TheTucsonFoothills

9 fast facts for Tucson Foothills homes

1. 558 homes for sale

2. 291 sold since 1/1/08 vs. 355 same period last year = -18%

3. 97 sold in gated communities, 194 sold in non-gated areas

4. 234 single story homes sold & 57 two story homes sold

5. 154 homes sold had a pool, 137 did not

6. The average sale price is $649,091 vs $706,452 last year = -8.1%

7. The median sale price is $535,000 vs $551,480 last year = -2.98%

8. Avg sale price=$662,788 in District 16, $629,011 out of District 16

9. Avg $/sq.ft. = $220.91 vs $239.11/sq.ft. last year =  -7.6%

**this data is for single family homes only - no town homes, no condos - sold in the Tucson Foothills Jan 1 - June 29, 07 & 08.
All data was gathered from the Tucson Association of Realtors® Multiple Listing Service.

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

tired of the same old drab look, want something unique and colorful

you're in luck
this house was listed for sale just yesterday in the Tucson Foothills

and I promise, this is unique and not a drop of drab

step right this way

Tamara Choudury the Owner/Agent says it best,  
"Totally Extravagant and Over-the-Top Rock Star Palace! One-of-a-Kind and Possibly One of THE Most Unique Properties on The Planet"


I don't think she's overstating it, do you

Tamara says-
"This home is truly for those who Love to Live Life very LARGE.
This room is massive. With the attached Loft it is over 2,000 sq. ft"

the guys at Dutch Boy must be going nuts over this

and it just proves what I've often said,
if you’re looking for something unique and indescribable,
you can probably find it in the Foothills


see the white door, rumor has it that it leads to a totally white room,
kind of a decompression chamber for color challenged guests,
just in case
 

 it just keeps going
  

 and the fun doesn't stop when you step outside
 

 blue margaritas anyone
 

 Interested!
This house is listed by,
Tamara Choudury, Owner/Agent
Phone: 520-275-9191
Tierra Antigua Realty
Tucson, AZ
And thanks to Tamara for letting me post this piece about her very unique listing.

The Details;
MLS 20819096
List Price - $2,495,000
8316 sq. ft., built 1974, 5 bedrooms & 9 baths, 1.40 acres 
& District 16 Schools too

 there is something for everyone in the Tucson Foothills!

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

looking for a home in a gated community in the Tucson Foothills

Whether they're a full-time resident or a second home owner, many people like gated communities - for the added security and privacy they offer, and sometimes for the exclusivity factor too.

On my web site TheFoothillsToday.com I have a list of gated and golf course communities that are some of the most popular in the Tucson Foothills -
Pima Canyon , Sabino Mountain , Hacienda del Sol, Ventana CC,
La Paloma CC , Skyline CC, Sin Vacas, Bellas Catalinas, Pinnacle Ridge, Catalina Foothills Est 10 and more. But there are many others that are less popular and well known.

And in addition to being less well known, they're usually smaller, while some of them are also less expensive than you might expect for a gated community. If you're looking for a home in a gated community in the Tucson Foothills they're worth checking out.
  
Here's a selection of other gated communities, and all the homes for sale in each of them, arranged in more-or-less ascending price order;

Solace at Sabino Canyon, Sierra Catalina Est,  Shadows @ Sabino, River View Estates, Bonita Ridge Amended, Pontatoc Canyon Est, Rockcliff, Ventana Del Rio, Rivergate Est, -(Foothills II & La Puerta On Hacienda Del Sol - even though I include these 2 on a list of popular gated communities on my web site, they're less well known),
Canyon View Est, The Summit at Finger Rock, Quail Canyon,
Eleven Arches, Miramist At Ventana

I can help you find the home that's right for you, in any community in the Tucson Foothills
see TheFoothillsToday.com
to search for and learn more about Tucson Foothills Homes

looking for a Joesler in the Tucson Foothills

Josias Joesler is the Swiss born architect, who together with the developer John Murphey, conceived, designed and built the original Catalina Foothills subdivisions in the Tucson Foothills in the 1930's and 40's.
And while the homes that Joesler built are very special and are sought after to this day, it can be difficult to find the ones that are for sale using any of the home search tools available on the internet, including mine.

That's because you can't enter Joesler, or any other architects name as one of your search criteria - like you can the number of bedrooms or baths, square footage, etc.
And the only way that a home is identified as a Joesler in the listing information, is in the agent's MLS remarks, and you can't search those either.

But here's what you can do to narrow down your search and make sure you find all the Joesler's that are for sale.
It's a little tedious, but it works.

