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 from: Tucson Real Estate

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 from: Tucson Real Estate

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 from: Tucson Real Estate

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 from: Tucson Real Estate

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 from: Tucson Real Estate

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.

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Post from: Tucson Real Estate

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 from: Tucson Real Estate

Don't Even Think About It

At least unless we absolutely have to.  In other parts of the country you take your bridges for granted.  Small steam, a bridge, run-off area after a rain, a bridge, bridges are a common part of our lives.  Don’t get me wrong, we have bridges in Tucson, just not any where near as many as you will find in the rest of the country.  There are a lot of rules for building roads even in the rest of the country that don’t apply here.  Fore instance, crown a road, you know the center is higher than the edges so the water will run off, LOL, there are a lot of roads in Tucson that seem to be just the opposite.  The center of the road seems to be the lowest point.

We don’t get ice, we only have rain for short periods of time, and we see so little water that turning our streets into mini rivers for a few minutes seems more like a part of life here than an inconvenience.

Horses Don’t have air filled shoes

But cars do, remember is tire, is a pontoon.  Your car has 4 of them on it at all times.  Try and drive through water and yes, like a battleship in the desert it will float.  And it will float right off the road and down the wash.  You are familiar with the term “washed away”.  Perfect for Tucson streets during monsoon.  When you see those signs “Don’t Cross When Flooded”  They aren’t there because the state had too many signs and too much yellow paint on their hands.

The water comes quickly.  It disappears almost as quick.

Running water in Tucson is something to be enjoyed.  We take our rivers when and where we can get them.  We all learn where the places are that flood, and routes around them.  We also know that sometimes you simply pull over and wait.  Enjoy the smell of rain and creosote in the air.

Post from: Tucson Real Estate

My Childhood Home

I was looking back at some old photos yesterday.  Some of those were taken last summer when I went back to Ohio for my 40th class reunion.  Yes, Kindergarten.

I hadn’t been by the place where I grew up in almost 2o years.  I lived my whole life till leaving for college in the same house.  It was my home.  When I was 10 we added onto the house two bedrooms and a bath.  The basement was extended and I remember the day it was dug standing by the big hole in the ground. That evening all the equipment was gone and dad was reflecting, like I am now.

When he and mom bought the house it didn’t have a basement.  They jacked the house up and dad started digging with a shovel and wheelbarrow.  It had to have taken months, but dad hand dug and wheeled all the dirt for the basement out from under the house.  Then he poured the foundation, added the plumbing lines, laid the block walls and poured the cement floor.  Finally the house had a basement.

Up until that day I always wondered why we ducked on that last step down.  I also wondered why as I grew the ceiling seemed so close.  7 feet from floor to ceiling; all hand dug, and there we were standing by a hole that was a foot and a half deeper and dug by a machine in one day.  No wonder dad stood there that evening reflecting on all the hours, weeks, days, rain and mud he and mom had trudged through for months to put a basement under their home.

That house wasn’t just a place to hang our hats.  It wasn’t where we stored our “stuff” it was where mom, dad, and we three kids grew up and made a life and a lot of memories.

Post from: Tucson Real Estate

Home Prices Trend Upward in June

The Stock market has been the focus of attention for the past few days.  Those heady days of early June when the word Recession was being spelled Recovery have all but been wiped out in the past three days.

GM in bankruptcy, Locally Don Macky going out of business as one of the  dealerships cut and Jim Click quietly adding the Mitsubishi line to his collection.

Health care, health care, health care is the agenda right now on the national front.

The Republican Governor having to sue the Republican Legislator to “Bring me the Bill” is the attention on the state front.  Never mind we are less than two weeks away from shutting down state government, there is still time to play politics and a little chicken while we are at it.

Tucson is watching City council, the mayor, directors of the Rialto theater and two private developers spar for the mess downtown and we are all wondering how they will further muck up the destruction not recovery of what owntown.

Meanwhile Back at the Ranch

Meanwhile something interesting has been happening in the Tucson real estate market.  Sales are strong and sale prices are up.  Not up a little up a lot.

We started out a week ago with the average sale price at $197,992.  It had dropped a bit from May’s close.  But then the next day Friday, Juen 12th it was up to $207,940.  I figured a couple high dolloar properties must have closed.  But when I went looking I couldn’t find any sales that would cause this jump.  Oh well by Monday it will be back down.

