Sweet Home In Feldman Historic District

I am very fortunate to have two new listings in historic districts near the University of Arizona. Both are eligible for tax breaks up to 45%.

This attractive straw bale wall with its distinctive tile mosaic is a Fourth Avenue landmark.

The WWII vintage home is an appealing sight from the street, but you'll find lots of modernization inside. Central AC and dual pane low-E windows enhance your enjoyment of your conveniently located urban retreat. Spacious eat-in kitchen with oak cabinets.

You'll love the split floor plan. Real wood floors, private entrance and bathroom in the north master bedroom wing. Two bedrooms with walk in closets in the south wing.

Original tile has been preserved in the surprising hall bath, which has tub and shower. Insulated 267 square foot two-room storage building offers intriguing possibilities. Large laundry room might double as office or party serving area.

New block wall creates your private back yard hideaway with shaded patio and mature lemon tree. Sold on July 16, 2014 for $175,000 with multiple offers.

Ranch Home In Jefferson Park Historic District

Well-built, low-maintenance home in the desirable Jefferson Park Historic District. Eligible for up to 45% reduction in property tax. Rented without a vacancy for the past 10 years. The owners' UofA students and their friends have enjoyed the location and amenities this home offers. Every little repair issue was quickly and meticulously addressed. All you need to do is buy it, move in and relax.

Central air, split floor plan, huge fenced yard with plentiful off street parking and privacy behind the gate.

Kitchen is open to the living room across the breakfast bar. Lots of storage. All the appliances are included. Kitchen door goes to the east yard and the laundry.

Vaulting ceilings and large windows enhance the spacious, airy feeling.

The sunny master bedroom has two closets, cute built-ins, a private bathroom and its own walled patio. Large closets in the other two bedrooms. Under a mile to UofA on the Mountain Avenue Bike Path. Sold for $160,500 on July 30, 2014 with multiple offers.  The interactive floor plan is here.

Library Loft with a Mountain View

This sweet home is perfect for you if  you need a home office, studio, hobby room, playhouse or guest space. Two marvelous energy-efficient pods of corten steel provide the space and style you  want. Featured in the October 13, 2008 issue of Archinect magazine, the 197 square foot library and the 100 square foot office were designed by Dale Clifford and Jason Vollen, former professors in the University of Arizona School of Architecture.

 

The ladder leads up the the library loft, with a tree top view of the Catalina Mountains.

Equally fabulous is the two-car garage, which you know is a rare find in the desirable Blenman-Elm neighborhood.

Enjoy your serene back yard from the huge covered patio. The Meyer lemon tree will be fondly missed by the sellers. Parties spontaneously combust at the outdoor fireplace.

The straw bale wall curves to hug the beautifully landscaped front yard.

IKEA kitchen sports stainless appliances, bamboo floor and glass-front cabinets. Laundry room off kitchen.

 

The main house has three bedrooms and one bath. Heated and cooled Arizona Room offers flexible space. Tankless water heater. Hard surface floors through out.

The interactive floor plan is here. Sold for $300,000 on July 16, 2014.

Kitchen Inspired by Julia Child

I am really ready to let go of this terrific rental I bought in 1996. Great location in the desirable Jefferson Park/Samos neighborhood, where neighbors know and look after each other. R-2 zoning may allow addition of another house; buyer to verify. Only two blocks to Campbell Avenue, with its home-grown restaurants and coffee shops galore. Only four blocks to the Mountain Avenue bike path.

Ride a mile and a half south to University of Arizona or a little over two miles north to the glorious Rillito River walking and biking trail. Walkscore.com calls this location "Very Walkable. Most errands can be accomplished on foot".

Hard surface floors in all rooms except bedrooms, which are carpeted. Dishwasher, refrigerator and gas stove.

Vintage '50s pink and burgundy tile has been removed from the kitchen. I have installed new base cabinets, counter tops, sink and faucet.

This is where I take inspiration from my fellow Smithie, Julia Child. I planned to paint the upper cabinets blue and the lower cabinets green, like Julia's kitchen in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her kitchen is now in the Smithsonian, in honor of the food revolution Julia started with her book, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking". However, the sky blue she used on the upper cabinets was just too '60s, so I used a luscious yellow called Cork. The lower cabinets are celery green, like Julia's. I installed some pegboards as Julia's husband Paul did to hold her pots and pans. I used round chrome cabinet knobs like Julia's. What do you think?

Solid brick construction. Air conditioning. Two carpeted bedrooms, one tiled bath, plus a heated and cooled Arizona Room with concrete floor.

 The floor plan is here. Large covered back patio for enjoying the private, walled yard. Laundry closet is inside. Washer and dryer are included. Carport with 12' x 12' shed. Block wall and mature trees.

I owned this sweet desert home as a rental for 18 years and I was sad to let it go for $145,000 on July 30, 2014. At least I had multiple offers.

Padma Viswanathan

My fabulous client Padma Viswanathan was just awarded a National Endowment of the Humanities  Enduring Questions grant.

Bedouins and Gods

I have always felt sorry for people who grew up in Tucson. So many of them have an attitude that I find inexplicable. They think Tucson is boring and uncool. They can't wait to get out of this cow town.

Having lived in several cities and small towns, and traveled extensively, I know with certainty that I am happiest when in Tucson. I can't think of any place I'd rather live.

One discontent Tucson native named Cord Jefferson wrote the feature article in last week's Tucson Weekly.  He has moved from one coast to the other in his young life, and while he has a new perspective on his hometown, he still sees it through the eyes of someone who once felt disdain for the city I love the most.

 He did say something I liked though: Though I've always been frightened of snakes and spiders and the like, it nonetheless made me feel special and flinty to grow up in the midst of creatures that bit, scratched and pinched. The sun beat down on us relentlessly in Tucson. The flora was thorny and the fauna was unsociable. And yet there we lived and thrived, going about our days in the hard-baked rocky desert, laughing about the triple-digit heat. In a scene in Lawrence of Arabia, Mr. Dryden tells Lawrence, "Only two kinds of creature get fun in the desert: Bedouins and gods." We were not Bedouins in Tucson, and so we must have been the latter.

Linda Ronstadt's Home is For Sale

Tucson native Linda Ronstadt has listed her Colonia Solana home for sale with Long Realty. Colonia Solana is the fabulous neighborhood southeast of Broadway and Country Club. List price is $1.65 million. The address is not being disclosed. Check out the photos in the link. Lucky is the person who will buy this quintessential Tucson home.