Well here we are in the Month of December and almost Christmas. November was a good month and  continued what I felt would happen in the last quarter of the year. I feel we have reached the bottom of the market in Tucson. October and November are showing improvement and December should be about the same as November which should finish out the year on a positive note.

The figures on this table are subject to change due to late reportings and corrections. These changes are reflected in the next months statisical blog post after we receive the updated information. For this reason you will find inconsistencies if you compare the data on multiple tables.

* Closed during the month.
** For the current month (not the total listing under contract)

Everything shows improvement except the listings under contract went below 2000 units which gives me some concern. A large percentage of this number is Short Sale and REO homes which may be due to the Holidays coming up and people want to wait until January. I know I have a buyer that is thinking that way. I really think we are in a break out position as far as Tucson is concerned. Our Inventory has been very steady and we are not getting a large number of homes for sale. If you stop to think about that, you will see that not many homes will go on the market because most of the Sellers will owe more than what the home is worth today, so we do not see that upward or downward movement of Sellers to Buyers as in years past.

Now here is another thought. The people that lost their homes two years or more ago, and who have cleaned up their credit except for the Short Sale of their home, are entering the time frame where they may qualify for a FHA Loan. It will be available for those who can qualify. If you are in this part of your life and still want to purchase, start checking with a good Lender. As time goes by the numbers will increase and the inventory will go down as prices start back up, I hope at a modest increase. We do not need another 2005.

If our wonderful Government would only get their act together we might see National Improvement, which would bring people back to Arizona again, because we have a great place to live. All we need is a great place to work and Great Schools and we would all be better off. I know we all have our different opinions, but I ask you how good has this Administration been for you? They had it all for two years and squandered it all, for most of us. You do not create jobs by taxing and spending. You create jobs by helping businesses grow and hire which is not where we are today. Tax, tax and spend, spend(with money we do not have) on things that should not have the priority that was done.

Our freedoms are being taken and we just sit and argue about who is right. We must start reducing our countries expenditures to get back to a balanced budget. We now are a society of what I want, I want it today, even if I have to pay for many years. What happened to just plain CASH. No cash, no buy. I know credit is great, but manage it well within your means. You do need some credit to buy a home. No Credit, you may not be able to buy, but manage that credit well.

I guess one of these days I need to write a Blog about what I feel. I know it will cause some to not like me, but that is OK, as we should all be able to express our opinions. I spent 21 years in the Air Force and never worried about, was I liked. My job needed to be done and all I expected was RESPECT. Follow the Rules and we all get along. If you are paid for eight hours of work, give eight hours of work. Be on time, and by all means do your job right, so someone does not have to fix your mess. Your mess costs your employer and I question why you are still there!

I want to wish all my readers a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a Happy New Year. Make 2012 the best year of your life, and help anyone that you can, as so many are hurting. My small church in Vail, Grace Fellowship, takes this as their, shall we say Mission. They have partnered with many, to help others. They want to help the Vail Community and schools, so others may be able to get back on their feet.

I hope you noticed that I was not politically correct and wishing you Happy Holidays as I believe in the greatest history book out there which is the Holy Bible. What was good for our forefathers should still be good for us. Why are the few allowed to dictate to the many. There is space for each of our beliefs, so don’t try to shut down the other person.

Again Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night

I think October was good month with all the statistics looking better. I still believe we will hit bottom before the end of the year. Prices and Interest rates are at all time lows and we are seeing more calls to look at properties. Total units Sold did come down but Listings under Contract went up a small amount.

The figures on this table are subject to change due to late reportings and corrections. These changes are reflected in the next months statisical blog post after we receive the updated information. For this reason you will find inconsistencies if you compare the data on multiple tables.

* Closed during the month.
** For the current month (not the total listing under contract)

Well, September has come and gone and now we are in the last quarter of the year. Is my prediction of hitting the bottom and starting back up going to happen? To be very honest I question that, but I am still seeing signs of a small housing recovery in many areas of the US which will eventually filter down to Tucson. I am not talking new homes but Resale homes in Tucson. Our Inventory continues to go down over the last six months which means we are keeping up with the homes coming on the market.

Again we have had some changes that were not for the good, but the changes were small. Sales of homes over $500,000 numbers are still dropping. This has more effect on the Average Sales price than the Median, but our Median did drop almost $5000 from August which surprises me as Sales were down by just 42. This next month will probably be key to our recovery for the last quarter.

The figures on this table are subject to change due to late reportings and corrections. These changes are reflected in the next months statisical blog post after we receive the updated information. For this reason you will find inconsistencies if you compare the data on multiple tables.