-If you're searching from my web site, thefoothillstoday.com click  Custom Search, then
Steps 1 - 3 should all be pre-selected already, but if they're not,
-In step 1, enter- Tucson Region
-Step 2, enter- Greater Tucson Area
-Step 3, enter- North for the city (that's the Foothills)
-For Built Between, enter 1920 to 1960 (though most Joesler's were built between 1930 & 1950, he built a few before & after his prime years.
-Under Property Type, select- Single Family
-You can leave all the other criteria blank.
-Click Search

Using that search today, ten listings are returned. Four of them are Joesler's. In order to pick the Joesler's out of those ten, - here's where it gets tedious- you'll need to open each listing to find what you're looking for. There you can read the MLS remarks where it will say " ...wonderful Joesler..." or "... back in time to this Joesler estate..." or something like that identifying that house as a Joesler. You'll also get the occasional " Joesler-like " which is, according to the agent, sorta like a Joesler, but not. 

For more on Josias Joesler,
Designed by the architect Josias Joesler in 1936, it was set on 12 acres,
Joesler homes & Catalina Foothills on National Register of Historic Places
For Joesler fans
Joesler, popular as ever in Tucson Foothills
built for the desert
A Tucson Classic

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

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

it's always interesting to see what changes and improvements new owners have made to a house

I spent the other day previewing about 10 homes that are for sale in the Tucson Foothills. Most of these are homes that were recently listed for sale, and I had either not seen them before, or I hadn't seen them since they last sold, and now they were on the market again.
It's always interesting to see what changes and improvements new owners have made to a house.

The homes ranged in price from about $600K to $1,000,000, and ran the gamut from fairly predictable new frame-stucco construction to 1949 vintage adobe charmers. In the Tucson Foothills there's such a variety of homes, and particularly amongst the older homes, lots of surprises and often unimaginable features and idiosyncrasies,
that previewing is often a 'who'd a thunk it' experience.

I had a special interest in seeing one of the homes on my list, because I had seriously considered buying it the last time it was for sale in the fall of 2006. It was a gorgeous masonry built home on a wonderful lot with mountain and city views, and with many nicely done custom features and finishes, all meticulously maintained, furnished, landscaped and presented.
It was very appealing, and it showed perfectly.

Except that in my opinion, it was also very overpriced.
So after haggling with the listing agent over the price, and not getting anywhere, we decided to walk away.
But I also felt that it was one of those 'have-to-have-it' houses, and that someone would come along and 'have-to-have-it', regardless of price. And someone did. A short while later it sold for full list price.

Now it's on the market again, and sadly, this time as a short sale, and listed for $100,000 less than it sold for in 2006. But it doesn't look like a 'have-to-have-it' house anymore. I think the bank may have to drop it another $100K for somebody to feel like they 'have-to-have-it' this time round.

As great as it showed back then, that's how bad it shows now.
It's vacant, really dirty, there's trash everywhere, the landscaping's neglected and overgrown, it looks as if they were raising farm animals in two of the bedrooms, light fixtures aren't working or missing completely, a couple of doors are off their hinges, big rips in a few screen doors, it looks like it is, abandoned.

But it's all simple stuff as far as I could tell - 3 days with a good handyman and a cleaning crew - to make it presentable to sell, maybe $2500. And a new owner, they might want to put 6 or $7000 into it, to really get it back to where it was.

But apparently the banks don't see it that way. They have a new twist on marketing. Sell it at it's worst, get pennies on the dollar, and whine about your losses to your stock holders and the press.

whether it's a second home or a full-time residence, there's a lot to choose from in Ventana Canyon CC in the Tucson Foothills

Ventana Canyon CC is one of three very popular golf course communities in the Tucson Foothills. Located high in the foothills of the Catalina mountains, it's a very private, 24 hour guard-gated community that's home to two Tom Fazio designed golf courses, the Mountain and Canyon courses.

And whether it's a second home or a full-time residence, there's a lot to choose from in Ventana Canyon CC. With both townhomes and single family homes, the price range in Ventana runs the gamut from the low $400's up to $4.0 mil or more. Mountain views, homes on the golf course and spectacular city views, all in a very private golf course setting are just some of the attractions of Ventana CC.
Click Ventana Canyon CC Homes to see all the homes currently for sale in Ventana.

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

it was not just the desert that lured the Marvins, but the house itself. Designed by the architect Josias Joesler in 1936, it was set on 12 acres,

There's a terrific interview in the Sunday Times UK Online edition with Pamela Marvin, widow of Lee Marvin.
Lee Marvin’s widow on her Arizona home and ...
She talks about how she and Lee Marvin discovered and fell in love with the desert and the great old Joesler house they bought in 1975 in the Tucson Foothills.
Now, Pamela 77, is putting the house in the foothills of Tucson, Arizona, where they found both love and peace, on the market for £3m. (it's $6,000,000)
 
See the listing here
This is a one of a kind home. In addition to being a historic Joesler estate in the heart of the old Tucson Foothills, it comes with some real Hollywood glamour, and, it's on the largest residential lot in the old Foothills, 12 acres. Unheard of these days.

