Blog Post 11-2-07

Quality is an enduring principle in many things but especially in real estate. There seems to be a trend developing (again) that the properties on the market that exemplify nice "character" are still attractive to potential home & land purchasers. This "character" is found not only in the macro sense i.e. the REGION where we live or are giving consideration to live in, but also in the micro sense of NEIGHBORHOOD, COMMUNITY, UNIVERSITY, MUSEUMS, EVENTS etc.

I have often advised clients to consider the "quality" or "character" of the real estate they are considering to purchase. The macro concept of REGION is already a given when clients contact me on buying land or homes in the Tubac Real Estate market. They have already been investigating this area and Tubac& Santa Cruz County are both compelling places to consider living... people have figured this out.

The more micro characteristics of a property are more subtle and can be viewed in different ways by people with differing interests. Some want close proximity to town and the events that they enjoy attending, others want to enjoy these events but are happier with the privacy afforded by living in the country far from the urban centers.

The most detailed consideration of a purchase decision is the distinctive nature of the property itself (well, and the cost of course). Here in Tubac as in some areas around Tucson, VIEWS are a primary consideration and working with a property that has exceptional views brings much of our satisfaction going forward with our purchase of real property.

Other enduring characteristics of importance in purchasing real estate in Tubac or Tucson are how a property can be developed, enhanced i.e. remodeled, or enjoyed as is without any major alterations. Our Southern Arizona Region is blessed with a great climate, one of the 5 "C"s that has created our regional economy. Can you name any of the five C's?  Southern Arizona has a CLIMATE that has been the foundation for a thriving real estate economy because it enables residents to have an active outdoor lifestyle much of the year. But even more than this, it is the desert, it's spare but impressive vegetation and especially the LIGHT from the clear sky that enlivens our surroundings and bathes the interiors of our homes.

Quality does endure and it even endures "down" real estate markets. If you purchase something of quality, you will be richly rewarded for this choice no matter at what level you purchase. Some of us will buy a home based on the home's character itself. If this is the primary factor that influences your choice it can be at many levels of price, either at the top end of the real estate market such as this Ventana Area home (map) that just sold for $8 million (AZ Starnet) Ventana-area home sells for $8 million or at other price points.

Quality endures at all levels of participation and it is discussed  in Conde Nast's PORTFOLIO.com in this article Starchitecture for a Song. View the slide show to see the homes that others have found around the country.

There are some very nice Tubac homes and only some of them will ever be for sale. It just might be why this downturn in the real estate market is not as structurally difficult as many people feel compelled to believe it is. Many times it is the land itself that can make for you the decision to bring inspiration and you or your architect's vision to bear. What I am getting at is that buying a quality parcel of land for your custom home is essential to building a quality project. The home itself is made better when placed upon and into the landscape that surrounds it. Here is an example of a straight forward parcel of property that when designed for and built out by a creative architect, really creates a quality property. This home exemplifies the concept & is a Rick Joy design for a stunning home in Tubac.

There are some very special Tubac Properties for sale that have the potential for an owner to create a true masterpiece. Some are Tubac Homes and others are Tubac land parcels. Your discovery of Tubac - the REGION can start the process of finding a property that simply cannot be reproduced anywhere else. A quality property is the first step.

Buy quality.... you will not be disappointed.

Blog Post 10-13-07

I have previously introduced in this blog Designing for the desert. Here is a really cool way to hear thinking by some of our well known architects who design for the desert.

I am only a little late in getting this out to you but next week is an opportunity for you to check in with local architects during Architecture Week 2007 put on by the AIA Southern Arizona chapter here in Tucson. "Growing Beyond Green" is the theme this year and a way to learn more about the role of architects in creating a sustainable and livable environment during the American Institute of Architects, Southern Arizona Chapter's Architecture Week, Saturday, October 13 to Sunday, October 21.

The series of panel discussions will discuss various topics at Tucson Branch Libraries around town. Learn about responsible desert architecture, how to make the most of a small house, and how buildings and water interact. Here is a link to the schedule of panel discussions.

If you have been contemplating adding on to your home or building your custom home here in Southern Arizona then finding out what is the latest thinking on Desert Architecture and sustainable practices is at hand for you to learn about. We don't often get the chance to listen to some really great architects discuss their philosophies and see some examples of how others have solved some of the problems that vex our living in a desert environment. I encourage you to make it to some of the discussions.

There are some public events scheduled also for this week. Here is a link to the AIA 2007 Architecture Week Events here in Tucson.

