What you are looking for often determines what you see is a post Scrapped and Stolen from: Tucson Real Estate if you are not reading this in your Reader.

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

Tucson Home Buyers Don’t Be Too Anxious is a post Scrapped and Stolen from: Tucson Real Estate if you are not reading this in your Reader.

Some of you might think I’m making this up.  Honestly, I would never have thought of this one.  It is true and it happened last summer right here in Tucson.  I pass on this story as a bit of advise.

I know you will say “Who would ever do that?”  Well someone did and it could have cost them some money.  Fortunately they had a seller that found it amusing.

Our seller had the home on the market.  An offer was made and accepted.  The 10 day inspection period was about half over and the BINSR, Buyer’s Inspection Notice Seller’s Response had not yet been submitted by the buyer to the seller.

The BINSR

In a typical residential contract once an offer has been accepted a 10 day inspection period begins for the buyer.  It is 10 days unless it is extended in the contract.  During this time the buyer does all their inspections, Termite, Home, Radon, Mold, etc. 

When the inspection are complete the buyer submits the BIN part with the things they want fixed or replaced.  During the inspection period a buyer can cancel the contract without reason.  It is their inspection period.  Once the Inspection notice is given to the seller they have 5 days to respond.

They can agree to do everything requested, some thing requested or nothing at all.

If they agree to do everything the contract is now valid and binding.  Anything else the buyer can cancel the contract.

A Buyer Slip

As stated above the inspection period was about half over when the postman delivered mail to the house for the prospective buyer.  The buyer was so excited about having an accepted offer they immediately submitted a “Change of Address” card to the post office.

When the BINSR comes from the buyer our seller says, “I really don’t have to do anything do I, they are already going to move no matter what I do.”  Yep, that pretty much summed it up.  The buyer had tipped their hand to the seller.

Everything on the BINSR was already being addressed by our seller.  Every request was reasonable.  Our seller agreed to everything on the BINSR and the contract proceeded to close on time.

But, the seller could just as easily been one that is not reasonable.  It could have cost the buyer thousands of dollars in the right situation.

Moral of the Story

You can fill out the change of address card, but I wouldn’t recommend turning it in till you have the house keys in your hand on the day the transaction is recorded.

Enjoy your new home. Oh, and find out where the mailbox is.

Tucson Tangerine Crossing is a post Scrapped and Stolen from: Tucson Real Estate if you are not reading this in your Reader.

Tangerine Crossing is a premier Richmond American Community.  It will be a gated community.

There are three Richmond American Communities at Tangerine Crossing

Tuscany

Tuscany has 5 home designs to choose from.  They are all with a 2 car garage.
The homes range in size from the Cortona at 1550 sq.ft. at $269,990 to the Volterra at 2,950 sq.ft. at $333,990.

 Sterling

Sterling also has 5 home designs to choose from.  They have 3 models with a 3 car garage.  The homes range in size from the Celina at 1,900 sq. ft. at $324,900 to the Yorkshire at 4,100 sq. ft. at $431,990.

Premier

Currently the Tuscany and Sterling Communities are for sale.

Tangerine Crossing
N Thornydale Rd & W Tangerine Rd Tucson, AZ 
 
Master planned community with open space, trails and recreational amenities.

Property Size 300 Acres

Property Units 389 single-family residential lots and a 23-acre retail center.

Property Location
Northwest Tucson metropolitan area at Tangerine Road and Thornydale Road. 

Here is a flyer on the 23-acre retail center The Shoppes at Tangerine Crossing

Tucson Active Adult – Snowbird Season is a post Scrapped and Stolen from: Tucson Real Estate if you are not reading this in your Reader.

A few weeks ago I wrote about the Tucson Seasons of Real Estate.  One of those season is now upon us. 

The Tucson Active Adult – Snowbird Season is now upon us.  The indicators for the start of this season have changed a little this year.  It is a positive change and I’ll get to that in a minute.