Watching the weekend numbers it dropped back a bit to $206,979 and the median sale price was $158,900.  Monday roared in with the Dow dropping over 200 points and Tucson’s average sale price jumped up to $210,280.  Median price up to $160,000.  My thought, what the heck is going on?

Tuesday closed at $212,671 and median price was $161,540.  The Dow dropped another 100 points. Now it is mid-day Wednesday and we are over 500 closed transactions for the month of June and the average sale price is $212,705, median $163,000.

Have all eyes been diverted?  Well, not all eyes.  I’m reporting to you this trend upward in closed sales, and sales prices.

Don’t overlook the positive news in Tucson real estate.  Like Frodo and Sam slipping onto Mt. Doom while all eyes were distracted.  Okay, maybe not as dramatic as that, but the principle is the same. Something positive and dramatic is going on in the Tucson Real Estate Market.

Post from: Tucson Real Estate

Monsoon Season Starts Today June 15th

This question pops up a lot.  The answer got a lot easier to answer last years.  A season is a season, is a season.  We know the exact date each year when Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter begins.  Almost every culture or country has seasons and dates when those begin and end.  But for some time Tucson’s monsoon season was different.

It was determined by a calculation that went something like this:

The average dewpoint is 54 degrees or greater for three consecutive days.

Dewpoint where?  At the airport? In the Foothills?  Downtown city hall?  Granted temps are usually associated with the airport.  Why?  Because in the early days they had the equipment that was most accurate.  True today?  Not necessarily.

However, in 2008 the National Weather Service decided to end the endless debate over Tucson Monsoon SEASON and decided it should be like any other season.  It starts on June 15th and ends September 30th. Dewpoint or no Dewpoint.

The average rainfall during Monsoon season is 6.06 inches of rain.  This is about half our annual rainfall in Tucson.  But again, how is that determined?  From the rain fall totals taken at the Tucson International Airport.  Are there parts of Tucson that get more than 12 inches of rain a year.  YOU BET THERE ARE.

Get up closer to the mountains, any of the mountains and during monsoon you will see a lot more rain than what falls at the airport.  Maybe one of these days we will crawl out of the 19th century and into the 21st century on some of these things and instead of using the equivilent of  a horse and buggy approach we will put to good use some of the cheap modern technologies available and have accurate up to date rainfall information.

By the way here is a little tidbit for you.  More rain falls on Tucson during Monsoon season than all the water used annually.

Here is another, the drought conditions on the east coast last summer were far worse than in Tucson.  We live in a desert and while we still have a lot of wetlander attitudes about water here, for example: run it all off as quickly as possible instead of harvest it for future use, we do a much better job of water management than most of the country.

When is Tucson going to run out of water? Good question.  When Florida is dry and Georgia is brown, Tucson will be closer to running out of water, but the places that have enjoyed abundance of water in the past century will be in much wosre shape water wise than Tucson way before we are.

Post from: Tucson Real Estate

Consumer Confidence Rises so do interest rates

Does the title seem counter intuitive?  It is a true statement.  It might seem paradoxical, but it isn’t.  While prices were falling buyers were skiddish, some were worried if they bought they would be paying too much.  They were afraid their investment would loose value.  Many home buyers today still have the mindset that came into real estate this decade.  You don’t buy a house as a home, you buy it as an investment.  The difference in attitude is huge.

The idea of this being a place to make a home for  your family is rare these days.  With a highly mobile society we don’t think long term.  Reality often means we might have to move in the next 5 years.  Gone are the days of staying with a company 30 years, get your watch, your pension, your health care, and retire.

This change in employment patterns has a profound effect on home buying.

Now prices are increasing, consumer confidence is returning, first time home buyer tax credits are working to help get many their first home at an affordable interest rate and purchase price.  Buyers will be paying more to purchase a home and they will be paying more each month because interest rates are higher.  But they will feel good about paying more.  That is the price of confidence.

Post from: Tucson Real Estate

Asbestos in the Home

Arizona
is a hot destination for potential home buyers. With beautiful national parks, monuments, tropical weather, it is easy to see why many are flocking to this great state. Purchasing or moving into a new home is the investment of a lifetime.

