Friday, July 30, 2010

Northwest Tucson Home




1621 W. Avenida de Maximillian
Tucson, AZ 85704
$249,000
VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO VIEW MORE PHOTOS OF THIS HOME

This Northwest Tucson home offers 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms with 1,790 square feet of living. This well maintained and cared for Casas Adobes West home sits on a large private corner lot (.83 acres) with North/South orientation and mature vegetation everywhere. The great floor plan offers a separate living room, family room and dining area. The kitchen has abundant counter and cabinet space and has a sliding glass door leading out to pool area. The master bathroom has a newly tiled enclosure and tile floors. The backyard is very private and offers plenty of room to entertain and cool off in large pool. The roof was recoated July of 2010 and a new water heater was installed in July of 2010. The water softener and all appliances stay. In addition to the wonderful home, there is a 1/2 basketball court behind pool area! This Northwest Tucson home is located in the Amphitheater School District, with Donaldson Elementary and Cross Middle School right down the street. The home is in great shape and move-in ready! Only this home offers quiet Northwest Tucson living for under $250,000. Call with any questions or if you would like to set up an appointment to view the home. John (520) 247-4459 or JBillings@LongRealty.com

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Tucson Area Sales Statistics


Have you wondered what this year's sales statistics vs. last year's sales statistics actually look like?  Well, here it is.  Here is the truth plain and simple.  The Tucson real estate market has been doing better than it did in 2009, with one exception... JUNE.  June just wasn't a pretty month.  It was hot, we had absolutely no rain, sellers were fairly stubborn in their home prices, and buyers were annoyed.  But fear not.  July has been a different month for everyone.

Once the MLS has produced its monthly Tucson area sales statistics for the month of July, we will post the updates.  So, stay tuned!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

JUST LISTED- La Paloma Home

We have done it again! This is our 3rd home listed this year in the community of Las Palomitas, located in the subdivision of La Paloma. On to getting it SOLD!
 John and I were homeowners in Las Palomitas and John was on the board for the community. We truly know the Catalina Foothills and La Paloma well. This is a very quiet, charming, and established community with large mesquite trees and palo verdes shading the homes and streets. Just a beautiful neighborhood to enjoy the Catalina Mountain views. Take a look at the home and if you are interested or know someone who might be, let us know. We are more than happy to give your further information about the home or if you would like, you can set up a time to view the home with us.

 4069 E. Via Del Buho
$319,000

3 bedroom
3 bathroom
1,575 square feet
Home backs up to common area
North facing backyard with clear views of the Catalina Mountains

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Foreign Investors Flock to U.S. Housing Market

As the news is reporting, foreign real estate investors are heading to the U. S. to snap up cheap, inexpensive homes… in the hopes of selling them for a profit. Tucson, Arizona is seeing many of those foreign real estate investors making their mark, right here in our own city. In fact, NAR (National Association of Realtors) reports that roughly 28% of realtors have completed a real estate transaction with a foreign investor in the past year. Want to read more?

You can find the article in its entirety at HERE

Monday, July 12, 2010

Tucson Home Sales Statistics

KEY CURRENT MONTHLY STATISTICS
Key Prior Month Statistics: JUNE 2010 Statistics 

Total
Tucson
Home Sales Units:
1,170
 Increased 2.72% from June 2009
Decreased 7.87% from last month.



Total Tucson  Pending Sales: 1,145
 Decreased 20.04% from June 2009
Increased 18.90% from last month.

Tucson
Average Sale Price: $189,231
 Down 9.44% from $208,952 in June 2009
 

Total
Tucson
Active Listings: 6,852
Up 9.44% from 6,261 in June of 2009


Total
Tucson
New Listings: 1,505
Down 387 units from 1,892 in June of 2009

**********************************************

Northwest Tucson Average Sale Price: $265,124
Up from $237,880 last month

Northwest
Tucson Active Listings: 1,745
Up 9 units from last month

Northwest
Tucson New Listings:  378
 Up 35 units from last month
************************************************

Catalina Foothills
Average Sale Price:  $424,172
Up from $
404,201 last month

Catalina Foothills
Active Listings: 716
 Down 12 units from last month
 

Catalina Foothills New Listings: 132
 Down 73 units from last month


CONCLUSIONS

Positive Market Indicators this month   More buyers are out than last year.  In fact, year to date, 98.08% more homes have been sold than in 2009.  That is 3,114 more homes that have already been SOLD!  Pending contracts are up almost 19% over last month.  Compared with June of 2009, new listings have declined by 20.45%  And, 33% of homes sold in June sold in 30 days or less.  Great news! 

Negative Market Indicators this month Unit sales are down about 8% from last month.  Active listings are up 1.63% over May.  New listings are up slightly over last month by 2.87%.

QUESTIONS ABOUT TUCSON HOUSING MARKET CONDITIONS?

Email John
 or call him today at (520) 247-4459

* All statistics were obtained from the Tucson Association of Realtors June 2010 report *

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Do You Qualify for a VA Mortgage?

The Veterans Administration created its own loan program in 1944, which became part of what is known as the GI Bill of Rights. This loan program was created to assist veterans of war become home owners. The program has become a success and has helped many of our clients purchase homes.


