Texas Bradley 1993-2007

Texas Bradley was laid to rest today. He'd fought a long fight against Inflammatory Bowel Disease, but cancer overtook his body and the meds just weren't helping him anymore. The veterinary hospital that helped us is wonderful and I'll make a note about them in a later post.

Read more!

Arizona's population growth soars

Some interesting numbers were reported in the Arizona Daily Star today regarding our state's population growth over the least several years. The Census Bureau reports that Arizona's population hit 6,338,755 on July first of 2007. This number is up about 23% from the last census count in April 2001.

Arizona's population grew by more then 173,000 between July 2006 and July 2007, about a 2.8% increase. Our state's growth has actually slowed from previous years, moving Arizona from first in growth to second behind Nevada. Check out the following link for more information about Arizona's population growth over the last decade.

Read more!

Belated Happy Holidays in Tucson

Hope everyone had a happy holiday! Sorry for the lack of blog entries over the last few days; I am still nursing my terminally ill cat and I was taking care of last minute shopping and baking. Since I fell behind in my Tucson Days of Christmas I figured I'd just note a few more of the great things that Tucson offers around the holidays.

This past weekend was packed with activities leading up to December 25th. I enjoy heading over to La Encantada shopping center and checking out the "snowfall" that shoppers can find every Friday and Saturday night through the third weekend in December. "Snow machines" are set up to create a winter wonderland in the courtyard area at the bottom level of La Encantada. It really is a site, but it gets VERY busy so if you're not comfortable with crowds it might be something you should avoid. Keep this activity on you list for next year.

I visited the Reid Park Zoo and their holiday lights display last weekend and it was beautiful! Bright multi color lights are strung throughout the zoo, and visitors can sip hot chocolate and enjoy carolers or other entertainment while viewing the decorations. Most of the zoo animals aren't too active at this time of night but walking through the zoo on a cool evening surrounded by festive decorations can really put you in the Christmas mood!

One of my favorite activities at Christmas time is looking at local holiday light displays, and there are some great neighborhoods in Tucson that really go all out when it comes to holiday decorating. Winterhaven is probably the most popular neighborhood displays in Tucson, as every home in the community is decorated to the nines. Anyone that's lived here for a few years has trekked to this Central Tucson neighborhood to see the amazing light displays. Nights are designated for walking or driving through Winterhaven, with Thursday the 27th being the last night to drive through.

There are lots of other Tucson neighborhoods that really get into decorating for the holidays. One specific community in Rancho Vistoso (in Oro Valley) street after street of Christmas lights and decorations that draw a large crowd through the month of December. I've actually heard that the community's home owners associations requires residents to decorate for the holidays ( I still need to verify that).

It's really great to see so many Tucson residents decorate for the holidays. Just because we don't get really cold temperatures or snow doesn't mean we don't know how to celebrate the holidays!

And though the holiday was over today most people still had busy schedules. Many a friend spent last evening strategizing for today's post shopping event. My husband and I pulled up in the Target parking lot at 7:20 am and were amazed to see that how many people were already shopping. Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn had lines out the door within 30 minutes of opening. Needless to say the search for bargains is still on.

Read more!

Arizona foreclosure statistics for November

The latest foreclosure statistics for November were just released by RealtyTrac, and it looks like the number of foreclosure filings for the month were down about 10% nationwide. Arizona foreclosure filings were actually down 9% for the month of November.


Arizona still falls in the "Top Ten" list of states with highest foreclosure filings, ranking in at #8, which is down from our #7 position in October. Arizona now averages about one foreclosure filing for every 441 households.

As you can see by the US map below, the pink states have higher foreclosure filings. Nevada ranks in at number one for foreclosure filings, with one for every 152 households. That's actually four times the national average. Florida came in at number two, with one foreclosure filing for every 282 homes.

It's great to see the foreclosure rate slowly going down, but I'm anxious to see if it remains stable or if we'll see a shift after the holidays are over. Foreclosure rates are expected to rise in the upcoming year, and with many interest rates resetting after the New Year, it's going to be interesting to watch how homeowners react. The addition of increased spending during this holiday shopping season will likely have some impact, but hopefully homeowners were smart and planned ahead when making this year's purchases.

I'm hoping to get foreclosure stats specific to Tucson soon, but if you'd like more information on the latest national foreclosure statistics visit RealtyTrac

Read more!

Tucson real estate sales statistics for November

My kitty cat seems to be holding his own; maybe he's waiting for my husband to get back into town. Anyway I figured I'd better make an entry or two before things go downhill. Tucson's November real estate sales statistics were released on Tuesday and it looks like prices are picking up a little in Tucson. The average sales price was up from previous months but pending contracts, active and new listings were down.

- Tucson's average sales price for November was $269,968, up 3% over October's average of $262,251. It's also a 1% increase over the average sales price in November of 2006.

