Speed Bumps Slow Traffic

Speed bumps slow traffic, but not the way you might think.  We have a listing in a sub division that has so many speed bumps that going in and out can remove every ounce of carbonation from your soda.  The speed bumps are very high and abrupt.  It slows traffic getting in and out of the neighborhood as intended.

But it also slows down traffic to the homes for sale in that neighborhood.  Let’s face it, there are many people that don’t want to be jarred out of their seats just going in and out of their neighborhood.  I personally would never consider living in a neighborhood with speed bumps.  Especially the really high ones.

I know there are a lot of other potential buyers that feel the same way.  They don’t want to be jostled about the car 4 or 5 times to get out of the neighborhood and then again going back home.

Speed bumps are something to consider when you are looking to buy.  They are also something that can slow traffic to your home when you are ready to sell.

Speed Bumps Slow Traffic is a post Scrapped and Stolen from: Tucson Real Estate if you are not reading this in your Reader.

P-51 Mustang

The Wings of Freedom Tour Flew into the Marana Regional Airport yesterday afternoon.   (Let me apologize to Marana for putting Tucson in the title, I defer to search engines knowing how people search).

The exibit will be here through Monday.   The price of admission for Adults is $12   for children $6 for those under 12.   The exhibit opened yesterday at 2 pm.   There was a small crowd there most of the afternoon.   You can go inside the bombers and see exactly what it was like sitting in the various positions of the planes.

There is a B-17   Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator along with the P-51 Mustang.

If you love old aircraft these are real beauties.   They are in excellent condition.   Photographing them was one of the main reasons people seemed to be there yesterday.   If you have lots of cash you can fly in or fly these planes.   Flights are before and after the exhibit hours each day.

Today through Monday they are on exhibit from 9:30 am – 5 pm.

For more details on the exhibit and flight prices go to   www.cfdn.org

They are amazing up close and a part of history which can be touched in a way that goes beyond a classroom or book.

Wings of Freedom Tour in Tucson is a post Scrapped and Stolen from: Tucson Real Estate if you are not reading this in your Reader.

It is a long way from one end of town to the other

I have friends and family that live in other parts of the country. This past August I went back to Ohio where I grew up. On that trip I stopped to visit in Des Moines where my daughter and her family still live. I was a minister there for 18 years and I hadn’t been back for 7 years.

I also have a daughter who lives in Iowa City with her husband. They both live near the campus and often take the bus or walk to many of their destinations.

I spent a few days in these urban settings and realized how much time seems to be spent here in Tucson going from place to place in the course of a day.

It helped explain how so many people were getting so much more done in a day than I was;   more than I ever seem to find possible. It has a lot to do with location and distance (no not time management like you are thinking).

A Lot of Miles Driven Each Week

All in a days work

This past week I drove over 500 miles.   Most of the time it was just over 100 miles a day doing routine things here in Tucson.   I’ll admit our routine is more mile intensive than most people that live here in Tucson.   Working in real estate mean you put a lot of mile on a car in a year.

Wednesday was a typical kind of day.   Trip to downtown Tucson to shot the farmer’s market and scout out a couple of neighborhoods we want to get back to for a photo shoot.   Then to the center of town for a lunch meeting.   After the meeting out to Vail for a final walk-through with our buyers.   Then home for the evening and office work.   Driving distance for the day 115 miles.   Time in car 4 hrs.

Thursday morning it was down to emissions testing for the annual all clear on my Tracker, 17 miles each way.   Buyers out at 11 am. till 1:30 pm.   Grabbed a little lunch then it was down to Alltel for a phone issue 12 miles from home to the store, on to the eye doctor and then deliver keys after the closing.   Home around 6 pm.   Distance driven for the day 150 miles.

Tucson Urban Settings

There are parts of Tucson that provide that “urban” setting.   There are some people that can walk or take public transportation for almost all of their needs.   It all depends on where you live and how isolated you want to be.   If you want an urban setting Tucson has it.   If you want to get out where the bobcats and javelina walk the streets and will eat the flowers on your porch or take a mid afternoon nap on your back patio, Tucson has that too.

An Iowa March Blizzard

I’ve lived places that were more spread out, honest.   When I lived in Iowa it was 9 miles to the closest grocery store and 13 miles to the closest McDonald’s (I keep track of things like that).   Taking the kids to school was a 30 mile round trip.   Not only that, the last spring I was in Iowa we had one of those March snow storms.   I was living alone at the time and my home was on a dirt road and the driveway was 1/4 mile gravel driveway.   I had a blade on the front of my Ferguson Tractor, but the snow was up to the top of the gas tank.   It took 6 days before the road was opened.   It was opened by the neighbors getting together with tractors and backhoes to make a single lane open enough people could at least get out till the county could open the roads which they did two days later.

