I-10 Expansion Half Finished in Tucson

We call it "the Tunnel."  It's a section of Interstate 10 through Tucson's downtown, from Prince Road to the Interstate 19 interchange. 

The tunnel funnels traffic past the construction area where our interstate is being widened to accomodate our growth as a city.

The lanes through the Tunnel have been narrowed to 11', and concrete barriers are a mere 16" away from the lanes themselves.

A big sign announces that vehicles over 26,000 pounds gross weight are to stay in the right lane.  Rignt!  The speed limit through the Tunnel is 55.  Right!  And with nowhere to go if you're involved in a fender bender, there's this idiotic sign that says to move your vehicle from the travel lane.  Right!

Thank God we're halfway done.  I'm looking forward to the finished product.

I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson, Arizona mortgage lender.

Think of me as your Local Expert.

Tucson's Version of the Hot Dog: Sonoran!

"So," I asked little Galilea at my favorite roadside hot dog stand here in the Tucson Mountains, "Do you run the business while your Daddy makes the hot dogs?"

"No," she grinned. "Actually, I pretty much don't do anything."  Not true.  She's the salesperson.  Galilea claps her hands and smiles when cars pull up.  You can't ignore her, and you will buy one or two sonoran style hot dogs.

If you're reading this from Chicago, you're pretty smug about Italian Beef Chicago Style.  You have reason to be--Chicago style hot dogs used to be my favorite when I was National Sales Manager for the OPEX Business Machine Corporation.

I always looked forward to traveling with my salesperson who covered the Chicago territory because of the hot dogs.  They're fantastic.

These are better.  Don't diss them until you've made the trip west to try them.  Call me. 

I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson, Arizona mortgage lender.

Think of me as your Local Expert

Local Expresso Entrepreneurs Battle Starbucks and Thrive

Starbucks Coffee is getting gray around the temples.  It's beginning to show its age, so to speak.

Once the local Starbucks stores reached the saturation point, we began to see Starbucks kiosks in the local grocery chains.

How big can you get before you've saturated your market?

New competitors with great coffee, magnificent customer service, and well-planned business models are beginning to sprout in Tucson.

I'm drawn to the newcomers.  They're what Starbucks used to be--friendly and customer focused.

Starbucks is beginning to suffer from the WalMart syndrome.

I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson, Arizona mortgage lender.

Think of me as your Local Expert.

Long Skinny House Update 1. Spec Home in Tucson 170' Long, 9' Wide

Motorhomes (with their slide-out rooms and awnings) are wider than this Tucson, AZ spec house!

Back in January 2008, I wrote a post about this unique home when it was first under construction.  Here's the link: Long Skinny House. 170' long. 9' wide.

What you see here on the left of the photo is the carport.  Half the car will be under roof in the shade (from noon on) the the other half will be at the mercy of the elements.

The builder is working under Tucson'sl aid back "mañana" type of scheduling.  The first listing agent has been canned after about six months, and the new agent was kind enough to give me access. 

The floor to ceiling height of the home exceeds its width by three feet, as you can see from the interior photo. 

During my "starving artist" grad school days, I lived in an 8' wide trailer.  This $270,000 spec house is only 12 inches wider than that mobile home! 

Finishes (those that are installed) are high end, and the feel of the home is actually pretty nice because of the vertical height. 

The sidewalk leading to my front door is wider than the hallway, though.  You couldn't share the hall with anyone larger than a first grader without being uncomfortably close.

Bathroom fixtures for the two MBR suites (right!) at each end of the house have yet to be installed

One thing struck me as odd as I walked the length of the house.  Several of the double pane windows are cracked and broken from the inside. 

I wondered about this for a few minutes until I imagined myself as a carpenter trying to turn around while holding a 2x4.  LOL

I'm looking forward to seeing how the home finishes out, and also how they intend to landscape it.  As it progresses, I'll update you.

I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson, Arizona mortgage lender.

Think of me as your Local Expert.

Highway Visibility: Yesteryear's Real Estate "Hook"

Minnesota has its Paul Bunyan and the Blue Ox.  Small towns across the country have the 15' tall lumberjack holding out a tractor tire.  This huge bug was a new one for me.

We were in Colorado Springs last year for our daughter's wedding, and I had some free time. 