Tucson Average Sale's Price for November

- Tucson median sales price for November was $213,000, up 1.5 % from October's median price of $210,000. This number was still a 2.3% decrease from November 2006's median price of $218,000.

- There were 910 pending contracts in November, down 9% from October's number of 993, but up 2.13% from November 2006's number of 891.

- The average days on market for November rose to 72, up almost 3% from October's number of 70, and up 20% from November 2006.

Tucson Average Day's on Market

- Tucson had 9,234 Active listings in November, down 8.5% from October and down almost half a percent from November 2006.

- Tucson saw 2,224 New listings in November, down 8% from October's number of 2,399 and down 7.65% from November 2006.

- The number of units sold in Tucson during November was 759, down 4% from October's number of 790 and down a whopping 23% from November 2006's number of 982.

Let's face it, it's a tough market right now. I have a lot of buyers beginning their serious home searches after the holidays are over, and the inventory is great for them. Nothing better then lots of selection and reasonable prices! I expect that prices will drop for December and rise again in January; that's the Tucson trend. I've found that retirees and second home buyers really become aggressive in their searches once New Years is over. There are also several Tucson events (the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show and Accenture Match Play Golf Championship) that bring thousands of visitors to Tucson in January, many of whom decide to buy homes because of our beautiful climate. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

See more Tucson real estate sales statistics for November 2007

Read more!

Losing a loved one

Just wanted to note that I will not be blogging the next few days. I have a kitty cat with cancer and he's fading quickly. All attention is on him for now. Ill touch base later this week sometime... Read more!

Tucson homeowners like their fake grass

A few weeks ago the Arizona Daily Star ran an article about the growing popularity of artificial grass with Tucson homeowners. Though the price can be expensive, many homeowners are incorporating small areas of synthetic grass into their landscape because it's easy to maintain and requires no watering.

If you're not familiar with Tucson or the rest of the Southwestern United States, you might be surprised to find that we don't have lush green lawns like homeowners in the Midwest or East Coast. The brutally hot sun and lack of water make it practically impossible to have real grass in Tucson. That's why homeowners in the desert Southwest generally use gravel and drought tolerant plants in their landscape. It's easy to maintain; just lead drip lines to your plants and turn on the timer. Incorporating artificial grass can add to the aesthetic appeal and make a desert yard more interesting. And, dogs love to roll around in it! It's pricey to have it installed; prices run between $7-10 per square foot depending on the type of grass you choose. Most types of synthetic grass last about 15 years, and the only maintenance required is spraying it off with a water hose. Make sure you really check out different variations; I've noticed some that look like the old fashioned "astro turf" and others that look like real grass. It's better to spend a little more and be happy with the end result.

Read more!

With Tucson rain comes problems for homeowner

The entire Tucson area was completely saturated with rain this past weekend, and though this will result in an abundance of colorful wild flowers in Spring, it can also create some annoying problems for homeowners.

The first thing I notice in my home after several days of rainy weather in Tucson is the bugs. Suddenly I find crickets everywhere, sneaking in through ceiling air vents or through my garage. I understand that heavy rains force them to find a safe, dry environment, but they can move into my neighbors house. Termites also become a big problem when Tucson sees excessive rain. Arizona termites aren't as aggressive as you might find in more humid climates, but they can be a pain if you don't control them. Usually homeowners will see termites pop up during our summer monsoon season, but the December rains we've been seeing are sure to bring them out of hiding. Just in the last few days I've noticed a larger then normal number of pest control companies treating homes.

Yet another problem homeowners are seeing right now are roof leaks. Only after heavy rains do we find those aggravating little leaks that we usually miss due to our mostly dry climate. Just today I had a neighbor tell me they noticed a leak after this weekend's rains and they were in need a roofing company referral. Unfortunately the company I referred is already backed up until mid January with other roofing jobs. That's one problem I encounter a lot when trying to schedule roof inspections or repairs for clients in the summer. Tucson monsoons can delay roofing repairs for weeks if not months depending on the amount of rain we get.

One problem that many new to Tucson don't expect to find is mold. Although it's not directly related to rain per se, excessive moisture is known to cause mold in Arizona homes. Mold can drift inside from the outdoors and grow on wood, carpet and paper if left untreated . Musty smells and water damage can be signs of mold, but it's best to have a professional inspection if you think you might have a mold problem. Luckily we have the Arizona Mold Dog that can sniff out mold in a flash! To find out more about mold in the home check out the Mold Information Sheet provided by the Arizona Dept of Health Services.

None of these problems are all that significant; it's a matter of catching them in time. Homeowners just need to keep their eyes open and fix the little issues before they become big and expensive.