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

Joesler homes & Catalina Foothills on National Register of Historic Places

I just received the fall newsletter of the Catalina Foothills Association where I live, and in it there's an article by Tom Pew with exciting news for Joesler homeowners and admirers of the homes he built in the Catalina Foothills.

"A Win, Win for Joesler Homeowners"
by Tom Pew
   Own a Joesler home? If so you and your neighborhood - in fact the whole Catalina Foothills com­munity, where there is a unique concentration of Josias Tho­mas Joesler designed homes - will soon be coming in for a singular recognition that few buildings and even fewer com­munities ever receive.

In response to continued homeowner interest in preserv­ing the legacy of the Joesler/Murphey vision for the Catalina Foothills and elsewhere, the Pima County Resources and Historic Preservation and the University of Arizona College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture have secured funding and staff to work with property owners towards the goal of making it possible for Joesler home owners to apply for the voluntary inclusion of their homes on the National Register of Historic Places. Furthermore the effort to recognize these buildings and their environs is not limited to the Foothills area, but will be available on a county-wide, indi­vidual-home basis.

As a part of the qualifying and nominating process, homes will have to meet standards that will include, but not be lim­ited to, the character and natural characteristics of the Catalina Foothills, as well as the quality and preservation of the archi­tectural integrity of the home itself and any additions or al­terations that may have been made over the years to the home and the native vegetation.

Joesler home owners who volunteer their property for consideration for inclusion in the Register of Historical Places and who successfully meet the standards and criteria will become eligible for potential benefits of the State Property Tax Reclassification Program for Historic Properties.

The Catalina Foothills Estates "Community of Haciendas" remains a treasured legacy of the visionary work of architect Josias Joesler, and Helen and John Murphey. Here they created a unique sense of place by the careful siting of homes on large lots when land on the outskirts of Tucson seemed limitless.

By doing so they preserved the natural landscape, main­tained views, and built homes with a regionally appropriate design aesthetic reflective of a "Mexican style" community in a rural environment.

In spite of the huge influx of people moving into Tucson since that era a remarkable number of these homes, along with the property around them, have been nurtured and pro­tected by generations of owners who have moved here from elsewhere and grown to love and appreciate the desert, real­izing that the quality and style of Joesler homes-quaint and old-fashioned in some ways-is something worth protecting and valuing for future generations and for the character of the community at large.

Spearheading the effort at the county and professional architectural level are Linda Mayro, Pima County Cultural Resources Manager, and R. Brooks Jeffery, University of Arizona Preservation Studies Coordinator. No newcomers to this effort, Mayro and Jeffery compiled a comprehensive listing of Joesler and Murphey public and private buildings and pub­lished a small but beautiful resource book on this topic in 1994, and, as Jeffery put it this week, "We have been work­ing towards this end ever since- and at last the moment is at hand."

Mayro says, "As for funding, I'm happy to say that we have that rounded up, and both the funding and the staff time are available to complete and produce the multiple nomina­tions that will make the voluntary protection of these unique building possible for now and for the future."

County Supervisor Ann Day, whose district includes the Catalina Foothills, told the newsletter that: "I think it would be a great honor to Tucson's master architect Josias Joesler to place his beautiful homes on the National Register of His­toric Places. Joesler really was responsible for shaping and defining the look and character of the most beautiful area in my district, the Catalina Foothills.

"It's a win-win for a Joesler owner and our community at large: it provides a tax break for the property owners by giv­ing them a reduction in primary property taxes, and it ben­efits our community by providing an incentive to maintain historic buildings in our community," Day concluded.

new construction in the Tucson Foothills

Paloma Ridge is the newest and largest residential development in the Catalina Foothills. Located on prime Foothills real estate at Sunrise Dr and Hacienda del Sol Rd, AF Sterling is building 54 homes on 13 acres at Paloma Ridge.

The homes range in size from 2277 to 3091 sf. And with a reputation for a real quality product, excellent customer service, a long list of standard amenities, and like the sign says , from the low $500's, these homes appear to be very well positioned for today's market.

The largest model, at 3091 sf, 3 bedrooms/3.5 baths, is base priced at $564,900. That's $183.00 sf, and that's unheard of for new construction in the Foothills, and even more so for a gated community adjacent to the golf course at La Paloma. Add $100,000 in upgrades, and the price jumps to $664,900, or $215.00 sf.
Still very inexpensive in the Foothills today.
Here's the front view of a couple that are close to completion.

And the rear view of a couple under construction.