Lastly the week ends with this engaging tour of homes:

Sunday, October 21st – 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

15 th Annual Architecture Home Tour - A highlight of Architecture Week is the 15th Annual Architecture Home Tour on Sunday, October 21st, featuring a selection of homes throughout Tucson. The tour will primarily focus on local residential projects that utilize "green" elements/aspects in the architecture.

Home Tour tickets are on sale for $20. Proceeds will aid Habitat for Humanity to assist a local family in home ownership. Here is the link to purchase tickets for the Home Tour .

Blog Post 9-18-07

Everywhere you turn today you hear news stories about increasing delinquency rates, foreclosures, falling home prices, and how the subprime mortgage fallout is spreading into prime mortgages. This could lead the economy into a recession in 2008 - 2009.

The time it now takes to sell a home continues to rise and the number of closed transactions declines as buyers cancel their escrows on new homes. With this constant exposure to negative news, many buyers, sellers and agents have become paralyzed with fear. With no hope of a real estate recovery in sight, many are figuring this is a terrible real estate market. What makes it even worse than reading the news is that many of US don't understand that the real estate market that is going through a normal, natural market correction.

Well we might just all relax and try to remember that real estate is traditionally a LONG TERM INVESTMENT. It's the negative press about delinquency rates, foreclosures, falling home prices that is so unrelenting, that WE ALL start to worry. So, after living through two down-cycles in real estate, I have some insights that can help each of us to survive in a falling real estate market.

The first step is to accept that this is a normal part of the cycle of real estate. It will not last forever, but after the incredible run real estate had between 2000 and 2005, history teaches us that it will be more of a slow to normal market for at least the next couple of years. No one can accurately predict when it is going to heat up again. Once you accept the reality that this is the MARKET WE ARE IN and that it's not going to quickly return back to a hot market soon, WE can look around and see the real options that WE have. I say WE because I too am a home owner and just like you, I have grown equity in my home over the years of ownership.

Is It Time To Get Out?

There will be a general attrition of agents, mortgage loan officers, title company personnel, builders and construction workers with this change in the market dynamics. This will be somewhat healthy for the real estate industry as difficult as it will be for some families.

For home owners, real estate investors and land owners, rather than "getting out" this will be an opportunity to add to your holdings. The funny thing is that when fear grips us, we act emotionally and can become paralysed instead of continuing on with our plans. During a hot market, the press typically exaggerates the opportunities in real estate, creating the impression that anyone can buy & flip a house and make a fortune. During a down market, they exaggerate the difficulty in selling a home and talk about the devastation of foreclosures, and the failure rate of people in the real estate business.

The good news is that while consumers are hearing about all the doom and gloom of real estate, they start to appreciate the value of what they already have. It is the idea of "value investing". Your property is undoubtedly more valuable than it was previously. We should pay attention to the fact that OPPORTUNITY COMES AS MARKETS CHANGE... SUCH AS NOW. It is a good time to get going with your plans and find an experienced Realtor® to help you.

It is time to get in!

The second step is to take some action. Start looking at listings, get qualified to purchase either with a second mortgage or home equity line of credit (rates dropped half a percent today!). Get out to look at property and follow through with your plans.

Here is what Jennifer Openshaw in an article Signs of the timeswith MarketWatchsays you as a borrower will need to do:

1. Better Credit. This one's simple -- that credit score is more important than ever. Scores generally need to be 50 points higher, says Edwards, just to get the same interest rate as just a month or two ago.

2. Down Payment. The market has all but evaporated for 100 percent financing. Most loans have at least 10 percent down, and "conforming" (20 percent or higher) is required for a high-probability deal.

3. The right lender. Lenders with a technology edge, like LendingTree.com and others, who can connect to hundreds of financing firms quickly, will give you an edge.

4. Income Verification. Especially for re-fi's, expect a long wait if you can't verify income. Self-employed individuals can still get financing with verification, but may pay rates 1/2 to 1 percent higher.

5. Patience. It will take longer, but try to get backups for your deal just in case. The good news: it won't require much more work or cost on your part. But your loan officer will be a lot busier.

Jennifer adds this:

And finally, a little sage advice for buyers: "It's a buyer's market. Now that doesn't mean you should wait forever. Depending on what happens, prices may drop further, but so might your buying power -- if interest rates go up or financing tightens. If you're thinking of buying, don't wait too long to find the bottom."

More people means more ideas. More ideas mean more opinions. More media options mean more access to these ideas and opinions.

