Chris Ansley, the developer of JW Marriott and the Spa at Starr Pass has dedicated another 84 acres to Tucson Mountain Park. Bringing the total to 279 acres of dedicated land. He didn’t stop there. He previously set up an impact user fee that toda holds approximately $1,000,000 to provide maintenance and funds for purchasing more land for the park. The current developer of Starr Pass changed the density of home building in that community when he purchased it from his predecessor. Rather than trying to squeeze as many homes as possible on the land he did the reverse. He reduced the number of homes per acre, increased the value, and reduced the impact on a prestigious area. This community has everything from luxury apartments to luxury homes in a gated community. The golf course is challe... 08/08/2007

Here is the 24 hour report for 8-08-2007 activity in the Tucson Real Estate market according to the Tucson MLS.This information is provided directly from our local MLS. Please feel free to check back often for the most accurate and updated information available in the Tucson area for local real estate reports and statistics.For more free reports and Tucson Real Estate visit http://www.wiselisting.com/24-Hour Market WatchNew Listings176  Back on Market12  Price Increases12  Price Reductions123  Contingents38  Pendings50  Solds58  Expireds39  Inactives62   08/08/2007

EDIT:  A BILL REQUIRING LICENSING WAS PASSED THE FIRST WEEK IN JULY, 2008, AND THE GOVERNOR HAS SAID SHE'LL SIGN IT! (Last Summer-2007)  I've only been in the mortgage business for four years, all of them here in Tucson, AZ.  I'd like to hear what people in Tucson, Arizona think about licensing for loan officers.  If you're for it, what can we do to make it happen?  If you're against the idea, please tell me why.  The truth of the matter is that no loan officer in the state of Arizona has been required to take any class, pass any test, or have any oversight at the State level for proficiency and/or ongoing education.  If you had your hair cut last week, the person who performed that service took a required course of study, took a state examination, proved their proficiency at their cho... 08/08/2007

Tucson News & Events What can Tucson expect from Wildcat Football this season? Will Willie Tuitama have a healthy season so he can show what he can do? Lets hope so for his personal sake. Will Antoine Cason have a great year to make All American again? Will Coach Stoops see the progress he has been working for? Will this be an exciting season? Where will we stand in the PAC 10? Is there a bowl game in our future? Find out, get your season tickets. READ MORE 08/08/2007

Living in the Sonoran Desert it is hard to ignore the call for Solar Energy. Most people think of a desert and what they saw on Lawrence of Arabia. Couldn’t be further from the truth. But, that’s another topic. Solar heating and energy makes sense when you live in a climate where there are more sunny days than not. In the Great Northwest, where I grew up a short distance from Seattle, it is not as feasible. Solar energy is getting more and more notice as the demand for alternative energy increases. Alternative energy is not new. I remember in the early 1970’s on my many weekend trips from Camp Pendleton to Tucson to visit my fiancee (now wife of 32+ years), passing massive windmills that towered high above the desert floor. The only other place I had seen them was in science magazines. ... 08/07/2007

Here is the 24 hour report for 8-07-2007 activity in the Tucson Real Estate market according to the Tucson MLS.This information is provided directly from our local MLS. Please feel free to check back often for the most accurate and updated information available in the Tucson area for local real estate reports and statistics.For more free reports and Tucson Real Estate visit http://www.wiselisting.com/ 24-Hour Market WatchNew Listings137  Back on Market16  Price Increases8  Price Reductions133  Contingents52  Pendings28  Solds45  Expireds24  Inactives84   08/07/2007

Tucson area schools had their first start day today with Sunnyside, Sahuarita, and Vail School Districts. What does this mean to motorists? Slow down, the life you save may be a child’s. Tucson Police Department takes these violations seriously, as does the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. When the sign says “No Passing” they mean no passing. If the car in the lane next to you is going 10 MPH and you are driving 15 MPH…oops…ticket time. MORE READING 08/07/2007

Previously I commented about the different levels of service. When shopping today at Wal-Mart I thought about the comparison between Wal-Mart and full service brokerages. At Wal-mart you can stop by McDonald’s to eat, shop in the grocery store, pick up medicine at the pharmacy, pick up plant food and garden supplies, buy CD’s, and pick up your car from getting an oil change. The Brokerage I joined offers clients full service through mortgage, real estate, title, and insurance. What can a full service, truly full service company offer?  READ MORE 08/06/2007

Here is the 24 hour report for 8-06-2007 activity in the Tucson Real Estate market according to the Tucson MLS.This information is provided directly from our local MLS. Please feel free to check back often for the most accurate and updated information available in the Tucson area for local real estate reports and statistics.For more free reports and Tucson Real Estate visit http://www.wiselisting.com/24-Hour Market WatchNew Listings108  Back on Market7  Price Increases6  Price Reductions81  Contingents33  Pendings36  Solds40  Expireds21  Inactives33   08/06/2007

I am not a mortgage expert, nor do I pretend to be. My primary concerns are resale of existing homes, not new construction (SAHBA can report on that), whether my clients are making a good decision with the home they purchase, and whether the sellers who hire me can sell their home for a reasonable price. I leave the future of mortgages and comments concerning the future of home loans to those experts. Though resales have been stable, consistent, and fairly predictable in Tucson there is still concern about the future of mortgage loans. How predictable sales will be in the future may become difficult to determine. With the fall of American Home Mortgage last week the roar of voices all over the media and Internet has increased. READ MORE 08/05/2007

Here is the 24 hour report for 8-03-2007 activity in the Tucson Real Estate market according to the Tucson MLS.This information is provided directly from our local MLS. Please feel free to check back often for the most accurate and updated information available in the Tucson area for local real estate reports and statistics.For more free reports and Tucson Real Estate visit http://www.wiselisting.com/ 24-Hour Market WatchNew Listings135  Back on Market18  Price Increases15  Price Reductions103  Contingents36  Pendings19  Solds72  Expireds33  Inactives57   08/03/2007