Used in many construction applications for the greater part of the 20th century, asbestos is a fibrous mineral that possesses many intrinsic traits. Asbestos may still appear in roof shingles, dry wall, attic insulation, popcorn ceilings, joint compounds and electrical wires. It’s flame resistant and durable qualities made it an ideal choice for many industries.

Homes built before 1980 may still contain asbestos materials. This is not to make you frightened because asbestos exposure is easily preventable by taking simple precautions. There are now many eco-sustainable options that make the use of asbestos obsolete.

If any asbestos is located in your home, the best thing to do is leave it un-disturbed until a home inspector can determine the best course of action. In many situations, the best action is no action. Asbestos that is disturbed or damaged due to age is known as “friable” asbestos. This is a concern because its toxic fibers can easily circulate and become inhaled. The removal of asbestos from specified locations must be undertaken by abatement contractors who are licensed in their corresponding states.

Although asbestos exposure does not always lead a related illness, long term inhalation of its fibers can cause a rare but severe ailment known as mesothelioma. Due to the fact many mesothelioma symptoms are similar to less serious ailments, diagnosis is one of the more difficult tasks physicians encounter.

Tax breaks are being offered through The American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009. This package extends energy efficiency tax incentives first enacted in 2005 and even creates some new ones for those who remodel their homes using eco-friendly materials. Environmentally safe alternatives to asbestos include the use of cotton fiber, lycnene and cellulose.

Studies suggest the use of green forms of insulation can also significantly reduce energy costs in households per year by 25 percent. The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) conducted a study which estimated a new savings of $50-$65 per square foot for positively constructed green buildings.

The move to a greener lifestyle will build on the change to healthier methods of building products, home remodeling and renovation. With growing education and technology in green sustainable energy and building resources, the state of Arizona has taken actions to ensure safety and health is a top priority in this great state.

Submitted by: Mesothelioma Center

Post from: Tucson Real Estate

Buying a home isn’t like going out and buying a new pair of shoes.  It isn’t like picking up tickets for the game this weekend.  It really does involve “shopping”

Where the 114 days come from

• 45 days typical closing first time home buyer
• 10 days for inspection period
• 3 days for acceptance of offer (may vary)

This totals up to 53 days once you have decided this is the home for you.

This leaves 114 days to find your home.  That’s not a lot of time.

TIME IS RUNNING OUT

THE CLOCK IS TICKING

THE COUNTDOWN HAS BEGUN

THE END IS NEAR

Okay, that last one has other connotations but it is true.

There is no mulligan here, no do over, no extension of time.  Don’t put off buying your first home if you intend to by anyway.  $8000 paid to you directly is a big sum of money.  Not a deduction, an actual check to you.  There are some states providing bridge loan programs to use this for upfront money.  Some are making it so you can use the funds for closing costs.

Don’t get to the place where it is Nov. 30, 2009 and you are a day away from closing only to find out docs aren’t going to be delivered to title till Dec. 2nd.  Don’t push the limit.  Don’t put yourself through days of nail biting to see if you will close on time.

This isn’t like being late on filing your taxes and having to pay a penalty.  It is much worse.  You lose the entire $8000, not part of it for being late, ALL of it for being late.

Get busy, don’t put it off.  Weigh your options and plan to be already in your new home and celebrating when the Dec. 1 deadline comes.

You will feel much better if you do not wait.

Post from: Tucson Real Estate

We inch closer to the magic number of “Normal”  6 months inventory.  We are well past that mark for some of the areas of town.  We are almost there for all of it despite the fact we have a few outlying areas which serve as anchors to pull the overall absorption rate higher than it should be for Tucson.

Nearing Normal

We are closer.  Much closer than we started the year.  Third quarter started 9 days ago.  We could easily reach the 6 month absorption rate for overall this quarter.  I’ll be having lunch with Chris one way or another.  But it is looking better for me right now. : )

There are a number of areas already at just over 4 months inventory.  Those are below normal levels.  I imagine the only think keeping sales prices down in those areas is the overall outlook of the economy.

A fact slipped into a foreclose, short sale class yesterday.  Only 17% of the active listings (6,506) are foreclosures or short sales.  This is good news.  There are also a number of indicators there are groups of investors buying up homes, remodeling them and flipping them back on the market.  This is healthy market activity.  No neighborhood needs empty foreclosures sitting on the market.