When it comes to our homes and communities more people means more homes are contemplated, dreamed about and built. Where are we getting our inspiration from when it comes to considering the kinds of homes we would like to live in? Well, local magazine articles like those found in Tucson Lifestyle Home & Garden are a good source of inspiration and tend to bias our exposure to current trends and styles. Of course we have all purchased books on homes and kitchen & bath designs if we have been thinking about remodeling our home like those from Taunton Press. But there are now soooo many options as to where to derive inspiration from on the internet it is truely amazing.

I have been thinking about regional architecture and how now, it is becoming so influenced by important styles, designs and building techniques from all over, that the term regional is getting complicated. Arrol Gellner who writes for Inman News writes in a recent article Bugged by today's architecture  "There's only one cardinal sin in architecture, and that is not thinking."

There are lots of people with thoughts on home building but here is a blog post from the Inman News blog that is quite eye opening... and it has to do with building homes from recycled material.... Sounds interesting but...

With in this post by Todd Carpenter Guest post: Shipping containers as building material is a link to this CBS video which is surely going to make the point that Regional Architecture is changing along with Globalised markets. So, is this considered "thinking"? as Arrol Gellner discusses...?

Lawrence W. Cheek has an article linked to in the post above titled On Architecture: Transforming cargo containers into a weekend studio that ends with this "There isn't a lot of what we normally think of as architecture in this prototype. It isn't picturesque, refined or sensual, and its cultural associations are all about sweaty cargo ports and Chinese industrialization -- not exactly the stuff of home-sweet-home dreams. But it's a stunning reminder of what architecture ought to be about: solving some of civilization's thorniest problems by radically reconsidering the built environment."

Addis Containers in New Zealand has a portfolio of Container designed homes at the following url http://www.containerarchitecture.co.nz/index.html 

Arizona Regional Architecture is certainly changing to a more global perspective as our needs, styles and influences expand.

Blog Post 8-21-07

Tubac is undergoing some significant land use changes as development both adds to and takes away lifestyle options for it's residents. We who live here, may have thought things would never change as we came to like the idea of a "good" coffee shop & "upscale" food market in Tubac. But even that is a change from the way things were and represents "growth".

This article by Tony Davis in the Arizona Daily Star Tubac mired in debate: Stay rural or go suburban? poses an interesting question. Will Tubac be able to grow up AND remain an attractive community for it's residents and visitors? Will the community be able to achieve growth with constraints that will foster and preserve the essence of Tubac's rural character?

Given some of the projects that have been proposed and ones in the process of trying to gain county and community support it appears that there is a clash of intents. Large scale development like so many other things "American" has gone toward "super sized" to bring an economy of scale to the projects. This makes sense given that there are some very expensive hurdles to building out a high density development east of the Santa Cruz river. Such improvements as access roads and bridges will be necessary for these types of developments and they come with a price.

The clash that developers have with long time residents and would be residents is one of expectation. Current Tubac residents and many people who hope to live there like the town the way it is. Their expectation is that things will pretty much stay the same. They do realize however, that some improvements would be desirable and enhance their lifestyles. Some developers on the other hand, see the potential in building out the Tubac area with more homes & the roads needed for traffic flow, as a plan to build the kind of developments they have built elsewhere. These developers expect things to go as they have gone elsewhere and after overcoming some community and county imposed hurdles they will begin to change the area for the better. An earlier blog post on commuting I made, discussed the process of community reaction to development.

Most of the people I have discussed this with don't want Tubac to become like all the other areas and loose the unique character it has now and those developers who work with small scale or "boutique" style projects vs "super-sized" ones could be in a better position to actually improve the community and gain support for their projects.

If Tubac didn't have such a rich history of settlement by the Spanish, a lovely siting in a valley of the Santa Cruz River, wonderful mountain surroundings and a fine Arts Community, it probably wouldn't matter if the area developed into more residential subdivisions and retail shopping.... But Tubac IS different and is not likely to support any development that compromises the character of the community.

Summer Monsoons here in Arizona are to be enjoyed by all... well almost all. The summer monsoons that affect specific areas of the globe can be quite devastating and if you live or travel in flood prone areas, watch out. Here in Southern Arizona we have major advantages of an educated public and Storm Alerts that help us all plan for possible flooding. In India & Bangladesh millions of people are affected this year by monsoon floods. This Reuters news video of the effects on flooding in India show just how fortunate we are in this region.

