Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Sharing a Little Thought on Perspective

Sharing a Little Thought on Perspective

Last Thanksgiving, I met a lovely couple from New Jersey, visiting Tucson and trying to decide if they'd like to make their retirement home here. She was 60, he was 55. Long story short, end of January, they moved into their new home down in the Corona de Tucson area. It was a newer home, quite lovely, and they made it their own in just a short few weeks.

I'd gotten to know "Anne" quite well through emails - she had a habit of sending a novelette almost every morning, and was a great question ask-er. She asked me so many questions, she said, and I quote "When we began looking for a home in Tucson, AZ, we knew absolutely nothing about Arizona. Cara M. Mancuso made this part of the US as familiar to us as our backyard in New Jersey." Trust me, it was mostly because she asked so many questions!!

Needless to say, we grew close when we met and worked together in person, and she continues her emails to this day. Through them, I received the most distressing of news.

Not a month after they moved to Tucson, her husband was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. They've tried all sorts of experimental surgery - not to mention chemo and radiation. Her last email to me said that they put 70 miles a day on their vehicle, just driving to medical treatments.

To date, NOTHING has worked. They can't sleep due to his coughing, and they can't eat for the stress, worry, and let's face it - chemo messes up your taste buds. This couple knows no one outside of medical personnel, and myself, here in Tucson. They don't have children. They are, for all intents and purposes, alone here.

I don't know what to say. I don't know how to answer her emails anymore. I don't even know what I want by posting this. I just feel so badly for them, and so helpless looking at their circumstances.

Life is fragile. Relationships are precious. I know she is Christian - so I ask for your prayers and I will pass notice of that request on to her. Love your friends and family. Nothing is so bad in our own lives that looking at someone's elses doesn't give a better perspective.

Thanks,

Friday, June 25, 2010

Tucson Event with Interfaith Community Services

Tucson Event with Interfaith Community Services

Sunday, June 27, ICS is wrapping up their Freedom from Hunger Food Drive. ICS is a non-profit group that has helped the citizens of Pima County; Tucson and surrounding areas since 1985. Programs include Mobile Meals, visits and calls, transportation, home repairs and food pantry.

During their Freedom from Hunger Drive, ICS has collected more than 2 tons of food. The final event will be this Sunday at the Christ Presbyterian Church at 6565 E. Broadway, Tucson.

  • Who: ICS at Christ Presbyterian Church
  • Where: 6565 E Broadway
  • When: 3-5 p.m
  • What: Free event for all
How to enjoy:
Free ice cream donated by Cold Stone Creamery
Sign language routines set to music
Music by the Tucson Jazz Institute

What to bring: Donations of non-perishable food may be brought on or before June 27 to:
  • Interfaith Community Services - Ina Road
  • Hughes Fedral Credi Union - Wetmore, Speedway, ThornyDale, Rita Road, Pantano Road, Kohlb Road or Hermans Road locations
  • Thrivent Financial for Lutherans - Sunrise Drive or Tanque Verde Road

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Please Help Us Sell Our Townhome!!

Please help us sell our townhome!

It's coming up on our third wedding anniversary, and in the shadow of that lovely day lurks a dark, and defeating feeling of hopelessness.

No, not the marriage, but the exhausting effort of combining two households, and getting rid of the excess. In short, selling my home to move into our new home.

I got the townhome ready for the market: new garage door, new ceramic tile flooring, updated the countertops, restored all of the trim and woodwork in the home, oiled the front door woodwork and repainted all of the wrought iron, re-sealed and resurfaced all of the patios, re-coated the roof, tore out the master bedroom carpeting, sanded, and put a modern, painted cement floor in, painted the garage - in fact, painted the entire house in the four years I lived there, cleaned EVERY thing, put in a new cook top, and got rid of all clutter.

My neighbor's home, same floor plan, no updates, was appraised at x amount of dollars. So, I put my townhome several thousand below that to look competitive. As the months dragged by, we slowly lowered the price.

It's a nice, sturdy townhome in a private, small community in the foothills of Tucson. Pride of ownership is number one in this collection of 23 homes. My home has a front patio with grapefruit tree, a nice sized back yard, fully landscaped. There are no cracks in the home, it's clean and immaculate. It's not totally renovated, I can't afford to throw away money on that, but there are many improvements that keep it comparable in this zip code.

In the first 18 months on the market, the top critisism I received was, only 2 bedrooms, walnut wood trim, beamed ceilings, dark interior, and dated bathrooms.

End of 2009, we took it off the market for five months and put in all new plumbing in the kitchens and bath. We repainted the kitchen cabinets to an off white, and took down one row of cabinets to make it more airy. The entire kitchen was painted bright white to open it up. The bathrooms got brand new tile vanities, new sinks, recoated shower and bath fixtures. I spent hundreds on staging materials to create a cozy atmosphere. The patios were re-sealed, the house thoroughly re-cleaned, and back it went on the market again in April, with another price drop.

