Tucson Kent's World: Arizona: Tucson: Sam Hughes

In its never-ending quest to provide better services for both agents and the public, the Tucson MLS has decided to change its MLS software to FlexMLS by FBS of North Dakota!

I, for one, am extremely happy with the decision - and I hope you will be too.  To take a quick peek at what it looks like from a consumer perspective, check out this search for property in the Sam Hughes area of Tucson:

Check it out - see what it is like & please feel free to leave your comments below!  The more feedback, the better...and if one of these catches your eye, I'm available to answer questions.

One of the benefits of living in Sam Hughes neighborhood in Tucson is that there are an incredible array of places to eat and have a little fun.

Located on the corner of Campbell Avenue & 6th Street, in the Sam Hughes Place shopping center, Championship Dining is a great upscale sports bar.  Before or after a University of Arizona Wildcats game, this place is packed! Get there early though for football & basketball games - even away games.  Part of the reason is that it is walking distance to all of the sports facilities, the other is its great food, atmosphere & drinks (don't ask what's in an Irish Trashcan - just don't have too many of them).

If the Sam Hughes Historic Neighborhood intrigues you, please read the entries below:

Decorative Gates - Sam Hughes Homes   Interesting Design Elements - Sam Hughes Homes   El Encanto - Historic Condos in Sam Hughes   Photo Tour of Sam Hughes Homes

Interested in buying or investing in a home, condo, townhome or multi-family property for you or for your student housing in Sam Hughes?

Sam Hughes Market Trend   Real Estate Trifecta  Sam Hughes Home 12 Month Sales Analytics   Sam Hughes 15 Year Analysis

After generating the April Market Condition Report for the Sam Hughes neighborhood, I noticed some interesting trends in the past year:

• Average listing price is down from the same time last year, but the actual sales price is a MUCH higher percentage than a year ago.
• Time on market is remarkably shorter than a year ago.
• Absorption rate has come back - exceeding the rate of last year, as we head into our "Summer Buying Season"

Take a look:

What does it mean?  Well, comparing the national trend with the Sam Hughes market conditions, you can see a parallel:

1. Homes last year were generally priced higher than buyers were willing to pay...so they stayed on the market longer.  Sellers had to "settle" for a significantly lower price to get their property sold.
2. As the listing average price went down, so did days on market...and the listing/selling price ratio went back up.
3. Selling activity slowed way down during the winter (which is normal in the Tucson real estate market to some extent), which reflects in the month supply of inventory on hand going up.  Another way to look at it could be:  as economic news got bad, confidence was down & buyers held back from making the decision to purchase.
4. When the news started looking a little better and interest rates went down and buyers are starting to get back into the market.

What anomalies did you spot in the statistics above?

• Numbers of properties on the market at any one time stayed pretty much the same in the past year.
• There is a disparity in pricing during the middle period - Sam Hughes has a very wide range of home sizes, and the smaller ones were the ones that sold during the winter, generally.
  

Conclusions?

• Sellers realized that asking prices were unrealistic & had to come down after watching other properties sit and sit on the market.
• Buyers realizing that value & opportunity don't always come at the same time are starting to take advantage of the situation.

If you are someone who is interested in seizing the opportunity in today's real estate market, lets talk about the values we can find together.  Analysis is a strength of mine - put it to work for your benefit.

Sam Hughes Neighborhood is located just east of the University of Arizona campus in Tucson, Arizona.
It is a vibrant, eclectic neighborhood favored by academics, professionals and students.  Properties are a blend of single family homes, condos, apartments and townhomes - with construction ranging from the 1920's to today.

Below are sales statistics for the past year (as of 4/1/2009):

Should you be interested in living in such a community or would like to see what some of the homes look like, please click here to see a slide show on the area.

If you are an investor and would like to see the performance of an investment in Sam Hughes Real Estate, please click here.

My name is Kent Simpson - I specialize in buyer representation in the Tucson Metro area.

