The Housechick Blog

Selected scenes from Pima Canyon, a Tucson neighborhood. Such a nice, peaceful place.

And some yellow flowers, just for fun.

There was an article about loft projects in Tucson today in the Arizona Daily Star (will go behind registration wall soon, but registering is free).

There’s always a lot of talk about loft projects, especially in the downtown Tucson area.  I often get calls from people in other states, looking to purchase a little loft downtown, especially as a vacation home.  They want to live in a low maintenance place, where they can get to a grocery store and restaurants and other shops within easy walking distance.  Some are ecologically minded, wanting to use a car less, some are just drawn by convenience.

All, however, want something affordable.  Which is a little harder to find.

In general, I see interest in loft projects, but not at the current pricing.  And I think that’s reflected in the number of loft projects that have stalled.

Take a look at the article, it has a list of "lofts in limbo" and "lofts pending."

Among the pending lofts is the Post Lofts, at 56 E Congress.  The developer has promised to start construction, but they’re already well behind schedule.  These lofts went into MLS for a short period of time and then were all withdrawn.  Units started in the high $200s.

44 Broadway is under construction, but as far as I know, there is an interest list but no reservations or sales taken yet.  And no pricing that I can see.

The Ice House lofts started much earlier, and sold out in 2005, while the Academy Lofts started in 2006, I believe, are partially rental units due to the agreement when the place converted, but of the 11 units that could be sold, only 6 have.

Did Tucson hit the loft market too late?  There’s certainly still interest in living downtown, but the timing - is there enough downtown to keep people living there right now?  Will there be if and when some of these loft projects finish?  You need people downtown to support downtown businesses, but you need the businesses there to draw the people.

Something to keep an eye on.  If prices were lower, I’d be more interested, personally.

Been perusing Northern Tucson over by Sabino Canyon recently, and spent some time in Sabino Mountain today.  Such lovely views from some of those homes.

This is the view from one of the spare bedroom windows, overlooking the pool with the waterfall and the dramatic Catalina mountains as a backdrop.

And here’s overlooking the city, looking more or less South, from the backyard.  I bet they get magnificent sunset and city lights.

Sabino Mountain is near Snyder and Sabino Canyon Roads in North Tucson, with roughly 300 homes and huge protected desert areas.  There are high end custom homes here, as well as a few smaller production builder homes.  Today, prices start in the low $400ks and head up quickly from there.

I’ve got a client looking for a vacation home in the Tucson Foothills, and we’ve concentrated our search on the Sabino Canyon/Ventana Canyon area.

I like this little corner of Tucson a lot - there’s a nice shopping center so a grocery store, drug store, and restaurants are all very nearby, and then there’s the beautiful Sabino Canyon area, which speaks for itself.  It’s a popular second home or vacation home area.

There are several condo conversion projects in the area; some are only resale units and some are still for sale by the developer.

By the way, a condo conversion in this area means an apartment complex that has been converted to ownership units - converted to condos and each unit is sold off individually.

We spent most of our time at Veranda at Ventana, the Greens at Ventana, and at Canyon View at Ventana.  Those first two are still being sold by the developer, and the third is all resale units.

Prices vary from, oh, the $130s to the mid $200ks, depending on size, complex, view, and level of interior finishes.  There’s one complex that has a relationship with a vacation rental management company.  I don’t have costs on hand for that, but I thought that was an incredibly smart move on behalf of the complex.

If you’re thinking about a condo over in that Ventana/Sabino Canyon area, send me an email and we can set up the guided tour.

Photo via Flickr, courtesy of jordansmall

Today we explore Broadmoor, in Central Tucson.

Broadmoor is one of my favorite little neighborhoods in Central Tucson.  It is bounded by Broadway Blvd, Country Club, Tucson Blvd, and Stratford Drive, which means it sits right beside Reid Park, is about 1.5 miles to the University of Arizona, 2 miles to UMC, and roughly 3 miles to Downtown Tucson. 

Reid Park has a Zoo, dog parks, summer concerts, a community center, two golf courses, tennis courts, and a huge walking/cycling path.  Plus, there are myriad restaurants and shopping right along Broadway Blvd.  It’s really a fabulous location.

While you can’t beat the Broadmoor location, the pricing is even better.  Broadmoor is surrounded by neighborhoods like Colonia Solana, El Encanto, and Sam Hughes, who all have typical home prices of a half million and more.  Broadmoor homes go from the low $200,000s to the high $300,000s (as of 12/2007). 