I’ll take Tucson spread out.

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

Did you know there are over 250 species of butterflies in the Sonoran Desert?

On September 29th and 30th is the Tucson Butterfly Festival. It is held at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. The museum’s garden is specifically planted to attract butterflies.

There will be guided walking tours and lectures. For the kids there are crafts to make and plants which can be purchased and brought home to make your very own butterfly garden.

The Sonoran Desert Museum is located at 2021 N. Kinney Rd. Admission is $9 for adults and $2 for ages 6-12. You can get more information by calling 883-2702 or online at www.desertmuseum.org

The Black on is the Common Checkered-Skipper the other is a Queen.

Click on the butterflies to see them up close. : )

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

It is hot enough in Tucson in the summer that you don’t really want to test the sand with your bare feet or our house in the market.

The Process of Testing the Sand

1. Find a listing agent willing to list your home
2. Price it way above the current market to just “See what happens. . .”
3. Don’t allow a keysafe to be placed on the property
4. All showings by appointment only

Indicators of Testing the Sand

1. The list price of the home is no where close to market selling price.
2. The sellers are unwilling to show the home except at their convenience.
3. It is never convenient.

I think some sellers are picking the number for the list price right out of the air.

Or “Well, my neighbor sold his home last year for $XXX and my home is worth more than his.”

Totally unrealistic pricing is a sure sign of testing the sand.

Real Estate agents are encountering a high number of people that when asked if they (the agent with a buyer) could show their home (the home of the seller) they are being told,

“No, not today. Maybe, tomorrow.”
“But my clients are only in town for today.”
“Well, they can’t see it today.”

Tucson home sellers that really want to sell their homes put up with the inconvenience of keeping their home clean, tidy, and ready to show.

Testing the Sand can Muddy the waters.

To borrow another phrase,

when there are a lot of homes on the market just to see if someone will buy, the result isn’t good for those really trying to sell their homes in earnest.

1. It inflates the number of homes on the market
2. It artificially raises the asking prices on the market
3. It increases the Days On Market
4. It decreases the Absorption Rate making the market appear to be unhealthy

It is unfortunate that so many homes with signs in the yard over the last year seem to be just testing the sand.

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

Rolling the dice is only fun in games of chance when you don’t care if you win or lose.   Rolling the dice in real life can be very risky especially when you decided to roll the dice and take a chance with what is probably the largest investment you have.

It is amazing how many Tucson home sellers are somehow thinking that selling their homes is like shooting craps on a rigged table.

Two years ago it seemed like it was a rigged table.   All you had to do was put your house on the market at just about any ridiculous asking price and someone would come along and offer you more.

Back then it wasn’t a gamble, it was considered a sure thing, not anymore.

The Table isn’t Rigged Anymore

The table isn’t rigged anymore, but a lot of home sellers are pricing their homes like it is the same game in town that was here in 05 and 06.   The end result, the dice just keep on rolling and no one is buying these overpriced properties.

Placing The Bet

Here is the big gamble in placing this bet.

1. Finding  a qualified buyer willing to pay above market value for a home in a falling market.
2. The buyer will have an incompetent agent that doesn’t know how to run a comparative market analysis to inform the buyer it is over priced.

Some would say that 2 is easier to find than 1, but in this gamble it isn’t an either or situation;   You have to have both.

This is why it is called “The Big Gamble”

Tucson Home Sellers are you sure this is a bet you want to place?

Tucson Home Sellers The Big Gamble is a post Scrapped and Stolen from: Tucson Real Estate if you are not reading this in your Reader.

The Tucson Real Estate Market has seen some huge turns in the past two years. It had a huge run up in 05 continued into the third quarter of 06 and then headed in a steady downward direction for asking price.

The sales prices continued to climb at a fairly steady rate right through to today. In May of this year 2007 we saw the second highest average sale price in Tucson history at $280,589.

The asking prices at the later part of 05 through 06 continued to increase. At the same time the sale price increased slowly from the double digit increases seen each quarter in 05 through third quarter of 06.

Canoes and Submarines Asking Price Strategy

The homes that are selling and usually selling in less than 60 days are pricing their homes just under the market, making them the lowest priced home of their type in the neighborhood or area.

Determining Asking Price

During the run up in the market asking price was being determined by what other people with homes on the market in the neighborhood or subdivision were asking. Buyers were offering between 5 and 10 thousand dollars more than asking price at that time. Homes were being sold so quickly that asking prices would jump up by thousands in a matter of days.

However, determining asking price in a buyer’s market should be completely different. Asking prices should not be determined based on what others are asking. It should be determined by a combination of what recently sold in that area and current asking prices.

If everyone is asking $150 a sq. ft. and the last home sold in that area sold for $125 a sq. ft. on average, those homes are not going to sell. They are being priced too high for the market.