All of that is very attractive. But with all that going for them,
I'm not sure who the target customer is for these homes.
Traditionally, in this setting, at these prices, the most likely customer would be a second home owner, snow bird, or retiree.
The La Paloma location, new construction, the security of a gated community, and the small lot size with low maintenance, are all attractive features to second home owners and retirees.
On the other hand, these homes are all two-story, and that's almost never an attractive feature to second home owners and retirees. (ps-as far as I know, this is the only ALL
two-story home development in the Foothills)
In my experience, a two-story home is a no-no with many home buyers in the Tucson Foothills, but especially so with older buyers. 
Ok, how about younger families with kids.
Good location, district 16 schools, new home, gated community, OK so far. And a small lot size. Oops! These homes have no yard, just a small patio. And while that's an attractive feature for many older folks, it's usually a big negative for people with younger kids.
Kids need a place to play outdoors. Hmmm!
How about young professionals. Well, maybe.
Riverwalk is a couple of miles straight south of Paloma Ridge, and though it bills itself as urban living (ah, stretching the definition in my opinion), it's similarly priced, it's new construction, gated, and three story, with no yard. And it's marketing is targeted to young professionals. So maybe.
But more likely, it's all of the above, and more.
Because what I think we're really seeing here is the effects of the scarcity of available land, and the very high cost of what land is available in the Foothills today, changing the face of residential construction, where possible.
Forcing builders to use land more efficiently and build more densely where zoning permits it. And encouraging buyers to stretch, re-think, and consider types of housing in the Foothills that is different from traditional expectations.
In a recent article in the AZ Daily Star- referring to the high cost of land in the greater Tucson metro area- Roger Yohem, a spokesman for the Southern Arizona Homebuilders Association, said, "In the future, 25 years down the road, in this Tucson market you'll be seeing a lot more two-story houses,"
That may be so in the greater metro area, and I bet it will happen sooner than 25 years, but in the Tucson Foothills we're there now. We're almost out of land to build on.
That said, I don't think we're going to see a seismic shift in the look and character of the Foothills. Because many, even most of the subdivisions in the Foothills, are zoned and have CC&R's in effect that permit just one home per acre, and many of them also restrict homes to one story. But there is and will continue to be change, and hopefully some positive innovation.
As to the fate of Paloma Ridge, I hear through the grapevine (it's not listed in the MLS so it's impossible to get the details) that the best lots have already been taken.

For Joesler fans

Thank Tucson HOME magazine for a terrific feature article on Josias Joesler in the current issue.  From the magazine;
SWISS-BORN JOSIAS JOESLER’S architectural career in Tucson spanned nearly 30 years, from the time of his arrival in 1927 to work with developers Helen and John Murphey, until his death in 1956. While he designed more than 400 public buildings and residences all over town, Joesler is best known for the gracious homes he created in conjunction with the Murpheys for their Catalina Foothills Estates, a 7,000-plus-acre development set between the Rillito River and the Santa Catalina Mountains.
While many of those Foothills “Joeslers” have been lost to time or overly ambitious remodeling, some still retain their vintage charm. Here are three Joesler-designed residences in which the homeowners have preserved the architect’s distinctive style.
Here's the link to the article, Enjoy!http://www.tucsonhomemagazine.com/features/joesler...(unfortunately, the online version does not contain the photographs shown in the print version of the mag)

follow up on dueling sales numbers...

The other day I did a post titled dueling sales numbers for Tucson.
In it I quoted a couple of local experts on the state of the real estate market in the greater Tucson metro area, and compared it to what's happening in the Tucson Foothills area. In doing so, I made the case that because the Foothills does not have any large scale new home building, that it has been, and will continue to be, less susceptible to the market deterioration that is taking place in other areas of Tucson. Coincidentally, the next day the Arizona Daily Star ran this story
New-home market flooded on outskirts as builders, owners compete
This piece fleshes out what I alluded to, and illustrates how the actions of big builders are contributing to the deteriorating real estate market in other areas of Tucson.
"The builders, they just flooded this market with inventory," said Melinda Turner, who put her Sahuarita home on the market about a year ago without success. "And the rest of us, the previous customers, got really screwed."

fear and opportunity

When the credit crunch hit a few weeks ago, the effects were almost immediate here in the Tucson Foothills.
The higher rates, more stringent qualification standards and reduced availability of jumbo loans quickly and negatively impacted home sales. Unlike the fallout from subprime loans, which didn't have much effect here in the Foothills, and was pretty much an unfortunate headline in the morning papers, the reduced availability of jumbo loans struck at the heart of this market.
It's been about four weeks now since things blew up in the credit markets, and it's as if the buyers out there have suddenly been frozen in place.
And even though a great many lenders have either gone out of business or just stopped making jumbo loans, jumbo loans are still available from reputable lenders at reasonable rates - for qualified buyers. (Call me, I'd be happy to recommend a few) They are a little more expensive, and unlike before, you must now show some proof that you will actually be able to make the payments. Some combination of job, income, assets, good credit, plus a reasonable down payment are required. No more ninja loans.
But for qualified buyers, it's not a reason to stop buying. In fact, it's an opportunity. Because of the jolt of fear from the sudden meltdown, and the tighter lending standards that came with it, there are, and will continue to be fewer buyers out there, and therefore more and better opportunities for existing qualified buyers - until the credit markets absorb this little bump and start swinging for the fences again. And they will. And then the opportunities will disappear.

