New Tucson MLS Search
August 8, 2008
Some of you may have already noticed, but there’s a new search for the Tucson MLS in town. It went live on my site a couple days ago, and I just wanted to let every one know that they can click on that Search Tucson MLS button over at the top of the sidebar (or just click here) to play with it over the weekend.
If you run into any problems, don’t understand how to use it, or generally have a comment about what you like or don’t like, please email me and let me know! It’s a highly configurable search, and a new product, so please be liberal with both praise and suggestions.
Saguaro Cliffs Homes and Lots
August 7, 2008
I’ve been discussing the Saguaro Cliffs neighborhood with a family who was attracted to the area on a recent visit. It’s one of my favorite West side custom home developments for several reasons.
The first is privacy. A typical lot in Saguaro Cliffs is easily an acre and a half, if not 2 acres or more. Houses are well spaced and most owners have carved out a reasonable yard space and left the rest natural desert, so the neighborhood doesn’t feel over-developed or crowded.
The second is views. Saguaro Cliffs sits just at the base of the Tucson Mountains, overlooking the city to the East. Depending on the lot and house, some have spectacular city views, some have gorgeous mountain views, and many have both.
Saguaro Cliffs details:
- According to assessor data, there are 61 lots and 39 homes in Saguaro Cliffs, with a typical home having been built in the early 2000s.
- Average house size is around 3500 square feet. I believe there’s a 2600 square foot minimum house size in Saguaro Cliffs, but the HOA would have to confirm that.
- Most lots are gated, but there is a section of homes outside of the gate, accessed along Trails End road.
- The most recent house sale, per the Tucson MLS, was at $575,000, in April 2008, for a relatively small 2579 square foot home in the ungated portion that sold in an incredible 9 days.
- There are still lots available, resale. The most recent lot sale in Saguaro Cliffs was back in November 2006, a 1.79 acre parcel that sold for $310,000.
You can see all Saguaro Cliffs homes for sale here and the Saguaro Cliffs lots for sale here.
Making A Fool Of Myself
August 6, 2008
It’s been a bit of a rough day. Forgive my extreme dorkiness, but I needed to distract myself for a bit. I decided to enter a vlogging contest, describing what piece of technology or service has made the biggest impact on my business and why. This is my entry.
Vlogging Competition from Kelley Koehler on Vimeo.
Reading Preliminary Title Reports
August 5, 2008
I wrote earlier about why you review the preliminary title report, but let’s just review what a preliminary title report is. We call it “the prelim,” in agent-speak around Tucson.
If you’re buying a home in Tucson and using the standard resale contract, then you should receive a preliminary title report from the title company within a few days of opening escrow - that is to say, within a few days of coming to an agreement on price and terms with the Seller.
The “prelim” is a preliminary title commitment, it’s the title company committing to issue title insurance subject to the terms inside.
It starts with a page called “Schedule A.” Schedule A describes who will be insured, to what amount, and describes the property on which they’ll issue title insurance. The Seller usually pays for a title policy for the Buyer, in the amount of the sale, and then the Buyer usually pays for a title policy for their lender, in the amount of the loan.
Next is “Schedule B.”
Schedule B Section 1 describes the requirements that must be met before the title policy is issued. Typically in this section, you see the Seller’s loans that must be paid off, any taxes due, anything that must be satisfied before the policy can be issued. This is a must-read section of the prelim. Sometimes, there’s an odd lien or requirement that you need to find out about sooner rather than later.
Schedule B Section 2 are exceptions to the title policy - things the title policy will not cover. Usually, this list includes the recorded easements, future tax liens, water rights, at least in this part of Arizona, deed restrictions or recorded CC&Rs, things of that nature. In the link at the top of this post, you’ll see where I found a well agreement and an odd utility agreement within Schedule B Section 2. This is also a must-read section.
If you don’t understand what you see in the Prelim, you can always ask your agent or title officer to explain it to you. Better safe than sorry!
Bad First Impressions
August 4, 2008
If it takes a whole page of instructions for an agent to get into your house, then you should consider fixing the problem. There’s nothing more detrimental to a buyer’s first impression than having a hard time getting into a house, to be fighting a lock or sticky door. Already, in a Buyer’s mind, there’s stuff to be fixed. You’ve just given a buyer the impression that you don’t take good care of the place, and the sales price is plummeting in a Buyer’s mind as they add up the cost of imagined repairs - all before we even step foot in the house.
HOA Upfront Charges
August 1, 2008
Got an email from my management today that Lewis Management will be charging a “cancellation” fee, to be non-refundable and collected up front - that’s one of the big HOA management companies in town.
You heard that right - it’s a cancellation fee, paid on all files through escrow, up front. Which means someone - either the Buyer or the Seller - will have to deposit $225 into escrow to cover the “cancellation” fee when escrow is opened. That’s a fee negotiated in the contract already.
Lewis charges a $295 transfer/processing fee anyway, so if the file doesn’t cancel, then the funds would go towards that balance. Otherwise, Lewis gets to keep the $225.
Seems like a lot of money for mailing out a disk of HOA documents and changing records to reflect a new owner. Am I missing something here? Are there that many cancellations now?
Admittedly, I’m not a big fan of HOA management companies. They like to charge for giving out information that home buyers require. They don’t always send out the required information in a timely manner. I’ve run across a few exceptions.
Here’s a list of neighborhoods managed by Lewis. If you’re buying or selling in one of these neighborhoods, be prepared to pony up $225 just to get them to send out the HOA information required to be sent by contract.
- About Tucson (27)
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- First Time Buyer (20)
- Home Buying (72)
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- Homeowner Associations (5)
- Loans and Financing (22)
- Market Discussion (3)
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- Odds and Ends (50)
- Purchase Contract (1)
- Relocating (7)
- Repair Renovate Maintain (14)
- Restaurants (13)
- Top Ten (2)
- Tucson Events (19)
- Tucson Homes Explained (17)
- Tucson Land (5)
- Tucson Neighborhoods (18)