Read more!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Snow in the Catalina Mountains, Oro Valley AZ

While the rest of the country has been suffering from cold temperatures and ice storms, Tucson decided to join in the cold and wet weather too! I don't remember when I last saw such cold December temperatures in Tucson; highs in the mid 40's, lots of rain and even a bit of snow. Even though the wet weather is not so fun, it makes for great skiing on Mt Lemmon now and an incredible wildflower season come Spring.

I do apologize to all you visitors that came to Tucson expecting sunshine and highs in the 70's. Maybe next week!

Read more!

Fed's do it again

Once again the Feds decided to cut the key interest rate in hopes of helping the country to avoid a recession.

The federal funds rate was cut by a quarter point, down to 4.25 percent this morning. Though this cut isn't going to have a direct impact on the dragging real estate market, it should help ease the impact of consumer spending during this holiday season. The rate cut will help some homeowners who are currently holding high interest adjustable rate home equity loans.

Although we all wish and dream that these rate cuts would help boost the housing market out of it's current slump, there's too many impending issues that will continue to hold it down. As a record number of adjustable rate mortgages will reset January 1, 2008, there are a large number of homeowners who won't qualify for the proposed interest rate freeze. These folks are facing higher mortgage payments, and some will likely be forced to file for foreclosure. In other words, there's a good chance that it's only going to get worse before it gets better.

For the housing market to improve the inventory needs to go down. There's an extremely large inventory of homes for sale nationwide right now, currently 6956 single family homes in Tucson. Until this inventory shrinks, we can't expect to see home sales or prices increase. Buyers have too much choice and no real need to negotiate. Many homeowners are still filing for foreclosure, resulting in lower average sales prices for neighboring homes. The fact that lenders are working more closely with borrowers to avoid foreclosure is a step in the right direction, but unfortunately there's no quick fix for solving the issues at hand.

Read more!

Santa, Carolers and the Nutcracker all in one day

Even thought the weather was a little cold yesterday, it was a great day to check out the local goings on. I always keep my camera handy so here are a few pictures of more Tucson events....


Nothing beats visiting Santa Claus! The lines were long as children waited patiently to visit Santa at the Tucson Mall on Sunday. Old St Nick will be at the mall until December 24th so make sure to get the kiddies by to visit him before he heads back to the North Pole!

I spotted this group of talented little carolers at La Encantada this weekend. The outfits are just too cute! La Encantada is featuring different holiday festivities throughout December, including the Tradition of Poinsettia where shoppers can have their picture taken with Tucson's only Poinsettia tree. It's beautiful to visit La Encantada after dark when the holiday lights sparkle from above!

One of my favorite holiday traditions is seeing the Nutcracker Ballet, and there are usually several different productions each holiday season in Tucson. This past weekend I saw the Tucson Regional Ballet's production of A Southwest Nutcracker, featuring the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. It's always a great performance and a unique twist from the original ballet. The Nutcracker takes me back to those days when I was a little girl and everything in life was so simple.... If you didn't get to see the Nutcracker this weekend or would like to see a more traditional version then be sure to check out the Moscow Ballet's production of The Nutcracker on Saturday, December 29th at the Tucson Convention Center.

Read more!

Is that snow I see?

Well it's beginning to feel a lot like December here in Tucson, which is great since there are several holdiay events scheduled for today. The forecast is rainy and a high of 55 degrees; I'm sure that means the Catalina Mountains will see their first snow by the end of the day.

There's lots on the agenda today. Oro Valley is schduled to have their 3rd Annual Holiday Parade this morning at 10am, but it's raining pretty heavy so hopefully it's not a wash. Containers will set up along the raodside to collect canned food donations.

The 13th Annual Downtown Parade of Lights is scheduled so begin tonight, rain or shine. The holiday festival begins at 4pm at Armory Park and the parade begins at 6pm. Be sure to check out all the great music and floats in the parade. Hopefully the rain will change to snow so it will really feel like the holidays in Tucson (hee hee, not a chance!)

Read more!

More great holiday activities in Tucson

There some great holiday activities scheduled in Tucson this weekend, and hopefully the weather will hold out for those joining in the outdoor events. Each day this weekend I'll note another holiday activity in my Tucson holiday countdown.

When I was previewing properties yesterday I noticed that everyone was outside, enjoying the mild Tucson weather and putting up holiday decorations. It seems that the first week of December is the "right" time for stringing up lights and hanging bright shiny bulbs from anything homeowners can find in their yards. It's really fun to watch everyone enjoy themselves, and it helps me to get into the holiday spirit.

- If your in the mood for an outdoor stroll , tonight's perfect for visiting the Tucson Botanical Gardens where you can enjoy looking at festive holiday lights at their Luminaria Nights. This Friday, Saturday and Sunday night between 5:30 - 8pm you can find over 2000 luminaries in a beautiful garden setting. Sip on hot chocolate while you dream about cold, snowy wonderlands in other parts of the world.