Pima County has a Flood Alert website that I use to check for rainfall over the last 24 hours to see if I need to take care about river and stream crossings. Since I drive through the Santa Cruz River in Tumacacori it is best to check to see the likelyhood of having to drive south and cross the bridge in Rio Rico. For this I use the USGS Real-Time Water Data site for seeing the actual flow and this will give me a measure of the cubic feet per second running where I want to cross the Santa Cruz. If it looks higher than normal, I don't even get off the Highway in Tubac and go straight to Rio Rico. Most locals here in Southern Arizona pay attention to the river & stream crossings but if you are visiting, you may not know to be careful.

Tubac is in the area called the "upper Santa Cruz valley" and we who live here are in the "upper reaches" of the Santa Cruz river drainage. A little known fact is that the Santa Cruz River has its headwaters in the San Rafael valley in Arizona but flows southward into Mexico before turning north and flowing back into Arizona. This Santa Cruz River Map from the Friends of the Santa Cruz River shows the river's upper reaches. What it doesn't show is the many tributary streams that feed into the river and add water to the basin. I have one such tributary stream crossing my property on Salero Ranch that feeds into Bond Canyon Creek which in turn flows into the Josephine Creek. Josephine is the main drainage from the south side of the Santa Rita mountains and is a primary tributary for the upper Santa Cruz.

Map courtesy of the Sonoran Institute

Blog Post 7-7-07

It was just yesterday that our region experienced an early invasion of moisture from the summer "Mexican" monsoon. This is one of the best seasons we have in the Desert Southwest around Tucson and Tubac Arizona. Moisture... what a welcome after months of dry & hot sunny weather. I hiked up the hill behind my home on Salero Ranch this morning and the grass I walked through was notably softer than the crunchy grasses I've been hiking through this last month. Moisture has a distinct feel that is somewhat uncommon here in Southeastern Arizona and it is not until the monsoon season that we get to experience any humidity at all.

The first monsoon rain coincided with my visit to a development in Tucson done by John Wesley Miller called Armory Park Del Sol. He is a noted and award winning pioneer in the creation of "net zero" energy homes in the US and concentrates his development projects in the Tucson metro area. He has still a few homes remaining for sale in this development and if you are interested check out the website www.armoryparkdelsol.com and give me a call about it. I am happy to promote sustainable developments that I feel have distinction and merit. They are unfortunately all too rare in this region.

Anyway, what I went to focus on was Rain Water Harvesting as currently being done by a developer of single family homes. I have an idea to harvest some of my roof rain water runoff to use for irrigation of some plants and trees around my home on Salero Ranch so I wanted to see how John Wesley Miller company set it up. It should come as no surprise that as much as 40% of home water is used for this type of irrigation. It is of great benefit that the Tubac AZ community seems to be interested in harvesting rainwater and even some local developers and home builders are getting interested.

Here depicted is a diagram of a Rain Water Harvesting system which shows the basics. It is truly a simple system and one that can be designed into a new home or easily added to an existing home as long as the water coming off the roof can be diverted to a scupper or gutter downspout. Santa Cruz county is promoting this methodology as well on their website under flood control as Water Harvesting and Rain Gardens. It turns out that there are other advantages to partial collection of rain water that comes off our roof. It slows down the water so that it can infiltrate the ground and decrease erosion.

The clouds are building this afternoon and there is a 40% chance of rain.... time to get to working on the system.

Tubac Event:

June 1st - First Friday - A Cool Night in Tubac

The Tubac Chamber of Commercehas created and is sponsoring a series of First Fridays evening events in Tubac starting on June 1st from 4:00 - 7:30 PM. This is a chance to spend some time in Tubac in the cooling evening as the sun is setting (Sunset June 1st - 7:24 PM). The Tubac Weatheris supposed to be fantastic!

Enjoy shopping, dining, artist demonstrations, music and dancing
under the stars during the First Friday of the summer months. A
variety of galleries and shops around the Village will be stay
open until 7:30pm. The evening festivities continue after 7:30
with dancing and music by Brazilian dance band, BATUCAXE, at
Plaza de Anza.

For information, call the Tubac Chamber at
520-398-2704.

To go away or stay home...

This is a question for the Memorial Day Weekend coming up that many of us ask ourselves and family. Then again it's not only the holiday weekends that bring up this question. It comes up on numerous occasions as we consider travel to new areas and trying out resorts, lodges or camps.

