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Tucson Real Estate & Golf Properties

Douglas Trudeau , Assoc. Broker
Prudential Foothills Real Estate
64 N. Harrison Road, Suite 160
Tucson , AZ 85748
Mobile: 520-954-2209
Contact Me

Archive for May, 2008

What Makes A Luxury Home In Tucson

May 6th, 2008 categories: Tucson Real Estate

I’ve noticed a lot of inquiries for luxury homes lately. Which brings to mind. What is a luxury home? What are the different levels of luxury homes?

It used to be that anything over $500,000 in Tucson was considered a luxury home. Is there a difference between granite counter tops in a $350,000 and a $900,000 home? What difference is there between an $850,000 home and a $2,500,000 home? What can you expect?

Defining luxury homes can be as objective as it is subjective. Subjectively the amenities like granite counter tops, travertine floors, lighting fixtures, bathroom fixtures, and other physical features should be expected. Objectivity is where the argument begins. Are those fixtures good quality or just nice looking? Who was the builder? What is the quality of the materials in the wall not just the quality of the materials that can be seen?

Objectively, luxury homes should not be cookie cutter homes like those subdivisions where the only difference is the color of the home or the exterior elevations have a slight change. There are some nice upper grade homes out there, but, are they really luxury homes? If they are, then are those unique homes with better amenities “Luxurious Homes?”

My opinion of a truly luxurious home is a home that is…

Built by a reputable contractor who uses the finest quality of material,

top of the line lumber or steal framed
highest grade stucco, block, or concrete
highest quality plumbing, electrical, flooring material, etc.

Designed differently than that of surrounding homes,
Located in an area with other luxurious homes,
Captures and compliments the beauty of its surroundings,
Has a personality and character all its own,
Presents a feeling of grandure,
Top end amenities

Andersen windows
Viking, Dacor, Wolf, SubZero appliances
Grohe, Boffi, Lacava or other luxury bath fixtures

Kitchen design that a chef would fall in love with
Bathrooms that pamper their guests
Living area that invites the views of surrounding mountains or the desert
Garage that has room for opening doors completely or big enough to store collectibles along with daily drivers

Seeing a luxurious home with white GE Profile appliances is not what I would consider a luxury home. High end home maybe, but not luxury. Luxury homes should be distinct in every way. Maybe its time to redefine luxury homes and have two categories. Luxury homes for those with better than average amenities, and luxurious homes for those that have luxurious amenities beyond what can be bought at Lowes or Home Depot.

Authored by Doug Trudeau | Discussion: 1 Comment »

Tucson Real Estate Homeowner Pool Safety

May 3rd, 2008 categories: Tucson Real Estate

With the weather picking up it is time to start thinking about pool safety. Every year we hear about a parent, uncle, friend or whomever who for a short moment wasn’t paying close attention to a child who unfortunately drowned. Arizona has strict laws about pools and barriers. A law that both buyers and seller should be aware of. For safety the Red Cross says it best.

Straight from the Red Cross website:

Home Pools

Learn to swim. The best thing anyone can do to stay safe in and around the water is to learn to swim–this includes adults and children. The American Red Cross has swimming courses for people of any age and swimming ability. To enroll in a course to learn or improve your ability to swim, contact your local Red Cross chapter.
Never leave a child unobserved around water. Your eyes must be on the child at all times. Adult supervision is recommended.
Install a phone by the pool or keep a cordless phone nearby so that you can call 9-1-1 in an emergency.
Learn Red Cross CPR and insist that babysitters, grandparents, and others who care for your child know CPR.
Post CPR instructions and 9-1-1 or your local emergency number in the pool area.
Enclose the pool completely with a self-locking, self-closing fence with vertical bars. Openings in the fence should be no more than four inches wide. The house should not be included as a part of the barrier.
- The gate should be constructed so that it is self-latching and self-closing.
Never leave furniture near the fence that would enable a child to climb over the fence.
Always keep basic lifesaving equipment by the pool and know how to use it. Pole, rope, and personal flotation devices (PFDs) are recommended.
Keep toys away from the pool when it is not in use. Toys can attract young children into the pool.
Pool covers should always be completely removed prior to pool use.
If a child is missing, check the pool first. Go to the edge of the pool and scan the entire pool, bottom, and surface, as well as the surrounding pool area

(more…)

Authored by Doug Trudeau | Discussion: 1 Comment »

April 2008 Preliminary Sales Report - Tucson Real Estate

May 1st, 2008 categories: Tucson Real Estate

April was a pretty good month for sales. As of this writing there have been 907 recorded home sales through the MLS. Of course, reporting so earlier not all the sales have been reported to the MLS. So we can expect the numbers to be a little higher. The lowest sales price was $26,000, with the highest at $2,715,000. The unofficial average was $251,764 with a median of $196,500. There are still 8,729 homes without any offers on them. Another 1,812 homes with offers waiting to close escrow.

Compared to the average and median sales prices of March, the average price dropped by $7,446 and the median price dropped by $3,500 from $259,210 and $200,000 respectively. Official numbers will be out in a few weeks. At least we have an idea of what to expect from these preliminary numbers.

For Golf Properties, there were 31 unofficial sales. The average and median sales prices were $480,499 and $383,750 respectively. The low was $150,00 and high was $2,715,000. Hmm, highest in Tucson and highest golf property sold have the same value. As can be expected, the sales of golf properties are significantly lower, while the average and median sales prices are significantly higher.

For predicting, I am going to start going out on a limb again. Using statistics for the past year and the trend since last July, I am predicting 1,000 sales for May. Not hard to announce the 901 predicted for April. With the May prediction we should be in line with the seasonal sales that continue to increase up through May, then begin to drop off slightly in June. So far this is what I have from predicting back in December and keeping it to myself.

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
625 (618 actually sold)
706 (752 actually sold)
915 (923 actually sold)
932 (907 unofficially)
1035
1008
927
916
750
792
707
724

I hope my estimates are on the conservative side. Once buyer confidence returns, these numbers will increase significantly. At least the market is showing some stability to be able to predict sales. Which is a good sign.

Authored by Doug Trudeau | Discussion: 1 Comment »

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