Keeping Cool

Steve and I have been escaping the heat and revealing in the glorious conifer forest at the top of Mount Lemmon, only an hour from Tucson. The 26 mile road up the mountain climbs 6,800 feet. You'll see changes in vegetation similar to what you'd see in a drive from Mexico to Canada. It never ceases to amaze and delight me, especially when the temperature is 30 to 40 degrees cooler than it is in Tucson.

We encountered a lightning storm on the Marshall Gulch Trail, and got a little rain. Imagine our shock as we drove down the mountain and saw what appeared to be snow. It was two inches of hail in August. Do we live in a magical place or what?

 

Back in the desert, the wildlife in my backyard have their own ways of keeping cool.

This Mourning Dove isn't injured. After airing both of his wing pits, he flew away.

This Harris Antelope Squirrel also looks injured. He reminded me of a Rocky the Flying Squirrel. He is on my patio, engaging in heat dumping. He is actually able to transfer excess heat from his body to the patio.

 



Another variation on the heat dumping concept.

August Residential Sales Statistics

The Tucson Association of Realtors has released the Residential Sales Statistics for August.

Average sale price was $191,283 in August, a 27% increase since we hit bottom at $150,699 in September 2011. In Tucson, sale prices and number of sales typically peak in the summer, and decline in the fall. August's average sale price was 3% lower than July's, so that may indicate we will experience the usual autumn slowing of market activity. There were 1,205 sales last month, and we can probably expect fewer sales each month from now through February, when buyers recover from their holiday distractions.

We had 4,249 active listings last month, an 8% increase from July, and a 19% increase since August last year. If the number of active listings continues to increase, it might result in a reduction of sale prices. However, most of the action is in the $120,000 to $250,000 range. With 1,695 active listings divided by 590 listings sold, we have a 2.87 month supply of listings in that range. Anything below a six month inventory is a seller's market, so we have a strong seller's market for that price range. In the $50,000 to $100,000 range, we have a 465 listings divided by 194 sales for a 2.4 month inventory. For the most part, the houses under $100,000 need quite a bit of repair.

Overall, we have a 4,249 listing divided by 1,205 sales for a 3.53 month supply of listings. So the increased inventory may continue to put downward pressure on houses priced above $300,000, but in the entry level and investor market, the competition is still strong for well-maintained houses. 

Except for slight dips in the past two winters, median sale price has steadily increased from $117,500 in September 2011 to $160,500 last month. Half the properties sell for less than the median price, and half sell for more.

Renovated Townhome in Prestigious Fairfield La Cholla Hills

High on a ridge over looking Omni Tucson National Golf Resort is your home sweet home. This is your front row seat with unobstructed views of Tucson's world-famous sunsets.

Fairfield's premium community for residents 55 and older offers two pools, two spas, tennis courts, shuffle board courts and a recreation center with kitchen.

 

This splendid two bedroom, two bath home has fresh NEW white paint throughout. Plush NEW carpet in living room and bedrooms.

Lovely NEW kitchen and master bathroom cabinets. NEW glass top stove, dishwasher and microwave. Washer and dryer included in kitchen laundry closet. Master bedroom has a walk-in closet.

One car garage. Beautiful masonry construction in an impeccably maintained neighborhood that shines with pride of ownership. One mile to Foothills Mall; four miles to Interstate 10. See interactive floor plan here. We had two offers and this property sold for full price, $160,000 on October 25, 2013.

The Bass Whisperer, Ed Friedland

Check out this marvelous history of reggae music by my fabulous client, Ed Friedland. I helped Ed and his wife Dawn buy and sell their house in Tucson. Unfortunately for Ed and Dawn's Tucson friends and admirers, these groovy people moved to Austin for the cooler climate. That hasn't quite worked out the way they expected, but Ed is touring with Clay McClinton and still writing the last word on bass playing as a monthly columnist and gear reviewer for Bass Player magazine. He has also written 21 bass playing instruction books for Hal Leonard.

Godspeed, Chief Chuck

I'm so glad that my fabulous client Chuck George has finally decided to focus on getting his doctorate. As chief meteorologist at KOLD, he enriched Tucson with his lively approach to teaching us about the weather. He was always generous with his time and made innumerable public appearances at community events. He will be a extraordinary professor, and we all hope he chooses to stay here in the city that loves him.

What's Blue and White and Read All Over?

This is fascinating. 6.5% percent of the 35,205 page views for my blog are in Germany! 1% are in Latvia, and 0.4% are in Ukraine. There is someone in Poland looking at my blog right now. People have checked in from Russia, France, United Kingdom, Canada, Netherlands, India, Hungary, Italy, Indonesia, China and South Korea. Hello Europe and Asia! You made my day.

Snow Cones = Raspados = Cimarronas = Female Mountain Goats

I adore Big Jim Griffith. Tucson would be a poorer place without our national award-winning folklorist and founder of Tucson Meet Yourself.