fallout in the Tucson Foothills

About two weeks ago I wrote about a home that I'd just listed for sale here in the Tucson Foothills, and how it snapped up two very good offers in just 2 1/2 days on the market - more on, pick of the litter
And all was going along very nicely, until yesterday, when at the 11th hour the buyers backed out of the deal. And while I can't go into the gory details of why it fell through, I can say that it was not due to problems with the house. I chalk it up to the stress of the times - the mounting mortgage mess generously heaped on continuing bleak news in the national real estate markets, alongside mucho turbulence in the financial markets = fear.
We're not alone in this. With fear in the marketplace, plus mortgages that are suddenly more difficult and expensive to obtain, deals are falling through, for reasons that are both real and imagined.
Fortunately, this is a best in it's class, pick of the litter house, and some other lucky buyer will now have their chance.
Click HERE to see the pictures and get the details of this house.

Joesler, popular as ever in Tucson Foothills

I'm a big fan of Josias Joesler and the houses and other buildings that he designed and built in the Tucson Foothills. And judging by the number of web searches that I get for Joesler, or Josias Joesler, or Joesler homes, a lot of other people are interested in this little known (except here in Tucson) Swiss born architect.
Given that interest, I thought it worth-while to compile a list of sources of information on Josias Joesler and his work - albeit a short one, since there doesn't seem to be much available.
But I've also included links to the Joesler homes that are currently for sale in the Tucson Foothills and those that have sold in the last few years. Enjoy!

-Josias Joesler: An Architectural Eclectic
written by, R. Brooks Jeffery, Coordinator of Preservation Studies at  the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (CALA) at the University of Arizona. A great source of information on Joesler.
-Northern Pima County - Catalina Foothills
This is from the Northern Pima County Chamber of Commerce and       provides a history of the Tucson Foothills, and how Joesler and his patron John Murphy were a key players in the development of the Tucson Foothills.
-Josias Joesler gave Foothills character
An article from the Arizona Daily Star that discusses the continued popularity of Joesler's homes in the Tucson Foothills.
-St. Philips In The Hills Episcopal Church
The most prominent of Joesler's public buildings it's located at the entrance to the original Catalina Foothills Estates on the northeast corner of River Rd and Campbell Ave.
-Joesler's For Sale
A link to the Tucson MLS showing the 4 Joesler homes that are currently for sale in the Tucson Foothills.
-Joesler's SOLD
A link to the Tucson MLS showing the 18 Joesler homes that have sold in the Tucson Foothills in the last 4 years or so.
**A few of these Joesler homes pop up more than once, having come up for sale a couple of times over the last few years.
**Unless I remember to renew them, the links to the Tucson MLS will expire on 9/10/07.
If they do, contact me for info on Joesler homes currently for sale.
If you know of other good sources of information on Josias Joesler please post it here or email me. I'd appreciate it.

more messy mortgages

Two days ago I wrote that jumbo loans were in the news, and reported to be the next victim of the credit squeeze. Today CNN.com has more on the jump in jumbo loan costs- 
Big-ticket mortgage rates rise -and what it means for big ticket buyers.
Rising rates for jumbo loans (Wells Fargo is reported to be charging 8%, yes 8%) are likely to take a bite out of home sales in the Tucson Foothills, and other high priced markets, which until now have not seen too much effect from the sub prime mess.
The average sale price of a single family home in the Tucson Foothills is around $700,000- so this is a big market for jumbo loans.

more on, pick of the litter

I've written about this 'pick of the litter' thing a couple of times in the last few months. The gist of my message was that although home sales are slower in the Tucson Foothills (down about 13%) and inventory is up, that it's not anywhere near the disaster that you hear about on the national news, and that the more desirable homes are still selling.
And they're selling very quickly in many cases, and catching buyers who think a slow market equals no sales, by surprise. 
See, buyers market, Holy Cow!, pick of the litter and
multiple offers in the Tucson Foothills
This past Monday I listed what I thought was a
'pick of the litter' house in the Tucson Foothills, for $845,000.
(See it at New listing, not yet in MLS) It went into the Tucson MLS mid afternoon on Monday, and we got a lot of traffic right away.
We had a combination of 4 showings or previews that afternoon, and about 6 more showings/previews on Tuesday and on Wednesday.
By Thursday morning we had an offer, a good one.
And later on Thursday we got another offer, an even better one. When I arrived at the house on Friday morning to discuss the offers with the owners, there was a woman standing in front of the house who had seen the listing on the internet and came by to see the outside. Since I was there, she asked if I could show her the house. About 15 minutes after she left her agent called to let me know that she too was interested. I told him we had two good offers in hand and if they wanted in they'd have to move very quickly.
They weren't able to move that quickly but he said they'd be interested in making an offer if the other offers fell apart.
Well they didn't fall apart, and by early Friday afternoon it was all over, and one of those buyers got the pick of the litter.
Apparently these buyers were savvy and well informed about the local market in the Tucson Foothills. They didn't dilly-dally and they weren't afraid to make an offer on a brand new listing. They knew what they wanted, recognized a good thing when they saw it and realized that this house was going to sell quickly, despite the the fact that we're in a slower market, and that it's mid summer, the slowest time of year for home sales in the Tucson Foothills.

