Diane Keaton Buys $1.5M Adobe in Barrio Viejo

Hmm, this is curious. Diane Keaton bought a $1.5M fixer upper at 560 S Convent. She plans to flip it.

Casual Elegance in the Catalina Foothills

The Wow Factor is off the charts! Exquisite custom masonry home on spectacular lot with astounding mountain views. Meticulously maintained with high-quality upgrades. 

Gorgeous, sunny kitchen with breakfast bar open to great room. 

Two-sided free-standing fireplace. PRE-PAID SOLAR LEASE has saved the owners over $8,000 in electric bills and over 50 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Whole house water softener and dual pane windows and doors installed in 2017. 

Office near entrance has bathroom and closet. It can be fourth bedroom with the addition of a door. 

Dreamy master bedroom has a fireplace, big beautiful shower and private patio. Breath-taking back yard with refreshing infinite-edge pool. 

So much outdoor space for entertaining and family fun. Come see the lovely palo verde trees in bloom. Watch the nearby Catalina Mountains change hue throughout the day and the seasons.

Four bedrooms and three bathrooms in 2,513 square feet. Two car garage. The floor plan is here. 0.98 acre covered with mature xeriscape and native desert. Sold for $553,500 on July 9, 2018.

We Have Some of the Country's Best High Schools!

US News & World Report says that Basis Oro Valley and Basis North Tucson, two charter high schools, are the third and fourth best in the country. Tucson Unified School District's University High School is ranked 27th.
They evaluated over 20,000 schools and ranked them based on graduation rate, offering challenging course, and standardized test scores.

How to Turn a Home Renovation into a Vacation

If you're going to be spending a lot of money on a home renovation, consider charging it to a credit card that gives generous airline miles or cash rebates. The key is to be able to pay the cards off before high interest rates accrue. An article in the New York Times has lots of resources.

Old Friends Get a New Home

I must tell as many people as I can who are interested in purchasing a home in and around Tucson, AZ.  I just had the best experience with what I call the "Power Team" of Donna Moulton and Catherine Ellinwood.  I contacted Donna first, as a long time and trusted friend who I knew was a realtor in town.  I know a lot of other realtors, but without a moment's hesitation I chose Donna. 

So we went house hunting. After we went to houses for about three days, we honed in on a perfect house for us.  She went ahead and called her chosen loan officer from People's Mortgage, who she's been working with for over 15 years.  Catherine worked absolute miracles.  She knew about all of the types of loans we could get out there.  She checked each one and came up with an amazing deal for us with a great low interest rate.  The entire process has been seamless, from returning calls, prompt emails, to just basically being there every step of the way.  We have now signed at Title Security Company, which also went very well. Everything there (Donna was there of course) was explained to us. 

Donna brought over our keys even two hours ahead of the time she said.  I highly recommend getting your house with the "Power Team" of Donna & Catherine!

Sincerely,

Joan Vernon

Santa Fe Meets Tucson Mountains

Everything about this peaceful retreat says Sweet Desert Home. When you decided to move to Tucson, you imagined a Santa Fe home with vigas and wooden ceilings. 

Concrete and Saltillo tile floors. Adorable hand-painted Talavera tile. 

A big kitchen where your friends and family will gather. 

French doors to your sheltered porch with a metal roof for watching and listening to the monsoons. 

A welcoming front patio with saguaro-rib ceiling and a rustic hand-made door with big old hinges. Rain-capture landscaping with mature native trees and flowering shrubs to support abundant wildlife. Flagstone walkways. Two blocks to miles of gorgeous desert trails for hiking and biking in Sweetwater Preserve. Voluntary HOA. 

Your private desert acre has views of the purple mountain majesty. Your dream is real. It's all here. 
Three bedrooms, two baths, 1,610 square feet. The floor plan is here. Two car garage. We had multiple offers on this great home and sold for $279,500 on April 6, 2018.

What To Do If You and Your Dog Encounter a Coyote

Conflicts between dogs on a leash and coyotes shouldn't happen. Coyotes should be afraid of people, but if people feed coyotes or other wildlife, the animals can become aggressive. This is bad for wildlife, people and pets, so let the wildlife be wild!

When walking a dog in coyote territory, use a six-foot, non retractable leash. Avoid sunrise and sunset. Be prepared to act threatening toward the coyote. More tips are here. 

Javelina can and have caused serious damage to people and pets with their sharp tusks. It's best to stay away from javelina, because their eyesight is poor, they can't tell the difference between dogs and the coyotes that kill their young, and they could perceive an innocent dog and his human companion as threats.