Broadmoor has a relatively low turn-over rate, and is largely single family homes.  This makes it a rather stable neighborhood, with an active neighborhood association.  There is no mandatory Homeowner’s association, rather, it is a voluntary neighborhood association, to which a $15 annual payment is appreciated.

Broadmoor was created on the site of a former golf course in 1944, and the houses there were built between then and roughly the mid 1950s.  Most homes are brick, or are brick with an exterior stucco finish.  Given the age of the homes, most were originally built on the smallish side by today’s standards, but have been added onto to create larger homes. 

The average home is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 1700 sq ft house, although there are plenty of 2 bed, 1 bath homes in the area.  Pricing varies widely, based on size and condition, but will generally run between $200,000 and $400,000.

You can see the homes available for sale in Broadmoor here. 

Broadmoor is in the TUSD school district, and is serviced by Robison Elementary, Mansfeld Middle School, and Tucson High.

So that’s Broadmoor in Central Tucson, one of my favorite little places, tucked away in one of the best locations in Tucson, with charming older homes.  Want to learn more?  Send me an email and we can chat.

Yesterday, I got a call from a resident of North Ranch, a subdivision in Northwestern Tucson.  She was interviewing a couple of local Tucson real estate agents, trying to put some information together for the North Ranch homeowner association board meeting.  I am not privy to all the details, but it sounds like the community is thinking about changing the color scheme.  I gather that they want to increase their resale value and “get homes selling” in the area.

North Ranch is off of Thornydale, north of Linda Vista.  There’s about 700 homes in the subdivision, and most were built in the early 1990s.  The average house is about 1900 square feet, and sits on about a 0.1 acre lot.  Typical turnaround on these houses is about 3.25 years, and the average sales price over the last 6 months is $244,565, with a median of $219,000.  

A defining characteristic of the neighborhood is the color of the houses.  In fact, the resident I talked to has heard it called the “pepto bismol” neighborhood.  In fact, the resident I talked to related a specific incident where someone chose to live in a different neighborhood just because of the pink houses.  From what I gather in our conversation, the association picked colors in the past that faded badly.  I don’t think it’s that bad, really. 

It’s good to hear that the association is trying to address the colors of the houses.  It’s a very nice area up there, and having a little change of colors of the exteriors would help to make the subdivision a little more personalized, more custom.

So does pink really matter?  I think so, especially if you’re the one pink house in a sea of earth tones.  If every house is pink, well, maybe it matters less.  However, there is so much inventory right now that buyers can afford to be extra picky.  Maybe pink is a deciding factor after all.

There have been 20 houses sold in North Ranch over the past 6 months.  There are 25 houses on the market right now.  That means there’s over a 6 month supply of houses in North Ranch.  I’m sure there are 25 anxious home sellers in North Ranch, but it’s going to take some time for all of that inventory to sell, pink house or not.

Today, we explore Colonia Solana, in Central Tucson.

Colonia Solana sits in a rather prime central location, just South of Broadway and East of Country Club.  The Eastern and Southern sides of the neighborhood are bounded by Reid Park and the Randolph golf course. 

This puts Colonia Solana within a short walk to everything Reid Park has to offer: the zoo, the pool, Hi Corbett Field, and both North and South Randolph golf courses, not to mention the walking trails around the whole thing.

It’s also about 3 miles from downtown, and maybe 2 miles to the University of Arizona.  El Con Mall is right across Broadway, with it’s Home Depot, Target, movie theater, and hopefully more as El Con starts it’s slow revitalization.  Broadway is dotted with lots of restaruants and services as well.

 What I like most about Colonia Solana is the feel: this is a picture of one of the neighborhood roads.  With all the little winding streets and the big trees, it feels like a remote spot, but really you’re right in the city.

The houses tend to be big brick ranches, with a couple that have been stuccoed, or have a second story.  The homes themselves are on big lots, by midtown Tucson standards, and usually sit pretty far off the road.  Sometimes it’s hard to tell what is a driveway and what is the street!

Despite being in the middle of town, the place feels very calm and secluded.  The winding narrow roads keep out cross traffic.

Colonia Solana is in the TUSD school district, and is serviced by Robison Elementary, Mansfeld Middle school, and Tucson High.

Average home prices run from around $800,000 to roughly $1,300,000, so it’s one of our pricier midtown neighborhoods.  Homes in that area were built largely between the 1930s and the 1960s, with usually 3000+ square feet, and a typical lot is about an acre.  It’s a pretty small neighborhood, with very little turnover, so it can be difficult to get into Colonia Solana.

You can see everything for sale currently in Colonia Solana here.

