There is definitely a significant increase in “Closed” transactions in the price range over $700,000. Hopefully this is a new and sustainable trend.

This was a beginning of a very interesting chain of events. In the next few weeks, I received a ton of e-mails and phone calls from known and unknown, large and small real estate companies from all over Tucson. I didn’t know half of them existed! Now, I needed to choose from among different cultures, varying commission splits and scattered office locations, etc.

The three main companies to consider were of course the newly established Keller Williams Southern Arizona; Realty Executives International, whose CEO came to Tucson in a heroic effort to save the Realty Executives brand, agents and presence in Tucson; and rapidly expanding low-office-fee Tierra Antigua Realty. Of course, I had no intention of returning to the extremely high split-commission-fee of Long Realty, nor join some unknown realty on the other side of town.

I’ve been in Real Estate long enough to understand that the company matters little, for as long as it doesn’t ruffle the agent’s business. To me, it was an even choice between inconvenience (having to change my business cards, marketing materials, Internet presence, and established connections) and excitement of change (new opportunities, new actions).

Each of the three companies had its own appeal. After three long weeks of deliberation, I finally decided to move to Keller Williams Southern Arizona. Why? Don’t expect me to give you the common BS reply: “Because it will serve better my clients”. I still have no idea how well it will serve both me and you. When I find out how good (or not), I’ll let you know.

The reason I’ve moved to Keller Williams Southern Arizona is … I have joined the Team of Ledford, Clark & Clark, with whom I was working closely in the last year or so. I found it to be a huge advantage to have the reliable agents whom I can trust with my business and who are ready to step up at any time when I get more business than I can handle by myself. So, when I got an offer from Cheryl, Dick and Karen to join their team, my choice boiled down to one question – is Foothills Insider® a lone wolf or a team player? By now, you already know the answer.

For many homeowners it is not over yet and might take quite a while for getting out of the woods. The reason is very simple. A lot of Tucson homes are changing hands in the short sale or foreclosure situation. Buyers are searching for the homes with built in equity and buying them way below the previous sales price. This means that many of the homes sold in March – April of 2009 are sold with 20% – 50% discount. This in turn affects any future sales in the area, due to the lower appraised value of the neighboring homes.

Still, the change is welcomed, as it takes some inventory off the market and encourages more buyers to leave sidelines and submit offers.

Even luxury market is picking up and I am getting busier every hour. Out-of-state Buyers, as well as locals search my website: http://foothillsinsider.com/ for Luxury Tucson homes for sale and http://foothillsinsider.com/tucson-foreclosures-short-sales/ for foreclosures and short sales in Tucson.

Yesterday, Fed has cut key interest rate to record low: zero to 0.25%.

One would think that there would be plenty of money for banks to issue new loans with low interest rates. That’s not exactly so, at least for now. As a Real Estate agent in Tucson, Arizona, I am talking weekly, if not daily to the lenders and mortgage consultants. Even though mortgage rates for conforming loans have moved significantly lower, it is now much harder for the Buyers to qualify for those loans. In addition to it, the rates didn’t move down as much as one would expect – the spread between Fed rates and mortgage rates is getting wider & wider. In other words, banks are keeping the difference, without passing the savings on to the Buyers. Same, if not worse applies to the non-conforming loans. For example, Jumbo mortgage rate is now almost 2% higher than it was at the end of 2005 – 8% vs. 6.375%, even though Federal Funds Target Rate moved down from 4.25% to almost 0%.

With this in mind, if you are planning to buy a house and HAVE the means to do so, do it wisely. It’s definitely a great time for bargaining the price and there are plenty of other things that can add value to your purchase.

If you need an advice on Buying or Selling home in Tucson, AZ, please visit http://www.FoothillsInsider.com. I specialize in the luxury residential real estate in the Catalina Foothills and North, NE, NW & E areas of Tucson.

There is a great business rule – when one becomes too content and comfortable – it is time to move on and change. Usually, it is a difficult decision to make. This time around, however, it was an easy one for me.