This is the first season of the year in Tucson Real Estate.  It is a two part season beginning in September running through the end of February.  The second phase of this season (when things really get going ) has been January and February.  This year it is being extended into March.

The first wave of people coming to Tucson in migratory form are the early snowbirds.  They get here before the first snows fly back home.  Others wait until elections are over back home before they venture south.

Some Tucson Snowbirds come for a number of years before they decided to make this their permanent home or their second winter home. 

Right now we are in the prime of the season.  After the holidays the second wave of Snowbirds arrived.  Followed by The Tucson Gem and Mineral Show which draws thousands of people to this event running from January 26th – February 11th.  This brings a lot of people to Tucson each year, some of those like the Old Pueblo enough they decide to make this their home, or home away from home.  The second event that has extended our season this year and hopefully for many years to come is The World Golf Championship Accenture Match Play.  It will be here from Febrary 19 begins the first practice round - 22.  The addition of this great golf tournament is one of the reasons this season of real estate is being extended with a strong finish.

Tucson Home Sellers

Here are the three main criteria for taking advantage of this season of the Tucson Real Estate Market.

1. Your home is located in an Active Adult Community
2. Your home is located on a Golf Course
3. Your home has Great Backyard Mountain Views

If your home has ALL of the above criteria you are blessed.

If you are thinking about putting your Tucson home on the market and you meet any one or more of these criteria, now is the time.  This is your best time of the year to sell with the largest number of buyers in the Tucson Market.

Tucson Home Buyers

What does this mean for you?  If you are looking for a home that is on the list above you aren’t alone in your search.  The Tucson Real Estate Market is strong.  Don’t believe everything you read in the papers.  Homes in Tucson appreciated at about 16% for the last year. 

Buyers that try and low ball an offer aren’t being taken seriously for the most part.  In some instances they are being countered with a higher price than the asking price.  Don’t believe in the old phrase “They can always counter”  they just might.

Interest rates are still at historic lows, and there are buyers in the Tucson Market.  There has been significant increase in traffic and contract in the last few weeks.  Some buyers are waiting thinking asking prices will come down.  Several we know have lost their opportunity because someone bought the home they were waiting.

If you are a buyer, you find a home that you want, it comps and is a fair price then it is a good time to buy.  We are one of the most desirable locations for migration in the country.

Tucson Starter Home buy half a house : ) is a post Scrapped and Stolen from: Tucson Real Estate if you are not reading this in your Reader.

They say necessity is the mother of invention, with the median price of a new home in Tucson now over $218,000 it is estimated a household income needs to be $80,000 a year just to buy a home in Tucson. This is well beyond the income level of many families in the Tucson area. 

Not to be outdone by this market developers have come up with a new concept in housing here in Tucson. Buy half the house now and when you can afford it in a few years they will come back and build the other half of the house.

With home values rising this past year at a rate of 32% and even with the slowing of the market an increase of over 15% is expected for the next several years. This makes it possible for families to use the equity in their new home to build the other half of their home in a relatively short period of time.

The price of these starter homes are in the $180,000 to $220,000 range depending on the upgrades.

Almost everyday I would go by this home as it was being built thought it looked odd from the angle I would see it while driving down the road.  One day I took the camera along and shot this photo.  It always looked to me like just half a house, and that is when the wacky idea came to me about building and selling just half a house.

For now, I don’t know of anyone doing this, but who knows what could possibly happen in the future.

Anybody out there think this is a good idea?

Tucson Housing Market Slows in 2006 is a post Scrapped and Stolen from: Tucson Real Estate if you are not reading this in your Reader.

The train was speeding along at 100 mi. per hour then it slowed to 50 mi. per hour. 

a. did the train stop
b. did the train crash
c. did the train slow down
d. did the train continue to move forward

Pick the two answers matching what the train did.

Amid U.S. realty cool-down, Ariz. is ’warm’

 From the At Home Section of the Arizona Daily Star Sunday, December 10, 2006.  A couple of quotes from that article.

