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Cochise County, AZ Real Estate News

By Cara Marcelle Mancuso, Call a Marana neighbor, I'm THERE!
(Golden Girls with SW Desert Homes)
Road Trip to the Arizona Chiricahuas! The Chiricahua National Monument is about 36 miles southeast of Willcoz, AZ.  From Houghton Road in South Tucson, the trip took about 2 hours.  It’s a scenic drive through Texas Canyon and northern parts of the Dragoons, as well as grasslands, wine-land, and rolling hills filled with cattle and horses.   In studying the area information, Geologists say there was a huge volcanic eruption 27 million years ago. White-hot ash spewed forth from the Turkey Creek Caldera, (at 1000 times the velocity Mt. St. Helens)  eventually laying down almost two thousand feet of ash and pumice, which over time, eroded into amazing pinnacles and spires of rock that fill this 5 x 6 square mile park.   You can drive along an 8 mile scenic drive to Massai Point (elevation...
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By Kathy Anderson, Arizona Homes For Sale
(Arizona Luxury & Lifestyle Living)
The entire plans of buying a house should start way ahead before you actually buy a house. Acquiring a house of your own is a serious thing. This is the reason why you have to make sure you are able to protect your investment and not lose it to foreclosure. Unluckily, more homeowners are now facing this kind of dilemma. In order for you to easily buy and own a house, make sure that you have a long-term plan. You don't need to buy a house immediately simply because you got a raise or you got hired recently. Make sure you improve your saving's digit first. This is going to be your financial support if anything happens that could affect your financial assets. Improve Savings and Invest More Most professionals would say that it is a lot better if you do not rely on a single job. This means ...
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By Mary Ann Ead
(South East Arizona Real Estate )
Staying up to date with the housing market is an important factor when trying to sell Real Estate.  Knowing the value of other homes or land in the area helps ensure your property is listed at a price that sells in todays market.  You do not want to under price and lose money, nor do you want to overprice it just to have it go stale with out results. For the months of December and January ( 2011-2012) here in Douglas, Bisbee, Mcneal, Elfrida, Hereford, Palominas and Huachua City, Arizona is a brief market report. In total for these cities and towns, 58 properties sold.  Bisbee and Douglas had the largest share with 14 properties each.  The quickest selling are the forclosure properties in any location. The average days on the market for the area is 166 days. Of the 58 properties sold, ...
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By Tammy Emineth, Content Marketer, SEO Teacher, Website Fixer
(Personal SEO - Website SEO and Real Estate Marketing)
Buying takes skill. It's a lot like extreme couponing. You get your ducks in a row and wait for that perfect sale so everything falls into place. But what if you don't have the time? It all depends on what you want, where you want it and how much you are willing to pay for it. Here are some vital tips to buying Sierra Vista real estate. We love our area and having an agent that knows the area can make all the difference in the world. If you use an out of town agent that may not know the market trends and what homes should be priced at, you may end up paying a lot more for a home. If you can wait and be patient for the right home the payoff can be amazing. Do you have a home sell before you buy a new one? If so, don't wait to sell before looking. It's ok to look and if you speak to a len...
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By Cara Marcelle Mancuso, Call a Marana neighbor, I'm THERE!
(Golden Girls with SW Desert Homes)
Good Enough Mine in Tombstone, AZ Had good fun this weekend on a day trip from Tucson, AZ to historic Tombstone, AZ.  We're always looking for things to do near Tucson, AZ. It was Helldorado Days in Tombstone and we enjoyed the Parade on Sunday, a great barbecue pork sandwich at the Longhorn Restaurant, great shopping, and the various re-enactment pieces played throughout the day.   Our visiting student from France got herself a cowboy hat - I proclaimed her a true American now! One of the tours we participated in was the Good Enough Mine Tour.  It actually came to my attention by way of a Groupon, and ended up a nice way to spend an hour.  First of all, it was a comfortable 65 degree temperature - nice escape from the 90's above! Secondly, our tour guide knew his stuff and answered que...