Finally, 30 year fixed interest rates have gone back above the 5% level due to fears of inflation.  Re-financing is down and the cost of buing has gone up due to this increase.  Will it drop back down below 5%?  Don’t expect it.  As a matter of fact it looks like it is headed above 6% in the next few months, if not weeks.

Post from: Tucson Real Estate

We have already seen the May closed transaction jump to 1000 and still climbing.  Climbing slowly but I’m sure a few more will be added.

I’m not going into the usual breakdown this month, the chart is big enough and easy to read.  Pluses where we want them minuses, the same.

I will predict we will see a drop in Average and Median Sale price in June.  Why?  because we are clearing a lot of foreclosure and short sale inventory right now.  The number of closed transaction is moving along for June but expect to see these two indicators I must mentioned drop rather steeply.  It will take a few more sales in the high end market to raise these numbers.  We shall see.

This should be our last month for the astrick on the Pending Sales.  Next month we will start comparing apples to apples once again.  And for one final time I’ll explain.  Pending contracts used to be reported as “All contracts with a status of Pending”  this meant that if a contract was pending close with a close of escrow date three months out that transaction would show up for three months.  As of July last year this was changed to Pending = the month in which a sale goes “Pending”  result, reported once.

The real story this month is absorption rates.  Those have dropped steadily since the first of the year and we are closing in on the elusive “normal” of 6 months inventory.  Some areas of town are already well under that with 4 areas in the 4 months of inventory.  Absorption rates will be reported tomorrow.

The link to the full report is in the sidebar under documents.  Or Tucson MLS May 09 Statisitcs Report.

Post from: Tucson Real Estate

This is what Snowbird Nesting Looks Like

Could it be global warming bringing so many snowbirds back to Tucson in June?  Or is it a confidence in the economy that wasn’t here when they were this winter.

There are a lot of snowbirds making quick forays into Tucson in June to find a new nest for next winter.  This is very out of character for snowbirds.

Most years they are here in late September to October.  In an election year some stay till after they vote.  The second crop come right after the holidays, this is the group that usually rents for 3 months.  The early crowd most of the time have a second home here.

Often the rent a nesters will be looking for a place during their stay for next year.  This winter there was a lot of fear among the few rent a nesters that ventured south.  The nest egg had been raided and thei 401k  was a now a 201 or even a 101k.

The interesting thing is when they are in town during the “regular” snowbird season prices go up.  During the summer months when they aren’t around prices go down.  More supply less demand, usually.

This year seeking to stretch those dollars farther the snowbirds are returning during the “off-season” to find a new nest for this coming winter.  They are planning on being here.  They have more confidence in the recovering economy and their buying power has stabilized.  They aren’t here looking for jobs, so their purchase power and decision is based on the warm winter weather.

If you have never had a $700 monthly heat bill or frozen your fingers and toes while scrapping the windshield you might not understand the influence of warm winter weather.  If you have never had to bundle up for days in a row and shovel snow while looking to the gray skies for any sign of the yellow orb called the sun.  You might not understand.

But if you have lived year after year with that winter memory, one January in Tucson wearing shorts, sitting outside on the patio and smelling neighborhood barbecue grills each evening has a very strong appeal.

It isn’t global warming that brings them to Tucson when it is 101 outside.  It is the desire to find that affordable winter nest.  And they are finding them.

Post from: Tucson Real Estate

Finding A Tucson Home Just Got Easier

IDX Solution, what kind of solution is that? IDX Stands for Internet Data Exchange. It makes it possible for us to provide you with detailed information about homes listed for sale in the Tucson MLS.

Gone are the days when the agent “controls” THE BOOK. Good riddance. What a difference today. Now we/you/ us can search for properties meeting our criteria without spending hours and hours paging through a book of tiny print and a single black and white picture of the front of the house.

Now we can search on a myriad of criteria and get the results sent directly to us in our email.

New IDX Solution in Tucson

With IDX on our site you have more choices. You can have us enter your criteria the way we always have into the Tucson MLS for you and you will get the results in email.