In two months, perhaps ten people have viewed this property. At this point, we've lowered the price - to match the market of course, $120,000. At this stage, to lower the price anymore doesn't cover the mortgage payoff at close of escrow. It is more than $30 a sq ft lower than the average of every home on the market in a one mile radius. It is $20 a sq ft lower than the most "comparable" average. Yes, the market is saturated: A square mile radius reveals 87 homes for sale, 52 of them townhomes or condos. This home has been advertised in over 30 places online, and in the local color magazines.

I've attached the video of the townhome.



The best anniversary present we could receive is an offer on this townhome. If someone you know is looking for a 2 bedroom townhome in the foothills of Tucson, please share this video with them.

You be the judge. Please watch this video and share your opinion. Please help us sell our townhome.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

More Juice, Please

So, things have been a bit slow here - okay, downright like a snail blazing a trail through high-fructose corn syrup - and so to keep motivation up, and maximize my down time, I've been educating myself on social networking. Those of you on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, ActiveRain, and LinkedIn might know what I'm talking about. And then, according to the kajillion video instruction guides I've watched and read, you're supposed to cross reference them all in the name of "Google Juice."

So who say's an old dog can't learn new tricks??? I'm jumping, I'm rolling over, I'm begging for bones...well, buyers and sellers, anyway.

My big problem is, I like to do hands on my own sites simultaneously as I'm watching their online instructions. It helps re-enforce that 20% that commits to permanent memory, or as permanent as memory can be when you thrive on many things going on at once. Thank God for lists - but that's another subject.

Anyway, so I get about half way through the instructions and then, go off on my own. Sort of like putting together your own loft bed, or trampoline, or bicycle...so I'm pre-warning you, I'm certain there's a few screws loose out there in my social networks. Desperation will probably send me back to tidy up loose ends, but right now, I'm taking the wild leap and running on momentum.

I run across a few jokes, and great photographs from my fellow net-workers out there in social media land - so here's one to share:

Two Irish hunters got a pilot to fly them to Canada to hunt moose. They managed to bag 6. As they were loading the plane to return, the pilot said the plane could take only 4 moose.
The two lads objected strongly. "Last year we shot six. The pilot let us take them all and he had the same plane as yours."
Reluctantly, the pilot gave in and all six were loaded. However, even on full power, the little plane couldn't handle the load and went down. Somehow, surrounded by the moose bodies, Paddy and Mick survived the crash.
After climbing out of the wreckage, Paddy asked Mick, "Any idea where we are?"
Mick replied, "I think we're pretty close to where we crashed last year."

Have a great week!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Does Washing Produce Get Rid of Bacteria?



Does Washing Produce Get Rid of Bacteria?

Wow - take a few moments to read the above post! It's time to start visiting this list of farmer's markets near Tucson that I recently compiled. Here,
I'll share!

Farmers' Markets

Alan Ward Downtown Mercado: south lawn of the Main Library, 101 N. Stone Ave., 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesdays, October through May; 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesdays, June through September (339-4008).

Broadway Village Farmers' Market: 2926 E. Broadway Blvd., 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Fridays (603-8116).

Cat Mountain Station: 2740 S. Kinney Road, 8 a.m. to noon, the second Saturday of each month (578-8795).

Community Food Bank: 3003 S. Country Club Road, 8 a.m. to noon, Tuesdays (622-0525).

El Presidio Plaza Park Mercado: 115 N. Church Ave., 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Fridays (339-4008).

Farmers' Market at Park Place Mall: 5870 E. Broadway Blvd., 1 to 6 p.m., Tuesdays (603-8116).
Farmers' Market at Tucson Mall: 4500 N. Oracle Road, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursdays (293-7330).


Green Things: 3235 E. Allen Road, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sundays (299-9471).

Marana Farm Stand: 12375 N. Heritage Park Drive, Marana, 4 to 7 p.m., Mondays (622-0525, ext. 242).

Oracle Farmers' Market: 2805 N. Triangle L Ranch Road, 9 a.m. to noon, Saturdays (896-2123).
Oro Valley Farmers' Market: Town Hall at the corner of La CaƱada Drive and Naranja Road, 8 a.m. to noon, Saturdays (882-2157).

Plaza Palomino: 2970 N. Swan Road, winter: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturdays; summer: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturdays (www.plazapalomino.com).

Rincon Valley Farmers' Market: 12500 E. Old Spanish Trail, winter: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturdays; summer: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturdays (591-2276).

St. Philip's Plaza Saturday Farmers' Market: St. Philip's Plaza, southeast corner of River Road and Campbell Avenue, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturdays (603-8116).

