Milkweed is Caterpillar Food

We should all plant milkweed so the butterflies, especially the endangered Monarchs, have food for their larvae. I bought a pine leaf milkweed at Desert Survivors and was enchanted to see that it came with a Queen butterfly caterpillar. I watched it chomp on the leaves for five days, but now I can't find it. Maybe a bird got it, or maybe it has made a cocoon that I haven't located. 

UofA Bungalow and Guest House

Adorable 1937 Feldman bungalow, beautifully upgraded while maintaining the vintage character you seek. 

The main house has two bedrooms and one bath in 786 square feet. It shines with fresh paint, brand new Shaker cabinets, stainless appliances and granite counters. New oak-look tile floor in kitchen. Laundry room off the kitchen offers additional storage.

High ceilings, decorative fireplace and lots of natural light. 
Oak floors in living room and bedrooms. 

Of course, the footed tub was saved, complemented by a new vanity and sweet hexagonal floor tile. 

The 473 square foot guest house is one of the nicest you've ever seen.

Oak cabinets in sunny guest house kitchen.

Decorative fireplace in the guest house living room. Three-quarter bath and a bedroom large enough for a king-sized bed. Tenant pays $625 on month-to-month lease and can move with 30 days notice. 

 Mature desert landscaping in the private fenced yard. 

Two off-street parking spaces. The coolest location, right between UofA and 4th Avenue. The interactive floor plan is here. This property sold for $234,725 on May 31, 2017

Bullock's Oriole and Ocotillo

I put out some oranges in a suet cage to attract orioles, but the orioles are more interested in the ocotillo (oh-koh-TEE-yoh) blossoms and my home made oatmeal cookies. 

The ocotillo haven't had leaves for months, of course, but with the little bit of rain we had, plus maybe some encouragement from my garden hose, they started leafing out.

For those of you who are not lucky enough to have seen an ocotillo, here's the magnificent specimen behind my house. 

Popular Mitman Neighborhood

This home has been in the same family for 58 years. You can almost sense the many good times & celebrations that occurred here. Now a new family will start their own traditions.

The cozy fireplace invites you in, while the wall of windows frames the private back yard. The trellised patio is just right for for large parties under the mature trees. Nice little courtyard off the family room.

 10,800 SF lot may allow guest house construction; buyer to verify. Raised planters & shed await your urban farmer dreams.

The Mitman neighborhood is sought-after because of the well-built brick homes on quiet streets close to Park Place, UofA & DMAFB. Lots of upside potential for sweat equity in this lovely enclave of more expensive homes.
The floor plan is here. Three bedrooms. The main bath has a shower and tub. Powder room is between kitchen and family room.

Sold April 10, 2017 for $153,068. We immediately had five offers over the list price! I'm sad to say good bye to this home of a dear friend, raconteur and defender of civil liberties, Corny Steelink.

Nature Lover's Oasis

 

Welcome to your sweet desert paradise. An extraordinarily beautiful 0.37 acre of mature trees and exotic cactus specimens. 

The sellers have spent almost 30 years lovingly cultivating a bird sanctuary and exotic cactus garden, so all you need to do is settle into a chair on the porch or at your dining room table and watch the fascinating nature show.

Three bedrooms and two baths.

So much character in the open beam ceilings, stone fireplace, antiqued kitchen cabinets, Saltillo and talavera tile.

300 square foot bonus room, shown as Activity Room in the floor plan, has wall AC and is not included in 1,560 square feet of house.

The floor plan is here.

What could you do with a 1,000 square foot shed? Shown as Stables in the floor plan, it has a concrete floor, and lots of partitioned areas. The previous owner raised birds here! The two car garage is a rare treat in Tucson.

So much privacy behind the mature trees in your fully fenced yard. Close to hiking and biking in the wild and wonderful Tucson Mountain Park. Sold to a happy family for $142,340 on April 26, 2017.

Cassia in the Wind

Watching my feathery cassia whip around in the wind like a sea weed in the tide is fascinating to me. And the spicy fragrance of its pretty yellow flowers is a sign of spring. 

January Residential Sales Statistics

The January Residential Sales Statistics from the Tucson Association of Realtors are here. A surprisingly high number of sales occurred in November, when buyers usually go into hibernation. By December, the number of sales were similar to the previous December. The November frenzy may have been driven by the 10% down payment assistance program, which is now out of money. What a deal that was.

Last month, the median sale price in Tucson was $184,000, which is 8.3% higher than January 2016, but 3% lower than the spike to $190,000 in June 2016. 

There were 1,093 home sales last month, a 13.6% increase from January 2016. Last month there were only 3,777 properties for sale in Tucson. This is 26% lower than the previous January. 

So, when supply (listings) is low and demand (sales) is high, the home sale prices should go up, right? For the time being, that is true. We are seeing many properties selling with multiple offers. However, with the November buyer frenzy being cut short in December, and the generous down payment assistance funds dried up, and mortgage interest rates increasing, I wonder if we might start to see the market level off. Not crash, but stabilize to a more normal annual price appreciation of 3%. 

Nothing can be predicted with certainty in these changing times. Too many moving parts.