Oro Valley Top 100 best places to live and start a business

CNNMoney.com lists Oro Valley at number 44 for the best places to live and launch a business.

That’s about it, you can read it for yourself.  Pretty nice write up about our town, amenities and attractions to our community.

Oro Valley Red Lobster Open Mid July

UPDATE July 28,2009 : Drove buy the Oro Valley Red Lobster this morning.  They are open for business.  Cheesy Biscuits are calling.

The Red Lobster is almost ready to open here, Mid July. They are taking applications and you can almost smell the cheesy biscuits and the shrimp. The Guy on the Bench can hardly wait.

Buying A Fixer Upper

Without the FHA and HUD, buying a fixer-upper can be a difficult problem. Most often a loan company will not offer a mortgage for a fixer-upper until the fixes are complete, and yet you cannot make the repairs until you own the home. The FHA insured 203(k) Rehabilitation Program loan, can help solve this problem.

The FHA 203(k) Rehabilitation Program loan allows a buyer to obtain a mortgage on a fixer-upper that includes the cost of the repairs as well. The loan is only available for properties that will be owner occupied. That is, it cannot be used to purchase a property with the intent of making the repairs and re-selling.

A potential home buyer should approach buying a fixer-upper with the help of a knowledgeable Real Estate Professional. When presenting a sales agreement to the seller, it should be made contingent on a Rehabilitation Program Loan approval from the FHA. The buyer then selects an FHA approved 203(k) lender and seeks a detailed proposal of the work to be done and a cost estimate. An appraisal will be performed to determine the value of the property after renovations. Pending lender approval the home loan will close for an amount that will cover the purchase price of the home as well as all repairs necessary. The 203(k) loan will often include an additional 10 to 20% for unexpected expenses.

The repair funds are placed in an escrow account and paid directly to the contractor, minus 10% to ensure all work is done properly. The final 10% is paid after the lender is satisfied with the completion of the work. Like most FHA loans, the down payment requirement of a 203(k) loan is 3% of the purchase price and repairs.

The FHA’s 203(k) Rehabilitation Program loan is a viable option for many potential home buyers.

The Citrus Festival

Here’s the quick details for tomorrow.

• Citrus Festival Jan. 17, 2009
• Oro Valley Farmers’ Market
• Time: 9 am to 1 pm
• Tips on planting Citrus
• Tips on cooking with Citrus
• Citrus Soaps to make you smell like an orange (I’m kidding)
• Citrus Marinades and Fruit Salsa (now I’m hungry)
• Much more

I try and stop by the Oro Valley Farmers’ Market every Saturday.  I don’t always make it.  Last Saturday I was up at Rooster Cogburn’s Ostrich farm feeding birds and other animals.

Back to the Farmers’ Market.  I love going there and if nothing else grabbing a fresh cup of coffee and seeing what new things are there to try.  I’m (as some of you know) a diabetic which leaves me without a lot to chose from to sample.

But fresh veggies and always a new coffee to try make up for most of it.

I can at least walk by all those fresh baked pies and pastries and smell them.  No calories and the blood sugars don’t seem to go up when I just smell them. : )

See you there.

Oro Valley Marketplace Walmart

Bonnie Henry had a great suggestion for the Oro Valley Markeplace Walmart.

● The new Wal-Mart in Oro Valley begins passing out paper bags with eye holes to patrons who once protested the store and are now embarrassed to be seen shopping there.

Bonnie is such a great community supporter and nice to see her contributing to the community spirit to make 2009 a great year for Oro Valley and the Oro Valley Marketplace Walmart.

Don't Tell Anyone I'm Here

Oro Valley Marketplace Theater

The new theater at the Oro Valley Marketplace is a great place to see a movie.  The seats rock.  Literally they rock, they are big and comfortable and the stadium seating is so good you don’t have to worry about seeing over the person in the row in front of you.

The sound is fantastic and the isles are 42 inches wide meaning you can get past people and they don’t have to get up to let you by.

If a holiday movie is in your plans see one at the Oro Valley Marketplace.  Once you sit in those seats it is hard to see a movie any place else.