One of my all time favorite things to do is to explore roads I've never driven, and to see things I've never seen.

That's how I found this beautiful bug.

Feel free to comment, but I'd appreciate you inserting a photo with your comment. (Size it down to a width of 200 or so, please.)

What's in your neck of the woods?  How did it get there?  WHY is it there?

I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson, Arizona mortgage lender.

Think of me as your local expert.

Shotgun Wedding? Bank of America Values Countrywide Between Zero and $2.00

BofA is not my favorite lending institution at the moment.  Not ever, actually. 

They inked a deal last year to buy Countrywide.  Today comes news on Bloomberg that the $7 per share that was to have been paid has been reduced to somewhere between Zero and $2.00 a share.  The deal may not go through at all. 

It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.  Without Countrywide, BofA has no wholesale lending arm.  Perhaps they've decided that wholesale lending isn't a necessary component for loan origination any more.

If you're a broker, you're aware of Bank of America's stance on your survival.  They're betting against you.

5/6/08 EDIT:  Countrywide (like B of A) is dumping on its customers.  Here's the link.

I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson, Arizona mortgage lender.

Think of me as your local expert.

Agents and REALTORS: The FHA Mortgage is a Fantastic Sales Tool in Tough Markets!

My REALTOR partners are closing sales for Tucson buyers who have income, but have saved little towards a downpayment.  Buyer demand is strong for zero down homes, or nearly zero down.  Here's what you need to do to close more sales using the advantages of an FHA mortgage:

1. This is a MUST:  Make sure your preferred lender is FHA savvy.  (For more on that, read Jeff Belonger, Eleanor Thorne and Mike Mueller.  Subscribe to their blogs.)  FHA isn't the same program you remember from ten years ago.
   
2. Bone up on DPAs like Ameridream.  Your FHA savvy lender will help you here.  Down Payment Assistance programs are a vehicle to transfer money from the seller to the buyer.  FHA allows this.  The real estate contract will have some required language for the DPA program.
   
3. Submit an offer with language that says the seller agrees to gift the required 3% downpayment to the buyer through Ameridream or other DPA.  Further, include language that says the seller agrees to contribute up to 3% of the sales price toward the buyer's closing costs.  FHA guidelines allow seller contributions of up to 6% of the sales price of the home.
   
4. Sell houses!

This is value selling of the best kind.  It positions you and your lender as people of action who can meet the needs of both buyers and sellers.

I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson, Arizona mortgage lender.
 
Think of me as your local expert.

Silly Tucson Saturday Night Post

Some time ago, I wrote a short post about these pigeons camped out at the car wash, just waiting for the happy car owner to drive under the light standard.

Bird brains!

Then today, a realtor from South Carolina sent me a series of photos from a car wash showing starlings going down into the change machine and emerging with quarters in their little beaks. 

I want those birds to come work for me!  LOL

I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson, Arizona mortgage lender.

Think of me as your local expert.

Jazz at the China Rose, Tucson, Arizona

I love Chinese food.  I love good jazz.  Until coming to Tucson ten years ago, the two never shared the same file space in my brain.

That was before I visited the China Rose on Speedway in Tucson, AZ. 

Frank Hartline invited me to join him and his wife Cheryl for dinner last night.

The vocalist was excellent, and her partner Ely made the keyboard into an orchestra, with harmonica, horn, saxaphone and other instruments accompanying the vocalist.  Tucson is a cosmopolitan town, and this duo from the Phillipines made our evening!

This short post doesn't do them or the China Rose justice, so I'll have to come back and give you a more detailed account.

I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson, Arizona mortgage lender.

Think of me as your local expert.

Oldie But Goodie: Antique Truck Still in Service in Tucson, Arizona

They say it's a dry heat.  Summers get into the triple digits, but with the lack of rain and humidity year round (not to mention NO salt on the roads in winter) Tucson preserves its vehicles better than just about any place in the country.  Here's a great example.

I was pulling into one of my favorite watering holes for a cup of Joe and a hard salami pannini sandwich when the nose of this old truck came into view. 

By the time I got my camera up and running, I missed the front license plate, which would tell you the year, make and model.

If you know what it is, please comment below.  She's a beauty!

I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson, Arizona mortgage lender.

Think of me as your local expert.