Or you can set up as many searches as you want and come back as often as you want to create new ones. The IDX store is open 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

If you haven’t found the new page yet check out the new button at the top Search Tucson Homes. See it looks like this.

Nice button don’t you think? That button opens the door to finding whatever type of home in Tucson. Whatever you are looking for it should be here. We have even included the Pre-foreclosure and Foreclosure buttons should you want to be bold and search for those properties.

If you haven’t tried it out yet, take it for a spin.

Registration

This is simple, if you want properties emails to you we need a valid email address so you can receive them. You can create an account for yourself right away and start saving searches and setting up favorite properties. After 5 searches we ask that you register. However, the only email you will get from us is the response acknowledging your registration. We hate spam and we don’t like to be bothered. We want our questions answered promptly but on our terms.

We feel the same way about you. The only correspondence you will get from us is when you ask for it.

Customize Search Result Pages

I’m also adding an number of custom search result pages. An example of this is: Sam Hughes Homes for Sale This is a page created on the fly when you click on it. The homes on that page are always up to date. When a home is sold it rolls off the page, when a new one comes on it will appear with it’s listing date on the first line.

Click on the address and it will take you to a full detailed page with complete information, map location and lots more information.

Just the Picture Please

If you don’t want to go through all the detail on the page click on a listing photo. All the photos on that page will be put in a slideshow for you to view.

The Quick Search

In the sidebar just above the Featured Listings section is the Quick Search. Fill in the basics and hit search. You will be taken to the Search page with the results of your search. There you can add more criteria to refine the results of your search even more.

We are working hard to make it easier for you to Search Tucson Homes. Look for more community pages and special searches for areas and types of homes to be included over the coming weeks. As new features are made available we will point those out in short IDX Updates.

We think this is going to provide all of us with a better search experience. There is more, much more but I won’t take the fun out of discovering some of the great things you can do and see with this new Tucson IDX Solution.

Any Questions or Comments?

This is a new product in the Tucson market. I don’t know if we are the first to implement it, if not we are close to the first. When I worked for our brokerage as the database administrator one of my tasks was writing the data exchange interface between the Tucson MLS and the Brokerage website. That experience gave me a unique perspective and opportunity.

I’m working with the company to provide all of us with more features for search criteria. I want them to have the best product possible so you have the best data available for making informed decisions.

If you have questions or request please leave a comment below. I’ll be glad to present them to the company.

Now we have a better tool for finding those properties of interest to all of us.

Post from: Tucson Real Estate

Tucson Real Estate Moving and Growing

Because I daily update the number of closed transactions, average sale price and the median sale price I have noticed the trend upward over the past month. This trend upward does not appear to be an anomaly. The average and median sale price as of today is $204,281, the median sale price is $170,000. This month began with a median sale price of $160,000.

Friday May 29, 2009 there were 806 closed transactions. By the end of the day it was 896.  May31st  933; June 1st 968. On June 3rd the data will be pulled for May’s statistical report from the Tucson MLS. There were 1070 closed transactions in May 2008. It looks like we will met or exceed that number this month.

The inventory continues to decrease and even with the number of foreclosures increasing the average and median sale price continues to rise.  School is out and families are moving. It is one of the prime seasons on real estate in Tucson.

Post from: Tucson Real Estate

Look Back on It All

These are difficult times for both buyers and sellers. Sellers are afraid they won’t be able to sell their home for what they owe on it. Buyers are still afraid they will pay too much for a home.

Buyers looking back while moving ahead with a attitude of fear. These are trying times. As has been said many times, bottom can only be called after it is over. There might be more foreclosures and short sales coming on the market, but there are buyers for them. Buyers who move ahead looking ahead, with the knowledge what is behind. They also know they are purchasing homes for an interest rate that is the lowest in modern history and for purchase prices not seen since 2004.

The buyers who are driven and consumed by fear today will look back on this time and know they had no valid reason to fear.

Today a buyer we have been working with canceled a contract out of fear. The home inspection was complete, the termite inspection complete with no evidence of termites, but fear knows as buyers remorse was too much. The contract was canceled. The buyers have decided to wait for 6 months to a year till the market is more stable. It will be more stable, but for now it is a sad story. Sad for the seller that had their home off the market for 2 weeks and possible missed out on a valid buyer. Sad for the buyer because now they will always wonder and question this decision not to buy at the lowest price and for the lowest interest rate. They invested time and money, for inspections, their time and travel to Tucson.

