going through changes with a Joesler in the Tucson Foothills

Named Diez Vistas, Ten Views, this grand old home built in 1937 by Josias Joesler & John Murphey in the old Tucson Foothills has changed hands three times in the last four years.

The latest sale was just the other day, on May 16 when it sold for $1,022,000. While just over two years ago, in March of 2006 it sold for $1,900,000 - almost $900,000 more than it did today.  And before that, in August of 2004 it sold for $1,325,000.

At first glance you'd think WOW! prices in the Foothills are all over the place, and by the way, why does that Joesler keep turning over. But there's more to it than meets the eye. Each of these buyers/sellers had a particular goal in mind when they bought and sold this Joesler, and each contributed to its transformation.

At the time of the 2004 sale for $1,325,000, the property details were given as follows;
4690 sf, 6 bedroom/7 baths, including a 1200 sf 3 bed/3 bath
guest house, + a greenhouse, on 4 acres of land.

and it looked like this,

and then there's the kitchen,

These new owners went to work renovating this old Joesler, and when they were done, the listing agent aptly described it as-
John Murphey and Josias Joesler's stunning Santa Fe on a hill on 3.97 acres with 360 degree views. Lovingly restored over the past yet yet retaining all of the original charm and character.
And put it on the market for $1,995,000 with the property details as follows;
4752 sf, 6 bedroom/7 bath, including a 1200 sf 3 bed/3 bath
guest house, + a greenhouse, on 4 acres of land
(same as the previous listing, give or take)

but now the kitchen looked like this,

along with other nicely done restorations & renovations,

And in March of 2006 it sold for $1,900,000. That's about a year and a half after they bought it for $1,325,000. So it's apparent that these people bought it to renovate it and flip it. And they did a nice job of it, and quickly too. I think Joesler would be smiling at this one.

Now with this new owner, more radical changes were on the drawing boards. Having paid $1,900,000 they promptly set about dividing up the four acre parcel into four one acre lots. One lot for the Joesler, which they promptly put up for sale, and with plans to build a new home on each of the other three lots, as well as making some other changes to this beautiful old Joesler estate. 

In the aerial view below you can see the four lots stacked vertically.
The three lots circled in red are the one's that were carved out of the original four acre property, and the one in the middle is the remaining one acre lot for the Joesler. The guest house, pool and greenhouse which appear on the southern-most lot were bulldozed to make room for a new home. And the pool was rebuilt alongside the Joesler, but the greenhouse and guest house are gone forever.

 

 

And now the Joesler sells for the third time in just four years, for $1,022,000 on 5/16/08, with the property details as follows;
3509 sf, 4 bedroom/4 bath, on one acre of land.
(so from the previous sale, it's now 1200 s.f. smaller, & minus 3 beds & 3 baths-that was the guest house. and from 4 acres, it's now down to 1 acre, & no greenhouse)
PS, I think these buyers did well at $1,022,000. Because not only did they get it at a good price, but they got one of the few remaining great old Joesler's in the Foothills.

And now there are three new homes on those three other lots circled in red, priced from $1,245,000 to $1,595,000. So it's obvious that this owner bought the property to divide and build. It's one of just a few ways to come up with buildable land in the Tucson Foothills these days. And while the Joesler now seems a bit crowded in, thank goodness they didn't knock it down too.

And it's interesting, but not really that surprising, that the Joesler sold before any of the new homes that now surround it. While the new homes are very nicely designed and executed, there are quite a few new or newer homes for sale in the Tucson Foothills, but great Joesler's continue to be a very rare and special find.

For a different slant on building homes in the Tucson Foothills today,
see teardowns in the Tucson Foothills

and see my web site thefoothillsToday.com
to search for and learn more about Tucson Foothills Homes

Comments

[John Schneider]

as long as owners of property in the foothills are willing to split/sell, I fear that you are correct. and other than af sterling, foothills 'developers' are a myriad of mom & pop operations that don't come under the scrutiny or bargaining power of the pima county administration.

[rebecca]

really? interesting. my (cynical) guess is ... these 'incentives' won't be enough, except a little icing for homeowners already firmly wedded to keeping their properties intact. i've come to not put anything past greedy foothills developers. :-(

[John Schneider]

thanks rebecca, I hate to see the grandeur of these great joesler's get whittled down to nothing. in speaking with linda maypro, the cultural resources manager for the historic preservation office of pima county, I got the impression that her office is attempting to provide (monetary) incentives to owners of multi-acre properties, to not subdivide. and that's probably the way to come at it, but they'd better get crackin' or pretty soon there'll be nothing left to fuss over.

[rebecca]

great post, john! it's a shame what happened up there -- someone close to me thought about that property :-) and might have saved it from that lot split, but alas it had a different fate. i hope hope HOPE that there are some lessons heeded from these last few years and the marvin estate doesn't follow suit.