Open houses in the Tucson Foothills

Looking online at the Long Realty site and in the local paper, I see a lot of Open Houses scheduled for today in the Tucson Foothills.

Homes priced from the low $200's to over $3,000,000 are being held open today throughout the Foothills, by Long Realty agents and agents from other real estate brokerages.

I've always been a fan of open houses, because judging by the number of people who show up, and the fact that they seem to be enjoying themselves, it's obvious that people shopping for homes like open houses. 
Whether they're serious shoppers or just toying with the idea of buying a home and want to get a feel for what's out there, 
open houses are an easy, no-pressure way for them to do it.

And unlike the old days, when you went to an open house with little or no knowledge of what to expect, with the internet and all the information and pictures that are available on houses being held open, today you can pick and choose the homes that are of interest to you. 

That's how I see it. But I'd like to hear your opinion about what you like or don't like about open houses, and any suggestions you have for how open houses could better serve you.

Yes, I'm doing one today too. 3718 E Rose Peak Pl
Hope to see you there,

see TheFoothillsToday.com
to search for and learn more about Tucson Foothills Homes

Comments

[rebecca]

sorry i missed it, john! i love open houses. i appreciate them because they offer an opportunity to see a house casually. but i'm holed up at my dad's in jackson hole enjoying snow before summer hits; now that's a (w)hole other real estate blog that makes the foothills look quite tame. ;-) cheers.

[John Schneider]

jackson hole and calle la vela (as I recall), nice places to be holed up. enjoy!

[Kate]

Hi John
I appreciate that you're not repeatedly chanting the realtors' "now's a great time to buy" mantra.
1. Have you considered lowering the criteria of your Foothills Sold/Reduced/Listed queries to $450k to reflect the changes in the market?
2. I'm searching in Fairfield, which seems to have had a suddens surge of 'under contract' activity lately, at a wide range of price/sq ft. Do you have any feedback on how this neighborhood may be the same/diff't than others in the Foothills?

[John Schneider]

Kate,
Thanks for your questions.
About 10 days ago I changed the Just - Listed/Sold/Reduced on my web site to reflect all price ranges in the Foothills, and therefore give a complete picture of what's happening in the Foothills today.

About Fairfield,
Fairfield was built from the late 1970's thru the late 80's, and unlike most foothills communities, it comprises both single family homes and townhomes. That difference is further magnified by the townhomes occupying smaller lots, while the single family homes can be on lots as large 1 acre - most other foothills communities are comprised of either SFR's or Townhomes, not both, and the lots are of similiar size, either small townhome lots or larger sfr lots, not both.
(exceptions that come to mind are La Paloma, Ventana CC, & Skyline CC)

And since the homes in Fairfield are older, many of them are ripe for renovation. And like other communities in the Foothills, those that are in better condition, or have been renovated, new kitchen, baths, etc, will command a much higher price than a similiar home that is not as well cared for and/or not-renovated.
And like other communities in the Foothills, the size & location of the lot, the views, privacy, etc, will go a long way to determining the value.

Fairfield's a big community, one of the largest in the foothills, with a wide variety of home sites & homes, which is bound to sell at a wide price range & price/sq ft.
Also, Fairfield is popular with both full-time residents and snowbird second home owners, and now is prime-time for
second home owner purchases in the Foothills, hence the recent surge of 'under contract' listings.