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By Mike Dennis, Associate Broker GRI, ePRO, CIAS, CDPE Sierra Vist
(Keller Williams Realty Southern Arizona (Sierra Vista))
    Brokers Are Often Broke!   For many years, there has been increasing pressure for real estate brokers to reduce their fees, enhance the technology and agent services they provide, and provide increased “splits” with their sales force. All fine ideas, if you are an agent. But, from the broker’s standpoint these issues appear a bit different. Small brokerages, if they have an incredibly low overhead, can compete in a couple of these areas... but not in technology and agent services. Large brokerages, where hundreds of agents are on the rolls, often do provide for most of these needs in their business models, but often are deploying many under-trained, unskilled agents ot into the public without much in the way of supervision. Medium-sized brokerages are perhaps hit the hardest, becaus...
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By Mike Dennis, Associate Broker GRI, ePRO, CIAS, CDPE Sierra Vist
(Keller Williams Realty Southern Arizona (Sierra Vista))
Could Anyone Use A Buyer?   She’s a REALTOR®, just like me! Look at the smile on her face! She just held an Open House! Did she sell the home in which she was sitting? Probably not. But, did she get some leads? Yes!  Did she come face-to-face with potential buyers? Yes! Did she get their contact information, and/or, make an appointment with them? Yes! And, in the worst case… If no one whosoever shows up at the Open House, was it a waste of her time? No! Because she had plenty of time to catch up on some work, and make phone calls to her sphere of influence. So… was it a waste of her time? No! I don’t do many Open Houses, but, they can produce a few buyer leads, and let you “Stop and Smell the Roses,” for a few hours. Do we need that? Yes! Yes… Yes… Yes… We All Need that!  
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By Mike Dennis, Associate Broker GRI, ePRO, CIAS, CDPE Sierra Vist
(Keller Williams Realty Southern Arizona (Sierra Vista))
Glock 22C (Ported) .40 Caliber Pistol Pretty Bunny Ears!     When I’m showing rural properties, I choose to carry my weapon in the open, just as a deterrent. It works great! Well, I guess it does. You can’t prove a negative,… but, I have never had any problems while carrying the weapon.   I always explain to my clients, before we get in the car, that, as my father told me, “It is easier to stay out of trouble, thant it is to GET OUT of trouble.” So, I’m always alert when visiting rural properties, and by wearing my Glock 22 (.40 caliber), pistol completely visible. If anyone who sees me intends any mischief, they will simply go somewhere else to do it.   Be sure to check your local laws, and speak with your broker, prior to strapping on a pistol.   Be safe.  
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By Mike Dennis, Associate Broker GRI, ePRO, CIAS, CDPE Sierra Vist
(Keller Williams Realty Southern Arizona (Sierra Vista))
  The Dreaded Open House I love Open Houses! I know that makes me brain dead, because so many in our industry disagree with me. But, you know what? I'm sitting in one as I write this blog post, and I'm having to get up and answer the door; show the home; then sit back down; resume my blog; and then, the doorbell rings again. It's hard to get anything done at an Open House! Dang! I've met four of the neighbors, and had three unescorted buyer-prospects come in... two of them unrepresented, and the other unaccompanied by their agent. Double Dang! None of the buyers I met wanted to buy this home. But, they are interested in buying SOMETHING. Triple Dang! Three of the neighbors told me that the home is overpriced, while the last guy is considering selling and moving closer to Tucson. Now, I ...
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By Mike Dennis, Associate Broker GRI, ePRO, CIAS, CDPE Sierra Vist
(Keller Williams Realty Southern Arizona (Sierra Vista))
 Seismic Shift     Large earthquakes occur when tectonic plates, normally pretty stable, suddenly “shift.” Depending on their location, the damage can be immense. Gary Keller, in his great book “Shift,” several years before our current real estate turmoil, wrote that markets tend to “shift,” and that we must “shift" with them, if we wish to survive. None of us, in our lifetime, has ever seen a market like this. Has it “shifted?” You bet! When markets change, we must change, too… or we fail. Necessary "Shifts” are described in Keller’s excellent book. Read it… heed it.
