"Virtual" Real Estate Shopping

Yep.  The blog's called Random Ramblings, so sometimes sh*t just comes outta left field.

Deal with it!

Here's a recent email:

More AZ Real Estate Adventures...

Okay, this one doesn't really rely on pictures so much.

Other than this one:

Which came with the email and, honestly, looks very appealing to me.

1 acre - horse property - $50K.  Not bad.

So I took the next logical step and pulled up the address on Google Maps and took a Virtual Drive of the neighborhood.  Plus this gives me the chance to check-out the mountain views - are they *really* that close, or did the realtor have a *really* good zoom on his camera, right?

So I checked out the 'hood.  Other than the redneck across the street who's storing his camper shell on the ground in the middle of his horse paddock, the neighborhood doesn't seem *too* bad.  I vaguely recall 'virtual-shopping' this property before, but anyway...

Then I do a Zillow search.  Odd.  It doesn't come up - even though the address pre-filled itself as I was typing (so yeah, I'd looked at this one before)...

Then I head to Trulia.  It shows that the property has been on the market for over 120 days - which seems odd because it *looks* like a nice piece of property, and $50K is a damn good deal for views like that!

Extremely strange that it hasn't been snatched up by now.  Hmmm.....

Then I scroll down and discover a feature that I didn't know Trulia had:

And now I've got "Bad Boys Bad Boys, What'cha Gun Do!" stuck in my head!

Damn!

"Second Home" Wild Hair...

Okay, I'm gonna try to squeeze in another post before it gets too chilly out here (Yes, I'm attempting to enjoy our simply-lovely October weather at the Tiki Bar and *trying* not to get depressed over the fact that our "nice days" are numbered!)...

So Friday, after the JB show, we hooked up with an old High School Buddy of Hubs. Ted and his wife, Sue. They live in Chandler, AZ. They live in a simply Drop-Dead-Gorgeous, Straight-Out-Of-HGTV Custom Home that *they* designed. Their home is in a gated community and... Well... As soon as we walked up to their front door I was feeling like we are TOTAL "White Trash!"

But... AZ real estate and CA real estate are completely different animals! And the AZ real estate market has totally "tanked" whereas *our* market is still (mostly) hanging in there. I'm sure that "in it's day," Ted's house was probably worth $1M+. Now? Less than half of that! Our house? During the heyday, it was worth appx $650K. Now, it's closer to $400K. :::sigh:::

Nevertheless.... We are not "under water" (and I'm not sure Ted can say the same thing, to be honest). We never have been and never will be (DH bought *before* the boom!).

Anyhoooooo.... We spent a most pleasant afternoon with Ted and Sue. Just kickin' it by their pool (with integrated spa, waterfall, fountain, yada-yada) and built-in outdoor kitchen. During the heat of the afternoon, we hung-out under their covered patio. It was freaking AWESOME!

And that got me to thinking: I freaking HATE California Winters. And yes, I know, California winters don't hold a candle to East-Coast and/or Northern Climes. But I am a professed "Wimpy California Native" who believes that "Snow is for VISITING!" If the mercury dips below 60*, I start whining!

So anyway... I ended up finding myself surfing the AZ MLS listings to see what housing was like. I'm sure it's no Big Secret, but the housing market has pretty-well tanked in AZ (as well as Las Vegas, NV - where my sister lives, currently).

It just kills me to hear my sister say she "can't find anything" - housing-wise. Seriously! I mean, the Vegas Market is probably damn-near identical to the Greater-Phoenix Market. And it's no huge secret that we both "made out" pretty "OK" with mom's estate. There is absolutely NO reason why *she* couldn't afford to buy herself a house - for CASH - and live quite comfortably. Particularly since (in Vegas, anyway) she's already got someone who wants to rent a room (which would certainly cover her utility expenses).

