Peter DeLuca Tucson Real Estate

In today’s market, sellers have to work harder to persuade buyers that their property is worth the bite.

1. Add splashes of color. With every changing season, a landscape should provide a new display of colors, textures, and fragrances. “It’s best to use one or two and repeat them,” Glassman says. Example: white iceberg roses that bloom in spring, summer, and fall as a backdrop; in front, a contrasting punch of purple salvia or lavender that will flower at the same time; and as an accent, a crape myrtle tree that provides changing leaf colors in fall and interesting branches come winter.
2. Size trees and shrubs to scale. These should be planted in the right scale for the house so that they don’t block windows, doors, and other architectural features on the home’s facade. A large two-story house can handle a redwood, Chinese pistache, sycamore, or scarlet oak, but a one-story cottage is better paired with a flowering cherry, crabapple, or eastern redbud. Too many trees cast too much shadow and cause potential buyers to worry about maintenance and costs.
3. Maintain a perfect lawn. A velvety green lawn demonstrates tender loving care, so be sure sellers’ homes don’t have brown spots. Some rocks, pebbles, boulders, drought-tolerant plants, and ornamental grasses will generate more kudos, especially in drought areas.
4. Light up the outside. Good illumination allows buyers to see a home at night and adds drama. Sellers should use low-voltage lamps to highlight branches of specimen trees, a front door, walk, and corners of the house. But less is better. The yard shouldn’t resemble an airport runway.
5. Let them hear the water. The sound of water appeals to buyers, and you shouldn’t just reserve this for your backyard. A small fountain accented with rocks provides a pleasant gurgling sound, blocks street noise, and is affordable.
6. Use decorative architectural elements. A new mailbox, planted window boxes, and a low fence wrapped in potato vines add cachet, particularly during winter months when fewer plants blossom. Colors should complement the landscape and home. Just don’t overdo it: Too much can seem like kitschy lawn ornaments.   View More

October 17 & 18

Come join us for a celebration of Southern Arizona’s finest culinary traditions. This two day festival will feature over 200 food, wine and culinary themed art vendors. Enjoy LIVE MUSIC, DANCE and COOKING DEMOS all day long on the main stage with some of our regions most well known and appreciated culinary and performing arts masters. In addition, this exciting festival will feature a PIE EATING CONTEST as well as CHILDREN’S COOKING AND ART ACTIVITIES! Attendees will enjoy food tastings from local restaurants and food vendors as well as regional wines, beer and alcohol for purchase in a quaint park setting.

El Charro Tamale Eating Contest, Southern AZ Pizza Throwing Games, Children’s Activities, Beer, Alcohol & Wine Sampling, listen to the UofA v. Stanford game LIVE…and much more…

Click here to view a complete event schedule

October 9, 10 & 11

This FREE, downtown Tucson festival is a celebration of authentic cultural foods and the living traditional arts of Southern Arizona’s folk and ethnic communities. Over 100,000 people will attend the event this year. Be part of the excitement!

Performances, folk artists, food and cultural heritage demonstrators will delight everyone. A “NEW” Festival Marketplace will feature handmade folk art demonstrations and the artists will offer their crafts for sale. Practisioners of Martial Arts, Healing Arts and Traditional Fashions will be part of the event. A Lowrider Car Show, Corrido Contest, global games and sports top it off.

Click here for more information

Another positive sign that our Tucson real estate market continues to improve.     Home sales inventories fall to under 6 months’ supply.   In what may be one of the most positive signs yet that the Tucson residential real estate market is poised for recovery, Long Realty Research Center data shows inventories of homes priced under $250,000 have fallen below six months’ worth.

“Months of inventory is the best matrix to look at when you’re trying to see the temperature of a specific area or price point,” said Kevin Kaplan, vice president of marketing and technology. “Obviously it is the lower price points that are bringing in buyers from foreclosures and sellers lowering the asking price on their homes.”

View Tucson Map (displays inventory for each zip code)

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Limited Return Engagement:  August 20-30 
Show Times & Dates

Arizona Onstage Productions presents the Limited Return Engagement of The Bible Belt and Other Accessories (2009 Tucson Mac Award Winner For Best Comedy) starring the 2009 Tucson Mac Award Winner for Best Actor, Ryan Deluca.

The continuing story of Johnny Hobson, still working at The Dairy Queen, having needs past the city limits of his small Texas town and looking for love, with his driving passion to become the next big fashion designer and to meet the mysterious shirtless man in the convertible.   THE BIBLE BELT stands on its own as an 85-minute joyous exploration of acceptance, denial and reflection.

The Envelope Please …As Queen Elizabeth might say, 2008 has been an annus horribilis. The economy, war, hunger. Horrible year, indeed. • Thank goodness for theater. • Shows on Tucson stages managed to make us laugh, sing, dream, groan, think and escape for a few hours from everyday life. • It is those shows that did that particularly well that we present with our 2009 Mac Awards, named after the late Mary MacMurtrie, who spent much of the last century turning Tucson children into actors, directors, stage technicians and audiences who appreciate heart, honesty and intent as well as excellence

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