- If you're in the mood for something a little more lively, check out Tucson's 4th Avenue Street Fair that runs tonight through Sunday. Enjoy lots of shopping, food, music, entertainment and some great people watching! The 4th Avenue Street Fair takes places every December and is a great way to enjoy Tucson's incredible weather while celebrating the festive season with family and friends.

Read more!

Mortgage relief plan preview

Seems everywhere I look this morning I'm seeing reports about Bush's plans to freeze mortgage interest rates in an attempt to save millions of home owners from falling into foreclosure. About 2 million home owners took out sub prime mortgages between 2003-2005 and are now at risk of losing their homes as interest rates begin to reset in January 2008.


The three part plan will freeze interest rates for those scheduled to reset between Jan 1, 2008 and July 31, 2010, as well as provide more affordable financing options and provide help and funding for those trying to refinance. Unfortunately only about 750,000 will benefit from the the interest rate freeze because homeowners must be current on their mortgage payments in order to qualify. Another alternative will be Fast Track Refinancing, which will help homeowners with FICO scores lower then 660 qualify for refi's on their current home loans.

I was surprised to learn that about 50 percent of homeowners that go into foreclosure never even contact their lender to discuss possible option and alternatives. I guess there are a lot of mixed feelings that can contribute to this, from embarrassment to denial. The HopeNow alliance is trying to reach out to these homeowners by sending out HopeNow letters to over 300,000 borrowers to encourage them to call in and get advice and find out what options they may have. It's going to be interesting to see how this impacts the nation's foreclosure rate as well as real estate sales over the next few months.

You can see the full story at CBS News

Read more!

Tucson holiday count down continued

Still getting over a cold so I'm going to keep my blog lite and just catch up on some of my missed "25 Days of the Tucson Holiday Season" ....

Sunday was a great day to put on your best Santa hat and run a marathon! On the first Sunday of December you'll see runners galore sporting red hats trimmed with white fur, racing in the Tucson marathon and half marathon. Las Vegas features a 5K Santa Run in which runners are usually decked out in full Santa gear for the race. It's quite a sight!

Monday Dec 3rd I made a point of watching one of my favorite Christmas cartoons "The Year Without a Santa Clause". This has absolutely nothing to do with Tucson, but who doesn't love to sing along with the Heat and Snow misers?

December 4th was the perfect time to decide which Tucson charities you'd like to donate to! The Tucson Community Food Bank is always in need of donations, and who can't afford to donate a few canned goods to those in need? And though it may be hard to believe, Tucson nights can get pretty cold during the winter months. That's why the Salvation Army organizes Operation Deep Freeze, a program for collecting coats and blankets for the homeless. If you're more interested in contributing your time instead of money, visit the Tucson Salvation Army to learn about local volunteer opportunities for helping out during the Tucson holiday season.

Today I decided that picking up a yummy egg nog latte from Starbucks was just the way to get into the holiday spirit. I love this time of year because Starbucks offers all the great seasonal syrups for their coffee treats; eggnog, ginger bread or peppermint. During December I go out of my way to pick up a Starbucks at least every other day just so I can enjoy all my favorite drinks; I avoid the guilt by running a few extra miles each week!

Read more!

Where not to retire

Just a note to everyone...Sorry for the lack of entries the last two days; I came down with a bad cold on Saturday and was very depressed that I couldn't run my race on Sunday morning. I've been feeling pretty icky the last few days and didn't have a creative thought to share with anyone.

This morning I did see an interesting article about some of the worst places to retire, and Green Valley Arizona made the list. Green Valley is a large retirement community located twenty minutes South of Tucson, just off I-19. The information provided in the article mentioned that Green Valley's close proximity to the Mexico border brings an increase of drug activity to the area. I haven't heard much about this issue in the news, so I take the article with a grain of salt.

Read more!

25 Days of the Tucson holiday season

It's the first day of December and sometimes I find it difficult to get into the holiday spirit since I live in the desert and it's still 70 degrees. There really are a lot of festive events that happen during the month of December, so I've decided to mention one each day leading up to December 25th to help everyone remember that it is actually the holiday season in Tucson!


Today there are a number of fun activities scheduled to start the month off with some holiday cheer...

Nothing says the holidays in the desert Southwest like tamales! Making and eating tamales are a holiday tradition in Tucson, and there's no better place to celebrate this tradition then at the Tamale and Heritage Festival at Casino Del Sol! It takes place today from 10am-6pm and is a great way to have fun while enjoying some of the best tamales in Tucson!

Another great way to get into the spirit is to tour the holiday lights and luminaries at Tohono Chul Park. Enjoy live music, cookies, hot cider and thousands of festive lights in beautiful desert surroundings. Stop by for late afternoon tea, finger sandwiches and desserts before checking out the lights.

Read more!