Jesse Herman
Mesothelioma Cancer Center

There are many things to consider when remodeling or purchasing an older home. Homes built before 1980 have the strong likelihood of containing asbestos. Due to a steady progression of technology and green sustainable methods, there are many ways to ensure your home or property is asbestos free. If you are interested in saving money, remodeling and improving your carbon footprint, here is some information to get you on the right track.

Used in millions of homes throughout the last quarter of the 20^th century, asbestos insulation can become a real dilemma for homeowners due to causing a variety of health problems, including Peritoneal Mesothelioma and Malignant Mesothelioma. These types of cancer take the lives of thousands each year.

Non-regulated asbestos material can be legally performed by homeowners, regular contractors, or licensed asbestos abatement contractors as long as the National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) are not violated. Asbestos removal in public facilities, homes and workplaces must be undertaken by a licensed asbestos abatement contractor. Once the removal is complete, green insulation options should be given serious consideration, such as: Cellulose, Cotton Fiber and Lcynene.

The United StatesGreen Building Council (USGBC), in a study conducted in 2003, estimated a savings of $50-$65 per square foot for well-constructed green buildings in the U.S. (see table below) during that year. The numbers continue to improve as more eco-friendly options become available, and those kinds of figures have finally begun to attract those who thought eco-friendly construction was just a bunch of hogwash.

Walmart Oro Valley Marketplace Opens 7:30 AM Oct. 29, 2008

The Oro Valley Marketplace is open, maybe not officially, but Dick’s Sporting Goods was open this past weekend.  The traffic lights are functioning and both entrances from Oracle and Tangerine are functional.

Driving by the Walmart there are signs on all the doors saying it will be open for business October 29, 2008 at 7:30 am.  Many of the stores and theater will be opening in the next week following.  There is a great deal of additional work going on around the mall.

Dick's Sporting Goods Oro Valley Marketplace

One of the things that caught my eye were the water tanks that look like watermelons from Tangerine.  I thought it was a nice touch making water storage tanks look like watermelons.  However, when I drove by and got a closer look I had to smile even more.  The tanks aren’t watermelons they are cactus.  They too are known for their ability to hold water.  I have to admit we do see more cactus around Oro Valley than we do watermelons.

Oro Valley Marketplace Cactus Water Storage Tanks

I don’t remember the last time I even saw an Olympic event on the TUBE, but I digress.

Any way, (hows that for a segway)  Our Brokerage came out with a one page schedule of the summer Olympic events which is “personally branded” for each agent.  If you read this blog often you know we don’t do a lot of “personal branding” here.  We talk about Oro Valley and what it is like to live here and call Oro Valley Home.

I personally detest the trite saying I see on many sites “For all your real estate needs”.  But in this instance if you want to print out this schedule and put it on the fridge with magnets we will be glad to privide you with the schedule of events.

One favor I would ask.  Please don’t let the kids draw a mustache on Barbara’s picture.  And don’t do it yourself either : )

There are several reasons why it is hard to isolate Oro Valley real estate statistics.

Many homes in Oro Valley have a Tucson mailing address

This means when the home is entered into the Tucson MLS system it will be listed as Tucson and not Oro Valley.  Doing a search on Oro Valley will not return any of these homes.

Oro Valley has no clear Zip code distinctions

The zip code searches on 85737 and 85755 will return Oro Valley results, but 85704 but includes more than Oro Valley. Leaving out 04 doesn’t give a complete enough picture.  Including it is too broad.

 Tucson MLS Northwest Area

I usually opt for an even broader brush by reporting on the Northwest area which includes all of Oro Valley and some of Marana and Catalina as well as a part of Tucson.  Not a perfect solution but seems to provide at least a reasonable snapshot.

There is no other way I know of to try and isolate just figures for Oro Valley.  I wish there was a way, I would really like to be able to give a targeted accurate look at what is going on specifically in the Oro Valley real estate market.

Till there is a better solution (don’t hold your breath) we will try and provide as accurate a data as possible to attain.