Tiffany's Blog

Real Estate Market December 2011

Tiffany — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 15:47:42 +0000

Arizona Real Estate Market Update for December 2011

The past few years have become a real Buyers Market for 2nd Home Owners here in Arizona, because of our struggling market and the many Short Sales, Foreclosures.

This past October clients decided to upgrade from their Townhouse to a 3 Bedroom, Single Family Home with a Triple Car Garage. They fell in love with the idea of having their own backyard with a Spa and just a short walking distance to the Heated Community Pool. They scooped up the property, for only $230,000 with like floor plans that had sold in the area for as much as $335,000. This British Columbia couple, bought their future retirement home in Las Sendas, while John (60), still plans to work for a few more years as a Lawyer. ”The price was the Motivator for us to buy now.” John says. ”We have owned a Townhouse there for several years, so we knew the area and had been looking for over a year. We realized that if we waited, the prices could come back up and we then would’t be able to do it. So we took some savings and bought.”

Alberta Clients of mine with a young family bought a short sale (for less than the seller’s mortgage balance) in Maricopa Arizona, the Rancho Eldorado area. A property they plan to have as a 2nd home when they retire. They paid the asking price of $132,000 for their four-bedroom, 2,251-square-foot house with Heated Pool and never had to do any repairs. Many Short Sales are in good condition, if the seller has enough money to do any emergency repairs to the property prior to selling. Just FYI. This Property sold in 2005 for $257,459

They are not alone! The Struggling housing market (crash) is very sad news for those that need to sell their properties to retire, but it’s also an opportunity for boomers to buy marked-down properties in Arizona they want to spend more time in–once they reduce their working hours.

Conclusion

Some Chief Economicists, predicted that housing prices would drop another 5% before hitting botton at year’s end but the timing will vary with each market. Parts of Arizona including the Phoenix area should see the bottom this year-meaning now is the time to start looking.

Wishing You and Your Family a Happy New Year and remember I am always here if you need me.

PS Many of the 2nd homes I sell are turned into fully furnished rentals and rent up to $3,000 per month until my clients retire and uses it during the winter months. Larger Properties rent for more. Just an Idea.

Tiffany Joy Haynes, Realtor, CRS, ABR, CDPE RE/MAX Excalibur, Arizona Direct 602-828-8996 Fax 1-888-851-7722 2nd Home Specialist

Click Here for Property Search

Summer In Arizona..The Cooler Things To Do.

Tiffany — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:13:31 +0000

Summer In Arizona the Cooler Things To Do

For those who own a 2nd home in Arizona or are thinking of it, this Article is for you.

Last Summer my Nephews (16, 15, & 11 years) flew in from Calgary to visit me here in Arizona for 3 weeks. I have gotten numerous e-mails asking me. ”What did you do with 3 Canadian Kids in the middle of Summer in Arizona?” After Pondering that question I thought I would give you as much information as I could find on things to do with Kids & Us Big Kids here in Arizona.

During the summer (as you probably know) our soaring temperatures sometimes exceed 46C or 115F and on many days there needs to be a few Swimming Pools and a couple of Dogs around to help cool things down.

Please add your ideas at the end and I will edit this blog.

We traveled Back & Forth between Phoenix and Bisbee. Bisbee is in the High Desert and so is much cooler than the Valley See Rental Information Below.

Here are My Top Suggestions

1. Musical Instrument Museum in Scottsdale has close to 3,000 musical instruments from all over the world and it’s really hands on for kids to look at and learn. The collection includes instruments from around 200 countries and territories with multiple displays for different types of ethnic, folk and tribal music. It’s Tony Bennett’s Favorite Museum.

2. Arizona Science Center in Downtown Phoenix is an Educational Experience for everyone. From Family-Friendly presentations to hands-on Gallery Programs. Get your Hands On Science!!

3. Kids Museum in Phoenix is Acting on the Principle that learning is a Joy, and the Children’s Museum of Phoenix’s mission is to engage the Minds, Muscles & Imaginations of children and the Grown-Ups who care about them. Hands-On designed for children.

4. Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson has nearly 300 Aircraft spread out over 80 acres on a campus occupying 127 Acres. One of the World’s largest, Non-Government funded Aerospace Museums.

5. Bisbee Arizona is a Unique Mining Town; a picturesque getaway with charming, restored Victorian Homes Perched high on the outlying hillsides & a downtown center filled with Gift Shops, Antique Stores, Cafes, Museums & Art Galleries. Once one of the richest mineral sites in the world.