But the thing is: *She* would want to live in a house like Ted's (actually - come to think of it - at 3200 SF, Ted's house is probably "too small" for her liking!). But if one dials-back one's expectations, there are *definitely* some very nice houses to be had in the $100-150K range (actually, there's stuff for *under* $100K! But - to be fair - I don't know that I'd want a house in an under $100K neighborhood).

But Sis wants something in the 3500-4000 SF range (5+ bedrooms, 4+ baths, with a pool, granite countertops, 3+ car garage, in a gated community, yada-yada) for under $200K.

Not gonna happen!

And, interestingly enough, as we were chatting with Ted and Sue - who built their "Dream Home" from the ground-up, right?! - they are already talking about wanting to down-size because the house is just "too much to maintain!"

Soooooo... Oops - I've wandered off-track again! ANNNNYWAAAAAYYYYY.... My "expectations" are not all that lofty, to be perfectly honest. The whole idea of having a place where winter isn't so damned WET and GRAY and COLD (okay, maybe still cold - but not WET!), well, that seems kind of "appealing" to me, right?!

Added Bonus: Since I telecommute fulltime ("Oh Gawd PLEASE don't let me lose my job!!!!"), I don't really have to concern myself, too much, over the economy and job-situation, right? And since houses CAN BE HAD for $100K... Well, Hell!!! *I* could live here!!! Or - at the very least - keep it as a Second/Winter Home, right?!

So... I surfed the MLS and am looking at a couple-three different communities: Casa Grande (appx 40 miles south of Phoenix), Apache Junction (30 miles-ish? East of Phoenix), Chandler, and maybe others... I want to be far enough "off the beaten path" to avoid gridlock at Rush-Hour (and ohhhhh yes - they *do* get traffic! Nothing compared to the Bay Area, but still!), but I still want access to Life's Conveniences.

I'm only "dreaming" right now. But it's scary to think how EASY it would be to "pull the trigger" and make it happen! I could, very easily, write a check for a $100K 3BR/2BA 1800-2000 SF home; hit the local IKEA and buy a couple thousand dollars' worth of furniture; fix my car's A/C and drive her out there, park her in the garage (on a battery-tender, of course!), and Bada-Bing, Bada-Boom! "Second Home!"

We could maintain "Dual-Citizenship!" CA in Summer and AZ in Winter. Not quite "Snowbirds" - but maybe "Rainbirds!"

Of course, I think "Gardening" would be out of the question. Summers would be waaaaaayyyy too hot and winters - surprisingly - get COLDER than we get here! (Chandler is Zone 8. San Jose is 9B - Who knew?!!).

Anyway, it's just another one of my "Wild Hairs" that I am chewing on, at the moment... No clue if it will turn into Reality, but it's kinda fun to Dream, right???

More Wild Hairs

So... This past New Years' Weekend I was suffering from a severe case of "Cabin Fever!" It was rainy, dreary, miserable and COLD outside! I did work - a bit - on "Creative Projects" (finished up a "mixed-media" art-piece which was supposed to be Kathie's Christmas Present, and started a mini-painting). But I also spent a fair amount of time on Google.

See, last November, Rog and I vacationed on Maui. He had Frequent Flier Miles to burn, and I found an "outrageously reasonable" rate for a condo in Kihei (@ ~$100/night). So off we went!

Now I hadn't been to Maui since the early 70's (Dad worked for UAL so we actually vacationed - a LOT - in Hawaii, but only made it to Maui once). My impression of Hawaii, in general, is that it's "outrageously expensive" and also Mega-Miserably-Humid. But after spending a week in a Kihei-condo, I have modified my opinion of the place!

Kihei is actually (relatively) reasonable - price-wise (of course, I'm coming from a California mindset - where "outrageous" is The Rule!). Yeah, fuel-prices are ridiculous (I think we paid close to $4.00/gal for gas - but at the time CA gas-prices weren't much cheaper than that). Groceries were *a bit* higher but - again - not completely out-of-the-ballpark (Plus we found Wal-Mart! Not bad at all. AND they've got Costco!). The fact that we were in a condo, and preparing meals "at home" made it quite a bit more bearable to be honest...