In a buyer’s market if you want to sell a home quickly you find the current market value based on dollars per square foot for recently sold homes of like kind and the lowest asking price per square foot currently on the market for homes of like kind and you price your home under that price per square foot.

This is Submarine pricing, getting under the market makes your home the best deal in that area and buyers and buyer’s agents are looking for those properties priced under the current market value.

Canoe pricing, is pricing where the asking price is coming down, but at the same rate all asking prices in the market are coming down, they are never ahead of the market, instead these homes are “Riding the Market Down”.

Too many homes in Tucson are being priced by:

1. Last year my neighbor got . . .
2. I need to make this much or . . .
3. I want to clear at least . . .
4. I was hoping to get . . .
5. Well Let’s just try it . . .

The old saying is Location, Location, Location. Now it is Location and Price, but ultimately it is price.

Other Posts on this Topic are:

• Selling In a Buyers Market
• Why Selling In a Buyers Market might not be as bad as you think

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

When we are in those homes, what we see there often tells us a lot about the people that live there.

We were in a home this weekend that was so nicely decorated I just took photos .

I could tell they like:

• roosters,
• birds,
• flowers,
• fresh fruit,
• red.

The place was warm and inviting and made you feel at home as soon as you stepped in the front door.

I don’t expect this home to be on the market long. I think they even baked bread before we got there. The old fresh bread smell to turn on the olfactory buy endorphins.

Their decoration tell a lot about the home and the way they live. I’m sure these people would be surprised if I meet them and told them what I had learned just from showing their home.

This next images comes from the home of a world traveler. He has been everywhere. The books on his shelves are about languages and places all over the world.

I’m sure he is quite at home with his home decor, but when you put your home on the market it is time to look at your home in a different manner.

When your home goes up for sale it is now a commodity on the market. You are trying to find a buyer for your commodity.

These buyers don’t have the memories associated with your “Stuff” that you do. There were masks hanging all over the house which were put in a closet.

However, this mask and spear was firmly attached to the wall. I know there are some people that will see this and back right out the door with their fingers making the shape of a cross.

When you put your home on the market it is time to look at your decor with “Buyer’s Eyes”.

What Your Decor Might be Saying To Buyers is a post Scrapped and Stolen from: Tucson Real Estate if you are not reading this in your Reader.

This question just came in from a Google search. It is a good question and as most things there is no one single answer.

Location, Season & Price determine almost everything about selling or buying Tucson real estate.

I’ll say it again Location coupled with Season and Priced for the local market are the determining factors.

Tucson Seasons of Real Estate

I’ve outlined The Tucson Seasons of Real Estate before.

Here is a brief synopsis.

1. The Active Adult, Snowbird, Retiree Jan-Mar
2. Professors, Parents of College Students Mar-July
3. Family Season April to August
4. The Active Adult, Snowbird, Retiree II Season Oct – Jan

Tucson Location

Here are some things that need to be taken into consideration.

• How many homes in your location are currently on the market?
• What seasons effect your location and home?
• Is your home located where you are competing with builders and new construction?
• Are you located in a Historical Neighborhood?
• Are you located in a gated community?
• Is your home on a golf course?
• Is your home on a golf course in a gated community?
• Is your home near the U of A?
• Is your home in a Master-plan community?

This plays a part in sell or not to sell Tucson Real Estate in 2007.

Some of these questions you can answer yourself. For others you will need someone with professional access to the data. Access is only the starting point, you also need someone that knows how to analyze the data.

Price for the Local Market

If you are asking $200,000 more than you paid for your home 2 years ago, you are overpriced in 99% of the local markets.

If you are determining your asking price on “How much you need to get” that’s not the way to determine price.

If you have a lot of deferred maintenance and your home is in disrepair that will effect the price.

If you get a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) of your home and are willing to price it for the market you can sell it.

Price it for maximum exposure.

• Most homes are found on the Internet.
• Most Internet searches increment price by $50,000
• Priced at $305,000 will put you out of a $250 to $300 search
• Priced at $305,000 will put you at the bottom of $300 to $350 search
• Priced at $299,900 will get you more traffic in the Internet

For an example see this post on Pricing For Maximum Exposure

The Tucson Real Estate Market is strong. Sales are at 2004 levels, which were good. We are busy with both buyers and sellers. I think some people read the papers and think Realtors are just sitting by the phone waiting for it to ring, that is a very false perception.

You can sell out of season, you can sell in a saturated location, Price is the determining factor in both cases. A dozen premium roses on Valentine’s Day will sell for more than the same dozen the day after Valentine’s Day. But if they are priced right they will sell.

2007 Tucson Real Estate Sell or Not to Sell is a post Scrapped and Stolen from: Tucson Real Estate if you are not reading this in your Reader.

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