Rancho Sahuarita to Basis Tucson (Phoenix, Casas Adobes: credit card, employment, buyer)

[Moving To Tucson]

We have a condo in mind on 3rd street (we may place a bid on it in a few weeks).... but I wanted to hear some thoughts regarding the area this condo is in:

1776 S Palo Verde Ave APT M111, Tucson, AZ 85713 is For Sale - Zillow

It would be half as expensive as the 3rd street condo, and the 3rd street condo still needs an overhaul (water leak in the kitchen caused water damage to all of the lower cabinets).

Thanks for the input...

[azdr0710]

Originally Posted by Moving To Tucson

I wanted to hear some thoughts regarding the area this condo is in:

1776 S Palo Verde Ave APT M111, Tucson, AZ 85713 is For Sale - Zillow

It would be half as expensive as the 3rd street condo,

that is a co-op development, thus the low price....co-ops are rare in Tucson, but I know somebody who lives in one near this building and maintenance is good, I've noticed....the neighborhood is "mixed", to put it politely!....note the HOA fee, a bit on the high side for Tucson, but it does cover more than the average HOA fee....this spot might appeal more to retired folks or widows....the area doesn't feel family-ish to me.....

[Moving To Tucson]

What does "mixed" refer to? I didn't get it. (Age, Income Level, Race, Safety, Type of People...???)

Are there cons to being part of a co-op? Seems family-ish in the common pool area (grass, open space, large pool, etc).... though a bit institutional because of the quantity and magnitude of the long buildings.

This is obviously not my ideal housing option.... but definitely a stress free option.... and could (I guess) become a rental in the future. Not sure if they are commonly rented out.

Anyway.... thanks azdr0710!!! I appreciate the input! Have a great day.

[beTucsonan]

Originally Posted by Moving To Tucson

We have a condo in mind on 3rd street (we may place a bid on it in a few weeks).... but I wanted to hear some thoughts regarding the area this condo is in:

1776 S Palo Verde Ave APT M111, Tucson, AZ 85713 is For Sale - Zillow

It would be half as expensive as the 3rd street condo, and the 3rd street condo still needs an overhaul (water leak in the kitchen caused water damage to all of the lower cabinets).

Thanks for the input...

That's right near where I grew up. And ... I would never, ever, ever go back! You will find that this area is getting pretty close to "the worst of Tucson" insofar as crime and filth. You will become accustomed to things like the police helicopter paying regular visits, and following a SWAT team van into your neighborhood. An old friend and I were exchanging stories about various gunfire incidents all occurring in this area when we were younger. On my way down to the DMV the other day I cruised around to see if it has changed ... it hadn't.

I am more positive than many Tucsonans about the mid-town areas, but in this case I would say - very plainly - "no."

[Moving To Tucson]

While I'm at it, any input on:

3798 E 3rd St, Tucson, AZ 85716 is For Sale - Zillow

This is the 3rd street condo we're considering bidding on within the next few weeks.

It's tiny... overpriced... but perfect. The kitchen has some water damage, so the price should come down considerably after the inspection.

Somehow, in the midst of house-hunting, we decided to consider living simply and purchasing rental properties. Not sure if we'll actually go this route, but the small condo would allow for it.

If anyone has experience "renting" a property out, please share. (the good, the bad and the ugly)

Thanks for posting, BajaAZ.

[beTucsonan]

That 3rd Street condo is in a pretty decent spot. Right about there, at Alvernon is when that part of town starts to transition into the nicer parts leading into the University. 3rd Street is a biking corridor, which is nice, and you'll have easy access to the Sam Hughes and U of A area stuff that was discussed earlier in the thread. Of course I don't know anything about the building itself, but if I was looking for a condo to buy, that would be among my target areas (there are also some interesting looking ones nearby on North Camino Miramonte, basically just North of 3rd Street and South of Speedway.

Insofar as purchasing with the intent to rent, I might be careful. There is a genuine over-abundance of rentals in this town and a lot of nice places are sitting vacant as a result. A lot of the rental rates are being dragged down, too - we definitely got our house for less than we were expecting to have to pay for the location and size. I think I've said it before, but I just can't see the Tucson market as an investment market unless you buy in a "hot" area (think UA, 4th Ave and Downtown). On 3rd Street you've got a shot, if the market turns around, but that seems like a big "if" at this juncture.

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by BajaAZ

Insofar as purchasing with the intent to rent, I might be careful. There is a genuine over-abundance of rentals in this town and a lot of nice places are sitting vacant as a result. A lot of the rental rates are being dragged down, too - we definitely got our house for less than we were expecting to have to pay for the location and size. I think I've said it before, but I just can't see the Tucson market as an investment market unless you buy in a "hot" area (think UA, 4th Ave and Downtown). On 3rd Street you've got a shot, if the market turns around, but that seems like a big "if" at this juncture.

I would agree with you on that. I have talked to a few UA students and they are paying 30-40% less than some of my interns from the University of Illinois and Indiana University were. Housing in the university area appears to be very affordable, which is not good for the landlords.

[Moving To Tucson]

Too bad. Rentals seemed to be a good side-income because of the University.

We want our money to start working for us. Any ideas?

I checked out the other condos above 3rd, BajaAZ. Really nice. I had no idea there were other "Presidio" style condo communities closer to the University with pools and such.

I will send an update in about a week regarding my hubby's request for a job transfer. We also have someone who loves our home and is coming for a second showing on Saturday. So good. We just lowered our home price again, so hopefully this is it!

Anyway, thanks to everyone for the input.

[Moving To Tucson]

Another day or two and my hubby asks for a transfer.

Can hardly believe it.

Will send an update soon.

[Moving To Tucson]

Today is the day my hubby asks for a job transfer......