* Closed during the month.
** For the current month (not the total listing under contract)

Again I have seen some good statistics on spending which can work its way into housing. Interest rates are still at all time lows, but do not expect them to stay this low for much more than six months.

Jobs are still the prime factor of when we will really start out of this terrible spot we are all in. If you have a good job that is safe, you better be very thankful, as you are part of the lucky ones. I think a lot of our lives could change if we just looked at our Tax Code, Taxes and OIL. WHY, when we sit on more of the worlds reserves do we continue to buy from other countries? Do not believe what is said by the administration that we only have 2% of the world reserves, as the statement is flatly false, based on our own governments statistics. Just another scare tactic to stop us from drilling. We have the technology to drill and protect the environment but we do not create the jobs in that area and produce much cheaper Oil for the US, that the money stays in the US.

Call me at 240-7130 if I can help you with a owner occupied home, or you want to buy investment homes. We have a Lender right here in Tucson that will allow, I believe up to 10 homes, that the Lender keeps in their portfolio.

Have a safe Halloween.

Our Average and Median Sales prices went down again, but I really attribute this to more lower priced homes selling than higher priced homes. I will have to look at last months statistics to see how many higher priced homes sold. I may have to quote that number to show how it affects the Average and Median Sales prices.

I did look this up and I feel I am right as there were only 24 homes that closed above $500,000 in August as compared to 52 in July. I will add these numbers to our table and watch this statistic also. This will have a bigger factor in the Average Sales Price and a small factor in the Median Sales Price.

Total units Sold was 18 less sales than the previous month, still OK. Active listings has continued down over the last 7 months, which is also OK. Listings under Contract went back up from a low in July, which is OK. Average for, Tucson Days on Market, dropped 3 days, which is OK.

The figures on this table are subject to change due to late reportings and corrections. These changes are reflected in the next months statisical blog post after we receive the updated information. For this reason you will find inconsistencies if you compare the data on multiple tables.

* Closed during the month.
** For the current month (not the total listing under contract)

All in all I would not call August a bad month, but a good solid average month, for where we are. I am still thinking this last quarter of 2011 will see us start to level out and price and sales pick up slightly.

I keep track of Notices of Sale, which become Short Sales or Foreclosures, and the number that was in the paper was much higher than my count (838). I did not keep the article but I know my number was lower. I am just looking at Residential and that may be the difference in the numbers, but not sure. Next month I will start posting my count so we all can see how the Notices of Sale are affecting our Tucson Market. These number are for Pima County and include areas not in the Tucson Metro Area, but should be a good way to measure where we are and how soon we might start out of the bottom.

With prices where they are, and interest rates hovering around 4.5%, I can not stress how important the next few months are if you are ready to purchase. Why not call me to discuss what to do. Call me on my cell at 240-7130.

Well here we are again. We just got our Debt Ceiling increased and some Spending cuts in the out years. That is not what we need. We need cuts in spending now to stop this upward spiral that will cost all of us for many rears to come. We as the public can not operate this way because we can not print money. We need comprehensive tax reform that cuts out subsidies, reduces tax rates, eliminate capital gains tax, and the death tax. I am sure I left some things out but we need to have a solid plan so businesses know what to expect 10 years from now. These are the Businesses that are going to hire our Millions of unemployed.

This Administration took their eye off the ball and worked only on Heath Care. I am sure there are many that think this was a great thing and in ways it is, but there is so much tax law in this Bill that it will all come out after this current President is gone. The cost to all of us will be so much higher than projected that I really hurt when I think what is coming down the pike. I will be retired when the sh…hits the fan and it will if this program remains. We need smaller government that works for us not their political future.

Now the July statistics. We are again just in a holding pattern but not going down. What has gone down is the interest rate. We are under 4.5% for the moment and you need to act soon as it will probably stay under 5% for a few months. Some of the important numbers are down some but that has changed each month for this past year. I am still looking at a more stable market in the last quarter.

The figures on this table are subject to change due to late reportings and corrections. These changes are reflected in the next months statisical blog post after we receive the updated information. For this reason you may find inconsistencies if you compare the data on multiple tables.

* Closed during the month.
** For the current month (not the total listing under contract)

I have had a great month and I hope this shows up for all of our Real Estate community and we really get up for that last quarter of 2011.

If I can help you do call me at 240-7130. We sell Real Estate and my son David does East side Property Management. David and I also do Short Sales for Owners who are underwater. Call us.

What a difference a month makes. Everything went in the correct direction and I am praying that it starts a trend. I am seeing it in the properties I am showing and the properties that are going under contract during March. I have been very busy, which is great, but tiring.

Interest rates have gone back down below 5% which is also good, but I would not count on it staying there. Markets will be in a turmoil because of happenings in Japan and Lybia. Gas prices are up for what reason I do not understand except, it again is the speculators driving the prices up.