We invested a lot of our time in the process as well. It happens a lot these days.

It is unfortunate.

Post from: Tucson Real Estate

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.

Post from: Tucson Real Estate

Scott Street Remake

Scott Street in downtown Tucson has been torn up for something like a year.  It is now open and it has a totally different look and feel than before.  It is a good change.  Curb cuts to allow water to be diverted from the street to water the landscaping instead of going into the sewer system.  New lighting, narrower street lanes, to provide more pedestrian traffic and landscaping.

There is also the new Griffin.  There used to be others downtown, they were lost in a fire years ago.

Scott Street is an example of what urban renewal should be.  More of this type of street renovation needs to be done in Tucson.

Post from: Tucson Real Estate

The Guest House close to the main house but not too close

A very popular feature of some Tucson homes is the Guest house. In earlier days before AC and inter-state highways people would come to the desert to escape the winter weather. Before they were called snow birds they were called guests.  A family member or members could come and spend the winter in their how guest quarters.  Not quite a house, and not quite a room.  The guest house was close enough to the main house and far enough away they could have privacy.

The they in this instance is whomever you wish to choose.  Those guest quarters are still very desireable in Tucson.  There aren’t many homes being built these days with a guest house making them a rare commodity.

The Sam Hughes Area

One of the areas of Tucson with quite a few guest houses is Sam Hughes.  This part of town is well known as a historical district and one in which a run down property that needs a lot of work can still sell for over $350,0o0.  Location is still significant even in this economy.  Want to know what is available in Sam Hughes

Post from: Tucson Real Estate

Denver At Night

There are a lot of great building and sculptures in downtown Denver. After a day with mostly clouds and rain the evening was a bit dryer and provided a couple of hours to walk around by the capitol building and grab some quick snapshots.

Since I flew to Denver it wasn’t practical to bring along a tripod. This evening was a scouting mission to find subjects for future visits.

I found plenty to attract the lens and light for the sensor.

Post from: Tucson Real Estate

Denver Flowers and Green

I know it could have been Tucson today. One of those rare Pre-monsoon days with clouds and temperatures in the 80’s. This morning I caught a flight out of Tucson to Denver. I’ll be attending an un-conference on Friday. I’m going to do a workshop hands on presentation on HDR photo post processing.

The un-conference is know as REBARCAMP the RE is for “you guessed it” Real Estate. Bar Camps are sweeping the country and REBARCAMPS have really caught hold since the first one last summer. They are free to attend, and the schedule doesn’t exist until the morning of the event. Some people commit to lead a discussion on a topic ahead of time, but there are no sign-ups for classes or sessions, you go you look at the board and pick where you want to go. It is more like show and tell for adults.

No vendor presentation, no products being pushed to make your more “successful”. People sharing what they are doing in business and how they are doing it.

Photography is one of the things I enjoy doing and HDR Processing is more an art form than it is a series of steps.

But there are some principles to using it and with some basic instruction most can at least try it out enough to know if they want to learn how to do it.

Therefore, I’m in Denver for a few days. Cool, maybe even (dare I say it) cold nights. And rain, Green grass, green trees, green, green green.

While you might not be interested in photos of the Denver area, there is a chance you might. Maybe it will provide just the hint of a green fix, or a memory for some who have lived here at some point in their journey.

So I’ll take a break from Tucson real estate and send you some post cards from Denver for the next couple of days.

Post from: Tucson Real Estate

Look up in the sky another Great Deal Flying by

Yesterday I wrote about a couple looking for an “Unbelievable Deal” in Tucson.  They aren’t alone.  We are finding quite a few people coming from other parts of the country where the local economies are much worse than Tucson.  Not only that they read the distorted media coverage of the Tucson real estate market and their perception is that everything in the country is at bargain basement prices.

Here is the unfortunate truth.  We have seen more than one of our buyers miss out repeatedly on Great Deals because they were looking for the “Unbelievable Deal”.

There is a reason they are called “UNBELIEVABLE”.

Sale Prices are rising. Average and Median both.  We have 500 closed transactions for May already.  If May is anything close to normal we have another 500 + be recorded in the last 10 days of the month.