Things to Do In Bisbee

Queen Mine Tour-Get outfitted in a hardhat, miner’s headlamp and a yellow slicker. Thousands of Bisbee visitors descend into the Queen Mine each year-heading underground and back in time.

Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum Continues to work closely with the Smithsonian Institution to create exhibits to interpret Bisbee’s legacy. It has a Long Term Loan of nearly 150 minerals originally from Bisbee.

Every Weekend of the year there seems to be something going on in Bisbee. look for the Calendar of Events and plan your trip around that.

Where to Stay- Rent the Little House on Taylor Sleeps up to 4 People. Call Tiffany at 602-828-8996 for information and availability. See Video. Takes a minute to download. Bisbee Arizona Furnished Home In Historical District

6. Tombstone Only 23 Miles from Bisbee. Tombstone is an Old West Town where the Real West is reenacted everyday of the year. Home to perhaps the most famous Graveyard of the Old West, Boot Hill.

7. Kartchner Caverns National Park It’s secret was kept since it’s discovery in 1974 and it was announced to the World in 1988. Still virtually pristine, this massive limestone cave has 13,000 feet of passages and two rooms as long as a football field. Finally opened as a state park November 12th 1999, this underground wilderness will remain protected while offering visitors a rare tour through multi-colored cave formations.

8. Chiricahua National Park is famous for its extensive vertical rock formations. this is a great area for a family picnic as it is so picturesque. Stone Columns are the most common formation in the monument.

9. Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) is a United States Astronomical Observatory 6,880 ft. 55 miles southwest of Tucson. The Observatory is considered to be part of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) although some of the telescopes located here belong to other groups. With 26 independent telescopes, it is the largest, most diverse gathering of astronomical instruments in the World. When we were there we met 2 young scientists (from Japan & Germany) who were measuring the wind velocity on Mars in relationship to earth.

10. Diamond Backs Game-Getting Tickets to the Diamond Backs Game turned out to be a highlight of my Nephews Summer. It is something that they will always remember.

11. SkyVenture Arizona- is a state of the Art Skydiving Wind Tunnel, located in Eloy Arizona, halfway between Phoenix and Tucson. This was a recommendation from Andrea in Calgary.

Restaurants

Finally I would like to recommend a couple of good Kids Restaurants in the Valley. The Organ Stop in Mesa has the best Pizza with lots of leftovers for the next day at the Pool. Thanks Sandi and Kimber for the Pool Time. Also the Rain Forest Cafe in Tempe has to be a Valley Favorite for many families.

Finally, please make a comment on my Blog..I would love to add your suggestions and remember the Sun Shines 365 days a year in Arizona. Become a Part of It and I’m here is you ever need me.

Tiffany J Haynes, Realtor, CRS, ABR, CDPE RE/MAX Excalibur, Arizona Direct 602-828-8996 Fax 1-888-851-7722 2nd Home Specialist

Click Here for Property Search

Arizona Real Estate Market

Tiffany — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 21:59:19 +0000

Last week I was working with some clients who wanted to buy a single family home for under $300,000. I did my normal search and much to my surpise there were only a few homes that fit their criteria.”> Later that week I read an article that said “Homes priced for sale under $300,000 are in short supply”. The 2010 First Quarter Market summary showed that the supply of homes dropped to 8.3 months of inventory. However for single family homes and patio homes priced under $400,000 it is less then 6 months. For homes priced $400,000-$800,000 we have a 12 month supply and homes between $800,000 and $1.5 million we have less then 7 months of inventory.

The good properties are going rapidly with more then one offer. Who’s buying? Everybody including lots of Canadians.

The better deals are Short Sales and REO Properties. Short Sales comprise 20% of our market and REO properties are 40%. A Short Sale is when a lender agrees to accept a payoff for less than the amount owed on the loan. Real Estate Owned (REO) or a bank owned property is one that reverts back to the mortgage company after an unsuccessful foreclosure procedure. Today we could use more inventory but we don’t want to flood the market.

Business News- I am sure that many of you know Arizona is very big into Solar energy and it is about to become home to the one of the world’s largest solar power plants. The enormous solar plant called Solana will produce enough electricity to power more than 70,000 homes. The 1900 acre plant is scheduled for completion by 2012. It will be the first example in the country of a major utility getting the majority of its energy from solar.. For more information please go to Largest Solar Plant.

About Tiffany; She became a liscensed real estate agent in 1974 and sold real estate in Calgary for 10 years before moving to Arizona. She has earned the prestigious CRS, ABR and CDPE designations and has won numerous awards with RE/MAX Achievers, including Realtor of the Year and RE/MAX Hall of Fame.