I am short on time so I will give you the new table and try to write another blog next week if time permits.

The figures on this table are subject to change due to late reportings and corrections. These changes are reflected in the next months statisical blog post after we receive the updated information. For this reason you will find inconsistencies if you compare the data on multiple tables.

* Closed during the month.
** For the current month (not the total listing under contract)

If I can help you Buy or Sell call me. I can do Short Sales, sell you a HUD Foreclosed home or just a regular Foreclosure (REO). Call me at 520-240-7130.

Well this month we are close to, or better than last month, but at least we are holding steady. Still a lot of Short Sales and Foreclosures which are dictating our pricing. Interest rates have gone back up by about .5% to about 5% and I expect to see it go even higher.

The figures on this table are subject to change due to late reportings and corrections. These changes are reflected in the next months statisical blog post after we receive the updated information. For this reason you will find inconsistencies if you compare the data on multiple tables.

* Closed during the month.
** For the current month (not the total listing under contract)

We will soon have a better balance in the House and Senate which I am praying will start healing our Economy. The public got shorted when this was not the highest priority back in 2009. The extension of the Bush Tax cuts for two years will help but it still does not let the job makers know where they will be at the end of the two years. We have got to pull in the reins on spending if we are ever going to get out of this debt we are establishing.

Here is a concept, why don’t we work for the public and not your re-election or party. Come to agreement on what’s good for the people who got you there. Stop the Pork add on, and let your request stand by it self, or how about letting the States decide what they want.

Well anyway I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happier New Year than this last one.

If I can help you for any Real Estate reason call me at 520-240-7130

May was a month that had some negatives but a few positives in total units sold of 1270 and and days on market coming down from 87 to 66. All other statistics went in the wrong direction to show that we are in for a rough six months for now. If the Economy does not pick up we will have too many homes on the market and too few buyers. Prices will have to go down to compensate for the larger numbers of homes for sale. Look at the drop in homes under contract which is just for those placed under contract during the month of May. It shows a 600 reduction from the month before. This is not good. I expect this number to be even lower for June.

The figures on this table are subject to change due to late reportings and corrections. These changes are reflected in the next months statisical blog post after we receive the updated information. For this reason you will find inconsistencies if you compare the data on multiple tables.

* Closed during the month.

** For the current month (not the total listing under contract)

If you are about ready to buy, get your loan qualification out of the way and obtain your Loan Status Report(LSR). Call a Lender and make an appointment. You will be faced with a large number of Short Sale properties and Lender owned (REO) properties on the market. If you have 3 to 6 months and you can wait, a Short Sale might be attractive. Just remember you may have higher interest rates after six months. Right now 5% is what you will find. If you wait, you may have a less expensive home but an interest rate at 5.5% or higher.

New Rule!! Once you have your credit report done by a Lender DO NOT buy Anything on time. That means those no interest payments also. Lenders for most loans will be pulling your Credit report again just before closing and it might cause you to lose the Loan because you do not Qualify due to that purchase you put on your credit card or a new purchase contract. After you are in your home and made the first payment and you can see your financial way to purchase something on time go ahead. Be Careful!!

If I can help you purchase or sell a home please call me at 240-7130. I have over 30 years of experience, as well as owning my own company, which once had over 40 agents. I have not seen it all, but just about. This has been the most trying time for everyone so let one of the best help you.

The November Statistics show how the $8000 tax credit had a big impact on the Market. We had higher Closed and Listings under contract during October and then things started to drop in November. I have also been seeing fewer showings for this month of December due to the time between the November 30th cutoff of the credit program and the extension of the program. The Short Sales and REO’s got in the way of a quick closing and we still have many months left for Foreclosures and Short Sale properties still entering the market. If you are interested in buying and you may end up with a short sale property you need to get your offer in by mid January to allow time to get the lender approval so you can close before June 30th, 2010. I am experiencing better than 4+ months with Bank of America to approve a short sale.

The figures on this table are subject to change due to late reportings and corrections. These changes are reflected in the next months statisical blog post after we receive the updated information. For this reason you will find inconsistencies if you compare the data on multiple tables.

* Closed during the month.

** For the current month (not the total listing under contract)

Bank of America is now using a new online program to work through the approval process. I had one of my listings with a buyer contract placed into their new system first started as REO-TRANS, and now called Equator. It looks good but I still see the same delays on their end. The faxing is not used now as everything is scanned in as a PDF file. May be hard on the seller to do some of the scanning. Lots of changes. I see I am now allowed to use this method with all of my Bank of America short sales. I also see that two other Lenders will be going into the same system.

If I can help you with a sale or purchasing a property please call me at 240-7130.