The reality is: “at least for now” prices and numbers of transactions are going up.  WHY?

Because the people that are looking for GREAT DEALS are finding them all over Tucson, while the ones looking for UNBELIEVABLE DEALS are still looking.  And they will keep looking while the GREAT DEALS and GOOD DEALS disappear.

It is the nature of the market, and most certainly the nature of human nature.

If you have been looking for an Unbelievable Deal, you might want to rethink that and put on your “I’m looking for a Great Deal hat”.

Post from: Tucson Real Estate

My wife and I are planning on moving there within the next 3 months and wanted to see if there were any “Unbelievable Deals” available for homes that were let go or taken by banks. We want to be amazed. The market is horrible here in Michigan. That is why we are looking to relocate.

Most homes here that were $400,000-$600,000 a couple of years ago are going for under $200,000. That is what we are looking for as well but in your area.

Like I said, we’re looking to be amazed for what we can get for the low price range. Thank you in advance.

Looking for an Unbelievable Deal ?

You can look all you want but you won’t find. My experience in the past “if it is too good to be true, it is” That is the nature of an “Unbelievable Deal”

Looking for an “Unbelievable Deal” is a pretty much a waste of time in Tucson. There are some “Believable Deals” and some “Great Deals”.

But what would be unbelievable in one part of the country won’t be even believable in another. It is sad what has happened to the economy in Michigan, a state known for the auto industry has been hit very hard. Here is a reality, “We don’t build cars in Tucson”, I don’t mean that in a mean spirited way.  I mean that local economies are just that, local.

We may not have a single focus strong manufacturing base here, but do have some companies that are strong. Our medical community is well established and well known. Raytheon defense contractors may not be the best known manufacture in the country but it doesn’t seem like war is going out of fashion anytime soon.

Ventana Medical center in Oro Valley continues to expand and is leading the way in 21st Century medical innovations and discoveries.

Tucson has an economy built also on tourism and the tried and true migration patterns of “Snow Birds” which arrive every fall and boost the local economy significantly.

We have had our share of short sales and Foreclosures, but nothing like what has been seen in Phoenix or other parts of Arizona.

Post from: Tucson Real Estate

Staying Cool

Well, it is here, it is HOT.  The ice has broken we will be over 100 today and it looks like we will break into the third digit for a few more days to come.  We all knew it was coming.  This year especially, we have been fortunate.  I can remember breaking the ice in March some years.

Staying Cool

Some of us with Nordic Blood (I’m not Nordic but I have Nordic blood, don’t ask)  don’t do well in the heat, others thrive.  Some find the summer months the time to get out and do things around town.  Ride your bike, take a hike, eat outside in the evening.  I did some of that last summer, but not while in Tucson.

How do we Desert Rats stay cool in the summer?

This is my list of suggestions on beating the heat in Tucson for the summer

First, if money and expense aren’t a consideration the answer is pretty straight forward.  TURN ON THE AC

If you are a little more budget minded or own a Tucson home without AC (Yes, they do exist) you fire up the Evap. Cooler.

If you have AC but don’t want to spend as much cooling your home this summer then you can try what I’ve been doing for the past couple of weeks.  It might save you some money but cost you a little sleep.

As I write this it is just a little before 7 am. and the reported temperature outside is 65.  I’ve been getting up somewhere between 3 and 5 am each morning and opening the doors (We have screened security doors) so the air can come in.  I reverse the ceiling fans so they pull air into the house.  I’m usually able to bring the house down to 77 degrees in a few hours.

Around 8 am. I close up the house.  The temperature inside raises about 1 degree every 90 min.  on average.  By midafternoon the house is about 83 to 84 degrees.  Between 5 and 7 pm we turn on the AC and cool the house down to 76.  It is there in a couple of hours.  Once we go to bed we turn off the AC.

We are still waiting to see what the result is on our electric bill.  I’ll let you know.  I’m also considering using my laptop more with all the free WIFI around in coffee shops.  But I’m not sure if drinking coffee while sitting in AC isn’t self cancelling.  At least I get to drink coffee and stay cool.