The past few days I have written about the Sam Hughes Historic Neighborhood in Tucson, Arizona - don't you think its high time I showed you some of the homes?

Sit back, relax - and enjoy a little music while you take a look at some of these interesting homes.  Make sure you turn on your speakers!

Should you like what you see here - just imagine what they are like in person.  I'm Kent Simpson - TucsonKent - and will be proud to represent your interests as a Buyer's Broker.

Sam Hughes neighborhood is one of Tucson's premier addresses for homes, condos and townhomes - located just east of the University of Arizona campus.

At Saturday's SolarRock 3 festival, the emphasis was definitely on utilizing solar power for homes, but a couple of vehicles were hard to miss:

This car gets a boost from the photovoltaic panel on top - giving it a range of 26 miles per day on a full battery charge.  While that wouldn't get me very far into my average day as a REALTOR - it would definitely be more than adequate to get from home to the office & back.

This is a little better view of the panel used to take advantage of the day's sun to extend the range of the batteries.

22 miles on a single charge at 35-40 mph?  Not bad.  I don't know how much this vehicle costs, but have a sneaking suspicion is is quite a bit less than the Tesla electric sportscar's $100k price tag!

No...I haven't gone goofy on you - the bicycle isn't solar powered...but it does provide a good way to tow the trailer behind it that charges the batteries stowed conveniently in the baskets on either side of the rear wheel now doesn't it?

How do you have a little fun and show off the possibilities of solar power at the same time?  With a concert, of course!  But not just any old concert...one with all of the power provided by solar panels.  This is the 3rd year for SolarRock in Himmel Park, right in the heart of the Sam Hughes Historic Neighborhood.

Just east of the University of Arizona, Sam Hughes is not only known for its beautiful & eclectic homes:  it is one of the leading communities in the region for implementing Green Building Technology in residential real estate.

For more information about Green Homes available in Sam Hughes or the Tucson area, please feel free to contact me - Kent Simpson.

When one thinks of a condominium, rarely does the thought of an elegant piece of history come to mind.  The El Encanto Condos of Sam Hughes Historic Neighborhood is just that and more.  Originally built in 1940 to house officers at what now is Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, the meticulously groomed grounds fit the historical perspective and evoke thoughts of a glamourous movie set in Hollywood's Golden Age.

Placed in the National Historic Register in 1994, the elegant facade is timeless - while the interiors have been a veritable playground for architects and designers through the years.

There is a variety of unit types, from detached casitas (originally housing generals) to 2-story delights and cozy single floor homes.

Just on the other side of the map of the grounds is the pool, featuring sweeping stepped entrances on both east & west sides.  I would have taken a photo, but on this day, I didn't want to disturb the Bettys (descendants of Page or Garbo perhaps?) sunning themselves in peace.

To purchase your own piece of historic El Encanto - please feel free to call or email me.

Sam Hughes Historic Neighborhood is one of Tucson's definitive neighborhoods (and one of my favorites).  Besides the historical nature of the homes, what makes this area, just east of the University of Arizona, special is the eclectic touches people have used to put their own personal stamp on properties here:

A bicycle rack doesn't have to be humdrum, now does it?

How about fencing that is truly "green" - like this one made of live ocotillos! 

Ever have a fence that blooms for you?

If you're interested in your own home in Sam Hughes or any other place around the U of A, please feel free to call or email me.

Close to a university, you'd expect to have a few bicycle shops, wouldn't you?  How about one that is passionate about their business?  Not always.

Enter Arizona Bicycle Experts.  Located within walking, excuse me...biking distance of the University of Arizona, ABE has been advising, tuning, repairing and promoting the love of cycling to the Sam Hughes neighborhood for 16+ years.

Their motto says it all:

"We are the small shop you've always heard about, we stand behind what we sell, we service what we sell (and what they sell) and we ride what we sell. Come see why our customers keep coming back."

Check out ABEcycling.com and drop by their shop next time you're in Tucson.  Besides, you gotta love a shop with their own dog.