Pima County #3 of 10 Best Places To Grow Old – Forbes Magazine
May 31, 2009
Post Tags: #3 of 10 best places to grow old , tucson good place to grow old
Pima County was #3 in Forbes list of 10 Best Places to Grow Old. The information is in a slideshow that moves so fast no one retirement age can even read the content.
Making Lemons out of Lemon aid
Each morning I get a summary email from the “Arizona Daily Star”. It is a nice way to start the day knowing what bad news is being reported. You might think this a strange way to start the day, but I prefer to get the bad news out of the way before I’m away, before I’ve had that first cup of coffee or breakfast. So I wake up, water the plants and read my email. Then I go take my shower and wash off as much of the bad new (and bad reporting of it) as I can. Once dressed and off to McDonalds for coffee and a sausage muffin life seems better; at least until the DOW comes across the bottom of the television screen. I should find a new place to sit. (Make a note)
Where do the Lemons come in. Once again Josh Brodesky found a way to take a positive, find the one possible negative in it and turn on the magnifying glass. If anyone has ever doubted his qualifications to be a reporter for the ADS rest assured, he is qualified.
Take a second to read what Forbes had to say about Pima County. Now see that last sentence. “Most of the population surrounding the city of Tucson, where the subprime mortgage crisis has resulted in thousands of suddenly affordable homes.”
Forbes is NOT saying the subprime mortgage crisis is what makes Pima County #3 as a Best Place to Grow Old. No They say it because of the weather, the parks and recreation, and the physical activity seniors can have all year round.
Mr. Broadesky in the course of writing the article placed a call to Jack Camper to add some fuel to the fire.
“But, of course, this was a “Best places” list, and those only get published once a day by numerous magazines and Web sites. So I thought I’d ask Jack Camper, president and CEO of the Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, if this is a marketing point he would like to embrace.
“That’s pathetic as hell is what it is,” he said after I read him the ranking. “There are thousands of homes on the market, and there are thousands of homes that are in foreclosure and short sales. But that is all over the country, not just in Tucson.”
Do you think Mr. Camper was upset that Pima County was #3 on the list, or do you think he was only read the last sentence? I don’t think that reaction came from being #3. Jack did us all a favor by turning the Lemons back into lemon aid with this statement.
“Then Camper listed all of the reasons a person could retire in Tucson: arts and culture, beautiful outdoors, a strong university, continuing education opportunities, golf and, of course, plenty of sunshine.”
Forbes Ranking and Tucson Real Estate
DON’T SKIP THIS PART. Do you think Forbes would have picked Pima County as one of the top 10 places to grow old if it for one second believed the Tucson real estate market was in trouble? Do you think they would stake their reputation on Retired people on a fixed income loosing everything they have and going into economic ruin if they didn’t believe Tucson had a viable and sustainable real estate market. NO, they would not.
Not once is the word foreclosure mentioned by Forbes, it is by Broadesky, but not by Forbes. The way Josh turns this argument you would think Forbes reasoning was “All you old folk go to Tucson because you can pick up foreclosure properties for a song”. Anyone that deals in the foreclosure market knows these homes are not for the faint of heart. Buing a foreclosed home is a gamble. Another story appearing in todays business section referred to the Booby-Traps often left in foreclosed homes. Cement poured down toilets, shower drains, laundry drains are just a few of the things sometimes done. Appliance, countertops, ceiling fans, light fixtures, ac units are all often removed (ripped) right out of the house. These are not the type of homes most people retirment are looking to purchase.
Watching the numbers
Have you been watching the Daily update in the sidebar at the top? Have you notice how the average and median sale prices have climbed during the month. Median in the first week in May started around $163,000 and as of this morning it was $170,000. Average sale price is doing the same, climbing. This is good news for sellers and probably good news for buyers as well. I’ll have a lot more to report this week on what’s happening in the Tucson Real Estate Market. We have also added some new tools and features to make it easier to find the Tucson home right for you.
June 1st, 2009 at 12:06 am
Great news for Tucson, I hadn’t realized the population was over a million or that home sales prices were rising. Hopefully the report will help send more buyers to Tucson.