Anyway, we covered a lot of ground while we were in Maui. We basically traversed the entire island (including the infamous "Road-To-Hana" which is definitely an *experience!*) (and drove back via the southern route AFTER DARK [dodging free-range cows no less!] - again - an *experience!*). The variety of Micro-Climates on Maui is *incredible* (rivals that of NoCal - to be honest). If you're too hot/cold/whatever, just drive 10 minutes and you'll be in a completely different climate!

Annnd.... The fact of the matter is: Maui is still very-much "under-developed" and feels almost "Third World" in a lot of ways. Yet, it still offers "Modern Conveniences."

Bottom Line: I actually fell in love with Maui while we were there and I have determined that - without question - I *could* live there! Possibly in retirement????

...And I have "planted the seed" in DH's mind (ooooWEEEEEEooooooooWEEEEEoooooo!!!). Thus far, it seems to have taken root! ;-)

Soooo... While we were there (with dueling laptops!), I started Googling real-estate prices and I determined that they definitely have been *hit* by the Bubble-Burst (lots of REO's and short-sales). There are definitely properties there that fall under the "affordable" category (at least by *my* definition of "affordable"). And - with the fact that mom's house is worth a fair chunk of change - I think I might actually be in a position to buy an "Investment Property" on Maui.

Nothing super-duper fancy-schmantzy. I'm envisioning an unimproved "lot" - maybe about a 1/4 acre (like we're living on now - sans house, right?). I figure it can just sit there over the next 10-15-20 yrs and - hopefully - appreciate in value. If we decide *not* to move there, then I can (hopefully) sell it and bank a modest profit. Or, if we *do* decide to retire there, we can sell our San Jose abode and apply the proceeds toward building a modest (but nice) retirement home there.

Nothing upscale. Just a simple 3-4 BR 2 BA home - say, appx 1800-2000 SF. I can't afford anything super-nice (No "expansive ocean views" or PGA Golf Course setting). But if we were "walking distance" to the beach and/or shops - that'd be find with me! The main thing is The Weather! Temps were *very* agreeable to us! Mid-70's at night. Mid-80's during the day. Not oppressively humid (Yay!). Light sea-breezes to keep things bearable. Ohhhh yeah! I could live like that!

If I *were* to pursue this Dream, I think I would want to build a small, detached "ohana" on it. Like a small studio apartment. We could use it as a vacation house for ourselves - in the meantime. Just fly on over, hang out for a week or so, then fly back. After we retire, we could use the ohana as a vacation rental and ppl could pay us to stay there!

I'm kinda liking that dream!

There are definite "down-sides" to the dream though. Building costs are pretty high there (along the lines of $200-400/SF). Food and fuel costs are definitely higher (since pretty-much everything needs to be "shipped in"). Docking is next-to-impossible to find (for Das Boot) - but the sailing conditions are spectacular. As are the motorcycle roads (road to Haleakala was *very* similar to many of my favorite South-Bay California roads).

*I* had really (seriously) entertained the idea of retiring in Mexico - after my College Bud, D'Le, and her husband retired there. But Rog ix-nayed the idea when he heard we'd have to give up the Harleys and Corvette (Mexico roads: Not so nice - and the "appearance" of being "affluent" is *never* a good idea down there).

Anyhoooo... Maui is looking better and better!

In my Googling, I have found a Real Estate Agent (who put-up a nice blog-post about retiring in Maui here). I like her perspective, since she's from Santa Cruz and understands where we're coming from - so we've started a bit of a correspondence.

Of course, FIRST we've got to get Mom's house sold (which is a source of another rant - which I may, or may not post here!).

Anyhoooo.... That's my Wild Hair Du Jour! Maybe I'll buy a retirement "lot" in Kihei, Maybe not. In the meantime, I do plan to continue with my short-term Wild Hair Plan of building a ceramic studio in the backyard...