 

If you are a veteran, there are many benefits to using a VA loan.

BENEFITS

  1. No down payment required
  2. Closing costs must be paid by the seller
  3. VA loans are insured by the government against default
  4. No private mortgage insurance required
  5. No prepayment penalties
  6. Can apply for an "interest rate reduction loan" (which allows veterans to refinance to a lower rate with little or no out-of-pocket expenses)

WHO QUALIFIES FOR A VA MORTGAGE?

  1. Active military personnel
  2. Veterans
  3. Reservists
  4. Members of the National Guard
  5. Unmarried spouses of a qualifying member of the armed forces who died as a result of serving in the military, who meet the following qualifications:
  • Veterans must have served a minimum of 90 days during wartime in World War II, the Korean Conflict, or the Vietnam War. Peacetime service requires at least 181 continuous days of military service.
  • Enlisted veterans who began their service after September 7, 1980, or officers who began their service after October 16, 1981, must have served at least two years.
  • National Guard or Reservists need to have served a minimum of six years.
  • No one who has been dishonorably discharged is eligible.

There are additional criteria for military personnel who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq. Speak with a lender about the specifics of a VA mortgage and any other mortgage you might be considering. If you have questions about a VA mortgage you can call us at (520) 247-4459 or E-Mail Us and we can provide you with a list of lenders who can assist with VA mortgages.


 


 

Thursday, July 8, 2010

How to Sell Your Home in a Buyers Market

Let's face it. Everyone is complaining about "how bad the economy is", "how bad the stock market is", and how "bad the real estate market is." About the only people making any money around here just might be those investors who snatched up gold a few years ago when it was next to nothing. Or, maybe you are one of the lucky few who can still sell your home today and make a profit. To those of you, we say... Congratulations.

But, for many Tucson home sellers, there won't be any profit coming from the sale of their home. In fact, many Tucson home sellers are having to cough up money to pay off the bank just to close the transaction. In essence, they are paying for someone else to buy their home. In a buyer's market, a home seller MUST do the suggested tips below. Otherwise, they may find that their home is the one that sits on the market for months or even years. With that being said, here are a few tips on how to sell your home in a buyer's market.

1. Price. Price. Price. Did we mention price? This is the most important factor when selling your home in a buyer's market. Remember this, if you price your home at market value, approximately 60% of potential buyers will consider your home. On the other hand, if you price your home even 10% above market value, only 30% will consider your home. And if you price it 15% above market value, only 10% will consider your home. So, pricing your home according to the local and neighborhood markets is absolutely key.

2. Make your home available. Think this sounds crazy? Believe it or not, some Tucson home seller's restrict the hours and days that their home can be viewed. What happens if a Tucson home buyer is only in Town for a few days and can only view the home when that home seller says that they don't want showings? That Tucson home seller just lost a potential buyer. Don't restrict showing times... it is a turn off to Tucson home buyers. If you are a serious home seller, you will make your home available to view on the buyers schedule. After all, it is a buyers market.

3. Clean and de-clutter. Sounds easy enough, right? But, when you are living in your home on a day to day basis, you may not even realize that your home is cluttered. Invite a neighbor, friend, or your Realtor over and have them pretend that they are viewing your home for the first time. What would they be turned off by? And, if you are asking a friend... make sure they are honest and won't be shy about suggesting what needs cleaned up. Polite friends are always good, but sometimes you need that honesty. And don't forget to clean! No one likes to walk into a bathroom with hair around the sink or in the bathtub. So, clean it up!

4. Open Houses. Yes, these are considered "old fashioned" in the world of real estate, but we have sold many of our client's homes via open houses. So, if your agent suggests an open house, don't turn the opportunity down. OPEN HOUSES WORK.

5. Offer incentives. If your neighbor down the street is selling his house and it is the same exact model, same price, and similar features, you need to be creative about attracting buyers to your property over his. It is common in a buyers market for the home seller to pay for a closing costs, or throw in a car... SERIOUSLY! With your Realtor's help and creativity you should be able to come up with something.

Those are the 5 major tips on how to sell your home in a buyers market. We could go on forever, but in a gist, those are the major points. If you have questions or suggestions, let us know. We love feedback. Email us or give us a call.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Tucson Home: NEW ON MARKET




465 East Cambridge Drive
Tucson, AZ 85704


This Tucson home is found in the highly desirable Northwest Tucson neighborhood of Suffolk Hills, located in the Amphitheater School District.


Sitting on a premium lot, this Tucson home offers 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, with 2,153 square feet of living. The kitchen has been remodled with exquisite taste. The home cook will be more than satisfied with the kitchen's granite countertops, light maple cabinetry with roll out shelves, stainless steel appliances, plus a work island. Entertain guests in the casual family room or the formal living room. There is more than enough room for everyone. Saltillo tile adds Tucson charm to this home. Stepping outside, sit back and relax in the pool and enjoy those unobstructed Catalina mountain views with this Tucson home's north facing backyard.


We are priced to sell at $359,000. Please call John at (520) 247-4459 with any questions you may have or if you would like to set up a private showing.