New listing, not yet in MLS

I just listed a wonderful house for sale in the Tucson Foothills and thought I'd pop it in here before it goes in the Tucson Association of Realtors MLS tomorrow.
Here are the details;
A southwest contemporary in District 16 schools, built in 1993,
3261 sq. ft., 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, very large kitchen with island wide-open to family room, separate living/dining room,
spacious master suite, large covered patio, pool and spa and a gigantic 3 car garage with a separate 16'X10' storage area. 
All on one level,(except some steps from garage) with tall ceilings, arched doorways, large windows looking north to the mountain views and south to the city lights. Freshly painted, impeccably maintained and move in ready. $845,000.  Call/email me;
520 271 4164, john@thefoothillstoday.com

New concept for the Tucson Foothills

The other day I went to visit Riverwalk, a new subdivision of 120 homes along the Rillito River adjacent to Hacienda del Sol Rd in the lower Foothills.
The multi-colored buildings in the picture are the homes of Riverwalk.

These are new tri-level single family homes built close together in an urban street grid arrangement. The Riverwalk brochure bills it as "Southwest Charm with an Urban Attitude", and I think they've captured that. They're very charming, and once they're completed, along with the adjoining restaurants, shops and other amenities, I imagine that the area will have a kind of Tucson version of urban-ness. (I grew up in NYC, so I have a pretty hardcore definition of urban.) In any case, they're very different, there's nothing else like this in the Foothills, or any where else in Tucson, except perhaps for downtown.
Depending on how a buyer chooses to configure the space, which is about 2000 sf, you can have either 2 or 3 bedrooms & baths, and a 2 or 3 car garage, plus elevator. The model that I saw was beautifully finished with solid walnut floors, granite counters, stone tile in the bathrooms and high quality lighting and materials throughout.
Each unit also has a rooftop deck complete with outdoor kitchen - built-in grill, fridge, sink, granite counters and marine grade cabinets.
The sales person that I spoke with told me that the first phase of 40 homes was sold out, and they were taking reservations for phase 2, with a total of 120 homes planned.
This is a bold move for the Tucson Foothills, but one that is very well executed, and I expect will be very successful.
The web site for Riverwalk is www.ArizonaRiverWalk.com.

**There are some discrepencies between the info on the RiverWalk web site and the info I was given at the site,e.g., the web site indicates that these are townhomes, the agent at the site and the MLS indicate that these are single family homes.
Be sure to verify all info before proceeding.
I do not represent RiverWalk or properties in RiverWalk, or have any financial interest in RiverWalk.

The Tucson Foothills, featured in the New York Times

In today's New York Times, both online and in print, there's a big article about the Tucson Foothills. For this article, which appears in a regular Friday column called HAVENS, I had the pleasure of working with the writer from the New York Times, Paul Smalera.
Paul was great, and so for me it was a lot of fun and very similiar to working with a home buyer from out of town, except that Paul was constantly taking notes about the things we saw and the things I said. As we drove around the Foothills I gave him an overview of the Foothills real estate market and showed him the different communities and the types of homes that were available, who was buying in those communities, prices and market trends and the changes that had occurred in recent years. Since the thrust of the article is about second homeowners, Paul asked if I had some second homeowner clients who would agree to be interviewed. Paul and Marianne Pellegrino, who were gracious enough to make themselves available and agree to be interviewed and recorded, are quoted frequently throughout the article. It's a really terrific piece and wonderful exposure for Tucson and the Tucson Foothills.