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By Mike Dennis, Associate Broker GRI, ePRO, CIAS, CDPE Sierra Vist
(Keller Williams Realty Southern Arizona (Sierra Vista))
      For $ale By Owner               Myth:  Most  REALTORS®  Call FSBOs, And Ask For Their Business.   Au contrair… Most REALTORS®  (falsely) assume that all of their competitors are calling the FSBOs, but, in fact, few of us do that. Don’t get me wrong: the best of us do it as part of our business, but the vast majorities think that they don’t have a chance against the “fast burners.”   Fact: Every statistic says that, although many FSBOs do sell their homes (often regretting the outcome) most of them will list their home with a professional at about the three week mark.   Wow! You have a motivated seller, disappointed that they could not solve their own problem, and they will list at the three week mark… often with the last REALTOR® that they happened to talk to. Wouldn’t it make sen...
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By Mike Dennis, Associate Broker GRI, ePRO, CIAS, CDPE Sierra Vist
(Keller Williams Realty Southern Arizona (Sierra Vista))
REALTORS® Have Friends, Too!       Image courtesy of Lumaxart   My friends deserve the best. They deserve me. I know many real estate professionals who refuse to do real estate transactions with their friends (or family). I've heard it said, "Jack and Jill, your friendship means more to me than a business transaction. And, I'd hate for this to interfere with our friendship." Usually, then, they refer the clients to another professional. i've always disagreed with this idea, for the same reason: these folks ARE my friends! They deserve the best. Who is more likely to handle them with care, providing the ultimate service... a "stranger," or someone who knows and loves them? This forum, consisting of real estate and associated professionals, is hardly the place to boast. But, if you are a ...
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By Mike Dennis, Associate Broker GRI, ePRO, CIAS, CDPE Sierra Vist
(Keller Williams Realty Southern Arizona (Sierra Vista))
Please Contact A CDPE A few days ago, I received a call from a person, asking to speak with me about listng their home. During the phone interview, I learned that the owner was five months in arrears. Yikes! Then, I asked if the owner had received a Notice of Default. The owner had received lots of paperwork from their bank, but had not opened them. Typically, once a homeowner is unable to make their mortgage payments, they retreat, becoming paralyzed with dread, and simply do nothing, as their home is foreclosed. This homeowner, preparing to desert the property, received a phone call from the mortgage servicer, a major bank. The bank asked if the owner would like to avoid a devastating foreclosure... or cooperate with the bank in accomplishing a short sale. When the owner decided to w...
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By Emmary Simpson, Serving Las Cruces, NM
(Las Cruces Homes and Land)
About 90 miles to the southeast of Tucson is a wonderful little town called Bisbee, Arizona. The area was discovered in 1877 by a reconnaissance detail on the search for Apaches in the Mule Mountains.  A tracker with the detail noticed a lot of mineralization in the area - copper, silver and lead - and knew that he'd probably struck it rich.  He filed claims to mine the land and, from that, Bisbee was born and became known as the The Queen of the Copper Camps. Copper and other minerals were in great supply until the mid 1970's when production slowed and the mines began to close.  Bisbee became a haven for retirees, 'hippies', artists and others looking for low priced real estate and an escape from the big city. One of the largest tourist attractions in town is the Queen Mine Tour. The Q...
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By Mike Dennis, Associate Broker GRI, ePRO, CIAS, CDPE Sierra Vist
(Keller Williams Realty Southern Arizona (Sierra Vista))
Sorta Like My Smart Phone My smart phone is great! When I boot it up, it makes this cool sound, sort of like "DRRROIDDDDD," but with a Japanese accent, much like Godzilla. There's a real computer inside, that, like its larger cousins, lets me down every now and again, but, hey... No one ever promised me perfection. My smart phone has a calendar, a contact manager, a task manager, and a calculator. Not as good as my HP-12C, but it has a pretty good financial calculator inside. I could do real estate loan calculations with it, if I knew how. There's a camera, a camcorder, a text-to-speech converter, and a speech-to-text converter. It will read business cards, and put them in my contact list, find my "lost" car in a mall parking lot, and find the best gasoline prices anywhere I drive. How...