“The fastest-appreciating states for home prices this past year? Would you believe Idaho (average 17.5 percent gain), Utah (17.4 percent), Oregon (16.9 percent) and Arizona (16.4 percent).  . . .

Without question, the most impressively documented scenario is that many large metropolitan markets — including some that experienced high gains during the boom years — are still hanging in there and registering net appreciation, although at lower rates.”

Home-price rise in Arizona slows for third quarter

Arizona Daily Star, December 1, 2006

What do you see, in the context of gloom and doom, “slows”  but what does it say “Home-price rise“  How much

Area     last qtr  prior qtr     1 yr       5 yr

Tucson 1.01%    3.27%   14.90%  85.14%

Tucson was appreciating at a 19% rate, but with the slow down from 3.27% to 1.01% we have only increased this year by 14.9%.  INCREASE BY 14.9% That is terrible news isn’t it.  The Tucson Housing Market Slows down to 14.9% growth for this year from almost 32% growth last year.

The tucson housing market slows from approx. 32% to 14.9% appreciation.

a. did the market stop

b. did the market crash

c. did the market slow down

d. did the market continue to increase in value

 Pick the two answers matching what the market did.

Tucson MLS Statistics for November 2006 is a post Scrapped and Stolen from: Tucson Real Estate if you are not reading this in your Reader.

The numbers for November 2006 are in from the Tucson Assoication of Realtors. Here is a summary breakdown of the number for the Tucson Housing Market November 2006.

• Average Sale Price

• November 2005 $265,947
• November 2006 $267,493 0.58% up from last year
• Oct. 2006 $266,854 up $639 over last month

• Median Sale Price

• November 2005 $226,000
• November 2006 $218,000 3.54% down from last year
• Oct. 2006 $211,500 up $6,500 over last mo.

• Average Days on Market

• November 2005 34
• November 2006 60 a 76.47% increase OLY.
• Oct. 2006 57 up 3 days over last mo.

• Pending Contracts

• November 2005 1528
• November 2006 891 a 41.69% decrease
• Oct. 2006 782 up 109 over last mo.

• Active Listings

• November 2005 5554
• November 2006 9238 a 75.16% increase
• Oct. 2006 9336 down 163 over last mo.

• New Construction

• November 2006 44 Units Sold Average Price $280,991
• Oct. 2006 62 Units Sold Average Price $311,658
• This is a decrease of $30,667 over last mo.

Tucson Housing Market November 2006 Analysis

Average Sale Price (Resale) UP!
$639 this month but tied to last months $13,074 increase
This is still a very healthy market.

The Tucson Housing Market is strong. It was just reported that Arizona has seen a 16.4% increase in value of homes over the last year. While this isn’t the 33% increase we saw last year it is still a good sign of a strong market.  The Tucson Market was reported to be increasing through the third quarter at 14.9%.

Median Sale Price Up $1,800 over last month

This raises where the middle of the market is for November 2006.  More people are buying more house, and the interest rates have dipped a little in the last month.  Asking prices have decreased at the some time contributing to this increase.

Average Days on Market Up 3 day

Three days longer than last month on average indicates it is still taking longer than last month to sell a home but an increase of 3 days is a lot less than the increases we have seen in previous months. This is a good indicator.  For a better understanding of Days on Market (DOM)

Pending Contracts Up 109 over Oct.

A total of 891 pending contracts shows the market is continuing to pick up; tie that to the decrease of 506 new listings over the previous month indicates more homes are selling and fewer homes are coming on the market.

Active Listings Down 506

This is very good news for sellers.  Part of this has to do with New Construction decreasing the number of new homes available on the market and a slowing in people putting their home on the market for various reasons.

