January 31, 2010 by Donna Anderson.

Open enrollment ends the end of February, so you may want to finish your application on-line. Go to www.cfsd16.org to learn more about Tucson’s top schools with the highest test scores, smallest classes and best physical envirnoment with backdrops of the fabulous Catalina Foothills. The schools have all been “excelling”  for the past 7 years. Catalina Foothills High is in the top 2% as per Newsweek. My daughter goes to Esperero Canyon Middle School, and I was happy to find she has Physical Education, Spanish and either Music or Art every school day. Her teachers and the administration is superb!

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January 27, 2010 by Donna Anderson.

Just yesterday 3 luxury homes went under contract in the Tucson Catalina Foothills.  They are:

7173 N Cathedral Rock Place    List Price $875,000     The Foothills       1.58 acre    4,570 sq ft    

6414 N Desert Wind Circle          List Price  $989,000    Ventana Canyon   .56 acre  3,330 sq ft

1887 E Desert Garden Drive        List Price $1,250,000  Pima Canyon       1.05 acre   4,335 sq ft

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January 26, 2010 by Donna Anderson.

Thirty - two lots in Stone Canyon 3 in Rancho Vistoso in Oro Valley, right outside Tucson, are slated to go to public auction on March 31st. The 32 - one acre and larger lots  offer golf course ambiance. Stone Canyon’s homes start around 1 million, and its setting offers magnificent vistas of multiple mountain ranges, and the pristine Sonoran Desert.  

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January 25, 2010 by Donna Anderson.

It is interesting to note that of the 37 houses that have sold since the first of this year or are under contract wait to close escrow, the most popular communities are: Alta Vista, Honeybee Canyon and Dove Mountain.

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January 21, 2010 by Donna Anderson.

 There are 59 Tucson luxury homes that either closed escrow (in Jan. ‘10) or are under contract that are priced between 500K and 1 million. Fifteen are from the 85750 zip code and fifteen are from the 85718 zip code–both zip codes are in the heart of the Catalina Foothills. Seven homes are located in Oro Valley. Surprisingly enough only two are located at Dove Mountain and only one is located in Vail. The rest are scattered all over the rest of Tucson.  It is no surprise that most luxury homes that are selling are in the main Foothills zip codes of 85718 and 85750. Most homes in these zip codes are districted for the coveted Catalina Foothills - District 16 schools and this is where most of the resorts, high-line shopping and restaurants are located. Main epicenter Foothills zip codes usually represent the best investment. That being said, Oro Valley and Dove Mountain  offer a beautiful setting with views of multiple mountain ranges and are more affordable. Tucson has many choices to reside where you can live the good life! Prices are more affordable than ever and many are taking advantage of the low interest rates and prices that are the same as four years ago. Why suffer through a cold and dismal winter when you can have 360 days of sunshine in beautiful Tucson?

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January 20, 2010 by Donna Anderson.

There are 14 homes priced over a million that are listed under contract or closed escrow so far in January 2010. The prices range from $1,095,000 - $1,861,500. Some of the community sales include one at Ventana Canyon, one at Alta Vista, one at Skyline Country Club, one at Honeybee Ridge and three at Dove Mountain. With so many homes over a million that are aggressively priced, we are sure to have many more highline homes sold in 2010. This is a great start to 2010.

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January 14, 2010 by Donna Anderson.

In December the Long Foothills office seemed slower than other Decembers, however, now that we are in to January the buyer activity has increased tremendously, and with it we are seeing more sales in the $500,000 and above range. Homes that are priced aggressively and show well are now selling. We see many homes that have been on the market for a very long time ( a year or more) are finally selling. All have had multiple price drops. We are also seeing more homes priced well to begin with, and then selling within 90 days. The market definitely has picked up from November and December. This may be a sign of a market pickup in the popular and beautiful Catalina Foothills area of Tucson.

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January 12, 2010 by Donna Anderson.

Where I do most of my business, in the Tucson Catalina Foothills, I am amazed at the number of real estate agents that don’t get it. You can not sell homes at the same prices or more than the peak of the market that occurred 3 or 4 years ago! What planet do these agents come from? They are not doing justice by their Sellers who are listing their homes at prices that are not competitive and are on the market so long that they grow stale. Prices in homes 500K and above have been declining and yet many of the agents from the top offices that are top - producing agents continue to attach their reputation to way over-priced listings. Gone are the days when there are “California Buyers” heading into town who can not believe how much lower the prices are here so pay too much for Tucson Foothills homes. Buyers move slowly and cautiously in today’s market, and they make sure they are very educated before they take the plunge to buy. I for one am not going to join this group of agents that must be taking these listings,  figuring in time they will reduce to a sellable price. The Sellers lose out in the end because the listing becomes dated. The best buyers come at the beginning of the listing, not months after it has been on the market. Perplexing, and the only way I can make sense of it is that these agents have never seen a market like this so there is a long learning curve for them. Just because they are top agents from top real estate offices does not mean that the price they list many homes for sale makes sense. So if you are planning on buying a home in the Catalina Foothills, you better have a good agent who can weed through all these over-priced homes for sale, so you won’t waste time and you can zero in on the homes that are priced where they should be. And while we are on the subject of real estate agents, why list your home with an agent that just tells you what you want to hear, and is afraid to tell you the truth about the market and is not telling you about the pitfalls of trying to sell your home at a price that is not competitive? I laugh when I hear agents tell me that the list price is what the Sellers paid for it 3 years ago, plus commission. The list price should be detemined by studying the most recent competitive closed sales.  

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January 8, 2010 by Donna Anderson.

I am holding my listing at Sabino Mountain on 4128 N Sunset Cliff Place ($459,000), open this Sunday from 1-4 PM. Please feel free to preview this beautiful home or stop by for me to help you with any of your real estate concerns. This two-story home is almost 3K square feet and is very upgraded and has been impeccably maintained by the original owner. It has a large, gorgeous first floor master suite. Vacation at home in  the sparkling,heated pebble-tec pool with waterfalls, in-ground cleaning system, remote and whirlpool jets. There are some nice Catalina Mt views from the rear of the home. This home is priced to sell. Sabino Mountain is a newish, gated community that is minutes from Ventana Canyon, Canyon Ranch and Sabino Canyon. Call 520-918-2410 for directions or drive to the Sabino Mt gate where directions will be posted.

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January 6, 2010 by Donna Anderson.

This is a reminder that not only first time home buyers (or those who have not purchased a home in the last 3 years) are  eligible for the home buyers’ tax credit. For the purchase of homes 800K or under all buyers are eligible if you are an existing homeowner  who has owned your home for 5 out of the last 8 years and are purchasing a new principal residence. The new home can be a lower price than your existing home. It is not a requirement to sell your present residence to qualify for this tax credit. The income limits for a single person are 125K and for joint filers 225K.  The tax credit is $6,500, but you must act quickly because you must have a ratified contract by April 30th and close escrow by the end of June. The first time-home buyers credit has different qualifications and offers up to 8K tax credit.

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