Enough of the sales numbers are in to make a preliminary report. I predicted 1,253 sales for the month of July, so far 1,050 sales have been submitted. The official TAR/MLS Report won’t be out for a couple of weeks. The signs are encouraging. As my faithful readers know, I don’t report on days on the market (DOM), new listings, or how many homes are on the market in my preliminary report. I’m just interested in sales. On the 9th of July I submitted my preliminary report with 1,299 sales for the month of June. My prediction was 1,339. I checked again this morning to confirm what I later reported on the 16th. The number climbed slightly to 1,343, my prediction was 1,339. Better than expected. We heard yesterday that the MLS is threatening to fine those REALTORS® who fail to report sales i... 08/03/2007

I was challenged by a colleague to interpret how interest rates may be effecting sales in Tucson. So I gathered information dating back to January of 2004 through June 2007 to see if there is a noticeable correlation. It took me a while to dust off my books and read old college notes. I looked at the charts, reread the book. Nothing helped bring back the ability to read the information before me. I solicited the aid and interpretation of a former graduate professor, Louis Coraggio Ph.D. To the average person the results might as well be in Latin. However, Dr. Lou (as he prefers to be called) teaches this information and can read it as well as you and I can read the headline on a newspaper. I was ready, I had the data and had found the new world. The secret lay before me. In the words of... 08/02/2007

6907 E Princeton Dr, Tucson, AZ 85710          $199,000. Musicians at Melissa's level are rare. So are Tucson properties like this home at this price. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths Brand new, gleaming wood laminate floors. 2 bonus rooms.  Music room, studio, home office? Remodeled kitchen and baths. Detached, cooled, finished garage.  The perfect workshop.  $199,000.                                       MLS #20728424 Separate family room with...  Well, see for yourself.  1760 square feet, $199,000 Paved street, 80' x 105' lot Brick construction Established neighborhood Mature palm trees Citrus trees in the back yard Walking distance to city park w/pool MLS #20728424 Edit: Sold! There's More To This Story     Contact Kay WroldsenLong Realty Company5683 North Swan RoadTucson, AZ 85718520-918-2424... 08/01/2007

Tucson Real Estate In our weekly office meeting the managing Broker mentioned that manufactured home loans may be harder to get. A few of the big names pulled out of conventional lending for manufactured homes. There is a definite need for manufactured home lenders. I have heard this before and wanted to know more. After all manufactured home loans is a billion dollar business. A lot of owners and potential buyers would be stranded without manufactured home loans. Is the pull out of lenders myth or fact?      Read the rest of this entry » 08/01/2007

Here is the 24 hour report for 8-01-2007 activity in the Tucson Real Estate market according to the Tucson MLS.This information is provided directly from our local MLS. Please feel free to check back often for the most accurate and updated information available in the Tucson area for local real estate reports and statistics.For more free reports and Tucson Real Estate visit http://www.wiselisting.com/24-Hour Market WatchNew Listings154  Back on Market26  Price Increases5  Price Reductions137  Contingents49  Pendings30  Solds79  Expireds221  Inactives59   08/01/2007

Rick has a secret life.  (If you're just browsing, or if you can't stand the suspense, scroll to the end of the post and leave a comment.) In real life, Rick is my AE for ComUnity Bank.  Rick's been in the business for a long time, and he knows just about everyone from Tucson to Phoenix.  I'm a one-man shop, so I know my volume isn't paying his mortgage, but Rick stops by just about every week to sit and visit for awhile.  He's become one of my favorite people. During one of those visits, Rick let it slip that he's a photographer.  One thing led to the next, and soon we had left the world of mortgages to look at Rick's photographic wizardry on Caedes.net  These are his photos.  You can download them from Caedes.net for free and save them as wallpaper for your computer.  You can't use th... 07/31/2007

In early 2007 Jack Nicklaus confirmed that Nicklaus Design was building a new Jack Nicklaus design golf course in Dove Mountain. Scheduled for completion in time for the 2009 Accenture Match Play Championship. The 2008 Accenture Match Play Championship will be held again on the same venue as the  2007 Accenture Match Play Championship at the Gallery South Course. For those who attended, the tournament was a great event. A formal announcement is expected some time in September concerning the new course. As of now I can tell you that there will be an initial 27 holes to the course with an additional 9 holes planned shortly after completion. Bringing the entire project up to 36 holes for two thrilling 18 hole courses. Ground work has begun on the club house, which will most likely be unmat... 07/31/2007

Here is the 24 hour report for 7-31-2007 activity in the Tucson Real Estate market according to the Tucson MLS.This information is provided directly from our local MLS. Please feel free to check back often for the most accurate and updated information available in the Tucson area for local real estate reports and statistics.For more free reports and Tucson Real Estate visit http://www.wiselisting.com/ 24-Hour Market WatchNew Listings158  Back on Market14  Price Increases20  Price Reductions96  Contingents43  Pendings45  Solds97  Expireds57  Inactives54   07/31/2007

The Vail School District has already started classes, but Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) doesn't start until August 14, 2007.  That's a full two weeks away and I am offering to help you get into your new home during that time period.  If that sounds overly optimistic, I am currenlty finishing up a deal that is closing in 12 days (including weekend days)!  So if you find yourself still needing to move, give me a call - I can help. (520) 481-3695 Here is what we'll do: 1) You must be pre-approved:  When you get pre-approved, you need to talk to the loan officer about a very fast close.  Many of them can't do it, but some have the right connections.  I have a great loan officer that I work with when I need it done fast and done correctly.  I would be happy to refer you if you don't ... 07/31/2007