very hot and you will hardly break a sweat. The water dissipates that fast.
Headaches, oh those headaches
You Were Expecting Bottled Water ?
The proper response to a dehydration headache isn’t ibuprofen. It is drink water. rehydrate your self as quickly as possible. I find the headache will usually disappear in about 20 minutes after drinking a bottle of water.
When taking buyers out in the summer, even the winter for that matter, we bring along bottles of water for them. I’m the one that gets to give the headache talk. It usually goes like this.
When I first moved here I had a lot of headaches. I was taking Ibuprofen by the handfuls. One day I stopped by the folks and I asked mom if she had any Ibuprofen. “Got a headache? Been getting a lot of them?” “Yeah, how did you know?” “You don’t need Ibuprofen, you need a bottle of water.”
I was in my late forties when I moved to Tucson and by then had learned you don’t question MOM. Besides I would dring the water and stop and buy Ibuprofen if I needed them. I didn’t. And now if I feel a headache coming on, the first thing I do is drink a bottle of water.
If you are new to Tucson, or visiting here this summer, (I won’t go into why you would visit Tucson in the summer) be sure to drink lots of water. It will keep the headaches to a minimum. It won’t hurt your skin either.
I keep a couple of bottles of water in the car all the time. Yes, it gets warm, but if I need to drink it and it is warm, I pretend it is tea.
Post Tags: drink water , headaches , monsoon season
Krispy Kreme Back in Tucson
June 23, 2009
Krispy Kreme Returns
Two Sugar Queens
It has been a couple of years since Tucson had Krispy Kreme Donuts in town. It used to be a traditional run to Phoenix to pick up dozens of Krispy Kreme doughnuts for any special occasion meeting here in Tucson. Someone would make the “Run”. Then we got our own Krispy Kreme shops here in Tucson and there were lines, long lines all the time outside the shops.
Suddenly They were Gone
Almost overnight they were gone. The Franchise wasn’t financially stable and all the Krispy Kreme shops closed overnight. The sugar fix was hard to live without. The real tragedy. All the Krispy Kreme’s in Arizona closed at the same time. No more going to Phoenix for “The Run”.
Now They’re Back
But this morning, Krispy Kreme is back in Tucson. Who would have thought during the height of the recession we would have donuts. I WOULD FOR ONE. When is a better time to provide people with comfort food and sugar highs than during an economic downturn. Counter intuitive? Not at all. Perfect timing.
The Girls (that would be Barbara and World Traveler) were up at 3:45 and made the trip to Krispy Kreme to be one of the first 100 in line. They were and each received a card good for 1 cup of coffee and 1 doughnut for a year. Yep, 365 donuts and 365 cups of coffee. AND FREE WIFI.
The store is located near Cortaro Farms and I-10 at the 246 exit. It is in front of the Walmart and where It’s A Grind used to be. I don’t have an exact address, just follow your nose and the traffic. Krispy Kreme and In-N-Out Burger less than a block apart. Who would have thought.
Post Tags: in-n-out-burger , krispy kreme , sugar highs , World Traveler
What you are looking for often determines what you see
June 22, 2009
A Second Set of Eyes
What's with the wires?
It is a good idea to have someone along when looking at a house. This is what I am when going along on home buyer outings; that’s what I call them anyway. I’m not looking at paint colors or room sizes. I’m not even listening to the buyers talk about what they like or dislike (that’s Barbara’s job : ) I’m looking at the foundation for cracks or evidence of termites. I’m looking at the stucco for cracks and any signs of water damage around the house. I check for negative grade that will cause water to flow toward the house instead of away from it. In a nutshell I’m looking for any red flags.
These are just a few of the things I’m going around looking for. Most of the time the buyers aren’t looking at any of these things. Often they don’t even see them. This is because that’s not what they are looking for. This was brought out to me a few days ago while at a home inspection.
I go and most often take pictures or write while the inspector does his job. This particular day Barbara and I were both present at the home inspection. I had my camera and laptop along and was looking for things that might make an interesting photo or something I could use in a blog post.
Let’s face it, I can only write about statistics so many times before you and I become totally bored with the topic. However, this particular photo wasn’t for a blog post. I liked the colors, subject and contracting materials in the image. It was a fun shot, not a blog post shot. Until I was processing it on the laptop.
Barbara looked at the image and said, “Why did you take that shot with all those wires in it?” I thought, “What wires?” I looked at the screen and for the first time saw the under cabinet wiring for the lights. Till that second I had been so focused on the frame, lighting, and positioning of the plant and catching just enough of the cabinet wood grain I hadn’t noticed the wires.
It only took a couple of minutes and I had the wires removed. No, not from the cabinets, from the image. Software is a wonderful thing, and so non-destructive.
It isn’t as easy to remove termites, water damage, cracked stucco, or loose roof tile.
This is why it is a good idea to bring someone along who not be looking at the same things you are. Another set of eyes to look at the house from a different perspective.
It is also why you NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, skip a home inspection. Of all the steps in the home buying process the most cost efficient is the home inspection. For piece of mind and the ability to proceed in the purchase process from a position of knowledge.
Look Mom, No Wires
Post Tags: fresh eyes , never skip the home inspection , second perspective