So that’s Colonia Solana, one of my favorite places for Tucson real estate.  Pique your interest?  Looking for something classy in central Tucson?  Send me an email, and we’ll find the right neighborhood for you.

Today, we explore the Blenman Elm Neighborhood, in central Tucson.

Blenman Elm sits in mid-town Tucson, bordered by Country Club, Speedway, Grant, and Campbell, excluding the Northwest corner of that area, where Catalina Vista sits.

This puts Blenman Elm anywhere from next door to two miles from the University of Arizona and University Medical Center, depending on what section of Blenman you live in - and therefore makes the neighborhood generally highly desired.  There are retail and commercial businesses along the borders at both Speedway and Grant, with nice little restaurants, video stores, and other local businesses within close walking distance.

Blenman Elm is also home to the Blenman Elementary School.  Residents are part of the Tucson Unified School District, and would also attend Doolen Middle School, or Catalina High School.

Blenman is one of those classic Central Tucson neighborhoods - it’s charming, there’s always people out walking dogs or cycling down the streets, and the houses, while sometimes quirky, are of a variety of architectural styles.  You’ll see lots of personality expressed in the resident’s homes.

In general, the area is well maintained.  Homes tend to be from the mid 1900s, and sit on long rectangular lots.  Some of the homes have guest houses on the back portion, but not every lot is zoned to allow this.

There are several reasons I like Blenman: I like the character of the houses, the location is convenient, and it feels like a friendly place to me.  There’s always someone to wave at as I ride my bike through the neighborhood.

Prices in the area range widely, according to size of the house, updates made, and lot size.  Today, that range is from $125,000 to $1,100,000, with the median house weighing in at $315,000.  The typical size is 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, around 1500 square feet, but this can also vary widely.  Click here and here to see houses for sale in Blenman Elm currently.

So that’s Blenman Elm!  Just another reason to love real estate in Tucson.  If you’re interested in a place like this, I’d be happy to help you.  There are plenty of special neighborhoods in Tucson, I’m sure we can find just the right one.  Email me, and let’s talk.

Welcome to Historic Catalina Vista, a neighborhood in Central Tucson. 

Catalina Vista is bounded by Campbell Ave, Grant Road, Tucson Blvd, and Elm St.  The land that created Catalina Vista was subdivided in 1940, and the neighborhood is nearly all single family homes on nice large size lots. 

 Catalina Vista is within eyesight of the University Medical Center, and within a mile of the University of Arizona, which keeps values high in this neighborhood.

 What I like best about Catalina Vista is the winding streets and the large lots.  It looks like very gracious, serene living.  There are palm tree lined streets, a round-about or two, and a small-but-nice park. 

Here’s a map from the assessor’s office.  You can see the nice circular roads.  For being off of Campbell Avenue, there aren’t too many people taking shortcuts through the neighborhood when traffic gets busy.  I think we can thank the curvy street plan for that!

Here’s the park.  I like that many of the streets and medians are lined with palm trees. 

The average house is about 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and was built in the 1950s.  House sizes average to around 2230 square feet (but range between 800 and 5000 sq ft), and quarter acre lots are fairly common, with much larger and smaller parcels scattered inbetween.  As of today, lower priced homes in the Catalina Vista are  around $350,000, and the high end of the range is around $800,000.  You can search for Catalina Vista homes currently on the market here.

This little guy (or girl, I can’t tell) was hopping along the road, aiming for one of the green lawns around the corner.  At least, that’s where I assume he was headed. 

Catalina Vista neighborhood kids attend Tucson Unified School District schools: Blenman Elementary, Doolen Middle, and Catalina High School.

Interested in an area like this?  There’s plenty of others, in a variety of price ranges.  Send me an email and we can talk about this and other Tucson real estate neighborhoods.

 I received confirmation today that Tortolita Vistas is now selling lots.  I’ve been hearing the buzz about this land subdivision for a couple months now, and it would seem the developer is finally ready to sell off the land.

Tortolita Vistas is 230 acres with 150 custom home sites, ranging from 3/4 acre to a bit over 1 acre per lot.  Based on the location, there ought to be fabulous mountain views of the Catalinas and the Tortolitas.  For those familiar with Northwest Tucson, this development is just East of Dove Mountain.

They should be ready to write contracts in about 10 days.

35 lots are available now.  Pricing starts at $265,000 for 3/4 acres, and runs up to $347,000 for the higher elevation lots.

I can’t post the brochure and price list here, but am happy to email them to you.  Just Ask!

Cottonwood Properties is the developer, and the listing Brokerage is Dove Mountain properties.