Frida at the Botanical Garden!

This is the best idea I've heard all week. A Frida Kahlo exhibit that broke attendance records at the New York Botanical Garden is coming to our very own Tucson Botanical Gardens October 10. This is the only other garden where this touring exhibit will be displayed. Another reason to be grateful for our lives in Tucson.

Enchanted Plaza.

 You will fall in love with the Enchanted Plaza. Secluded little 19-unit compound is like nothing you've ever seen on this side of the Mexican border. 

Touches of colonial Mexico are everywhere you look. Talavera tile, beehive fireplace, blown glass sconces. 

Half bath on first floor, with full bath between the upstairs bedrooms. 

Front bedroom has a sink & French door. 

Private patio faces the beautifully landscaped courtyard. Refreshing pool & spa. 

Ramada with sink & gas grill. Only 2 miles to UofA. Closer to Reid Park, Randolph Golf, Loft Cinema, Whole Foods, Rincon Market. HOA fee covers pool, spa, landscaping, hazard insurance, roof, building exterior maintenance, water/sewer/garbage. See interactive floor plan here. This unique plazuela will surprise, delight and enchant you. This condo sold for $105,000 on November 16, 2016.

The Things Sellers Leave Behind

Unfortunately, I have found live creatures in vacant houses. I'm not sure if I've ever encountered any dead creatures, but I have certainly crossed paths with the bad juju of former residents.

A Special Family

Arizona Public Media's Story Corps was in Tucson to interview people about their perspective on love. Eli and Ben Schneider talked about what it was like to have two gay parents. Eli is now the manager of one of my favorite restaurants, Bentley's House of Coffee & Tea, which was founded by his mother Joanne Schneider, who now owns one of my other favorite Tucson restaurants, LaCocina. It was a pleasure for me to help  Eli buy his first home. 

Here the Story Corps interview here. 

How Clouds Look in Tucson

You Won't See One Like This Again Anytime Soon!

 Extremely rare to find this quality and character in Central Tucson for such a low price. Extensive remodel since 2011 includes kitchen cabinets and appliances; custom bath tile in both bathrooms, new vanities & high efficiency toilets.

I helped the seller buy this house a few years ago. As he described it, it was a "junk heap". He is a professional home renovator, and the transformation he accomplished here is astounding.

Tile floors through out; standing seam metal roof; fully insulated walls & attic; dual pane windows; 200 amp service; AC; new water line, and gorgeous hand-crafted hall doors & cabinet faces.

Spacious country kitchen is open to living room, where French doors lead you to the side yard.

Ceiling fans in living room and each of the three bedrooms. Desert landscaping with rain water collection basins. Gardening beds with well-amended soil. Productive lemon and grapefruit trees sustained by gray water from washing machine.

One car carport. Laundry shed and solar dryer. Close to the concerts, plays, festivals, sports, zoo, golf and dog park in Reid Park. Four miles to downtown & UofA on Aviation Bike Path/Highway. See floor plan here. Under contract on the second day on the market. Sold May 20, 2016 for full price, $115,000.

What Does "As Is" Mean?

Sometimes my buyers become alarmed when the seller says they want to sell their house "As Is". Many people assume this means the seller has something to hide. Not necessarily.

Sometimes a seller wants to sell a house "As Is" because they don't have money to make repairs or they don't want to be bothered making repairs. If the sale is a short sale or foreclosure, "As Is" is frequently a requirement of the seller's lender in the case of a short sale, or the owner/mortgage company in the case of a foreclosure.

When the buyer and seller agree that the house will be sold "As Is", they both sign the Arizona Association of Realtors "As Is" Addendum. Lines 23 to 24 of the "As Is" Addendum state the seller still has to tell the buyer about known problems with the property. This is required by Arizona law. However, lines 8 to 14 of the "As Is" Addendum state that the seller does not have to fix even the "Warranted Items" mentioned on lines 172 to 177 of the Purchase Contract. "Warranted Items" are heating, cooling, plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems, plus pool equipment, stove and built-in appliances. Without the "As Is" Addendum, the seller is obligated to fix "Warranted Items". With the "As Is" Addendum, the seller is not obligated to fix "Warranted Items". That is the only difference between "As Is" and "Not As Is". 

Lines 15 to 18 of the "As Is" Addendum state that the buyer is still allowed to do a home inspection, and the buyer retains the rights in Section 6j of the Purchase Contract. In other words, the buyer can cancel the Purchase Contract for any reason during the inspection period, and the buyer can even ask the seller to make repairs, but with the "As Is" Addendum, the seller is under no obligation to fix anything, even if the buyer's lender requires repairs such termite treatment or replacement of a broken water heater or window. If the buyer's lender requires repairs that the seller can't or won't make, usually the Purchase Contract has to be cancelled and the buyer gets his earnest money refunded.