Being in Real Estate for over 4 years and going through the Real Estate bubble and its burst, I’ve seen and experienced a lot. My clients & I have discovered that my financial background is immensely useful in understanding market conditions, dealing with the challenges and finding the opportunities. More and more often I assume the role of a Real Estate advisor, rather than just an agent.

As such, moving to Realty Executives – a company that fosters independence, flexibility and executive-type thinking is a great way for me to serve my clients better.

Up until now, Foothills Office of Long Realty was located in a one-story unimpressive building in the local shopping plaza on NW corner of Sunrise and Swan:

Long Realty Company – Foothills
5683 N. Swan Rd.
Tucson, AZ 85718
Tel: (520) 299-2201
Fax: (520) 529-1548

On September 8, 2008 it is scheduled to occupy prime Foothills real estate in a brand new building at:

Long Realty Company – Foothills
4051 E Sunrise Dr., Suite 101
Tucson, AZ 85718
Tel: (520) 299-2201
Fax: (520) 529-1548

Consequently, Anjelina Belakovskaia’s Foothills Insider new contact information will be:

Foothills Insider – Tucson Luxury Real Estate & Homes for Sale
4051 E Sunrise Dr., Suite 101
Tucson, AZ 85718
Tel: (520) 370-0700
Fax: (520) 838-8080
Anjelina@FoothillsInsider.com
www.FoothillsInsider.com

Re/Max is using a video campaign “Reach For The Sky” & “RE/MAX 365″ that comes via e-mail and also can be seen on YouTube. (I didn’t count how many e-mails I got, but it was definitely more than two).

Coldwell Banker brokers call agents from other real estate companies directly, trying to setup appointments (I personally got two calls so far, other agents told me about similar calls).

A number of other real estate agencies use an old, trusted method – sending promotional flyers by mail.

Long Realty went even further – trying to minimize cost of the campaign and save on video production, mailing costs and phone calls – Long Realty is recruiting its own agents to look for the new “labor force”. During the usual Long Realty Foothills Tuesday meeting, the Branch Manager suggested thinking of all the Tucson real estate agents from other companies that we would want to invite to the new Foothills office. To make sure we don’t miss any valuable agent from Coldwell Banker, Re/Max, Realty Executives and other Tucson real estate agencies, we are going to get printouts with the names of all the agents we have ever dealt with.

What an idea!

May 19th   TAX BENEFITS for the Realtors®.
May 20th   MARKETING YOURSELF AND YOUR LISTINGS ONLINE, 2:00-4:00, Home office–In this market you really need a way to differentiate yourself from the competition and reach the online population. — Please check my www.FoothillsInsider.com and tell me how I am doing in that area.
May 21st  CODE OF ETHICS 2008, TAR, 9:00-11:50.

Here are the properties on Long Realty tour:

MLS #:20805390: 9230 E Springwater Ct, Tucson, AZ 85749. Lakes at Castle Rock. $469,000.
MLS #:20813441: 10080 E Prairie Dog Ln, Tucson, AZ 85749. Powder Horn Ranch. $849,000.
MLS #:20813619: 12851 E Nighthawk Ranch Pl, Tucson, AZ 85749. $875,000 – $899,000.
MLS #:20807595: 12321 E Barry Baker Pl, Tucson, AZ 85749. Sneller Hills. $595,000 – $625,000.
MLS #:20809610: 3114 N Spirit Dancer, Tucson, AZ 85749. $849,900.
MLS #:20811696: 3820 N Whiptail Wash Pl, Tucson, AZ 85749. Canada Verde Estates. $1,799,000.
MLS #:20806298: 2111 S Magnolia Ave, Tucson, AZ 85711. Ferry. $165,000 – $175,000.
MLS #:20810979: 3229 E 3rd St, Tucson, AZ 85716. $599,000.
MLS #:20810984: 3221 E 3rd St, Tucson, AZ 85716. $635,000.