tucson: Some Buyers Need TLC - 01/11/11 09:25 AM
Tucson real estate is no different than anywhere else when it comes to quality of service to Home Buyers. You have to take the good with the bad.  Working with buyers...
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tucson: Old Fashined Integrity - 01/06/11 03:16 AM
I have always been shy about getting Buyers to sign a Buyer Broker Agreement. I know it is recommended, and I know that it fends off the non-serious Buyer. However, I still like the feeling of an old fashioned hand shake and honor of word. Once in a while intuition sets in. Then, I turn to the Buyer Broker Agreement as a put up or...method of determining whether my time will be well spent or wasted. Which I just did with a Buyer looking for short sales and wanting to use a mediator he hired. I keep getting the feeling of … (1 comments)

tucson: It's Been A While - 09/14/10 03:52 AM
It's been a tough past couple of years, still recovering. Spent a period of time working for hourly wage. Yuck! Streee and my heart dictated a change. So I'm back in the pack. Never quite left real estate, but, part time doesn't cut it. Now I can devote my time to real estate full time, and as much time as needed to our new promotional product business.
I am learning that a lot of Realtors, Attorney's, Dentists, and other business people see the value of having their name before people. The more the better. My wife and I started a promotional product … (0 comments)

tucson: Tucson Home Sales September 2008 - 10/10/08 05:36 AM
Tucson home sales for September broke the mold for seasonal sales. Normally sales in September are less than August. Not in 2008. Go figure, the economy has tanked, credit has tanked, nobody fully trusts either candidate for President, nothing but negative-negative-negative in the economic news, yet Tucson home sales go up.
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tucson: $700 Billion To Bail Out The Greedy - 09/23/08 09:45 AM
Everybody is pointing fingers at who caused this mess. None are looking at the fact for every finger pointed out, there are 3 pointing back.
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tucson: July 2008 Tucson Residential Sales Report - 08/13/08 04:33 AM
The official numbers from TAR are out. With the anticipated seasonal decline in sales for July, residential home sales were slightly higher than predicted. Eight months ago I predicted 927 sales, 945 sales were officially reported, as of this writing 949 sales were recorded for July. Tucson home sale units decreased by 8.61% over that of June, which can be expected. July always has a 8–9% lower sales volume than June.
The number of available homes repeated previous months by decreasing an additional 3.24%. We have seen inventory decrease for several months. We are now below 8,000 available homes. A good … (1 comments)

tucson: Is Now A Good Time To Buy A Home? - 08/04/08 03:35 AM
Our Federal government has stimulated the market with the recent tax credit. Now is a great time to buy. Those who ignore this opportunity will be throwing money away. Does this mean Buyers should throw caution to the wind? By no means should any home buyer ignore due diligence in buying a home. Buying more home than you can afford regardless of incentives is always a mistake. Being reasonable and rational is always a good thing. There are conditions for meeting the criteria. Not everyone will meet the requirements. As any good Realtor will tell you to check with your tax … (2 comments)

tucson: May Real Estate Sales Report For Tucson - 06/11/08 01:44 AM
My prediction for May 2008 Tucson real estate sales was 1,035 sales. The officially reported number or 1,025 (collected June 4th) was very close. Checking this morning there were 25 additional sales not reported on time which increases the number of sales to 1050. READ MORE
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tucson: Tucson Real Estate Preliminary May Sales Report - 06/03/08 01:40 AM
Will we exceed the predicted sales of 1,035 for May? We will know in a matter of days. The good thing is sales are continually increasing, which is good news for Tucson real estate. Bad news for those who wait for woulda, shoulda, coulda.  Read More
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tucson: Home Selling Strategies - 05/29/08 07:34 AM
In a market where buyer confidence is slowly returning it is important to have a strategy if you expect to sell sooner than later. The Tucson real estate market is still reeling, but, not as much as Phoenix, Stockton CA or other areas. Most home sellers, even in the Tucson Real Estate Market, like to set a price and hold. Losing opportunity and eventually selling for much less than they could have gotten. You’ve heard it before, Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance. Having a strategy (prior planning) can make a difference on whether a home sells (prevents) or does not … (1 comments)

tucson: Home Searching On The Internet - 05/18/08 03:20 AM
Internet Real Estate BuyingAnyone you talk to will tell you that a vast majority of home buyers start searching for a home on the Internet. In today’s world of technology the “Duh” factor comes into play when it comes to buying and buying smart.
Estimates are as high as 80% of home buyers begin their search on the Internet. Personally, I believe it is more. Lets see, I need an air filter for my truck. At $3.51 a gallon do I really want to drive five miles to find out they don’t have any?
So I jump on the Internet check … (5 comments)