I had the occasion to visit Big Bend National Park recently on a birding trip with my wife and friends and then visited the Davis Mountains to explore this beautiful area. We stayed at the Indian Lodge which is a unique inn located in Jeff Davis County northwest of Fort Davis within the bounds of Davis Mountains State Park. Built in the 1930s, it was opened to the public in 1939.

When we "discover" a new place with intriguing environments don't we all think, "wouldn't it be nice to have a place here?" We think about this seriously at least for a time and some of us actually make plans to come back and look for property maybe as a place to retire to permanently or to have a second home. It is an intriguing process, this finding our own space.

Others of us consider not having a second home but improving our own place or buying a principal place to live with the amenities we would like to live with. This is what some of us have been working on and we set out to make our own space something like the resorts, lodges or camps we have enjoyed visiting in our travels. Is this at-home resort life possible?

The concept of living with a pool as an architectural feature in your landscape is compelling and can create an atmosphere found in some resorts. There are some simple concepts of adding not only a pool but a "pool environment" that has caught on with homeowners where the landscape architect works to incorporate pool rooms as space that creates an outdoor/indoor integration. This is an extension to the ideas of creating outdoor living space that was touched on in an earlier post Outdoor Living Rooms.

Some homeowners are actually creating a resort at home with very luxurious pool houses with kitchens, baths and entertaining spaces so homeowners and their guests can mingle about & enjoy the experience. Indoor-outdoor design holds the added appeal of outdoor living with indoor comforts and is more attractive in warmer regions like Southern Arizona as where we are more apt to open the doors year-round.

A fireplace, whether indoor or outdoor, is another popular element of a pool house or backyard oasis. The fireplace is an ideal spot to gather for family time or assembling a group of friends rather than going out. Pool areas with comfortable furniture and outdoor fireplaces continue to gain popularity in Arizona since when the sun goes down the perceptible temperature can drop quickly. An article in RDB magazine on luxury pool houses shows just how exquisite some of these projects become. Some homeowners have actually achieved the feeling of arriving at their own personal resort as they have managed to design & build their own at-home oasis or purchased a home having this feeling.

Where we live, work and play is essential to our happiness according to studies done on commuting. So how do the experts interpret our happiness quotient with regard to commuting to and from our daily jobs. Well according to Nick Paumgarten in an article in the New Yorker Magazine titled There and Back Again there is apparently a correlation between how much time we spend commuting and how happy we are. Studies quoted by Paumgarten done in Texas show that of the activities rated by 900 Texas working women, commuting came in as the least enjoyable (sex came in first).

Apparently it is the "time" we give up and is lost that gives us so little satisfaction while commuting. Commuting deprives us of the opportunity to interact with our family, friends and colleagues in any type of social setting and thus isolates us from others. Some of us resort to bridging this vacancy by using our cell phones to talk to the friends and family we won't have the time to interact with once at home or at work. I make use of my cell phone to call my parents who welcome my calls and hear how things are going and I can find out how they are doing almost daily since they live on the east coast and I live in the desert southwest, worlds apart.

Frustration with the traffic has us also checking in with the radio to get updates on traffic reports in hopes not to get trapped in any snarls that we might be able to avoid. Frustration aligns with just trying to get there. I often think of how quickly we can get to places that 100 years ago would have been "a journey" verses a trip... we are indeed more "efficient", but maybe not any happier.

Planning for growth

Paumgarten goes into the concept planners use to work with communities, the "triangle" that planners imagine where points are 1. where you sleep 2. where you work and 3. where you shop. It is like a larger "kitchen triangle" with a cooking point, a sink and a refrigerator point and the goal is to have short sides to traverse for easy and efficient activity. Of course it is a lot easier when designing a kitchen with a small number of family members than to design an ideal community with many participants including working people, mothers with children, visitors and service traffic.

If you have ever attended a meeting hosted by a developer in the beginning stages of the "community outreach" segment of the project, you might have noticed a significant lack of what civil planners would refer to as the "big picture". This is due to the focused nature of development around metro areas. It is only when the community chimes in on how the development plan will affect the community and their lifestyle that the development planners start to see the project from another point of view.

Each development project once approved and built adds to the complexity of the community dynamic and of course to commuting traffic woes (or not). Development for residential housing is not bad, it does require a "big picture" view however, to assure that the new commuters added to the existing traffic flow won't ruin it for everyone.

For those of us living in outlying communities like the Arts Village of Tubac Arizona, we are not looking for a change back to what we escaped from. I think we are all hoping the wonderful picture won't change too soon.