New Construction

Builders are still offering some incredible incentives as they try and clear inventory by year end. The number of homes they have available has decreased significantly as they are clearing homes off their inventory. The huge discounts during the month of October, some as much as $100,000 contributed to the average sale price for new construction decreasing by $30,667 over last month.  There are some great bargins, if you know for sure you can keep the house until the builder is through building. Before you consider one of these you should read
New Construction Buyer Be Aware.

The News For Sellers, there are more buyers coming to Tucson, the second wave of snowbirds will be here in January.  Sellers still need to price their property right. Sellers are having to be more realistic with their “Asking Price” which continues to come down to the market while “Sale Price” continues to rise.  With a 14.9% increase in sale price through the third quarter sellers are getting a good return on their investment when they price it right for the market.

The News For Buyers, It is a still very much a buyers market, there is a lot to choose from. Yes, “Asking Prices are decreasing, but “Sale Prices” are increasing, there are good buys, but don’t think you can come in with a ridiculous low ball offer and sellers will accept it.  That isn’t going to happen. We are seeing some buyers try low ball offers thinking the market is bad or down, and some sellers are coming back with counter offers higher than the original asking price.

The Last Word: Sellers, price it right and be aware of the Seasons of Real Estate for the Tucson Market. Selling in a Buyers market might not be as bad as you think.  Buyers don’t look to national statistics to make a local decision. There is no Tucson Housing Bust, asking prices are coming down as they need to for this market, but the Average Sales Price is increasing.

For those that like to play with number and want to dig into the details here is the link to:

The Tucson MLS Statistics for November 2006

Tucson Home Sales Appreciating at 14.9 Percent is a post Scrapped and Stolen from: Tucson Real Estate if you are not reading this in your Reader.

The figures are in for the first 11 months of the year.  We were expected to show an overall appreciation of 5 – 8 percent for the year.  At times it looked like that number was right on and others like it might be closer to the lower number.

When the third quarter came in with an increase of 3.3 % for the quarter it turned some heads putting us over 10 % for the year, but there was still 3 months to go and with a slight drop it would put the figures closer to the 8% some forcast.

Now with 11 months down, there was a slight increase, approximately 1 % which put us overall at 14.9 % for the year with only one month to go.

I love the way the paper reported this good news, making it once again appear to be bad news to the casual reader. Title in The Arizona Daily Star on December 1st edition “Home-price rise in Arizona slows for third quarter” making it sound like it is down, when what has happened is the rise has slowed, but sale prices are still increasing.  Right now the rate is almost 15 % for the year, and when the December firgures are posted I don’t doubt it will be that or more.

If you take a look at the article above you will see the sidebar to the right in grey showing the specifics of the Tucson market.

We have seen a significant increase in buyer traffic in the last couple of weeks with more serious buyers coming to the market every day.  We have seen a number of homes go under contract this last week some of which have been on the market for a substantial time.

Yesterday we had a lady call saying she has had her eye on this house and keeps checking back to see more photos of the home.  She called apparently was using our site to check it’s status and availability.  She finally decided this had to be her next home and wanted to write a contract when she did the check yesterday morning, it was under contract.  She couldn’t believe it. 

She had been watching waiting and thinking about this home all that time and even said, “This is my home.”  We are hoping we can help make it her home.  It is in the inspection period and it doesn’t look like it will fall out.  We sent her several others like it for her to look at.

Unfortunately we are seeing this same thing happen, it seems buyers have taken the attitude that if it is a buyer’s market then I can take my time, the home will be there when I want it. 

If you see a house you really like, you don’t have to decided in hours like last year, but you don’t have months either.  These past two weeks we have seen quite a few properties come on the market and go under contract in two or three weeks.

If you see something in Tucson you really like, don’t think about it till it is gone.  Let us know, we will get you all the information you want.  Remember this is the home of the Tucson Real Estate Search Engine.

Why Selling in a Buyers Market Might not Be as Bad as You Think is a post Scrapped and Stolen from: Tucson Real Estate if you are not reading this in your Reader.