Post from: Tucson Real Estate

Colorful Downtown Tucson

Our perceptions of life in general shape our vision of reality.  Some would find living out in the desert alone with nothing but cows and miles and miles of desert to view as a good life.  For other people that would be putting them in prison, cut off from their Twitter, Internet, Cable TV and Starbucks.

Perception shapes Reality

The Tucson real estate market has been steady, holding its own during the first quarter and well into the second quarter of 2009.  For me if I can hold my own during a time of economic hardship I feel like I’m doing pretty good.  Therefore, my take on our market sees it as a pretty healthy market.  It still has a cold and some snot (foreclosures and short sales) to get out of its system.  But overall the patient is doing very well.

But the media recently has said this ability to maintain itself is “Being in a Coma”. It is unfortunate that statements like this are read and then internalized to change perceptions about reality.

The Tucson Real Estate Update

I don’t know if anyone has noticed.  I have a place to the right for almost daily updates on what is being reported in the Tucson MLS for closed transactions during the course of the month.  More sales are coming in for April 911 to date 29 more than were reported.  There are 314 closed transactions for May and the average and median sale prices are climbing slightly.

I use this little place as a Tucson Real Estate Market Ticker.  It isn’ t the DOW it is the TREMT.

The inventory has continued to fall.  Again the media says this is because people have stopped putting their homes on the market.  Really, the family moving out of state for their new job have decided to live in their car while they wait for the market to turn around?

The only people that don’t have their homes on the market are those that don’t have to sell. Many of those are the ones that over the past two years were inflating the numbers while having their homes on the market but not for sale.  I’ve written about this in the past.

It’s Only A Buyer’s Market If You Buy

A friend of mine wrote this the other day.  It is true.  There are mulitple offers beginning to come in on properties. There are still those waiting to see “bottom”  They have waited right past it.  We see almost every week potential buyers following a property only to have an offer written on the one they wanted.  Sometimes two or three times.  They still haven’t bought.

There are others who want to sell high and buy low.  Of course who doesn’t, but here’s the point.  What if you sell for $20,000 less than you want but where you are going can buy for $400,000 less.  Doesn’t it seem to make sense to take less to get more?

The perception “My stuff is worth more, Your stuff is worth less” has hurt the personal economy of a lot of families.

Perception does shape reality.  If you have a good life, a steady job, things are good, or maybe not so good, but not bad, then are you in a coma?

Post from: Tucson Real Estate

“The National Association of Realtors said Tuesday the median sales price of an existing home in Tucson was $176,000, down from $221,000 in 2008.”

Prices Fell By How Much?

This was the headline for an article in the Tucson Citizen this morning. The report shows it is picked up from The Associated Press.

It is a very GOOD example of POOR journalism. Headline Sensational: YES. But what about the context. For example how is this for a sensational headline “World War Breaks Out” Yep, sensational. Did World War break out? Yes a couple of times. Lately? Why do I use this as an example?

Read the article and tell me when the median sale price dropped 20 percent. It says it was down from $221,000 in 2008, but when in 2009 was it $176,000? A quick look at Tucson MLS statistics show median sale prices for each month since January as follows:

• Jan. $163.250
• Feb. $178,000
• Mar. $165,0o0
• Apr. $164,000

To date in May it is $160,000  Average them all together do you get $176,000?

It looks like $176,000 is high and the percentage of drop in median sale price is more than 20 percent.

But Wait There is More

How about the $221,000 median sale price for 2008?

• Jan. $203,000
• Feb. $199,000
• Mar. $200,000
• Apr. $195,000
• May $201,000
• June $200,000
• July $199,900
• Aug. $185,000
• Sept. $180,500
• Oct. $180,000
• Nov. $178,000
• Dec. $167,900

Do you see that adding up to $221,000 for a Median Sale Price in Tucson?

But Wait There is Even More

Yes, there is more, because we discussed this the other day in Tucson Average and Median Sale Price.  If you break out property by Type and Location all those numbers change once again.

The Point of All This

Newspapers are still in the business of selling Newspapers (for awhile yet anyway)  And headlines sell papers.  Sensational headlines sell even more papers.  Who needs the Who, What, When, Where, Why in modern journalism.  Don’t let the facts confuse the issue.

Time again for a phrase that came into existence because of the reality on which it was based “Don’t Believe Everything You Read In The Papers”

Post from: Tucson Real Estate