tucson: Tucson Real Estate April Sales Report - 05/13/08 03:18 AM
The official numbers are out from the Tucson Association of Realtors. Tucson home sales volume increased by 5.86% and total home sales increased by 8.1% over that of March 2008. Good news for home sellers and the local market. The numbers of available homes decreased by 2.37%. Indications are there to show the Tucson real estate market is heading toward a healthy market again. Tucson has always remained in better condition than many areas of the nation.
Prices decreased, what buyers want to hear. The average sales price dropped by 2.08% over that of March, while the median price lowered by … (0 comments)

tucson: Has The Housing Market Begun To Correct Itself? - 05/06/08 05:17 PM
Everybody wants to know when the housing market will bottom out so they can get the best price. The truth is by the time anyone figures out the puzzle recovery will have already begun. An interesting article from the Wall Street Journal suggests that we on our way to a better market.  READ MORE
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tucson: What Makes A Luxury Home In Tucson - 05/06/08 03:06 AM
I’ve noticed a lot of inquiries for luxury homes lately. Which brings to mind. What is a luxury home? What are the different levels of luxury homes?It used to be that anything over $500,000 in Tucson was considered a luxury home. Is there a difference between granite counter tops in a $350,000 and a $900,000 home? What difference is there between an $850,000 home and a $2,500,000 home? What can you expect?  READ MORE
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tucson: Tucson Real Estate Pool Safety - 05/03/08 01:04 PM
With the weather picking up it is time to start thinking about pool safety. Every year we hear about a parent, uncle, friend or whomever who for a short moment wasn’t paying close attention to a child who unfortunately drowned. Arizona has strict laws about pools and barriers. A law that both buyers and seller should be aware of. For safety the Red Cross says it best.Straight from the Red Cross website:
Home Pools Learn to swim. The best thing anyone can do to stay safe in and around the water is to learn to swim–this includes adults and children. … (0 comments)

tucson: April 2008 Tucson Preliminary Sales Report - 05/02/08 03:32 AM
April was a pretty good month for sales. As of this writing there have been 907 recorded home sales through the MLS. Of course, reporting so earlier not all the sales have been reported to the MLS. So we can expect the numbers to be a little higher. The lowest sales price was $26,000, with the highest at $2,715,000. The unofficial average was $251,764 with a median of $196,500. There are still 8,729 homes without any offers on them. Another 1,812 homes with offers waiting to close escrow. READ MORE … (1 comments)

tucson: March 2008 Preliminary Real Estate Sales Report - 04/03/08 03:58 PM
I am sure that there are a lot of people wondering how the Tucson real estate market fared during March of 2008. The official count of sales for February was 710. March saw an increase of nearly 26% with 892 sales. That is a solid increase considering all the scare about today’s market.Historically the increase between February and March is 28%. We experienced a 26% increase; the difference of 15 home sales. I know those 15 other home sellers would appreciate that 2% increase. With 8,965 homes on the market, falling off by 15 sales is not a bad fall. Not … (1 comments)

tucson: What Does Golf and Rodeo Have In Common In Tucson - 02/14/08 01:15 PM
February is a big month for the greater Tucson community. Thousands of visitors have been coming to Tucson from around the State of Arizona, Sonora, and many other areas. The Tucson Rodeo was an annual event before I moved to Tucson some 34 years ago.
Last year the Accenture Match Play Championship moved to Tucson. Replacing the PGA Chrysler Open. Tucson has been a host to the PGA since 1945. Welcoming players over the years like Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, and now Tiger Woods.
Rodeo lovers flood the streets near the Rodeo grounds every year to watch the nations … (0 comments)

tucson: What Makes Up A Contract - 02/13/08 02:02 PM
A couple days ago someone asked me the components of a contract. As an experienced Realtor you would think that I could rattle it out without thinking. Brain freeze, embarrassment, and a lot of thinking afterward. Contracts are a critical part of real estate. Sometimes we write contracts, knowing what is required without thinking about all the parts. I must say, I feel good about how much I put into contracts.  Beyond the  requirements, making sure that expectations are clearly written. We have all seen some contracts that questionably written, vague about expectations, or are confusing as heck.
I started … (1 comments)

tucson: Tucson Making It Through Recession - 02/05/08 12:30 AM
An unusual means for measuring the economy is employment through the ADC. When I retired in 2000 we had a low of 10% staffing shortage in some complexes, and as high as 22% in others. Speaking last week to a friend who recruits, the staffing shortage statewide is 2%. We used to say, when the economy is good, we can’t get staff. When the economy is not good we have enough staff. There is a lot of debate about whether we are in a recession or not. If not, we couldn’t come any closer. Tucson has one saving grace for real estate.
Tucson … (2 comments)