GREAT HOMES / GREAT HOMES | June 15, 2007
Havens| Tucson Foothills:  Cleared to Tee Off or Take Off
By PAUL SMALERA
Golf, high-end shops and a popular airpark draw second-home buyers to the foothills of North Tucson, Ariz.

built for the desert

In an earlier post about Josias Joesler - A Tucson Classic - I mentioned that he designed and built desert homes that are at home in the desert. He worked in Tucson back in the 30's, 40's and 50's when air conditioning was either nonexistent or in it's infancy, so it was vitally important to build homes that were in harmony with the desert environment. And although we now have very sophisticated heating and cooling systems available, in order to enjoy desert living to it's fullest there are a few key elements of home design that should be considered. The summer sun is blisteringly hot in the desert and having a home that is designed and oriented to shield you from that hot sun is very important.
Here are a few basic things to keep in mind when you're searching for your desert home;
Orientation- Ideally a Tucson home should have what we call a north/south orientation. A north/south orientation means that the long sides of the house, generally the front and back, face north and south. So for example, the back of the house and the backyard faces north, and the front of the house faces south. Or vice-a-versa. Either way it's a north/south orientation, which protects you from the rising sun, and more importantly, from the late afternoon sun, which is hotter than you can imagine in the summer. With a north/south orientation the smallest/narrowest parts of the house get the direct hit from the morning and afternoon sun- you have light but no direct sun blazing in the windows. With an east/west orientation, you get the rising sun in the morning and the late afternoon sun hitting the longest, broadest, biggest sides of your house, and shining directly in all the windows. So of course your house gets much hotter and your AC has to work it's hardest to keep the place cool, which it may or may not be able to do. And with an east/west orientation, you'll probably have to cover your windows in the morning to keep the sun out, but you will definitely have to cover them in the afternoon to block out the blazing summer sun. So you'll be shut in to virtually windowless rooms until the sun sets, and that's at about 7:45 in the summer. And if your backyard or patio faces west, forget about sitting out there in the late afternoon during the summer, it's just too hot. A north/south orientation is the most important feature of a desert home. Besides, in the Foothills the mountain views are to the north and the city views to the south. If you get the orientation right, everything else is icing on the cake.
Covered porches, patios- It's great to have a covered porch or patio so that you can sit outside, out of the sun and enjoy Tucson's great weather, and have lunch or dinner outdoors, at any time of year. Having covered outdoor space is a key feature for being able to enjoy the Tucson lifestyle. On the south side of the house a covered porch or patio will also keep the sun off the exterior walls of the house, which will keep it cooler, and you'll have that shady area to relax out of the sun all day long.
Windows- Windows on the west side of the house are a no-no in the desert because of that blazing afternoon sun. If your house has an east/west orientation you're going to have windows on the west side, because that's either the front, or worse yet, the back of your house. Great big expanses of windows are great for the views but when it's 110 outside they allow a lot of heat to penetrate the house. Make sure that the windows are double pane low e glass. And windows that are recessed 6 to 8 inches or more from the exterior of the house keep the daytime summer sun from shining into the south side of the house.
Type of Construction- Back when Joesler was building homes in Tucson, he used adobe or brick or some other masonry material because it is more substantial and it does a much better job of insulating the house from the heat. Many of the homes that I show to clients during the summer are vacant, because many of the homes here in the Tucson Foothills are second homes, and the owners are back in Chicago or Columbus for the summer. When it's 100 degrees outside and we walk into a vacant (the AC is turned off) frame stucco built house, it's 115 in the house. 20 minutes later when we walk into a vacant masonry built house, but particularly one built of adobe, it's 80 to 85 degrees in the house, with no AC.
Masonry construction, particularly adobe, or straw bale (though straw bale is rare in Tucson) works very well as a thermal barrier, keeping the interior cooler than the temperature outside, with no AC. Our first house here in Tucson was a beautiful newer frame stucco built house with some west facing windows. We sold it, and recently moved to a classic Tucson adobe built home, with a perfect north/south orientation and a covered porch on the entire south side of the house. Last month the weather gurus were predicting a string of days with temperatures in the low 90's, the low 90's in March is somewhat unusual. So based on our experience in our old frame stucco house, we figured we'd have to turn on the AC. Never happened. The tempeature did hit the low 90's for a few days, but inside the house, it was about 74 degrees. Adobe, ahhh! 

A Tucson Classic

Though both are deceased, Tucson's favorite architect, Josias Joesler, and Lee Marvin one of Tucson's more famous former residents, are together in one magnificent residence. The Marvin Residence, the stunning 12.2 acre Joesler estate of the late actor Lee Marvin was recently put up for sale. According to the property information in the listing; "Located in the ''Old Foothills'',this stuccoed mud adobe treasure built around a courtyard w/massive fountain offers 7,400 historic square feet,full guest house,tennis court,pool,city/mtn views,patios,walkways,mission tile porches w/chinked mortar,scored concrete floors,high beamed & planked ceilings,blacksmith-made wrought iron light fixtures,curtain rods, door handles designed by Mr. Marvin. Privacy, character & provenance".

