Sellers' Market Now

Here are the sales statistics from the Multiple Listing Service of Southern Arizona.

Median sale price in Southern Arizona increased 7.77% in one month from August to September 2017, and increased 17% from September 2016 to 2017.

There were 3,587 active listings for sale in September, which is very low supply. There were 1,212 home sales, which is high for September, but September sales have been higher than average for the past three years. The ratio of active listings to sales is 3,587 divided by 1,212 = 2.96 to 1. Anything under a 6 to 1 ratio is considered a sellers' market. The average sale price of a single family house was $271,000.

The Mavericks in Cuba

My fabulous client Ed Friedland is the bass player in the Grammy award winning band The Mavericks. They went to Cuba this year to play with some of the masters of Cuban music and record a special for PBS. Check out Rolling Stone magazine's cool video.

Cracks in Your House

Are you worried about cracks in your walls, foundation or floor? Most houses have some cracks. Here's an article from the 2-10 Home Warranty site that discusses the warning signs of problematic cracks.

Spotted Fawn Season

The nights are getting cooler, and the spotted fawns are on the loose. Life is good. 

Walking Stick

Then there's this thing. Maybe a walking stick. Green body with turquoise legs and orange antennae. I think. At the opposite end from the possible antennae is some sort of yelow grasping mechanism. Or something. Found this on my sliding door. Had to go in the other door so I wouldn't squash it. 

Has Equifax Ruined Your Credit?

As you probably know, Equifax allowed the credit data of millions of consumers to be breached. If you want to know whether you were a victim, first you have to give up your right to sue them. 

Someone could be charging stuff in your name as we speak. Here is an interesting article with advice on how to monitor your credit.

Guess I'd better get my free credit report and see whether my identity has been stolen. 

Mothra

Last year I had one hornworm on my desert willow tree. It was apple green, about four inches long, with yellow and purple stripes and a curved horn on its end. I thought, "How cute!"

This year I saw a sphinx moth on the desert willow. I though, "How pretty! It hovers like a hummingbird, and it used to be a hornworm. Maybe she will lay some more hornworm eggs."

Then the hornworms ate all the leaves off my desert willow. 

I still thought the hornworms were cute, in a monstrous sort of way. But my poor tree!

I called the Tucson Botanical Garden and the Master Gardeners. They both assured me that the leaves would grow back and there was nothing to worry about. After all, they would pupate and turn into lovely sphinx moths, which are pollinators. I didn't have anything against pollinators, did I?

These monsters use those four pair of claws or hands or something to stuff leaves into their mouths. Out the other end, they excrete little brown poop grenades. The poop is about 1/4" long, and has incisions that look like a grenade. I can't imagine how they get the incisions on there.

So, the advice I got was to 1) do nothing and wait for the leaves to grow back, 2) spray a bacteria on the tree that would kill them, or 3) pull them off and fling them some place far from the tree. They are very selective, and won't just eat anything. 

I opted for #3. It wasn't easy. Those feet have suction cups on them, and the hornworm does not want to go anywhere or do anything but eat and turn into a sphinx moth.

I flung a few hornworms on the ground, and within minutes a roadrunner appeared, picked up a hornworm, slapped it silly, and gobbled it down in one bite. Then he repeated with the other hornworm. 

My partner in crime.