It is easy to see how selling your home in a seller’s market is a plus for sellers.  You might be surprised to find out how selling in a buyer’s market could be even better in the long run.

Most Home Sellers become Home Buyers.

There are some exceptions:

1. The investor
2. The second home owner downsizing
3. The winter visitor becoming a Tucsonan
4. The benefactors of an estate

For the rest of us, once we have sold our house or have it under contract it is time to put on our buyer hats.  Most of us already have a pretty good idea where we want to buy and we might even have a house already picked out.  At the very least we know the price range and area in which we are looking.

One more situation that will impact your bottom line when selling in a buyers market is where you will be purchasing your next home.  If it isn’t in the same area in which you are selling there could be ramifications on how much home you will be able to afford in your new location.

However, if you are selling and buying in the same area I think it is better to be in a buyers market than a sellers market.

Think about this, selling in a sellers market means you might get more for your home than you thought.  It might sell very quickly with multiple offers and you as the seller are very happy.  Selling in a buyers market can mean longer days on market, aggressive pricing to be competitive and getting less for your home than you thought.

Buyer in a Sellers Market

• No Contingencies accepted
• Few homes to choose from
• Narrow window of time to make an offer
• Rapid Increase in asking prices
• Multiple offers from other buyers
• Take it or leave it attitude of sellers
  (They will just find another buyer)

 Buyer in a Buyers Market

• Contingencies accepted with offer
• Large number of homes to choose from
• Time to look and think about making an offer
• Asking prices are coming down
  (You might buy more home for the same price)
• Sellers offering incentives to buyers

I sometimes hear sellers saying, “Well the market will turn around one of these days and then I’ll sell.”  That is one of the worst times to sell.  You will get less for your home because you rode the market down and when you do get it sold you are now looking at paying more because the market is going up and asking prices are increasing.

As a seller in a buyers market think about these things.

1. Price it right for maximum exposure
2. Price it right and sell it while the market is going down
3. Price it right and put on your buyers hat early
4. You might get less than you thought and
   be able to buy more with what you get

It is always more fun being a buyer in a buyers market but with some careful planning, research and thought sellers can have a positive experience in a buyers market.

Gladden Farms A Landscape Oasis in the Desert is a post Scrapped and Stolen from: Tucson Real Estate if you are not reading this in your Reader.

Gladden Farms is one of the latest Masterplanned communities in the Tucson area.  It is located in Marana, Arizona just off I-10 and about 1 hour from Phoenix.  It is just 6 miles from shopping, with a Fry’s Marketplace shopping center coming to the community some time next year.

Gladden Farms has it own website at http://www.gladdenfarms.com/.

Some of the information found on their site is:

• The community plan
• The builders
• Marana information and links to schools

Free Water for Landscaping

Gladden Farms is a well planned community with lots of green spaces built in and here is one of the most attractive things about the community for people that love to garden and have lush landscaping.  Gladden Farms was once a very productive farm, it has water rights for non-potable water for the community as a result the community provides free non-potable water to each home in the community.  It is set for landscaping the front yards of each home, and it can be set up to water the backyards as well.  There is no charge for this water.

That’s right IT IS FREE.  You can put in as many plants, bushes and grass as you want, you can water to your hearts content and it won’t cost you a dime.

I think it is one of the most attractive ammenities of the community and is a pretty well kept secret.

If you are moving from the midwest and you want to have grass, and trees, shrubs like back home and you don’t want to pay a fortune in water, Gladden Farms might just be the place for you.

If you have always had dreams of creating your own secret garden, but didn’t think you could afford to keep it up, Gladden Farms could very well be the community for just such a home and garden.

You can the Tucson MLS for homes available in Gladden Farms on our Gladden Farms Community Page.

We would love to show you any homes in the Gladden Farms community you might be interested in.

If you have questions, please feel free to ask in comments or contact us directly by phone.  We are always willing to make inquries and provide information about Tucson and the surrounding communities.