Joesler's legacy of building substantial homes of timeless character and style and his devotion to building desert homes that are at home in the desert, is nowhere more evident than in this magnificent estate. Joesler's (as we call them here in Tucson) don't come along too often, and the Marvin Residence, the largest of the Joesler's that I've seen come to market, both in the size of the house and the land, is sure to fuel what has been a growing interest in these classic Tucson homes.
The story that I've heard is that Lee Marvin loved Tucson, and in 1975 while he was in Africa filming a movie he heard about this house coming up for sale. I don't know what he paid for it back then, but the list price today is $6,000,000. And by the way, this is not my listing, I'm just a big fan of Joesler and the homes he built in the Foothills, and Lee Marvin has always been one of my absolute favorite actors.
The listing agent is Rusell Long of Long Realty.
Here are a few pictures from the listing in the MLS.

buyers market, Holy Cow!

For a long time now, what almost two years, the real estate market across the country has been in decline. And there's been a constant barrage of news across all media about that decline. Sales are down, inventory is up, prices are skidding, how low can it go, foreclosures are rising, sellers can't sell, a ton of inventory to choose from, it's a buyers market, buyers market, buyers market.
For the Greater Tucson metro area we've recently passed the 10,000 mark in the number of homes listed for sale, an all time record. And so, it is a buyers market in Tucson.
And of course this is the stuff that gets batted around all over the place, 10,000 homes for sale in Tucson. Buyers market, Holy Cow!
So when people come to town looking to buy a home in the Foothills they have high expectations of having the pick of a very big litter, and of getting a really good deal once they choose the home they would like to buy. And that's because the state of the real estate market in the Foothills gets lumped in with the rest of Tucson and Tucson gets lumped in with Phoenix and the slowing market and growing inventory in all of Arizona. And that's what gets reported in all the media, and that's what people hear. But that's misleading. The Tucson Foothills is a niche market that traditionally accounts for only about 6% of all Tucson metro area home sales. And currently there are just 470 single family homes listed for sale in the Foothills, and for us, that's a  lot of homes for sale, it's a record for the Foothills. But it's not 10,000. And the price range for those 470 homes extends from $235,000 all the way up to about $8,000,000. Then from $8,000,000 the price takes a giant leap to $22,000,000 for one mega home that even has it's own name, Campbell Cliffs. Look out below! So those 470 homes that are for sale in the Foothills cover a lot of territory in terms of price, size, style, amenities, etc. And while sales in the Foothills are down, and inventory is up - and because of that it is a buyers market, I've reported that frequently right here - it's nothing like what's happening in the rest of Tucson and worlds away from the Phoenix market. Let's say you're looking for a home in what is the middle price range for the Foothills, somewhere between $600K and 1mil. Here's what you have to choose from; between $600,000 and $700,00- there are 44 homes for sale; $700,000 to $800,000, 34 homes for sale; $800,000 to $900,000, 29 for sale; $900,000 to $1,000,000, 27 for sale. Jumping to $1,400,000 to $1,5000, there are just 17 homes for sale. And that's everything - the good, the bad and the ugly, the old, the new, 1 story, 2 story, modern, Mediterranean, and medieval, all sizes and shapes, and with your favorite shade of avocado appliances. Now plug your personal criteria into any of those price ranges and I'll bet you don't end up with more than 8 or 9 homes that roughly meet that criteria, and that's on paper. Once you go out and look at those homes and start eliminating the ones that aren't what they seemed to be, or what you'd hoped they'd be, or that don't work for one reason or another, you're very likely down to one or two homes as possible contenders, if you're lucky. Home buyers from out of town turn to me with a 'that's it, that's all there is'. That's the reality of this market, slower sales, higher inventory, but really not that much to choose from once you start slicing it and dicing it.

appreciation bites back

In the last few weeks I've run into affordability issues with a few different people who are interested in buying a home in the Tucson Foothills. I know two of these people very well, Dave and Larry. Coincidentially, both of them emailed me recently and were lamenting the run-up in home prices in Tucson over the last couple of years and seriously questioning whether they could afford to buy a home here.  Dave is a past client who I helped to buy and sell two homes in the Tucson Foothills between 2001 and 2003, at which point he needed to move back east for a while. But now he's ready to come back to Tucson. Larry is a friend that I've known for 20 years or more who wanted to buy a second home here, but wasn't able to sell his large family home in Chicago until just last month, after almost two years on the market and a few price reductions. And now they both fear that since prices in Tucson have risen so much in the last few years, that it has gotten out of reach for them. Then recently I was out with yet another second-home buyer from back east, who'd been referred by a past client, and he discovered that he too would have to spend considerably more than he wanted to in order to buy the kind of home that he would like to buy. So the jury's out for him too, while he considers his options. These are three people who are crazy about the Tucson Foothills and would very much like to buy a home here, either a primary or a second home, yet there's a good chance that the price run-up of the last few years has put them out of the market for a Tucson home. Why is that.
Let's take a look at what's happened to prices in the Foothills since 2004.
In January/February of 2004 the average sale price of a Tucson Foothills home was