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By Mike Dennis, Associate Broker GRI, ePRO, CIAS, CDPE Sierra Vist
(Keller Williams Realty Southern Arizona (Sierra Vista))
(The Above Image Is NOT Me!) If you are in real estate: GET A LAPTOP. Desktops are often more powerful, but they are anchored on your trusty desk: not very portable. And, what if you have two desks... one at your home, and one at your office? Atop them are two terrific computers, probably. This certainly runs the risk of "scattering" your files. You work on a file on one computer, and then, later, decide to work on the file on the other computer. Oops! That pesky file is on the O-T-H-E-R computer. Dang! There are ways around the scattered files annoyance, but the solution isn't always available to you, if you are away from an Internet connection. Tablets have made huge strides, in a very short time. Apple led the way, with the IPAD, and now, the race is on! There are lots of competitor...
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By Mike Dennis, Associate Broker GRI, ePRO, CIAS, CDPE Sierra Vist
(Keller Williams Realty Southern Arizona (Sierra Vista))
I just did a Google search, on computer problems. I found 550,000,000 results, in.11 seconds. That proves the power if the computer... it took me 30 years to experience each and every one of those pesky problems.Industry, large, and medium-sized businesses, have internal Information Technology (I.T.) guys (and gals) on  staff, to make sure that all the computers, software, and personnel play together nicely.Small business often has I.T. guys too, usually on-call, and/or as a consultant.Then... there's us. We aren't I.T. guys, are we? We are real estate professionals, with laptops, a few programs, and some website resources. Our needs are simple: we just need everything to work! We want the computer to "boot," our programs to load, and our documents to print. What happens if  something ...
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By Mike Dennis, Associate Broker GRI, ePRO, CIAS, CDPE Sierra Vist
(Keller Williams Realty Southern Arizona (Sierra Vista))
All my life, I've known about momentum. Usually, momentum is most obvious in sports, where the term, "Big Mo," on your side, means that momentum is building. I normally have "Big Mo" on my side. Blogging is kinda fun, and I usually post (somewhere) at least once a day. But, you know, there are lots of excuses out there, and I've used a bunch of them. Making excuses is a heck of a lot easier than bloggin! Now, I feel "Big Mo" at my back, and feel her whispering in my ear, "Blog, you lazy ****, or I'll have your ***!" Tick! Tick! Tick! Tick! (That's what a clock sounds like, when your brain is vapor-locked.) My last two posts were pretty cheesy, taking aim at sitting targets. I can do better than that, I know. Soon. But, "Big Mo" keeps saying, "Just Do It!" So, here goes: All my life, I'v...
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By Mike Dennis, Associate Broker GRI, ePRO, CIAS, CDPE Sierra Vist
(Keller Williams Realty Southern Arizona (Sierra Vista))
I confess to taking the easy way out, on my last blog post. I posted on Mother's Day, about Mothers. I could have written just about anything, and lots of folks would have said, "Ohhhh... isn't that touching?" Well, since then, I've had an operation (that I survived), my puppy, "Hercules, The Immortal," also had surgery (that he survived) and now, it's back to business. And, what a business it is! Everywhere I turn, there are new web sites for me to exploit, new blogs to write, new lead generation tactics... and, best of all, some real, live, leads! Our market is different than any I've seen in over 30 hyears, but... there is a market. It is we, who must adapt to the market. It simply will not adapt to us. Gotta go! I'm activating a new web site on my Chamber of Commerce-provided platfo...
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By Mike Dennis, Associate Broker GRI, ePRO, CIAS, CDPE Sierra Vist
(Keller Williams Realty Southern Arizona (Sierra Vista))
Since everyone has a mother, does that devalue the proposition of "motherhood?" Not at all. I love Mothers. I have one. My wife is a Mother. my daughter is a Mother. My sisters are Mothers. Most REALTORS® in my office are Mothers. Most loan officers I deal with are Mothers. Most title and escrow officers I know are Mothers. About half of my buyers and sellers are Mothers. So... what's my point? The point is that Mothers are not usually, "simply" mothers. Being a Mother is usually an additional job, another crucial part of their lives that they do while being wives, daughters, sisters, real estate professionals, loan officers. title, and escrow officers. We just do not give them enough credit. I salute every Mother out there, and wish you a happy Mother's Day, from Sierra Vista, Arizona!  
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