Santa Cruz River Farmers' Market: Northeast Corner of Speedway Boulevard and Riverview boulevards, 4 to 7 p.m., Thursdays (622-0525).



Tucson Farmers' Market: St. Philip's Plaza, southeast corner of River Road and Campbell Avenue, winter: 8 a.m. to noon, Sundays; summer: 8 a.m. to noon, Sundays (882-2157).

Tucson's Green Art and Farmers' Market: 8995 E. Tanque Verde Road; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Friday and Saturday (982-2645)

Udall Park Farmers' Market: Morris K. Udall Regional Center, 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road, 8 a.m. to noon, Fridays (882-2157).

Monday, May 10, 2010

Beautiful Tucson

Been taking lots of walks this spring and decided to share some of the beauty with everyone. Enjoy the slide show below - We're positively bloomin' in Arizona!



Have a great spring!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

The Marvels of Computer Communication

Technology is an amazing thing. Overwhelming, in fact. When we think back to what didn't exist just a few short years ago to now, and imagine what might be ahead...it's mind boggling.

I have to say, the best thing about technology to me is the way you can stay in touch with family and friends now. Texting, skype, email, ipod, iphone, computers, youtube, twitter, cell phones...the list seems endless.

One of my sons is getting his master's in Technology. He's currently a special education teacher now in Wisconsin. (Yes, there's a fancier name - ED/LD or something...) and he's enjoyed dabbling in technology more and more over the years.
Since Christmas, we've been enjoying face to face visits on something called SKYPE.
It's free - and I recommend it to anyone who has a microphone and camera on their phone. Or...you can buy one on EBAY for less than ten bucks.

Check out this link to see a funny short on communicating with your grandchildren across the miles. It shows us visiting from Tucson, AZ, with our son and his family in Green Bay, WI. The clip is extra interesting because it incorporates computer, SKYPE, video camera, and iphone - all within the context of a family good-night bedtime story.



Let me end with this - circulates around in an email now and then, but if you're new to email...it's fresh to you:

You know you are in 2010 when....

1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.

2. You haven’t played solitaire with real cards in years.

3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.

4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.

5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don’t have e-mail addresses.

6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.

7 Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.

8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn’t have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.

10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.

11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )

12. You’re reading this and nodding and laughing.

Have a great week!

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Monday, January 18, 2010

FHA 90 Day Flip Rule Is Waived for 1 Year

Good news for investors in Tucson Real Estate!

Effective February 1st 2010, FHA/ HUD will not require that a seller of a property be on title for 90 days or more in order to sell the property to a borrower acquiring FHA financing. This is an incredible opportunity for the majority of buyers & sellers in today’s market.

This news is an important decision handed down by HUD as it proposed to dramatically assist the real estate market recovery.

Prior to HUD’s decision, HUD required that a seller had to hold onto the title of the property for a period of 90 days after settlement date. This has always affected an investor’s decision in accepting an offer made on the investment property by a FHA Approved Buyer. This will all change on February 1st for a temporary period of 1 year.

Below is an excerpt from the HUD website:

“In today’s market, FHA research finds that acquiring, rehabilitating and the reselling these properties to prospective homeowners often takes less than 90 days. Prohibiting the use of FHA mortgage insurance for a subsequent resale within 90 days of acquisition adversely impacts the willingness of sellers to allow contracts from potential FHA buyers because they must consider holding costs and the risk of vandalism associated with allowing a property to sit vacant over a 90-day period of time.

The policy change will permit buyers to use FHA-insured financing to purchase HUD-owned properties, bank-owned properties, or properties resold through private sales. This will allow homes to resell as quickly as possible, helping to stabilize real estate prices and to revitalize neighborhoods and communities.”

This great news obviously comes with some restrictions. However, they are minimal but important when looking at the new rule. REMEMBER, THIS IS FOR ONE (1) YEAR ONLY!!

The New FHA 90 Day Flip Rules

The waiver will take effect on February 1, 2010 and is effective for one year, unless otherwise extended or withdrawn by the FHA Commissioner. To protect FHA borrowers against predatory practices of “flipping” where properties are quickly resold at inflated prices to unsuspecting borrowers, this waiver is limited to those sales meeting the following general conditions:

•All transactions must be arms-length, with no identity of interest between the buyer and seller or other parties participating in the sales transaction.
•In cases in which the sales price of the property is 20 percent or more above the seller’s acquisition cost, the waiver will only apply if the lender meets specific conditions.
•The waiver is limited to forward mortgages, and does not apply to the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) for purchase program.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Top Ten Place to Live!

How about this!!!

Tucson was on the list of the Top 10 cities to find the best home! Check out the link below to the video from the Today Show on NBC.

By the way, it's been in the 70's all this week! January!! What a place to live!

The Today Show

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